Cranford Review 2016

Yet

again, this has been a very impressive

year for Cranford Community

College on so many fronts,

including a further 7% rise in students gaining ‘5+A*-

C including English and Maths and with the school’s

results significantly bucking the national decrease in

outcomes. Cranford’s GCSE headline figures are even

further above the national benchmarks and Cranford is

now at the top of the rankings locally, outperforming

all but two other schools.

The progress that the students have made is also

significantly above the progress for pupils across the

country and above the average locally. This means that

students at Cranford Community College continue to

achieve stunning results in every respect, year on year,

and the school remains strongly outstanding.

Cranford has a plethora of outstanding subject areas

and this is headlined by impressive academic outcomes

in ALL the core subjects, Mathematics, English and

the sciences (Physics, Biology and Chemistry). Our

sixth form has also been able to offer experience of

working in hospitals and clinics in India for those most

interested in pursuing a career in medicine, dentistry

or pharmacy as well as some students attending the

International Space Camp in the USA.

Our A level students were no exception with superb

outcomes. Needless to say, the track record of Cranford

students going on to the best universities continues,

with this summer seeing our students secure places at

the top Russell Group universities including Imperial

College, Kings College London, University College

London and Durham University. 99% of our sixth form

students progress to university.

Cranford has continued to achieve a number of awards

for excellent achievement including becoming one of

the first schools in the UK to be awarded ‘World Class

School’ status.

As a leading Teaching School, we have the highest

quality of professional development for teachers at all

levels so that Cranford is able to ensure high quality

and up to date teaching and expertise.

Our partnership work with Berkeley Primary continues

to flourish and Berkeley was cited in HMI’s annual

report to Parliament for the extraordinary journey of

improvement made which was also led by Cranford.

Numerous high profile visitors have come to Cranford

this year and met with our students and perhaps the most

high profile event involved a delegation of Cranford

students meeting and shaking hands with President

Obama when he visited the UK in 2016.

Cranford hosts the Hounslow Young Citizens scheme

where most primary schools in the borough attended

a training event at the school designed to raise pupil

awareness of risk and their ability to make the right

choices in a range of different situations.

I remain immensely proud of the amazing achievements

of our students and the many successes of Cranford.

The school continues to go from strength to strength and

I am delighted to remain so deeply involved with this

school and the community. The stories and photographs

in this brochure give an authentic flavour of just some

of the huge range of opportunities available at Cranford.

Kevin Prunty

(Executive Headteacher, National Leader of Education)

2

Junior Citizenship 2016

For

the second year running Cranford

Community College hosted

the London Borough of Hounslow Junior

Citizenship Scheme week beginning Monday

13th June 2016. This year was bigger than

ever with over 2000 year 6 pupils from 35

Hounslow primary schools attending over

the two weeks. The scheme is organised by

London Borough of Hounslow, Met police and

Cranford Community College and provides

essential skills and understanding for year

6 students to make a successful transition

from primary to secondary school. The

event takes place in a tented village which

given the weather in June posed its own

challenges. However, despite the rain

participants and deliverers thought it

was a great success.

With the aid of Gaia, our ICT managed

service provider, this year’s JCS was more

‘high tec’ making use of smart phones

and iPads in some of the scenarios. The

majority of the 13 scenarios were run by

the Met Police but St John’s Ambulance

Service, Transport for London, London Fire

Brigade, Hounslow Highways and the Royal

National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) also

contributed to the success of the event. This

year the JCS was visited by educators from

across the world including delegations

from China, South Korea and the USA. All

groups commented on what an excellent

idea the scheme was and that it would

be something they will be taking back to

their country.

Each group of pupils were assigned an

ambassador who acted as host and led

them around the different scenario’s

The Cranford Community College

Junior Ambassadors were chosen from

year 7, 8 and 9 students with the aim

of developing their leadership and

responsibility skills. Over the two

weeks some 130 ambassadors did the school

proud with their exemplary behaviour and

display of leadership skills. Many primary

teachers told me how impressed they had

been with the maturity of our students

and said they were a great credit to the

school. Well done Ambassadors.

Alan Fraser

(Assistant Headteacher - Community)

1

In

July 2016, I along with two

talented scientists in year

12, Maryam Fazalzadeha and

Hamir Butt, had an amazing

opportunity to represent the UK

at the International Space Camp in

Alabama, USA. Participating with

delegates from all over the world we

had the chance to train like an astronaut.

“CAPCOM to Commander, are you ready for launch?”

“CAPCOM this is Commander, copy that.”

This radio exchange brings back so many memories. As the

commander of my space shuttle I was required to safely

transport my mission specialists from Earth to Mars and

back during a real time space simulated mission. There

were some ‘Houston, we have a problem’ moments but with

my dysfunctional yet dedicated UNITY crew we made it

there and back in one piece, so the mission was a success.

In addition to space missions my team and I built space

rovers, urine filtering systems and an ablation heat shield

to protect our “eggstronaut” (may he rest in peace). I also

had the chance to sit in a Multi-Axis Trainer and a 1/6th

gravity chair and through all these experiences I have newfound

appreciation for the mental and physical demands

on astronauts and engineers. During our week-long stay

I developed a deeper understanding of technological

advancements that will help us explore further into space

and it will forever be a memorable trip because of the new

friendships I have formed with teachers across the 50 states

of America.

Seema Mehmi

(Science Department)

2

Applying to go on this amazing

journey was the best thing

have ever done. We had to write

a 700 word essay on how space

exploration could change

the future and then we had

interviews. It was brilliant to

be chosen to represent the UK

and Cranford.

NASA’s space camp was an

amazing experience, during

which I had the privilege of

meeting people from around

the world. This opened my

eyes as on an everyday basis

I am only exposed to what is

occurring around me however

I got to experience the different

lifestyles of people from around the

world. My favourite thing about

space camp was the missions as

it was not only fun, but it allowed me

to build skills that I can use in the future,

such as teamwork, leadership and problem

solving. This was a wonderful opportunity

for me and it is an

experience I will never

forget, if I could go

back every year I

definitely would.

Maryam Fazalzadeha

(year 12 - Space Camp

Graduate)

I

My name is

Hamir Butt and

I was chosen

as one of the

delegates to

represent the

UK to attend

NASA Space Camp

in Huntsville,

Alabama. It was a long

process but it was the

best decision I had ever

made to apply for this

opportunity, and it was a

great one. At first it was

quite strange going to

a camp where there are

people from around the

world. But it gave

me a really good insight into

how we can overcome language

barriers and still work as a

team. I think attending space

camp has changed me as a

person as it showed me that

there are many ways to do

things in life. The highlight of

my trip would have to be the

1/6th gravity chair as it feels as

if you’re floating. I found this trip very

educational as it taught me a lot. I’d

recommend this opportunity to anyone

in the future if it becomes available to

them.

Hamir Butt

(year 12 - Space Camp Graduate)

3

The

second half of this academic year has been very exciting

in the Maths Department. After the phenomenal success

of the Junior Maths Challenge in April 2016 (as previously reported

in the spring publication), where Harit Boonyarakyotin in year 8 and

Haroon Lukka, Abinayah Kagenthirarasa, Ehsan Ayobi, Taranjeet

Bharaj and Ahmed Ali in year 7 all achieved Gold Awards and year

8 received a further 14 Silver and 22 Bronze Awards and year 7 received 9 Silver

and 12 Bronze Awards. Harit, Haroon, Abinayah and Ehsen’s scores were so

high they were entered for the follow-on competition, the Junior Kangaroo, and

Haroon went on to win a Merit certificate. The Maths Department would like

to congratulate all students who participated. We are very proud of all of you.

In July 2016 students from across years 7-10 took part in the Maths Department’s

activities during the school activities week. Students enjoyed a variety of

activities, including visiting the British Museum, measuring the height of

Nelson’s Column, building a theme park with K-nex, creating tessellation

artwork for the A block staircase and navigating their way across London while

finding out about our city’s cultural history.

To end the year on a high, on Friday15th July 2016, 10 year 10 students

attended maths lectures at Kingston University where they discovered about

the fascinating mathematics behind chocolate fountains (and then they got to

eat the chocolate) and learnt more about the history of numbers as they were

challenged to answer the question ‘did numbers always exist, or did humans

invent them’. I was very proud to see our students joining in with and thoroughly

enjoying these lectures and was delighted when one of them told me that it had

‘blown his mind’

4

Sarah Brackley (Head of Maths Department)

Cranford Community College

celebrates

Arts and Culture

On

Thursday 23rd June 2016 students, staff, parents and guests

braved the rain and joined us to celebrate the outstanding

talent of our students in art, design and technology, music and creative

writing.

The event was an opportunity for students to exhibit their work

through various ADT projects at GCSE and A-Level alongside

performances by our RSL music students and readings from our First

Story cohort 2016 and their anthology entitled “There’s Always One”.

The diversity and creativity of the work in 2D, 3D, textiles and ceramics

demonstrated the wide range of materials used to create some of the

most dramatic and complex pieces ever exhibited, all of which showed

the hours of work and commitment by the students, supported by their

teachers, to realise their ideas to a conclusion.

In addition the exhibition recognised five students’ work in particular

who were nominated for the Tracey Fletcher Award, created in memory

of a former Head of Art. The winner, Sarah Hamza was presented with

the award by Veronique Gerber, Head of School.

The exhibition provided a fitting backdrop to the second half of the

evening when the audience was treated to some exceptional performances

by our year 10 RSL students of Beethoven, Adele and Satie, interspersed

with some amazing readings from their First Story anthology, some very

personal and poignant, some humorous.

Seema Sethi, Head of Performing Arts, hosted the event and spoke with

passion about the importance of the arts in education and how Cranford

is a beacon of good practice, led by the Executive Headteacher, Kevin

Prunty in embracing all aspects of the arts as fundamental to a child’s

life and personal growth.

Jessica Joyce (Events Organiser)

“I am one of the RSL GCSE

students who chose the

performance pathway in

music. When starting RSL in

September 2015, I was anxious

as to what obstacles I might

encounter when taking this

course. However, with the

support offered from my music

teachers as well as my peers

I have been able to learn new

things and develop new skills

which have enabled me to craft

my performances as a musician.

I hope next year will be just

as much fun and interesting as

this one during the RSL course.

I am also looking forward to

performing my second RSL

music concert which

I will have to start

preparing for next

year”.

Cristiana Eftenoiu

(year 10)

5

Cranford Charity

Fundraising Events

2015-2016

A School That

Keeps On Giving

Cranford students are no

strangers to fund raising

opportunities for various

national and international causes

and this year has been no exception.

Charities including Macmillan

Cancer, Children in Need, Save the

Children and the National Autistic

Society (N.A.S) have been supported

and each received a share of the

£1692.58 raised. The students are

already making plans for new events

for 2016-2017 to support

those in need.

£1692.58

Tasty fund raising from Year 8

The penultimate

week of the

summer term saw year

8 students organising

a series of fund raising

activities for Crohn’s

and Colitis UK. Events

included a cracker eating

competition, a bake off

with a ‘desi’ twist, their

guess the number of sweets

in the jar competition,

sponsored Minecraft

and a mixed football

tournament. Ricardo

Oliveira won himself a

box of chocolates having

eaten two crackers in

a highly-entertaining

minute, Rajvir Sran proved

victorious in the bakeoff

with her immense

rainbow cake, Dinnie

Heroe, Rakhwinder

Gill and Zeenat Jussab

won the jar of sweets

with their guesses and,

in a highly contested and

controversial football

tournament, 8Z were

eventually crowned

winners (with some protest

from 8V). Honourable

mentions must go to

Haider Ali who proved

himself a determined

and committed cracker

dispatcher, Dilpreet Pannu

who showed a willingness

to throw herself into a

tackle from any angle

and Zak Raissi for his

furious and impassioned

arguments with any and

all who disagreed with his

assessment of all things

football. The effort from

the year group was

The Picasso Centre’s Green Fingered Gardeners

The

Picasso Centre has been lucky enough to have received some funding (from the CEO of

Hounslow Borough Council) with which to create a sensory garden. To gain the funding

the boys all had to write Mary Harpley persuasive letters with good reasons as to why they deserved it,

or needed it. Months later Mr Dean announced to Ms Freeman

that we had the funding. As a prelude to having the garden

completed, we all began to grow vegetables and flowers from

seed. The result was that Destiny

showed himself to be an excellent

gardener.

“I’m very proud of myself because I have never

gardened before, but now I know I have green

fingers. I won my award for growing the largest

radish: it was 13cms in circumference. Then a few

weeks later in an assembly I got the reward.

In September I will be in year 8 and I am

determined to win next year’s competition too”.

Destiny Aslim (year 7)

6

outstanding but special

mention must go to Tanvir

Bhullar and Mahira Butt

for their contributions and

involvement in practically

all the events. The final

amount raised as an

astonishing £289.76, an

amount that surpassed all

expectations.

This was a fantastic effort

from everyone involved,

far too many to name

individually, but they

should feel proud of what

they have achieved. Well

done.

We are extremely proud

of our year group and how

they all supported this

initiative to help a very

worthy cause.

Yas Ashfaq and Aaron Sohi

(Year Manager and

Head of Year 8)

Year 7

support

an amazing

young man

Tuesday 19th July 2016 will be remembered

as the day a brave and determined young

man, cheered on by staff and the whole of

year 7, took the challenge to walk from one

end of the concourse to the other to raise

money for The National Portage Association

who work with young people like Jose who

require help with speech and language.

Jose has cerebral palsy and he finds walking very

difficult. To achieve this challenge is really quite

remarkable and everyone who

witnessed this achievement found

the whole experience emotional

inspirational.

To date Jose has raised over £300.

We are so proud of him and of his

year group in the way the spurred

him on to achieve his goal.

My sponsored

walk

journey

Vanessa Tutt and

Dawn Knock

(SEN Managers)

“The thing that made me think of doing

a sponsored walk was while I was on

one of my PE walks somebody saw me

walking and said that I should do a

sponsored walk. The way I trained

was by going to N1 every day in the

morning as soon as I got into school

and doing 1 lap of the classroom. On

Tuesdays period 1 I would go outside

and practise walking on the concourse.

Every time I would practise on the

concourse I would stop after a certain

distance, but when I was doing the

sponsored walk I heard everyone from

my year group and some of my teachers

cheering me on and that pushed me to

walk the concourse in one go. In the

beginning I was nervous but a lot

people from my year group wished

me luck and that helped a lot. When I

actually started walking down it was

easy at first but then halfway through

I was getting aches in my legs and at

one point I felt like taking a break.

When I actually finished I felt so

proud of myself and I wanted to cry

but I didn’t”.

Jose Emanuel Alves Oliveira (year 7)

7

Year 7

Targeted

Intervention

Days 2016

Targeted intervention (TI) days continue

to be a feature of our school calendar

and provide an exceptional opportunity

to extend student learning through trips and

visits, conferences and guest speakers or

create scope for additional focussed study in

curriculum areas and PSHCE.

The TI day in the spring term was divided into

two with a bespoke programme of extended

learning in PSHCE for all students in years

7-9 and exam focussed study for students in

years 10-13.

Year 7 took part in a challenging personal development day where they developed their understanding

of health and wellbeing. They explored healthy eating and body image and the impact the media has

on the way they see themselves, the impact of social media and how it is used including bullying and

an exciting production that explored cyber bullying, friendship and sexting and where to get help and

support.

In addition they have worked with a variety of departments developing subject skills and understanding

including working in science on a Crime Scene Investigation and maths and English on improving

their literacy and numeracy skills. The Art Department worked on collaborative art work and the Music

Department worked with a group of more able musicians.

Year 8

The year 8 personal development day focussed on exploring different types of relationships and worked

on the signs of good and bad relationships in different settings. They spent time looking at e-safety

and personal hygiene. A big section of the day provided students with access to a talk on gangs and

knife crime and what this can lead to finishing the day with an exciting theatre production looking at

the issues surrounding different types of bullying.

In addition year 8 had an exciting STEM workshop with

Heathrow Airport where students learnt to develop and build

simple robots to solve problems. This was a really challenging

and exciting workshop that developed their understanding of

engineering and robotics. Students also worked with the Maths

and English Department and a group of year 8 students attended

a performance of The Minotaur, a play they have been studying

in drama at the Unicorn Theatre.

“The drama trip was an amazing

opportunity as we got to see great

masks being used in the play. As we

were already doing Greek theatre in

Drama, this really helped us out”.

Shayma El Fartas (year 8)

Year 9

The year 9 personal development day focussed on current affairs as students explored the pros and

cons of Brexit. They explored the reasons why we are currently in the EU and the impact of staying

or leaving this partnership of countries. They also spent time looking at healthy lifestyles and the

impact it has on their life.

The Geography Department spent time with students exploring Canary Wharf and how this area has

developed. The English and Maths Department worked with selected students on key skills to aid

progress.

8

For some key stage 3 students an additional challenge was set with two projects including a literacy

project where students produced a “Spine Chiller Mini-series” or a “100 word story” and a geography

project that looked at the way the local area has changed.

Key Stage 4 and 5

All departments provided

opportunities for students

to work on key areas for

improvement within their

subject areas. Work included

targeted support in exam technique, A*/A focus workshops, key topic guidance, C/D Borderline

working groups and subject knowledge work. Students had the opportunity to take part in walking

talking mocks and focussed workshops to improve coursework. In addition Zero Culture Theatre

Company performed their powerful new play “Agent” to the sixth form about the issues surrounding

the plight of migrants coming to the local area and being employed in construction work, building and

living under the bridges in Southall and how the “agent” betrays them to the authorities.

Oh, the Places you’ll go!

Inspired by Dr Seuss

In the summer term, our final TI day focussed on visions and values

for the future of our school. Students used the day to explore the great

city and countryside we live in. They were given a list of possible

places to visit and in preparation for the day; students were required

to do some research about their chosen destination, including any

costs and how to get there. For those with oyster cards travel was

free. As a record of where they had been they had to send a selfie of

themselves at the places they visited. The list was extensive including

places like Kew gardens, Gunnersbury Park or walking the London

Loop, museums, galleries, watching Changing the Guard ceremony at

Buckingham Palace to finding platform 9 ¾ at Kings Cross Station.

