3 October 2025

Dear Parents

A huge privilege for anyone working in a school, is being part of the journey watching our pupils developing. There is something wonderful witnessing a transformation, seeing pupils achieve academically and personally. There is also something exciting about watching someone grasp opportunities that may have not previously been within reach and in helping someone achieve a growth mindset. This applies to both the work your children are doing daily in the classroom, but also those opportunities Cranford affords in our extensive extra-curricular provision. 

Growing minds is exciting, rewarding and essential in helping our pupils understand the world, nurturing curiosity and empathy in our community. We were able to explore this in a wider context as we celebrated Black History Month in both our Junior and Senior Assembly this week. 

On Thursday, Year 5 delivered a truly powerful and inspiring assembly to kick off Black History Month. The facts they shared were both engaging and educational, and the Q&A session showed how deeply they had thought about the topic. Their poem was beautifully performed and captured the essence of Black History Month with real maturity.

Today, in our Senior Assembly, we explored the theme of Black History, ‘Standing firm in Pride and Power’. We looked at examples of Black excellence from recent history as well as current cultural voices and reflected on the achievements of influential figures in art, music, poetry and sport. The assembly encouraged Senior pupils to think about choosing to learn, to notice blind spots, to challenge unconscious stereotypes and to widen our perspective.

Celebrating Black History month is a powerful way to help our pupils connect with history, culture and identity and we are proud of the thoughtful engagement shown by all our pupils. We are also proud of the opportunity to develop our pupils’ cultural understanding through programmes such as World Challenge. We are currently busy planning our next trip to Cambodia, which takes place in August 2027. This is a life-changing experience, open to pupils in current Year 10 to Year 12. Please see the details linked in the relevant year group sections below – it would be wonderful to see many pupils sign up for this incredible opportunity. 

Cranford shines at ISA Indoor Skiing Championships
Earlier in the week, eight talented pupils travelled to Hemel Hempstead to compete in the ISA Indoor Skiing Championships—and they did not disappoint! The U11 team delivered a strong performance, with Austin in Year 6completing his run in under 21 seconds. The team placed in the top 20 schools out of a large and competitive field. The U19 team achieved outstanding success, winning the team event and securing impressive individual results:

• 1st Place – Tom 
• 2nd Place – George 
• 4th Place – Charlie 
• 6th Place – Florence 

This is a remarkable achievement and a proud moment for the School. Congratulations to all our skiers for their dedication, skill, and sportsmanship!

Whole School Open Morning
We are looking forward to welcoming many visitors next Saturday 11 October for our Whole School Open Morning. Our Senior pupils are the best ambassadors in showcasing Cranford. Their enthusiasm, kindness and warmth are infectious, and we are very grateful for their support. Please see this letter, which details arrangements for the morning. It is also linked below. 

Please take a moment to enjoy these pictures from the week!

Have a good weekend. 

Best wishes

James Raymond

Head