Before I went into teaching I worked in advertising and would often think about a customer’s ‘user journey’ on a website. As coeducation is now moving from years to months away, the thought of student experience is fundamental to ensuring a smooth transition in 2026.
In the Senior School, we are looking deeply at what the experience of the first coeducational cohorts will be, and how we can ensure the transitions are as smooth as possible. Thankfully, this is not a solo operation and across the School we have groups of people working together to ensure the transition to coeducation is a success.
One such group that I want to highlight is our Student Coeducation Committee. Led by Charlie Harris, Max Scales and James Malcolm, and initiated by Second Head Prefect Matt Downes – this group is passionate about ensuring Cranbrook students are prepared and excited by coeducation.
The group has been running activities in House Mentor time, looking at coeducational activities between students, and engaging with staff and students who have had experience at coeducational schools. This year, the Coeducational Student Committee has worked on our International Women’s Day activities that all students will be participating in as part of SWP in Week 6.
Today in Assembly, Reverend Farraway spoke about ‘Biblical Masculinity’ presented as courage, service, humility and treating everyone with respect. Shortly after, some of our exchange students spoke about how they benefited from the normality of coeducational schools in the US, and their excitement that “that’s what Cranbrook will look like in a few years.”
Every day, as we get closer to the first day of school in 2026, we become a community of courage, ready for coeducation.
I also wanted to start sharing some articles and podcasts regarding teens, especially for highlighting coeducation. Here is an episode of Conversations with Danielle Miller, CEO of Enlighten Education, who talks about her experience in teaching young men and women. Furthermore, The Premier’s Reading Challenge offers great opportunities for students to read female authors and stories.
Daisy Turnbull
Director of Coeducation
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