The Advanced Diploma helps every pupil develop the key skills that matter most. Pupils strengthen these skills through STRIDE, which stands for Stewardship, Technology, Readiness, Innovation, Diversity and Economic literacy. This unique curriculum helps pupils at our independent school in Surrey build the independence, self-awareness and real-world readiness they need to thrive beyond Sixth Form.

A few examples of STRIDE learning: 

• Readiness – Sessions on LinkedIn, networking, finance, UCAS
• Technology – Courses in AI prompt engineering and vibe coding
• Innovation – Challenges such as CranDo, where pupils identify a problem, design a solution and pitch it

Pupils take part in two weekly STRIDE lessons, providing lively, hands-on opportunities to grow their confidence, curiosity and practical skills for school and beyond. Alongside their academic studies, pupils can dive into activities such as academic reading, join debating societies, take on innovation challenges such as Vex Robotics or sustainability projects such as Green Dragons, where teams pitch environmentally focused business ideas to a panel of “dragons”. It’s a broad, exciting mix that encourages pupils to stretch their interests and try something new.

This balance of classroom learning and real-world opportunities helps pupils develop the skills and character to thrive beyond the classroom – and is what we call the Cranleigh Difference.