Cranbrook Education Campus News

Dear CEC Primary Families,

This week, I couldn’t be prouder of our primary school community and the positive strides we’ve seen in our pupils' behaviour. As we introduced our core behaviours of excellence, we’ve been thrilled by how well everyone has responded to our focus on creating calm and respectful learning environments.

A special highlight has been the good behaviour shown during our recent Key Stage 2 trips. Through a partnership with the National Trust, our pupils have had the opportunity to plant trees, contributing to environmental sustainability and engaging with our local Cranbrook community in meaningful ways. This hands-on experience in sustainability and conservation has been invaluable, and we extend a heartfelt thank you to Hannah Wickens and PTA members Judith Ansell and Sam Andrews for their incredible time, dedication, and support in making these trips possible.

Looking ahead, this term promises to bring more opportunities for learning and joy. Tomorrow, I am excited to see some of our primary pupils performing at the Exeter Cathedral—a wonderful occasion for families across Exeter to come together in celebration. We are incredibly grateful to all our families for their continuous support as we work together to provide the best for our community.

A final thanks to everyone involved in tonight's disco. I look forward to joining all pupils on the dance floor for some air guitaring and a good old boogie.

Wishing you all a fantastic weekend, and we look forward to welcoming all our pupils back to school on Monday!

This Wednesday pupils from year 6 to 11 attended our annual careers fair where they had the opportunity to talk to a wide range of employers. All our pupils were #engaged and #ready to ask lots of questions. A HUGE thank you to all the businesses who came to support on the day, your enthusiasm was a true testament to why it is so important to have these #Crantastic events.

There are currently 3 open Christmas card competitions so please make sure if your child would like to enter that the pictures get taken to the right place.

As we embrace the joy of this term, we’re also eagerly looking forward to the many festive events that bring us together as a community. Whether at our Campus or in the wider Cranbrook area, there are so many moments to celebrate, and we’d love for you to join us!

Do you know of other wonderful events happening in our community? We’d love to hear about them! Please share the details by emailing us at socialmedia@cranbrook.education, so we can spread the cheer with all our families.

As we move into the wetter season, we kindly remind you to ensure your child brings a coat to school each day. On light rain days, we do not consider it "wet play" and pupils are still expected to wear their coats and enjoy some fresh air outside. If the rain becomes heavier, we will call for wet play and keep the children indoors with opportunities for movies, games, drawing and socialising.

Please make sure your child is prepared for the weather, as having a coat is essential for their comfort and well-being during outdoor play.

We are collecting coats, hats and gloves again for our community. Please bring in any coats you no longer need or love to our reception. We will make sure they have crantastic new homes on the arms of those who need them most in our community.

Likewise if you need a coat please visit our reception to check out our rail

We would like to remind you of the importance of ensuring that your child has their necessary medication, such as inhalers, antihistamines, or EpiPens, available at school if they have a medical condition that requires it. It is vital that we have a set of medication handed to the main office and, ideally for inhalers, another set for the classroom.

If your child has been prescribed any medication, please ensure it is brought into school as soon as possible to help ensure their safety and well-being throughout the school day.

Thank you for your cooperation and collaboration as we work together to keep our pupils safe.

We have a number of staff and students who have a severe allergic reaction to nuts and peanuts and it is important that we keep them safe. In this regard, we ask that students, staff and visitors do not bring products containing nuts and peanuts into school.

Products that should not be brought into school include:

· Peanuts and nuts and products containing peanuts or nuts

· Peanut butter and peanut based chocolate snacks (snickers / reece’s pieces, Nutella etc)

· Items where peanuts or nuts are listed as main ingredients

· Nut or peanut based oils or products

Products that are allowed:

· Items that “may contain nuts” and “may contain traces of nuts” or “made in factories that use nuts”. These present a low risk and are not direct ingredients in the products

· All other non nut-based snacks and food stuff.

If you wish to check your child’s eligibility for Free School Meals, please use the Devon Citizens Portal This is the quickest and easiest way to apply and will result in you getting an instant decision.

