Cranleigh is defined by its strong boarding culture; pupils of all year groups are bonded by their inherent love of joining in; no-one at Cranleigh likes to stand still and that includes staff as well as pupils.
The Houses are a hive of activity, with so much going on, although there’s plenty of time for quiet study. Boarders stay up to 7 nights at school, with the flexibility to go home every weekend, returning either on Sunday evening or Monday mornings.
Every pupil, whether day or boarding, has a place in one of our eight single-sex houses – North, South, East, West, Cubitt, Loveday, Rhodes and Martlet.
The house system forms the foundation upon which our pupils’ wellbeing and sense of community is built. Boys’ and girls’ houses are paired, so that the majority of school life can be co-educational.
All houses follow a similar structure, with both a Housemaster or Housemistress and a Residential Deputy, often with their family, plus a Non-Resident Deputy with overall responsibility for the day pupils in the house. Each house also has two full-time Matrons who work in shifts, so that one of them is in the house from wake-up time to bedtime. Matrons look after all medical, laundry and general housekeeping issues, but they are also on hand to offer reassurance, advice and firm yet affectionate discipline. Matron’s room is often the social hub of the house, and particularly popular after prep time when hot chocolate and ‘treats’ are distributed.
Teams of Tutors play a vital role both in the smooth running of each house, and in the pastoral care given to the pupils in small groups.
All members of the Upper Sixth are House Prefects, and as such gain valuable leadership experience. They are led by a House Captain and Deputy House Captain and there are also designated Fourth Form Prefects who help look after the youngest pupils.
Cranleigh's Boarding Houses
Cranleigh Weekend Programme
Cranleigh ensures that there is a wide range of exciting trips and on site activities at weekends which are often suggested and selected by the pupils themselves.
In the 2024/5 academic year pupils enjoyed numerous trips including to the London Eye, the Go Ape high wires course at Alice Holt Wood, Matilda in the West End and the Guildford Escape Rooms amongst others. A highlight for many was undoubtedly seeing Hogwarts in the Snow at the Harry Potter Studio Tours in Watford and we will be running this trip again this year due to popular demand. When on site, pupils have been treated to pizza making in the Dining Hall, an extremely messy and lively Colour Run on the Lowers playing fields, pottery painting and indoor laser quest.
We are excited to continue our weekend programme this year with on-site mini golf and a go karting trip planned for the first two Sundays. These trips and events are a great opportunity for all of our boarders to get to know one another, irrespective of their year group or house, to unwind and have some fun after a busy week at school.
