Cranford Review / June_2018

On
7th March 2018, Cranford welcomed for the third time
a delegation of 9 students and 3 members of staff from
our partner school, Joto Senior High School in Okayama, Japan. A
former member of Cranford’s staff, Mr Christopher Baxter, now
lives and works in Japan and it was through his good offices that
the link with Joto SHS, a designated Global High School in Japan,
was established in 2016. Year 12 students from Cranford spent the
day with their Japanese peers in an integration programme, which
started with presentations by the Japanese on a range of subjects
from recycling plastics to how small agricultural holdings survive
in Japan and continued into solving riddles and a quiz on the UK
and Japan. During their tour of the school, the Japanese were
blown away by the Cranford SuperDome and were very envious
of our fields and facilities.
These visits present a unique opportunity for students from
both schools to experience first-hand exchanges with their
counterparts. We look forward to continued opportunities for
students to meet their peers from across the Globe and are
preparing for the annual visit by Ocheon Senior High School
from Pohang, South Korea in July 2018.
Philip Dobison (Consultant)

Alumni Event 2018
Having been worked on the idea for months, I was
able to organise a careers event with a twist.
I had been reflecting that at times careers events with
representatives from organisations far and wide, who the students
couldn’t necessarily relate to wasn’t the best for them. The
rationale was it would be far more beneficial and motivational if
we used our own amazing former students (who are involved in
careers ranging from apache pilots, pharmacists to risk analysts
in the City of London) as they would have been on very similar
journeys. Some of them have remained in the local area, in roles
such as teaching, others have gone further afield and are working
in consultancy with global firms such as Deloitte. One thing they
do have in common is the desire to give back and support the
school that supported them, by sharing their expertise and the
lessons gained from their experiences with the next generation.
The event was an astounding success; it was so oversubscribed
that we are already thinking about how to make the next one even
bigger. There was a real buzz about the room with every former
student making genuine connections with the Cranford students,
who shuffled around the room in a cross between musical chairs
and speed dating. The event was a roaring success, a reminder of
the impact we have on the lives of young people and something
that was most definitely worth the time and effort invested in
it; something that we envisage will become bigger and better in
future years.
The careers event was followed by an Alumni only reception.
This was a wonderful opportunity for former students to catch
up with each other as they mingled over refreshments, excitedly
sharing stories with each other about their exploits and adventures
since leaving school. There was perhaps even more excitement
amongst staff to catch up with their former students, beaming with
pride listening to all that they had accomplished. This was the
embryonic start of what we hope will be a blossoming Cranford
Community College Alumni. Given their enthusiasm for this
event and their obvious commitment to supporting the school,
we imagine the stunning individuals who gave up their Friday
evening for this event will spread the word to help ensure that
happens.
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Mehmoona Yousaf (Senior Teacher)

“The Alumni conference
was one of the most useful
and most informative
event I have attended. I
had many conversations
with the alumni (such as
a pilot, an accountant, a
lawyer, an army cadet and
many more) and knowing
that they pursued their
careers in different
fields through various
pathways allowed me
to get an insight into
different industries after
education”.
Armeen Junaid (year 13)
“The alumni conference was an event which gave me a
broader insight into life after post-16 education. I was
able to converse with a number of previous students who
shared their experiences with us and shared advice on
adapting to university life; being able to talk to these
students was a motivating experience since they talked
of their A Levels and the opportunities they had taken
after leaving the school, having previously been in our
position as A Level students”.
Carmen Gaur (year 13)
“The event taught me that life can take you in any
direction, don’t see your plans as set in stone”.
Karamveer Tamna (year 10)
“The event was eye-opening for me
especially, because I never thought
there were that many people in different
industries such as piloting and
journalism who went to Cranford, and
who are of the same background as
me. It was also motivational because
you learn and hear things that the
teachers don’t necessarily say, so it
gives you that moral boost needed
to work hard and not give up,
because they went through the same
experiences and managed to get to
their goals”.
Abdulhakim Mohamed (year 13)
“They showed me not to underestimate
yourself – you can do whatever you want
in life”.
Arsida Dukaj (year 10)
“The event was inspirational, as
it taught us that you can achieve
anything you want to if you try”.
Fatima Hussain (year 10)
“I learnt not to stop trying, as
some of the Alumni didn’t have
the most amazing grades at the
start, but they didn’t let that
stop them from achieving their dreams”.
Gursharen Pannu (year 10)
Faiza Ali, now working as Project Officer for the Anti-Tribalism Movement wrote: “It was so nice to be back at Cranford
with old friends and to meet current students. I really enjoyed hearing from students about their experiences at school
and their future aspirations. I’m looking forward to this being something Cranford hosts every year.
This couldn’t have happened without the amazing teachers who put their time and effort
in to it so thank you...”
Nila Deda, working as a Management Consultant for Deloitte commented “I was really
impressed with the questions the students were asking, the levels of engagement we
got and how they were using our experiences to plan for their own time at university. I
was also impressed that year 10 students turned up! So amazing that you arranged the
evening! This is why you are an amazing teacher! Because you care so much”.
3

