Cranford Review 2009

Cranford Community College, High Street, Cranford, Hounslow. TW5 9PD - Tel: 020 8897 2001 - www.cranford.hounslow.sch.uk
Cranford
Review
2008/2009

Welcome to the Cranford Review for 2008/2009,
a year of record breaking examination
success with an impressive 79% of our
year 11 students achieving 5 or more GCSE
grades A*-C. This summer three more of
our sixth form students have gained places
alongside other Cranford ‘alumni’ at Oxford
& Cambridge with many more at the elite
Russell Group universities.
Editorial
By Kevin Prunty Headteacher
Cranford
Review
2008/2009
It’s amazing to reflect upon the enormous
range of curricular and extra-curricular
events, activities, trips and enrichment
opportunities that have helped to develop
and realise the potential and the differing
talents that exist within our student
population. I can hardly believe that we
achieved all of this (and more) within
just one academic year. Thanks are due
to the dedicated staff that make these
things happen and to pupils, parents and
‘friends of Cranford’ who participate so
enthusiastically.
Word certainly seems to have got around
our community and we are delighted that
so many people now want to be part of this
exciting and happy place. We wish there was
space for everyone.
At Cranford Community College, we
are committed to meeting the needs and
aspirations of our community and this
brochure, whilst only the tip of the iceberg,
gives a good flavour of how we can and do.
Executive Editor:
Jessica Joyce
jjo@cranford.hounslow.sch.uk
The school has travelled a long way towards
its goal of ‘Excellence in all areas’ receiving
many outstanding judgements because of its
academic success and its positive, caring
and inclusive ethos which nurtures and
encourages pupils to grow into healthy,
well-rounded, happy, confident citizens
with the skills and values to make a positive
contribution to society and live fulfilling
lives.
Graphic Designer:
Printed by:
Enzo Gianvittorio
enzo.gianvittorio@gmail.com
School House Studios
www.schoolhousestudios.co.uk
Copyright © Cranford Community College - 2009
I’m so proud of the school, its students, its
staff and its community – this is what school
should be like.
2 Cranford Review 2008/09

Social Sciences Excellence Evening
On Tuesday 28th April 2009 the Social Sciences Department held an eventful and memorable evening to introduce
people to the weird and wonderful world of sociology and psychology, and to recognise the achievements of the
students. There were numerous interactive activities for everyone to take part. Guests had a chance to participate
in games like ‘Deal or No Deal’ and ‘Blockbuster’ with a social
science twist. There was a chance to look at our preconceptions
of crime and deviance when participants got the opportunity to
draw their own crime scenes. Visitors were privileged enough to
have an audience with Freud (or Cranford’s answer to Freud),
and were able to watch a role play of Milgram’s famous electric
shock experiment.
The ‘History of Hounslow’ display, was particularly impressive
with a presentation of information from the ‘Meri Zindagi’
exhibition kindly loaned to us from Gunnersbury museum. The
exhibition showcased the lives of South Asians in Ealing and
Hounslow told the stories of the first generations here, their
journeys, how they settled and looked at how life has changed for
their children and grandchildren growing up in multi-cultural West
London. Visitors were extremely grateful to have the opportunity
to celebrate the diversity of our community and to applaud their
achievements
Perhaps the most memorable part of the celebration was the
Grand Finalé performance by one of Cranford’s former students
Amardeep Dhanjal better known as Magic Singh. Guessing
A2 student Shabana’s exact time of birth, and pick pocketing
Headteacher Mr Prunty were just a few of the impressive tricks
that wowed the audience. A fitting conclusion to an evening which
highlighted the importance and excellence of the Social Sciences
Department and celebrated our achievements of the students.
RE Conference
On Thursday 9th July 2009, year 12
students took part in our annual RE
Conference.
Sixth form philosophy students spent three
weeks preparing workshops challenging the nature
of God to present to fellow pupils in the sixth form.
Workshops consisted of: God on trial (a role play);
Letter to God (where students wrote to God) and a
God’s Facebook profile (where students designed a
page filling in God’s criteria).
Participants attended three workshops led by AS
philosophy students who acted as ‘teachers’ for the
day, each accompanied by a small team.
Every student was assigned a different role according
to their chosen lesson plans. They used starter activities
to engage the other students.
The day ended with a quick fire question round based on
the question ‘Is there a place for God in the 21st Century?’
consisting of a panel of 6 judges Mr Stumpf, Mr Behl, Ms
Yousaf, Ms Dhillon, Mr Franklin and Mr Scher each of
whom represented the main worldwide religions including
Atheism. Students were encouraged to ask questions
considering religion and the various factors that shape its
foundations as well as the changing attitudes in society.
These were directed at the judges who provided insightful
responses aiding the knowledge and understanding of the
many religions with regards to their rules and customs.
The conference was a success and made each student
think and argue about what they really believe, especially
through debates.
It was an exceptional day which challenged the ideologies
and underlying perception of students in turn enhancing
the importance of religion in today’s society.
By Sharmin Walters, Diltaaj Dhatt, Sarina Sidhu and Shadman Ahmed (year 12)
Excellence in all areas
1

Galileo Galilei
2009 has been designated as the ‘Year of Astronomy’. It coincides with the 400th Anniversary of Galileo’s first use
of his telescope. The science department organised a writing competition on Galileo. Below is the winning entry.
Galileo was a great benefactor to mankind and was a
brilliant scholar. He was born in 1564 to a merchant
of Pisa.
He became a physicist, mathematician, philosopher and
astronomer. Galileo played a great role in the scientific
revolution.
He had many achievements in his lifetime like improving
the telescope, making astronomical observations and
also supporting the Copernicans. He is called “the
father of modern observational astronomy,” “the
father of modern physics” and “the father of modern
science.” The motion of uniformly accelerated objects
was taught in nearly every high school as the subject
called Kinematics.
He contributed to a great extent to observational
astronomy, confirming the phases of Venus and discovering
the four largest satellites of Jupiter. These were named
the Galilean moons in his honour. He observed and
analysed sunspots and improved the compass using
applied science and technology.
Galileo lived the last years of his life under house arrest
on the orders of the Vatican because he was forced to
recant his heliocentrism.
He died on 8th January 1642 at the age of 78 but will
still be remembered for all of his major improvements
to science.
By Gursharan Seera and Madeeha Hussain (7Z)
Nettlecoombe
Court Trip
On Friday 17th July 2009 a group of
intrepid explorers left Cranford and
embarked on what was predicted to
be a very long wet weekend.
Games, Ghosts and
Deadly foxgloves
Little did we know what was in store for us over the
weekend; our activities began almost straight away with
an introduction to freshwater ecology. Everyone was
soon having fun finding various types of invertebrates
in the water.
Saturday brought more rain but everyone’s spirits
remained high as we began our long excursion to
Exmoor Wildlife Park. We seemed to attract the bees and
one young explorer fell into the stream but otherwise
all the year 7, 8 and 12 students completed a range of
techniques to a very high standard. These included kick
sampling which is usually the sole terrain of the A level
Biologists.
Sunday morning the sun loomed high. Overnight we had
captured a variety of four legged creatures including
several dormice and even a vole.
The afternoon saw us hike around the
valley collecting objects which would
be used to produce a trail later on. Many
picked some beautiful blue flowers only to
be told that these were
foxgloves, famous for
producing digitalis the
poison used in Casino
Royale.
The sixth form group
carried out individual
investigations which would help them secure their
knowledge for year 13 while younger students made
some excellent presentations of the work that they had
done. A scavenger hunt ended the evening.
Monday saw us take one final excursion to Tropiqaria,
a tropical zoo and aquarium. Here many pulled on their
reserves of courage and held snakes in their arms as
well as seeing the more familiar monkeys, lizards and
birds. The sixth form were also given the privilege of
being the first members of the public to see the Scottish
wildcats.
It was without doubt an absolutely brilliant trip. Everyone
learnt so much about ecology and team work.
2 Cranford Review 2008/09

