Cranford Review 2015

Cranford Review 2014 / 2015

EDITORIAL 

2014 / 2015 

Yet 

again, this has been a very 

impressive year for Cranford on 

many fronts. Our examination 

results continue to rise and our GCSE headline figures 

are now significantly above the national average. The 

government is introducing new measures for pupil 

progress and the progress that the students have 

made in this summer’s examination results is also 

significantly above the progress for pupils across the 

country. This means that students at Cranford achieve 

stunning results in every respect. 

Our A level students were no exception with superb 

outcomes, and this is the first year that one of our 

Sixth formers, Gugandeep Banga has been awarded the 

highly prestigious Fullbright scholarship, and he will 

start at New York University this Autumn. 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 Kings College London, 

University College London and Durham University. 

Cranford has continued to achieve a number of awards 

for excellent achievement including yet again two 

awards from the Specialist Schools and Academies 

Trust. We were also invited to become the Lead 

School for the Southwest London Science Learning 

Partnership as we take the forefront in training and 

developing science education across eight London 

boroughs. 

As a newly designated Teaching School, we have this 

year added to our impressive portfolio partnerships 

including with Kingston University and the London 

Diocese to provide school based training for many 

teachers particularly in shortage areas where it has 

often proved difficult to recruit. 

Our partnership work with Berkeley Primary continues 

to flourish and Berkeley was cited in HMIs annual 

report to Parliament for the extraordinary journey 

of improvement made which we at Cranford have 

supported. 

Creativity at Cranford has reached new levels 

particularly in Drama where we had a stunning 

performance of Richard III as part of the Shakespeare 

in Schools project. More recently we were treated 

to an amazing theatre production of the Caucasian 

Chalk Circle showing the immense talents of Cranford 

students. 

Numerous high profile visitors have come to 

Cranford this year and in particular we welcomed 

the US ambassador who met with our Sixth Formers 

in December. Cranford hosted 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. This is on the back of a great deal of 

involvement and support from Seema Malhotra, our 

local MP, on a wide range of equalities issues that are 

vital for this community and beyond. She also took 

part in the borough Sixth form RE conference that 

took place at Cranford. 

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. 

Kevin Prunty 

(Executive Headteacher, National Leader of Education) 

2

Cranford 

High 

Achievers 

Programme 

in Full 

Bloom 

After 3 years the High Achievers Programme, is now in full bloom; seeing some of its first participants 

achieving far beyond expectations. The High Achievers Programme has enabled students to adopt a new 

perspective on learning, seeing it not as something that they can gain just from lessons but rather by 

participating in the wider world. After our trip to Oxford University we were told that learning had to be intrinsic, 

that a student’s innate love for their subject is what makes them stand out. This is what I and Mr Biggs have 

encouraged in students over the past few years. 

Such a desire can be found by considering our first young fellows group which is now embarking on new and 

exciting journeys to some of the best universities in the UK and Worldwide, I am especially proud of Gugandeep 

Banga who achieved a full international scholarship to New York University after completing a Sutton Trust 

International Summer School. Our second year young fellow participants have been spending much of their free 

time attending summer schools at the top universities: Oxford, Cambridge, Eton and University College London, 

They gained knowledge that will be passed on through young fellows’ dinners next year, while our young year 

9 scholars have been accepted onto the year 10 UCL scholars programme after completing both their first and 

second years with flying colours. Here they will be able to explore medicine, astro physics and engineering in 

greater depth and our year 8 scholars will follow suit. 

Three of our High Achiever writers have won themselves a place at the First Story writer residential this summer, 

an opportunity to work with prestigious published authors. We have also been lucky to have taken part in an 

exploration day lead by a PhD student from Cambridge, where our AimHigher year 12 students were able to discuss 

in-depth ‘Platos Meno’ and whether in fact goodness can be defined. 

The High Achiever group has taken part in the prestigious Benjamin Franklin debates at the US Embassy, and 

the participated in the prestigious international essay writing competition for the Living Rain Forest. We have 

also been out of school on several discovery days with year 9 students at University College London, looking at 

engineering, physics and humanities, to encourage learning through exploration. Such a desire to learn has been 

furthered through the key stage 3 Theology Book club and Philosophy Boys and Girls who over the past three 

years have grown in true awareness of the ultimate questions that surround us. 

For me the High Achiever Programme continues to be a driving force behind my love of education and indeed 

behind my belief that through encouragement and opportunity a child regardless of background or ability can 

achieve far beyond their own and others’ expectations. 