Beat The Street
Tour Bus
On
Monday 5th February 2018 we were fortunate to be
visited by Glen Rowe, Managing Director of Back
Stage Academy with a massive 18 metre tour bus. The
purpose of the visit was to introduce year 9 students to careers in
the music industry and to learn about what it is like to go on tour.
Glen Rowe, Tour Director for Muse and now Managing Director of
Backstage Academy, gave students an insight into the world of live
events production, life on the road and answered questions on his
twenty-year career in the industry. Students then got the opportunity
to spend time on the Beat the Street tour bus to get a glimpse of the
touring lifestyle.
The students really enjoyed the experience and were very impressed
by the tour bus. It certainly changed their views of the rock star life
style.
Luke Joyce and Rory O’Hare
(Creative Arts – Music)
“I really enjoyed
going on the tour bus and seeing it
all in person. I want a career in music
and seeing it all up close has really
inspired me and the rest of my band
members. I’ve always wanted to go on
tour and perform songs for people and
now I’ve had a taste of what that could
actually be like and I want to continue
working with my band and hopefully
at some point have our own mini tour.
The people that came in to talk about
what it’s like in the music industry
have also helped as now I know what
to expect for the future”.
Corben Smith (year 9)
“I really enjoyed that day, particularly
walking into the tour bus. As an
aspiring musician in a band this
has been a wonderful, inspiring and
educational lesson. It showed me how
life is on tour and how it is not as bad
as it seems, because I’m in a band,
I want to go on tour and this shows
how life is like on the road. Glen who
worked with Muse, showed us how
there is more to the music industry
than just bands and producers. He
really enlightened me on the subject
and I really am pleased having
learnt that”.
4
Zayia Berum (year 9)

Duke of Edinburgh Awards Evening 2018
Cranford Community College was
well represented at the Borough
Awards Evening for the Duke of
Edinburgh Awards on Thursday
14th March 2018 at Heston school
with over 40 students gaining their
Bronze award and 6 students gaining
their Silver. Students completed their
volunteering, physical, skill and expedition to gain the
awards for a sustained period of time. From cooking and
computing to archery and athletics students gained skills
and physical development. What was most impressive
was the hours and hours students spent volunteering for
others, this included working with the elderly, helping
others in libraries across the borough or coaching others
in sports. The students gained their expedition element
this year on the North Downs and complete an overnight
camping experience and extended walk being completely
self-sufficient. Students who gained the award are
amazing members of the school and local community
show many skills throughout the programme. On the
evening students were immaculate and represented the
school exceptionally well.
Congratulations to all our award winners;
Silver awards: Navneet Ghttora, Aditya Kumar, Sumit
Mehra, Shahzain Nooruddin and Tajinder Gill.
Bronze awards: Aliza Abbas, Shaan Abbasi, Rameez
Ahmed, Ilays Ali, Nimra Anjum, Manleen Arora, Nicole
Atouguia, Bhanuya Balendran, Rheana Bhalsod, Anjali
Bhambra, Jack Blandford, Harit Boonyarakyotin, Gurvir
Brar, Laura Chicharo Freire, Manisha Dhamrait, Arsida
Dukaj, Adam El Kosbi, Rajmit Ghttora, Jaineet Gulabzada,
Aadam Hasnain, Syed Jaffery, Ajeet Kang, Yashveer
Kang, Mashal Nejrabi, Adelaide Nunes - Samgi, Reeya
Patankar, Elvis Pun, Aryan Raicar, Aeyman Saeed, Taran
Saggu, Gurpreet Sahota, Manbir Sekhon, Danyal Shah,
Mehir Singh, Rajvir Sran, Karamveer Tamna, Mithushala
Thanabalasingam, Shabnam Uria, Kimran Virk, Dua-E
Zehra.
Kevin Biggs (Assistant Headteacher – Duke of Edinburgh Lead)
5