Alternatively, call the Education Helpline on 0345 155 1019 who will check eligibility, answer questions and help with your application.

We work closely with our catering provider Dolce to ensure students are provided with healthy and nutritious meals. If you have any comments or feedback you wish to share about the food, we welcome you contacting us by emailing reception@cranbrook.education

A polite reminder to families that cycle or scoot to school that these should not be ridden anywhere on site. We ask please for you to dismount from your bike / scooter at the school gates and use the shelters provided. It is essential that bikes and scooters left on site are secured using bike locks!

We have a small car park at the campus that is intended for use by blue badge visitors and staff who live outside of Cranbrook only. Please walk to the campus where possible and if you do need to drive to the campus, there is plenty of on road parking available. Please remember to park sensibly and safely for our neighbours.

Thank you

Thank you to those who have booked onto our Open Evening for the new Reception September 2025 intake. This will take place on Thursday 21st November 2024. There are 3 session times to choose from: 15:50, 16:15 or 16:30. Each session will last approximately 30/40 minutes. This will be an opportunity for all families looking to join the Campus for Reception September 2025 to learn about EYFS at Cranbrook, ask questions and meet other families. This session will include a tour around the Campus including Reception provision and outside areas.

Please meet at the main entrance.

Pre-school children are welcome to join the tour with their parent/carer if you would like. Please visit our website and click on the link to book your space on the tour. https://www.cranbrook.education/openevening

We are really looking forward to welcoming our new families to Reception. If you cannot attend these times please do let us know by emailing eyfs@cranbrook.education

Year 6 started their week in the great outdoors with the first of our Elbury Farm visits. All children throughly enjoyed learning about the tree planting process and how to successfully plant a variety of trees. We are on target to plant a tree to represent every student at our campus, creating a forest that will support local wildlife and wellbeing for generations to come. In PE, children began dodgeball with Premier Sports and have been working on their tactical thinking and team work. Our new Geography unit is Globalisation and children enjoyed learning about companies who trade worldwide and the pros and cons of this. We are so impressed with how all children have settled back after the half term and how ready they are to challenge themselves as we move into our second half term.

On Monday, Mrs Brown (Deputy Head of Secondary) was delighted to be able to attend the St Martin’s Lantern Walk to celebrate St Martins Day.
Not only was she able to carry a beautiful lantern made by year 6 pupils, she also learned all about how St Martin helped his community. It was particularly lovely to see how St Martins and the local church are using that message to promote our holiday gift appeal; it made her proud to see how united and inclusive our community is in supporting those in need.

Our school supports a number of Families Seeking Asylum and Refugee families to access education and thrive in their new home as part of our #Crantastic Community.

We want to extend our support further, but need your help! Many of our families lack access to basic essentials and the joyful things many of us take for granted.

We want to brighten our families lives and support them with whatever they need. Whether it is toiletries, food, football boots to join a team, prom arrangements, birthday celebrations, transport or help setting up new homes. We want to be there for them.

In addition, each year we collect physical donations to bring a sparkle of joy to the children in our community during the festive season. Last year’s response was phenomenal, but some age groups—like teenage boys—were less represented. Your donation will help ensure that every child, regardless of age, has something magical to open over the holidays.

If you would like to get involved in our Holiday Gift Appeal or contribute to our fundraiser. Please see our poster detailing the items we are collecting for this Years festivities or follow this link to our JustGiving page! https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/familiesseekingasylumandrefugeesincranbrook?utm_term=YVaxxgxXV

Together, we can make a meaningful difference and spread happiness to those who need it most in our community. Thank you!

Have questions about Cranbrook, the Education Campus, or St. Martin’s? Join us at Cranberry Farm on Wednesday, 20th November from 7-8 pm to meet with local councillors, education leaders, and other community figures.

Please take a moment to review the Key Dates and mark your calendars accordingly. This will help you stay informed and ensure you’re up-to-date with all the key activities such as Trips and PTA Events. This includes the exciting news of a Winter Showcase on 19th December with Primary Dance and Choir clubs. More information to follow soon.

If you have any questions or need further details please email reception@cranbrook.education

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