Katie Hibbins (High Achievers Co-ordinator) 

Jacinta Noel 

(Law) 

Roshini Lal 

(English) 

Mumtaza Ahmed 

(Biological Chemistry) 

Nabila Hiyati 

(Biological Chemistry) 

Alexinder Riyat 

(Chemistry) 

Janvi Poddar 

(Chemistry) 

1

Cranford Careers Programme 

Another busy year in the 

Careers Department saw 

161 UCAS applications, 

the whole of year 11 visit the 

Skills London Careers Show, in 

school careers days for year 9 

and 12 students, and successful 

periods of work experience for a 

variety of students in key stage 4 

and 5. In addition we took part in 

the inaugural Kickstart Express 

project run by ‘Spark’, numerous 

trips as well as visits to businesses 

supported by guest speakers from 

a range of industries who came to 

talk about different careers and 

pathways. 


2 

In December 2014, all year 9 

students took part in a variety 

of activities including the play 

“Choices” to help them decide about their GCSE 

options for 2015. 

On Tuesday 17th March 2015, a team of year 9 

students visited IT giants Cognizant Technology and 

were involved in the exciting wearable technology 

challenge where they designed a wristband which 

enables you to monitor your health. They worked very 

well together as a team and had a thoroughly enjoyable 

day. 

Barclays Bank Dragons Den challenge in the spring 

term 2015, was set in the daunting surroundings of 

their head office in Canary Wharf, but undeterred, the 

Cranford team of Baljinder Padda 10U, Ashika Kapoor 

10T, Saugaat Banskota 10W and Arun Sharma 10X 

presented their “Unity” community health and fitness 

app with confidence and enthusiasm and ended up 

winning the competition. 

“Thank you for enabling me to attend this helpful 

workshop, I was able to enhance my team work, 

presentation and confidence skills. I appreciate the 

opportunity”. 

Gurgina Sidhu (year 12) 

Closer to home again we visited the Heathrow 

Careers Fair, IConnect, organised by 

Connexions, and took part in Kickstart 

Express. This three day project in the summer 

term 2015, saw year 12 students visit several local 

companies for example, Sky, Discovery Channel, 

Worley Parsons, Metrobank and the Heart of 

Hounslow clinic to find out more about what they 

do and learn about careers in that sector. 

The students entered a competition to write the best 

blog about their experiences. This was followed 

by a year 12 Higher Education and Careers day on 

2nd July 2015, where students took part in various 

workshops including: writing personal statements, 

choosing your university and course and student 

finance as well as alternatives to university such 

as apprenticeships, speed networking and interview 

skills. 

A very busy but exciting year for careers which we 

hope will make the difference for Cranford students 

when thinking about their future aspirations and 

career pathways. 

Cath Goold (Head of Careers Co-ordinator)

We 

Now 

We All Have a Favourite Day ... 

all have a favourite day, for some it is Friday which jubilates in the weekend’s commencing, 

the hope of a Saturday morning lie in and a fragrant coffee that revivifies the fatigue of the 

past week’s marking. For others it is Monday that holds them; the simple hope of a new beginning, 

a once-again chance to renew past wrongs and get to it. But for me Wednesday holds that draw. It 

smells of cherry blossom damp on out-stretched arms and sounds like the giggles of children hiding 

in the bushes at Cricket matches. It looks like a warm open fire that crackles with the innate feel 

of warmth and companionship and finally it feels like home. 

On a Wednesday at 3:30pm (sharpish) S7 morphs into a literary paradise of friendship and 

challenge. A place where the students aren’t held to any particular literary technique but rather are 

asked to give into the joy that can be found from simple writing… because full stops can be thought 

about in editing. It is a place where happiness and sometimes sadness are shared in the joys that 

can only be expressed through prose. It is a place where invigoration is openly celebrated and 

cultivated knowingly by lovely Ross who is always enthused with epic ideas. Finally, it is my 

favourite day because it is the day where I realise once again that away from the normal humdrum 

education system of results and exams that students’ minds really are a beacon of inspirational 

hope for the future. Their minds are really so inquisitive given the chance… so able to think out 

of the ordinary and into the extraordinary. My lovely students have simply astounded me with their 

ability to think and create and for that I will be eternally grateful, because that is why I became a 

teacher in the first place. 

I am and always will be a very proud Ms Hibbins so thank you for your time and dedication. 


in my third consecutive year participating in the First Story writing 

group, I felt comfortable pouring my innermost feelings and sparks 

of ingenuity on paper and using this with guidance from the group, Ms Hibbins 

and our resident writer, Ross Raisin. I was the only year 13 student in a group 

filled with students from years 10 and 11, which was refreshing and I got to 

know them quite well. They interacted well as a cohort of literary creativity 

and inspired our amazing anthology ‘It Always Seems So Simple’. Our refined 

masterpieces were centred around this recurring theme and it made for some 

very dark but also light-hearted material. 

