Autumn 2021

LUXLIFE MAGAZINE | 27 Autumn 2021 than prepare young people to excel in formal assessments, should also go beyond this and so Cranleigh Thinking, its philosophy of learning, is all about teaching beyond the test. The School puts thinking at the heart of its approach to deeper learning because the School believes that, beyond all other qualities, it is the ability to think well that will best ensure young people are ready to face the challenges of an unpredictable future, something that has been foremost in the minds of educators over the last 18 months. The pandemic brought many challenges but Cranleigh boarders managed the long days of lockdown with a huge range of remote co-curricular activities to complement their distance-learning academics. From daily high intensity workouts to virtual choirs and remote rehearsals for three different plays, there were lots of chances for pupils to get involved and develop new interests, as well as continue virtual Chapel, PSHE sessions and careers advice. With online socials to maintain mental health from quizzes to cooking workshops, everything in the programme was designed to keep pupils engaged and connected while apart, a real testament to the strength of the boarding ethos. Although the School’s exam results are excellent, the aim remains to teach the child ‘in the whole’ and is the core of the termly calendar that provides a breath-taking range of activities for children to try. The whole co-curricular programme is about participation, not just the elite, and that is especially true of sports where everyone is expected to be involved, staff as well as pupils. It also allows us to cater for bespoke elite sports programmes for our nationally performing pupils, and ensures that all pupils play for the love of the shirt. It is this enriching cultural experience that lies at the heart of a good education, and Cranleigh proves time and time again that young people can succeed without a narrow focus. The incredible achievements of pupils and alumni speak for themselves. Ex Cultu Robur! Address: Cranleigh School, Horseshoe Lane, Cranleigh, GU6 8QH Website: https://www.cranleigh.org/ where everyone knows one another, providing a nurturing environment where children grow with confidence. Excellent pastoral care along with a modern approach to tech use in academics underpins everything, as the School firmly believes that, in the current zeitgeist, the most important thing an educator can do is to enable young people to learn to navigate technology and relationships, to recognise the behavioural patterns that can prevent them from flourishing and to work out how to change those patterns for themselves. Each pupil is equipped with an iPad for learning and mobile phones are banned in the first year and heavily restricted in upper years. Boarding, regionally and nationally, has undergone a decline in recent years, with many schools changing their offering and reducing numbers. By contrast, boarding at Cranleigh is buoyant and the School is focused on keeping it that way with investment in new facilities, such as art studios, a transformed drama and performance space and a state-of-the-art humanities academic block. New girls’ boarding houses have been added to bring the structure to four girls’ houses alongside four boys’ houses. The houses are paired, enabling girls and boys to socialise and compete in House challenges and competitions together, further affirming Cranleigh’s status as Surrey’s most mature co-educational boarding school. It’s been fully co-ed for almost 25 years and such experience shows in its successful approach to pastoral care. One of the key ingredients of a boarding environment is time. Rather than being stuck in a car commuting to school, Cranleighans are out on the pitches and in the studios rehearsing, or attending evening lectures from visiting speakers or simply hanging out with friends in the boarding house. Cranleigh’s long boarding day provides enough time for children to make the most of all the activities they are offered. It’s a culture whereby each child has the time, and support, to discover their own talents and passions, whatever they may be. Cranleigh’s motto, ‘Ex Cultu Robur’ (from culture come strength) has been in use since the school was built in 1865. To Cranleighans it is a powerful reminder that education is about so much more than academics. Cranleigh’s academic directors are clear that learning, whilst it should never do less