The Cranleigh School Newsletter Issue No 44
Cranleigh School, Cranleigh, Surrey GU6 8QQ Tel: 01483 273666
Michaelmas 2012
Head s Up APPOINTMENT OF NEW HEAD Dear Parents,
It s not often a Headmaster gets to announce his successor and the building of a new School in Abu Dhabi in one go: it has been an exciting term! I am delighted that Martin Reader is the Governing Body s choice as my successor: I believe that he has the energy, experience and vision to carry Cranleigh forward for the next generation of Cranleighans. I am sure you will agree when you meet him; in the meantime, I hope you enjoy getting to know him a little better reading his interview here. Likewise, I hope that the feature on Cranleigh Abu Dhabi provides the answers to some of the questions I am sure many of our parents and staff will have about this spectacular project. The characteristic that the Abu Dhabi team felt really defined Cranleigh was the sheer breadth of school life here and this term has been no exception. The pupils and staff have studied in the classroom, raced around sports pitches, captivated audiences with no less than seven plays and sketches, entertained with fifteen or so concerts, expressed their artistic creativity and climbed mountains literally, in the case of the group who scaled the Himalayas this summer. I feel compelled to also mention the extraordinary achievements that have been notched up in the wider sphere be it an open invitation to our choir from St Paul s Cathedral, a national award in Art or unprecedented regional and national success in hockey, netball, rugby and riding. Gratifyingly, many OCs continue to shine in professional sport while 2012 leaver Henry Lamont has been picked to play for Oxford on the wing, one of the youngest blues in Rugby Varsity Match history. Pupils and staff alike have worked hard, played hard and competed hard in what has been an extremely productive and, I hope, fulfilling term: I hope that they, and you, are able to now rest, relax and rejuvenate over the Christmas break, in readiness for the New Year.
Guy Waller Head
The Governing Body has recently announced the appointment of Mr Martin Reader as Cranleigh s next Headmaster. He will take over the reins from Guy Waller in September 2014, when Guy retires after seventeen years of outstanding service. We hope many of you will have the opportunity to meet with Martin over the coming months; in the meantime, we ve presented him with a few of the questions we thought some of the Cranleigh community would be wanting to ask...
Where did you grow up? Petts Wood, Kent If your wife Amanda had to describe you in three words, what would they be? Suave, sophisticated and hopeful! And your children?! Not for publication! If you could pick any event in the world to go to, what would it be and why? Wildebeest migration: must be one of the great natural events in the world. Migration of any type is a marvel. Even better than a Lions tour, which will have to wait until I retire! What do you think are the key attributes required of a Headmaster? Integrity, principled decision-making, empathy and remembering you are not that important. What has been your: funniest teaching moment? Last year I came across a boy with his right arm in a sling. He explained to me he d injured himself while mucking around on the school field at break. Soon after, I came across another boy in the same year, sporting the same injury. A little confused, I asked how he came to have the same injury as James. He explained that he d found the way James had hurt himself so funny, he d been showing the rest of the year how it was done most memorable teaching moment? In my second year of teaching, I got very carried away teaching Paradise Lost to an A-level class and missed the bell for the end of the lesson. There was a very quiet student who played lock in the 2nd XV from whom I think I never succeeded in extracting more than a dozen words. He was last to leave the class, put his hand on my shoulder and whispered I love it too, sir and left.
overall highlight of each school you have taught at so far? There are so many, it is difficult: they usually involve someone achieving something extraordinary and surprising me or making me look at the world in a different way. However, some less serious that stick in my mind are my U15As at St Edward s thumping Wellington College! At Oundle, it was watching Match of the Day and eating curry with the Sixth Form on Saturday nights in the boarding house: as a West Ham fan, I usually got plenty of stick. Most recently, it was the Thanksgiving Service in the Wellington School Memorial Chapel to mark the restoration of its beautiful ceiling. It symbolised all that we had worked for to bring the community together in a building that means so much to generations of Wellingtonians. And my first School Captain, Alys Metcalf, returning to perform Tell me on a Sunday a few weeks ago. I was very proud. What is your philosophy on teaching, in a sentence (or two)? It is about their learning. Work out where the pupils are before you start each lesson and talk to them through your questions and activities. For that lesson, they are your priority. What is your philosophy on extra-curricular activities? If you think back to your own school days, you will remember little from lessons but a huge amount from the matches, plays, concerts etc. Aside from the obvious about skills development, we all need enrichment and challenge and fun, and none more than young people. It is therefore absolutely vital. My children have been very privileged in attending an independent school. I have a daughter who plays the cello and sings, has acted in plays, and enjoys netball, hockey, athletics and fencing. I have a son who loves his rugby and cross-country running, fences, sings in the choir and plays the French Horn and his favourite lesson is drama! They are good at some, less good at others, but find them all fun and fulfilling. If I want that for my own children, I will want all the pupils in my care to have those opportunities. My priority is to know that every child is finding something that inspires and fires them, whilst making sure that some are not so exhausted or drawn thin that they cannot enjoy fully what they are doing or are hindered from reaching the levels they aspire to. This is down to good management by leaders, tutors and house staff. Were you a keen participant in any sports? As a boy, I really wanted to be a professional cricketer. The
For full details of all School and House news, please visit the website at www.cranleigh.org/community
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