As a safe-haven of friendship and challenge, the group was able to freely 

express themselves and delve deeper into the extraordinary world of 

creative writing away from revision for exams. As a collective, we 

have become a beacon for future originality in writing. Personally, having the 

opportunity to support the First Story scheme at Cranford for the last 3 years has greatly 

improved my self-esteem and inspired my love for creative writing and reading novels. It enabled 

me to make great friends through this shared passion of writing and it just feels like home, a 

place where we go to get away from the anxieties of modern life. I am all the more thankful that 

I was able to be a part of it and extremely grateful for the time and dedication everyone has put 

in over the last 3 years, in particular to Ms Hibbins and Ross for their phenomenal efforts and 

contributions to First Story for the amelioration of the students. 

Kishan Shah (year 13) 

Katie Hibbins (First Story) 

3

Foreign Languages Spelling Bee Competition 

The 

Spelling Bee competition in the summer term 2015 was a great experience. We started by having 

an interschool friendly competition in German and Spanish and we were selected by our teachers to 

attend the regional competition, which was held in Essex. We left school at 2pm by mini coach with Ms Williams 

and Mr Dobison. Ms Williams kindly brought snacks for us and we ate and practised on the long 3 hour journey. 

Once we arrived at the Cooper’s Company and Coborn School in Upminster, we were separated into a German and 

Spanish pair. Ms Williams went with the Spanish students and Mr Dobison stayed with the German 

students. We then competed against 20 students from other Greater London schools. Almost all 

of us went to the semi-finals, which was a great achievement. Despite being very nervous at 

the beginning, the whole day was very exciting and a lot of fun and we learnt a lot. 

German competitors: 

Guy Boonyarakyotin (7z) and Ayisha Mahmood (7z) 

Spanish competitors: 

Ricardo Oliveira (7z) and Anjali Bhambra (7x) 

The German Christmas Market in Hyde Park 

We 

left school by coach on a cold winter’s morning in December 2014. It took a long time to get to Hyde 

Park, but the journey was interesting and it was worth the wait. Once we were there, we were told the 

expectations and that the meeting point was by the huge Christmas 

tree. We then split up into groups of 4 or 5, given a German quiz to 

complete and went exploring the Christmas market looking for all the 

answers to the quiz. The quiz was very good as it helped us find out a 

lot about German food and drink. The food was amazing and delicious. 

Some of us bought really nice presents for our family and we had a lot 

of fun. The winners of the quiz won a box of chocolates which we all 

shared. Everything went really well and we all met up on time at the 

meeting point and left to go back by coach to school. Overall the day 

was brilliant, because it was thrilling and a lot of fun. 

4 

Jack Blandford, Adam El-Kosbi, Jahsean Williams, Abraham Mathews, Zahra 

Mahmood, Gargi Jadhav, Shabnam Uria, Zena Rehman, Suadi Barri, Octavia 

Madej, Prabhdeep Nijjar & Atanas Aleksandrov (year 7)

Duke of Edinburgh 

2015 

This 

year we had fifteen year 10 students completing their Bronze Award, 

and seventeen year 11 students completing their Silver Award. 

Students have all undertaken periods of volunteering, learning a new skill and 

taking part in a physical activity. The activities have included coaching year 2 and 

3 children football, supporting students in the ASD centre, dog walking, learning 

cross-stitch, British sign language, tyre fitting, badminton, and much, much more. 

The final part of the award was an expedition where students plan and navigate a 

route including camping overnight, carrying all equipment and cooking on trangia 

stoves. The Bronze Award assessed expedition to Box Hill took place on Friday 

3rd and Saturday 4th July 2015 and the students 

had a fantastic time and all navigated their way 

without too many detours; even camping in a 

thunderstorm didn’t stop them. The Silver Award 

assessed expedition ran from Thursday 9th to 

Saturday 11th July 2015 and the students walked from Beachy Head around the 

South Downs. The glorious weather and beautiful setting by the coast helped 

keep their spirits up over the 3 day expedition through the blisters, sore shoulders 

and a couple of wrong turnings. 

Thank you to Ms Ledlie, Mr Biggs and Ms Hibbins for 

leading both expeditions. 

We hope that all 

these students will 

continue on to Silver 

or Gold next year and that their success will inspire 

lots of the other students to get involved for the first 

time next year. 

Eleanor Stokes (Assistant Headteacher DofE Co-ordinator) 

“As tiring and difficult the expedition maybe, carrying 

on is essential for success even if you take the wrong 

route because the feeling of knowing you completed it 

is worth it the most”. 

Onkardeep Sahota (year 11) 

5

After 

a five year absence the Junior Citizen 

Programme returned to Hounslow on Monday 

15th June 2015 hosted by Cranford Community College. The 

programme targets year 6 pupils transferring to secondary school 

and encourages children to make the right choices as they 

develop into young adults. The 

two week event took place in a 

tented village on the 30 acre site at 

Cranford Community College. 31 

primary and junior schools from 

the whole of Hounslow and over 

2200 children took part in the 

interactive event. 

