Cranbrook School was founded in 1918 and is an Anglican independent day and boarding school with multiple campuses, for students from PreSchool to Year 12. Situated overlooking Sydney Harbour, our school is dedicated to providing exceptional academic opportunities and fostering a supportive community for all our students.
Our overarching goal is to nurture well-rounded individuals within a robust academic framework, empowering our students to venture beyond their comfort zones with courage and confidence.
Grounded by the rigorous traditions of a liberal education, our students are individuals who enjoy what it is to be wholly human: open to Science and Literature, Sport and Art, Service and adventure, ready to explore new horizons, and inspired to contribute to a strong, healthy community at school and beyond.
We were one of the first independent schools in Sydney to become an International Baccalaureate (IB) Continuum School. From Pre-School all our students learn through the ‘lens’ of the IB, and this continues with the subsequent Middle Years Programme (MYP) in the Senior School, with the option to study the IB Diploma or choose the HSC. The IB framework makes real world connections, develops learners who are thoughtful about how they learn, fosters the principles of service, and encourages a commitment to experiential learning. We create authentic experiences to make learning interesting, personal and relevant in an interconnected world.
In 2026 we are embarking on an exciting new chapter as we transition to a coeducational environment, welcoming girls for the first time in our history to the Senior School. Our decision to move to coeducation reflects our commitment to diversity and means a move to a more inclusive and egalitarian model of schooling, fit for our times.
Integrity has been at the heart of the School since its foundation. We continue to try to live out our motto: Esse Quam Videri – To be, rather than to seem to be. We are interested in authentic being, building the character of the individuals in our care, and teaching them to think well about the things that matter.
We have a deep commitment to an education that encourages students to develop empathy and have the ability to engage with different perspectives, so they leave our school open to the world and excited about how and where they can contribute.
TO BE
In everything we do we are anchored by our motto, Esse quam videri: To be, rather than to seem to be. We are interested in authentic being, building the character of the individuals in our care, and teaching them to think well about the things that matter.
Our Mission is to lead all students to discover and make the most of their talents, to give of their best and to thrive in and love the pursuit of excellence; TO ENERGISE the educational environment by offering a well-rounded, rich and distinctive schooling both within and beyond the curriculum and to give powerful pastoral support to each student in our care; TO UPHOLD the character of our Anglican foundation in order to promote the moral and spiritual development of each student and to foster the principles of Service; TO BUILD resilience and confidence within our students so that each can face the challenges of the twenty-first century with personal confidence, intellectual versatility, academic hunger and optimism, and TO INSPIRE and support students to respect the integrity of differences and to lead adventurous, courageous and generous lives which contribute to the betterment of society.
OUR VISION
Our Vision is to be a world class school which encourages and enables all of our students to explore, enjoy and fulfil their potential.
COEDUCATIONAL
To be balanced and inclusive
Cranbrook has always been a progressive school and our approach to learning has an emphasis on diversity and inclusion. As an IB Continuum School we want our students to leave school as citizens of the world—team players who relish the chance to work collaboratively appreciating the differences and strengths of others. Coeducation is therefore a natural progression for us.
Our plans
We will welcome girls to the Senior School in 2026 for Year 7 and Year 11 so that our younger girls will start school with visible female role models in the older years. By 2027 the first coeducational cohort will include girls as Prefects and our Student Representative Council (SRC) will be coeducational from 2026. By 2029 the School will have girls in every year of the Senior School, with the first coeducational cohort graduating in 2027.
Our two Pre-Schools are already coeducational, and our School Council has made the decision in principle to welcome girls to Cranbrook’s Junior School. Many of our teachers have considerable experience teaching in coeducational classrooms, and our comprehensive programme of professional development also focuses on the transition to coeducation for our teachers.
Curriculum and co-curricular
A Cranbrook education is rich, challenging and fulfilling. We celebrate intellectual versatility, academic hunger, curiosity and creativity, not only in the classroom but through our extensive co-curricular programmes.
