Cranbrook School, Kent

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Cranbrook School is a co-educational boarding grammar school located in Cranbrook, Kent in South East England.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Foundation

The school was founded in 1518, during the reign of King Henry VIII, as a result of the will of John Blubery. A resident of Cranbrook, Blubery was a King's armourer under Henry VII, who worked in the armoury first at Greenwich and then later in the Tower of London. He was briefly imprisoned in the Tower, possibly for taking concealed commissions, which may account for the exceptionally high number of estates he possessed. His crime was so serious that he was among those exempted from the general pardon issued on Henry VIII's accession, although he was, however, released shortly afterwards.

Using the wealth he had accrued, he built a house in Cranbrook to which he returned when he fell ill in 1517. He discovered that his daughter was pregnant by a local man, whom she quickly married. Sensing that his ailment was fatal, he wrote his will stipulating that, in the event of his daughter giving birth to a girl (who would not be entitled to inherit the estate) the house should go into the custody of one William Lynch, a wealthy cloth merchant, who was to establish there "... a free school house for all the poor children of the town of Cranbrook..."[citation needed] and appoint a schoolmaster. Blubery died in early 1518 and his will was proven on 22 March. In the event, his daughter gave birth to a girl and therefore Lynch took over the house and set up the school as directed. Although the precise dates of when he completed this task are unknown, the school takes 1518 as its foundation year.

[edit] Early years

William Lynch himself endowed the school with a farm at Horsmonden, and although the name of the first master is unknown, it is suspected to be Robert Bolle, a teacher mentioned as being in Cranbrook in a will from 1520. Lynch died in 1539, at which time the school was apparently running smoothly. His son, Simon Lynch, claimed the school lands from its trustees in 1560. The dispute was resolved in 1564 when it was agreed that the school would continue, but that Simon Lynch would enjoy the benefit of the estates for twenty-one years, after which full control would revert to the town.

In 1573, the town was visited by Queen Elizabeth I, who was touring the cloth-weaving district. She was petitioned to grant letters patent to the school under which a proper board of trustees or 'Governors' would be established. Simon Lynch agreed to surrender his lease to allow this to take place, although he died a few months later regardless. The Patent of Incorporation (which the school refers to as its charter) arrived in 1574. It gave the school its full, official title, "The Free and Perpetual Grammar School of Queen Elizabeth in Cranbrook" and ordained that the Vicar of Cranbrook should always have a seat on the Board of Governors, a clause which has remained binding to this day.

The school was small, teaching only Latin and Greek and continued in an unremarkable period of stability into the eighteenth century, punctuated only by the re-building of the school house from 1727-9. That School House is the oldest of the school's present buildings.

In 1741 the master, the Reverend Richard Brown, started renting out rooms in School House to the school's first boarders. The boarders became a source of contention in 1817 when the town laid a petition before the Master of the Rolls, Sir William Grant, complaining that the master, the Reverend Daniel Davies, was lavishing attention and privileges upon them to the detriment of the education of the day boys, for whom the school had been founded in the first place. This and other complaints against the school's management were rejected by Grant, much to the town's irritation. The last few day boys were removed and by the time Davies died in 1850, there were only boarders at the school.

[edit] Expansion

In 1851, one of the most important figures in the history of the school entered. The Reverend John Allan is considered the school's greatest headmaster. He made his mark immediately, recruiting assistant masters to expand the curriculum. School numbers, of both day boys and boarders, increased. This and sundry other improvements ensured that he was thought of fondly by the town, demonstrated by the public mourning on his untimely death from an attack of apoplexy in 1866, at the age of forty-eight. His grave may be seen under a yew tree in Saint Dunstan's churchyard. His epitaph reads "PLACED BY HIS SORROWING AND AFFECTIONATE PUPILS".

His successor, the Reverend Doctor Charles Crowden, was no less significant. He greatly increased the number of school buildings and it was under him that the roll rose beyond one hundred for the first time. Unfortunately, his reputation is tarnished by his ill-conducted resignation in 1888, caused by unfriendly relations with the governors, which resulted in his taking with him to Eastbourne College two thirds of the boarders and one third of the masters. This action bankrupted the school, to the extent that its closure was seriously considered.

[edit] 20th century

Despite the debts becoming worse in the early twentieth century, the school survived. It was assisted by the state which gradually encroached on the school's independence. The first state-appointed governors sat on the board in 1899, causing five other governors to resign in protest. The school very slowly recovered and began to expand again. In the mid-twentieth century the number of boarding houses grew. During the Second World War, Cranbrook was the closest school to occupied Europe to continue teaching without evacuation.

Under the 1944 Education Act Cranbrook became a voluntary aid school which, apart from a brief period of 'grant maintained' status in the 1990s, it has remained. In the 1970s it underwent a period of considerable change, first becoming co-educational and then expanding from around two hundred and fifty pupils to roughly seven hundred and fifty. The first two academic years were also dropped, meaning that selection for the school is now taken at thirteen years old, rather than at eleven. It was also during the 70s that the so-called 'Lenten Appeal' evolved, possibly the school's most significant extracurricular activity. Taking place in the Lent term, it consists of a number of functions, some specific to different houses, others to the whole school, designed to raise money for a variety of charities. It regularly raises considerable sums, easily in excess of sixteen thousand pounds each year[citation needed].

