19 January 2018

It’s been a particularly exciting week here with lots of special events taking place right across the school.

It was a great pleasure to welcome GB and England Hockey player Joie Leigh to meet and speak to Senior pupils. In a fascinating assembly, she described both her path to success and her experience of playing at an international level. Her inspiring message was one that chimed perfectly with our own school-wide focus on resilience and perseverance despite challenges that may arise. Joie then took to the Astro with our Years 7 and 8 A teams to treat them to a fantastic Hockey masterclass.

We also welcomed Year 5 children from Crowmarsh, Goring, Stoke Row and Whitchurch primary schools this week, along with our own pupils, for the first of two Drama workshops. During the day, the boys and girls all enjoyed the chance to work with actress Joanna Page. As well as introducing the children to some great Drama warm-up games, Joanna also gave them some fantastic tips on building dramatic characters. We were delighted to be able to share this opportunity with the local community and I’m eagerly looking forward to watching it culminate in a performance for families at the end of the month. Many thanks to Joanna for giving up her time to join us.

Finally, we were joined by the Box Clever Theatre company yesterday for an electrifying performance of Romeo and Juliet in the round. Watched by our Year 9s, the company delivered a dynamic, modern take on the classic play with the aim of really demonstrating its relevance to today’s students. Later, pupils got the chance to take on the famous roles for themselves in an interactive workshop that saw Romeo dodging security to break into the Capulet manor!

To see all the photos from this opportunity-rich week in school, please take a look at our albums. 

Away from school, we were proud to send four teams to represent Cranford House at the first round of this year’s Youth Speaks competition in Reading. Speaking in front of an audience and a panel of judges, Mrs Mir tells me our pupils (from Years 7 to 9) all acquitted themselves brilliantly and with impressive confidence. Well done to all who took part, with a particular mention for Alana, Daisy and Poppy of Year 9 who emerged victorious and will now go through to the next round.

Finally, I’m pleased to inform you that our maintenance team have been busy marking out pitches on our back sports field. This will give us scope to broaden our sporting offering even further - I look forward to a Spring Term full of sporting excitement!

With best wishes

Dr J Raymond