While we are an open entry school, our focus on the individual means we are known for our exceptional academic results. Our Year 7 girls will join our Middle Years Programme (MYP), with the chance to be taught through the ‘lens’ of the IB. This systematic and innovative approach makes real world connections and helps students ‘learn how to learn’, building valuable skills for the senior years. Our Year 11 girls will also enjoy Cranbrook’s wide subject choice and have the option to study the HSC or choose the IB Diploma Programme.
Our boys will continue to compete in the CAS competition while our girls will enjoy competitive sporting opportunities, with sport including Basketball and Rowing for summer and Netball, Tennis and Football in winter. We offer a rewarding co-curricular experience for all students, including Music, Drama and Debating. The programmes we have developed in recent years, including the Year 11 and Year 12 College, the Cranbrook Academy and experiential Wolgan Valley campus, also offer a rich educational experience for all students.
CREATIVE EDUCATORS. PASSIONATE LEARNERS
To be prepared for life
Our strong school culture is built on the foundations of a warm, collegial and engaged staff who build relationships, have high expectations and a commitment to excellence. Across the School our approach to learning is informed by the IB, allowing us to build skills systematically and make connections between learning and the real-world. We develop students who are thoughtful and systematic about the way they learn, so that when they leave school they continue to be independent, adaptable, curious and confident learners.
Our approach to learning
Committed to excellence
Our teachers
Our teachers have a depth of experience that provides an important sense of stability and consistency for our students. We recognise the essential value of great teaching. The craft of the great classroom teacher includes the skill to read the mood of the class and critical moments for individual students, as well as the capacity to ringmaster exploratory and developmental conversations. Through listening to our students—both in and out of the classroom— teachers come to know them as individuals and monitor their wellbeing. In the Junior School classroom teachers are the primary vehicle for pastoral care, while in the Senior School our comprehensive House system, along with mentor groups, builds relationships of real depth over time. In the Boarding Houses our students are supported by their Head of House as well as by Tutors and Coaches.
We embrace curiosity and discovery, always experimenting and innovating. Starting from our Pre-Schools, we use the IB framework— an inquiry-based learning approach with an emphasis on experiential learning— to teach the NSW curriculum. This allows us to create authentic experiences to make learning interesting, personal and relevant. We cultivate passionate learners who show independence of thought, encouraging every student to take responsibility for their learning, even in their early years. Experiential learning impels students into unfamiliar and more challenging situations to facilitate their growth and development. Our students undertake experiential learning in a variety of contexts, whether campusbased, project-based, workintegrated or in the community.
We are also known for our commitment to cultural and artistic expression— Cranbrook’s commitment to the Performing and Creative Arts has been honoured since our foundation. We are committed to the unglamorous business of simple, hard work. We believe in the educational power of preparation: of designing, sketching, rehearsing, rewriting, practising, so that when the moment to perform or exhibit comes, it is the culmination of a valuable, disciplined process which teaches us about ourselves, our perception of the world and our peers.
BUILDERS OF CHARACTER
To be humble, resilient, wise
We want to be builders of character, providing positive cultural, ethical and social guidance to the young people in our care, tending to their wellbeing, and building partnerships with families and the broader community. A concerted effort is made to ‘know each child’, to build a connection and to maintain this connection over time. Every teacher and every staff member is a part of the school-wide team devoted to the individual wellbeing of our students.
Wellbeing programmes
We take a whole school approach and while components of our pastoral care evolve and change as our students move up through the School, the basic principles and values we teach do not. Our approach considers the physical, emotional, social and spiritual aspects of wellbeing.
Cranbrook seeks to instil our core values through explicit instruction, peer and adult modelling and opportunities to practise and rehearse skills across a range of contexts, including in the classroom, through our House system, and through co-curricular and service activities. Our Anglican foundations also give us a rich heritage to draw upon.
In the Junior School our classroom teachers provide the majority of the pastoral care, but all staff members participate actively in caring for our students through their interactions with them in the classroom and through co-curricular activities.
Staff meet with parents to discuss issues or concerns they may have in relation to their child’s academic progress, wellbeing or behaviour.