PC Michael Purvey and PCSO Anna 

Madden are the driving force behind 

re-establishing the Junior Citizen 

Programme. They are determined 

that the children of Hounslow should 

be as well informed as possible 

about the dangers around them to 

make good choices, stay safe and to 

have bright futures. With the support 

and sponsorship of the Metropolitan Police, 

London Borough of Hounslow Community 

Partnership Unit and Cranford Community 

College the programme has returned on a scale 

larger than ever before. 

6

Each 

participating school 

spent a whole day at Cranford engaging in a 

range of Junior Citizen activities such as internet safety, 

road safety (Hounslow Highways), behaviour on public 

transport (TfL), kitchen and fire safety (London Fire 

Brigade), seaside safety (RNLI), stranger danger, Prevent 

(anti-terrorism), stop and search, drugs and alcohol dangers, 

anti-bullying, train and platform safety (British Transport 

Police), knife and gun crime, etc. 

On Friday 19th June 2015, the Mayor of London Borough 

of Hounslow, Nisar Malik, Seema Malhotra Member 

of Parliament for Feltham and Heston, Ruth Cadbury 

MP for Brentford and Isleworth along with many LBH 

Councillors and senior Met police officers joined in the 

activities with the children and toured the Junior Citizen 

Programme. Seema Malhotra commented, “The Junior 

Citizen Programme at Cranford is delivering a crucial 

message to our children and I would strongly encourage 

all Hounslow primary schools to attend this event”. 

It was not just the year 6 children of Hounslow who 

enjoyed the experience. Cranford students in years 

7, 8 and 9 undertook the role of Junior Citizen 

Ambassadors guiding the year 6 children around 

and acting as role models for the younger children. 

The programme ran until 26th June 2015 and 

Sue Sampson, Lead member for communities was 

delighted to support the programme. “London 

Borough for Hounslow is proud to have been part of 

the re-launch of the Junior Citizen scheme. We are 

also proud of our children who have attended and 

enjoyed the scheme. Those yet to come will equally 

find the scenarios excellent. This scheme has my full 

support”. 

Kevin Prunty, Executive Headteacher said; 

“This event is of enormous value and 

relevance to the needs of our young children 

in being prepared, skilled and equipped to 

make a positive contribution to shaping 

our society and becoming successful and 

committed British citizens. Planning has 

already begun for an even bigger event next 

year”. 

Alan Fraser 

(Assistant Headteacher) 

7

Holocaust Survivor Uri Winsterstein visits Cranford 

On 

20th March 2015 we were privileged to have Uri Winsterstein visit to tell us about his 

experiences as a holocaust survivor and the impact this had on him and his family. This 

was a unique opportunity, which allowed year 9 students to engage with a personal account of 

such an historic time period. The aim of the testimonies is to preserve and record the life stories 

of these special people. Our students were able to gain a more comprehensive understanding of 

the events that contributed to the holocaust and importantly the impact on people in Germany and 

across Nazi occupied Europe. The students had the opportunity to ask Uri probing questions in 

order to further advance their understanding and seriously consider a challenging and emotional 

topic with maturity. During period 5 a group of students were able to work with a specialist and analysed sources 

and historical documents to further enhance their historical skills. 

Michelle Cousins (Head of Humanities Department) 

Visit to Hampton Court 

The 

year 12 A’ Level history students visited Hampton Court on 

Wednesday 1st July 2015 in support of their studies on Henry VIII. 

The day turned out to be the hottest so far this year with temperatures soaring to a 

sweltering 32C. Despite this, students still had an excellent time and the trip was 

successful in bringing their studies of Henry VIII and the English Reformation to 

life. We toured the Palace using the audio guides to learn more about the kitchens, 

state apartments and great hall before (unsuccessfully) attempting the maze. 

Rachel Thorpe (History Department) 

AS Geography 

8 

Year 

12 geography students are required to participate 

in fieldwork in preparation for an end of year AS 

examination, so eleven budding geographers took the minibus down 

the M3 to the world heritage site that is the Jurassic Coast. 

The group visited many different places along the Jurassic Coast 

like Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door applying practical fieldwork 

techniques to enhance their understanding of physical processes. 

The students undertook sand dune transects in Studland Bay and 

completed a bi-polar analysis at Swanage Beach focusing on the 

success of coastal defences. 

We also visited Boscombe beach in Bournemouth to consider the 

human impact on the coast and assess an area that had undergone 

rigorous rebranding and then evaluate the rebranding success back 

in the classroom. 