The
trip was amazing. It took us two hours
on a Saturday to get to the Royal
Shakespeare Theatre, but it was worth it. The
production was magnificent and it will definitely
be helpful in my A level exam; trips like this one are
beyond great when it comes to helping students in
their exams and this production specifically was one
of the best I have seen in theatre. The Duchess of
Malfi is a thrill to watch, there are so many different
interpretations of the play on YouTube ranging
from controversial to outstanding, but being able
to watch the play live is a whole other experience.
Seeing the play come to live was phenomenal, it
explored so many social issues that society has yet
to overcome: patriarchy, sexism, classism, rape etc.
Reading about these issues and linking them to how
the audience would have felt in the 17th century
and would feel today cannot compare to the ways
in which we reacted whilst watching the play. Some
of the scenes were horrific and shocking to watch,
like Julia’s rape scene and the second half of the
production in which blood is poured all over the
stage from a decapitated bull and all the actors walk
through it and drag each other around it like it’s not
there – so gory but so intriguing. Every scene had
a plot twist and I couldn’t help but lean forward
on the edge of my chair surprised and delighted at
the Maria Aberg’s directorial choices about which
aspects of the play to keep in and which ones to take
out. The fact that politics was only in the background
of this play and wasn’t as prominent as it is in the
original play made this one appear as a soap drama.
It was so interesting and so helpful that I included it
in my essay for Monday. We should most definitely
encourage young people to go to the theatre and
watch modern interpretations of old plays, because
they truly do leave you with a message about our
society today as well as society then.
Mary Stuart at the
Duke of York’s Theatre
On
Monday 5th February
2018, year 11 GCSE
and year 12 drama A-level
students went to see Mary
Stuart at the Duke of York’s
Theatre in London in support
of their exam. Although we had
researched the production we had not anticipated
what we were about to see would be so different and
so exciting, keeping us on the edge of our seats right
until the end, even though we knew that Mary Stuart
would be executed.
The coin, deciding each actress’s fate for the night,
is spun right at the start. With the aid of two extra
screens, we see the result: heads. Julia Stevenson is
appointed queen, whilst Lia Williams prepares for
her harsh imprisonment as Mary Stuart. From this
moment on, the play becomes a constant cycle of
uncertainty, deceit and betrayal.
Decisions made at the flip of a coin, accentuated
melancholy through song and a divine timelessness
created through scenes which lack words; those are
the elements which left us in awe. Robert Icke’s
innovative adaptation brought this iconic story in
history to life engaging younger audience members
like myself and making my understanding of what
happened more accessible. Icke’s production strips
away all the unnecessary elements that have been
added onto the train of theatre travelling through
time, with such simplicity that the story and the
relationship between these two queens becomes
central to the action.
His awareness of the “big problem… the industry’s
going to have to address and sort out” regarding the
lack of interest in theatre for younger audiences, is
what gave his production a nuance of timelessness.
It is because of directors like him, that theatre has
not faded into a fond memory of the past, but rather
embarked on a boat towards the future that will
carry a younger audience forward with its magic and
possibilities.
This production has opened my eyes to the possibility
of theatre and how it can inform my practice as an
A-level drama student, which is so exciting.
Cristiana Eftenoiu (year 12)
6
Jessica Atouguia (year 13)

Spring 2018
Another fantastic term of Physical Education at Cranford. We’ve entered so many more
competitions, increased participation of extra-curricular sport and provided other
schools with a base to facilitate sport. The PE department have been working hard to
ensure all students receive a great experience of sport and exercise. We have a number
of year 8 girls leading the way with Brunel University and the Youth Sport Trust on the Girls’ Active
Programme. Our school’s games organiser is developing the name of Cranford Sport in Hillingdon
schools by leading sporting events across primary schools. We have also been facilitating sporting
tournaments for behavioural schools across West London in the Cranford SuperDome. Our sports
leaders continue on their Youth Sport Award course, whilst we also celebrate national individual
sporting success. We are truly making every student have a positive experience of sport and PE at
Cranford Community College.
Interform
Throughout the year students have
been representing their form groups
as part of Cranford’s Interform
competition. There has been a fantastic
turnout with students arriving before
school to furiously compete in football,
dodgeball and basketball. The enthusiasm
and appetite for the competition have been
huge and it’s been great to have form
tutors come down to support their forms.
As the points currently stand W tops the
table in year 7, T in year 8 and T in year
9. However, this could all change as the
competition continues culminating with
Sports Day at the end of the year. A special
thanks goes out to the Youth Sports Leaders
who volunteered a lot of their time to help
out with running the competition.
Rob Notley
(Director of Community Sport)
Winter Sport Update
Throughout the winter of 2018, Cranford
Community College students were involved in a
wide range of sports. The school has participated
in football, netball, rugby, basketball, cricket, weight
training, badminton, dance, dodgeball and trampolining.
Both the female and male fixtures within these sports
had a lot of success throughout their season. There was
a range of football and netball tournaments where the
girls’ teams won many games competing against other
schools within the borough. Special students to mention
are year 9 students, Karolina Mucko and Avneet Bagri,
who joined Grasshoppers Netball Association. Some year
9 boys have also advanced their skills within athletics
and have been training at the Osterley Athletics Centre
since the start of this year. Cranford is very proud to
offer such a diverse range of sports that students can
either play at a recreational level or a competitive level.
The PE department and students are looking forward to
a strong summer ahead in the borough athletics, cricket
and rounders season.
Diane Masters (PE Department)
7