Some students ventured out of the local area whereas others explored

closer to home but all had a fantastic day and were very animated

about what they had seen on their return to school.

Kevin Biggs (Senior Teacher - Targeted

Intervention Days organiser)

9

First Story 2016

“There’s

There’s Always One is an anthology of new writing by the First

Story students at Cranford Community College who took

part in creative-writing workshops led by writer-in-residence

Always One”

Ross Raisin. First Story believes there is dignity and power

in every person’s story, and here you’ll find young people

expressing themselves in their own unique voices.

We hope you enjoy this collection.

First Story, now in its 10th year at

Cranford, Featuring continues writing to by: grow in

popularity Fatima Elmi • Harshaan with the Sahota students • Isheda Leeand

Kevin Clarke • Kulbir Maras • Lucy Tirahan

demonstrates

Raniya

the

Hersi

truly

• Sadie

amazing

Yasmin Blakecreative

minds of our young Saras authors. Dhiman Ross Raisin,

writer-in-residence returned again this year

to nurture their writing talents, working

alongside their teacher Sahrish Sheikh and he

remains inspired by the work they produced

to create a very personal anthology entitled,

“There’s Always One”. Here is just a sample

of their published work.

Changing lives through writing

'First Story is a very exciting idea –

writing can liberate and strengthen

young people’s sense of themselves

as almost nothing else can.'

There

FIRST STORY

was a moment, during our second

session, when a shift in the atmosphere

occurred. The group had finished writing their second

PHILIP PULLMAN

Author of His Dark Materials

poem of the session and were taking www.firststory.co.uk it in £10.00 turns to read

them Illustration out. Raniya, and cover design who by had not wanted to read out her first

Lucy Dove & Amit Rai

poem,

Typesetting

acquiesced

by Avon DataSet

to

Ltd

the gentle persuasion of the others,

and read out her new one. It was beautiful – and, with the

naturalness of response that comes when somebody reads

something affecting to you, the group’s enjoyment of it

was immediately obvious in the expressions and, when

she had finished, the words of approval, then applause,

of the others. ‘No, shut up. You’re just saying that, yeah?’

was Raniya’s reply, through a big smile. These are the

best moments for me. The instants when, for the students,

the whole thing – the group, First Story, the cajolement

of teachers to make you sign up for this mysterious

Wednesday thing, the point of writing at all– suddenly

makes sense. When a student begins, in that ‘you’re just

saying that, yeah?’ twinkling, to understand that she

is writing both for herself and to provoke something

in somebody else, and that this act is simultaneous,

intuitive, and human. And as these individual openingsout

ripple through the group, a community is created,

a miniature one that starts to look forward to sharing

pieces of writing, to reading, to talking about writing.

Importantly, too, it is a community to which their teacher

belongs and is part of, on an equal footing (and I will say

that Miss Sheikh’s gentleness and inclusiveness make this

happen very easily. She is also, by the by, excellent at

chasing young people who have missed their deadlines.

Which is a lot of chasing). The afternoon during which

the group found out that Miss Sheikh had once been a

pupil at Cranford herself was an eye-opener. And when

Jay came in from First Story to spend an afternoon with

us, and they found out that he went there too... and that he

even used to be in the same class as Miss Sheikh! Well…

There is something healthy in this realisation, outside of

the normal structures of the teenage relationship with the


There’s Always One

An Anthology by the First Story Group at

Cranford

Community College

Edited and Introduced by Ross Raisin

adult world, that the grown-ups around you are in fact not

so different from yourself, and that they like and respond to

some of the same things that you do. It is part of growing up,

glimpsing a future beyond school. There was disappointment

in some quarters that we did not vote in the title of: A

Compilation of Stuff and a Dozen Other Things, enough that

I promised I would mention it in my introduction. So there

it is. The majority-decided title, though, I think is a better

fit. In part because it plays nicely into the sense that there

would always be somebody with a surprise up their sleeve,

and in part because there would always be a different person

missing each week. One week, in fact, an entirely different

half of the group turned up to that of the previous week.

Which put something of a dampener on my session plan of

working on the pieces of the week before – but, as so often

can be the case, the spontaneity that came about that week

resulted in one of the most surprising and useful sessions

of the course. A few days before that meeting, the terrorist

attacks on Paris had taken place and the group fell into

discussion about the horror, the reasons, and the reporting

of it. Instinctively, they wanted to write about all this, and

so, without very much guiding, they did – and those pieces

are included in this anthology. It seemed fitting to put them

in, because this book, as much as it is an enjoyable read

(love, zombies, aspiration, atelophobia – still don’t really

know what that is – grief, diamonds, detectives, a great

deal of blood…), is an expression of what this small group

of young people make of the world round them – through

thought, language, humour – and of how they find their

place in it.

Ross Raisin (Writer-in-Residence)

10

If Women

Should Be

Housewives

If women should be housewives

then you are taking my right to dream.

You are taking my right to university.

You are taking my rights, it seems.


then Malala has to clean.

Rosa Parks is in the kitchen

and Beyoncé is polishing the TV screen.

Make

all the mistakes and take all the risks

now – you’ll learn to become a better

person. We’ll all have a wake-up call sooner or later

in life. It will hit you hard and then you’ll realise

that you have to make some changes in your life. As

humans we make mistakes, we evolve. You’ll have to

leave some people behind in order to move forward.

You can know someone for ten years, but that person

could be holding you back and be unhealthy for you.

You just need to let go and move on without them. I’ll

continue to make mistakes, but I’ll learn and so will

you. You can be the smartest person in the room, but

not realising where your true potential can take you

will leave you having to work harder to maximise the

potential. Work hard, you’ll notice the potential you

have. Then other people will notice. Always be the

hardest worker in the room. Even when you think you

can’t do anymore and you want to give up, give a little

more. That extra one percent is the difference that will

define you.

It’s not always character that people will judge you

on; it’s your actions. You shouldn’t judge people. It

doesn’t make you any wiser. You’ll waste time that you

could use to improve yourself. If you know anyone who

judges you, ignore them. You may hurt or upset people,

but understand what you’ve done wrong and learn

from that to never do it again. They may judge, give

you a blank stare or refuse to talk to you, but at the

end of the day, your voice is the voice you should truly

listen to. If you’ve done one bad thing, people who

don’t truly know you will just remember what you’ve

done wrong instead of all the good things you’ve

done. Is it logical that one or two bad things outweigh

all the good things? There are certain things in life

which you’ll keep fighting for: family, friends, and

yourself. Keep fighting – good will follow. Fear holds

everyone back. It holds you back from talking in front

of two hundred people or even that one person. Fear

is nothing but negative energy created in the mind.

Once you control your mind, you control fear and you

become fearless. Be the best version of yourself and

just be awesome.

Kulbir Maras (year 11)

Be Awesome


then I am not worthy of a job.

I am not worthy of opportunity.

I am expected to slave over the hob.


then how do I conquer the world?

Can I not grow up to make my own choices?

Or will you always treat me as a ‘girl’?


Then this discussion is unfair,

because I will strive for my potential

and I do not need you to care.


are you reducing us to minions?


perhaps you shouldn’t be granted an opinion.

Lucy Tirahan (year 11)

Diamond

in My Heart

You’re a diamond in my eye.

Your hair like gold.

But I’m not drawn to those physical appearances.

It’s your personality;

it’s the flame and I’m the moth.

I’m drawn to it.

To all others you’re a Barbie or a trophy.

I’m not like the rest.

They’re athletic, and I’m not.

You can see the honesty in my blue eyes.

I’m kind and gentle.

Even if this is pointless.

Kevin Clarke (year 11)

11

Kingswood 2016 Review

On

the 30th March 2016, we and our

fellow year 8 students embarked on

a journey to Kingswood, a residential education

centre for a 3 day visit. We were accompanied

by three of our teachers and the main purpose of

this trip was to help us to develop our teamwork

and communication skills whilst

developing our own computer

game.

“I enjoyed everything in

Kingswood because all of the

activities were fun and it was

amazing. In Kingswood the best

activity was the equilibrium”.

Our adventure started with an

exciting three hour journey to the

centre. Once we had arrived, we

were shown our rooms; spacious

rooms with multiple bunk beds and bathroom. We

were given time to unpack and settle in before we

were then called out to enjoy our first of many

activities which was the exhilarating 3G swing,

‘G’ being gravitational. Being pulled up high by

a rope we needed to trust our friends not to let

go. The feeling was unforgettable and we really

recommend going to Kingswood just for this.

Faizuddin Mohammed (year 8)

Throughout the day, we

completed many other fun

activities such as fencing, using

Mission Maker to programme a

computer game and a fight with

laser guns in which we had to use

our team work skills again to defeat

the opposing team. A very excited

Ayisha tripped over some tyres due

to the adrenaline which no one could contain;

this activity certainly gets your heart racing.

The centre prepared all of our food for us; it was

better than most restaurants. Each night ended

with a soothing hot chocolate in

our rooms where we promptly fell

asleep. We even got to experience a

camp fire one evening with singing,

dancing and best of all, roasted

marshmallows. I am not sure we

always fell asleep quickly though,

maybe we shouldn’t mention the

girls in room 5 who had decided to stay up with

feasts and scary stories... sorry Ms Kudhail.

Overall, we had a great time and have not stopped

talking about it since. Thank you to the staff

and school who enabled us to partake in such a

memorable experience. We highly recommend

this trip for the future year groups and remember

to have fun just like we did.

12

Ayisha Mahmood & Guy Boonyarakyotin (year 8)

My

experience taking part in TEDx 2016 has

definitely been one that I’m truly proud of: the

procedure leading up to the actual talk was quite thoughtprovoking

in itself because I really had to think about

the topic and what I felt passionate about – something I

could talk about for 6 minutes in the hope that it would

impact in some way or another. That’s when I came up

with the general theme of ‘qualities that really matter’

within individuals, which then developed into ‘Inner

Beauty’. As cliché as that might sound, I aimed to take

a different approach and include personal experiences in

my presentation, hoping it would be more authentic and

anything but cliché.

Drawing inspiration from my World Challenge trip to Morocco, I talked about qualities such as the

importance of helping those who require it as well as adopting a positive mind-set. After writing the

speech, I attended rehearsal sessions with the organisers and students from schools across the borough.

The TEDx Youth Hounslow event took place at West Thames College on Wednesday 10th February

2016. It was definitely nerve-wracking going on stage to deliver my speech, but the more I spoke,

the more I became comfortable. The blinding stage lights certainly helped with that part. All in all,

it was hands down one of the best experiences I have had and I’m grateful that I had been given the

opportunity to voice my ideas and beliefs on a platform that has the potential to stimulate the thought

processes of others.

I can now say that I’ve given a talk on the same forum that greatly accomplished people like Bill Gates

have given speeches - how cool is that?

I would highly recommend this experience to anyone.

You can see my full speech at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuWzvHbrqJ4

Sahithya Natarajan (year 12)

My TEDx Youth Hounslow Experience

Let’s Talk Inner Beauty

“...I believe that we all have the unlimited capacity and

utmost potential to be the best version of ourselves – so

why not be simply goodhearted? What’s so wrong in just

being kind? And it doesn’t have to be a big thing; in fact

small gestures have a bigger impact that we give them

credit for. For example simply smiling at a new face or

not retaliating to

confrontation– we

all want to follow

our impulses but

sometimes ignoring

them is the better

option or simply

just extending a

helping hand when

required. These little

actions may seem

insignificant but they

all are steps leading

up being an overall

good individual”

“...So what I’m trying to say is, being a good person

doesn’t come down to you just helping others, but

also to have that ability to self-reflect and change

into thinking with a more positive outlook in order

to better yourself. So go ahead and be educated,

intelligent, well-rounded even skilful but above all

be a good human first: be respectful be humble,

be kind. We are the future and as young people we

should have a drive and fire to achieve things which

will not only elevate oneself but also benefit the

society as a whole. Fortunately we have so many

achievers from our past and present who act as a

guiding force for us such as Mahatma Gandhi who

famously stated, “An eye for an eye makes the whole

world blind”. A good group of individuals make a

good society and a good society sees to a bright and

prosperous future for everyone”.

13

14

It

has been quite a year for our continued special

relationship with the US Embassy. In the past year

alone, many students met the US Ambassador

when he visited Cranford Community College, but also at

the embassy and in his home. Staff and students attended

a celebrity-packed reception for the US rugby team at the

US Ambassador’s residence plus numerous diplomatic

events at the US Embassy with other ambassadors from

across the world, worked with Matthew Barzun, US

Ambassador to develop his ‘Schools Talk’ programme

and one of Cranford’s star students gained the prestigious

Fulbright scholarship following

intense international competition.

It started in October 2015 with the

reception at the Ambassador’s residence

Winfield House for the USA rugby team

followed by other highlights including

private screenings and discussions at the

US Embassy on documentaries including

“My name is Malala”, talks at the school

by noted experts, discussion groups with

the US Ambassador, Matthew Barzun and

of course five of our students meeting President Obama. It

was also the US Embassy which asked us if we would like

to represent the UK at International Space Camp. The year

ended how it started when Ms Yousaf and myself were

invited to the Ambassador’s Independence Day

party at his residence. It was quite a party with

A list celebrities including Pharrell Williams,

senior politicians and royalty. The theme for the

party was a music festival with big name bands

like Squeeze and Bastille performing.

Ambassador Barzan’s term of office ends with

President Obama’s in January 2017 and he will

be missed by Cranford to whom he has been a

great friend and we were delighted to receive

the letter and certificate in recognition of this fact.

Kevin Prunty, Executive Headteacher added:

“Our partnership with the US Embassy has generated

some truly amazing experiences and opportunities

for Cranford students but, I suspect, it will be hard

to beat this impressive and rare event. In particular,

these opportunities are so important in helping young

people develop vital modern life skills like networking,

integrity, political awareness, civic engagement and selfconfidence,

all of which I believe are essential to succeed

in a dynamic world and global economy”.

Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher –Community)

Cranford Young leaders

meet US President

Barack Obama

On

Saturday 23rd April 2016,

five very fortunate year

12 students were chosen to represent

Cranford Community College among a

select audience of 55 young people at

the historical address at Westminster

Town hall by visiting US

President Barack Obama.

Cranford was invited by

the US ambassador to

select five of its young

leaders for the privilege

of a private meeting with

the president because

of the school’s ‘special

relationship’ with the US

which has seen students

given the chance to meet the ambassador

at the embassy, in his home and during a

visit to the school.

This event received global media coverage

as the US President took time to

talk about world

issues and engage

in a question and

answer dialogue with

young people from

across West London.

Navneet Arura, Zahra

Butt, Ali Aweis, Ubaid

Rizvi and Nabila

Hiyati were seated in

the front row as the president delivered

his message. The President urged young

people to reject pessimism and cynicism,

to believe that progress is always possible

and that difficult problems can be solved

but that sometimes it is necessary to take

a longer view of history and be satisfied

with moving something forward so that

others can take it further. He warned that if

you only spend time with people who just

agree with you, you become even more

extreme in your convictions, suggesting

the benefits of seeking out people who

don’t agree with you so that you learn

to compromise, adding “Compromise

does not mean surrendering what you

believe”.

The students got the chance to shake

hands with Obama - a life changing

moment. Navneet Arura pictured shaking

hands with Barack Obama said: “The

president came across as incredibly

charismatic and as a man of genuine

integrity. He gave very good answers

on a wide range of topics but it was his

responses in favour of gender equality

which particularly impressed me”.

Ali Aweis said: “I was fascinated by the

way the president used body language

to emphasise the points he made.

His message was one of hope and the

rejection of cynicism. I was inspired by

his comments that change only comes

about with struggle and discipline”.

Executive Headteacher Kevin Prunty

said: “The five young leaders will remember this exceptional

opportunity for the rest of their lives and we believe this

type of opportunities will motivate and inspire our students,

as well as significantly enhancing their future prospects”.

On Monday 25th April 2016, 15 “young leaders” from the school

met the US ambassador again to follow up the points raised at

the President Obama’s town hall meeting.

Alan Fraser

(Assistant Headteacher- Community)

“This once in a lifetime opportunity was absolutely tremendous. I never

thought that I would be able to get this opportunity to meet President Barack

Obama. The state of excitement and nervousness I felt was indescribable,

after all it’s not every day you get to meet the most important man on the

planet – the President of the United States. When he started speaking, there

was a very influential tone in his voice; he had charisma and was able to

offer good answers to the questions asked, which ranged from LGBT rights,

gender equality and racial profiling. I was particularly impressed at how

President Obama told us, the British youth not to step back from our politics

and to reject ‘cynicism’ if we are to lead on our country. Overall, the whole

event proved extremely worthwhile and beneficial to; I was able to see what

other young people had in mind, as well as listen to the President’s responses

to these. This is something I will never forget”.

Navneet Arura (year 12)

“Obama lived up very much to my

expectations, a well-spoken man who

showed charisma with every gesture; he

had tons of confidence too, being able to

stand up and speak in front of hundreds of

people in the audience and thousands on

the television as if this cam naturally to

him. It was also apparent from his several

subtle gestures how intelligent he was.

His removing his suit and rolling up his

sleeves to indicate that he was not being a

politician or walking around the podium

after his initial speech to show that he

breaks formal barriers, were just among

some of the things he did which showed

me just how much of a good politician he

really is. That’s not to say that he wasn’t

being genuine however. On the contrary

when one of the audiences (a Somali

gentleman) questioned him on waste

dumping in the Red Sea, the President

openly admitted that he wasn’t aware of

the situation and more importantly, was

willing to listen to the gentleman’s issue.

That is what I found to be his most notable

feature, that as well as him being a great

speaker, he was also a good listener”.