[edit] Modern day

Arguably the most interesting event in the school's recent history was in 2003, when alumnus and NASA astronaut Piers Sellers took a copy of the charter into space with him, of which can now be seen in the school reception. Sellers also opened the school's observatory, which is named after him, in 2005.

[edit] Houses

The school has six day houses and six boarding houses: four for boys and two for girls, each working in conjunction with the main school to provide pastoral care and academic support.

[edit] Day houses

  • Allan Girls
  • Allan Boys (from Goudhurst to almost Tenterden, including Biddenden and Staplehurst)
  • Horsley Girls
  • Horsley Boys (Sandhurst and Hawkhurst areas)
  • Webster Girls
  • Webster Boys (Cranbrook and outlying area)

[edit] Boys' boarding houses

  • Cornwallis
  • Ram all Boys
  • School Lodge (year nine boys only, allowing a year to 'settle-in')
  • Crowden

[edit] Girls' boarding houses

  • Blubery
  • Scott

[edit] House colours

Each house has its own 'colours' for sporting competitions, and a house tie which junior pupils may choose to wear in preference to the standard school tie. The current house colours are:

  • Allan - red and silver
  • Cornwallis - black and white
  • Crowden - blue and silver
  • Horsley - blue and yellow
  • Ram all Boys - green and silver
  • Webster - yellow and green
  • Blubery - violet and blue
  • Scott - pink and blue
  • School Lodge - Maroon and Silver

[edit] Boarding

The boarding community is at the heart of Cranbrook life, with over a third of the school's 750 pupils boarding. Each of the six boarding houses is run by a Housemaster or Housemistress with an experienced team of staff, comprising of boarding tutors, live-in staff and matrons. For some pupils, the boarding house will be their term-time accommodation throughout the year.

Accommodation is mostly in single study bedrooms or in small dormitories for the junior students, with common rooms, simple kitchens and leisure areas. Boarders will sleep, relax and carry out private study within the boarding house, but eat together in a central dining hall. A fully equipped Sanatorium (the 'San') is also run 24 hours when required by qualified nurses and is visited regularly by a local doctor.

The routine of a typical boarding Cranbrook student would consist of:

Weekday:

  • 0730: Wake-up
  • 0730 - 0815: Breakfast
  • 0815 - 0830: Registration
  • 0830 - 1555: Lessons
  • 1555 - 1740: Activities/Free time
  • 1740: Supper Registration
  • 1745: Supper
  • 1900: Prep (private academic study)
  • 2115: House activities or free time for Seniors
  • From 2145: Junior Bedtime
  • From 2300: Senior Bedtime

Sports matches are typically throughout Saturdays, with regular excursions or events held on Sundays.

[edit] Day Students

The House System is a defining feature of Cranbrook School. There are six day houses organised on a single-sex basis and reflect the areas from which the pupils live. Day houses tend to be larger than the boarding houses, the units being between eighty and ninety students. Overall the school has 500 day pupils all of whom live within a catchment area of 6.2 miles from the school. Allan Boys and Allan Girls (TEEEDO and ALEX ) represent the Staplehurst and Goudhurst areas but draw from one or two other villages. Horsley Boys and Horsley Girls are the Sandhurst and Hawkhurst contingent, while Webster Boys and Webster Girls usually come from the immediate vicinity of Cranbrook itself. Each house seems to have its own rather special identity, often to do with the villages from which the pupils come, but also the houses reflect the distinctive nature of their Housemaster. This is invariably an experienced member of staff who organises and manages the team of tutors and Supervisors so that the house runs efficiently with its special culture and programme of events which run throughout the year. These range from dinners to theatre trips to barbecues to a myriad of fund raising activities for our Lenten Appeal and so on.

The Houses each have a House Council with a representative from each year group, a House Captain and Supervisors who help the Housemaster or Housemistress with the running of the house and support the younger pupils as they travel through their school lives. The day house structure is a mirror of the boarding house structure but boarders have greater ancillary support such as MACs, domestic staff etc. Common to all houses however is the team of academic tutors who monitor the work and behaviour of each year group of pupils in the house. Tutor groups tend to be between fifteen and twenty in size in the day houses and between five and fifteen in the boarding houses. Each house has a base where the pupils meet each day for registration and house assemblies (e.g. the Allan Corridor, the Horsley Block etc.)

Boarders and Day Pupils mix freely and easily. The House system is embedded in Cranbrook culture and is one of its main strengths.

[edit] Sports and Extra-curricular Activities

Cranbrook has a vibrant extracurricular programme, and the sports department are holders of the Sport Marks Gold award. This has been held for three successive periods since its inception[citation needed].