Each week, a student wellbeing session is taught in each class to help build the sequential knowledge needed to help our young students foster vital and broad social and emotional skills required to navigate the world as they grow up. We also offer workshops for families around a range of issues regarding wellbeing.
In the Senior School the House system and mentor groups develop strong and meaningful relationships amongst students and staff alike. Our student wellbeing framework, delivered through the House system, provides a foundation to assist students to grow to be physically, mentally and emotionally fit and healthy. Students also belong to a mentor group of about 20 students, usually in their own year group.
Across the School, trained School Psychologists work closely with, and alongside each child’s Head of House, House Mentor and class teachers. Cranbrook also employs an ordained Anglican clergyman as Chaplain, who in turn leads our team of Assistant Chaplains, staff, students and alumni– all aiming to provide support and spiritual advice to any of our students.
Building character
Teaching that is informed by the IB’s approach allows us to focus on the whole person, building skills and most importantly, character. The IB seeks to produce learners who are inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risktakers, balanced and reflective. In addition, learning selfmanagement, social skills and communication skills helps our students to consider and evaluate emotions when learning, paramount in achieving personal wellbeing. Social and emotional competencies may be the most important aspects of becoming effective learners. Both the character education and servicelearning component of the IB curriculum put emphasis on a commitment to serving others.
We offer our students a place where they can feel a sense of belonging, a respectful, inclusive community with a history, traditions, and relationships that bring a powerful sense of continuity and belonging. Connections are forged not only in the classroom but through co-curricular and after school activities that draw students, staff and families together.
THE WHOLE CHILD
IMMERSED IN A WELL-ROUNDED, SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT
To be open-minded
Cranbrook offers a richness of opportunity and works to identify areas of particular interest so that self-belief can grow. Our emphasis on breadth and balance frees individuals to explore, enjoy and fulfil their potential. We offer an extensive range of co-curricular activities from the Arts to the Sciences, Music to Sport, providing our students with the encouragement to support their individual interests. Participation in these programmes aims to develop skills in leadership, performance, creativity and decision-making.
Sport and physical development
Our Sport programme is both deep and wide: major sports flourish alongside important minority pursuits. All are undertaken in a spirit of genuine education— we play sport because it teaches valuable lessons about resilience, challenge, courage, failure and success.
Not only do we offer truly world-class sporting facilities, but our students also enjoy access to some of the most qualified personnel in the country, including current and ex-Olympians. Our state-ofthe-art Murray Rose Aquatic & Fitness Centre offers a holistic sporting environment, capable of providing enjoyable and engaging experiences for all students, regardless of ability. With an extensive Weights Centre, a dynamic Olympic Pool as well as multi-purpose court, indoor athletics track and cardio room, athletic development is prioritised for our students. Our facilities allow our students to participate in different sport whilst simultaneously enabling our most elite athletes to train and compete at national and international level.
Culture and the Arts
From musicians to photographers, playwrights to world-famous artists, Cranbrook has long been known for fostering a love of the Arts. Our emphasis on creativity encourages individuals to be motivated and curious, and able to think outside the box.
The Arts also promote selfunderstanding and illuminate the advantages of viewing the world from multiple perspectives. Therefore Music, Dance, Drama, Poetry, Performing Arts and Visual Arts are a vital thread of the School’s fabric—whether a student is a performer or in the audience. Our students enjoy excellent facilities, from the Packer Theatre to the outstanding acoustics of the Orchestra Room.
GROUNDED BY SERVICE. ELEVATED BY SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
To be a positive role model
We foster a confidence and a sense of active responsibility alongside an appreciation of the integrity of differences. In celebrating individuality and diversity rather than conformity and uniformity we help our students to live adventurous, courageous and generous lives which contribute to the betterment of society. We want our students to find their vocation and their voice so that they can act with confidence and integrity in the world, contributing to the common good.
