Cranleigh Prep School Headmaster, Neil Brooks (pictured), writes about why the work of the Cranleigh Foundation is so important.
There can be few things as influential on a person’s life and their life chances as education. Access to formal education is not globally uniform; there is no level playing field for children.
In the UK we are fortunate to have a well-established and regulated state system as well as the independent sector. The independent sector can offer consistency because it is not as susceptible to issues of funding and regulatory changes as the state sector. Whilst the standards of teaching in both sectors are comparable, the availability of resources and facilities are not. It is a sad fact that the state system is not funded enough to provide the same wide and varied opportunities that independent schools might offer.
I hesitate to say we all want the best for our children, ‘best’ is subjective. However, an aspect of best is access to resources and facilities. Not all parents are able or want to send their children to an independent school. There are some children for whom an independent education would absolutely be a turning point and life-changing but because of particular home circumstances, for example, the trauma of having lost one or both parents, are at a particular disadvantage when it comes to obtaining a place. That is where the Cranleigh Foundation comes in. In supporting children who have faced extreme emotional and often economic hardship a light can be shone on their future.