Creative Arts Spring Term
During the spring term the creative arts team
have been working with students in year 8
on the topic of health and well-being with
a particular focus on mental health and healthy life
styles. The chosen theme of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice
in Wonderland” has underpinned creative work in all
arts areas with specific focus on the Mad Hatter’s Tea
Party which will take place as part of the Cranbury
Festival on Saturday 14th July 2018.
8
Students worked using the medium of clay to create
various teapots, cups and saucers. A tea party is a
social occasion where people can gather together and
have a discussion. The clay work was made by year
8 students based on current social issues they feel
strongly about. Some of the diverse issues explored
include racism, inequality, privilege, gang culture
and world conflict. In addition, students have made
“Mad Hatter” hats. In the 19th century, hat makers
were exposed to the mercury used in manufacturing
and many were poisoned by it. Mercury poisoning
causes neurological damage, including slurred
speech, memory loss and tremors, which led to the
phrase “mad as a hatter”. Lewis Carroll was familiar
with the conditions at asylums and visited at least
one. Besides staging theatre plays, dances and other
amusements, such asylums also held tea-parties.
Year 8 students have been exploring the symptoms
associated with different forms of mental health and

Health and Well-being Project
have made hats reflecting these symptoms. This opened
a discussion about the social stigma and discrimination
faced by people who suffer from mental health issues.
Additional large scale portraits of the characters and
bunting will create a colourful background for the party.
In drama year 8 students focussed on mask making and
physical theatre, using masks in performance whilst
looking at how our face represents us and who we are
on the outside but how maybe we hide behind the mask.
In addition, they looked at food stories considering how
what we eat can affect our health and wellbeing. In
music the year 8 bands have created original songs on
the theme of mental health as well as composing original
soundscapes in music technology reflecting the theme
and these will be performed on the live stage
at the festival.
The issue of mental health is a difficult
topic to cover. Using the creative arts
as a means of talking and learning about
this topic and how young people feel has
made it more possible for them to share
their stories, their concerns and their
questions and made them more confident
in dealing with the day to day issues
surrounding this ever growing problem.
Jessica Joyce
(Consultant – Creative Arts)
9

at the Palace of Westminster
To
celebrate the end of the first cohort of
mentor’s mentees and welcome the next
cohort, Hounslow’s Promise organised a
celebration networking event at the Speakers House
at the Palace of Westminster on Thursday 22nd
February 2018. The Speakers House is the official
residence of the Speaker of the House and Hounslow’s
Promise was delighted to be given permission to use
it by the current holder of office the Rt Hon. John
Bercow. The event was an opportunity for business
leaders such as John Holland Kaye CEO Heathrow
Airport and politicians such as John Bercow Speaker
of the House, Seema Malhotra MP for Feltham
and Heston and Tracy Brabin, MP for Batley and
Spen, to mix and network with Cranford staff and
students. Our students displayed some high level
networking skills and made some great contacts both
personally and on behalf of the school.
Speeches were made by John Bercow, Seema
Malhotra and a mentor Amina Khayyam but the
star of the show was undoubtable Carmen Gaur
who made a stunning and inspiring speech about
her year being mentored.
Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher – Director of
Community Development)
“Being able to visit the Speaker’s House in
the Houses of Parliament was an amazing
experience. I was able to talk with various
individuals attending the 1st anniversary
of ‘Hounslow’s Promise’ about their own
endeavours and the benefits of such an
initiative being implemented in schools.
We heard great speeches from both John
Bercow (Speaker of the House) and MP
Seema Malhotra at the celebration event
and met many influential people who
were MPs, Lords and business leaders.
The opportunity to give a speech in the
company of these influential people was
an unforgettable experience and I was able
to give a personal example of how much
this initiative has helped me through its
mentoring scheme. It was a great evening
which I’m glad I was able to be a part of”.
10
Carmen Gaur (year 13)

