8 October 2021

On Tuesday evening, it was lovely to welcome our Year 11 parents and pupils to school for their Form Tutor meetings and also especially exciting to open our doors to the school community and external pupils for our Sixth Form Options Event. The Sixth Form centre erupted with excitement and energy as pupils toured round to visit various rooms to learn about the subjects on offer at A level. Our teaching team hosted their subject, encouraged by the interest and lively questions posed by pupils and parents about what each A level might entail. Ably supported by our wonderful Year 12 and 13 cohort, each subject station was brimming with visitors, who were clearly enthused and impressed by the eloquence and knowledge of our Sixth Form students. I felt very proud of having such a strong and passionate group of young people representing Sixth Form at Cranford and it felt like a significant moment for the school after having to close our doors to visitors for so long. We were thrilled with the parent feedback! Thank you to all parents who attended.

It has been a busy week in sport! The Under 11 teams lead the way in sports results this week, with a total of four wins and a draw against St Joseph's College. The boys’ football saw Cranford taking a 7-4 win, 5-2 win and a 0-0 draw, while the girls’ hockey saw another big result as they triumphed over St Joseph's with victories of 15-0 and 6-0! Our U10 girls’ hockey teams travelled to Crossfield's School, where they battled brilliantly against strong opposition to return with two draws.

Meanwhile, the U13 girls’ hockey teams once again put on a fantastic show of determination and resilience in their matches against Tudor Hall and Gillotts School. The teams put on an impressive display of unity, using their skills to outwit and match the opposition in some excellent play! Our U15 girls’ hockey had a very close game against Gillotts, adapting with ease to the unfamiliar grass pitch. The U18 girls’ team played away at St Edward's School, demonstrating energy and skill in abundance in a tough fixture against a strong team, including several strong saves by the Cranford keeper! Well done to all involved.

Behind the scenes, our Performing Arts department are working exceptionally hard as they rehearse for the Senior School Production ‘The Boyfriend’. Testing their powers of imagination, self-expression, creativity and communication, they are all contributing a tremendous amount of effort and time. Aside from having to learn their lines, they are also getting to grips with the Charleston! I think we are in for a real treat later in the term!

Have a lovely weekend.

With best wishes

Dr James Raymond
Headmaster