Where children grow, learn and thrive
Cranleigh Preparatory School is a vibrant, co-educational day and boarding school for children aged 3–13 years, nestled in the heart of the Surrey Hills on our beautiful 280-acre campus.
Here, we place every child at the centre of our community. We know and celebrate each child’s individuality – helping them to discover their strengths, nurture their curiosity, and grow into confident and kind young people.
Inspiring curiosity, confidence & character
At Cranleigh Prep, education is more than academic achievement. Our mission is to challenge and inspire each pupil to broaden their horizons, deepen their understanding, and flourish throughout their journey.
We aim to develop not just intellect, but character: resilience, empathy, integrity, and service are central to how we educate.
Academic excellence
Our academic ethos is built on a broad, balanced and bold curriculum. From core subjects like English and Maths to languages, sciences, humanities, technology, and the arts, every area of learning is given importance.
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Active, hands-on learning: We encourage children to ask big questions, think critically, and solve problems – it’s not just what they learn but how they learn.
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Extended Project in Year 7: Pupils choose their own question to explore in depth, develop research and referencing skills, and present their conclusions with maturity.
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Mixed-ability teaching: While we push for excellence, we also support every learner. We carefully monitor progress, intervene when needed, and stretch pupils academically, including a discreet upper stream for more able students.
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Learning support: Our dedicated Learning Support team works closely with staff and families so that every child, irrespective of their learning style, can thrive.
A rich co-curricular life
Life beyond the classroom pulses with energy at Cranleigh Prep. We offer more than 50 co-curricular activities, giving every pupil the chance to try new things, develop talents, and discover passions.
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Drama, design, coding, cookery, and outdoor adventure.
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Sport: a wide variety of clubs, coached by expert staff, with first-class facilities.
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Music and performing arts: from orchestras to theatre, students can take part at all levels.
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Academic societies: pupils can join or even start their own clubs (e.g. robotics, politics, classical myths).
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Outdoor education, expeditions, and residential trips foster teamwork, independence, and adventure.
Our co-curricular programme is deliberately structured to ensure participation, balance, and excellence – helping pupils build confidence, discover new strengths, and develop a lifelong love of learning.
Pastoral Care & Wellbeing
Wellbeing is woven into every strand of life at Cranleigh Prep. We believe happy, supported children learn best.
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Learning for Life Programme: Through age-appropriate lessons on health, citizenship, digital awareness, friendship, and self-awareness, pupils develop emotional intelligence and social responsibility.
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Strong pastoral structure: Each child belongs to a small tutor group and is supported by form tutors, heads of house, and pastoral leads.
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Safeguarding & wellbeing: Staff receive regular pastoral training, and we have a robust system including a medical team, counsellors, and peer mentors to ensure children feel safe, heard, and cared for.
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Values-led culture: We cultivate empathy, responsibility, service, and teamwork – helping pupils to build positive relationships and contribute meaningfully to the community.
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Parental engagement: We bring parents into the pastoral conversation through regular carousels and webinars to address wellbeing topics relevant to each year group.
Admissions process
We’ve outlined the admissions process below to guide you through how your child can join Cranleigh Prep.
