5 May 2023

5 May 2023

Dear Parents

It has been a joyful day in school as we have celebrated together the occasion of the King’s Coronation and the graduation of our departing Year 13s as they head off to tackle their A-levels this summer! As ever, at the end of such a wonderful day I find myself feeling incredibly proud of our pupils and fortunate to be a teacher at this school. I hope these pictures provide a small glimpse of the fun that we have enjoyed across the school.

We started the day in Senior School with our annual Leavers’ Service where students across the Senior School enjoyed the opportunity to share together a rich programme of music, reading and speeches as we celebrated the many achievements of our Year 13s. We reflected together on our shared history and the values, hopes and aspirations that bind us together as a community here at school. We discussed the centrality of generosity of spirit and how this value guides our day-to-day interactions as friends together within this community and the power of civility, kindness and respect to change the world and make a positive difference beyond Cranford. Most importantly we said a fond farewell to a close group of friends who will be much missed by everyone at Cranford. I know you will all join me in wishing them every success this summer as they tackle their examinations, no doubt with the same enthusiasm, energy and determination they have tackled each step of their school careers. I hope they enjoy a wonderful Prom this evening!

With the bunting up and flags in place, we began our Coronation celebrations on Wednesday when the whole school gathered outside to watch the RAF Flypast in honour of the King’s Coronation. At lunchtime today we continued the celebrations when we came together for a very special whole school lunch in the sports hall, joined by parents from Year 13 for a raucous and happy Coronation celebration. The occasion of the King’s Coronation marks an important milestone in the history of our country and the community beyond Cranford, and we enjoyed our opportunity to celebrate this together with pupils from Nursery to Year 13. I hope this video gives you a small glimpse of the fun we had together in school today! I was particularly proud of the enthusiasm with which pupils sang the national anthem.

After lunch, the whole school spilled out onto the front field for an afternoon of celebration as we shared in fairground rides, helter-skelters, candy floss and all the fun of the fair! I hope the photos capture a little of the atmosphere around the school!

This week in school we also had the pleasure of the Year 5 Tea Concert when Year 5 shared with friends and family a series of exceptional solo and ensemble performances. Please do browse the photos from this week’s concert by clicking here.

Sports Report
We have had another successful sporting week with the following results:

U14 Boys Tennis played some great tennis against Bloxham, coming away as overall winners. U13 Boys won the first round of the ISA competition with great batting on display.

The U15 Girls played against Bradfield College this afternoon in what was a thriller. Cranford batted first scoring 142-4 (Alex 32, Evie 25, and Bobbi 21*). Bradfield chasing scored 142-4 (Evie 2 wickets and Bobbi 1 and Isla with a run out) requiring 3 to win off the last ball, but only managing 2 making it a tie

I hope you all enjoy a wonderful Bank Holiday weekend with your families, and I’ll look forward to seeing you in school in the very near future.

Best wishes

Dr James Raymond
Headmaster