Darwin Celebration Evolution
In 2009, we celebrated 200 years since
Charles Darwin, one of the world’s most
creative and influential thinkers, was
born and 150th anniversary of the
publication of his famous book on
evolution ‘On the Origin of Species’.
To raise awareness of his great work
students were encouraged to research
and write on Darwin.
Below is the winning entry.
This year we are celebrating Darwin’s theory of Evolution. Charles Darwin is remembered as a brilliant
scientist all over the world and is celebrated because he was the man to discover our evolution.
When we talk about evolution there are many different meanings such as…evolution could be a process
of gradual, progressive change in a group of living people (organisms) such as us humans and animals.
Evolution helps us live how we need to. That is why the whole world needs to remember. Without knowing
this important discovery we wouldn’t understand so many fascinating things; such as why do monkeys have
tails but humans don’t? and why don’t snakes have any legs? Well the answer is because they didn’t need
them. Their bodies evolved to suit the way they needed to live generation after generation like technology
has done to us now.
Charles Darwin believed that evolution was when genes from a father are passed onto his offspring. So if
you’re wondering why you look like your dad the reason is that the same genes have been passed down from
your father to you. Surprisingly Darwin did not know much about this passing down of genes (inheritance).
He thought that the difference between individuals of a group of species would mean that some members
would be better skilled than others. This could be because of their environment (habitat) as well as because
of the genes passed down to them.
Sadly Darwin’s theory did not get published until after he had died but we all did find out about his famous
theory and is now hopefully remembered as a great scientist by everyone around the world.
So remember DARWIN’S THEORY OF EVOLUTION.
By Sapna Gupta (7Y)
A murder has taken place in the science lab with
a catalogue of unknown chemicals found at the
scene the question is to identify what they are. If
successfully completed the murderous chemicals
can be identified and convicted.
This was the task placed before the A level chemistry
students on Friday 8th May 2009. Having studied
infra-red and mass spectroscopy from textbooks this was
a rare opportunity to gain hands on experience in using
this specialised equipment. Aiding the students in their
investigation were two post graduate students from UCL, who
introduced the various sophisticated and complex methods of
data analysis needed to solve the crime.
After intense deliberation the crime was solved,
students had learnt how to use spectroscopy,
obtained some useful hints for university life and
to top it off had a free deck of Top Trumps cards
to take home. A huge thank you to Ms Thind for
organising this wonderful event.
Excellence in all areas
3

Finding Moonshine
-A Mathematician’s Journey through Symmetry-
Symmetry is all around us, it is present in our day to
day lives and how we interpret the world…
On Thursday 19th March 2009, Cranford Community
College’s year 12 and 13 Further Maths groups
embarked on an epic journey through the underground
and streets of London to take part in a lecture hosted
by renowned Maths Professor Marcus du Sautoy at
City University, who recently presented the four part
series, ‘The Story of Maths’ on the BBC and presents
the game show ‘Mind Games’ on BBC4.
Lecture entitled ‘Finding Moonshine – A
Mathematician’s Journey through Symmetry’,
Professor du Sautoy discussed the history behind
symmetry as well as finding symmetry in many
historic artefacts and religious buildings in his
personal experience aboard. Students as well as teachers learnt that maths involved many different angles and
prospectives and not just the taught rules of ‘sine’ and ‘cosine.’ This idea was present in the audience challenge to
find the total number of possible symmetries in a Rubik’s Cube, with the prize of a symmetry group being named
after the winner who achieved the possible closest answer to the exact figure.
Our very own Rahul Banga of Cranford Community College successfully met the challenge by guessing the closest
figure hence the symmetry and proudly ‘The Banga Group’ takes the name of the recent findings which is based on
new symmetrical objects that have connections with objects in number theory called elliptic curves and published
on Marcus du Sautoy’s very own blog http://findingmoonshine.blogspot.com
By Jyoti Kachhwaha (year 12)
6th Form
Popular
Maths
Lectures
On Monday 22nd June 2009, A-Level maths students accompanied
their maths teachers to a set of fascinating lectures held at the Institute
of Education.
The first lecture given by Dr Nina Snaith, entitled ‘Hollywood’s
Hippest Mathematics’, focussed on the Riemann Hypothesis. Did you
know there is still a $1 million prize for the person that solves it? Dr
Snaith gave a very engaging lecture which addressed complex issues
such as random matrices and imaginary numbers.
The second lecture of the evening was by Dr Mark Miodownik who
looked at ‘The Scale of Things’. It was strange to us that if a hamster
was dropped from a tall building it would not die. Miodownik justified
this statement by explaining to us the relationship between mass and
volume. The stimulating lecture opened with a microscopic view of
a bumble bee, ant and a piece of thyme. It was amazing to see the
complexity of such insignificant organisms.
Overall it was a memorable evening from which we took away many
things, including free pens and puzzles. The popular lectures allowed
us to gain a greater understanding of how mathematics can be found
all around us.
By Fahmish Shaikh (year 12)
4 Cranford Review 2008/09