Boys and girls teams represent the school most Saturdays throughout the year and the quality of the teams is high. The boys play rugby in term one followed by hockey, rugby sevens, tennis and cricket, while the girls play hockey followed by netball, lacrosse, tennis and rounders. Senior teams are run at 1st, 2nd and 3rd levels while each year group has A and B teams and on occasions C and D. The fixtures are played against local schools on both Saturday mornings and afternoons, and on the respective games afternoons of each year group. Our teams enter county and national cup competitions and are very successful. Recent highlights have been the senior girls triumph in the John Taylor hockey tournament[citation needed] and the 1st XV reaching the semi final of the Daily Mail Plate rugby competition[citation needed].

Aside from sports, there are a range of extra curricular activities and clubs and societies for students to get involved in, including music, drama, public speaking, CCF (Army and RAF), Amnesty International, the Young Enterprise scheme, a book group, art and textiles, cooking club and dance[citation needed].

At Sixth Form level the school traditionally enter students into several debating competitions including The Oxford Union Schools' Debate, the Cambridge Union Debate and the English-Speaking Union Schools' Competition[citation needed].

Cranbrook's Music Department has a long-standing tradition of excellence in musical performance. A varied and comprehensive concert diary is supported by a regular pattern of weekly rehearsals, many of which are held in the Vickers' Auditorium. The School has an Orchestra, Concert Wind Band, Choir, Flute Choir, String Quartet, Recorder Ensemble, Jazz Combo and a plethora of 'Rock' and 'Pop' bands[citation needed]. In addition to providing music for whole school occasions, such as the Commemoration of Benefactors' Service, Speech Day, the Carol Service, the Festival of Advent Carols and Lessons, pupils regularly take part in Friday Lunchtime Concerts, and recitals organised by the Friends of St Dunstan's Church, Cranbrook. There are also many opportunities for pupils to play in School and House Assemblies. Other fixed points in the musical calendar include the Battle of the Bands, the House Shout! Singing Festival, Gala Concerts, Informal Concerts and the Allan House Musical Soirée[citation needed].

The Drama Department supervises a variety of theatrical experiences during the school year. There are opportunities for acting in House Plays, the Junior Play, and in the end of the year Senior Musical. Many of these productions are directed by our Senior Students. There is a Junior Drama Club which commences after half-term in the Michaelmas Term and which feeds into the Junior Play in the Lent Term. The Queen's Hall is largely run by competent students who are provided with training in such skills as Lighting, Sound, Stage-Management, Costume and Make-Up. The Team of pupils provide technical support for the range of internal and some external performances in the Queen's Hall[citation needed].

Another recent school tradition is that of the house play season, making use of the school's 'Queen's Hall' theatre and taking place in the Michaelmas (Autumn) term. Each set of male and female day houses take part together, with boarding houses Crowden and Blubery, and Scott and Rammell also paired. School Lodge no longer has its own play, with Cornwallis normally has a popular pantomime in the last week before Christmas.

The Queen's Hall is also host to the Junior play in the Lent term and the Senior play in the Trinity term. Also there is an annual dance show and a twenty-four hour variety show, where performers and technicians have only twenty-four hours to set up a show as well as a wide variety of external performances and talks open to students.

[edit] Specialist School Status

In 2004, the school was awarded Science Specialist Status which allowed them to expand the science department; refurbish older buildings; run new courses, clubs and events; and integrate further with the local community. This culminated in 2005 with the opening of an Observatory within the grounds, housing a 22.5" telescope gifted to the school. Science Specialist Status was re-awarded in 2008 and funding will continue to benefit pupils in the school and in the local community.

[edit] Sixth Form

Cranbrook's aim is "...to provide an environment in which individual students maximise their educational opportunities"[citation needed], and therefore the curriculum is largely academic, with the majority of pupils opting for traditional A-level courses rather than the range of vocational courses offered by local comprehensives. Within the Lower Sixth year, four AS subjects are the expected norm, although around 40% of students study five. In the Upper Sixth, the majority drop to 3 A2 subjects, with around 20% continuing with four. Unless they are studying more than the usual number of subjects, all Seniors take three enrichment lessons a week, where Key Skills of Numeracy and Communication are covered, along with Religious Education and Personal & Social Education. All Seniors follow a course leading to the AS Critical Thinking qualification, and many study a general interest GCSE such as Spanish, Astronomy, PE, Electronics or Foreign Language at Work. Sixth Form pupils can also take the Sports Leadership Award and a foundation course in University Study.

Sixth form pupils are expected to attend school each day, and remain on the premises until the end of the working day. They are not required to wear uniform, but on Mondays, Fridays and other specified Formal Days are expected to wear a full matching suit and to look smart. At other times the choice is the pupils' own, provided they remain within the sixth form dress code published in the school rules.

Although Private Study is not supervised, Seniors are expected to use their time productively, working in the school library, using the schools ICT facilities, working in the Sixth Form centre or in one of the departmental areas around the school. There are social areas available too. UVI may go off-campus or into town in their PSs. Boarders each have their own study space in their boarding houses and may use those.

The Sixth Form are overseen by a by the Senior Masters who give a Sixth Form assembly each Friday morning.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] References

  • Duncan H. Robinson, Cranbrook School - A Brief history, 1972
  • Nigel Nicolson, Cranbrook School - An Illustrated History 1518-1974, 1974

[edit] External links