Good evening, I am Carmen
Gaur, a year 13 student at
Cranford Community College.
I would like to start by saying that
I am grateful, grateful to have been
a part of the Community Mentoring
programme created by Hounslow’s
Promise. The opportunity that
Hounslow’s Promise has given
students within the community
has been very beneficial for all;
personally it has allowed me to
develop a better version of myself.
The decision to have mentors, who
are normal people just like us, and
who have volunteered their spare
time for us is what makes this so
special, because we have people
involved who care and want to
become mentors and offer guidance
to help young people develop.
This initiative has allowed me to
be paired with someone who is
currently working in a field similar
to the one I aspire to enter. She is
a dancer whilst I aspire to go into
writing. Although it may seem
difficult to see the similarity between
dancing and writing, both are merely
different modes of telling beautiful
and creative stories. Each fortnight
for the past year I have been able
to meet with my mentor and have
sessions ranging from just talking to
each other, pen and paper in hand,
to doing physical activities such as
focusing on breathing techniques.
I believe that the best part was just
being able to talk to someone who
could give me advice. Even though
it cannot be expected that our issues
can be solved in a single sitting,
over the months, with the help of
my mentor, I have been able to break
down that brick wall holding me
back from doing what I want to do.
As I mentioned earlier, one of
the elements we focused on was
breathing. Breathing is seen as such
a mundane thing that we all do, if we
didn’t then we probably wouldn’t be
seated in this room right now. But it
was one of the things that actually
helped with my confidence. My
mentor taught me that the function
of the body allows for the positivity
of the mind. Just taking a few
deep breaths and controlling your
breathing can have such a significant
effect on your well-being, especially
before an exam or at events such as
this one involving public speaking.
The young adults within our
community have the potential to
do amazing things, be whatever
they want to be, and opportunities
like this are what will aid them in
finding their path to reaching these
goals. For me, it has helped me work
towards the development of skills I
listed almost a year ago when this
scheme started.
I would like to end my speech by
again thanking the creators of
Hounslow’s Promise for providing
such an opportunity for young people
like me and thanking Ms Khayyum
for agreeing to mentor me this past
year. Having access to programmes
such as this can help both the student
mentees and mentors to grow and
learn from each other, changing their
perceptions and making it known
what they are capable of.
Even relatively simple programmes
like this can make a big difference
in the minds of our young people.
Thank you.
Speech by Carmen Gaur (year 13)
11

Tom Hovey “BakeOFF” Illustrator comes to Cranford
Students in year 9 have been making recipes of food that have cultural meaning
to them in their creative arts lessons in preparation for the forthcoming
Cranbury Festival in July 2018. The recipes originate from special occasions,
festivals or memories of childhood. In addition, they have been drawing the food
and illustrating the stories that go with them to create a recipe book.
To support their work, we were delighted to welcome Tom Hovey, illustrator for
“The Great British Bake Off” who shared his tips and techniques for creating
delicious looking drawings.
Angee Ayres (Creative Arts)
My day with Tom Hovey:
Tom
helped all of us one at a time asking
about our food stories. My one is
about a Portuguese custard tart called Pastel
de Nata. Whenever I eat it I’m reminded of
Portugal. He told us about his story of becoming
an artist. He showed us some of the pictures he
drew like the delicious ice cream and the rose
cake and the giant burger. He also showed us
some of his techniques, for example sketching.
He bought some of his cake designs and they all
were sketched. He said sometimes he would draw
on the computer. Then we started to draw food
from our food stories and some of us copied his
drawings too. It was a pleasure having him with
us and it was a great opportunity. Maybe I could
be a great artist like him.
12
Iman El Fartas (year 8)

The Tale
Of The Unknown Island
On
Wednesday 21 March 2018,
Cranford Community College
students performed The Tale of the Unknown
Island to an eagerly-awaiting audience.
Set in the round, actors brought to life the
adapted novella by José Saramago, taking the
audience on one man’s journey to discover
an unknown island. The “Man”, played by
nearly all the actors onstage at one point or
another, comes up against various challenges
on his journey, from needing a boat to having
to find a crew, and even the challenge of not
knowing how to sail. In life we often learn that
it is not the end result which matters, but the
journey we go on to get there; this is reflected
in Saramago’s tale as we see the “Man” realise
that his unknown is not an island, but love,
and this love was in front of him as soon as he
started his quest.
The young actors, from years 7-9, worked
tirelessly on this piece to imbue it with a
sense of storytelling akin to how we heard
stories when we were younger – excitement,
mystery and intrigue were all conjured
throughout the event. Engendering a sense of
intimacy and relaxation on stage is one of the
most challenging tasks for any performer, as
Helen Mirren describes in her MasterClasses
in Acting, however, this is exactly the skill
demonstrated by our actors during the play.
The result of the students’ work was not only
a play in which the audience were treated with
samosas and juice half way through, but a real
plunge into the unknown as well as the creation
of Orbit Productions, Cranford Community
College’s very own theatre company. Orbit
Productions is in its infancy, but we will strive
to champion inclusivity, raise diversity in
the arts and push the boundaries of what we
understand theatre to be. Our next project will
explore storytelling, with tales from our own
lives and cultures and will be performed at the
Cranbury Festival in July. Watch this space.
Katie Turner (Creative Arts –Director in Residence)
13