On Saturday 6th May 2009, six eager and enthusiastic year
12 geographers made the journey to Brighton as part of their
core geography field work.
The first destination was Brighton on the South Coast. The
work focused on the ‘rebranding’ section of the AS course.
We looked at how Brighton had been rebranded as a place
for holiday makers and the young alike. To investigate this,
the year12 students carried out pedestrian counts, land use
surveys and field sketches.
The afternoon fieldwork concentrated on the physical section
of the course and to carry out the necessary studies we headed
to Seaford, a geographer’s paradise located roughly 12 miles
from Brighton. Here the students acquitted themselves very
well whilst conducting a beach profile. They measured the
angles of the beach and measured the size of different beach
material. This enabled them to draw up a profile of the beach
and the different erosion processes that are seen there.
This was a very
beneficial experience
in preparing them for
their year 12 exams.
Year 12
Geography
Field Trip
to Newhaven
and Brighton
Year 11 visit to
London Docklands
Year 11 students annual trip to the London
Docklands for their fieldwork and research,
as part of their coursework took place in the
spring. 40 students visited Custom House and
Canary Wharf to conduct fieldwork, which
allowed them to gather data for their write up
back at school.
At Custom House in East London students
completed questionnaires, environmental
quality surveys, field sketches and shop
surveys. They were let loose on the general
public and asked them questions from their
own questionnaires which they had already
designed in class. All the students worked
really hard to ask as many questions as
possible. The more people they asked the
better their coursework would be as they
would have a lot more data.
A coach took them to Canary Wharf, an area
of London which had a lot of regeneration in
the 1980s. Here they completed the same field
work techniques to ensure that they could
compare the two places. In addition, we went
to the London in Docklands Museum where
students investigated the rise of the Dockland
and why there was so much regeneration and
how it came about. During lunch students
were allowed to spend 30 minutes buying
their lunch while taking shop surveys i.e. how
much certain items cost in different shops.
All the students had a really good time on
the trip and, as a result, produced excellent
coursework for their June exams.
Year 7 Trip to Chepstow Castle
On 20th June 2009, 36 year 7 pupils travelled on a
journey back to a Mediaeval Britain as they spent
a day exploring the ruins of Chepstow Castle in
Wales. Rain on arrival failed to dampen their
spirits as they marched through the castle grounds
led by Mr Rich, climbing up to the turrets of this
beautiful site, before delving deep down into its
underground dungeons. As the sun broke through
during the afternoon, our intrepid year 7 students
enjoyed charging up to the castle walls in a reenactment
of an invading army, though much
to their disappointment the defensive features
of the castle proved difficult to overcome. After
circumnavigating the castle walls, and spending
their pocket money on medieval-style bows, arrows
and swords, pupils returned to Cranford exhausted
and exhilarated, with a new found respect for the
kings and knights of Mediaeval Britain.
Excellence in all areas
5

DESIGN &
TECHNOLOGY
Tea
on the Lawn with
ADT
A large marquee in the
memorial garden at Cranford
Community College created
a beautiful setting for its
annual Art Design and
Technology exhibition
on 2nd July 2009. Staff,
members of the Governing
Body, family and friends
were invited to share “Tea on
the Lawn” whilst admiring
the superb and varied work
of Cranford students.
Members of the Governing
Body judged the staff art
competition “Cranford’s Got
Talent”, won by Steve Wall
one of the premises team for
his painting of a ship on high
seas. Guests commented
upon the talent and creativity
of the work presented and
how the setting of a garden
environment certainly
enhanced and framed the
work. Sculptures grew out
of natural foliage lit by
sunlight whilst children’s
toys and soft furnishings
provided a montage of
shapes and colour as far as
the eye could see.
It was a wonderful day
enhanced by wonderful
weather.
6 Cranford Review 2008/09

Cranford Art students gain
National recognition
Congratulations to year 12 student Manish
Kumar of Cranford Community College
whose work from the Art, Design and
Technology Department has been selected
for the National Students Exhibition at
the Mall Galleries London. A number
of schools nationally submitted work
and only the highest quality work was
selected to be part of the exhibition.
The standard of entries was extraordinarily
high and all Cranford student’s entries
received commendations.
The chance of
a lifetime for Manish
“Looking at my painting along
with the rest of the works made
me realise how lucky I was to have
my work up there on the wall.
It made me appreciate how many
opportunities it is going to give me
in life, for example when applying
for university and proudly taking my
painting as part of my portfolio”.
Manish Kumar (year 12)
Excellence in all areas
7

NATIONAL SCHOOL SPORTS WEEK
PRESENTATION
EVENING
This year for national school
sports week the whole
school looked at two different
sports during their PE lessons. They were Choi
Kwang Do and ultimate frisbee. The students had
a great week filling in sports pledges and relating
what they wanted to do with the Olympic and
Paralympic values. We wanted all the students to
try something different and increase the number
of hours of sport each week.
The students loved
SPORTS DAY
the two new sports
This year’s Sports Day was
and really enjoyed
different from anything we
have tried before. We ran the
getting involved in
session for each year group activities that are
with trials taking place after not currently on
school the week before. On the curriculum.
the day it was the fastest in
Choi Kwang Do
each tutor group that raced in
the finals.
taught them about self
discipline as well as self
defence. What made this even more enjoyable was
that it was our own students leading the sessions.
The ultimate frisbee was brilliant, we had
competitions to see who could throw it the furthest
and competitions to see which team had the most
control of the frisbee through their passes. By the
end of the lesson students were able to
self referee games, name the rules and
describe how to score. All the students
found this game an easy one to grasp and
wanted to add it to the curriculum.
8 Cranford Review 2008/09
EXTRA CURRICULAR
This year we ran a number of interform
sessions, the most popular being football.
Each tutor group was able to enter a team
and they all played against each other one
evening after school. It was a fantastic
evening with spectators from the tutor
group cheering their teams on.
SPORTS LEADERS
GIRLS INTO SPORT
This year PE created a
dance piece for Presentation
Evening. Ms Kennedy
worked really hard with
7U in their PE lessons
and Ms Fiddes helped out
with extra sessions during
registration to bring the
dance to life. It was a
fantastic exhibition of
courage and hard work
which paid off with a
dance that really made an
impact.
At Cranford we are running a highly effective
sports leaders programme, which trains students
in year 9 upwards to lead extra curricular events.
We have a number of students who lead the
rounders training and the ultimate Frisbee during
lunch as well as students coming after school to
run football and cricket clubs.
During National Sports Week there was a day
dedicated to getting girls more involved in sport.
This day was put together with some very special
athletes to get the girls motivated where they looked
at rock climbing, kombat training, vew do boards,
breakdancing, volleyball and dancemats. The
athletes that helped out on the day were Enigma
and Atlas from Gladiators, Emily Drumm the New
Zealand cricket captain and Denise Austin UK No
1 at beach volleyball.

My Fulcrum Journey
Before I came I lived a life of fame
No two days were ever the same
Never ready to accept any blame
And all my waste food went down the drain
Then our journey started and
From our families we were parted
Our luxuries isolated
And basics exaggerated
We trekked a path with no destination in sight
We were climbing to an unknown height
Our legs heavy and hamstrings tight
We are not going down without a fight
Because what we were destined for felt so right
The sun was strong
The work was long
We all had our own unique pong
But we all stuck together to sing a song
We arrived at the school full of hope
But Dawn dropped the bombshell labelled Cope
The early morning and late nights
Came hand in hand with the fly’s bites
Dirty sore and bruised we marched on
Giving the kids a chance to move on
What have I learnt from my Fulcrum journey
Is that there is more to life than
luxuries and money
The children’s smiles lit up our day
How I wish I didn’t have to go away
The children’s laughs echo in my ears
As soon as I hear it, I have no fears
At night the stars lit the sky
I love you all and that’s no lie
At times we began to cry
I want to thank you all for standing by my side
“The main learning point of my Fulcrum
journey was the fact that I had witnessed the
true value of a smile. The journey was a difficult
experience, but it was worth while. Helping
people overcome their struggle in the depths of
solitude and providing a building where people
can unite and cherish life’s most essential gift,
education.
It helped me open my eyes and realise how
privileged we are having the basic amenities
such as clean water and shelter really
means a lot when considering how
people around the world are not as
fortunate as we are.”
By Waqar Ahmed (year 12)
I’m a changed man
Going into everything with the attitude, I can
I’m returning to England with more than a tan
I’m returning to England with a
life changing experience at hand.
By Raghav Kaher, Ashwan Suman
and Vijay Chhaya (year 12)
Excellence in all areas
9

