2 February 2024

2 February 2024

Dear Parents

I hope you have a good week and are looking forward to a restful weekend. I have enjoyed a busy week visiting lessons and sharing in the wonderful learning taking place across the school. It is a great privilege to be able to share pupils’ and colleagues' enthusiasm for their subjects. I never cease to be inspired by the curiosity of our pupils and the creativity of my colleagues. I have been particularly struck this week by the sheer breadth and variety of the curriculum in Key Stage 3 and also by the sense of happiness and challenge around the building as I visit lessons.

Rock and Pop

We were blown away by the standard of all those who performed at the annual Rock and Pop Concert on Tuesday evening. The singers and musicians were exceptional, showcasing music across so many genres. I am always amazed by the confidence, bravery and determination of the performers, who excelled this year. Expertly compered by Toby, who put an interesting spin on the evening with facts about each piece, it was wonderful to see each pupil flourish on stage. This level of performance can only be achieved through hard work and dedication, and I would like to extend a huge congratulations to all our pupils who rose to the challenge of this event. Please click here to see the photos!

Hymn Practice

Keeping up the musical theme we have enjoyed extra hymn practice this week in Junior School and Senior school. It has been wonderful to hear both sections of the school in such fine voice! There is something very special about communal singing and we had great fun in Senior School as Mrs Powell challenged pupils across year groups to a decibel challenge! Our whole school assemblies are a really important part of the shared culture and ethos of the school and what it means to be a pupil at Cranford. The sense of pride in their school, their collective sense of purpose and commitment to the school values, most notably generosity of spirit and happiness, has been vividly on display across the week. We also reflected in Senior School assembly this morning on the power of storytelling and reading and challenged our seniors to spend some time with their heads in fiction books this weekend!

Elsewhere in school, this week has been Open Week and once again, we have proudly thrown open our doors to many visitors interested in all sections of the school to give them an insight into day-to-day life at Cranford. From watching the Reception and Key Stage 1 Singing Assembly, to visiting Year 5 and seeing their impressive work around the ‘Egyptian topic’, then moving into a Year 7 Art lesson with pupils creating some beautifully elaborate dragon eyes, then side-stepping the excitement of a busy Senior School fixture afternoon, our visitors loved the energy of a typical day in school and seeing your children happy and engaged in their lessons.

Have a lovely weekend.

With best wishes

Dr James Raymond
Head