We are a school rooted in its community where aspirational learning and opportunities transform the lives of our pupils. Our Mission is to transform lives and strengthen our communities to make the world a better place

This afternoon, we ended the term with a heartwarming act of kindness, delivering holiday gifts generously donated by you—our amazing families—and our #Crantastic staff to families seeking asylum at the local hotel. Your support has made a real difference, and we are deeply grateful.

We were also able to congratulate our Pupils of Excellence and Mr Murray and Mr Farmer shared Pizza, Cookies and an extended lunch with them all!

• Monday, 6th January 2025 – Secondary pupils return at 08:25 (Primary non-teaching day)

• Tuesday, 7th January 2025 – All CEC pupils, including Nursery and Primary, return to school.

Thank you for your continued support throughout the year. We wish you a joyous Christmas break filled with family, fun, and relaxation. We look forward to welcoming everyone back in January for another exciting year at CEC.

A reminder that Kooth Digital Health provides free and anonymous mental health and wellbeing support for young people aged 11-18 in Devon. Their services remain available throughout the holiday period, offering same-day support from the comfort of your home.

• Visit Kooth: www.kooth.com

• Watch their video: 'We Are Still Here' (2:47)

Dear CEC Families,

As we approach the end of another year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the many achievements and milestones we have celebrated together as a school. It has been a year of learning, community, and opportunities and I am proud of the dedication and hard work of our staff, pupils, and families.

On behalf of the Governing Board, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the teachers and support staff for their unwavering commitment to providing the best possible education and care for our children. To the pupils, your enthusiasm and creativity inspire us all, and we are so proud of everything you’ve accomplished this year.

A special thank you also goes to our families for your ongoing support and involvement. Whether it’s helping with homework, attending events, or volunteering your time, your contributions play a vital role in making our school such a vibrant and supportive place.

As we celebrate this festive season, I hope you all find time to rest, recharge, and spend quality moments with loved ones. May the holiday season bring joy, peace, and hope to each and every one of you.

We look forward to welcoming you back in the New Year, ready to continue transforming lives, strengthening our communities and making the world a better place.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy, #Crantastic New Year.

Warm regards,

Les Bayliss

Chair of Governors

The entire campus came alive with festive spirit on Wednesday as everyone gathered for a delicious holiday lunch. Huge cheers to our incredible kitchen team, who outdid themselves with a feast that had everyone smiling—even the sprouts were a hit with some of the pupils!

The PTA brought their #crantastic creativity to life, filling the day with festive fun as the children crafted the most colourful and cheerful crowns to wear in Primary.

Our amazing Business Support and Site Team sprinkled even more holiday magic by decking the halls and keeping the jolly tunes flowing while all staff members were invited to join the children at the tables, sharing laughs, stories, and plenty of holiday cheer over a truly special meal. Even Aurora, the Therapy Dog was treated to her own special lunch!

It was a spectacular celebration, brimming with joy, laughter, and the true spirit of the season!

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

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.

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

If your child needs to make a statement following an incident at school, please use the QR code to access the required form.

Its that time of year when there are lots of bugs being passed around. Sometimes it’s difficult to know whether your child should come to school or not. The poster below gives a bit more guidance

If you are ever unsure or would like further advice, please speak to one of our attendance team. You can contact them on attendance@cranbrook.education

Please note: We are also able to keep and administer medication in school if the correct form is filled in. Please speak to our Reception Team to arrange this

Handwashing is really important this time of year, please encourage your child to do this regularly to avoid the spread of germs.

Absences need to be reported no later than 8.30am. To make this process as easy as possible for you, there are various ways that you can do this:

1. The School Number – 01404 823293 (Please leave a message)
2. Via email - attendance@cranbrook.education
3. Via MCAS or the link on the website home page

For all options please state your child’s full name, class and reason for absence. If you do not contact the school your child will be given an automatic unauthorised absence, these remain on their school records.

All of the above options are checked every morning. While we are unable to reply to all messages, please rest assured they will be recorded.

An absolutely HUGE well done to some year 3-7 pupils who performed in our winter showcase last night. 30 performers took to the stage to share what they have been up to in their extra curricular clubs this term. Being an all-through school gives us unique and special #opportunities to share with children across a wide age range and we are so #proud of their hard work. The pupils showed the utmost respect and #kindness towards each other tonight and the showcase was a real testament to the Cranbrook #community that we so love. Well done again to all those involved. What a wonderful evening!

As part of the Maddy’s Mark Foundation, the Exeter Chiefs have been working with some of our girls, delivering sessions that have been a resounding success. These sessions have helped our pupils develop their confidence, enhance their rugby skills, and deepen their awareness of mental health.

The program culminated in a fantastic Rugby Day held at the Exeter Athletics Training Ground, where we joined five other schools to celebrate the progress and achievements of all participants. It was an inspiring event that showcased the teamwork, growth, and resilience of everyone involved.