Primary French Market Day
On the 1st July 2009 the Languages Department at Cranford
Community College held a French Market Day and invited
classes from two different primary schools. Year 5 students
from Berkley and year 3 students from Norwood Green
came along, with their classroom teachers, to take part
in this fun activity.
To make
this possible, Cranford students, from years 7 and 8,
who participated in the French market had to rehearse
their lines during their lunch break and after school in
order to make this day excellent and enjoyable for the
primary school children. On the day we helped set up
the hall so that it looked really authentic. The French
market had many stalls such as a café (un café), a post
office (une poste), a pet shop (une animalerie), bakery (une
boulangerie), a fruit and vegetable stall (un marché)
and a clothes shop (une boutique).
The children
really enjoyed themselves and
were very enthusiastic about the work that they were set.
They spoke good French even though they were beginners.
The children who came to the French market had ‘Euro’
currency to spend on different things from the stalls. After
the children stopped shopping they had the chance to
eat baguettes, apple tarts and cakes at the café. All in
all the day went really well. We really enjoyed helping
the younger students get a taste of France by coming to
Cranford and it was great to see them really
enjoying speaking French. It also helped
us revise our own French which was even
better.
By Gursharan Maheroo and
Inderpreet Bhupall (8Z)
Year 11 Students appear in
the Worldwide Fronter Newsletter
Six year 11 students, Simran Kahlon,
Amarpal Khuttan, Irfaan Saheb,
Harsimran Sall, Sobya Sheikh and
Chris Nicoll are recognised for
their ground breaking work in our
Common Room and a 3 page case
study is a feature in the Fronter
newsletter, delivered to schools
across the world!
Year 7 & 8 trip to Boulogne
On 9th July 2009 36 pupils from years 7 and 8 got
up bright and early to travel all the way to France
and back in one day accompanied by Ms Painting,
Mr Watkins, Ms Huynh and Cllr Elizabeth Hughes
one of the members of our Governing Body.
After a quick journey to Folkestone, the pupils were
amazed to be getting on a train whilst still on a
coach and travelling under the sea! On arrival in
Boulogne we visited the historic old town with its
mediaeval walls, pleasant cafés and souvenir shops.
There could be no question about which country
we were visiting as the students left the old town
having bought model Eiffel Towers, berets and
Tricolores.
Perhaps the highlight of the day was our picnic by
the sea where we took advantage of the glorious
sunshine to eat our sandwiches alfresco, build
sandcastles and burn off some excess energy.
After this it seemed almost a shame to leave the
outdoors for Nausicaa Sealife Centre but it soon
became clear that this would be well worth it as we
witnessed sharks up close, saw an underwater 3D
film and stroked some very friendly stingrays.
Finally, there was just enough time for the pupils
to practise their French in the all important task of
buying an ice cream before it was time to get back
on the coach for a return journey, tired but happy to
think of all we had experienced in one day.
10 Cranford Review 2008/09

Year 10 Trip To Paris in Spring time
In May 2009, 40 intrepid travellers from
year 10 said ‘au revoir’ to family and school
and set off on the annual trip to Paris,
accompanied by Ms Edwards, Ms Rose, Mr
Watkins and Mr Chaudri, a member of
our Governing Body. On arrival in Paris,
we walked through the Louvre museum
stopping for many a photo opportunity and
then along the river Seine to Notre Dame
Cathedral. With the sun shining and a food
fair taking place in front of this worldfamous
church, the students had plenty to
take in and wasted no opportunity in using
their French to try out the different types
of food available.
We then headed into the old heart of Paris
to have dinner together. Walking off the
delicious food, the students, still in high
spirits after a very long day, took in some
more sights before heading to the coach to
drive to our hotel. Their day was made when
we drove past the Eiffel Tower, stunningly
lit up at night and causing great whoops of
excitement.
The following day, some very bleary-eyed
students and staff headed off for the most
French of theme parks, Parc Astérix. There
the students spent the day on some fantastic
rides, shopping and generally burning off
even more energy. That evening we had the
opportunity to shop again in an enormous
shopping centre just outside Paris and then
return to the hotel via a night-drive through
central Paris. And still the students had
energy to spare.
With Sunday came a more gentle activity,
a cruise along the Seine with the chance to
learn more about the main sights of this
beautiful city, culminating in some time at
the Eiffel tower, more photo opportunities
and then a quiet journey home.
Staff
Spanish
Lessons
Considering the brilliant language skills of Cranford students, Ms Rose decided that
it was time that some of the teachers caught up with them over second half of the
summer term the Languages Department was filled with the voices of slightly older
students, as staff began learning Spanish on Friday lunchtimes.
Punctual, well-behaved and very good at doing their homework, the teachers
and support staff showed great enthusiasm and all really enjoyed learning some
basic Spanish. However, they did get extremely competitive as soon as there
were stickers to win…
The lessons will continue next year, and hopefully students of Spanish across the
school will soon have a whole group of teachers they can test.
Excellence in all areas
11

A day to remember…
Saturday 4th July 2009 will be a day
to remember as Cranford Community
College held its biannual Carnival day.
This year the event was combined with the
London finals for Blastbeat, an award winning,
Teen Music & Multimedia Business project,
offered to high schools around the world to teach
business skills and support youth communities.
Year 10 Creative and Media students
organised and managed the event
alongside staff and music professionals
as part of their Diploma qualification.
Students from across key stages 4 and 5
contributed to all aspects of the initiative
by creating their own business company
called TAP and received recognition for
their efforts.
12 Cranford Review 2008/09
The Carnival programme began
with a parade led by the Pride
of Murray pipers, through
the streets of Cranford with
200 students in full carnival
costumes and masks created
by the students, working
along side professional Samba
musicians and performers.
Friends and families from the local
community attended the
day and enjoyed a variety
of student performances.
They had the opportunity
to try a range of sports
club activities, purchase
local produce and
international foods,
enjoy fair ground
rides and take part
in competitions and
games.

