Buzz 2019

At the end of this term, we had a ‘Great Space Day’ where all the pupils in our school had the chance to experience an amazing planetarium. This immersed them in ‘an enriching capsule of learning’ and was the main attraction of the day. It was an exciting way to show children all aspects of space and science from the VLT (Very Large Telescope) in Peru, to the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) in Switzerland. The experience was real; when the 3D stars and planets zoomed towards the audience, some people fell backwards with shock!

Activities included Form 3 making Alka Seltzer rockets whilst Form 4 investigated moon landing conspiracy theories. Form 1 pupils became future astronauts developing their teamwork, problem-solving skills and engaging in some rocket science.

Other great events included computer coding and problem solving. The Upper School flew around the ISS (International Space Station), completing tasks such as repairing a solar panel or attaching a new module onto the station. In Technology lessons, pupils built Mars Rovers and tested them on life-like sandy surfaces. The Lower School cooked stunning ‘asteroid biscuits.’ Other departments were involved with Music sung by the Form 1 and 2 children and older pupils calculated the massive distance and diameters of the planets in the solar system. Space poems, postcards, and stories were written and out-of-this-world paintings were drawn. Hopefully, some of these amazing experiences will have inspired some of the next astrophysicists or astronauts, science-fiction writers, or film directors. A big thank you to all involved, and especially Mrs Groocock for organising much of the awe-inspiring event - it truly was ‘out of this world!’

I had heard that there were very nice people working here and it has a good reputation.

I have worked in hotels, restaurants and inflight catering. I also worked at Epsom College for 9 years.

We have very good menus that might need a little ‘tweaking.’ I plan to make some subtle changes in the choice available.

It is very busy! I have a staff briefing then ordering, planning menus and setting for functions. There is also the meal preparation and serving and clearing to coordinate. I also like to interact with pupils and staff .

I like to cycle and enjoy mountain biking. I also like to walk my dog.

Cooking is not a hobby—that would be too boring!

Rib eye steak

Mr Britt has been at this school for ten years. He noted that since he started teaching here, so much has changed with a new Head and staff joining the Cranleigh Prep School family, and modern buildings being erected to house state of the art classrooms.

His favourite moment at this school was when Charlie Patient enacted a three try swing in the last ten minutes of a rugby game to beat St John’s Beaumont two years ago.

Mr Britt will miss all of the people at this school, young and old. When he leaves, he will be taking the role of Deputy Head at Vinehall School in East Sussex where he will be running the day to day operations. He is looking forward to the opportunity to get to know a new group of people, and to use what he has learned at Cranleigh Prep to help others.

We will all miss Mr Britt and we wish him and his family the very best as they move to Sussex this summer.

Lions, hyenas, wildebeest and an assortment of savannah animals burst onto the Cranleigh Prep School stage at the end of this busy Summer term in the Form 5 production of ‘The Lion King.’ Our stage exploded with glorious colours, stunning effects and enchanting music.

This well-loved musical follows the powerful story of Simba as he journeys from a wide-eyed cub to his destined role as King of the Pridelands.

Auditions for the musical took place in the Lent term and the lead roles started their rehearsals early in the Summer term. All the Form 5 pupils were involved in this production and they had to learn the songs to accompany the story. Also involved were some pupils who worked with Mr Stroud on visuals, and Upper school pupils who helped with make up.

As well as the excellent cast, thanks and congratulations go to Mr Waller and Mrs Williams who directed the musical, Miss Kimberley for the choreography, and Mr Dixon for the lighting. The fantastic costumes, masks and make up were created by our inspirational Art and Drama departments: Mrs Everett, Mr Perry, Miss Turner and Mrs Charlesworth.

It was a truly stunning production and was thoroughly enjoyed by pupils and parents alike.

On 2nd May, around 400 people from 21 schools gathered in the Cranleigh School Speech Hall to watch the Awesome Book Awards 2019. The event opened with Mr Brooks’ humorous welcoming speech and then last year’s winner, Peter Bunzl gave a presentation. Cranleigh’s Patron of Reading, Gareth P. Jones announced 5 pupils who were lucky enough to be selected to introduce the nominated authors .