Both I and Mr. Myers were very proud of the way the students 

approached their investigations and their hard work throughout 

the day. 

Rory Clifford (Teacher of Geography) 

Field 

Trip to 

Swanage 

In 

Field Trip 

to Windsor 

June 2015, year 10 GCSE 

geography students went on a trip 

to Windsor to discover the negative and 

positive impacts of tourism on the town, 

as part of our Geography coursework 

During the trip, we collected numerous 

types of evidence such as: the amount of 

litter in certain locations, the amount of 

congestion and the amount of pedestrians 

going towards or away from certain 

well known attractions such as Windsor 

Castle and The Long Walk. Collecting 

this evidence assisted us in supporting 

our reasoning and also made our data 

presentable with accurate results. 

In addition we gathered answers by 

questioning members of the public as 

a part of primary research about their 

thoughts and opinions on Windsor. 

Although the weather was not always 

the best, the trip was still enjoyable 

and educational as we still managed to 

accomplish our task. 

Divan Odedra (year 10)

Year 8 - IT 

Kingswood Adventure 

April 2015 

Going 

up and down the curved hills of 

a white cliff bay with a group of 

fifty excitable year 8 students is quite an experience 

especially when they first caught sight of the 

Kingswood Centre. 

On arrival the students familiarised themselves with 

the campus and then were challenged to unpack and 

make their beds. Some students struggled with this as 

they had never done it before. Mohsin Ahmed in 8W 

said ‘Sir, should I go and help some of the students 

that are stuck, I can’t believe they have never done 

this before?’ 

It was a chilly first evening as the students ventured 

to their first activity; some took part in the abseiling 

and others on the ‘leap of faith’, so it was nice to get 

inside and watch a DVD with a room full of giant 

bean bags and popcorn before going to bed. Having 

slept late, Ms Kudhail gave everyone an 

enthusiastic wakeup call 

advising them to get ready 

quickly for breakfast and 

an exciting day ahead. 

Students drove Go-karts on the 

race track, zip wired across a 

trench and also ‘flew’ on the 3g 

swing. After dinner one group 

went on the team challenge. 

Students were blindfolded and had 

to communicate with each other in 

games. They were taken down to the 

beach to look at the landscape and 

discover living creatures in the rock 

pools. When they competed in the 

assault course blindfolded Mr. Healy 

turned this into a 4D experience for 

his group, he showered them with water 

and made them jump by sneaking up 

and throwing water on them. 

In the evening everyone took part in 

a scrap heap challenge, where they 

had to make the longest marble track 

which they really enjoyed as a wind 

down activity. They used card and 

paper to compete against each 

other. 

The following morning it was 

time to pack up and make our 

way to the ferry and sadly our 

adventure weekend had come 

to an end. Everyone had a 

wonderful time and it was nice 

to spend time in a centre on the 

beach. The centre was delighted 

with the students’ and the staff’s 

enthusiasm and sent a letter of 

thanks to the school inviting us 

to come back again next year. 

Sukhjeet Kudhail 

(IT Department) 

9

Jamie’s Farm - A Unique Experience 


Community 

College has enjoyed a 

successful partnership with 

Jamie’s Farm for three years 

and over 70 students and a 

dozen staff have enjoyed this unique 

experience tucked away in the hills outside Bath. 

Jamie’s farm combines family, farming and therapy and 

both students and staff have benefitted in a huge range of ways: 

re-engaging with education, building self-esteem and allowing our 

predominantly urban students to flourish in a rural environment 

that fosters independence and enables them to engage with 

themselves and their environment in a completely different way. 

Rob Ind (Assistant Headteacher Pastoral) 

This 

year, I was very lucky to be 

given an opportunity to go to 

Jamie’s Farm with the students to help boost my 

confidence. Our Cranford students were very well behaved and friendly, I had so 

much fun with them, taking part in the activities without any hesitation such as; going on a swing, 

wood chopping, cleaning out the pig’s pen so that it looks clean and brand new for another pig, 

herding sheep from one field to another at Steve’s farm, cooking, breakfast, lunch or dinner etc. 

I made friends with the staff too; Jake, Rachael and Sue. 

Sue helped with cleaning the pig’s pen and was nice to chat 

too. What I learnt about myself from this trip is; always give 

something a go rather than just saying no first, I can socialise 

with students and animals very well now. I was also involved 

in telling the students who did well when we were doing a 

check in where we also rated out of ten how we felt after what 

we did. They loved to go for a swim in the river during the 

warm weather during our long walks in the evenings. 

It’s been a while since I have been on a residential trip such 

as this, and is the first time as an adult. I had a lovely time, 

as well as the students, and hope they do well 

in school now after having been given the 

opportunity to go on this trip and prove that 

they can change and do well in future. I have 

seen a few of the students back in school and 

we say hello. I, too, am surprised that I have 

also been told that I have changed and would 

like to see how this goes. 