“I loved the experience because not only was it enjoyable,
but I also got into rock music because I never thought I
would listen to that kind of genre of music, but I
found that it is actually quite catchy. It was such
a brilliant experience because throughout
the planning of the festival I got to meet the
founder of BlastBeat and I got to be on a
Japanese TV programme. It was also a good
experience because I got a taste of what
running a festival was like”
By Laila Hanafi (year 10)
“Personally I really
enjoyed the festival
especially being held
alongside the carnival, I
think that there is a lot of
cultural difference in all the
people who came along but
this event brought them all
together as a community
where it was very lively
but peaceful.”
By Demi Howlett
(year 10 )
“I
personally
enjoyed the
experience, not just
because of the actual
festival day, but because of
the whole build-up and work
for the festival as I gained
good knowledge on something
I had never come across before.
I gained a good understanding of the
organisation of festivals.”
Simran Sahota (year 10)
Excellence in all areas
13

Football Africa: My
14 Cranford Review 2008/09
When Mr Prunty agreed to my trip to Africa my first
emotion was to jump for joy. When I landed I thought
“Oh no! Where do I start?” For anyone looking to embark on a threemonth
venture driving from London to Africa, I’ve got to tell you that
there’s a lot of planning and preparation to do; funds for travel, petrol,
food, water, accommodation, and in my case footballs.
I must admit I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I said I was going
to try to set up a link between my school in Hounslow and a school in
Africa. The images I conjured in my head were nothing like what I saw
and although on the outside you see a designated area, a school sign and
a structure of a school site, when delving into the reality of an Ethiopian
child’s experience of school, it is quite another story.
Through pure determination, a lot of organisation and the help of some
very supportive friends, family, colleagues and students, Football Africa
departed in February 2009.
We drove across the Sahara Dessert
through Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and
Sudan.
Sudan was hot. We had a long hot drive
to Khartoum, where paradise waited.
A warming visit to a Sudanese home
led to the offer of much appreciated
dates and Nile water.
One final night in the desert, the easiest crossing so far, a short drive to
Gonda and it was “welcome” Football Africa to Ethiopia. It may have
been nights of cockroach-infested walls (sleeping one eye open with
my torch on) but I really enjoyed it. The staff and associates from Link
Ethiopia (the company that links schools from Europe with Ethiopia to
aid the education of pupils) were amazing and helpful for all our needs
and questions. We even had our own “tracker” called Million (mum
named him after he had a 1-in-a-million chance of survival at birth). He
was definitely the man on the street to know.
An Ethiopian pupil goes to school in either the morning (8:00am-
12:00pm) or afternoon (12.30pm-4.00pm) because there are not enough
schools, space or teachers to teach all of the pupils in a school day. Either
side of the school day, the pupils help with household and farming duties.
The classes are crammed with 3 pupils to a desk a teacher and a chalk
board. The classes are silent and the pupils have to share resources to
complete their work. It is quite a different world to that of the students
at Cranford.
In Ethiopia, out of the 3888 students who go through school, only 230
will take the equivalent of GCSE, A levels and continue to University.
It will be a higher percentage of males than females that complete these
exams.

Journey of Discovery
Things are “tougher” for those pupils who study in Ethiopia but it
doesn’t mean that the system doesn’t work and that there aren’t many
success stories. It’s brilliant that organisations like Link Ethiopia exist and can create
these learning chances, financial aid and links between different people in differing
continents.
So on to North Kenya over terrible road conditions but amazing wildlife and scenery.
The projects we visited were awe inspiring, with model Africans running the show
and adding to my list of most amazing people. It is was in Kenya that I found worthy
causes to hand out the donations that I received from Cranford Community College
and it is here that I would like to recognise those special people that have supported
myself and the Football Africa cause.
I thank them for their generosity in support and collections by both staff and students.
Nairobi took me to St Johns Church where they house and look after orphaned children
and a fantastic teacher, Grace, whose school Kitui Village Nursery School had been
burnt down. Out of the three classrooms, two were destroyed by fire and for learning
to continue they had to share the one remaining classroom amongst the 200 students.
It is here that I thank the year 9 students for their valiant effort in collecting pens,
pencils and calculators that will contribute to the start of a new school. Vanessa Tutt
for her large contribution of pens that were given out along the African roads. Maria
Bramwell, Sarah Brackley and Hiruni Galpayage (year 10) who donated football shirts
and children’s clothes that were greatly received by the orphans at St Johns Church.
The statistics of Malawi are absolutely alarming. There are 13 million people living
in this small country (about the size of the UK) with half of the population under the
age of 15 and half of the population have HIV. Our
trail has therefore led us to many orphan projects
where children have been orphaned through the
loss of parents to HIV and there have been fantastic
projects set up to feed, clothed and nurtured these
children into happy wholesome lives. My happiest
and saddest time was meeting a class of 78 smiling
orphans aged 3 to 5 where we played, ate together
and sang songs. It was on asking about the HIV rates
in the class and being told that 40% had HIV that hit
home and brought tears to my eyes.
Africa has both shocked and inspired me as a continent. There are two sides to the coin;
where the old tribal traditions still exist and the rise of the Western influences try to
over shadow those thoughts of the past. I naïvely went to Africa thinking that I was
going to teach them a thing or two, when in fact Africa taught me the most. I realised
that we have lost the fuller communities that we once lived in knowing our neighbours,
our towns. I realised that we take so much from the earth and at times give so little back.
I will miss the smiling faces and waving hands as we pass in the cars. I will miss the
landscape, the stars and the sunsets. I will definitely miss Africa for all that it offers
and for all that it can. It is certainly a place that is now forever etched in my heart!
By Charlotte Kennedy (PE Department)
Excellence in all areas
15

DRAMA
It’s All in the
Performance...
Cranford Community College Drama
department’s extensive programme of performances through
the year provided real variety for a diverse audience of all
ages. Devised characters and storylines for GCSE and key
stage 3 drama productions demonstrated the
talents of up and coming
performers whilst A Level
and AS students stunned
audiences with high
quality productions
of Brecht, Pirandello
and Berkoff. Inventive
lighting plots and sound effects,
imaginative costumes and inspired
staging enhanced some outstanding
individual and group performances
equal in quality to the West End. Months of
rehearsal paid off to prove that Cranford really
does have talent.
“I wasn’t sure about taking drama even
at GCSE. However, I soon realised that
not only was it fun, with great trips to
the theatre and interesting and exciting
work, but there was so much to learn.
It made me think about what I really
wanted to do with my life, and how
drama would help me to realise my
ambition – to become an actor and
a teacher. I enjoyed it so much I
decided to take it at A-Level. In year
12 I have taken my understanding
of drama and theatre to a new
level – I particularly enjoyed being
directed by my teacher in a full
scale production of ‘Our Country’s
Good’ as well as being an assistant to Mr
Bray in one of his year 8 classes. I love drama
because it has allowed me to both build my
self-confidence and express myself much more
articulately.”
By Kulraj Thethy (year 12)
16 Cranford Review 2008/09

& PERFORMING ARTS
“Drama is my
passion. I started
off studying
drama in year
10 where we were
able to create our
own plays with
lights, sound and
costume, as well
as plays already
published.
Year 12 was
much harder,
especially the
written work, but
I worked really hard at it and started
to understand different concepts more.
But the practical work is the best, and this year
I performed a monologue in which I was a man
who became a dog who went back to being a
man. I have managed to join an agency and have
done some extra’s work, including ‘The Bill’.
I am applying to do drama at university now
either here or in America”.
By Hassan Mirza (year 12)
“I enjoyed AS Level drama
because I learned about so
many different practitioners
and methods. It has really
opened my eyes to appreciating
theatre and given me a much
greater and deeper
understanding of the
world in general.
The teachers are
great; they make it
fun but work you
really hard so you
can succeed.”
By Aruneema Lahon
(year 12)
“Drama is
really fun and
exciting. I love
being able to play
different characters
in class, and I like
playing comedy
characters. I have
also learnt how to be
quiet in class so that I
can understand things
more clearly.”
By Liam Pillay (7Z)
Excellence in all areas
17

