Will Newman

FROM CRANLEIGH PREP SCHOOL, SURREY

In this episode of Education Corner Podcast, we spoke to Mr. Will Newman, Head at Cranleigh Prep School, Surrey. Will spoke to us about Cranleigh Prep School’s family-like community, the importance of developing pupils’ confidence and passions and preparing children to be future leaders.

Mr. Will Newman first began working in prep education after graduating from university, despite originally intending to work in secondary education, he told us: “Within a week, I realised I’d found my calling and loved it and that’s where I’ve stayed ever since - in prep schools.” Since then, he has worked in several schools, including Sedbergh Prep, Taunton Prep and Edgeborough School, before joining Cranleigh Prep as Head at the beginning of 2025.

even more opportunity to immerse the children in the culture that you want them to be a part of,” giving pupils even more opportunities to make the most of all Cranleigh Prep has to offer.

The school motto is Ex Cultur Robur, meaning: ‘From Culture comes strength’. Will likened the community and culture at Cranleigh Prep to a family: “I think of our children here, in many ways, as I think of my own children. We all want the best for our kids. We all want them to explore every avenue or every interest that they might possibly have and that’s what we do here at the Prep School at Cranleigh.” This supportive, familylike atmosphere is particularly important to the boarding pupils at Cranleigh Prep. Will described the benefits of boarding and stated: “It gives you

Will also believes that boarding at the prep stage can benefit pupils and families by prolonging their childhood, especially “[in] an era and in a society where sometimes children are accelerated through their childhood quicker than parents may want.” At Cranleigh Prep, pupils are “completely screen-free in the boarding environment.” Instead, they are encouraged to play outdoors and explore the many activities on offer with their friends. Will stated: “They spend their evenings, their mornings and everywhere in between, just talking to each other, mucking around with their friends, doing all kinds of daft games, ridiculousness. I think that is a wonderful antidote to a society in which children’s childhood is in danger of being eroded.” At Cranleigh Prep, pupils have plentiful space and resources to entertain themselves and explore anything that might pique their interest: “If you want a school in which you’ve got your own astroturf, a swimming pool, a gym, its own woodlands and all the rest of these things that the children do, then there’s that.”

Alongside the excellent academic offering, the hidden curriculum, life skills learnt by partaking in the wide range of activities on offer throughout school life, is also key to pupils’ success at Cranleigh Prep. Will described the power of this in boarding in particular: “Children are learning, first of all, to take responsibility for themselves. To get their own stuff sorted, organise their own gear, take responsibility for their own way of approaching that evening or that morning. But then after that, to take responsibility for somebody else and get to know somebody else who’s slightly different to them.” This community approach to boarding in particular teaches the valuable life skill of cooperation, preparing pupils for life beyond school by allowing them to get to know a wide range of people from across the school community, Will shared: “Boarding actually teaches them a real life skill: how to rub up alongside somebody else who you may not necessarily gravitate towards [...] I think that is incredibly valuable to kids.”

At Cranleigh, pupils remain in the Prep School until age 13 before moving on to Cranleigh Senior School, rather than progressing to the senior school aged 11. Will believes strongly in the power of staying at prep school for longer, telling us: “The last two years in Year 7 and Year 8, I think, are often transformative.” Will likened the process to packing a bag before going on a trip: pupils who leave prep school at age 11 may often ‘pack their bags’ in a hurry, forgetting important things and leaving them ill-prepared, whereas pupils who have a further two years in prep school can embark on their journey to senior school fully prepared and equipped to thrive. Key to this preparedness for senior school, Will believes, are the soft skills taught through the hidden curriculum: confidence, resilience and a sense of one’s own passions and interests.

Pupils are encouraged to develop this by partaking in all aspects of school life, with excellent opportunities in academics and co-curriculum. Will told us: “It’s really, really important to us that they do that and they don’t channel too early, [...] so they don’t just become one type of pupil.”

Maintaining an awareness of the wide variety of passions, learning styles and future paths pupils may take is key: “Having a wide range of cocurricular interests is great, not only for exploring every single nook and cranny of who they might then be as an adult, but also in terms of promoting and looking after their self- esteem.” Alongside the thriving co-curricular, Cranleigh Prep also boasts excellent academic success, Will told us: “Science is one of the jewels in our academic crown. There’s no doubt about that”

The motivation for this, Will described, is to allow pupils to thrive in the last two years of prep school and leave fully prepared to thrive in senior school: “We don’t want to compromise with the facilities, the resources, the expertise, the common room, any of those things. It should be a senior school curriculum experience, but within the family of a prep school.”

Alongside this, Cranleigh Prep also has excellent SEN provision, Will described: “The children have their own spaces, it’s quiet, they’re not disturbed.” It’s also important that this provision is a central part of the school, not an afterthought, shared Will: “For them to have their own space and their own dedicated staff team, which is incredibly well resourced, is an important part of our curriculum.” Allowing pupils, regardless of their needs or learning styles, to thrive is a key aim at Cranleigh Prep: “It’s a school with a broad range of pupils in its pupil body and everyone’s an individual.”

Preparing pupils for the future beyond their school years is a key area of focus for many schools and parents alike. At Cranleigh Prep, ongoing curriculum reform will include a skills-based curriculum, maintaining opportunities for pupils to have a wide range of experiences and develop key life skills as well as ‘soft skills’ such as creativity, leadership and critical thinking. Will described the school’s ambitions for their pupils: “Their employability is a core focus, but we also want our children to be changemakers and future leaders.”

Less than a term into his headship at Cranleigh Prep, Will is already able to share the exciting opening of a Pre-Prep at Cranleigh from September 2025 and looks forward to continuing to lead Cranleigh Prep School through these exciting times. Will concluded: “There’s change in the air, there’s a sense of anticipation, there’s a sense of what is possible. I would say that’s definitely true both at the prep and at senior.” www.cranprep.org

We would like to thank Mr. Will Newman, Head at Cranleigh Prep School, for giving up his time to speak to us.

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