Ali Aweis (year12)

15

16

On

Tuesday 7th June 2016, we were visited by another

of our American friends. David Kovatch handpicked

Cranford Community College as the school he wanted to visit

to deliver his first such session to, having been very impressed

during conversations with Cranford students at another event at

the US Embassy. Though his specific remit is Energy Attaché

at the US Embassy London representing

the US Department of Energy, he talked

at length with the students about several

other issues aside from energy policies

and issues. Amongst domestic American

politics, students were interested in finding

out about David’s concerns surrounding

Donald Trump and the US problems with

gun crime. Internationally, IS came up as

well as the Palestine question – which

just won’t go away. These conversations are

usually had with 6th form students, but on this occasion Mr. Fraser

and I decided to give our year 10 students this opportunity. They

were really impressive. Whilst none of them had ever been in a

position to meet a diplomat or the like, our students were mature,

well-researched and not at all overwhelmed by the experience.

They were confident in asking questions and responding with

their opinions. Mr. Fraser and I are extremely confident in this

group of politically engaged youngsters going on to be global

citizens when they leave school.

Mehmoona Yousaf

(Senior Teacher Head of RE Department)

“I think that the visit from the US diplomat was

beneficial to both the UK and the USA as it helped

us to see what we think of each other and keeps the

relations with other countries honourable and decent.

We discussed many topics such as politics (Trump in

particular), gun crime in the USA and opinions on each

other’s involvement in many world crises. Racism was

also a topic, albeit a short one and I thought that it was

good that they gave us cards for us to write our frustrations/confusions/fears

(or something like that) about the USA”.

Majid Anjum (year 10)

“I found that speaking with Mr Kovatch helped me to understand how other

countries function and how they tackle the problems that we are currently

facing, such as global warming, immigration and extremism. He also

provided me and the other students with an outsider’s perspective on the

EU referendum and how it would affect not only the UK but also America”.

Ali Sarwar (year 10)

“We the People”

Conference with the US

Energy Attaché

Invite to

Winfield House

On

Wednesday 6th April

2016, Zahra Butt and Ali

Aweis year 13 were invited along

with myself to Winfield House the

US Ambassador’s residence, to take

part in a debate on current affairs.

The students found the discussion

enlightening and

were amazed by

Winfield House and

the surrounding

estate.

Mehmoona Yousaf

(Senior Teacher

- Head of RE

Department)

“At first I

didn’t know

what to expect

when I entered

to the Winfield

estate; a

building which

has hosted the

likes of Barrack

Obama and

the Queen. What I did anticipate however

was for it to be illustrious, and it did not

disappoint. The 12 acre estate was a sight

to behold and we spent what seemed to

be an hour perusing the bottom floor of

the mansion: the paintings, beautifully

decorated chandeliers and exquisitely

detailed furniture. After that we sat in one

of the vast rooms where we spoke about his

trips to schools, as well as our thoughts

on the way he answered our questions. My

personal suggestion was that he tries to focus

more on the topics which come up frequently,

and that he allows us to see the viewpoints

of Americans our age through the click poll,

so that it can be a proper exchange, which

he thanked us

for. We ended the

visit in classical

American fashion,

with a group photo

and horrendous

music played from

an antique music

box”.

Ali Aweis

(year 13)

Ukrainian

Ambassador

to the US

On Thursday

14th April

2016 a group of

students were invited

to watch a showing

of a new documentary

film “Winter on Fire”,

a documentary about

Ukraine’s fight for

freedom. Learning

about Maidan was an eye-opening experience.

When people told me about the conflict in

Ukraine, all I (and most people) would know

of the conflict that it was between pro-Russian

forces and Ukrainian forces In the Crimea area.

In many ways however the conflict we know of

started in Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence

Square), when the citizens of Ukraine united to

rally in protest against police brutality ordered

by Viktor Yanukovych. The two things which

struck me most from watching the movie was a)

how close to complete destruction the Maidan

movement came and that if it wasn’t for the brave

sacrifices of the men and women of Maidan

how the Yanukovych dictatorship would still be

around, and b), the position of the police and

army in all this. When the director was asked

about this in particular, he explained why there

was no interviews of the soldiers carrying out the

orders of the government (as they had orders to

fire at journalists first) and how he explained that

despite the fact that the soldiers spoke no words,

their facial expressions (of pure indifference)

spoke their true side of the story.

Zahra Butt (year 13)

Indiana Visitors

On

Friday 24th June 2016, we were proud

to host a delegation of

40 teachers from Indiana,

USA who were part of a

study programme with

Butler University, training

to be school principals.

They were in the UK to

look at our school system

and how our schools are

managed, comparing our

system with the American

system. Cranford was the

last on their tour and they

were absolutely blown

away by the amazing work

we do with our students.

They visited the Twilight

Centre, the Literacy and

Numeracy College (LNC),

the Picasso Centre and the

Hounslow Junior Citizen

Project and commented

that these were ‘truly

outstanding’. They were

fascinated by the range

and extent of the different

projects we run as a school

both to help our students

make exceptional progress

and to help transform our community. During the

day, Mr Dobison and Ms Painting, along with Ms

Panesar from Berkeley Primary School, were able

to form some excellent new relationships with our

American colleagues which we will continue to

build on.

Ruth Painting (Senior Teacher, Teaching and Learning)

17

Jack Petchey Awards Winners 2015 / 2016

The

Jack Petchey Hounslow

Awards evening was

held at the Waterman’s Theatre in

Brentford on Tuesday 24th May

2016.Cranford had the most award

winners at the event with 9 students

and 1 adult award winner, Dawn

Knock SEN Manager. The students

attended with their families and

looked incredibly smart.

This annual event celebrates all the

amazing things each recipient has

been involved in during the past year

and is a fitting way to acknowledge

their achievements. Each award winner receives a monetary prize in addition to a medal to spend on

some area or activity which also benefits the school.

The awards were presented by Michael Marks the Assistant Director of Education and Early Intervention

Services. A number of other VIP guests including the Chief Superintendent for Hounslow, Raj Kohli

were also in attendance.

The evening was inspirational and extremely enjoyable with some outstanding entertainment and an

extremely supportive and exciting atmosphere. It was a genuine joy to be able to applaud our students

as each received their boxed medallion and you could see the pride on their and their families faces.

Congratulations once again go out to all our worthy winners and especially to Dawn Knock our adult

leader award winner for the incredible work she does supporting our students within the school.

Kevin Clarke

September 2015

(nominated by Ms Edwards & Ms Freeman)

Kevin has been nominated for his outstanding contribution to the students in the ASD

Centre since September 2014.

He has dedicated himself to the role of mentor to the students in the ASD Centre, giving

up his free time every day in order to fulfil this role to the highest degree. He has acted

as a role model and helped the ASD students understand school policies and procedures

and, more importantly, social rules. He has taught the students how to mediate during a

disagreement and demonstrated a high level of maturity in his approach to dealing with

students’ problems. He encourages other year 11 boys to come to the Centre to extend

the parameters of mentoring which offers the students in the Centre a broader mentoring

experience.

Kevin shows good leadership skills as others follow his example. He has the ability to

source solutions and discuss with ASD Centre staff and seek advice when not entirely sure how to proceed with

own his ideas. He has good problem solving skills and gives 110% all the time, never failing to turn up with

very high levels of reliability and dependability.

18

“We do the Awards because we want to help young people raise their aspirations,

Prabhleen Ghattoray

October 2015

(nominated by Ms Knights)

Prabhleen is an excellent role model for her peers and is loved and respected by all.

She always volunteers for any and everything that is offered to her including being

involved in the Rugby World Cup Opening Ceremony, taking part in the Guinness

World Record largest scrum. She met the U.S Ambassador and the rugby players of

America. She was involved in 2 drama productions, “Caucasian Chalk Circle” and

“Macbeth”. She has performed many Dhol performances, in and out of school such

as at Berkeley Primary School summer fair and Springwell Junior School and in the

school at the year 13 Celebration Evening.

Prabhleen achieved her Black Belt and recently had her award evening in Northampton.

She is part of the school’s sports teams for netball, rounders and football and took part in the athletics event

in Osterley. She used to play for Brentford Football Club

She was an ambassador at the Junior citizen event and she has already completed a GCSE RSL Course in Music.

Rohan Sharma

November 2015

(nominated by Ms Tutt)

There were concerns as to how Rohan would cope with the challenges of being a part

of such a large secondary school. However from day one he showed a determination

and willingness to learn and to use the support available to him and we are very proud

to say what a successful journey he has had. In year 9 he helped Mrs Tutt, Mr Kemp

his then form Tutor and Miss Goodwill to educate his tutor group about autism, he

spoke about what it is like living day to day with autism. It was a very brave thing to

do and by the end of the session there were a lot of tears and admiration from both

staff and students. From that day on Rohan grew in confidence even being brave

enough to attend Jamie’s Farm in March 2014; this was a very successful trip for him

as it really pushed him out of his comfort zone and forced him to try things that none

of us would have dreamt he would try – delivering a baby lamb being one of those

things. Rohan went on to study and revise hard and did very well in his GCSEs he

is now in our 6th form studying RE, biology and maths. We wish him every success

for the future.

Arsida Dukaj

January 2016

(nominated by Ms Sheikh)

Arsida is an extremely hard working, talented, enthusiastic and an all-round lovely

student. She is always happy to help and take the lead with form time projects; she

is often back after school working on the form board or rallying the form group

together for different causes.

One such occasion was when we were writing letters as part of Post Pals) and Arsida,

with Gursharan, wrote a lovely letter and gathered some lovely gifts to post to the

young children. It helped to create (and emphasise) a real sense of passion in the form

group and a young person’s self-awareness of the responsibility they have towards

those who are in need of some support and kindness.

Arsida has participated in a number of school performances/productions since joining

the school in year 7. She has shown nothing but dedication and enthusiasm again and

has really developed a great talent in the arts.

believe in themselves and make a contribution to their society”. Jack Petchey

19

Gursharan Pannu

February 2016

(nominted by Ms Sheikh)

Gursharan is a brilliantly compassionate, kind and enthusiastic student who is also very

talented and takes a keen interest in all aspects of school, particularly in the extracurricular.

She, along with Arsida, is always happy to help and take the lead with form

time projects and they work great together as a duo.

When we were writing letters as part of Post Pals and Gursharan, wrote a lovely letter with

Arsida and pulled together a package of gifts for the young children who were terminally

ill. This helped to emphasise to the form how important compassion is and that we should

all show kindness towards each other.

Gursharan has also participated in a number of school performances/productions since joining the school in year

7. Her talents for drama and music have developed over the year. She has been a part of the cast for Caucasian

Chalk Circle, Macbeth (as part of the Shakespeare Festival), participating in concerts, in choir performances

and is clearly enjoying this. She is most definitely an asset to the form group and the school.

Davinder Gill

March 2016

(nominated by Ms Sitharanjan)

Davinder is a hardworking and focused individual, who shows outstanding commitment to

his learning and school community. Davinder is a keen sports man who is hugely involved

in our sports teams and extracurricular activities within and outside the school. Davinder

is a sports leader and captain for many of our sports teams run at Cranford including

football, rugby and basketball and will be nominated for sports leader in parkour. Davinder

has always been willing and eager to represent our school by volunteering to take part and

run student panels, school tours, presentations evenings and taster days and engaging in

career focused activities and trips. Despite all of his extracurricular activities he continues

to work hard and stay focused on his education, by meeting targets and heading towards

his GCSE target grades.

Taylor Panesar

April 2016

(nominated by Ms Ledlie)

Taylor became head boy, has taken the role on and has become a great ambassador for

the school.Taylor is a very clever and ambitious student who has an outstanding record in

curricular and extracurricular activities and possesses a strong drive and determination.

He has been an outstanding member of the army cadet force and he has been a role model

and mentor for other cadets within his own unit as well as throughout the sector.

Taylor does not just accomplish things through his military knowledge or his physical

achievements. He has gained a BTec in Public Services at the level of distinction,

completed his bronze and silver Duke of Edinburgh award and is currently in the process

of completing his gold award.

Taylor has recently completed the Master Cadet course at Frimley Park and received the

overall grade of Highly Competent. He also attended the Level 3 Institute of Leadership

and Management Course.

Taylor’s ambition is to enter the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and complete a full commission to join the

British Army; he has nothing else he would like to do more than to become an officer in the British Army, this

was entirely his own decision and I think it is fitting as it reflects his commitment and dedication to the ACF

as he wants to take all his knowledge and further develop it in the best training college in the world.

20

“We do the Awards because we want to help young people raise their aspirations,

Sahithya Natarajan

May 2016

(nominated by Mr Kalsi)

Sahi is one of the most inspirational student ambassadors that we have known. She

is a beacon of positivity and her exemplary, yet humble demeanour in the midst of

striving for excellence has set her apart as a role model who has earned the respect

and praise of both her peers and teachers. Since starting year 12, Sahi has volunteered

to work as a Teaching Assistant where her presence has meant that she quickly

developed positive learning relationships with the students who elicit her advice.

Sahi has used praise expertly and skilfully offers constructive feedback in a way

that never dampens the enthusiasm of the younger students, who (critically) remain

empowered and go on to do better.

Sahi has contributed to the wider culture of the school participating in a production of Richard III. Sahi’s

commitment to rehearsing and working with the cast demonstrates her well-rounded nature and her exemplary

ability to manage her time and truly excel not only in academia, but also in performing arts. In sports, Sahi’s

leadership experience has extended to captaining the school rounders team and she has trained children of mixed

ages at Isleworth and Syon School to learn the skills involved in badminton. In addition Sahi has frequently

represented the school at parent’s evenings, has been nominated as a student ambassador and taught a full

lesson of psychology to her class. She spoke in assemblies for every year group in about the EU referendum

and also gave a TedxTalk in Hounslow. How many students in the UK, could say they have spoken on the same

platform as major international figures?

Hasan Almosoy

June 2016

(nominated by Mr Kalsi)

I am nominating Hasan Almosoy because of his extraordinary personal qualities

as an inspiring young leader. Amongst Hasan’s exceptional traits are his striking

charisma and interpersonal understanding. Hasan’s talented nature and discernible

intelligence are matched by his focused disposition and positive personality; his

habitual readiness and steadfast commitment to achieving the very best cast an

inspiring template which not only make him a genuine pleasure to teach, but also

demonstrably raise the confidence and achievement of others, all of which has earned

him both the praise and the respect of his peers and his teachers. This bears testament

to Hasan’s ability to conduct himself in a mature, responsible and positive manner. He

was shortlisted as one of a very select few students to meet the British Ambassador to

the USA during the American President’s state visit to the UK in April 2016. Hasan

strives for excellence and sees tasks through to the end.

Hasan is the captain of the Brook House Sunday league football team and is a keen actor. Most recently, Hasan

played the lead role of the twisted king in Shakespeare’s Richard III, at The Beck Theatre.

In summary, Hasan is a brilliant student.

Dawn Knock

ADULT Leader Award

(nominated by Mr Rich & Mr Dean)

Dawn is always the first line of assistance for our pupils and is a brilliant communicator

when there are negotiations that need to take place between teachers, parents, pupils

and line managers to ensure the best possible provision for that pupil. There are

probably countless possible examples of her giving support around the school. She

always gives her time willingly. She is always approachable, friendly and professional

and I’ve always found her to be effective and efficient in her role at Cranford.

believe in themselves and make a contribution to their society”. Jack Petchey

21

22

On

Thursday 23rd June 2016 Cranford Community College hosted our very

first Arts and Culture Evening which this year included the annual Art,

Design and Technology Department Exhibition which showcases the exciting and

diverse work completed during 2015-2016 and celebrates the fantastic work of our

talented exam students in years 11, 12 and 13.

The range of work on display this year was outstanding with a more creative element

in 3D design, fine art and textiles reflecting the dedication and passion of our students

in producing their own work. Students, staff and parents were very impressed with the

work on display and many commented on the high standard and range of work exhibited.

During the exhibition awards were presented to students

including the prestigious Tracy Fletcher Award, created in

memory of a former Head of Art and Design. Students work

all year on different projects and the final outcomes are then

submitted to the Art Department and displayed for all to see.

Five outstanding pieces of key stage 5 artwork were

nominated by students and staff. Students voted to choose

the final five pieces of work by; Dillon Chuhan, Tania

Pereria, Raffeh Younus, Noorish Hussain and Sarah Hamza.

This year the prestigious Tracy Fletcher Art Award went to

Sarah Hamza for her powerful portrait of a freedom fighter

entitled “One Man’s Terrorist is another Man’s Freedom

Fighter”. Sarah’s art work focused on the struggles to

liberate citizens from oppression in any part of the world

and to look towards peace and a better place to live.

She wrote of her work:

“Freedom fighters do not need to terrorise a population into submission. Freedom fighters

target the military forces and the organised instruments of repression keeping dictatorial

regimes in power. Freedom fighters struggle to liberate their citizens from oppression and

to establish a form of government that reflects the will of the people. Now, this is not to

say that those who are fighting for freedom are perfect or that we should ignore problems

arising from passion and conflict. Nevertheless, one has to be blind, ignorant, or simply

unwilling to see the truth if he or she is unable to distinguish between those I just

described and terrorists. Terrorists intentionally kill or maim unarmed civilians, often

women and children, often third parties who are not in any way part of a dictatorial

regime. Terrorists are always the enemies of democracy. Luckily, the world is shaking

free from its lethargy and moving forward to stop the bloodshed”.

The award along with Art equipment was presented to Sarah as the overall winner

by Veronique Gerber, Head of School.

Thank you to everyone who attended the exhibition and to the students and

staff who worked so hard to create this wonderful work. We look forward to

the coming year with excited anticipation to see what our talent students produce.

Ruby Qureshi (Head of Faculty in Creative Arts and Technology)

23

Activities Week 2016

Structures and Interpretation

This

is the fourth year we have run Activities Week and this year we had a

focus on Structures and Interpretation. Departments across the school

worked hard to create amazing opportunities for our students in years 7-10 and year

12 to grow and develop through innovative projects and learning opportunities from

creating beautiful butterfly sculptures inspired by nature, a production in a day through a

media and performing arts project entitled, “Fluid Borders” to building Norman castles,

entrepreneurial challenges, investigating crystal formation and exploring the structures

and cells in dissection lessons.