10 

Alwin Sandhu (Reprographics and postal services administrator)

Jamie’s Farm, Cultivating Change 

That’s 

what the logo says and that is 

exactly what it does. A place that 

helps young people flourish in education, at home and 

in the community. Twice a year Cranford takes two 

groups of 12 students for 5 days. They all feel at home 

at the farm very quickly and love being there and 

without exception are all very sad when it’s time to 

come home. Every child I have ever taken would jump 

at the chance to return. 

The working farm aspect of the visit means that all 

of the animals have to be tended to and cared for 

– in the morning the animals are fed 

and cleaned out before we have our 

breakfast. The students all have to 

take part in even the most smelly 

and dirty of jobs. When asked the 

children would say that cleaning out 

and feeding the pigs is the smelliest 

– however they all just tackle the 

job without complaint and always 

do a complete and thorough job 

and usually with a lot of smiles and 

laughter. As well as the feed round 

everyone takes part in herding sheep and moving 

them from field to field, helping with the delivery 

of lambs and bottle feeding any orphans, grooming 

the horses and learning to horse whisper, clipping the 

chickens wings, collecting eggs and herding cows. 

There is always work to do in the organic garden which 

produces a lot of the fruit and veg that we eat at the 

farm and chopping wood which helps heat the house 

and barn and provides us with hot water. 

The students are not allowed to bring sweets, crisps, 

fizzy drinks or any other snacks to the farm. Instead 

all food is produced from scratch and is healthy and 

plentiful. Even the fussiest of eaters do not go hungry 

and become much braver in their food choices. All of 

the students have a turn at preparing breakfast, lunch, 

afternoon tea and the evening meal. This includes 

collecting fruit and veg from the garden, making bread, 

preparing vegetables, and cooking meals for about 25 

people. They really take pride in serving 

the delicious food and then we all sit around a huge 

table and eat as a family. 

In addition to the no junk food rule the students are 

not allowed to have mobile phones, iPads or any other 

electrical device. They often find the thought of being 

away from social media, texting etc. very difficult but 

as soon as we arrive at the farm it is so busy they don’t 

even mention it. They very quickly learn to actually 

have face to face meaningful conversations rather than 

looking down at a phone and text talk. 

At the end of mealtimes (after clearing the table, 

washing up and clearing away), we sit at the table 

and all take part in a shout out and check in. This 

involves everyone (students and staff alike), when we 

think about how we are feeling. The shout out is when 

we recognise that someone has done something well, 

has been kind to someone else, has been helpful etc. 

It is often a very moving time and on occasion there 

are tears, positive tears. One of the students said “it’s 

weird, the louder kids become quieter and the quiet 

ones start to speak up”. 

Every afternoon we all go on a very long hike which 

always involves a lot of hills. The students really enjoy 

the walk; we take the farm dogs, if the weather is fine 

we stop at the river and go in for a swim. 

The walks are a great opportunity to 

really get to know the students. 

By bedtime the students are all very 

tired and it’s straight to sleep ready for 

more of the same the next day. 

The whole trip is absolutely amazing, 

exhausting, fun filled and really gives 

students the chance to reflect and think 

about how to make positive changes to 

their lives when they return. As one 

student said: “I love it here, I can 

just be me”. 

Jamie’s Farm, Cultivating Change. 

A place that helps young people 

flourish in education, at home 

and in the community; yes I truly 

believe it does just that. 

Vanessa Tutt (SEND Department) 

11

The 

National Saturday Art club is an 

exciting opportunity for young people. 

As well as more than 100 hours of specialist 

tuition, they benefit from visits to museums and 

galleries, Master classes from leading art and 

design practitioners and an exhibition of their 

work in London’s Somerset House. The Saturday 

Club nurtures talent, builds confidence and raises 

aspirations. It helps young people gain qualifications 

and gives them an insight into studying at college 

or university and an understanding of careers in the 

creative industries. 

This year Kavlin Arora and Jaslin Arora (year 

11) attended the Saturday club, showing real 

commitment to the Arts. They attended a Master 

class with Jim Sutherland. 

Jim Sutherland was co-founded of Hat Trick Design 

in 2001, which became the most awarded agency 

in 2010. He has worked for clients including the 

National History Museum, Royal Mail, Land 

Securities, Rambert, AHMM Architects, Imperial 

War Museums and Williams F1. 

At the Master class Kavlin and Jaslin learnt about 

his passion for graphic design and typefaces and 

about his career path to success. They learnt about 

projects at Hat Trick Design and his current work 

and produced their own work inspired by this based 

on the letters in their names. The students really 

enjoyed looking at type in a new way. 

