16 June 2023

16 June 2023

Dear Parents

We have been blessed with spectacular weather this week, to accompany a rather fabulous week in school! Our Year 10 pupils were fortunate to break the tradition of rain on a Silver Duke of Edinburgh Expedition, as they headed to Abergavenny in Wales last weekend, completing a 12km trek over three days. Congratulations to you all for such an impressive achievement – we hope you enjoyed it too!

Year 8 Trip to The Wave
The sun was certainly most welcome when our Year 8 visited ‘The Wave’ near Bristol, enjoying an incredible outdoor experience in learning to surf! Excitement filled the air as they arrived at the state-of-the-art facility, eagerly anticipating their first encounter with artificial wave technology. The Wave Surf Lake proved to be an ideal destination, offering perfect waves for surfers of all skill levels. Under the guidance of experienced Wave Maker instructors, the students were introduced to the art of surfing. With a mix of nervousness and determination, they donned their wetsuits and ventured into the water. The thrill of catching their first wave was a defining moment for many and it was lovely to see the support they had for each other, the positivity and the determination they all demonstrated in championing their progress, whatever their level. As the day drew to a close, tired but elated, the Year 8 students bid farewell to The Wave, with memories of laughter, resilience, and newfound love for surfing!

Year 8 and 9 STEM event – RAF Benson
On Wednesday, selected pupils from Year 8 and 9 attended a STEM event held at RAF Benson titled 'See what you can be'. The day started with an inspirational talk from Vanessa Ruck (https://thegirlonabike.com) about mindset, facing challenge and how to cope with it. The pupils then broke into groups moving between the stands of inspirational women, demonstrating that it is possible to be anything you want to be. The stands included an astronaut, airline pilots, fast jet RAF pilot, firefighter, engineer for McClaren, police, critical care doctor, personal trainers to name just a few. The day was wrapped up with a live link to Emma Wolstenholme who is, along with a group of 4 other women, taking part in the GB Row )www.gbrowchallenge.com/gb-row-...). Our pupils came away elated, inspired and full of eager anticipation about the future!

Year 12 Residential
Sixth Form students in Year 12 have marked the end of their exams with a trip to Brighton. Their first stop was Sussex University, and they also visited Brighton University. Enjoying the fine weather of a summer’s evening, they had a delicious beach barbeque last night, followed by some fun (and competitive at times!) volleyball. Enjoying a panoramic view from Brighton’s observation tower, 1360, and visiting Brighton’s highly Instagram-worthy destination the ‘Upside Down House’, Year 12 have also managed to fit in time meandering the lanes and enjoying a spot of shopping too!

Meanwhile back in school, we are in the final few weeks of public examinations and we wish Year 11 and Year 13 the best of luck and a well-deserved break when they finish. It was lovely to see many parents for Year 10 Parents’ Evening on Tuesday and congratulations also to all the pupils who took part in the LAMDA showcase on Wednesday. Rehearsals for the Year 5&6 play and the Senior production of Bugsy Malone are in full swing and we are looking forward to watching them over the next few weeks.

End of Term Music Concert
Please also don’t forgot to book your tickets for our highly anticipated musical finale to the end of the year, the Cranford Gala Music Concert, on Monday 3 July at The Hexagon in Reading. This fabulous event is free of charge, but we are also keen to use it as a platform to raise money for ‘The Cranford Centenary Bursary Fund’ and ‘Mary’s Meals’, details of which can be found in the music concert letter (linked here). We are keen to raise as much as possible and thank parents in advance for their generosity in supporting these causes.

Have a lovely, sunny weekend!

Kind regards

Dr James Raymond
Headmaster