The week challenged the students to think in a different way and undertake new learning

through fantastic opportunities, including for the first year, 500 + students venturing

out to learn away from the classroom. These included visits to explore local historical

venues and venture further into London to complete various maths and geography based

challenges.

Here are some of the activities listed below:

• Art in Maths

• Microscopic

• Buildings

• Natural History

Museum

• Crystals

• Pompeii

• Trip to the South Coast

• Sculptures

• An Enterprising

• Day

• September

• London Structures

Challenge

• Sports Day

• Medieval

• Theme Park

• Mega Structures

• Trafalgar Square

• Purifying Water

• Transport

• Web

• Harry Potter Trip

On Friday 8th July 2016, students in years 7-10 concluded the week with their Dream Rewards Day

with many off-site adventures. Activities Week 2016 has opened up new opportunities and exciting

challenges and like the previous years, has given the students and staff at Cranford the opportunity to

work together to achieve some amazing outcomes and a great week had by all.

Kevin Biggs (Senior Teacher Activities Week Organiser)

24

The

Science Department chose to run a variety of practical workshops for

activities week. One workshop was mega structures. Students were given

the opportunity to develop their engineering skills. They researched different bridge

structures, the importance of bridges and what happens when engineers get it wrong. They

divided into teams and competed to design and build the best bridge that was able to carry

the heaviest load. The second workshop was focused upon water purification and how

different techniques are used, what hazards there are and what the processes are that water

goes through to make it safe for human consumption. The third workshop focused upon

dissection and students got the opportunity to exam the eye and heart through dissection.

Kirsty Foale (Science Department)

“Today we learnt about bridges and how they help us in

our daily lives. We designed some bridges and created our

own. The best part of the day was when we created and

tested our bridges. Overall, we learnt the importance of

bridges and we learnt how to build bridge models (like

engineers do)”.

Simleen Shdana (year 8)

“It was an amazing day. We learnt the basic hazard

symbols first which made us all feel safe. We then went

on to the fun bit. There were 5 stations with different

experiments. Our group was split into 5 different groups,

so we all got to know new people. After learning all the

safety aspects and doing all the experiments we all were

confident on how to purify water. For our last lesson, we

were put to the test. For our last task was to purify swamp

water. We only had a tray of equipment to use. At the end

of the day we tested all the filters that all the groups had

made. All groups managed to make filters and were able

to understand why they had added that to their filter. We

still weren’t able to drink the water as it was not fully

disinfected even though it was clear”.

“As someone who is extremely interested in science, I

chose purifying water with high hopes and expectations,

which were met rapidly. The whole day consisted of

intriguing practicals that we otherwise would not have

had the opportunity to do. Being one of the few older

students, it was almost like my responsibility to watch

over and work with a group of younger budding scientists

in years 7 and 8. We created water filters out of limited

resources and learned about hard and soft water. We got

to work with fascinating chemicals and even got to look

at the prep room’s still (where water is distilled). Overall,

the day was definitely one of the best in the week”.

Megha Dahdrai (year 10)

Devi Matharu (year 9)

An Enterprising Day

KS-3 & 4

25

Career and Higher Education

Year 12 - Health and Social Care / Work Experience

As

part of their Health and Social Care courses at level 3 the year 12/13 students are required

to spend an identified amount of hours in the workplace to pass their applied course. It is

crucial for them to experience as many sectors as possible to build their knowledge of the healthcare

environment and understand both the breadth of opportunities in this field and progression routes.

This year they have been placed in primary schools, nurseries, doctor’s surgery and other institutions

relating to health and social care. All have enjoyed their involvement in the working world, improved

their understanding of health and safety procedures and the duty of care needed for success in this

sector. Most crucially their work experience has underpinned their studies enabling work to be

evidenced from real life situations.

As a follow on from work experience,on Monday 11th July 2016 a representative from “Parenta” came

to see the year 12 health and social care vocational students to offer support to them in getting into

the childcare industry.

“Parenta” has access to over 200 apprenticeship placements across the UK at all levels and in all

related sectors associated with childcare. The students found the visit informative and it broadened

their understanding of what is on offer for their future career planning. They were able to ask questions,

explore any concerns that they had and appreciate how their own work experience really did prepare

them for success in their chosen field.

Year 12 - Kickstart

Students in year 12 took part in the “Kickstart” programme

between 5th and 7th July 2016. This is a three day event for

a targeted group of students from both business studies and ICT

who are interested in a deeper understanding of the world of work’

the labour market, how organisations work and the effects of market

dynamics. Students research organisations, have an “Industry Insight

Day and write a blog ( the winner of which earns a work experience

of their choice from participating businesses, CISCO, Sky, GSK and others). This is a cross-borough

initiative so students met other students, improving their confidence and communication skills. The

course is designed to build enterprise and employability skills in the participants Students particularly

enjoyed the placement visits.

Julie Tomkins (Careers and Higher Education Consultant)

26

Year 12 - Careers and Higher Education Conference July 2016

On

Friday 8th July 2016 year 12 students took part in a Careers

and Higher Education Conference designed to increase

their knowledge of applying to university, help them identify their

own skills and aptitudes and support decision making post 18. A

variety of workshops were on offer, with students

choosing 4 out of a possible 13, all run by external

presenters from business, universities and by

Stemnet Ambassadors. These covered areas such

as “Choosing a University”, “Writing a Personal

Statement”, “Student Finance”, “Taking a Gap Year,

“Life as an Undergraduate”, “Apprenticeships,”

“Interview Techniques”, “Volunteering”, “Building

a Personal Brand” and more. It is clear from the

evaluation forms that the conference was highly

successful for students, staff and presenters with

students feeling much more confident and equipped

to plan for their futures.

Thinking

of

becoming

a

doctor?

A

group of students from year 11 attended a conference on Saturday 2nd July 2016 run

by “Medic Mentors” on “Making it into Medicine”.

The conference was run by practising doctors and covered topics such as what doctors do,

applying to medical school, different routes in to medicine, work experience, BMAT (Biomedical

Admissions Test) exams, personal statements and the interview process. Students were left in no

doubt about the process and expectations of studying medicine. All were given a course workbook

to be included in their portfolio for interview. An exciting development from this is the school will

be setting up a Student Society that will have a doctor as a mentor to advise all of the students at

Cranford interested in medicine as a career. The members of the Student Society will receive monthly

packs about developments in medicine, work experience and publishing opportunities and could join

the National Medic Mentor Student Leaders’ Committee.


27

Career and Higher Education

On

29th March and 1st April 2016 as part

of the school’s TI day, year 8 students

were introduced to the world of “coding” recently

when they took part in the Heathrow Coding

Challenge. In teams of 4 they had to build a robot

from a large bag of shapes. Not only did the

robot have to move but it had to be programmed

to navigate an obstacle course and stay mobile

for 30 seconds in a race against others. Emotions

ran high as teams pitched their coding abilities

against each other in elimination heats. Tenacity

was the watchword as teams continually went

back to their tables, refining, reprogramming,

using their learning from STEM subjects (science,

technology, maths and engineering) to create

an unbeatable robot. Students practised their

communication skills, learning how to work as a

successful team and encouraged everyone to be

involved. We thank Heathrow’s Learning to Work

Team whose talk to the year 8 students about the

work opportunities that Heathrow offers and the

varied routes in to them was very inspiring. It is

more important than ever to be knowledgeable

about coding and programming as it is estimated

that the UK will need a workface of 1 million

digital skilled workers by 2020.

“The coding

challenge was

incredible but was

tricky, challenging

and hard. But in the

end, it feels better

when the robot passes

the finish line”.

Andre Telmo (year 8)

“When I had the Coding Challenge, I really

enjoyed it because I had an opportunity to learn

how to code a piece of Lego. Also the support

from Heathrow was very helpful”.

Christian Mihalache

(year 8)

It

was exciting times for year 8 students on Wednesday 8th June 2016 as Irish

boy band, “Taken”, performed a series of songs just for them. The band,

from Dublin, were given a warm year 8 welcome before the

talented trio proceeded to entertain and educate the year group

with a series of popular songs, including Justin Bieber’s Love

Yourself, intermingled with messages about the dangers of, and

issues surrounding, online bullying. Spirits were running high,

music was blaring and fun was had by all and, as Taken headed

to Heathrow to continue their tour of Europe, the students meandered home, to put

their newly acquired knowledge about online safety to good use.

28


Year 10

Work Experience

There have

been

3 groups of

students out on work experience

this year ably supported by

“Spark!” a charity organisation

which has an extensive directory

of business contacts the school

is able to call upon.

Week beginning 16th-20th

May 2016, a group of year 10

students went to a variety of

placements, according to their

preferences, ranging from

retail establishments, library,

the Hospitality and Leisure

Industry, primary schools

and other students were able

to boost their knowledge of

career possibilities, understand

the working world and develop

their own skill set through front

line customer care in a real

working environment.

“It was amazing. I enjoyed meeting

new people, enjoying a different

environment and having fun”.

Caitlin Butterworth

“Learning new skills –being mature”.

Yusuf El-Hamid

“Good communication is important;

you want people to come back”.

Lucy Connelly

Julie Tomkins (Careers and

Higher Education Consultant)

Year 10 - Summer School

at Oxford University

August 2016

We

are delighted to announce three

students in year 10, Kiranjeet Seehra,

Hudaifa Mohamed and Tavleen Bumrah have

successfully applied to attend a pilot Summer

School programme 2016 at Somerville College,

Oxford University. There are only 40 students

nationally who have had this success. Students

can look forward to academic classes focusing on

English and maths but also subjects outside of the

curriculum they are following in school, lectures

that support applying to university covering all

aspects of the process, group projects and individual

“coaching” to build confidence and help plan for

the fulfilment of their aspirations. It does not stop there. Students will have a refresher course, in the

Easter holidays 2017 and on-going e-mentoring monthly, from university support staff.

All three students are delighted to be selected. Kiranjeet said; “I’m really excited because it is a good

learning experience”. Tavleen said “It is a great opportunity that not many people get” and Hudaifa

acknowledged; “I am very lucky and it will help me in my future”.


29

From

Friday 1st July for 10 days,


High Achiever sixth form students travelled to

the Panjab in North India visiting charitable

organisations supporting

education, health, social and

wellbeing of the most vulnerable

in society regardless.

The trip was set up by the school

to provide work experience

for Cranford students and

opportunities for cultural exchange

between them and the organisations

visited. This visit provided a unique

experience of and insights into the

humanitarian work being carried out.

The students were placed for work

experience at the Guru Nanak

Mission Hospital Jalandhar in

Panjab and were involved in

the day-to-day running of the

hospital and clinics, shadowing

or directly assisting doctors and

nurses. They observed operations in the theatre and accompanied doctors on their ward

rounds and in their clinics. This work experience has provided Cranford Community

College students with experience, knowledge and understanding of the medical practices

which will give them a lead in securing places at the most prestigious universities.

In addition to the work experience the students visited the Pingalwara (a charity which

provides shelter, care, education and medical services for the poor and destitute of

society) and the Unique Home for Girls (a home for unwanted, unclaimed and orphaned female

children). Cranford students spent time with the children in both organisations particularly focusing

on caring and helping with literacy skills.

At a school run for the child labourers in the slums of Jalandhar and during their

visit the students were able to facilitate some English teaching.

The students worked in

a number of charitable

organisations and were able

to see how such groups were

serving their fellow humans, supporting the most

vulnerable in society and then reconnecting

many within the communities.

Also on the agenda were visits to the Golden

Temple and the Fouress School

in Amritsar. At the school they

participated in discussions

on talent, creativity, values

on education and exchanged

experiences of their own

schools.

Sabhi Hothi (Consultant and Trip organiser)

“Amidst all the exam and course work chaos I don’t think

I really had the opportunity to sit and deeply think of the

trip I was set to go on. My initial thoughts were; “I don’t

want to be a doctor so will this trip be useful for me?”.

However having work experience abroad, regardless of what

field would prove useful. Yet the trip proved to be so much

more than work experience, more like a life experience.

Visiting the Pingalwara was truly eye-opening. There is so

much negative stigma attached to the idea of disabled and

diseased people to the point where it is heart-breaking to see

the consequences. Seeing how quickly attached the children

there became to anyone they see and the happiness they

received from the smallest of things. This was also the case

at the unique girls’ home where the girls had been protected

from the harsh realities of poverty because of the goodness

of one woman who decided that girl’s lives were equal to that

of boys. It made me realise that it takes initive to help and it

just goes to show that if we truly do want to help we can”.

Sahithiya Natarajan (year 12)

30

“India, a colourful, vibrant

educational place. Initially I came

here for work experience but along the

way I have gained so much more that

will forever be irreplaceable. Going to

the Mission Hospital, the Pingalwara

and the Unique Girls’ Home taught me

that being humble and selfless goes

such a long way”.

Amal Aweis (year 12)

“There was so much selfless service in India so much

gratitude and perseverance. All of the places we visited

relied solely on the goodness of others giving their

time without expecting something in return. Going

to see how a group of women in a rural village had

been empowered to start their own business and how

they as a group combated alcoholism rife within their

community made me realise that we have to first decide

to make a change for good things to happen”.

Rachana Mudrakolla (year 12)

“When I stepped into the country I found myself in

a new world surrounded by many different cultures

moulded into one. It was bewildering when we arrived

in Amritsar: noise, the driving, the stark contrast

between rich and poor confused me. Visiting the

Golden Temple was an insightful experience, seeing

people worship and having a tour around the temple

complex surprised me due to the humanity I saw from

others and their eagerness to worship but also their

willingness to accept me even though my religion was

different from theirs”.

Zakariye Abdalle (year 12)

“My initial experience of Indian

hospitals came from when we had to

take my younger brother to one and

my mum had to pay for his treatment.

However I left the Mission Hospital

with a positive feeling as people there

who were very poor were still being

treated and were being treated very

well and with a love and kindness that

should be extended to all regardless

of wealth. What stood out to me the

most was that it was apparent that

the people in this hospital lived out

their Sikh faith. After learning about

Sikhism at GCSE it was amazing to see

that people actively practised their

religion through selfless service and

in how they saw God in all those they

were treating. I think we often pay lip

service to our religions but here in this

hospital it was an active part of dayto-day

life and this gave me such hope

in the kindness of humanity and our

ability to make a difference”.

Anya Sharma (year 12)

31

Internationalism

Shanghai

Tianjin

Zimbawe

Cranford’s Global Pa

The

year for Cranford Community

College began with the

reaccreditation of the school for the International

School Award (ISA). This evidences the deep

and embedded way that the curriculum reflects

the international dimension, providing students

with amazing opportunities to discover the

world, from Russia (via web conferencing)

to Korea (pen pal communication and then

meeting up at Cranford), from the north of India

(aspiring medicine students visiting medical

establishments) to Bangladesh (joint PSHCE

project on drugs and smoking). Cranford students

enjoy countless opportunities to learn about the

ever smaller world we live in. The ISA was

swiftly followed by Cranford achieving World

Class School status. The feedback from the

organisation was: “We would like to express just

how impressively your students have performed

over the past 18 week process - you should be

very proud of them” - and we are.

In January 2016, we were honoured to welcome

Professor Paul Mavima, Deputy Minister for

Primary and Secondary Education in Zimbabwe,

accompanied by Dr Sylvia Utete-Masango,

Permanent Secretary at the same ministry,

plus Itai Masimirembwa, CEO of eLearning

Solutions, Zimbabwe, Cecil T Chinenere,

acting Zimbabwean Ambassador and Terrence

Madzonere, Counsellor at the Embassy, who

came to Cranford specifically as we are lead

for the Science Learning Partnership for South

West London and as an outstanding school we

were a perfect choice for this visit with a focus

on STEM (science, technology, engineering and

mathematics teaching). Despite the short time

the group was able to spend at Cranford, they

were unanimous in their praise for the standard

of education and the positive attitude of students

to their learning and the enthusiasm of the staff.

This was followed in March 2016 by a visit by

13 Thai teachers whose focus was also on STEM

within the school. Both delegations visited

lessons and talked to students and staff. These

visits were organised through the British Council

and already we have been asked to host further

visits. We look forward to welcoming more

visitors who always leave with a broad smile and

excellent memories of their time with us.

Cranford has forged very strong links with South

Korea, since we first welcomed a group from our

partner school, Ocheon High School in Pohang.

We again hosted a group from Pohang this

summer and have now been able to set up lessons

in Korean for Cranford students from September

2016 in conjunction with the Korean Embassy

32

America

EU Teachers

Bangladesh

Korea

Japan

rtnerships 2015-2016

in London. This initiative came out of our link

with Docetis International through whom we

engaged 5 teachers of English from South Korea

in the school for 8 weeks. They worked mainly

in the English Department and were delighted

with what they saw and learnt at the school. The

five Korean colleagues are now back in Korea

and putting into practice what they learnt here.

We welcomed 10 teaching colleagues from

across the European Union whose brief was

specifically to look at how Cranford celebrated

the richness of our multi-ethnic community.

Once more the teachers were so impressed with

the courteousness of the students who spoke to

them about the work they were doing.

As part of the year 10 PSHCE “Say No To

Drugs” project during WFactor this summer,

a link was made with a school in Bangladesh.

This is a new venture we know that such links

gives the students at Cranford an even greater

understanding of issues faced by their peers in

other parts of the world.

Japan has one of the highest achieving education

systems in the world, according to PISA data

and it is right that Cranford learns from such

systems on its journey to continue at beyond

outstanding. Keio University, one of the

most prestigious universities in Japan, is now

beginning collaboration with Cranford with its

Junior High School in Tokyo. This is a really

exciting opportunity for both staff and students

and there will be more updates soon. We also

have created links with Okayama High School

and their music teacher, Mr Onishi, visited the

school in March to get to know us even better.

A former Cranford colleague, Mr Baxter, drama

teacher, works at this school and it makes a

perfect link for us.

Our strong and long-lasting partnership with the

Tianjin College of Commerce, Tianjin, China,

was further developed by the reaffirmation of

the agreement between the two institutions to

continue our close links and in October we

receive a group from China and our group will

leave just after that over the October half term.

