Cranbrook School

Cranbrook is a genuinely unique place. It is a co-educational grammar school in the heart of the glorious Wealden countryside. It is one of only a small number of state boarding schools in the UK. And it is an ancient school, founded in 1518 and given its royal charter by Elizabeth I in 1574.

Our students thrive thanks to the breadth and challenge of our curriculum, and our emphasis on growing character as much as minds. We balance a traditional academic curriculum with a busy co-curriculum of competitive sport, music, drama, CCF, DofE and student-led societies. Opportunities for independent thought and leadership are many – particularly for senior pupils, who benefit from the social and academic buzz to be found in our new Sixth Form Centre. Our academic results are consistently among the best for state schools in the country, and our leavers head to a variety of top destinations, including Oxbridge and many Russell Group universities.

Our 240 boarders give us a rare and special dimension among grammar schools. Their experience in our boarding family is happy and vibrant thanks to the excellent accommodation in our six Houses, our skilled, dedicated House teams, and an extensive programme of activities. Our boarders hail from the UK and overseas and enrich our community with different cultures and perspectives. We are proud to celebrate and promote them all across the School.

Cranbrook is a beautiful place to live and grow up. With 75 acres of our own green space on the site, we are an integral part of the aerial patchwork of the Weald’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – it’s fantastic for the wellbeing of both students and staff. We are half an hour from the coast, and not much further from London and its airports.

We are a school for life, with a very active parent and alumnus body locally and further afield. As an Old Cranbrookian myself, I know this from experience. I credit Cranbrook with giving me an independent spirit, a love of learning, lifelong friends, and a passion for team sport and the arts. Perhaps there is no greater credit to its staff than to say that their example inspired me to teach.

I see education as a conversation between generations about everything and anything: it is about learning how to treat other people well as much as how to write a top essay; it is about developing great human beings who can contribute broadly and positively to society in the future.

Please come and visit. It will be a pleasure to meet you and your family.