3 November 2017

It has been an action-packed return from half term.

It has been wonderful to see the pupils return to school looking rested and ready for an exciting second half of the Autumn Term. The break saw two fabulous school trips taking place to both Normandy and Florida and I've greatly enjoyed hearing about pupils' adventures at the Kennedy Space Centre and their investigation into the physics behind the rides at Disney Land, as well as the experiences of the rich cultural and historical delights of Normandy. As a History teacher, I was particularly envious of their visit to Bayeaux! If you have not done so already, please do take a moment to review the @CHTrips Twitter feed or our Flickr albums to capture a glimpse of these expeditions.

Here at school, it has been wonderful to welcome so many parents for Nursery and Year 7 Parents' Coffee Mornings and for our Year 9 Options evening. Options evening is always one of the most exciting happenings in the school year and there was an added excitement this year with the addition of a Halloween theme! The Senior School teachers greatly enjoyed talking to the girls and their parents about all the subjects and diverse options open to them at GCSE and A-Level here at Cranford House. I look forward to continuing these conversations at our Year 9 Parents' Evening in a couple of weeks time.

Elsewhere across the school, our sports teams have been involved in a busy programme of fixtures and enjoyed some exciting matches, while a small group of Year 6 pupils travelled to St Edward's school in Oxford for the annual Year 6 Mathematics Challenge. On a personal note, I've particularly enjoyed reading with Nursery and Reception this week, as well as working with our School Council on plans for our new Sixth Form.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the first week back, however, has been our Junior Space Week; please do take a moment to review just some of the pictures from the week here. Our boys and girls have been involved in rocket launches, planning trips to Mars, Planetarium shows, Science workshops, building lunar rovers, storytelling and much more besides! 

Finally, we are very much looking forward to welcoming families to our community event tomorrow where we will be joined by the UK's first astronaut, Helen Sharman, OBE. As well as planetarium shows and a whole host of space-themed activities, the morning will include an opportunity for Cranford House parents to view some of the work created during the week in the Orangery. Please do come along to see just what an inspiring week it has been.

With best wishes

Dr James Raymond