29 June 2018
It is has been a wonderful week in school punctuated by awards assemblies in Junior and Senior School
On Monday afternoon we enjoyed an incredible Creative Arts Exhibition, courtesy of our very talented GCSE Art & Textiles students. The variety and quality of their work really is exceptional and is a great testament to the artistic talents of our pupils. Many thanks to the parents and families who joined us to celebrate their achievements.
Tuesday brought a fabulous festival of sport in our annual Sports Day extravaganza! I was very proud of both the fierce competition between houses and of the overwhelming sense of fun, mutual support and breadth of sporting talent across such a variety of disciplines. We reflected on this last night as our annual Sports Dinner saw us celebrating the many sporting achievements of our pupils. We were thrilled to be joined by former England Netball Captain, Pamela Cookey, who delivered an inspiring message about the power of resilience and determination in achieving your dreams, not to mention the importance of having fun whilst playing sport.
In the Junior School we were treated to an incredible Year 3 and 4 production rich in musical and acting talent. It was a truly spectacular show! The pupils had worked incredibly hard to produce such a polished, mature production of Fleeced and I am sure all the parents who joined us would agree that it was a truly memorable performance with a standing ovation that was richly deserved!
One of the features of life at Cranford House that I value most highly is the strong link between our Junior and Senior pupils. This was in evidence on Wednesday as we enjoyed one of the highlights of the school year, Vertical Teaching Day. It is always a real treat to see pupils from Reception to Year 10 learning together and supporting each other across a day of exciting activities and it was a particular treat to be joined by members of the local police, fire and rescue and search and rescue services. Please click here to review some of the pictures from this fun-filled day in school, along with those from the rest of the week.
Finally, as thoughts turn to the end of the school year, it is time to say goodbye to departing colleagues. I am sure you will all join me in wishing every success for the future to Mr Poutney, Mrs Stegeman and Mrs Stone who sadly leave us at the end of the term. They are all truly inspirational teachers who have contributed so much to life at school and will be missed by pupils, colleagues and parents alike. We will also be sad to say goodbye to Mrs Smythe who retires this year as Head of Pastoral Care in the Senior School. She will be greatly missed by the whole school community and I hope all of our departing colleagues will continue to be regular visitors back to Cranford House. I am delighted to announce that Miss Bray has been appointed as Assistant Head (Pastoral) to succeed Mrs Smythe in leading the Senior School pastoral team.
As the term draws to a close, I look forward to seeing the whole school community at our Prize Giving ceremonies next week.
With best wishes for the weekend
Dr J Raymond