The
Spring Term 2018
W Factor offer was exceptional
during the spring term with
students gaining opportunities to explore
creative arts, physical activities and broadening
horizons. The creative arts team had students
working on designing sets for plays, a drama
performance, a singing group and jewellery
making for the forthcoming festival. The
physical activity offer provided many sporting
challenges including swimming, ultimate
frisbee, street dance and elite sports people
gathering to develop their understanding of
sports science and being prepared by peak
physical fitness. Students were challenged and
stretched with activities that included debating,
film making and STEAM activities. Projects
also ran that continued to engage student on a
wider level with students visiting different local
attractions, exploring local folklore during an
international school project.
Kevin Biggs (Assistant Headteacher - W Factor)
14

Cranford Science Week 2018
National Science Week was celebrated in
style by Cranford students, who turned
out in record numbers to attend sessions
hosted by the Science Department. The week
began with a special session hosted by Danielle,
a presenter from ZooLab, who brought with her
a bag full of insects and animals for a workshop
called ‘Discover the Rainforest’. Students from
years 7 – 10 were able to touch and hold animals
such as a Madagascan hissing cockroach, a corn
snake and a Chilean rose tarantula – animals
that up to this point they may have just seen on
television. Everyone was amazed by the session
(although they were less willing to test whether
giant snail slime actually makes a very good
face moisturiser…) and upon leaving Danielle
commented on how enthusiastic and willing to
learn our students were.
Period 0 workshops continued this year with
sessions focusing on space, food and magic.
Students took part in activities such as making
their own satellites, magically giving life to
gummy worms and finding out how much sugar
is in ‘healthy’ drinks (the results may surprise
you). These sessions were hugely popular and our
students were exemplary, with many arranging
to come back during break times to finish their
activities.
Year 7 and 8 students all took part in our STEM
Challenge, where they looked at and tackled
the problem of ocean plastic waste. They were
pitched a challenge; should we be able to collect
plastic from the oceans, what could we do with it?
Students marketed their ideas back to their classes
in true Dragons Den style, with winning ideas and
models ranging from a workable fishing rod, water
filtering system and mini lifeboat. It was inspiring
to see how hard our students worked at tackling
such an important world issue and who knows –
one of them could be the scientist who develops
the solution one day.
To finish Science Week, we ran
two school-wide competitions.
Firstly, we held a poster
competition where students
could show off their creativity,
artistic talents and inquisitive
minds to produce a poster on
any topic that comes under
the theme of ‘Exploration
and Discovery’. We had over
40 entries, all of such a high
standard that narrowing it
down to just five winners was
a near impossibility. However,
the eventual winners were Dua
Abbas, Safiyya Ansa (both 7T),
Shreyas Shikhare, Harsimran
Bath (8U) and Ayesha Kaur
(8Y). All their posters have
been submitted into the
national finals and they won
an Amazon gift voucher.
The final activity of the week
was the Elemental Hunt. On
Thursday and Friday teachers
became elements for the day
and with form groups, working
in small teams, hunting around
the school to discover the teachers’ elements
and then answer questions such as ‘What do you
bond two Ms Jenkins to one Mr Dhokia?’ and
‘Why would you find Ms Atwal near volcanoes?’.
It was great to see every form in the school
participating in the challenge – 10Y were the
winners, impressively beating off competition
from two Year 13 forms to win. What an amazing
way to end a superb Science Week at Cranford.
We will be back next year for an even bigger and
better week. Thanks to all students and staff who
all worked hard in participating.
Bradley King (Science Department)
15

Design Museum Trip
On
Wednesday 27th March 20 A-level
students embarked on a journey to the
Design Museum in London. The Design Museum
showcases the best of design and how it influences
the world. Design is about innovation, technology,
creativity and ideas. It was a great
opportunity to allow our students
to look at design in a different way
and also to see how design affects
and is integrated into our daily
lives. The students really benefitted
from looking at how design has
changed and also it forged a basis for
inspiration for their work. We were
especially lucky to have visited the
‘Ferrari Under the Skin’ exhibition
where we are able to see designs
spanning 7O years. Students were
in awe of how initial design sketches
were transformed into models, before
the final product was made. Sculpturelike
models and engines made the
experience of Ferrari more dynamic
for students with an interest in
engineering.
Pam Hunt (Creative Arts – Art and
Design)
We
had a trip to the Design Museum to view
the exhibits of the Ferrari Collection and
the actual products displayed. These products were
displayed as innovations along a timeline of human
knowledge. We were first presented with beautiful
architecture in a building that had already set our
standards. As we walked in we were welcomed by
one of the staff members. On arrival we were all in
awe looking at the design features in the museum,
such as the architecture of the stairs that had fitted
seating and a full sized Ferrari in the middle of it
all. We began our tour with the timeline of products.
We were first introduced to a bright flip board
probably used for advertising. We then walked into
the transition of products going from shoes to chairs
to vehicles, showing us the evolution of each and
every major product. This section really influenced
our mind maps to inspire our possible project. We
then moved on to the Ferrari exhibit where we were
greeted with a dim red light leading to old isometric
drawings of cars that Ferrari had produced. We
were shown the step-by-step production to making
one of their iconic cars which helped us understand
what we may have to do and what aspects we had
to consider in our project. Overall this trip really
improved my knowledge and broadened the thinking
for my own project and what I would have to do to
achieve a product of the highest standard. As well
as the knowledge gained the experience was also
amazing.
Simranjeet Arora (year 12)
The
visit to the design museum was an
inspiring and pleasurable experience
for many of us were able to get ideas and further
develop our projects. Aa a graphics student I took
a lot of inspiration to challenge my work. It has
prompted me to take the designs they have created
to produce amazing initial ideas. I was moved by
the process of the designs that huge well-known
companies have created to produce the product
that we all buy and adore today. In addition, we
were lucky enough to go to the Ferrari exhibit that
enabled us to see not only the famous cars but to be
able to take design ideas and adapt them into our
work. This was a great opportunity that the school
was able to provide us to further our passion for
art and design
16
Rebecca Alfred (year 12)