Cranford has just become an Expert Centre for

the Global Learning Programme, establishing

a network of primary and secondary schools to

develop the global context in their curricula.

These are exciting times for Cranford Community

College.

Philip Dobison

(Assistant Head of School, International Relations)

33

English Department in support of learning

Every year the English department organises various trips to see productions of plays being studied

by students at GCSE and A Level. This year we took students to see a “Midsummer Night’s

Dream” at Stratford and “An Inspector Calls” at Richmond Theatre. Here are a sample of the reviews

written by the students in appreciation of their experience at the theatre and how it has increased their

knowledge and understanding of the play they are studying.

Frances Green (Head of English Department)

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

at the RSC in Stratford

The

Royal Shakespeare Company’s

production of A Midsummer Night’s

Dream was utterly captivating. The actors portrayed a

convincing performance that transported the audience

into a Grecian world full of magic, mischief, chaos

and love.

“An Inspector Calls”

Play Review

Erica Whyman took a creative twist to a Shakespearean

comedic classic, infusing jazz, costume and a merry

band to add to the levity of the Forties setting. The

unconventional setting paired with modern costumes

enabled us to be enlightened about Shakespearean

comedy and drama. We found ourselves laughing

throughout the play, enjoying the evident chemistry

between characters such as Oberon and Titania,

the eccentric movements of Puck, played by Lucy

Ellison, and marvelling at the dedication of amateur

actors who portrayed the Mechanicals.

Seeing the play in theatre has not only helped us

understand Shakespeare’s intended platform for the

text, it has also exposed us to a world of theatrics

and performing arts which

I believe coalesce with

English literature.

I have created a VLOG on

YouTube about our day at

Stratford which highlights

the day and this wonderful

production.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyzOCIAI4QI

Roshini Lal (year 13)

Wednesday 20th April 2016 was a day

greatly awaited for by many of the

English GCSE students including myself.

It was such an important day because we

were all waiting to watch the much talked

about play ‘An Inspector Calls’ which we

have been studying.

Upon entering Richmond Theatre we were

full of excitement and despite our coach

arriving later than expected, everybody

managed to see the very beginning. The

play was very compelling; actors were

brilliant and the performance as a whole

34

“An Inspector Calls”

at Richmond Theatre

We

are members of one body: this famous

line about social responsibility from

the play ‘An Inspector Calls’ by JB Priestley

still resonates with us today, just as strongly

as it did over 60 years ago when the play was

first written.

was of a very high standard. Props and the

set were arranged with such thoughtfulness that

it made everybody jump out of their seats when

the set started falling apart which - by the way -

was an intentional event.

I can most confidently say the production was

enjoyed by all of us. Overall, I’d like to say that I

considered it a privilege to attend such an excellent

performance which helped me understand the

staging a lot better and which will definitely

benefit me when doing my English GCSE exam

questions based on this play.

Cristiana Eftenoiu (year 10)

On Wednesday 20th April 2016 we were lucky

enough to go and see a performance of ‘An

Inspector Calls’, one of our GCSE English

literature texts. Arriving by coach, our journey

really began when we entered the house full of

spectacle called Richmond Theatre. Eager and

excited, we were greeted by staff who led us

to our seats; the crowd around us murmuring

in excitement. The anticipation arose when the

lights finally dimmed and the tension started

rising as we eagerly waited for the cast to

display their talents. A large quantity of smoke

rapidly engulfed the stage and the crowd grew

more eager and eager for what was about to

come. Then all of a sudden we started to hear

the music cancelling out the crowd’s whispers,

resulting in pin drop silence.

The performance was truly inspiring and

interpreted this great play ‘An Inspector Calls’

in a captivating manner. It will undoubtedly lead

to our success during our GCSEs as watching

the play brought to life in such a brilliant way

will help us remembering the play on a deeper

level. The visual representation, particularly

of the house itself, raised on stilts to signify

the elite position of the Birling family, was

remarkable and sincerely unforgettable.

Juhi Kumra, Yoonis Ahmed and Alice Himani (year 10)

35

Hounslow Annual 6th Form RE Conference 2016

For

the second consecutive year Cranford Community College hosted the annual Hounslow

Borough 6th form RE Conference on Friday 17th June 2016.

Owing to his huge success last year, Dr Ranvir Singh was invited to return as the key note speaker

with a refreshed angle on the question: Is Britain still a Christian country? Dr. Singh always stimulates

minds. He is involved in religious studies as a teacher, an examiner, a teacher trainer, and an activist

in interfaith relations. He asked many profound questions, for instance, when the now former Prime

Minister David Cameron stated in 2015 “Yes, we are a nation that embraces, welcomes and accepts all

faiths and none but we are still a Christian country” was this divisive? And whilst attendance figures

in Roman Catholic churches have overtaken those in Anglican churches, when people like David

Cameron say ‘Christian’ do we really mean Church of England only?

There was lively, interactive workshops lead by UCL IOE teachers and Cranford’s

own A level religious studies students, which put them in their teacher’s shoes as they

facilitated a range of controversial topics including the common perception that Islam

oppresses women.

The ‘Question Time’ style panel enabled students to quiz experts representing different

belief systems on topics ranging from the meaning of life and the perennial Israel Palestine

problem and what causes people to question their faith in God. Once again this stimulating

and thought provoking day was enjoyable and rewarding for all involved.

Mehmoona Yousaf (Senior Teacher- Head of RE Department)

“The day was great fun. I really enjoyed working with students

from other schools as they often had different ideas which added

to our workshop. At first I was afraid to speak in front of lots

of people but after teaching the workshop once, I felt more

confident and actually learnt a lot from the different discussions

taking place. Furthermore through listening to the Question Time

panellists I gained a lot of understanding of topics that I didn’t

previously know about, for example different perceptions about

the purpose of life”.

Anmol Talwar (year 12)

“The preparation for the RE conference was fun because

we had autonomy in the subject of our workshops and

we chose to consider “Does Islam suppress women?”

The idea behind our workshop was to show that

often it is the channels through which a religion is

communicated that discriminate and suppress rather

than the religion itself. Our workshop first encouraged

us to think outside of the box as we had to embolden

our peers to be proactive and ask questions. At first

it was difficult to come up with ideas for this but then

with a little team work we created something fun and

challenging and the year 12 students seemed really

got involved in and had lots to say about”.

Suad Abdullahi & Shafla Sharaz (year 12)

“I really enjoyed the question and answer section of the

conference, as this allowed us to speak to learned members

of different religious and non-religious communities. All

of the representatives answered honestly even when they

were given difficult questions to respond to. Such answers

I felt gave us a better understanding of the different faith

communities and allowed us to see that in many ways we

often agree on topics rather than disagree”.

36

Navneet Arura (year 12)

At

U.S. Ambassador Workshop

25th April 2016

Regents Park Mosque

Cranford we support our students in becoming global

citizens and empower them to engage in different world

views and as such we are taking up every opportunity that allows

a growing number of students to meet our friends at the American

Embassy. This time the Ambassador Matthew Barzun held a question

and answer session at the Islamic Cultural Centre in Regents Park

Mosque. Students took the opportunity to first visit the exhibition

of the life of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the basic tenets

of Islam as well as its history, before getting front row seats for

the main event; the advantage of this was the Ambassador easily

recognised Cranford Community College and the familiar faces he

is now getting used to.

Mehmoona Yousaf (Senior Teacher - Head of RE Department)

“When I was told I was going to meet

the US Ambassador at a talk in Central

London Mosque, I felt honoured. When

we arrived at the mosque I was surprised

to see the small number of people that

were going to be there. I expected it to be

a big event but it was just a small group

of people giving their questions and

opinions to Matthew, the ambassador,

which I thought was great. We had also

used clickers so that we could take part

in a poll on the PowerPoint and it was

fun but also quite interesting to see what

others would choose for an answer and

what the most popular answer was. The

ambassador also gave a talk where he

addressed topics such as the one and

only Donald Trump as well as the 3

Amendments and the role the US has in

taking in refugees. The whole event was

very eye-opening, enjoyable and a great

opportunity”.

Rufayda Sahal (year 11)

“Meeting Mr Barzun was a very

fascinating experience. We got to ask

him many questions about the domestic

and foreign issues faced by the USA and

we also got to debate about the IS Crisis,

the situation in Syria and whether or not

the USA should be doing more or less

to help resolve those problems. It was

really interesting to hear his and the US

Government’s stance on these issues and

what part the USA has to play in them.

Additionally it was a great learning

experience about American politics

which affects the whole world”.

Eshan Gupta (year 11)

Khalsa Secondary Academy joined the Cranford Teaching School

Alliance this academic year. As Cranford’s alliances grow so too

do the range of events we are invited to. To celebrate Vaisakhi

and demonstrate our new partnership with Khalsa Secondary Academy

Mr Stumpf and I attended a special celebratory Vaisakhi assembly,

along with staff and students from other schools. Student performances

led the way, focussing on one of the most important points in Sikh

history, the formation of the Khalsa. Students reflected on the bravery

of the first members of the Khalsa and their commitment to live as a

Sant Sipahi or Saint Soldiers to defend the week and remember God in

doing so. The oneness of creation and the unity of all humans was the

message that permeated the whole event, as was demonstrated in the

sharing of karah parshad at the end of the service.

Mehmoona Yousaf (Senior Teacher Head of RE Department) &

Peter Stumpf (Head of School)

37

38

2015 / 2016

A Year of

Innovation, Exploration and inspiration

Cranford’s Drama Department and its

talented students are not afraid to

try something new, be inventive and

rise to new challenges and this year has been

no exception. Right from the beginning of

this academic year the department took on

the challenge of staging “Macbeth” for the

Shakespeare in Schools Festival which received

huge praise for its originality and staging and

some outstanding ensemble performances. This

was followed by a highly thought-provoking

production of Peter Shaffer’s “Equus” by year

12 A level theatre studies students, which

brought its own challenges with the technical

requirements and double casting. The year 11

GCSE drama students surpassed expectations

with their sophisticated and innovative group

projects based on the theme of “Consequences”,

creating performances which tackled head on

current issues and situations like bullying via

social media, segregation, elitism, and personal

conflict.

In the spring term year 9 performed their TIE

(Theatre in Education) pieces to primary schools

based around issues such as bullying, depression

and autism, which stimulated much discussion

and a lively question and answer opportunity. In

addition the audience were treated to an amazing

Bollywood dance performance by Aelia Asmi

and Shanan Bhamra in year 9.

The year 10 GCSE drama group continued this

trend of high quality performances by presenting

their group projects on the theme of Past and

Present to an invited audience on Wednesday

29th June 2016. They had 4 weeks to prepare

and they worked in groups of their choice. I was

so impressed by their commitment to after-school

rehearsals and during lesson; their enthusiasm

and stress were in equal measure. The start of the

evening was fraught with anxiety and stress, but

once each group were in position before the lights

went up they suddenly came alive and brought

their talent, conviction and confidence on stage,

where they engaged the audience, making them

cry, laugh out loud and most important of all they

made them think and question.

We finished the year with an innovative project

for activities week where drama contributed to a

cross-arts project entitled “Fluid Borders” arising

from the theme, ‘Structures and Interpretations’.

Given the current climate which we cannot as a

society ignore, we felt students should be given

the opportunity to interpret this artistically and

give voice to their thoughts through the medium

of the arts, and create something that is not

connected to the politics. We offered a range of

stimuli and the result varied from year group to

year group. All students were either musicians,

actors, directors, writers, dancers or film makers,

where they had to use the stimulus to create

a piece for performance working to a tight

deadline; the same afternoon at 2.00pm. They

worked in teams with student leaders directing

the process to produce a quality performance and

in true Cranford style, they came up to scratch

each time. The year 9 and 10 performances

were outstanding, where some groups had really

taken on board the artistic ideas of others and

incorporated these within their chosen art form.

If within 4 hours they can produce work of this

quality just imagine the possibilities within a

longer period of time when the focus and the

commitment is so intense throughout.

It is during these times that it is most invigorating

being a teacher because you can see how much

students have absorbed independently and witness

them come alive and bring to the process what

they have learnt, by seeing, hearing and doing.

What is also an absolute pleasure is that you see

students just blossom into confident, organised,

young people who rise to the challenge and so

many of them did.

In my new role from September 2016 I will

be developing opportunities for students and

members of the community within the arts in

school and beyond, into the wider community

of our Cranford group of schools, other network

schools, local businesses, local and national arts

organisations and other partners, I hope to ensure

that we all have access as either a member of the

audience or a participants to a high quality arts

experience. To achieve this, we will be carrying

out an audit of skills and talents within our

community to develop these by offering many

more opportunities for all.

Seema Sethi (Head of Performing Arts)

39

Year 11 Prom 2016

After

months of preparation by the Prom Committee Wednesday 13th July 2016 witnessed

the graduation of the fantastic year 11 cohort in two brilliant ceremonies. The

first function was a stunning rite of passage opened by the dhol playing duo of Suraj Vikhou and

Harmanpreet Singh and saw students make their way on stage to receive their Records of Achievement

from Executive Headteacher Mr Prunty. The occasion was accompanied by musical performances from

the student band comprised of Raul Plahe and Zohaib Salam as well as the talented Tatyana Baiden who

also performed a masterful solo piece later in the evening. To close the ceremony a specially produced

video, filmed and edited by the gifted duo of Aadil Awan and Suraiya Baig, was beamed across the

hall and offered life tips from teachers to pupils to help guide them in their future endeavours.

Once the formalities had drawn to a close it was time to change location and in some cases outfits,

and head over to the outstandingly decorated prom venue. Students were greeted by a red carpet and

dhol beats on arrival and made an impressive entrance into the hall to begin the celebrations. The

atmosphere was electric right through the night with high energy levels only being beaten by even

higher noise levels and once the dinner had ended there was no stopping the entertainment. Awards

were handed out to students that personified the principles of the prom with the final award of Prom

King and Queen being awarded to the impeccably dressed Sanjeet Rattan and Maarya Zaabar who

also threw some serious moves on the dance floor from start to finish.

The entire evening was a huge success. The enthusiasm and dynamism of year 11 was unparalleled

and it was an unforgettable ending for the most unforgettable of year groups.

Year 11, thank you for the best prom I have ever witnessed, I look forward to watching you flourish

and continue your success here at Cranford next year.

Matt Southern - Myers (Head of year 11)

Record of

Achievement

Evening

40

“Well, I can tell you one thing, the last 5 years have

been anything but boring.

I started at Cranford in 2011 at the same time as

your children which has been a little unfair on them

as during this time I have had the absolute privilege

of watching them flourish and grow into the amazing

young people sat before me whilst in return they

have witnessed me become more miserable, gain

more wrinkles and produce less hair.

So unfortunately I am now fully integrated into that

stage of life when conversations have transitioned

from talking about how exciting a mid-week gig was

to deliberating the pros and cons of switching to a

variable rate mortgage at the weekend.

This incidentally also means that dinner parties are

no longer about talking about the job I want to do

but the career I now find myself in and it is at this

point I gloat.

I tell people of my career choice and I am greeted

with the same responses “I don’t know how you do

that”, “I couldn’t work with teenagers” and “Why

would you put yourself through that?” and my

answer always stays the same. “It is amazing”. And

this is why. Sitting before me today is an array of

such phenomenal young people, that I would like to

thank you, the parents and carers, for providing me

with the opportunity to work with them on a daily

basis because I say this with absolute honesty, they

aren’t just “good kids” some of them are the greatest

people I have ever met.

To year 11 the summer will provide you with a set of

exam results that I hope you are proud of but I want

you to remember this, I am proud of you whatever

they are”.

Matt Southern-Myers (Head of year 11)

“I can honestly say that I feel privileged to know

such a fantastic group of people. Right from the

outset I’ve found you to be a very friendly year group

and you made my job as Year Manager rewarding

and enjoyable. You are hardworking, mature,

responsible, enthusiastic but even more importantly,

you are kind, caring and genuine young people. Not

only have you got the right attitude towards work

to succeed academically, but you have people skills

that will take you far in life.

Take a piece of the school with you. Over time you

have absorbed not only information, knowledge

and skills, but also the school’s values, culture and

history. Take this experience and use it to make a

difference in the world.

Take time to enjoy this time of your life and keep

your options open. When you look back, you will

remember it as one of the best times of your life,

a time of expanding horizons in a world full of

possibilities”.

Minali Kolhatkar (year 11 - Year Manager)

41

News from the LRC

We

Cranford’s Students win

Hounslow Secondary Schools Spelling Bee 2016

are delighted to announce that four year 7 Cranford students triumphed in ‘The Hounslow

Secondary Schools Spelling Bee’ 2016 winning the competition against tough opposition.

The Spelling Bee final on Tuesday 12th July 2016 was held at the Heathland School. Haroon Lukka,

Corben Smith, Zehra Hasan and Filsan Abdilahi battled it out against 6 other local schools to win

first place. Cranford made it through the first two rounds successfully and flew straight into the final

round against the Heathland School. It was a nail-biting experience for us all.

20 year 7 students were invited in April to an internal heat organised to trial out for the team. Since

then the successful four students have been practising two hours a week with the support and guidance

of their mentor ‘Queen Bee’, Ms Mensa, who has worked really hard with the team in ensuring they

were ready for success.

This initiative was started at Cranford in 2013. Each year the winning school hosts the following year’s

event. We are very excited as Cranford will host the Spelling Bee for the 3rd time in 2017.

Mahavir Ladva (Library and Study Centres Manager)

42

“The Spelling Bee was probably the most exciting

experience I’ve had in year 7. Here’s why:

The start was quite pressurising. We got to choose 3 words

each of either easy, medium, or hard difficulty to yield

more points. The top 4 qualified into round 2. When it was

our turn, we were feeling so focussed. I was first. I lead

the team choosing 3 hard words and obtaining 6 points.

Then it was my classmates’ turns. Overall we managed to

get 30/36 points (the most of all the teams) so we qualified

to the semi-finals.