A few prizes were awarded to pupils before the exciting finale arrived: The winner of this year’s Awesome Book Award. ‘Being Miss Nobody’ had been voted as the most popular book and Tamsin Winters, the author, gave an emotional but inspiring speech. Authors stayed to sign our copies of the nominated books.

Form 2 visited Cedar Court in Cranleigh to receive the ‘King’s Shilling’ in celebration of D-Day. We sang songs from World War II and D-Day. Some songs were sad but others were happy; tears of joy were shed. We saw people in uniform from the army and navy and we also saw an old lady called Dorothy, who was over a hundred years old.

When we received the ‘King’s Shilling’ we automatically became a member of the Cedar Court cadet Force. It was a lovely experience even though it rained a lot.

This term, new members joined our community— some red mason bees which were donated to the school by Mr Mills. The red mason bee is a small, common bee that nests in hollow plant stems, in holes in cliffs or in the crumbling masonry of old buildings.

Unlike honey bees, they do not sting unless trapped, but they are effective pollinators.

The red mason bee is a solitary bee and after mating, each female builds its own nest and she lines each ‘cell’ with mud and pollen. She then lays a single egg in each cell until the cavity is full. The larvae hatch and develop and they pupate in the autumn and hibernate over winter. The red mason bee is on the wing from late March and feeds solely on pollen and nectar.

We hope our orchard will prove to be a happy home environment for them.

Form 5 enjoyed a really brilliant trip to York. They visited many interesting places such as Byland Abbey, where they learnt about the different rooms and the duties of the monks that lived there in Medieval times. They also visited the impressive York Minster and marvelled at the detailed architecture and breath-taking beauty of the stained glass windows, especially the famous Rose window.

Clifford’s Tower was also on the agenda; not so much fun for those who were scared of heights, before a flying visit to the Aviation museum to discover how planes were made and how they were used during the World Wars.

Accommodation at the recently refurbished Youth Hostel was pleasant - and much fun was had chatting in dorms until the early hours... The food was delicious and the grounds were fun to explore during moments of down-time.

All in all, it was a fantastic trip - thanks must go to Mr Batchelor for his military precision organisation and all the accompanying staff who made the trip so enjoyable. Next year’s Form 5s are in for a treat!

Form 6 met on a sunny Sunday to travel down to the Outdoor Adventure Centre in Cornwall. Despite some early apprehension from the group about how they might survive a whole week without their electronics and phones, they soon settled into the busy programme of activities.

The activities came thick and fast. There was surfing, canoeing, coastal traversing, climbing, abseiling and hiking. The children, not surprisingly, coped somewhat better than some of the staff!

Thanks need to go to the Outdoor Adventure team and thanks also to all the accompanying staff, who give so freely of their time. This year’s heroes were Mr Stone, Mr and Mrs Thomas, Miss Jolly, Mrs Brooks, Mr Stroud and Matron Beever.

We’ve had the best year with Mrs Schutte and Form 6KS. It has gone in a heart beat but we’ve loved every minute. We’ve particularly enjoyed our Tutor time games, picking out famously forgettable names to win at ‘Empire’ and working out how to win at ‘Heads Down Thumbs Up’. There was also the funny moment when the bird tried to join us for registration, and our tremendously innovative Quad games with the strange blue circles.

We have an eclectic mix of pupils in Form 6KS. We think we are some of the kindest, most loyal, wise, daring, thoughtful, caring and funniest children in the school; we’re also the most modest! We’ll miss Form 6KS but, as we’re all going to Cranleigh School, we’ll be able to keep in touch. It’s been a great year; we’ve worked hard and played hard. We’ve all got along famously and will miss the times we’ve had together.

An image of Winston Churchill loomed large over our class at the start of the year with the message ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts,’ emblazoned upon a light up speech bubble next to his mouth. Now, at the end of the year, we get what Mr Churchill meant!