The John Betjeman Young People’s Poetry Competition
Budding poets, Sapna Gupta, Surya Varatharajan in year 7
and Fatima Mahmood year 8 rose to the challenge to write
original poetry about their local surroundings. The spirit
behind this competition is to encourage young people to
understand and appreciate the importance of place.
A True Garden?
At the uppermost point in the ambiguous
atmosphere a spherical light awoke, so
luminous, so golden, so airy she rose as her
maiden warm fingers froze in such a pose.
The ancient maple trees, with their green top
hats and mahogany ties whistled inspiring
stories to their newborn
offspring who down below lie.
Together the luscious emerald grass swayed
continuously to and fro, to the sonorous sounds
of the streams which were not deep but low.
And within the orchestral streams of course
nothing was as it seems. There was no
abandoned shallowness but a world full of fun
with exotic fish and seaweed that wish and
rocks that even run.
Scarlet, amethyst, topaz and sapphire
shimmered and glimmered throughout like fire.
fluttering and zooming at the speed of light far
far too difficult to even glimpse a sight.
Then when finally after all had occurred the
floating shadows approached and it was then
and always then you gained the special truth
that a garden isn’t just a garden it’s anything
and everything you could ever want it to be.
By Sapna Gupta (year 7)
A Stroll in the Park…
A stroll in the park,
may leave a special mark,
a mark of freedom and space,
where people of all race,
can walk and talk and enjoy the dream,
surrounded by the sweet smell of ice-cream,
with the soothing tweet tweet of the birds,
the chatter from the herds,
followed by the sight of nerds,
with their complicated words.
A stroll in the park,
may leave a special mark,
the stars appear at night,
to everyone it’s a beautiful sight.
As the morning sun rises,
shadows appear in different sizes,
standing on the grass,
leaves crunch like glass,
the branches shade and quaver,
according to the seasonal flavour,
sweet cherries grow on trees,
attacked by big yellow bees.
A stroll in the park,
may leave a special mark,
cars on the road are singing,
bells on bikes are ringing,
babies sleep in their prams,
men hurry about in trams,
twisting and turning of doors,
squeaking and scrunching of floors,
peace and quiet,
where there’s no riot,
it’s no dungeon,
after all, it’s my heavenly London!
18 Cranford Review 2008/09
By Fatima Mahmood (year 8)

The Search
I am a bird,
With air slicing wings,
Made of fine sponge feathers,
With the colours of the
Indescribable rainbow,
Down my elbow,
I fly to places seeking,
For the best place,
The best place,
Where the heart of art lives…
I adventure through the places,
Which gives your eyes a treat,
I flew down,
The shimmering river Yamuna,
Where the monument built for romance,
Reflects by,
The Mahal which was built with crystallised tiles,
The building is covered in the blanket of marble,
White’s glow symbolises the purity,
For the king’s tragic shade of romance,
The tombs which shows,
The unwilling force,
Which splits his benevolent heart away,
To where he can’t find her as a mortal,
Not so far away from there,
In the place where you see,
An Architecture,
Which you think no-man,
Could have constructed it,
To invite his newly born successor,
Into this short period of time,
Between life and death,
Khufu created an immense wall,
Made of the amateur’s cry,
Which was solicited,
When he was welcomed more by death than life,
The bond of friendship,
Is a priceless offer,
As the country who has made the first face-drawing,
Gave the 20th century world leaders,
A gift,
They gave a humongous statue,
With jagged spikes which represents,
To kill corruption,
The light from the woman’s hand,
Interprets evil will be destroyed,
The colour of the statue is blue,
Shows freedom,
This gift was a token of friendship,
To the veto powered country,
What do you think is the best place?
None of them are,
They are all equal,
But, every wonder’s untold secrets,
Leads up to the greatest power in the world,
Love,
A place in a person’s heart for you,
Is the best and beautiful place.
By Surya Varatharaja (year 7)
Cranford’s Youth and
Philanthropy winners
recognised for achievement
Thursday 25th June 2009 was definitely a day
to remember. As a reward for winning the
Youth and Philanthropy Initiative competition
we took part in for citizenship, we got to
spend a day with Ms Arnold and visit the
Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith. It was a day
of total fun.
The day started when we arrived at the theatre
and had breakfast, and waited for other school
winners of the YPI to arrive. Later, we went
into the theatre totally unaware of what was
about to happen: we all got to experience a
poet, Polarbear. At first we were unsure of
who he was, but after his performance, we
knew we were never going to forget him.
During the day, we got to take part in different
workshops such as street dancing, which was
great fun. We made T-Shirts which represented
the charity we won £3000 for: Southall Black
Sisters.
Later we were invited back into the theatre to
watch numerous acts such as famous dancers,
rappers, singers and even the Channel 4
presenter, Krishnan Guru-Murthy, and we got
the opportunity to meet the founder of MAC
cosmetics and the Youth and Philanthropy
Iniative [YPI], Julie Toskan Casale.
This day was simply amazing as it taught us
that we can be anything we want to be and
can be the ones to actually make a change.
So can you.
By Manisha Das, Ikram Abukar and
Rajmeet Sarna (9T)
Excellence in all areas
19

First
Story
Readings
On Thursday 7th May 2009 Cranford Community College hosted their second official
First Story readings where thirteen year 12 students read their own creative pieces
inspired from their childhood memories.
The workshop, which began in September 2008, has been hosted by our very own
in house writer in residence Will Fiennes author of ‘The Snow Geese’ and ‘The
Music Room’. Will has encouraged students to use their imagination and relive their
precious moments that they experienced whilst growing up and turn them into fun,
exciting and touching pieces of writing.
It was an event attended by staff, parents, students and other authors associated with
the First Story scheme. It was a great success and one enjoyed by all. It was definitely
inspirational and even influenced
some members of the audience to
begin writing their own stories.
Three lucky young writers Shadnam
Ahmed, Gagandeep Chaggar and
Jagdip Randhawa were selected from
the group to attend the summer school
writers workshop in Shropshire.
A young author’s Summer School Workshop with First Story
The week we spent in Shropshire helped my writing skills a lot. It was structured around
workshops. Authors such as Pete Hobbs would prod us in the right directions by setting
us simple writing tasks to complete; for example we wrote stories based around what a
specific smell reminded us of and another time we tried to write poetry about random
objects given to us in bags, such as apples.
The workshops were not the only way the trip helped. We read extracts from our favourite
books to each other, thus learning more about what other people like to read. The authors
also helped us by teaching us the importance of editing our work properly, so we went
away and drafted our stories several times. On the last day we read out the
final version of our best stories.
When we had to come back at the end of the week, we were given elaborate
notepads/diaries to write in. Overall, this was a very enjoyable experience.
By Shadnam Ahmed (year 12)
“The thirteen students whose
work you’re about to read
have their own voices, their
own ways of seeing, their own
stories - unprecedented and
unrepeatable - of memories
and feelings. Even when I
thought they’d never stop
talking, they wrote things
that surprised and moved me.
They made me laugh, lots.”
By William Fiennes
(Writer in Residence)
GCSE Success
We are truly delighted at
another leap forward on
the school’s journey to
‘Excellence in All Areas’
with these record smashing
results by Cranford’s hard
working students. Everyone
in the school community is
so proud of them all.
These well deserved results
continue the steep trend of
improvement at the school
across the last 7 years.
This year our GCSE students
achieved an impressive
14% rise in 5+ A*-C and a
7% increase including both
English and maths. The
huge rise in the points score
confirms that many more
pupils are passing with the
highest grades and will be
well placed to follow in the
footsteps of last week’s 3
Oxbridge successes.
Jagjit Kang achieved 14
GCSEs with 11 at grade
A* and 3 at grade A and
Harsimran Sall achieved 15
GCSEs with 10 A* and 5 A
grades.
More high flying pupils are
benefiting from gifted and
talented provision and are
being accelerated, including
various fast track and
early GCSE and AS entry
programmes.
Alongside their GCSE
success, a number of
students picked up an AS
level one year early and all
at the higher grades.
The students are reaping
the rewards of hard work
by them, school staff and
supportive families.
Kevin Prunty
(Headteacher)
20 Cranford Review 2008/09

