MOVING UP “

As we transitioned towards a far more familiar school model this year, two vital achievement elements shone brightly. First, curiosity and huge energy were seen, felt and heard across the School. From models of future cities to the design and construction of vehicles to recycled fashion shows to engineering workshops at EXPO 2020, we have gathered more and more momentum as our children drive forward to shape and craft their futures. Second, teamwork - whether in House competitions, drama productions, sports teams, or in the classroom - is a catalyst, as children share, challenge and refine their ideas while learning to be collegiate and collaborative. As a British school in a brilliantly diverse and international setting, we are witnessing our children become the thought leaders, the gap finders, the innovators, and the pioneers of their (and our) futures. This has been an incredibly exciting year, and am extremely proud of our vibrant and enriching Prep School.

Adam Gibson, Head of Prep School

Enrichment Week

A chance for pupils to work differently, explore new ideas and dive deeper into subjects.

During Enrichment Week, all Years are provided opportunities to try new activities, honing their critical thinking, communication, adaptability, and leadership skills.

Raising our Resilience, Years 3 and 4

Resilience was the theme for Years 3 and 4 during Enrichment Week, and who better to sing it than Poppy? One of our favourite movie characters, she overcomes fear with positivity and selfesteem; she’s also resilient and understands the power of music and laughter. Pupils created their own ‘troll heads’ to open discussion around their experiences that required resilience, persistence, and determination. There were also fun team-building activities such as spaghetti and marshmallow bridge building. The colourful wigs represented our many unique differences as a community for celebration and joy.

Trash Fashion Show, Sustainability Day, Year 8

What do you get when you mix recycled goods, fabulous designs and a hefty dose of creativity? A trash fashion show, of course! With the mantra of reduce, reuse, and recycle our Year 8 pupils put their sustainability efforts to good use by designing their own garments. Superb team originality and collaboration efforts were met with front-row catwalk cheers as pupils showcased their fantastic plastic designs.

““The designers did a great job making their clothes with limited resources.”

“I liked using my collaboration skills to escape the tomb!”

Travelling Through China, Year 5 Culture, language, customs, and art were all celebrated when Year 5 were transported back thousands of years to explore the rich history of the Shang Dynasty. Due to our strong connection with our sister school Cranleigh China, children in Changsha shared videos and messages they had made for us. Our pupils travelled virtually to various locations throughout this magnificent country and engaged in lantern making, clay warrior creations, chopstick challenges, Chinese calligraphy, and charcoal sketching, bringing the classrooms to life.

Thanks go to our Year 5 staff for making this a brilliant event; to pupils Lyra, Jake and Lewis, who shared what being part of the Chinese diaspora means to them; and to Bobby Flores at Cranleigh Changsha for organising messages from his pupils to ours, which added a special touch to the day.

Egyptian Day, Year 4

Ancient Egypt is a wondrous place. From famous pharaohs, everlasting mummies and mythical sphinxes, Year 4 went all in and immersed themselves in this fascinating era. Pupils enjoyed mummifying tomatoes and making clay amulets; they played fun games and activities and enjoyed a virtual talk from Horniman Museum in London.

“I loved dancing with our wigs to Trolls ‘Hair Up’. I also liked using rainbow features for my wig. It was cool.”

““Travelling through China Day was fun. I enjoyed making the terracotta warriors and the lanterns. I also learned a lot about Chinese characters for numbers.”

“It was interesting to discover Chinese culture and traditions. The highlights for me were calligraphy and the panda sketches.”

Explorers, Year 4

“It all comes down to motivation. If you really want to do something, you will work hard for it,” said the explorer Sir Edmund Hillary, one of the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Utilising their Cranleigh Skills, our intrepid Year 4 explorers were catapulted from campus to the extreme ends of earth and space through challenging quizzes and scavenger hunts. Explore, experience, and push beyond.

Roman Day, Year 3

The first Romans are thought to have lived in Rome over two thousand years ago. At Cranleigh, our Year 3 Romans donned their toga-wear, Roman tunics, and stylish stolas and proudly marched through campus to celebrate this captivating topic.

““The whole of Year 4 were pioneers in so many different ways. It was fun!”

““I was surprised when guest speaker Aldo Soto said, ‘By the time you are in Year 10, a third of the Amazon rainforest will have disappeared.’”

Rainforest Day, Year 3

Pupils gained a greater understanding of deforestation, ecology, and conservation during our Rainforest topic. Year 3 came together to create their own rainforest exhibition to showcase their findings. Standout moments included guest speaker Cranleigh parent Aldo Soto, who spoke with insightful experience about biodiversity conservation. Pupils also enjoyed researching the cocoa bean and tasting real (bitter) chocolate.

Stone Age Day, Year 5

Year 5 pupils revelled in the Stone Age with an incredible museum full of their own carefully crafted designs of weapons and artefacts. The museum was opened by Mr Gibson and curated by the informative Year 5 Stone Agers. An action-packed timetable followed, full of cross-curricular activities to stimulate inventiveness and stretch imaginative thinking.

Viking Day, Year 4

Year 4 enjoyed a stimulating and interactive experience as brave Norsemen, fierce Valkyries, and elegant Shield-Maidens came together in full Viking guise to close this important historical topic. Pupils made shields at home and in class; they crafted long boats, clay runes, jewel relics and battled through blood-curdling Viking brainteasers.

““I loved the clay. It was the best part because I liked moulding the runes.”

““The Romans did so much! I have really enjoyed this topic learning about so many ways the Romans have shaped our lives today.”