The next round was the semi-finals. Our challenge was

to get none wrong. We nominated two people to do the

challenge. This was very pressurising because one

mistake would cost the team. After a few rounds two of

the schools started to slip up under pressure (what did

I tell you?). The last round was the finals. This was the

most pressurising because there were only 2 schools left

and to lose would be very unlucky. Then the Heathlands

School spelt wrongly. We won.

Overall I think this was an exhilarating experience”.

Haroon Lukka (year 7)

“When I was accepted into the team, I felt extremely

excited, yet when it came to practising (after school,

Tuesday and Thursday): I was flabbergasted- there

were so many difficult words in the English language

that I had never read or heard of ever before. I did not

think I would ever learn words like “blasphemous” and

“miscellaneous”. However, over time, I was luckily able

to learn these words and some techniques to help along

the way. It has enhanced my ability to spell a great deal,

and I was extremely glad.

Soon the proper team was decided, and I was thrilled

to have been accepted, yet I was a little nervous, as the

Spelling Bee Competition was only a few weeks away.

Corben, Haroon, Filsan and I (the Spelling Bee team)

were then asked to do even more hard practising to get

our spelling skills up to exceptional. We were given a

list of some of the possible words that could be in the

competition, and a Spelling Bee dictionary and revised

them too. These spellings have helped me a lot, as they

have helped me spell words that I did not know how to

spell before, and words that I was spelling incorrectly.”

Zehra Hasan (year 7)

“The tournament was

really nerve-racking

and exciting, as you

never know what words

would come up next or

how difficult they would

be and with the other

schools competing for the trophy it made it really difficult.

The teachers were really helpful in boosting our confidence as

all four of us were getting very nervous and with their support

we managed to win the trophy.

The Spelling Bee was an amazing experience and I am sure all

the other competitors will say the same. It has definitely raised

my confidence in spelling and speaking to an audience and I

hope the teachers enjoyed it as much as I did and in the end we

managed to win the trophy that we had worked so hard for”.

Corben Smith (year 7)

“For the second round each team had to nominate

two students. Haroon and I were nominated. One

student from each team had to sit on a chair whilst

the other stood behind. Haroon sat down and I stood

behind him. Word after word was given to each team.

Lampton and Gunnersbury had been disqualified for

spelling the word incorrectly.

At this stage it was officially the third round and

various words were given to each school. Back and

forth, back and forth like a game of tennis. So far

not a single team had spelt one word incorrectly.

However that was until a boy from the Heathland

School team slipped up. He had spelt ‘irresistible’

wrong. This immediately disqualified him from the

competition which left Cranford as the winning team.

Cranford had reigned victorious once again and

claimed back what was theirs”.

Filsan Abdillahi (year 7)

Library Ambassadors

20

Library Ambassadors were selected

to come on an exclusive trip to

London city in celebration of their fantastic

achievement and investment to reading and

the Library. Some of these students took

part in the Spelling Bee, others volunteered

and the top 12 readers for 2015-2016 were

also invited. Students were allocated a sum

of money which they used in the flagship

Foyles book store to select books for the

Library. Students selected a wide variety of

fiction and non-fiction books for their peers

to read. This trip is a fantastic way to sum

up the wonderful things that were achieved

from students investment and hence the

students were rewarded with an opportunity

to go onto this trip. It gives the students

the responsibility to select resources and

use their students voice to encourage other

students to read.

Mahavir Ladva

(Library and Study Centres Manager)

43

On

Thursday 23rd June 2016 the people

of the United Kingdom went to the

polls to vote on the EU Referendum, probably

one of the most important votes since the

Second World War

Cranford Students

have their say on the

EU Referendum

During the weeks preceding this vote, students

at Cranford learnt about both sides of the

argument for Brexit and for Remain through

assemblies led by sixth form students, tutor

group discussions and regular information

from the various debates taking place via the

media.

On the day of the vote Cranford students wanted to have their say and held an in school ballot.

Although many of them are too young to vote it is clear from the results that students at Cranford had

a view on how the country should vote for their future.

Mr Kalsey, Psychology teacher who organised the event said:

“I am so incredibly pleased and proud with the professionalism shown by the student ambassadors. The

question of the referendum is a dizzying and disorienting one; the issue is complex and there are not

only many political, economic and societal considerations to take into account, but at the same time,

our values and beliefs are called to the fore by this, most major, decision we have to take as a country.

Consequently, many adults have struggled to formulate cogent and informed positions about Britain’s

membership to the European Union. In light of this, it has been refreshing to see how adeptly these

students researched this issue and explained their views publicly to the students in assemblies. I believe

these students performed a valuable service to the school by inducing some clarity and stimulating

conversation amongst students and staff about what will be one of the most important political decisions

of the 21st century”.

Jaspal Kalsey (Psychology Department)

“It was truly a great feeling to be able to have a say on what is undoubtedly

one of the greatest political decisions of the 21st century and to influence,

inform and educate students throughout the school on what they may initially

perceive as something that would not have any impact on their lives. I hope we

enlightened young minds and enabled them to formulate a reasoned standpoint

on the question of the EU referendum”.

Zarak Khan (year 12)

44

“I really enjoyed presenting to the

younger years as I hoped that the

referendum on Britain’s membership

of the European Union would help

ignite the flame of passion for politics

amongst students as I felt that there

were not enough people who were

knowledgeable about this key question

and topics related to it. It was good to

share our ideas and opinions to help

them formulate their decision on whether

leaving or staying is better. All in all it

was a very good experience because it

helped us to develop our public speaking

skills at the same time”.

Ubaid Rizvi (year 12)

“Involving myself with such

an important decision about

the future of our country has

definitely proved to be an intense

brainstorming exercise for me; each

stage throughout the process has

enriched many aspects of my skill

set. In the process of researching, my political awareness was truly

extended; where initially I knew nothing, I now have enough knowledge

to be able to generate a personal opinion regarding a major political

issue. Secondly, presenting our case physically to every year group

undoubtedly enhanced my public speaking skills. This experience has

been very stimulating as I believe it is important to be educated on

global affairs, especially those that will significantly impact our lives.

I am grateful to have been a part of such a project that has allowed me

to bring awareness to others”.

Sahithya Natarajan (year 12)

Year 9 PSHCE

Looking at the World

and its Challenges

Within this area of

the curriculum

students have been

exposed to many of the

difficult issues faced

by both individuals

and society. They

have been exploring

in considerable depth

some of the challenging

topics that the world

faces, from human

rights to gender identity,

from living with disability to the harsh realities

of addiction. Students have been free to share

their points of view and challenge others’

stances with the primary focus of educating

students about acceptance and the celebration

of difference within the human race. These are

sensitive areas and issues and through the year

we have seen them mature and further develop

their tolerance of people from all walks of life

in a world where discrimination and intolerance

seems to be on the rise.

Topics Covered:

• Sexual Exploitation

• Race

• Equality

• Human Rights

• Gender

• Gender Identity

• Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender

• Addiction

• Mental Health

• Grooming

• Female Genital Mutilation

• Child Labour

• Child Soldiers

• Radicalisation, extremism and propaganda

• Forced Marriages

• Disability

Barbara Lodge and Kevin Biggs (PSHCE)

“This year I have learnt about child

exploitation, about about forced

marriage and arranged marriage

and the difference. I also learned

about human rights and mood

disorders. In my opinion the child

exploitation topic bothered me the

most because there are innocent

children out there who have to go

through all these things like being

forced into having sex or being

beaten. I definitely think after having

these lessons I will not take things

for granted and my reaction would

be different. I like watching the

videos about what we are learning

as it makes it easier to understand”.

“Some of the lessons have made me

change my opinion on some things

which is to watch out for things as

it can happen quite easily nowadays

and I think that online grooming

bothered me the most because I

think that it’s most likely to happen

and you don’t realise that you are

being manipulated if you end up in

a situation like this so it’s harder to

realise and hard to get out of”.

“The lesson which made me change

my thinking was the equality lesson

between men and women, because

I believe that both women and men

should have the exact same rights.

At the end of the day we are all

human and there are some things

that women are capable of doing

rather than men. The topic which

bothered me most was children who

get forced to marry at a young age,

because it was a very interesting

topic as children my age are forced

to get married, leaving their families

and education behind. By doing this

it feels as if your whole future has

been thrown in the bin, which can

affect many children, as they had

other ideas such as jobs etc”.

“Learning about FGM was horrible

but important. I am going to talk

to my parents about this tonight, I

didn’t really understand before what

an impact it has had on women from

my culture”.

“I thought I knew a lot about how

to keep safe online but learning

about extreme behaviour and how

it can happen so slowly over time

that people don’t always notice has

really made me think again. We all

need to work together to keep our friends and

families safe. I will not be afraid to speak out”.

45

Modern World Languages

Spanish Teachers

working with Hounslow Primary Schools

Spanish teachers from Cranford have been working closely with local primary schools

and I have recently started teaching Spanish to year 3 and year 6 classes.

Initially it was a big change from secondary teaching and I realised much of my

training for secondary teaching was not appropriate for the age group. However, once I got to know

the children more and some primary school teaching techniques, the lessons became as entertaining

and educational for the students, as they are for me.

We have told stories, sung songs, practised origami and drawn pictures, incorporating Spanish into

every aspect of the activities. The children enjoy the activities as much as they enjoy learning the

language, through the use of call and response and acting out mimes. I hope to continue this work in

the new academic year.

Matthew Nation-Tellery ( Modern World Languages Department)

Year 7 - Hyde Park trip to Winter Wonderland

On

Thursday 3rd December 2015, 40 year 7 German students went to Hyde Park to visit the

German Christmas market in Winter Wonderland. We left Cranford Community College at

break 2 by coach and returned in the early evening. It was an amazing opportunity for our students

to experience traditional German food

and hand-crafted gifts and Christmas

decorations. The market was beautifully

lit and had authentic chalets with German

people selling traditional food. The

students were all given a quiz about

German food and gifts and this provided

a great opportunity to speak German. The

students had a fantastic time and took

away some memorable experiences.

Angel Roeder (Head of Modern World

Languages Department)

46

A Media Journey Through The Eyes Of A Student

Each year students who complete courses in media at GCSE and A level at Cranford comment

on the vast learning curve they have experienced having had little prior engagement with this

subject.

Historically students in the Media Studies Department have produced some highly sophisticated and

innovative work, many of which have been use as exemplar pieces nationally. We are extremely proud

of our students’ achievements. Students leave with highly developed technical and analytical skills

which can serve to aid them in a range of future careers

outside and inside the media industry. From September

2016 there are lots of exciting opportunities on offer

for all students including the BBC Schools Report and

the Muvizo Animation competition.

This year Kulbir Maras year 11 and Mirfat Khamis

year 13 have kindly shared their experiences in words.

Sharandeep Saroya (Head of Media Studies)

My 4 year media studies experience at Cranford has been an

absolute pleasure. It has made me grow as a person and given

me skills that I will be able to carry with me throughout my

life. It has allowed me to be creative - a trait that I was not

very confident about previously until I took up media. I’ve

been able to make film posters, short films, opening scenes

and even a magazine.

Studying media has given me the opportunity to visit places

like the BFI (British Film Institute) where I have been able

to ask media experts questions related to the media industry,

giving me a real insight towards decisions I want to make for

my own career. With the expertise and support from the media

staff I have seen my work develop, getting better and better.

My skills in terms of editing were weak at the start and I was

not confident at all. By the end of the course I was much more

confident and I had learnt so many more editing techniques

that I still currently use.

Mirfat Khamis (year 13)

GCSE media in year 10 was unknown territory with its

creativity and intricacy. But now after finishing the course

and going into A level media, I’m excited for the prospects

ahead. At GCSE, we had to create our own RomCom poster in

year 10 and in year 11 we crafted a three minute documentary.

Each task had its difficulties, however the end result was

worth it all. I learned from doing my RomCom poster you

must pay attention to detail. It is what separates the good

posters from the great posters. When filming the documentary, it’s very different to film something in its given genre. A

tip I picked up along the way, that is key, is to film everything because the best documentaries are the ones

with little twists and turns that surprise the audience. Media is

definitely a subject that I’m glad I chose

and continue to pursue.

Kulbir Maras (year 11)

ANNE HATHAWAY OLIVIA WILDE JAMES RECHEVILLE

and difficulties that

young peop

Mirfat and

NEVER LOSE THE SPARK

THAT LIES WITHIN YOU!

THE HALF OF ME

‘NEVER LOSE THE SPARK THAT LIES WITHIN YOU’

THE HALF OF ME

d

c

MIFI PICTURES :

F OF ME ’ œ ANNE HATHAWAY OLIVIA WILDE / JAMES RECHEVILLE nALISHA MENDEZ c ZAYN HASSAN

HA QADDOOS p JESSICA KOXHA £OLIVIA WILDE

–

47

e

The World We Live In

During Activities Week the Humanities

Department led sessions on one of the

most important moments so far of the

21st century – the terrorist attacks on the World

Trade Centre towers in New York City, United

States of America. This dramatic event shaped

the world which our students have grown up in

and many of them were born in 2001 or the years

afterwards so have never lived in a time when the

world was not aware of the threat of terrorism.

At Cranford we believe it is important to tackle

difficult topics and Activities Week where the

traditional curriculum is collapsed to engage new

learning providing an excellent opportunity for

students to consider wider world issues alongside

other new challenges. During the discussions we

examined many important questions and issues.

Firstly we examined the case study of what

happened on 11th September 2001 in America.

We heard and saw many dramatic pictures and

accounts from people who were there. Then we

moved on to try to define such a difficult concept

by asking ourselves: What is Terrorism? Why do

terrorists use terror tactics?

The students showed great levels of maturity

in the way they engaged with the content and

considered many aspects leading up to this world

changing event and the impact on our lives today

and in the future.

Tom Rich (Head of Humanities Department)

Jack the Ripper Trip

On

Friday 1st April 2016, 40 year 8 students and

3 staff journeyed to Whitechapel to see some

of the stories they had learnt about Jack the Ripper come

alive. Mr Rich led students around the small twisted

alleys of Whitechapel pointing out key places where

Jack the Ripper committed some of the most gruesome

murders in History. Students were able to contextualise

the murders they had been learning about and were able

to discuss some of the key flaws in the case, in the hope

to understand why the police failed to catch Jack the

Ripper. The day proved to give students an insight into

Victorian life and was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

“The Jack the Ripper

tour was amazing

and fascinating”.

Jasveen Gill (year 8)

“It enhanced our

learning and as we had

already learnt about Jack

the Ripper in History, we

were engaged and could

visually experience the

topic. It was a once in a

lifetime opportunity”.

Neha Hussain and

Gargi Jadhav (year 8)

Florence Wrigley (History Department)

48

Seven Sisters Country Park Field Trip

During Activities Week seven staff took various groups of students from year 7, 8, 9 & 10

to Seven Sisters Country Park near Seaford. This trip arose from work we have been doing

in geography and our main aim was to try and build on work we have completed with all

geography students in their lessons and introduce a practical element to increase understanding.

We began each trip by walking up a nearby hill to get a view of the nearby meander along the

river followed by a walk down onto the beach at which point we would have lunch followed by a

demonstration of longshore drift using oranges which showed the direction of the current on the beach.

Once completed, we walked further along the beach to the chalk cliffs and demonstrated the type of

geology that made up the cliffs, in this case chalk which is a soft rock. The students were amazing

and really engaged with all aspects of the trip. We were really fortunate to have good weather which

made the experience even more fun.

Gerry Lee (Geography Department)

Building Norman Castles

During Activities Week, the History Department offered an activity to students involving the

building of a model Norman castle.

Students spent the morning recapping the events of the Norman Conquest in 1066 before looking

at how and why the Normans used castles. We examined the shocking fact that motte and bailey castles

were used to control the Anglo-Saxons and stop rebellions against William I. We even managed to

explore a 3D virtual simulation of a motte and bailey

castle which helped students to understand just how

they were constructed.

In the afternoon students were challenged to use their

creativity to make a motte and bailey castle out of

cardboard and paper. The picture shows how their hard

work paid off, as our castle was historically accurate

and even featured a working drawbridge.

Henry Burke (History Department)

49

Science Department 2015-2016

The Drayson Project

Since our first report in

the annual review 2015 we

have seen some significant

developments in the science

department and some amazing

opportunities for our students.

We are delighted to announce

the project overall has seen a

170% increase in the number of girls choosing A-level

physics which is a reflection of the ever growing

confidence in our young female scientists .

The various activities of the project this year included:

Ms Stokes and Ms Foale attended the annual Institute

of Physics two day IGB (Improving Gender Balance)

conference at the National STEM Centre in York at the

end of February 2016. The conference provided many

useful ideas to trying to promote more girls into studying

physics at A level and an opportunity to update and

discuss what they had done throughout the year. Good

practice and resources were shared. The most memorable

part of the conference was learning about growth mindset

and the benefits it has on girls in physics.

Jessica Hamer from the IOP ran this WFactor in the autumn

term 2015. The girls became physics ambassadors and

visited local primary schools. They gave mini hands-on

workshops on static electricity, bubbles, smart materials

and rockets.

Ms Foale ran the Girls in Physics project in the spring

term 2016. The girls explored gender balance within

Cranford and interviewed students and composed short

video clips displaying their findings.

A video, produced by Caitlin Butterworth, Lina Iman

and Maeve D’Souza (year 10) can be found in the school

intranet at:

T:\w-factor\Girls in Physics

The Rocket Seed Project

Cranford Community College was

selected to take part in a unique national

science experiment which will have

future implications for the human race

in space.

On 2nd September 2015, two kilograms

of rocket seeds travelled from Baikonur,

Kazakhstan on the Soyuz 44S rocket

to the International Space Station. The

seeds were stored in microgravity by

British Astronaut Tim Peake before they

were returned to Earth in spring 2016.

On Wednesday 20th April 2016, Cranford

received two packets of seeds - one of

which spent 6 months in space, whilst the

other remained here on earth. Students

at Cranford planted 100 of each type

of seed, but did not know which packet

of seeds has been in space. This was

revealed in a unique live broadcast from

the International Space Station by Tim

Peake at the end of the experiment.

During the first half of the summer

term our young scientists took various

measurements, comparing the 2 different

seed types to formulate data.

