Families and partners
Cranfield is an ideal location for families. The Cranfield Community Centre co-ordinates support for families and organises many activities during the year.
Childcare
There are two pre-school groups on campus: the Cranfield University Pre-School holds morning sessions during term time for children aged 2 years 9 months to 5 years; the Cherry Tree Workplace Nursery has full and part-time places for children aged 6 weeks to five years.
A Mother and Toddler Group meets twice a week. This is a self-help group run by parents with children under three and is a good way to meet people and make friends. The Community Centre organises a Toy Library, which is open once a week, and co-ordinates babysitting circles. There are also a number of pre-school groups and private nurseries in the surrounding villages.
Education
Children aged 4+ to 9 years old attend Cranfield Lower School in Cranfield village. The teachers here are familiar with international children arriving each year and help them integrate quickly into the life of the School. In the UK, children are not obliged by law to attend school until they are five years old.
Holywell Middle School in Cranfield village takes pupils aged 9 to 13 years. The school welcomes children of visiting students and is used to catering for a mixture of nationalities. One member of staff liaises with the University to assist in the teaching of English as a Foreign Language. It is helpful, however, if non-English speaking pupils can receive some tuition in English before coming to Cranfield.
Students aged 13 to 19 years attend Wootton Upper School, which has some 1200 pupils. The village of Wootton lies five miles from the campus, on the way to Bedford. School buses operate between the campus and all three schools.
Education at these state schools is free, but there are also a number of Public Schools (fee paying) in the Bedford area.
There are numerous clubs for children of school age in the area, and holiday playschemes operate at various centres in Bedford and Milton Keynes. For more information about education in Bedfordshire, see the Learning Zone pages of Bedfordshire Online.