2 December 2022
It has been a busy and enjoyable week across the school, I never cease to be amazed by the energy enthusiasm and generosity of spirit shown by our pupils every day at school. I have just come back from watching the annual Running Club Christmas 5k, watching as the pupils completed 5k around Moulsford village at a gallop I was struck by the willingness of pupils across Junior School and Senior School to challenge themselves and the strong support, camaraderie and sheer sense of fun with which they approach each new opportunity in school! As an increasingly slow runner I was also very impressed by the athleticism and speed of our young runner! Well Done to the Running Club and thank you to all the spectators who came along to join us!
Key Stage 1 Christmas Show
Elsewhere in school the joy of Christmas abounds, and we were firmly propelled into the festive season on Tuesday and Wednesday with two fantastic Key Stage 1 Christmas Show performances. Some of our youngest pupils captivated their audiences, with astonishing levels of performance and uplifting Christmas songs, whilst relaying the traditional nativity story. It was truly joyful. Accompanied by excellent storytelling from the narrators, all the children did so well remembering their lines, in addition to numerous lyrics that were delivered with such expression and theatre! I also don’t think I have ever seen such spectacular nativity costumes; they really did bring the characters to life. Well done to Year 1 and 2 pupils. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and know that all the parents did too!
Reception Crib Service
Over the last two mornings we have been treated to another magical event on the school calendar, in the shape of the Reception Crib Service. Fittingly held in the perfect setting of Moulsford Church, the Reception children were truly exceptional in their meaningful and musical retelling of the Christmas story. The face of each member of the congregation reflected such cheer and pride, as each pupil delivered a magnificent performance. The ability of some of youngest pupils to perform with such rich musicality really was wonderful to share. Their heart-warming crib service really resonated with the true meaning of Christmas and the values of friendship, kindness and family that mean so much to us here at Cranford.
A huge thank you to the all the families who joined us for the Reception Crib Service and Key Stage 1 Christmas Show, it was wonderful to be able to host you in school and share in your children’s talent!
GCSE and A-level Tea Concert
Continuing on the family theme, earlier this week, we were joined by parents of our GCSE and A-level musicians for an incredible show case of their talents. This concert was a wonderful opportunity for our talented senior musicians to perform to friends and family. All pupils performed exceptionally well, and the audience were treated to music from Lefevre, a French classical composer and clarinettist, to Van Halen! The standard of performance was extremely high, and we look forward to more tea concerts next term, and in particular the Rock & Pop Concert on January 24th. Congratulations to all pupils involved in this outstanding concert. Sixth Form Parents’ Evening
Thank you to parents who joined us on Thursday evening for the Sixth Form Parents’ Evening. It is always a privilege to be able to meet parents in person and discuss pupil progress and such a vital touch point in the school year.
Staff update
We are sorry to be saying goodbye at the end of this half-term to Mr Alex Burden and Mrs Timea Thorpe. We know parents will join us in wishing them the very best for their new ventures, outside the realm of teaching, in the New Year. They have both made an exceptional contribution to school life during their time at school and will be greatly missed by colleagues and pupils.
This week we enjoyed welcoming the ISI into school to share our school community, we will look forward to sharing the outcome of the inspection with you in the new year.
Have a good weekend.
With best wishes,
Dr James Raymond
Headmaster