Cranbrook School, Cranbrook

Good
Secondary
Academy converter
Mixed
Christian
Ages 1118
Boarding school

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr David Clark
Pupils:958 / 954 capacity
LA:Kent
Phone:01580711800
Address:Waterloo Road, Cranbrook, TN17 3JD
Trust:CRANBROOK SCHOOL ACADEMY TRUST
Admissions:Selective
Status:open
Opened:1 December 2011

Ofsted Rating

Good

Overall

URN:137739
UKPRN:10035657
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Weald of Kent
Urban/Rural:Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Cranbrook School creates a warm, welcoming community where pupils feel genuinely happy and supported. Your child will benefit from consistently excellent teaching, ambitious curriculums across all subjects, and extensive opportunities to develop their talents through clubs, sports and trips. The school has a proven track record of helping all pupils succeed, particularly those who need additional support.

Key Strengths

  • Pupils achieve consistently high results across all subjects and in public examinations, with disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND outperforming national averages
  • Attendance is well above the national average, with significant improvements for pupils with SEND and sixth form students
  • Behaviour is exemplary with rare instances of bullying, supported by high expectations and well-embedded routines
  • Extensive enrichment programme including clubs, trips, sports and the performing arts helps develop pupils' talents and confidence
  • Strong sixth form provision with ambitious curriculum, high teaching quality and excellent outcomes at A-level

Areas for Improvement

  • Some variability in how consistently teachers check pupils' understanding before moving to new learning, meaning some pupils do not achieve as well as they could
  • Pupils' knowledge in some aspects of the citizenship curriculum is not as secure as it could be
  • Governors do not always check how well leaders are achieving improvement priorities with enough precision

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed, resulting in pupils feeling safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Art, music, sports, performing arts, chess, Warhammer, debate club, current affairs society, Duke of Edinburgh Award, debating, creative writing, overseas trips, work experience

Cranbrook School is a high-achieving secondary school where pupils consistently perform above national averages in examinations and demonstrate exemplary behaviour and attendance. Leaders have created a warm, inclusive community where all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs, are supported to succeed.

At a Glance

4.7%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

Yes

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

52 responses
Would recommend100%
Child is happy100%
Well taught96%
Good progress96%
Feels safe98%
Well behaved98%
Bullying dealt with19%
Kept informed92%
Handles concerns77%
Wider development98%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Class Sizes

21.3

Avg class size

39

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Cranbrook School (opp)
61m · 1 min walk
Congregational Church (adj)
282m · 5 min walk
Dorothy Avenue (opp)
307m · 5 min walk
Waterloo Road (S-bound)
574m · 9 min walk
Oatfield Drive (adj)
675m · 11 min walk
Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute Calculator

Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply

Sign up free to see your commute to this school

What are my chances?

Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

100%

Over capacity

958 pupils

954 capacity

4 places over capacity

Area Demand Pressure - Cranbrook

High pressure
New homes approved:671
Projected new pupils:121

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Cranbrook

Admissions Demand - Kent

Low demand0.94x oversubscription

Places available

19,410

Applications

18,281

Got 1st preference

80.6%

Got preferred school

96.5%

Secondary admissions across Kent (2025/26)

Inspection History(104)

Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good
Date not published by Ofsted
Good

House Prices

Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost

Sign up free to see house prices near this school

SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

Sign up free to see special needs support at this school

Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

Sign up free to see who goes to this school

Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

Sign up free to see teacher and staff data

School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

Sign up free to see how this school is funded

Pupil Absence
2024/25

5.0387%

Overall absence

11.18012%

Persistent absence

483

Enrolments

Authorised4.57897%
Unauthorised0.45972%
Persistent (10%+)11.18012%
Severe (50%+)0.20704%

Absence trend

4.98765%
18/19
4.45927%
20/21
5.44996%
21/22
3.96977%
22/23
6.02811%
23/24
5.0387%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

Reviews

No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.

Leave a Review

You need to be signed in to leave a review.

Feeder Primary Schools

Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity

Nearby Schools

Do you work at this school?

Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.