CRANBROOK
Service
We foster the principles of Service and a generosity of spirit, and immersing students in the real-life experiences of helping others remains a priority. The Cranbrook in the Field (CITF) programme, compulsory for Years 7 through to 10, shapes the complete Cranbrook student. Students challenge themselves, work in a team, and discover persistence and perseverance.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is an internationally recognised programme that provides opportunities to grow personally and connect with others, through a range of new experiences. The programme combines physical challenges with the development of a broad range of skills, developing a participant’s empathetic understanding of the world around them.
In addition, Service is a key element of the IB programme, creating experiences that integrate meaningful community service with relevant instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, encourage lifelong civic engagement, and strengthen communities for the common good.
Our Anglican heritage
Inspired by our Anglican traditions, we understand the importance of spiritual and moral formation. We create time and space for our community to engage in spiritual education, allowing our students to explore meaning and purpose. We do not want to preach at the young, or to force students into a mould, but neither should we deny them knowledge of the most creative and destructive forces in human history.
Our Anglican foundation offers us an excellent framework within which to consider these vital matters.
THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S INTERNATIONAL AWARD
A WIDER PERSPECTIVE
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award is a voluntary, flexible, non-competitive but challenging international youth development programme. Participation in the scheme in the Senior School provides an opportunity for students to achieve personal excellence and build self-reliance and respect for others through their involvement in Service, skill, physical recreation and expedition activities.
Global awareness and sustainability
We aim to foster a sense of active responsibility for environmental matters alongside an appreciation of the integrity of differences. Global awareness is a key part of our curriculum. We have a multi-disciplinary approach to teaching sustainability, focusing on renewable resources, the protection of the environment and sustainable patterns of living. The IB framework allows interdisciplinary connections to be made as students consider the interdependence of environmental, social, cultural and economic systems and learn about the actions required to improve sustainability, helping them to take a more active role in shaping preferred futures.
CRANBROOK IN THE FIELD
Cranbrook in the Field (CITF) is a sequential outdoor education programme that aims to develop inner strength, character and resolve, building teamwork and cooperation. Activities range across each CITF programme and include bushwalking and environmental conservation. Students learn through genuine experience, whether it be working together to prepare and cook meals or navigating their group to their next destination.
FOR A WORLD YET TO BE IMAGINED
To become authentic, respectful, adaptable, adventurous, compassionate human beings
We strive to help our students develop a spirit of intellectual curiosity, to be individuals who have an openness to the world, relishing new challenges and places and committed to making a difference. We live in an age where information is readily available. Mastery of information creates knowledge: we aspire to go beyond that, and to enable our students to work towards the acquisition of wisdom, which is knowledge enriched by love.
Pre-Schools
With two campuses, St Mark’s in Darling Point and St Michael’s in Vaucluse, our Pre-Schools offer a warm environment where the individuality of each student is honoured.
Tapping into a child’s innate enthusiasm and creativity is at the heart of what we do. The Pre-Schools have a well-rounded curriculum encompassing multiple disciplines—French, Music, Art, Fundamental Movement, Science, Technology, Literacy and Numeracy.
Our curriculum is also in line with the Junior School as the children engage with the International Baccalaureate’s Primary Year’s Programme (PYP). This philosophy recognises a child’s natural curiosity, creativity, and ability to reflect, generating a stimulating, challenging learning environment that fosters a life-long love of learning in every child.
We employ a Visual Arts Teacher as well as Outdoor Educators at each campus to develop fundamental movement skills. We have weekly visits from the Junior School Music and French Teachers to help us deliver a well-rounded education. By providing a range of subjects and learning experiences from an early age, we aim to help children find their passion and inspire them to further develop their knowledge and skills in subjects that they love.
Both intentional and spontaneous teaching is important to us, as is the child’s interests and the child’s voice. Our play-based approach involves both child-initiated, peer-teaching and teachersupported learning.
Junior School
At the Junior School we believe that learning is life’s greatest adventure and we challenge and foster the individual talents of each child to help them fulfil their potential. Our students are supported by an exceptional staff who offer warmth, excellence and consistency. We provide learning opportunities that not only encourage self-confidence and intellectual development but instil a sense of independence, responsibility and consideration of others. The Junior School aims to foster an outward perspective, exploring how to prepare the future generation to engage and contribute positively to the wider world, both at school and in the years beyond.