Year 11 ROA
Evening
The Class of 2009
Year 11 Record
of Achievement
Evening brought a
real sense of togetherness
and showed how
close all of the year
had become over the
last 5 years at Cranford
Community College. It
has truly been a journey
and just one big stage in
our lives. The evening
helped us to mark and
celebrate our successes
throughout the year
but to also meet and
greet our fellow
students and teachers. The
evening presented
great talent from
all the performers.
The speeches
from Ms Bramhall,
Ms Robinson and
Ms Dhillon were
truly emotional and
heartfelt and it made
us feel all part of a big
community but also a
big family.
The ROA evening video
created by myself and
Kiranpreet Bains along with
help of Anisha Bhatowa and
Ms Bramhall based on the
music video ‘Is this the way to
Amarillo’ really summed up the
evening and the class of 2009
together. It managed
to get the whole year
singing together and
cheering as each of
their tutor groups
came up and familiar
faces were shown in
all their glory.
HEFCE Year 11
Maths Summer School
- Imperial College, London -
Between 29th June and 3rd July 2009
six year 11 maths students: Resham Lall,
leuan Bevan, Jagjit Kang, Sobya Shaikh,
Radhika Badiana and myself were fortunate
enough to attend a ‘year 12 head start to
maths’ 5 day residential course at Imperial
College London. This was a summer
school funded by the Higher Education
Funding Council for England (HEFCE)
and the company Excitec.
During the week, we were assigned to
2 mentors and a group which we were
often in. We participated in a number of
strange lessons such as ‘Zero to Infinity’,
‘Unbreakable Codes’ as well as launching
rockets and programming our own robots.
We learnt about the world of banking,
buying and selling shares and investing
money into companies (which we did
online). We had a rare opportunity to visit
Barclay’s Capital, known as BARCAP
in Canary Wharf, where we witnessed
some serious share trading on the trading
floors.
It was truly one of the best experiences
we’ve had. It allowed us to gain a huge
insight into what university life is like,
especially the ‘staying away from home’
side, where we stayed in Biet Halls, one of
the university’s student accommodation.
Not only did we learn some interesting
maths, we also made a whole load of new
friends which we all stay in tough with!
Thank you Mr Simmons and the Maths
Department for putting us forward for this
fantastic week.
By Harsimran Sall (year 11)
By Amarpal Khuttan
(year 11)
Excellence in all areas
21

Triple Triumph for Oxbridge
Applying to Oxford to read Physics
was a very daunting experience; only
24% of those who applied (nearly
all of whom had straight As in year
12) were chosen in the previous year.
Despite this I was determined to have
a shot at getting a seat at Oxford to do
Physics. I never really thought that I
would actually get into the university,
so it was a massive shock when I
did. The application procedure is
very long, especially for those doing
a science. Initially the application
simply involved writing and sending
a personal statement along with
information on my results in exams.
However, once I managed to pass that
stage, I had to do a written test, set
by Oxford Physics tutors. This was
in my opinion the hardest part of the
procedure.
After passing the test, I was left with
the interview. I knew that there would
be competition (especially those from
private schools) I would therefore need
serious planning on how to deal with
this final part of the procedure. With
help from the school (who specifically
funded an interview preparation day
for the three Oxbridge applicants) and
its teachers, I got an offer at Oxford. I
knew that all that was left was to then
attain the straight A’s required to meet
the offer. Although the grades required
in the modular exams remaining in
year 13 were not that high due to my
efforts in year 12, I took no chances
and studied diligently. Now I’m off
to Oxford (hasn’t sunk in yet) after
seven years at Cranford. I thank all
the teachers for the help they’ve given
me throughout these years. It was only
really last minute in which my brother
and I got a place at Cranford (2 weeks
before term started in year 7). That
was definitely one of the
greatest strokes of luck
that we’ve had in our
lives...
By Bhavik Bhatt
(year 13)
The final year of my A-levels was
the toughest of the seven years at
Cranford. Juggling my applications
for universities, preparing for
interviews, carrying out my Head
Boy duties and of course exams.
The first few months were hectic,
then on 6th January 2009 I got home
from school, and there on the table
sat the envelope with my name and
the Cambridge University mark.
So many things go through your
head when you read that you have
a conditional offer to read Law at
one of the best universities in the
world. The first are excitement
and joy, the second is satisfaction
that all the preparations and wider
reading paid off, and the third is
determination to clear the final
hurdle in June 2009.
The next day, I went into school and
let all my mates know. I then went
to the Sixth Form management team
and thanked them for their help
with my application. They were all
delighted at the good news.
In August 2009, when I received my
AAA, again emotions ran over me.
The first are again excitement and
joy, the second is again satisfaction
that all those hours after school I
spent in the Sixth form Study centre
studying paid off, but the third was
gratitude towards all of my brilliant
A-level teachers.
Seven long years at Cranford has
produced so many memories. I am
of course slightly sad to be leaving,
but at the same time I cannot wait
to start the next chapter in my life.
And now I need to shop for all
my University supplies, get my
finances in order, and get over this
long A-level hangover...
By Bhavin Bhatt (year 13)
Head Boy
It has been seven years since I first
joined Cranford; a girl of only so
high, nervous and fresh faced. I
don’t think I could have imagined
all that my time here would bring.
Thanks to the wonderful support
of all the teachers and staff, my
closest friends and my family I
have grown ever more ambitious
and confident over the years
and have taken on an increased
involvement within the school
from helping children from lower
years to read, to being a Council
Representative, Prefect and finally
Deputy Head Girl. In the Sixth
Form I have been given ample
opportunity to contribute to the
school in the form of giving my
opinions, sitting on the Academic
Board, taking part in what seems
like thousands of events the school
has worked hard to organise, as
well as selecting and handing
over the baton to the new Heads
and Deputy Heads of the school.
However, all too quickly my
time at Cranford has come to an
end, and, as my primary school
headteacher would say, we have
become fish too big for their bowl.
The thought that within a month
I’ll be at Cambridge reading
history still hasn’t quite sunk
in, but even though it is nerveracking
starting this next chapter
of my life, I cannot wait to take on
whatever lies ahead.
Although I feel sad about leaving
the place that has been like a
second home to me for all these
years, I will surely come back and
visit soon.
By Esther Nicoll (year 13)
Deputy Head Girl
22 Cranford Review 2008/09

