Cranford School

Since 2014, Dr James Raymond. Earned a first in history from Lancaster University; taught alongside writing a PhD at Exeter University on the Tudors, quickly discovering that ‘the classroom’s more fun than the archives’. Taught at The Grammar School

Main entry points are nursery, reception, year 7 and sixth form, though pupils can (and do) join elsewhere. Assessments ‘allow everyone the chance to showcase their talents, abilities and enthusiasm’. Year 7 assessment day includes a group activity

Handful head to single sex or boarding in years 7 and 9, but the word ‘leavers’ is being removed from the rite-of-passage year 6 hoody this year because there are so few. ‘You’re already there, why bother with the 11-plus?’, as one wise parent put

In 2025, 55 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 31 per cent A*/A at A level (68 per cent A*-B).

Small classes are a Cranford USP. Average of 11 in reception; 18 in year 7; 6 in sixth form. ‘My teachers know what makes me tick,’ said a sixth former, and it’s the case throughout the school and teaching is tailored accordingly: no

Around 15 per cent on SEND register with a range of needs. One-to-ones, group sessions, classroom assistants. Data-driven approach, ensuring that nobody is missed; pupils make impressive progress from their baseline scores, even in comparison with

More than one-third have individual music lessons. School carries Artsmark Gold award. We popped into chamber choir: ‘Let’s warm up our voices and our bodies!’, trilled their teacher, as pupils (mainly, but not exclusively, girls) leapt up and down

Pupil choose from netball, football, hockey, cricket, tennis. A can-do, positive, healthy approach – pupils are enthusiastic, if not bloodthirsty, on the pitch. ‘Cricket’s the best because you get to play it in the sun,’ apparently. We asked a year 8

With space for 600 pupils across 15 year groups, and not yet at capacity, Cranford is really quite small: ‘We have time to get to know the young people in our care, and recognize them for who they are,’ says head. Demand’s increased, but, ‘The brakes

Most live within half an hour, a 15-mile radius of glorious Chilterns-y countryside spanning roughly from Henley to Wantage. ‘We found the school by accident on a dog walk during lockdown, and thought it looked really nice,’ one pupil tells us.

‘We’re very aware that things are expensive, we’re mindful of the cost to parents,’ head says; fees are lower than at other local independent schools, particularly compared with those that offer boarding too. Scholarships into year 7 carry 10 per

It’s as much about the journey here as it is about the results, so enjoy the ride. A happy and nurturing little place where children can grow up at their own pace; even the teenagers at Cranford seem remarkably unbolshy. There’s some bedding in to