Our teaching practices reflect the belief that our students are all capable of learning successfully. The construction of knowledge, understanding and the importance of skill development are central to all that we do. We channel the natural curiosity of our students into the strategies for learning that will support their lifelong endeavours. Our innovative literacy and numeracy approaches are taught through the ‘lens’ of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) framework, allowing us to develop skills purposefully, directly and sequentially within a curriculum framework aiming to provide students with a deep authentic understanding of a variety of disciplines, using an inquiry framework. The PYP fosters experiential learning experiences that build independence of thought and challenge over time, culminating in the Exhibition process undertaken in Year 6. Our Year 6 Exhibition allows students to inquire into areas of personal passion and significance honed by a rigorous and supportive learning process.
We offer a dynamic range of creative, visual, and performative experiences, fostering a love of the Arts. We also offer multiple sporting and co-curricular offerings, including camp programmes, excursions and involvement in Service opportunities and projects.
Research has consistently demonstrated that positive connections between parents and teachers improve children’s academic achievement, social competencies and emotional wellbeing. We foster close relationships between home and school, believing parents and teachers are able to work effectively as trusting partners.
Senior School
We seek to promote, to notice and to praise, the personal best of our students. The qualities we look to instil in all our students are a sense of global mindedness, respect and individuality, the willingness to lead through Service and the importance of striving for excellence at all times. We aim to equip our students not only to win places at leading universities, but to flourish there.
Our students join a strong community and are supported by a professional, deeply committed staff. As an IB World School, Cranbrook’s approach to teaching and learning is informed by pedagogical philosophies espoused by the IB. The IB captures a way of thinking and being that makes a significant difference to an individual’s learning, regardless of whether they continue with the IB Diploma Programme or choose to study the HSC. Students develop a skills-based approach, developing their own agency in their learning, with futureready skills to make a difference and thrive in a world that changes fast.
Cranbrook students are encouraged to develop their talents, interests and skills in a wide variety of pursuits. We stretch students to give their best, be that in a drama production, in one of our many musical ensembles, or on the sporting field. Co-curricular activities help to round-out our students’ education— participation in these programmes aims to develop skills in leadership, performance, creativity and decision-making.
Our Bellevue Hill campus provides architecturallydesigned buildings and exemplary resources meticulously planned to provide the tools for our students to pursue their academic interests and discover their potential. These include a state-of-the-art Aquatic & Fitness Centre and world-class Music and Drama facilities, including a performance theatre, orchestral rehearsal room as well as optimised Music and Drama-specific studios.
Service is a vital element of our provision and various charitable causes and activities are generously supported by students, both in our local community, and overseas. We aim to instil in our students an ethical prerogative of giving back to the community.
Wolgan Valley Nestled between the Blue Mountains and Wollemi National Parks, Wolgan Valley is a residential education site that complements the School’s city campuses, enriching young people’s lives by placing them in the natural environment and connecting them to a sense of awe and wonder. Students develop an appreciation that they are part of an ecosystem and have a responsibility to maintain it. Visiting Wolgan Valley also takes students away from the bubble of their everyday life, allowing the space for contemplation, reflection, conversation and wonder, free from the distraction of technology and city life.
The site allows us to take learning beyond the classroom for our students, with an emphasis on experiential learning. Experiential learning is a holistic philosophy of education that requires students to cooperate and learn from one another through direct and authentic experiences tied to real world problems. The focus is on learning through connection and collaboration through ongoing critical reflection and the results of this learning are personal. Experiential learning impels students into the unfamiliar and more challenging situations to ultimately facilitate their growth and development.
JOIN US
To be a Cranbrookian
We invite all prospective parents to join us for an interactive tour of our campuses, where families can learn more about our progressive and inclusive culture and the vision for Cranbrook School. Please visit our website for further details on tours and to make a booking.
To find out more about enrolling your son or daughter at Cranbrook School, please visit our website at www.cranbrook.nsw.edu.au/enrolment/ or contact the Admissions Office: +61 2 9327 9000, enrol@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au