High performing
Sixth form students achieve A level success
Cranford’s sixth form students have performed very well again this year and are
a real credit. We are very proud. The improvements of the last 5 years have been
sustained but with further rises in those numbers achieving A grades and higher
grades. Year 12 students have achieved particularly well which puts them in pole
position for next year. We are celebrating today with so many students and their
families. but are particularly pleased for our Head Boy, Bhavin Bhatt (AAA) who
is going to Cambridge University to study Law alongside his twin brother Bhavik
Bhatt (AAA) who is to read Physics at Oxford University and our Deputy Head Girl,
Esther Nicoll (AAA) who will read History also at Cambridge University. Among
other high achievers are Namrita Khosla (AAA) reading Dentistry at Kings College,
London and Mohit Kanda (AAA) reading Chemistry at Warwick University. Congratulations to
the students, their teachers and supportive families. Cranford’s students are extremely well placed
in the competition for University places this year.
By Kevin Prunty (Headteacher)
Glitz, Glamour and Grateful Goodbyes to Year 13 2009
A flurry of Saris, smart suits and
sequins adorned year 13 as they
celebrated the end of their time at
Cranford Community College.
Music and dance performances
punctuated by speeches and
presentations entertained
members of the Governing
Body, staff, students and
their families. The
Head Boy and Head
Girl and their
Deputies handed
over the baton to
the new quartet as
they spoke about
their memories
of life at school,
their friends and the
teachers who had
made such a
difference.
Excellence in all areas
23

This year the Global Campaign for Education
(GCE), the world’s largest children’s
campaign, has asked schools in the UK
and around the world to take part in
the main campaigning action The BIG
Read.
Cranford Community College
participated in this huge event
happening in over 100 countries and
6000 schools in the UK. Parents and
teachers were invited to hear and
see our students’ written pieces and
creative work including drawings of the
number ten door, speeches and poems.
The theme for the evening was the
importance of literacy and how the
ability to read and write opens doors for all
children. We invited a speaker from the charity
Humanity First, Mr Rashid. “I’m really glad
that the school is making students aware of issues
like these. They need to understand that what they
take for granted others can only dream of having.”
The charity is currently working in
schools in Uganda and trying to set up
a library in some of the schools there,
a cause which we have supported
through book donations.
importantly asked Mr Keen to deliver all
the work Cranford students had done for
The BIG Read to the Prime Minister,
to remind him to keep his promise
that all children receive a free,
primary education by 2015. Mr
Keen was passionate about
this issue himself so had
no problem doing so or
signing the motion which
backs this campaign.
Students were really
pleased to meet Mr
Keen and learn more
about his work, the
government and
effects of politics.
Thank you to Ms
Goold, all tutors
that took part and
the brilliant students
for making the BIG
Read a success.
To show our commitment to the right
for an education, we also
arranged a lunch meeting
between the local MP
and selected students.
The students discussed
their work but more
24 Cranford Review 2008/09

Cranford to the
House of Commons
On 10th June 2009 I was privileged to be selected to go
to the majestic Houses of Parliament and Commons. I
didn’t sleep the night before the visit, the only thing
which came to my mind was having a tea party with
Gordon Brown and discuss about his crisis (posh word)
to stay in 10 Downing Street.
The day arrived; the visit that money cannot buy was
standing before me. I went to school with perfect
uniform, polo shirt tucked in, formally brushed hair
and shinning shoes, you could see your reflection in
them (very unusual).
It was so kind of Mr Dean to take me on the wonderful
visit. I was scheduled to meet Mr. Dean at 12.30pm.
The clock was tick-tocking and I couldn’t bear it
anymore. A minute passed by like a year and finally
the time arrived, me and Mr. Dean went to Feltham
train station because of the tube strike. We took a train
to Waterloo so we could see attractions such as London
Bridge, River Thames, the London Eye and of course
Big Ben. We went into the House of Commons security
checking area; they checked me and gave me a visitor
pass which I will store in my record book.
When I entered the House of Commons I saw loads
of familiar faces from the BBC news, I suddenly got
goose bumps. The building was so huge. I saw Alan
Keen who is the MP and he was talking about football.
I was holding the football which had signatures of our
year 7 Girls and Boys football team members. We were
talking about FIFA World Cup because the aim of the
visit was to take photographs to promote the bid for
2018 FIFA World Cup to come to England. We met the
Sports Minister and took photographs with him. Then
we played footie beneath Big Ben.
We visited the Speaker’s apartment where there were
luxurious massive chairs, a big hall and rooms. We
visited the terrace where MPs have a view of central
London, then we headed back home and I said bye bye
to the Houses of Parliament.
My sincere thanks to Cranford Community College and
Mr Dean for offering this unforgettable visit to me.
Thank you a million times,
By Surya Varatharajan (year 7)
Trip to Number 10 Downing Street
As a result of our campaigning action, The BIG Read, the school
received an invitation from Mr Keen to visit him and hand over
the school’s petition and work to Number 10 Downing Street.
Kirenjit Jatana year 11 and Maryam Mohammed year 7 were
chosen to go on this trip. “I was really happy when I got the
letter telling me that I had been chosen to go on this trip. I knew
this would look good on my CV and I was also curious to know if
we would actually go inside Number 10.” Kirenjit says. Despite
a tube strike we managed to go ahead and arrived at Waterloo
Station in good time. Once outside 10 Downing Street we were
joined by pupils from Bedfont Junior School and MP Mr Keen. After being checked by security, we walked up
to that famous black door you see on TV and knocked. Mr Keen explained what our campaign was about, we
were not allowed inside however we did get a tour of parliament by Mr Keen who was very kind and told us
about the history of parliament and Big Ben (which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year).
Maryam says “I will remember this trip forever and want to say to all students that if the LRC is running
a competition you have to enter!”
Excellence in all areas
25

Cranford Community College Staff Recognition Event 2007-2009
On Friday 10th July 2009 Cranford Community College held its first biannual Staff
Recognition Event to celebrate the work of teaching and support staff over the past two
years. This event recognised the work of individuals and departments, nominated
by colleagues. Friends and family attended this wonderful evening which was an
opportunity to applaud the work of colleagues who work so hard to ensure our
students succeed.
Kevin Prunty Headteacher said he felt extremely
proud to be part of such an initiative and
the opportunity to recognise the
work and commitment
of his excellent
staff.
26
Cranford Review 2008/09
Excellence in all areas