Cranbrook School
Waterloo Road, Cranbrook, TN17 3JD
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Christian
- Trust
- CRANBROOK SCHOOL ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr David Clark
- Admissions policy
- Selective
- Boarding
- Boarding school
- Constituency
- Weald of Kent
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 954
- Pupils on roll
- 958
- URN
- 137739
- Local authority
- Kent
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01580711800
About this school
Cranbrook School is a Christian secondary academy in Cranbrook. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 958 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 153 | 149 | 153 |
| Attainment 8 score | 66.0 | 69.1 | 66.9 |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 83% | 94% | 86.3% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 96% | 100% | 94.8% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 96% | 94.6% | 87.6% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 6.5 | 6.8 | 6.6 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Cranbrook School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Kent average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 66 | 37.6 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 69.1 | 37.1 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 66.9 | 37.7 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 884 |
| 2023/24 | 908 |
| 2024/25 | 918 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Cranbrook School compares
Cranbrook School ranked 14th of 100 secondary schools in Kent for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 97% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 66.9 | 5% | 6.2% | 958 | — |
| Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre | 39.7 | 11.4% | 31.5% | 1,772 | 6.9 miles |
| Leigh Academy Mascalls | 40.4 | 7.7% | 25.7% | 1,227 | 8.2 miles |
| Robertsbridge Community College | — | 11.9% | — | 644 | 8.3 miles |
| Uplands Academy | 42.5 | 9% | 23.1% | 699 | 9.0 miles |
| Cornwallis Academy | 38.6 | 9.7% | 35.4% | 1,402 | 9.3 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 6.22%
- English as an additional language
- 7.4%
- Overall absence
- 5.04%
- Persistent absence
- 11.18%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Homewood School and Sixth Form Centre6.9 miles
Secondary · Tenterden
-
Leigh Academy Mascalls8.2 miles
Secondary · Tonbridge
-
Robertsbridge Community College8.3 miles
Secondary · Robertsbridge
-
Uplands Academy9.0 miles
Secondary · Wadhurst
-
Cornwallis Academy9.3 miles
Secondary · Maidstone
Other schools in Cranbrook
- Benenden Church of England Primary School Primary
- Colliers Green Church of England Primary School Primary
- Cranbrook Church of England Primary School Primary
- Frittenden Church of England Primary School Primary
- Goudhurst and Kilndown Church of England Primary School Primary
- Hawkhurst Church of England Primary School Primary
- Rolvenden Primary School Primary
- Sandhurst Primary School Primary
- Sissinghurst Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School Primary
- Benenden School Independent schools
- Bethany School Independent schools
- St Ronan's School Independent schools
Common questions
- What year groups does Cranbrook School teach?
- Cranbrook School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Cranbrook.
- Who is the headteacher of Cranbrook School?
- The headteacher of Cranbrook School is Mr David Clark, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Cranbrook School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Cranbrook School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Cranbrook School?
- Cranbrook School has 958 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Cranbrook School full?
- Cranbrook School has capacity for 954 pupils and 958 on roll (100%), so it is at or above its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Cranbrook School a faith school?
- Yes. Cranbrook School is designated Christian.
- Is Cranbrook School a selective school?
- Yes. Cranbrook School is recorded as Selective in the schools register, so entry involves selection.
- Who runs Cranbrook School?
- Cranbrook School is part of CRANBROOK SCHOOL ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Cranbrook School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 66 in 2022/23 and 66.9 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Cranbrook School rank locally?
- Cranbrook School ranked 14th of 100 secondary schools in Kent for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 97% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Cranbrook School's absence rate?
- Cranbrook School's overall absence rate is 5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Cranbrook School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Cranbrook School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.