This
year we have had an exciting
opportunity for 5 students to
attend a 4-day course at London College of
Fashion as part of UAL insights spring school.
Ausra Andr, Harpreet Kaur, Amrita Tar, Zaina
Nooradin and Rehmaan Naeem (year 12) were
successful applicants and were all offered a
place on the course. It was such an amazing
opportunity for them to gain a place at such a
prestigious Arts University and I am very proud
of them. They really enjoyed the experience and
came back energised and full of inspiration. It
has been an invaluable experience for them.
Pam Hunt (Creative Arts- Art and Design)
“On
26th March 2018, I and a
couple of my peers attended a
textiles insights workshop at the University of Arts
London. I really enjoyed this experience as I learnt
many textiles-based techniques varying from making
an outfit out of paper to knitting or even making a
pocket using an industrial sewing machine - quite
the challenge this was. Nevertheless, I had the
opportunity to make new friends, and spend a week
like a university art student; I’m also glad I got to
share this experience with a few of my friends. I hope
to go back for the summer workshop as I’m just eager
to learn new things”.
Amrita Tar (year 12)
17

Book Week 2018
Darkness and a chill filled the
Library. It got colder little by little
every minute. On a snowy and gloomy
morning students were excited that
horror author Leo Hunt was visiting.
He was bringing along the chilling
tales in his books and the eight ghosts
his character, Luke Manchett inherits
from his father upon his death. This
year, every year 7 and year 8 student was invited to
meet Leo in a specially-arranged assembly. Students
really enjoyed meeting the author. Leo said ‘My visit
to Cranford Community College was a pleasure and
I’ve rarely encountered such enthusiastic and engaged
students. They knew my books inside out and it was a
joy to speak to them.’
Students nationally were celebrating World Book Day.
This year during Book Week 2018 we very fortunate to
have secured popular teenage fiction author Leo Hunt.
A week packed full of activities was organised and
seeing from the students’ enthusiasm there was going
to be a tough battle for the prizes. The week kicked off
with a Spoken Word Poetry Workshop which was led
by a talented and enthusiastic 6th former – Huzayma
Khamis. Students dove into the workshop by creating
their performance poetry pieces using the skills and
techniques Huzayma had taught them. After the huge
success of the Manga Workshop last year, students
were very lucky that year 11 student Zahra Sadiq came
back again. She impressed the students with tips on
‘How to do Manga Drawings’ and showcased some
of her amazing drawings. All the students thoroughly
enjoyed this oversubscribed event.
The Book Shop was very popular with students, they
had the opportunity to purchase Leo’s books for
signing, other new books, book marks and stationery
too. During the week we also had several competitions:
three writing competitions, a creative book cover
competition and a fact-finding treasure hunt. Students
entered in their hoards. Students particularly found
the fact-finding treasure hunt a challenge, it involved
students following a series in the Library to complete
all questions. All the students were invited to the Leo
Hunt event after-school where the prizes winners
were announced and prizes awarded: DVDs, books,
vouchers, chocolate and lots more to award. It was a
memorable week; now I need to start making plans for
next year.
Mahavir Ladva (Library and Study Centres Manager)
Hounslow Teen Read Award
I
was
chosen along with a few others to
enter the Hounslow Teen Read Award
which gives young readers 6 newly
published books to read and review. We then
vote and find out who everyone voted for in
the borough. My group and I got kindles which
was really cool and made it so much easier
to reach the deadline. We read books like:
After The Fire- Will Hill, We Come Apart-
Sarah Crossan, Margot and Me Juno Dawson
Superpowerless – Chris Priestley Contagion –
Teri Terry and Cuckoo- Keren David.
When we went on the trip, we went into a
theatre and learnt all about the Teen Read
Awards and we got to meet an author, Marcus
Alexander, and we got to buy his books and
get them signed. After the launch event, we
had two months to read all the books. We then
cast our votes collectively and then went to
the theatre to find out who the winner was. At
the event we met last year’s winner- author
Richard Kurti. His book “Monkey Wars” was
voted favourite last year. He spoke to us about
his writing career and revealed this year’s
winner of the award. We were so excited to
hear who had won this year. Richard announced
third place ‘Margot and Me’ second place was
‘Contagion’ and first place was ‘After the
Fire’.
People were happy that ‘After the Fire’ won
because at the end the tension in the book
was amazing, my heart would skip a beat
when I turned every page. The pain, anger
and fear would all blend together to make an
uncontrollable ocean of words.
Sabrin Saeed (year 9)
18

