Cranbrook School is a co-educational grammar boarding and day school in the market town of Cranbrook, Kent, England.
Selection is made of pupils at age thirteen. The current Headmaster is John Weeds.
In 2003 alumnus Piers Sellers, a NASA astronaut, took a copy of the school charter into space with him. A photo is exhibited in the school cafeteria. In 2005 Sellers opened the school's observatory, which is named after him. This observatory houses the 22.5 inch Alan Young telescope operated by the Cranbrook and District Science and Astronomy Society (CADSAS). In May 2010 Sellers took into outer space aboard the Space Shuttle an original watercolour portrait of Cranbrook School painted by Brenda Barratt. The painting was later returned to Cranbrook School with the official NASA verification that it has travelled into space.
The school has six day houses and six boarding houses: four for boys and two for girls, each working in conjunction with the main school to provide pastoral care and academic support.
Cornwallis
Crowden
Rammell
School Lodge (only for Year Nine boys)
Blubery
Scott
Allan Boys (North of Cranbrook)
Allan Girls
Horsley Boys (South of Cranbrook)
Horsley Girls
Webster Boys (Cranbrook and outlying area)
Webster Girls
General Sir John Akehurst KCB CBE, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander, Europe from 1987–90, and President from 1991-9 of the United Kingdom Reserve Forces Association
Sir Anthony Barnes Atkinson, Professor of Economics at the University of Oxford
Air Chief Marshal Sir John Barraclough CB CBE, Station Commander of RAF Biggin Hill from 1954–56
Emma Biggs, mosaic artist
Hugo Burnham, drummer for the English rock group Gang of Four and Associate Professor at the New England Institute of Art
Canon John Collins, radical clergyman and political campaigner
Michael Croucher TV film producer
Barry Davies, sports commentator
Phil Edmonds, cricketer
Karin Giannone, Journalist and news presenter at BBC News
Harry Hill (Dr. Matthew Hall), comedian
Sir Victor Horsley, pioneering neurosurgeon
Wing Commander Sir Norman Hulbert, Conservative MP from 1935–50 for Stockport from 1935–50, and for Stockport North from 1950–64
Arthur Surridge Hunt, papyrologist
Prof Richard L. Hunter, Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge since 2001
Hammond Innes, novelist
Wing Commander Hugh Kennard, World war II pilot and later civilian aviator
Air Vice-Marshal Richard Kyle CB MBE (son of Wallace Kyle)
Kevin Lygo, television executive and Director of Television and Content since 2007 of Channel 4
Richard Middleton, poet and short-story writer
Brian Moore, football commentator
Sir David Muirhead CMG CVO, Ambassador to Belgium from 1974-8, to Portugal from 1970-4, and to Peru from 1967–70
Tony Nicklinson, Right-to-die campaigner with Locked-In Syndrome
Stuart Organ, Actor
Colonel Mike Osborn DSO OBE MC, British military officer and former commander of the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment
Richard Pilbrow, theatre producer
Air Vice-Marshal Andrew Roberts CB CBE, Station Commander of RAF Kinloss from 1977–79
The Rootes brothers, car manufacturers
Piers Sellers, astronaut
Professor Sir Nicholas Shackleton, FRS, distinguished earth scientist, Professor of Quaternary Palaeoclimatology from 1991-2004 at the University of Cambridge
Edwin Shirley, Rock and Roll tour organiser
Tim Smit, co-founder of the Eden Project
Andrew Soper, High Commissioner to Mozambique since 2007
Henri Tebbitt (1854 - 1927) an English-Australian painter
Air Vice-Marshal Sir John Weston CB OBE, Station Commander of RAF Halton from 1952-3
Peter West, television presenter
Sir Charles Wheeler CMG, BBC journalist
Wallace Duffield Wright, VC recipient
Louise Dean, Novelist
Ruaridh McConnochie, Silver Medal winning member of the Great Britain national rugby sevens team at the 2016 Olympics