This UK wide study will provide the

European Space Agency with some

invaluable data regarding the effects

of microgravity on various crops and

plants which are frequently consumed

by humans.

To support this programme of developing

female physicists, the school ran a whole

staff training on gender and unconscious

bias in classroom practice with the help

of Jessica Hamer from the IOP. There has

also been training on embedding careers

into classroom practice for link primaries

and other local secondary schools.

50

Astronomy Project

During the first half of the summer

term 2016 students in year 9 had the

opportunity to work on an astronomy

project with Mr Callendar where they

learnt about the science of space and

how astronomy gives us a better

understanding of where we are.

“I find astronomy interesting as it covers

one of my most favourite scientific

topics “space”. So far we have learnt

about space in current time, things that

could be a threat and have a big effect.

We discovered these things through a

software called stellarium which will

show astronomical object placements in

current, future and past time”.

Pavan Arora (year 9)

“Astronomy

gives us a better

understanding of

where we are and

makes us constantly

think about the world

we live in”.

Samir Saasaa

(year 9)

A Level Science

Extended Learning Opportunities

There is no doubt extended learning opportunities for students

following science courses at all levels helps to enhance

knowledge and understanding. At A level this is particularly

important and during the year students have experienced a variety

of trips and conferences at UCL in support of their studies.

Biology A Level Trip

There were 5 lectures at UCL. They were

very interactive and intellectual. One

lecture that stood out focused on surgery,

presented by an experienced surgeon who

specialised in oesophageal cancer. He

presented it graphically which made it easy

to visualise and understand how the process

takes place. The surgeon also raised our

awareness about symptoms and charities

we could donate to. As well as making the

presentation really informative it was also

very engaging. The lectures gave us an

insight into how our courses would be in

university.

Hamda Diriye, Hafia Osman, Ilhan Hersi and

Hafsa Mohamed (year 12)

Chemistry A Level Trip

On Wednesday 16th March 2016, a group of AS chemistry

students attended various lectures at UCL. The lectures

were quite interactive and definitely intriguing. They

explored topics such as nanoscience, the science behind

fake blood and the applications of carbon and chemistry

within the food industry. The lecture regarded as most

interesting was the ‘Breaking Bad’ one as it applied

chemistry to context more relatable to the target audience.

We also attended an ‘Examination Focus Session’ which

proved to be very useful as it discussed the common

mistakes made by students. It gave us an insight into

how to avoid common errors and gain marks efficiently.

This was a very informative and eventful trip and we

are thankful to the Science Department for providing us

with this opportunity.

Sahithya Natarajan, Uzair Kassam and Sikander Bhinder (year12)

51

He ston West

Community

Partnership is

celebrating its first year

of operating in part of the

Heston West area. HWCP

is part of the Big Local

National Lottery initiative

which has given £1 million to 150

areas to enable local communities to

make their community a better place to live. The

area of benefit includes the school, Redwood Estate,

Harlech Gardens, Brabazon Estate and a few

surrounding roads. The year has been packed with a

variety of activities including the drama performance

of Alice in Wonderland, multi sports activities,

summer school, a day trip to Brighton for 140 local

residents and numerous celebration events including

EID, Christmas carols and the Queen’s 90th Birthday

celebrations.

Cranford students have got involved in the Big

Local not just as participants but also as leaders. The

students wrote bids for up to £500 to run activities

which would bring benefit to the local community and

several of them were successful including walking

football for the over 50’s, blind football and an arts

and storytelling club which is being run after school

at Berkeley Primary School.

As the Chair of HWCP it has been great to see

the community come together and the second year

promises even more exciting opportunities with the

theme being ‘Health and Well-being’. I have been

particularly pleased with the number of our students

who have got involved and are making a difference

to their community. One of the things which make us

stand out from other schools is our involvement in the

community and our development of our students to be

outstanding leaders for their community.

To find out more about the Big Local and what is

going on please go to our website:

http://www.hestonwest.org

Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher - Community)

Jamie’s Farm

Once again I was lucky enough to be

able to take two groups of students

to Jamie’s Farm in Ditteridge,

Wiltshire which is about five miles from

Bath. Jamie’s Farm is a working farm and

is home to sheep, cows, horses, chickens,

ducks, dogs and cats. Each trip consists of

twelve students from years 7 to 11 who are

chosen for a variety of reasons, students

who are in need of nurturing, who are at risk

of exclusion, who need a confidence boost

or perhaps who will benefit from being in

a calm, loving, family environment.

This academic year we went in October

2015 and May 2016 and on both occasions

we were lucky with the weather, managing

on some days to go about farm life in

t-shirts and not be knee-deep in mud.

It can sometimes be difficult persuading

the students to come to the farm, for many

reasons for example: not being allowed to

have mobile phones, sweets, crisps, junk

food or internet access, no communication

with parents or friends. I always tell them

what a brave decision they have made to

put their trust in me and come to the farm.

On the morning that we are going to the

farm I generally feel slightly nervous that

someone may decide not to go at the last

minute.

However, from the minute we arrive to such

a warm welcome the children immediately

feel at home, loved, cared for and listened

to. It is non-stop from the minute we arrive

to the minute we leave, the children very

quickly realise what hard work farming is.

They take an active part in looking after

the livestock, gardening and therefore

producing food for us all to eat, preparing

and cooking three wholesome, hearty

meals for the whole group every day. In

addition they do carpentry, artwork, horse

whispering and after afternoon tea (when

the students have the only sugar in the

form of a small piece of cake) we go on

a lovely long hike through the beautiful

countryside. The surrounding area is very

hilly and the walks can be a struggle for

some – the students really come into their

own and you see everyone supporting and

52

A place where children can be children

Our time at Jamie’s farm was breath-taking as

we had an extraordinary time feeding lambs and

working with the animals and staff.

encouraging each other when things are getting

tough. In October a year 11 boy held my hand and

quite literally dragged me up the longest hill and

then helped me all the way down, I was very touched

by the kindness and compassion he showed. Jamie’s

Farm really does bring out the very best in everyone

that visits students and adults alike.

At mealtimes we all sit around a huge table and after

eating delicious food we all take a turn in giving a

‘check in’ which is letting the group know how we

are feeling. We then give a ‘shout out’ to someone,

this is where we recognise and celebrate others

doing well. The children all give very well thoughtout

shout outs and it can be difficult for the children

to hear such good things about themselves and often

it can be very emotional. When reminiscing about

their time at the farm the students always speak

of sitting around the table as a family, sharing,

listening to and giving positive feedback as a very

happy memory.

When it’s time to come back home the overall feeling

is being sad to be leaving such a lovely carefree

place; a place where children can be ‘children’ and

not have all of the stresses of everyday life.

About two months after our return we go on a one

day visit to Jamie’s Farm Waterloo site which is an

urban farm in the centre of London. Whilst there we

do a little bit of farming, speak about how things

have been since our return, collect certificates

celebrating our time at the farm and just generally

have a reunion, which is a lovely ending to a very

special time, but is also a new beginning.

Vanessa Tutt (Jamie’s Farm Lead teacher)

What I took from the trip was that there was no

point of being arrogant and self-centred because

no one would want to speak to you. They might

think you talk about yourself sometimes. The trip

made us think about stuff we didn’t know ourselves

for example some of us never knew how to cook but

now we know how to be professional cooks.

Ayub Hassan (year 7) & Yasmin Yakoob (year 8)

My experience

at Jamie’s Farm

was bewildering

and perplexing.

Personally, the idea

of going and staying

at a farm for five

days did not appeal to

me but the experience

changed my outlook

on farm life and life in general. It gave me a chance to

be myself and actually realise who I am.

While there, I adapted to a new routine which was

healthier than my usual one. This involved waking

early, having three meals a day, feeding and looking

after animals and going on daily walks. I enjoyed

going on these walks because it was a chance to view

and explore the scenery as well as do fun things from

our childhood such

as rolling down

hills. There was

plenty of time and

opportunity to help

those who were less

able to walk the 6km

distance and get to

know people better.

The best thing about

Jamie’s Farm was

that we created a family even though

we weren’t the type of people who would usually mix.

This meant that I got to know younger students as well

as staff. Everything benefited me in a good way and I

would recommend the experience to others too.

Paula Atouguia (year10)

53

News from the Music Department 2015-2016

There

is no dispute to the long-term

benefits of studying music

whether it’s for fun, or for formal qualifications.

Music has always played a central role in our

lives and nurturing and promoting this should be

a priority. Our society, culture, the way we think

and behave have been shaped by the music that

we listen and are exposed to. It is for this reason

the Music Department continuously seeks to

encourage its students to explore, experiment and

create musical performances and compositions

of high quality.

This year we have seen a record number of

students taking individual peripatetic music

lessons, with an increase of 80% from last

year; this has been due to the fantastic work the

teachers from Hounslow Music Service have

provided and the enthusiasm and interest from

the students. Learning an instrument requires

commitment, dedication and perseverance and

the students at Cranford never fail to live up

to these expectations. Congratulations to the

Piano

Teodor Jevtic

(year 10) – Grade 5

students who have taken music exams this year

(see photographs below).

This year the Music Department staged two

RSL showcase concerts, the first in October

2015 and the second in March 2016 alongside

the GCSE Music Showcase. Each concert was

created to celebrate and showcase the wonderful

music talent Cranford has to offer. Students from

both year 10 and year 11 spent months creating,

rehearsing and refining their performances, until

it was of the highest quality and ready for an

invited audience.

Executive Headteacher Kevin Prunty commented:

“This is exactly the sort of thing I am looking for.

When I go to other schools and look at what they

put on and compare it to tonight, we’re definitely

along the right lines. I remember seeing these

students when they first started and they have

come a long way. The quality has certainly

improved”.

Head of School Veronique Gerber said: “In the

12 or so years I have been here, I would put

this concert in the top 3. It was amazing and

I’m really proud that our students have produced

fantastic and high quality performances”.

Mo Wasiq (Head of Music Department)

Guitar

Haroon Lukka


Raul Plahe


Christiana Efteniou


Zahra Sadiq


Alexander Hickey


Shariq Ahmed


Shubhdeep Sethi


Zain Khan


54

Violin

Cello

Drums

Naomi Efteniou


Teodor Jevtic

(year 10) - Grade 1

Vishal Singh


Karamveer Tamna


In

June 2016 the Music Department were

asked to perform a repertoire of music

from the classical period to the modern era as

part of a joint evening in celebration of arts

and culture at Cranford. After many months

and endless hours rehearsing they created a

concert programme which matched perfectly

the atmosphere of the occasion with very high

quality piano and vocal performances. Our

students presented themselves as professional

musicians and they created and developed

their performances which left the audience

impassioned and exhilarated.

At Cranford our commitment to and

encouragement of students to pursue music as

part of their daily life is extremely important.

We hope that in the new academic year those

students learning instruments and taking part

in the RSL course and future concerts will

continue to grow which will continue to be a

strong influence in the life of the school.

Mo Wasiq (Head of Music Department)

55

The National Art & Design

Saturday Club

An experience like no other

In

October 2015 Cranford

Community College

opened its doors to the youth

of the community to offer an

experience like no other, namely

The National Art & Design

Saturday Club which offers free

expert tuition to students within

the community. Students attended

from seven different schools and

experienced a range of skills and

opportunities which are normally

only available at FE colleges and university

establishments. Like a foundation course the

classes covered a range of disciplines, focusing

on creative thinking and building new skills.

Members especially enjoyed monoprinting, laser

cutting using CAD and painting with Brusho a

brilliantly intense crystalline colour, they also

put together portfolios for arts award. Club

members commented on how they learnt new

skills that have helped them in their schools and

parents have said that the club has helped to raise

their child’s confidence.

Throughout the year the club members have had

some excellent opportunities to visit various

centres in support of their art work which they

have responded to really well. The visits to

London included a tour of the design museum,

where they saw examples of work by the

contemporary designers and were able to imagine

possible career paths.

During the London visit they took part in a pop-up

exhibition at Kings College London where their

portraits were put on display alongside other club

members portraits from groups nationally. It was

an excellent opportunity as some club members

had never seen their own work up in an

exhibition space.

Masterclass with Wallpaper*

Cranford’s masterclass was held at the Wallpaper*

offices in the Blue Fin building, behind the Tate

Modern and started with a tour of the magazines

departments. The team from Wallpaper* talked

about different roles within the magazine, what

they do and how they work together. Wallpaper*

is the world’s foremost design and lifestyle

publication, recognised for its keen eye for

talent, intelligent perspective and international

reach. In addition to a monthly magazine, it

offers an in-house creative agency, an interior

design service, the online WallpaperSTORE, and

over 100 Wallpaper* City Guides. Wallpaper*

Handmade, its annual exhibition celebrating the

marriage of craftsmanship and contemporary

design, is consistently one of the most popular

at Milan Design Week.

Club members were fascinated to see behind the

scenes: the fashion cupboard, the dummy board

showing the layout of the magazine in progress,

and drawings and photographs of the sets that are

constructed for furniture and interiors features.

They learned about the importance of research

for new stories and of pace in terms of each

issue’s order and structure.

The brief for the day was to produce a collaged

cover for an issue of Wallpaper* using a blank

template and a selection of pages from previous

editions. Working quietly and individually the

club members bounced ideas off each other and

were assisted by the Wallpaper* team. Once

finished the covers were pinned up together and

the results were strong and distinctive; they have

been printed as magazines.

56

Summer Show

at Somerset House

The work of the Saturday Club

culminated in a final show at Somerset

House. The private view hosted by Sir

John Sorrell CBE and Lady Frances

Sorrell OBE opened the exhibition

of work showcasing the work of club

members. Guest Speakers included Sir

Peter Lytton Bazalgette, Chair of Arts

Council England and Edmund De Waal,

the writer and ceramicist.

Cranford Community College exhibited

work at Somerset House alongside other

institutions. Club members displayed illuminated

figures made from acrylic letter forms and

the magazine they created in their

Masterclass at Wallpaper*. It was an

invigorating and exciting event for

the club members to see their work on

display at such a prestigious space.

They also had the opportunity to

meet Sir John Sorrell CBE and Lady

Frances Sorrell OBE at an official

awards ceremony where they received

certificates for participation from the

Saturday Club Trust.

Pirmjeet Hunt

(Saturday Art School Tutor)

“The National Saturday Art Club at Cranford has

been an exhilarating experience. It has given me the

opportunity to learn new things which are not in the

GCSE art curriculum and it has given me the chance

to meet other participants who were not in my school.

The masterclass to the Wallpaper offices was a new

experience as it gave an insight of the expectation in a

professional job in the creative industry; I got the chance

to meet professionals who work there and received a

tour of the offices. The experience as a member of the

national Saturday art club was rewarding as I got the

chance to meet inspirational and dedicated people like

Ms Pirmjeet Hunt”.

Kirandeep Kaur (The Heathland School)

“I still enjoy coming in every Saturday morning, I still

enjoy the skills we learn and I still enjoy the positive

presence of everyone around me. The main thing that’s

changed since joining this club is my growth as an

artist. We’ve recently done a master class at Wallpaper*

magazine and it was an opportunity that opened an

entirely different career path for me, combining my love

for writing and art. I am thankful Mrs Hunt selected me

10 months ago to take part in these sessions”.

Ajeet Khela (Cranford Community College)

“It has been a fantastic year and it has been brilliant

working with such creative minds. The club members

from all schools have been enthusiastic, dedicated and

committed. They have attended every week without

fail and have produced some lovely work. It has been

a pleasure to help them develop and grow as both

personally and academically. They are lucky to have

gained the opportunity to take part in this club and I

am sure that it will definitely help them in any career

pathway that they choose. It has been excellent to work

with the Sorrell Foundation and Wallpaper* magazine

and I am glad that the club has opened doors for the

club members. For many this is the start to their creative

journey as selected club members are now going on to

spend the summer working on the Jenufa Project with

the English National Opera”.

Pirmjeet Hunt (Saturday Art Club Tutor)

57

Year 12 - Activities Week and Monopoly Challenge

The

week started off on Monday 4th July 2016 with year 12 Students working in

form groups to create a structure inspired by a famous European landmark.

Students had to design their structure and pitch their idea to Ms Kaher in exchange for a

variety of resources. They then worked against the clock to construct their idea, using the

resources acquired during the pitch and eventually present it to the rest of the year group.

After much scavenging in various departments students finally created structures

“Hats off” to 12W who won out right with their spectacular design, with 12Q and 12U not far behind.

Wednesday 6th July 2016 was the annual Rewards Day trip for year 12 where students took part in

the Monopoly Challenge. It was indeed a challenging day which saw students split into groups and

once again race against the clock to visit as many popular sights in London as

physically possible in one day. Everyone made it back in one piece... eventually.

Congratulations to the winning team, Ziah Charles, Aarina Babra, Navpreet Jassy,

Mariam Quireshi, Tara Williams won the Challenge with 5100 points. Their prize

is dinner at Nandos.

On Thursday 7th July 2016 students were involved in a range of sessions aimed at

developing their personal and academic understanding of the world. Students were

fortunate enough to discover the seven traits of what makes a person successful

and learnt about different aspects related to health and relationships presented

by NHS nurses who were on hand to answer any questions. There was also time

for students to work independently on their UCAS applications.

Friday 8th July 2016 was organised meticulously by Ms Tomkins and

was focused on Careers. Students had the opportunity to choose from 13

workshops ranging from writing an effective CV to Building Your Own

Brand. This was an invaluable experience for students and everyone

walked out of the workshops with smiles on their faces and a spring in

their step.

Over all the week was highly successful - students had the chance to take

part in a range of activities and opportunities what will hold them in good

stead for when they leave Cranford and enter wider world.

A big thank you to Mr Biggs and Ms Tomkins for all their hard work in

creating an exciting and resourceful activities programme for year 12.

Deepak Bahra (Head of Year 12)

58

Sports

News

2015-2016

The sporting schedule of the PE department this year has

continued to grow as more and more opportunities have

arisen for our talented sports men and women. Here are

just a few reports from this year’s sporting news.

