UK Enterprise Awards 2019

7 | SME NEWS - UK Enterprise Awards 2019 Best Independent School 2019 - South East England Nowhere is the success of this more evidenced than in Cranleigh’s Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) projects, which have ranged from a motorbike restoration project to the building of a film installation. Close to 100 EPQs were completed by members of the Upper Sixth last year. Over 18% of the cohort were graded at A* with exceptional quality verbatim and immersive theatre projects gaining 98% and film directorial project work being scored at 100%. Renowned success such as this has helped Cranleigh to remain true to its roots and to survive in the modern education market. After all, within the wider industry boarding, regionally and nationally, has undergone a decline in recent years, with many schools changing their offering and reducing numbers. By contrast, boarding at Cranleigh remains buoyant. Following a series of focus groups with stakeholders, the school took the decision to reaffirm its ethos and remain as a dedicated boarding community. Day pupils also sign up to full boarding ethos and the vast majority stay in school until 9pm. The ratio has been sustained with boarding/day at 72/28 and in the coming academic year this has risen further in favour of boarding. The primary focus of Cranleigh’s boarding ethos is to provide opportunities to pupils that would be unavailable to them at home. The view that boys and girls should move away from their parents to teach them ‘independence’ is outdated. On the contrary, Cranleigh recognises the sacrifice a family makes when a son or daughter is away from home, and hugely values the regular input parents make during term time. Staff believe that a parent’s decision to allow a son or daughter to spend so much time away can really be justified only by the fulfilment of their lives at school. With the results the school achieves, and the feedback from stakeholders, it is easy to see how this remarkable school has managed to buck the trend and provide pupils with an unrivalled boarding experience that truly enhances their academic performance. Ultimately, for more than two decades Cranleigh has provided an exceptional standard of education to a wide variety of students, many of whom have gone on to excel in their respective fields. Testimony to the school’s success is the fact that last year almost 80% of pupils entered their first-choice university and six pupils entered Oxford and Cambridge Universities. However, what really defines Cranleigh leavers is their incredibly strong friendships, their sense of character and who they are, their empathy for others and the unpretentious self-confidence they carry into life’s challenges. Imparting these vital life lessons into its students will remain this world- leading school’s core focus over the years ahead as it looks towards a bright future.