24 February 2017

Welcome back after half-term. It has been my great pleasure to see pupils and staff return rested and ready for the rest of the Spring Term.

It has been particularly exciting to hear our Years 9 and 10 pupils' stories from their joint trip to Madrid with boys from Shiplake College. The weather may not have been kind to them but the trip was full of  rich cultural and linguistic experiences and proved a real success. Please see our Flickr page for photos. 

At the halfway point in the school year, it is always a good opportunity to pause and reflect on the progress made by our pupils. I have spent much of my week working with colleagues across the school to complete mid-year reviews and consider next steps. The sense of enthusiasm and creativity in planning for teaching and learning across the school is one of the many great joys of our school community. It mirrors the great sense of energy and curiosity that we experience each day here from our pupils. I am hugely proud that their capacity to ask questions, to engage enthusiastically and to adopt a happy, positive and kind approach to school is the over-riding characteristic of life at Cranford House. 

It was in the spirit of celebrating just these school values that our Head Girl team held their Values Dinner this week. Guests from across the Senior years were invited by the Head Girls for embodying our values of Happiness, Confidence, Motivation, Challenge and Generosity of Spirit, and treated to both a delicious dinner and a challenging quiz! My thanks to the Head Girls for organising such a joyful event.

Elsewhere, energy and creativity were most definitely on display yesterday morning in a fabulous Year 5 assembly. Pupils really rose to the challenge of sharing their work on Shakespeare's plays with parents and the rest of Junior School - we were treated to some really wonderful dramatic talent and performances. The Performing Arts also continue to flourish higher up the school as preparations and rehearsals for the upcoming Senior School Dance Show gain momentum. It promises to be an outstanding production and I hope you will be able to join us to enjoy it. Details of dates and tickets can be found here:  https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/168705

With best wishes,
Dr J Raymond