The whole experience culminated in a final show 

where students exhibited their work from the 

Master class and an additional project. The final 

design of ‘the lady’ made from willow, papiermâché 

and mixed media was a show stopper and 

was Kavlin and Jaslin’s big idea for the group. The 

light from the heart and brain gave ‘the lady’ life 

and the images displayed a wealth of living. 

Kavlin and Jaslin Arora received certificates from 

Lord and Lady Sorrell at the awards ceremony at 

Somerset House. Their parents and I are very proud 

of the dedication they have shown; how they have 

matured and grown as individuals and the work 

they have produced. 

12 

Permjeet Hunt (Second in Charge of ADT)

“Going to a Saturday art club seemed at first to be just another school art class; well this was my first but last 

misunderstanding. National Saturday Art School opened my eyes not only to new techniques of art, but brought 

about a new definition for art. Here someone’s art skills weren’t judged for perfection, but as an opportunity for 

everyone to express themselves through art. I made new friends, built my confidence, 

developed my skills and changed my perspective towards art and design. 

We began the programme with a series of activities including doing unusual selfportraits, 

typography and the attitude towards women in art. We 

explored modern art, art with stories and art created by 

many other artists across the nation. I was overwhelmed 

and felt I could really achieve. In addition we were able 

to engage with professionals in this field who have chosen 

art and design as their career. 

The Sorrell Foundation provided us with ‘master classes’ 

giving us guidance through the path of art and design which was 

a real privilege. I think I was indeed fortunate to be offered this opportunity and to 

be recognised for something so prestigious. I have been left with such memorable 

experiences and I am extremely grateful to Ms Hunt who gave me this opportunity that 

has changed how art is for me, forever”. 

Kavlin Aurora (year 11) 

“The twins have been amazing! 

They have attended sessions and 

the idea for the final lady was 

their idea”. 

Linda Newcombe (Lecturer 

University of West London) 

13

Activities 

Week 


14 

Week 

beginning Monday 13th July 2015, 

Cranford transformed itself into 

a Sherlock Holmes type investigation as the school 

collapsed its usual timetable and embarked on our 

annual Activities Week. Students developed new 

knowledge and investigative skills in different subjects 

in order to explore an imaginary murder mystery 

and solve the crime. The week provided an exciting 

chance for students to forge links between subjects and 

explore careers linked to the theme. The rich learning 

experience saw students work in five main areas; 

Under the Microscope, Crime Scheme Investigation, 

Code Breaker, The Mystery of Harris Burdick and 

Agent Training. 

Under the Microscope 

Students worked with mixed media in the ADT 

department and developed and ‘explored’ pieces of art 

work. Students took microscopic images and enlarged 

them to create pieces of art based on cells and viruses. 

Crime Scheme Investigation 

Working with science and humanities students spent 

time exploring a crime scene and using scientific 

investigation to explore evidence and solve a given 

crime. Once the evidence had been collected they 

used this to find further evidence around the school 

site. Students then presented their findings at a panel 

hearing and discussed who was responsible. 

Code Breaker 

The ICT, Business Studies and Social Science 

Departments provided students with the chance to 

explore the world of surveillance where students had 

to work with imaginary CCTV footage to discover 

through an imaginary scenario who had broken into the 

school. Once the footage had been analysed students 

looked into using computing software to crack the 

code and gain further digital evidence to find the 

culprit. This was followed by a number of debates 

and discussions about the use of eye witness accounts 

and living in a surveillance society. 

The Mystery of Harris Burdick 

The Mystery of Harris Burdick provided the next 

challenge based in intrigue and fantasy to explore 

different mysteries and as a stimulus to create their own 

mysteries. The responses ranged from dance routines, 

drama and board games to pieces of creative writing, 

poetry and song. The creative output was amazing as 

students independently selected their own medium of 

response; this work was created with the English and 

Performing Arts Departments. 

Agent Training 

During this day students were set the challenge of 

becoming agent ready. The day was split into four 

main areas to ensure they were ready for the challenge 

of the week. Activities included archery and caving 

which tested their accuracy, dexterity and focus. 

Students then moved on to develop their problem 

solving and powers of logic with the maths and PE 

department working on tackling different challenges 

and completing “escape the room” style trials. Finally 

they finished the day testing the linguistic skills with 

the Modern World Languages team where they had 

to complete ‘the 39 steps’ a series of coded messages 

which had to be decoded and translated in order to find 

secret locations around the school. 

Throughout the week students and staff were allowed 

to wear non–uniform to raise money for our two 

nominated charities The Terrence Higgins Trust and 

the National Aids Trust. We raised a grand total of 

£1126.96. 