Book Week 2018
Leo Hunt’s
visit to
Cranford
Community
College
a horror author who wrote
Leo Hunt, “13 Days of Midnight”, “8
Rivers of Shadow” and “7 Trees of Stone” came to Cranford
Community College on Wednesday 7th March 2018 during
Book Week. I have read his books and I like them because
they are funny and interesting. The books have twists with
every turn of the page. For example, Luke Manchett’s dad’s
lawyer - Mr Berkley turned out to be the devil. This
surprised me as when he first appeared in the books he
seemed like an innocent person. Leo Hunt’s series is
unique and unlike most of the things I have ever read.
He creates an image in the mind when he describes the
ghosts in the book from “13 Days of Midnight”and
also when he describes the other characters from his
other two books.
We met Leo in a specially-arranged assembly, he
read an extract from “13 Days of Midnight”. He also
showed us images of the ghosts in the book drawn
by the illustrator who had drawn the front covers of
the Leo Hunt books. Then he talked to us about his
life as an author and the experiences he had in the
past. He also gave time to ask him any questions we
wanted to ask. We were asked if we knew any of the images
displayed on the board and if we knew anything about
ghosts in general. During the assembly, he told us about
the books and authors that had inspired him to pursue
the role of an author. After the assembly had finished,
anyone who owned a book from the Leo Hunt series had the
opportunity to get them signed by Leo Hunt. I own the 2nd
book in the Leo Hunt series (“8 Rivers of Shadow”). It was a
thrill to get one of the books I own signed by the author who
had brilliantly written it. Soon after, I had finished the whole
of the Leo Hunt series.
Abdulkhaliq Powell (year 7)
19

Book Week 2018
Visit to the
On
Wednesday 28th March 2018
thirty year 7 students were
chosen to go to the Science Museum. We
travelled by bus and tube. Mr. Ladva, Ms
Ghazi and Ms Giga chose us to go with
them as we have been good ambassadors in
the Library. When we got there we
saw an amazing IMAX 3D movie
about some people who built a robot
and then won; the film was about
engineering. It was a jaw-dropping
experience. Even though I’ve been
there before I got to take my mind
a bit further and learn a bit more
about science. When we went to
the ‘Wonderlab’ I was excited and ready to build,
estimate and more. There were so many activities and
things to learn from. We learnt about friction on various
slides, on each slide the base was made from a different
material. There was a plastic grass slide, a wood slide and
a plastic slide; after trying them all I could see the wood
slide had the least friction as it went the fastest. We had
a walk around and took some pictures. One of the things
I saw was a black cart and horses, I think that was how
they travelled in the Victorian times.
Manga
Workshop
Manga is a Japanese art style
similar to the American
comic. All manga is drawn
by hand but can be drawn digitally
now too. Some famous Manga series are
Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, Deathnote and My
Hero Academia. To draw manga, you need
to draw the anatomy but you need a lot of
time and patience too. I was asked to do a
Manga workshop again, there
were so many students excited
to see my skills. I really
enjoyed teaching everyone
the different techniques.
Zahra Sadiq (year 11)
Avneet Sandu (year 7)
Spoken Word Poetry
I was asked to run a workshop for Book
Week, I am passionate about creative
writing so I jumped at the opportunity.
The spoken word has inspired me to
express myself through words through
performance. It has provided me with a
platform to discuss social and political
issues of the time. We had over 30
students attend, they were all enthusiastic
in learning a new skill and it was fantastic
to see them perform their pieces.
Huzayma Khamis (year 12)
20
“Cranford Review” is a regular printed publication either available to download in digital format at “www.cranford.hounslow.sch.uk/newsletters-publications”
Editor-in-chief: Jessica Joyce | Graphic design: Enzo Gianvittorio | Printed by: Cleverbox.co.uk | Copyright © Cranford Community College - 2018