Welcome back to Cransley

The Start

It has been a beautiful week.  Our pupils are sparkling and smiling, as are my colleagues, and you all are looking great the moment! Yes, you! 

I will do my best to see as many of you as possible over the coming year: at our events and on the playground and car park.  Do come to as many events as possible, and make a careful note of the dates at the bottom of this journal entry.

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Cransley School Enrichment (CSE)

If you haven't done so already (Junior Parents!), our CS Enrichment sessions will be launched next week.  Aside from the usual football and netball, we have clubs in cricket, badminton, rugby, yoga, craft, chess, modelling, textiles, gymnastics, benchball, handchimes, band practice, singing, ensemble work and more besides.  In particular, we have an exciting new Filmmaking club, Podcasting club and of course our F1 in Schools club. We have tried our best to hear the wishes of our pupils to bring new experiences along, even supporting the pupils in running their own clubs. 

Design and Technology

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Schoolbase Parent Portal

All parents are able to access the parent portal of our management information system, Schoolbase.  This will enable families to see their child(ren)'s attendance, academic reports, school calendar and also to update personal information securely online.

We would advise that you log in as soon as possible - ideally this week - to ensure that you are kept up to date.  Please click the link HERE to access the portal. 

Even if you are a new user, please click on "Forgot login details" and enter your email address.  Please follow the instructions provided to set your own new secure password and log in.

Once logged in, please click on "Child Details" and update any details as necessary for your child. 

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the School Office.

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Autumn Open Day

Belmont Hall

We will be holding an important Open Day on the 21st September at 10am. ‘Important’ as we ensure growth of the pupil roll, and of future revenue and security. Don’t worry, I have no intention of reaching our capacity of 300 as indicated by ISI in our material change inspection two years ago.

Our pupils have always been the most honest and impressive resource for new families, as good as the Estate and the learning environment is.  Therefore please keep an eye out for permission requests for children to attend on the Saturday, and support the School by allowing them to attend.

We already have nearly 70 families registered with us already, so if you have (likeable) friends and family who might consider joining the school, please ask them to be in touch immediately.  Our registration form can be found HERE or by clicking the banner at the top of this page.

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Cransleyfest 2024

Cransleyfest 2024

Forgive me repeating myself, but Cransleyfest is the best possible opening to the School year; the perfect icebreaker for everyone - pupils, staff and families. Personally, I had a great time, with great people, with great entertainment.

My thanks to our sponsors, the small army of trustworthy and willing staff and parental volunteers, and our guests for attending.

Missed out this year? Mark the 30th August 2025 in your diaries now.

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Key Dates for the Diary

11-13 Sept Y7 Residential

21 Sept Autumn Open Day, 10am

24 Sept Whole School Photograph (all staff, governors and pupils)

30 Sept Junior Parents Evening

3 Oct Bright Beginnings Experience Day, 9.30am

18 Oct Junior Harvest Festival, 2pm

School Closes for half term

21-25 Oct Trip to New York (Y8-11)

4 Nov Term begins

6-12 Nov Y11 GCSE Mock exams (Gymnasium and Hub rooms)

8 Nov Individual Photographs - all staff and pupils

8 Nov Foundation Fireworks Night

14 Nov Sports Presentation Evening

21 Nov Bright Beginnings Experience Day - Sport & Movement

23 Nov Year 7 2025 Experience Day

6 Dec School Closed to pupils and staff

9 Dec Bright Beginnings Experience Day- Little Chefs 

17 Dec Junior Christmas Performances

19 Dec Senior Christmas Concert & School Closes for Christmas

A long summer ends

We are approaching the end of a long summer, and I am sure keen to deliver your children back to us for the start of a new exciting term.

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Estate Development

As ever, there has been no pause in developments at School, even without the pupils. The notable educational improvements are outlined below, but such an beautiful Estate such as ours requires extensive unseen and often unrecognised work, and substantial improvements have been made to the drainage, the driveway, the utilities and landscaping.

My thanks as always to the unfailing Operations and Finance team who have enabled the extensive work taking place over these summer months, including Mr Colclough, Mr Gresty, and my evergreen dream team of Mrs Lambert and, of course, Mrs Holt.

Thanks also to Mark Walsh of Cheshire Contract Furniture for his supervision, oversight and sub-contracting, together with the teams from:

• Countrywide Ground Maintenance

• DW Hargreaves Electrical Services

• South Warrington Plastering

• Lee Mac Painting and Decorating.

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Food and Technology Kitchen

Our brand new kitchen is reaching its final stages with an impressive ten workstations now installed and ready for action, with all of the necessary equipments, safety features and teaching tools at hand for some amazing culinary creations.

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New Study Room and Library

Our old food and technology kitchen has been fully re-plastered, re-floored, re-wired and fitted ready for future furnishing as a new study area, office and library, and our main corridor through the engine rooms of the school have also been stripped, replastered, refloored and painted to prepare for the onslaught of pupils, scruffing shoes and heavy school bags.

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Cransleyfest 2024

My final preparations, checks and risk assessment are in place for Cransleyfest 2024 - the fabulous start to our academic year, and tickets are quickly selling as parents return from holidays, so please don’t delay. Please visit the Cransleyfest page and book tickets through Parentpay as soon as possible to be assured of a ticket.

Headline Sponsors

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Open Day

Open Day takes place on Saturday 21st of September for all prospective Junior School and Year 7 parents. Please do share details of the event and this website with friends and family (only if you like them, of course) and mark the date in your own diary: we may need your child.

Other Dates for the Diary will be released this week.

End of Year Delights

The Cransley Foundation Events

There are currently a small group of utterly-committed and talented mums giving every bit of their energy and effort to prepare the most glorious Midsummer Ball for tomorrow. Our guests and Year 11 pupils will have the most beautiful night.

Only a few days past, the marquee was stunningly decorated for Wednesday’s Afternoon Tea, adorned with flowers, fragrances and fanciful gifts, with over a hundred happy guests enjoying friends and fashion in the most sedate and refined manner. It was a joy to join and be involved with - a sentiment I hope is shared by all those who were able to attend.

Since then the marquee has undergone a complete transformation to now be dressed in nature’s finest regalia for our Midsummer event.

I must name names - Janet Ainslow, Lucy Fairclough, Estelle Flanagan, Chris Rees, Heidi Nickson, Mel Mather, Penny Storey, Jo Taylor alongside the ever-present (my own dream team) Clare Holt, Kathy Matthews and Lisa Lambert have worked tirelessly to bring the events together. My thanks also to Jasmine Worsley for her stunning balloon-art decorations, to Estelle for bringing her angelically-voiced students to perform, as well as her own considerable vocal talents, the Knowles family for their incredible working of some recently-felled Estate timber and many more individuals that I am simply too ignorant not to have added to this paragraph of gratitude. I hope I can make up for it over the weekend.

I look forward to seeing many parents and families over the coming days, as our school year ends with the climax and the celebration it deserves.

Richard Pollock

Headteacher