Cranbourne School

Basingstoke College of Technology have an excellent opportunity for an Administration and Events Apprentice to join their marketing team. The role would be perfect for any school leavers looking gain experience in administrative work, marketing and events coordination whilst working towards a Business Administrator Level 3 Apprenticeship. Find out more at

On Thursday 14 May, Mrs Mccoy hosted Cranbourne's first fish skills masterclass! Students had the opportunity to handle, process, trim, gut, fillet and cook a Cornish Sole, also known as Megrim. Mrs Mccoy works with the Fish Heroes scheme, which aims to give students across the UK opportunities to learn about, prepare and cook fish. They are focused on seeing what is available in our native waters and giving recognition to underutilized species of fish. Cornish Sole is abundant in UK waters and a more sustainable option. The fish was provided by The Fish Shop in Camberly, and was freshly caught on Wednesday morning ready for the masterclass. Students learned more about Cornish Sole and how they are caught, before Mrs Mccoy demonstrated a simple yet delicious recipe for the students to recreate. They had a fantastic time and were very proud of their creations! Some were so determined to practice their newly acquired skills that they took a whole fish home – we hope their families enjoyed their dinner!

This week we've launched 2 new sushi products, breaded chicken and vegetable sushi. Why not give them a try at the introductory price of £1.60? They'll rise to their usual price of £2 when we return after half term. We're excited to be introducing new food items in our Canteen and Snack Shacks and student feedback is essential in helping us to decide what foods to serve. We've seen a great response to our new muffin flavours and salad bowls – be sure to let us know what else you want to see in school!

On Friday 15 May, our Year 9 Drama students had their second workshop with Scratch Built Productions, where they continued to contribute to the development of The Toy Hospital, a new production being created for Basingstoke Festival. During the session, students explored a range of professional theatre-making techniques including experimenting with stage design concepts, devising original material and considering how creative ideas are transformed into a fully realised production. Nick and Becky delivered a fascinating Q&A session where they shared valuable insights into their careers and the collaborative process behind creating theatre for young audiences. The workshop gave students the opportunity to work with industry professionals, develop their creativity, confidence and understanding of how theatre is made beyond the classroom. Students also began work towards their Bronze Arts Award which recognises young people's engagement with the arts and encourages them to develop as artists, leaders, and audience members. Mr Juliff is incredibly proud of the enthusiasm and imagination the students have shown throughout this project and look forward to seeing how their ideas help shape The Toy Hospital in the months ahead!

Today our students have been busy taking part in the student elections, voting for who they want to be Cranbourne's next Student Leadership Team. Our Thomson House Ambassadors did a fantastic job at keeping the replica polling station running smoothly, allowing our Cranbourne Community the opportunity to let their voices be heard. We've got some excellent candidates in the running, but who will Cranbourne choose to elect? Votes are being counted and we'll be announcing the new Student Leadership Team on Friday!

Interested in finding out more about Apprenticeships? Don't miss Basingstoke College of Technology's Apprenticeship Recruitment Fair on 15 June!

Arts Month is just around the corner and we have a jampacked programme of events lined up! On Wednesday 3 June, Year 9E Drama present 'Sparkleshark', a play exploring the transformative power of storytelling. Following this performance, our incredible Performing Art Club will take to the stage with their musical theatre showcase extravaganza. Our annual Summer Concert returns on Wednesday 17 June with an eager line up of students ready to show off their talents! On Thursday 9 July we're treated to another double bill, with Year 10 performing a bold reimagining of A Midsummer Night's Dream, followed by Year 9A's performance of Tuesday. Both of these plays will blur the lines between performer and spectator with their immersive elements. We can't wait to see our students shine and celebrate our fantastic Performing Arts Department. Tickets are available to purchase now at www.ticketsource.co.uk/cranbourne-school

Our students have been busy competing at various sporting events in the last few weeks, achieving new personal bests and giving some excellent performances! Emma J had tremendous success at the last two events she's competed at, setting new personal bests in Hurdles, Shot Put and 800m. She also took home the Bronze for her High Jump after setting a personal best of 1.50m. Emma will be competing at the Hampshire School's Pentathlon at the end of May after securing the Bronze medal at the Hampshire Athletics Multi Events Championships. Abi S competed at the Hampshire County Athletics Championships, setting three new personal bests and took home three medals! She secured the Bronze in Triple Jump and 800m and Silver in 400m, also securing national qualifying time. Jess E set a new personal best in Javelin at the Hampshire Field and Track Championships, throwing 24.7m and now holds the Basingstoke Athletics Club record for Under 14s. A huge congratulations to all three of our students for your achievements, you make the Cranbourne Community very proud with your dedication and commitment!

Breakfast Club will launch on Thursday 4 June, running on Thursday and Friday from 7.50am to 8.25am. Students can enjoy a free breakfast item and start their day in a calm environment. In order to help plan food deliveries and plan staffing we need to know roughly how many students will be attending. A letter has been sent out on Edulink with a link to a short form to sign your child up.

Our online taster sessions for Year 6 students joining us in September start next week on Tuesday 18 May. These sessions are an opportunity for students to meet members of staff and experience what lessons are like at Cranbourne. Full details have been sent via email in your first edition of the Countdown to Cranbourne newsletter. Be sure to check your inboxes or read it online at https://www.cranbourne.hants.sch.uk/transition

We would like to remind parents and carers that slime/putty/needoh is not an authorised concentration aid and should not be brought into school. Where a concentration aid is genuinely needed, this will be agreed individually between students, parents/carers and a member of staff as part of a support strategy. Authorised concentration aids have to be silent and small enough to be held in a closed palm. Only these items are permitted in school.

On Wednesday 6 May, Year 9 students visited University of Winchester to gain a better understanding of life as a university student. Students attended a talk about all the different pathways into university before enjoying some refreshments in the student café. They went on a tour of the West Downs Quarter with current students, which included the opportunity to visit a lecture hall, where some of our Year 9s had the chance to practice delivering a lecture to their peers. After lunch they explored the King Alfred Quarter, visiting the Student Union and Burma Road Halls of Residence, where they saw where they could be living one day. They learned more about the support on offer to students and played a game where they attempted to manage their finances for a typical week, which was certainly an eye opener! Our students had a truly fantastic experience, with many of them discussing how much they want to attend Winchester University in the future on the coach home. A huge thank you to all the staff and student at Winchester for welcoming our students and taking the time to give them tours and answer all their questions.

On Thursday 4 June, Hampshire CAMHS are hosting an information session focused on understanding the impact of trauma on a young person. The session will run from 9.30am to 4pm at the Irish Centre in Basingstoke (RG21 3DH). Book your space at https://hampshirecamhs.nhs.uk/events/trauma-june26/

Wishing lots of luck to all of the Year 6 students at our Cluster schools who are sitting their SATs exams this week. We know you'll do fantastically!

We're excited to be launching a brand new Breakfast Club scheme, a place to catch up and start your day in a calm environment. Do some arts or crafts, read a book or revise with some breakfast! Students can enjoy a free breakfast item (pancakes, waffles, fruits, cereals etc) from 7.50am to 8.25am on Thursday and Friday in the Canteen. Full details can be found in the letter sent via Edulink.