Poetry By Heart is a competition aimed at getting students involved in literature.

Do you like expressing yourself?

Do you like the setting yourself new challenges to overcome?

Do you want a chance to perform in front of the world?

Then enter Poetry By Heart.

1. Select a poem from the poetry by heart website that fits your age range. The entries can range anywhere from 7+ to 16+.
2. Learn the poem by hear. Make sure to put as much emphasis or emotion into the poem as you see fit
3. Record the poem as you perform it and send it in to the judging panel.
4. If you're one of the lucky finalists, you could be on a trip to London to perform at the Globe Theatre!

Eco Club Logo WInners are: 1st place: Rahel Daun, 2nd place: Max Tong, 3rd place: Annabel Davies plus Charles Williams separate award for pin badge design. We would like to say a huge thank you to the 29 students who put in the effort to design logos, it was a tough decision to choose the winners. All entries will receive house points. Prizes will be handed out in the new year.

Eco Club will start on Thursdays 3- 4pm, each week, from Thursday January 9th. Meet in Mrs Shaw's room.

Mrs Shaw, Mrs Fennemore, Mrs Adams

Bicton College Open Days:

18th January 2025: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

26th April 2025: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Bicton College Taster Days:

17th February 2025: 9:00 am - 3:30 pm

28th May 2025: 9:00 am - 3:30 pm

Events - Bicton College

25th January 2025: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

23rd April 2025: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Duchy College Stoke Climsland Taster Days:

18th February 2025: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

27th May 2025: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Events - Duchy College

A polite reminder to families that cycle or scoot to school that these should not be ridden on site. We ask please for you to dismount from your bike / scooter at the school gates and use the shelters provided. Thank you

Congratulations to Darya Serbov in 7SEA for achieving the most Sparx points in science, across the whole school, during the last couple of weeks of term. An excellent effort!

On Tuesday, 10th December, 23 pupils successfully completed their lesson delivery as part of their Sports Studies GCSE. These pupils demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership skills, exemplifying our CEC Values throughout the process.

Each pupil carefully planned their lesson and completed a thorough risk assessment beforehand, showcasing their commitment to preparation and safety. We are incredibly proud of their efforts, dedication, and the professionalism they displayed during this important milestone in their course.

This half-term, we proudly launched our PE MVP Award to celebrate excellence across all areas of PE, BTEC Sport, and Sports Studies. This award recognizes pupils who have demonstrated outstanding effort, skill, and dedication in their lessons and extracurricular activities.

Winners of the PE MVP Award will receive a certificate of achievement, an excellence badge, and 50 house points in recognition of their exceptional performance and contributions.

Below are the winners for this half term

Core PE

Year 7 - Harry Cook

Year 8 - Jamie Bird

Year 9 - Dilpreet Singh

Year 10 - Sabreen Kay

BTEC Sports

Year 9 - Elize Holt

Year 10 - Jack Mottershead

Year 11 - Luke Greenslade

Well done to all of them for their continuous effort!

Pupils celebrating their achievements

Lets celebrate the pupils who have be Proud, Engaged, Ready, Kind and Safe this week

Year 7

Year 8

P: Tawana Nyika - always smart and incredibly high standards of written work
E: Keane Barkley - engagement in his assessments, with a noticeable highlight being his English work.
R: Max Tong - Meeting all expectations and being ready for the start of his learning.
K: Chloe Birley - Showing kindness and caring to her peers and staff members.
S: Christopher Gambie - Considerate with his friendship groups and maturing into a sensible young person.

Year 9

Proud - Ruby Soper and Ellie Cook for representing the year and tutor so well as an MP

Engaged - Hawa Fofana for always putting 100% effort every day

Ready - Eliza being super ready to learn in every lesson

Kind - Toby Mills for always bring up the mood of CEC

Safe - Ellie Fallon for always being polite, kind and #crantastic.. and safe

Year 10

This term, we have continued our inter-house tournaments and have witnessed fantastic displays of effort, skill, techniques, and tactics, all while embodying our CEC Campus Values. The commitment and teamwork shown by all participants have been truly inspiring.

Below are the updated scores for the term:

Starting on Wednesday, January 15th, and running for six weeks, these sessions are a fantastic opportunity for you and your little one to cook a delicious lunch together and take home plenty of goodies.

Designed especially for parents and carers of pre-school children, these sessions aim to tackle dinner-time dramas, picky eaters, and the everyday challenges of feeding our kids.

Interested? Simply scan the QR code on the poster or click this link to register.

https://forms.office.com/e/6EpjR2iijX

We'll reach out in the new year to confirm your spot and provide all the details you need.

Please take a moment to review the Key Dates and mark your calendars accordingly. If you have any questions or need further details please email

Please note that details of our Privacy Policies can be found here