GCSE Results 2025

Dear Parents and Families

Congratulations to our 25 wonderful Year 11 pupils for the commitment and effort shown in their GCSEs.

35% of all exams results were graded 7 to 9 (compared to 23% nationally).  92% of exams results were graded 4 to 9 (70.5% nationally) and 88% of pupils have gained five or more GCSEs at 9-4.  

A fitting outcome for those pupils taking advantage of the continuing superb support and engagement from teaching staff, hard work and discipline and maximising their use of our pastoral provision.   

My colleagues have been exceptional in their teaching and support of our wide range of pupils across all subjects.  I am truly proud of everyone.

As usual, we are very pleased that many pupils have achieved well above their indicative grade (based on cognitive tests taken on entry into the senior school), some almost an average of three grades per subject, resulting in the pleasing number of top grades (7-9), mentioned above. 

It is rare that individual pupils are identified in our communications, however a particular mention is required for one pupil who attained seven grade 9s, one grade 8 and an A* in their A level maths last week. Furthermore, two other pupils achieved grade 8s and 9s in eight of their GCSEs taken and a fourth pupil achieved all grade 7/8/9s in all nine of their subjects.

As always, our benchmark is with other similar semi-selective intake schools across the country, and our initial findings are that we are higher than these settings and very much higher than national averages.  Further regional and national data is published over coming weeks.

Our pupils now enter into various colleges across the region, from schools to sixth form colleges, to study a variety of academic and vocational courses.

We will miss them dearly, and wish them every success.

Mr Richard Pollock

Headteacher

Preparing for a new voyage (and other unnecessary nautical metaphors...)

Dear Parents and Families

The good ship Cransley is preparing for a new voyage, having dry-docked for a few weeks, had a good lick of paint around its hull, some adjustment and repairs to the rigging and trim and is looking rather fine.  The crew are returning this week for navigational information and direction, each fine, fit and fair, and we are very much getting ready to set sail, with our cargo in a couple of weeks time.

Before I lose the already-tiresome nautical metaphor, allow me to share some notices from the ship’s log:

GCSE Results 2025

We look forward to sharing our GCSE results tomorrow with our departing Year 11s before they navigate their journey to college and beyond, and I will write to inform you of all of the key headlines in the afternoon.

We know already about one astonishingly hard-working and able pupil who achieved an A* in their A level Maths last week, following his early taking of his Maths GCSE last year.  Huge congratulations to them.  I gather they started studying their A level Biology over this summer… just for fun.

Decoration and refurbishment

Our dutiful estate team, led by Mrs Holt and Mrs Totterdell-Lambert, have overseen a number of elements of R&R, including the painting of the ground floor of the Belmont Hall, notably the Entrance Hall, English room and Head’s Study (images below) in a beautiful heritage chalk white, enhancing the stunning Rococo plasterwork, and some ground work to the area outside of the Pavilion incorporating a new EYFS sheltered area and decking.  We have also prepared the ground for some new column lighting around the courts in readiness for the winter.

The old textiles room has now been converted into a Junior classroom (for Year 5) and some other repairs and restoration has taken place in other classrooms.

Our extensive project to refurbish the deteriorating windows of the Hall has been part-completed with the rear ground-floor windows replaced, and three of the front curved sash windows carefully removed for profiling and replacement.  We aim to complete the work by the end of 2026.

Autumn Open Day

We have chosen to postpone our Autumn Open Day from 20th September until the 4th October so as to not clash with other local independent schools, and I ask that you note the new date as we will require some of your children to be ambassadors for our visiting guests.

Please do share this information with the friends and families that you like, and certainly we welcome Year 5 and 6  parents taking the opportunity to see the Senior school in all of its glory.

Senior and Junior School Parent Handbooks

Parents asked us a few years ago for a document that contained all of the necessary information for the start of the year in one place and we have dutifully obliged, therefore can I insist that you read them carefully.  They were sent in a recent email from the School office and available on our website.

Junior School

Senior School

They contain further information about the new school day times, homework, uniform, pick up and drop off and much more.   They are about one cup of tea’s worth of essential reading (plus two biscuits).

Uniform

These children grow quickly, and if you can, please find time to dig out their uniform and try them on for size.  If you need new items, I recommend before running desperately to Monkhouse, that you visit our online pre-loved uniform website run by brilliant parent volunteers, where all proceeds are returned straight into the school (and have paid for several new interactive whiteboards and a school trip! Any clean good quality used stock should please be bagged and sent to the office for resale.

That’s it for now.  More tomorrow.

Yours, as ever

Mr Richard Pollock

Headteacher

Summer 2025: A final thought...

Thank you for your lovely messages and gifts, emails, cards and conversations about your thoughts and experiences over recent weeks, and for your gratitude and appreciation for our School.  I send you mine in return.

You may read this little message from me and resonate with it tenderly, or you may dismiss it coldly as my own one-sided private therapy session and sneer about my imminent breakdown on WhatsApp: do with it what you wish.  However, I ask you take a brief moment to stop, cease, be still and see yourselves and those around you.

I have watched and felt, today in particular, how the emotional, physical and cognitive intensity of the last weeks of term can be overwhelming for many of our children, and I am going to assert with some assurance that us adults are the same - whether we be parents or school staff or, of course, both.

We feel deeply when relationships between us and children and families end after periods of growth and development in our care - time in which we have poured our hearts, minds and souls.

We feel deeply when long-standing, much-loved colleagues end their service to the School

…when we have organised and enjoyed and experienced the major social events and occasions which add such a special sparkle to the end of the term, yet demand so much of so few;

…when we suddenly see yet another year pass, and realise the ongoing, incessant passage of time;

…or simply, when we are exhausted, having given our all.

Maybe it is the thought of the long summer break. 

Maybe the longing for a forthcoming holiday, but the pure stress of getting it started.

Maybe we suddenly have our own children - who we love dearly - but who we fear we’ll fail to occupy / entertain / keep well / appreciate / like / have like us [delete as appropriate].

However you are feeling - and however I am feeling, once I work it out - I wish you a sound, gentle, positive and generally uneventful period of rest and recovery.

Time to feel the sun, sense some silence and hold a hand.

Thank you for the year.

Yours, as ever

Richard

Headteacher

PS Please ignore the message above if you are off to Oasis in a champagne supernova, and couldn’t care less. You gotta roll with it, right?