Celebrating diffe in a boarding environment

Adolescence is a tricky time for any individual. Teenagers today face a barrage of pressure and expectations from various sources including social media. To be ready to face the world after education, children and young people need to be supported so that they can celebrate what makes them unique and different, especially at a time when they might feel most pressure from the outside to try to ‘fit in’.

Cranleigh celebrates difference by first seeing and recognising that each individual is unique, has worth and should feel valued. We spend considerable time and expertise on the formal structures that underpin this, such as our PSHE programme, with pupil-led groups championing tolerance and empathy. A boarding environment allows pupils the time they need to take part in these groups and conversations and gives them freedom to explore and talk through topics that are important to them.

The Cranleigh Diversity Alliance is a pupil-led group that acts as an umbrella structure for our protected characteristic support groups. The Alliance banner emphasises the importance for all pupils of being an ally –this is central to one of the school’s primary values, Cranleigh Being, which asks pupils and staff to recognise who we are and how we are In this spirit of allyship, our whole community celebrates difference, supporting each other and providing a range of role models.

Diversity Of Thought And Lived Experience

There is a Swahili proverb ‘Asiyefunzwa na mamae hufunzwa na ulimwengu’, which roughly translates to the common adage ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. It is really important for teenagers to know they have a range of different people to turn to in the school community, with its diversity of thought and lived experience. At Cranleigh, we aim to increase the diversity of our staff body in order so that we can provide a range of people for teenagers to approach as well as a range of inputs in school decisions and policies. Evidence shows that diversity in a team encourages the entire team to think in a more diverse way. Having diverse role models in leadership positions is very important for teenagers, and especially those from minoritised backgrounds, as they see people in positions of authority who they can emulate and also turn to if they need to.