EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST
EDUCATION CORNER PODCAST INTERVIEW WITH THE HEAD
Mrs. Samantha Price FROM CRANLEIGH SCHOOL, SURREY In this episode of Education Corner Podcast, we welcomed Mrs. Samantha Price, the new Head of Cranleigh School in Surrey. Having taken up her role in August 2024, Samantha is the first female head in Cranleigh’s nearly 160-year history. In this conversation, she shared her vision for Cranleigh and how she plans to build upon its strong heritage.
Mrs. Samantha Price’s path to Cranleigh School was shaped by a career in education that began when she was 26. Initially working in marketing at the Tate Gallery, after graduating from university, she always felt an “itch to be a teacher,” knowing that “eventually that was going to end up being her calling.” After pursuing a PGCE, Samantha’s first teaching position was at an all-boys’ day school in Reading, which she described as: “[...] a fantastic school, great experience!” From there, she moved to King’s Canterbury, a co-educational boarding school, and then held leadership roles at Hereford Cathedral School, Godolphin School and Benenden School, where she was Head for a decade. Samantha reflected: “In all of the schools I’ve worked in, I have just loved working with teenagers: boys and girls.” Her decision to take on the headship at Cranleigh was driven by a desire to return to a co-educational setting and to lead a school with a strong sense of community. “When I met the staff, the pupils and the governors [at Cranleigh],
I knew that it was where I wanted to be.” she stated. The opportunity to shape Cranleigh’s next chapter excites her and she is keen to draw on her experience to make a positive impact. A central theme in Samantha’s vision for Cranleigh is the school’s deeply embedded sense of community. She highlighted how this is encouraged by the fact that: “All of the teaching staff live on site.” creating a cohesive environment for both boarders and day students. “Our ethos, therefore, is very much around a combination of community and individual,” Samantha explained, noting that Cranleigh, with 700 pupils in the Senior School, is both “big enough that we can do everything to a very high standard” and “small enough that our pupils are really well known.” She has been particularly impressed by the way older students look out for and mentor younger ones, especially in the boarding houses. The “Upper-Sixth students have been helping younger students […] with their homework,” she told us, adding that this “collective spirit of support” is “quite rare” in many schools today. For Samantha, this community-driven environment is key to helping students find their “thing” - the passions and talents that define their experience at Cranleigh and thereafter. Looking ahead, Samantha is focused on preparing Cranleigh pupils for the world beyond school. She is a strong advocate for aligning EDUCATION CHOICES MAGAZINE | AUT UM N 2024 | 61
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