David Box (Head of PE Department)

Year 7 & 8 Borough

athletics competition

We went to the Osterley

Athletics Track for year 7 and

8 Borough Athletics. It was a

great day getting to represent

Cranford against other schools.

We took part in two events

and so much fun as everyone

was cheering for each other.

Even though we didn’t win

anything everyone tried their

best to win a medal. Thank you

to Ms Jenkins and Mr Box for

coming with us.

Julia Wiatrowska (year 7)

Year 10 Sports

Leaders Programme

In the summer term Cranford

supplied 19 year 10 Sports

leaders for the Hounslow

Primary Schools Tennis

Festival. The day was extremely

enjoyable, though rather hectic.

The whole of Dukes Meadow

seemed packed with energetic

youth, both competitive and

friendly. From small tennis

professionals, to children who

had yet to pick up a racket,

umpiring over 600 matches

with the help of 50 other sports

leaders was a memorable way

to spend a Wednesday. The

facilities were astounding, and

the vibes were unreal. Everyone

was happy to be part of such a

big event, and ready to play.

Megha Dahdrail (year 10)

The Teacher vs Student football match

For the first time in Cranford’s recent history, students challenged

staff to a football match, all organised by Mr. Hodge and 13P in

aid of the National Autistic Society.

There were two football matches on Friday 20th May 2016, after

school and generated a lot of support from both staff and sixth

form. Mr Hodge, Mr Singh, Mr Wayne and Mr Guyett, were some

of the the staff who played against 13P, Mr Hodge’s tutor group

The teachers won one game 5-2 and the students won the other

6-1.

We interviewed Mr Singh, who said: “One reason the staff won

is because we had very good communication, working really

well as a team. There was some controversy about a tackle to a

sixth former by Mr Guyett, which lost them a goal, but he made

it up to them with a hat trick”. Also a sixth form student gave Mr

Singh a very nasty bruise on his leg from a tackle five minutes

into the game.

The spectators said it was fun to watch and a great way to raise

money for charity and an opportunity for staff and students to

work collaboratively for a common cause.

Craig Nicholls, Jaijiten Hundal, Sharon Udott (year 9)

Year 10 Girls Football

The year 10 girls football team was great to be a part of as the

team had real determination and passion and everyone worked

really hard. Playing in defence on the right was Navneet Brar;

Eva Karwani in the middle and Fatima Thabit on the left with

Aleksandra Nastyn in goal. This was a solid defence especially

with Aleksandra in goal as she is one of the best goalkeepers and

the back 3 were good at getting the ball out of their half and into

the middle of the pitch for the midfielders. Then in midfield we

had Sharandeep Khroad add surname and Jaya Saini who were

both good strong players who could easily run up the wing and

set up whoever was in strike or defend in a line making it harder

for the opponents. Finally we had Jade Sidhu in strike position

who was amazing at pressuring the defenders, running for the

ball and getting into space and scored some tremendous goals.

The team played brilliantly and it was good fun to have played

those matches and to represent the school with such talented

girls.

Jaya Saini (year 10)

59

Community Hub News

2015-2016 began with Cranford Community

College playing host to the annual Goan Festival

in July 2015 on a wonderful sunny day when

12000 people from the Goan community attended

to enjoy the fairground rides and sampling all

the wonderful food from Goa whilst watching

the fantastic entertainment. This was the fifth

year the festival had been held at Cranford and

everyone had a really great time

Duke of Edinburgh 2016

Margaret Macmillan

in 1925 stated that

“the best classroom and the

richest cupboard is roofed

only by the sky”. Being a part of the Duke

of Edinburgh award both in WFactor and on

weekend trips illustrates the sheer need for

our students to experience learning outdoors.

In a world where the air is thick with

technology the Duke of Edinburgh award

allows students to go back to basics and learn

skills that have often been forgotten in these

modern times. The three part structure of

the Duke of Edinburgh award, Volunteering,

Physical and Skills require students to

balance their time and often get involved in

things that they would previously have not

thought of. Volunteering in an

old peoples

Throughout the year we have hosted many

community, religious, pre-wedding events and

birthday parties; it’s great to see the community

making the most of our facilities and every

weekend the school is a hub of activity and

celebrations as are most evenings of the week.

Sport plays a huge role in the community events

and daily activities on site. The big news on the

sporting side was the arrival and opening of the

Cranford SuperDome where many of our existing

football teams have enjoyed using the new

facility. QPR continues to work in partnership

with us with children of all ages using our

extensive sports facilities. In addition BA held

their annual softball tournament and the London

Eagles had a junior football tournament that was

enjoyed by all.

Additional opportunities have arisen working

with local companies like Sky who have used the

Dome as a venue for filming. On one occasion

we had two famous footballers Oscar and Lamela

come in to do some filming with Dude Perfect a

YouTube sensation. To see more go to:

https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=mxTW2pO6CSQ

Cranford community sports and activities

continue to thrive and there are lots of exciting

activities already planned for the new year.

Jo Pearson (Community Hub Manager)

60

home, bed time reading at great Ormond street and working

on the Cranford reception are but a few of the small activities

that our students grow in confidence and peruse. Working on

a skill like learning an instrument or partaking in a sport and

coaching have further enabled our students to grow. This is the

great thing about the award, the way in which it allows a student

to grow and tackle things outside of their comfort zone.

This is particularly the case when you take a group of 40 students

on a camping and walking trip to the South Downs to put all

of those well-honed skills into practice. Using a compass, map

reading and teaching students how to pack a rucksack so that

said carrier doesn’t fall backwards down the hill due to its sheer

weight are a few of the joys of doing this. But fundamentally

it comes back to Margaret Macmillan who said that by being

outdoors our students grow in confidence and experience

something they cannot experience in school or at home; it’s

experiential learning at its best. Tripping over tent poles and

stumbling to the toilet in the middle of the night and even

getting a little lost and then persevering again to find your way

means that the Duke of Edinburgh award is an amazing thing to

be a part of and creates well-rounded ambitious students who

aren’t afraid of spiders.

Katie Hibbins (Duke of Edinburgh Leader 2012-2016)

Duke of Edinburgh

Award Presentations 2016

On

Wednesday May 11th

2016, 25 year 11 and 12

students attended the annual awards

ceremony to receive their Duke of

Edinburgh Award for completing

either the Bronze or Silver level.

The event, held at the Civic Centre

in Hounslow marked yet another

amazing year for our students who

continue to enjoy all the experiences

this award scheme has to offer. It

was a very proud moment for the

students, staff and parents to be able

to applaud their achievements.

Cranford is in its fifth year of running

the award scheme and it continues

to recruit grow in popularity for

students at all levels.

61

2015 / 2016

This

year has been an extremely active year in WFactor

with the introduction and development of many

exciting new opportunities for students at Cranford Community

College. We have reintroduced PSHCE to the WFactor programme

where students have been learning within a bespoke programme

that has covered many challenging topics from Drugs and Alcohol to

Relationships and Risk. Students in years 11 and 13 have used

some of their WFactor time for intervention and study skills to

ensure they were fully prepared for the summer exams. Students

in years 7 to 10 continue to access different and exciting

opportunities including ceramics, philosophy, crafts, knitting, Latin and equality and diversity and

have been physically challenged in a variety of sporting activities from Duke of Edinburgh expedition

training to lacrosse, swimming, rowing, rugby and athletics.

WFactor continues to be inventive and innovative to inspire

students and provide them with access to activities which

enrich their lives, challenge their understanding and respond

to the ever-changing world around us.

Kevin Biggs (Senior Teacher WFactor)

“In equality

and diversity

I learnt that

everyone was

equal”.

Liban Hersi

(year 7)

“I tried a new

sport, lacrosse – I learnt new

skills and team work”.

Janujan Jeyaseelan (year 7)

“I learned how to counter an

argument in debating class”.

Amneet Sangha (year 7)

“WFactor is a good thing as it

gives the opportunity to students

to experiment with new styles

that maybe they would’ve never

tried in their lives”.

Andre Telmo (year 8)

“Doing rowing as a WFactor

was remarkable and was

surprisingly different than what

I would usually do on a

weekly basis. I met new

people and made new

friends that I wouldn’t

have made if I didn’t

attend this WFactor”.

Namra Ansar (year 8)

62

Cranford celebrated another very enjoyable DREAM rewards day on

Friday 8th July, 2016. Over 800 students enjoyed a fun activity as

a result of all their hard work this year. As well as old favourites such

as Thorpe Park and Brighton beach there were new trips this summer to

Whipsnade Zoo, Windsor Castle and the National Space Centre in Leicester

while Brentford FC, Queens Park Rangers and Motivate Hounslow kept

some of the students on their toes in the school’s sports facilities. One

student, Adewole Agboola (year 7), described his trip bowling as “the

best day ever”. Certainly at the end of another fantastic Activities Week

much fun was had by all.

Rob Ind (Assistant

Headteacher –Pastoral)

In

year 7 drama the students explore

the themes of Harry Potter during

the spring term. They are in houses

throughout and go through this magical

journey as Harry does to deal with the all

the demons and dangers along the way.

They work creatively to find solutions in

their houses and compete to win a trip to

the Harry Potter Studios.

At the end of the term 30 students were

the proud winners and on Monday 8th July

2016 we made our way to the studios where

all the Harry Potter films have been filmed,

and what a wonderful experience it was,

to see how special effects are done, how masks and costumes are made, how each and every aspect

that we take for granted when we watch a film has so much hard work and creativity poured into it to

transports us into this world. Every child knows about Harry Potter and many adults have tuned into

his world. Being at the studios certainly has a wow factor. You are transported into the reality of the

film and how it is made and appreciate what goes into taking the idea in a writers head as seed to the

big screen and into our homes. Our students had a thoroughly enjoyable time and appreciated the art

of filming making even more.

Seema Sethi (Head of Performing Arts)

63

Year 13 Class of 2016

The

A Record Breaking Year

year 13 Celebration Evening at the Heston Sports Ground Imperial College

London venue on Thursday 26th May 2016 attended by staff, students

and parents, was certainly a memorable one where everyone enjoyed an evening of

entertainment by our very talented students, speeches and the presentation of certificates

by Executive Headteacher, Kevin Prunty.

The evening was truly an excellent opportunity to acknowledge the culmination of our

year 13 students’ academic careers at Cranford and to celebrate their achievements as

they leave us to go onto the next stage of their studies or to the world of work. This

Celebration Evening was particularly special as we celebrated Ms Ledlie’s 30th birthday.

The programme for the evening got off to an amazing start with a duet by Diana Atouguia

and Maria Hashmi as they sung ‘Someone Like You’ with an original twist as they built

in melodies of songs such as ‘One Dance’ with true skill. This outstanding performance

was followed by a heartfelt farewell speech from the Student Leadership Trio (Diana

Atouguia – Head Girl, Taylor Panesar – Head Boy and Adil Hassan – Deputy Head Boy)

who introduced the evening and thanked staff and peers for their consistent support.

Mr Prunty, Executive Headteacher, then took the stage with a huge smile filled with pride

as he praised the year group for their outstanding achievements and their contributions

to making Cranford a fantastic school. He was particularly impressed with the recordbreaking

number of students who have successfully obtained offers from highly ranked

universities and concluded by inviting the whole audience to sing Happy Birthday to Ms

Ledlie as he presented her with some flowers.

A very creative performance of ‘Seven Years’ by Adil Hassan accompanied on ukulele

by Zayn Hassan brought the crowd to life as Adil summarised the many milestones and

experiences he has enjoyed at Cranford through a rap he had written which touched the

hearts of many but also had the crowd laughing and cheering as they shared the trip

down memory lane with him.

During the presentation of certificates, the tutors introduced each student with a

personalised message whilst an impressive list of chosen universities and their photos

acted as a back drop. The final performance was a beautiful performance of ‘See You

Again’ by Anisa Hassan accompanied by Zahra Butt on guitar; a very well-chosen and

appropriate song as the year group reminisced their time at Cranford and looked forward

to embarking on new journeys.

The formal element of the evening concluded with Mr Ryan, Ms Ledlie and me giving

one last boost of motivation as they head off into the wider world. Mr Ryan, Head of

Sixth Form detailed their academic successes whilst I reflected upon what a wonderful

year group they have been from the moment I met many of them as year 9 students as

I entered the profession to now. Ms Ledlie’s touching and tearful speech was certainly

one which the students will hold close to them for many years to come as she thanked

the students for all the experiences they have shared with her over the last 7 years.

The party began with a surprise cake and presentation of a birthday gift for Ms Ledlie

as the year group sang to her in their own special tune, a surprise that left Ms Ledlie

speechless. This certainly got everyone in the party spirit as we ate, danced and partied

the night away.

We wish the class of 2016 every success for the future and hope that they will keep in

touch as part of the Cranford Alumni.

64

Randeep Sidhu (Head of year 13)

“You are a record breaking year group, who have completed

more UCAS applications than any year before. Over 99%

of you have applied to go to university,

which is an exceptional percentage and

highlights the ambition, aspiration and

determination within this year group”.

Jonathan Ryan (Head of Sixth Form)

“I have always thought about what I

would say to all when we reached this

day.

You have generally kept me on my toes.

I used to believe you all used to take

in turns at night to think of something

each day to keep me busy. I have seen

you grow and have grown with you as

a person. I have learnt so much such -

unconditional love, frustration, worry,

forgiveness, new starts as well as

learning about myself as a person.

The best of luck Class of 2016. Follow

and live your dreams. Never give up. You

can achieve anything you put your mind

too. The world is your oyster. This is just

part of your life and just the beginning.

Ms Tank has shown us that. Keep in

touch so I can follow your journeys”.

Priscilla Ledle

(Year Manager for year 13)

“As a year group, it is clear to see that

you are each filled with talent, ambition

and a real drive for success. The class

of 2016 have certainly earned the title of

Cranford’s record breakers through their

sheer excellence in both their creative

endeavours as well as their academic

achievements.

I can safely say, that the students in this

year group have, without a doubt, very

bright futures ahead of them. In this

changing climate of further education we

have students venturing out to study at

universities abroad. We have seventeen

students who received unconditional

offers from top ranked universities, and

students that have successfully applied

for apprenticeships and are moving into

the world of employment with fantastic

levels of ambition and enthusiasm. I

know we are an outstanding year group

and from the offers you are all receiving

it is becoming apparent that the outside

world feels the same way.

Class of 2016, always remember that

your mind-set is everything; keep your

eyes on the goal and you will achieve

your dreams! We wish you all the best

for the future”.

Randeep Sidhu (Head of year 13)

65

The

student leadership quartet elections for 2016-2017 took place at the end of June 2016. A

significant number of year 12 prefects took part in a rigorous application process which

included an initial letter of application to the Executive Head teacher Kevin Prunty, presentations to

assemblies, the completion of a manifesto and finally, interviews by a panel of students from across

the school community. Although this was a hotly contested election the four successfully elected

candidates gave an outstanding performance in all aspects of the process and thoroughly deserve their

election to the sixth for leadership quartet.

Congratulations to Sahithya Natarajan, Head Girl, Hasan Almosoy Head Boy, Rimsha Amjad Deputy

Head Girl and Mandip Gill Deputy Head boy 2016-2017.

Jonathan Ryan (Head of Sixth Form)

“Across my six years at Cranford,

the role of Head Boy is a position

that I have truly aspired to.

What Cranford has taught me

stretches beyond the national

curriculum; it has moulded me

into a confident and motivated

young man who seeks to empower

and inspire all those around

me. Therefore, I see the role of

Head boy as an opportunity for

myself to give back and help ensure all pupils reach their

maximum potential. I hope to be an individual who is

able to make genuine changes by listening to the views

of students and working with teachers to improve the

experience of learning at our outstanding school. With

my perseverance, collaborative nature and passion for

the role, I believe I am now able to create such change. I

feel truly privileged and honoured to be trusted with such

a role and look forward to my journey as Head Boy of

Cranford Community College”.

Hasan Almosoy (Head Boy 2016-2017)

“The inspiration to apply for

the honourable role of the

Head Girl stemmed from my

inherent passion for our school,

the positivity it embraces and

the platform it provides for

me to excel as an individual,

academically and personally.

Being elected as Head Girl fills

me with immense pride; to be

able to represent my school in

the highest way possible has always been my goal and I am

extremely happy to have fulfilled this. I am aware that with

this role comes great responsibility, but I am prepared

to shoulder all my duties with enthusiasm and channel

the passion I have for my school in a positive manner.

I look forward to implementing the ideas voiced by the

students and myself and work alongside my colleagues in

the quartet in order to create a collective change. Most

importantly I wish to embrace the fruitful learning curve

offered by this opportunity, which will aid me in becoming

a well-rounded individual in the future”.

Sahithya Natarajan (Head Girl 2016-2017)

“I have been a student at

Cranford for 6 years so when

the opportunity of applying for

the post of Head Boy arose,

I decided to apply for this

prestigious role. The application

process was rigorous and pushed

me to the limit. Despite missing

out on the position of Head Boy,

I am delighted to have been

given the role of Deputy Head

Boy. The role of Deputy Head Boy will enable me to

increase my leadership and communication skills whilst

helping me build a rapport with other students. These

characteristics will help me in the future as I aspire to

read law at university for which I am currently studying

maths, history and economics. I am honoured that I have

been gifted the opportunity to become Cranford’s Deputy

Head Boy and I aim to work with the Leadership Quartet

to determine the best possible outcomes for Cranford”.

Mandip Gill (Deputy Head Boy 2016-2017)

“I applied for Head Girl because

I wanted to provide the same

encouragement and support that

I was given at my time in this

school, to the younger students.

I believed that any changes that

are made would mostly affect

the lower year groups so it is

important to hear their voice.

Having this role allows me to

contribute to developments

within the school. I want to be someone students can

approach regarding any problems, suggestions or just

general questions. In my role as Deputy Head Girl I would

like to run the school council system and ensure it is run

efficiently and deemed as an important within every year

group. I look forward to making the school an even more

pleasurable and enjoyable place to be and make the road,

for future and current students, as smooth as possible

towards their successful future”.

Rimsha Amjad (Deputy Head Girl 2016-2017)

Cranford Review 2016

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