As a group we have had our fair share of successes and enjoyed the passing thrill and excitement that they have brought. We have also survived and learnt from disappointments along the way. But, most importantly, we have had the courage to continue, no matter what, even with Mr B. as our guide!

Some of the highlights of the year have been the outrage concerning Monster Munch, the hilarity of hiding the conker and the boys’ failure to keep their lockers as tidy as the girls’. We will remember Toby losing ‘Harry Redknapp,’ 6B’s ‘pet’ stone; a long story. This summer, we learnt that face packs, unicorns and spike ball are essential when camping. We felt that 6B’s Samba drumming performance at the Mini-Olympics for visiting primary schools was nothing short of epic - ‘Rio 2016’ should have had us at their opening ceremony! We’ve enjoyed our 6B rants, putting the world to rights, and we will always remember our incredible exam results.

Finally, we learnt to ‘Say Yes More.’ So long, Cranleigh Prep. We are ready for our next adventure.

6CS have had an exhausting year! Showing CPS ‘newbie’ Mr Stone how the school operates and where to go most of the time, was a responsibility in itself. Obviously, the impending Common Entrance exams took up most of our concentration, but there have been plenty of other opportunities to ensure we have made the very most of our final year at Cranleigh Prep School.

Pupils in the Form have loved playing sport at school and there were many memorable moments, including at the hockey national finals, during the IAPS swimming competitions, whilst riding at Hickstead, during house crosscountry, tremendous success at the National Fives, and when scoring winning flicks in the Surrey Championships.

Several of the Form entertained and amazed us in Romeo and Juliet and in school concerts; the Art which has produced by the Form has been stunning.

So many of the Form continue to play their instruments to such a high standard that I am sure they will wish to continue it once they move on to their senior schools.

And, finally, we’ve also earned our fair share of scholarships, exhibitions and awards throughout the year. Well done, everyone!

We have all learnt a lot about ourselves this year and grown in many ways - it will be exciting to see where all of this potential will take us!

It has been an incredibly busy and eventful year for the members of Form 6H. Guided by our long suffering and occasionally grumpy Form Tutor, Mr Halstead, we have managed to pack in a huge range of things.

We’ve excelled in Drama, including at The Shakespeare Schools Festival and LAMDA. Art has played a big part in our lives, with many pupils working towards Art Scholarships. Sport also loomed large amongst us, with many of the pupils spending most of the year in tracksuits and trainers. Riding, polo, hockey, Fives, cricket, tennis, rugby, football and sailing are just some of the areas in which have shone.

With the challenge of Common Entrance behind us, we learnt the importance of trying hard and sticking at it. We also learnt that the more you put in, the more you get out. I wonder what the next year at our new school will bring.

In May, some lucky pupils in the Middle School were able to participate in a weekend sailing trip to the Isle of Wight. We travelled to Southampton by bus on Friday afternoon and then we got on a ferry. There was a short walk to our accommodation where we were immediately put into our dormitories.

The first activity that evening was orienteering. After this, we were all very tired so it was not hard to fall asleep.

On Saturday morning, we set off to go sailing. The sailing was great fun and none of the children (or teachers) complained about how cold the sea was! After dinner, we went crab catching and swimming.

On Sunday, we had a half day of sailing before we sadly had to head home again.

I think that this sailing trip was amazing and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn to sail..

‘Spotlight’ was Cranleigh’s 2019 dance show. It included all the forms of dance taught at our school; tap, modern, ballet and street dance. Both schools, Prep and Senior, came together to deliver a truly remarkable evening for the parents, pupils, and teachers to experience. Sparkly costumes and well-choreographed dances dazzled the audiences.

Some pupils in Form 4 commented, ‘It amazed me how much work and effort went into the show.’ Another pupil commented that, ‘It inspired me and I really wish I could have taken part.’

Overall, the evening was a mixture of energetic and elegant dances which were devised by Miss Kimberley, Miss Jackie and Miss Alex. We would like to thank them all for organising such an enjoyable performance and celebration of dance at our school.