The week concluded with our DREAMS rewards 

day where students enjoyed a day of visits, trips and 

sporting activities and year 12 held a pizza party in 

the Memorial Garden with our guests from Korea, to 

round off a very successful week and celebrate the end 

of another amazing year at Cranford. 

Kevin Biggs 

(Senior Teacher Activities week Organiser)

“Collecting evidence was fun because we 

were independently working.”. 

Kinza David (year 10) 

“Code breaking is particularly 

interesting because it challenged 

me to be mathematical and 

logical”. 

Ismaeel Abdul (year 7) 

“It was interesting learning about 

the World War II code breaking and 

how it influenced computer theory”. 

Frank Smith (year 7) 

“Caving was something different; 

you have to overcome challenges like 

being in the dark and getting through 

small gaps”. 

Brendan Fernandez (year 9) 

“Archery was good because I was taught 

how to aim and hit the bullseye”. 

Alex Lamb (year 10) 

“We did an MI6 test to see how 

observant we were, we had to learn 

a cover story and pretend we were 

someone else, it was different, 

fun and challenging”. 

Arjun Bansal (year 9) 

15

On 

Sunday 12th July 2015, Humza Arshad aka bad man star of 

Diary of a Bad Man attended an anti-radicalisation event along 

with former members of extremist groups hosted by Cranford 

Community College, and organised collaboratively by Hounslow’s prevent 

team and West London Initiative. Diary of a Bad Man is a satirical take on 

British Asian culture, with a twist: the videos all end with a moral message. 

The aim of the event was to highlight the distressing 

impact of travel to Syria and Iraq on families, to 

dissuade people from travelling and to undermine ISIS and other 

organisations’ propaganda. The event allowed younger students to meet a hero of their 

times and they were extremely excited to ask him a range of weird and wonderful 

questions including which football team he supported and what his favourite food 

was. For older and former students it was more an opportunity to ask Humza what 

inspired him to use his comedy to promote a very serious message. The more serious 

and hard-hitting panel discussion about the very real techniques used by radical 

groups in grooming youngsters had everyone captivated and all the students wished 

the discussions could go on for longer. One bit of advice given by Mr Muhammad 

Manwar Ali (Abu Muntasir) applicable to all people from all walks of life was that 

common sense and your conscience have a very important part to play in life, and 

whatever goes against both cannot be a good thing. 

16 

Mehmoona Yousaf (Senior Teacher SMSC & Head of RE Department)

“The anti-radicalisation event targeting the youth of Hounslow hosted by 

Cranford Community College was one which was truly enlightening and very 

much needed. The event addressed current issues surrounding the dangers of 

ISIS and other such groups and ways to better ourselves and society. Humza 

aka Diary of a Badman added an entertaining comedy element whilst still 

addressing a very serious issue. Events like 

this are amazing and spread a message 

not just to a specific religion, but to teach 

everyone how to be a better person. 

Cranford was an amazing, brave host willing to 

tackle this sensitive subject rather than shy away like others do. We were 

provided with great food and an amazing environment which allowed everyone to 

feel comfortable and safe in asking their questions. I am especially grateful that 

despite being former students myself and others are still invited to these events”. 

Susan Adam (Former student currently reading English Literature at Queen Mary) 

“The diary of a Badman antiradicalisation 

event was amazing! 

I loved the way Humza Arshad 

explained everything in a fun way. 

It made me think about how some 

Muslims are being treated because 

of the media”. 

Michael Rodrigues (year 8) 

“On Sunday 12th July 2015 I came to school 

to see the Humza production. The event was extremely helpful and 

interesting because he talked about his own experiences. His humour made 

me completely engaged. The panel discussion at the end was helpful as they 

spoke about issues that I could relate to and have personally experienced, 

for example the way in which all Muslims are labelled by the media when 

something bad happens”. 

Sabrina Ahmed (year 9) 

“The conference served as a means to bring to light a very real and prevalent 

issue which is overlooked in modern day society due to focus on extremist 

groups themselves - radicalisation which frequently takes place under our 

noses even to people close to us. Although the discussion by the panel 

was brief, it was insightful in showing how vulnerable individuals are to 

indoctrination not only by extremist groups, but also by the media and so a 

question was posed “Who do we put our faith in if no one is to be trusted?” 

Humza Arshad’s performance allowed a serious message to be delivered in an 

intuitive and unconventional way, which appeals to the youth; comedy”. 

Al-Enzeli Ramji (year10) 

“It was a wonderful thing to see a famous person coming into a 

secondary school and talking to us about a major issue in our society, 

ISIS. Radicalisation by such groups is a massive problem which is 

causing teenagers from the UK to join ISIS in Syria. The event attended by Humza Arshad 

(Diary of a Bad Man) and people who were involved in extremist groups in the past was designed to show how 

these groups groom young minds. It is essential that students of this age are made aware of the dangers and 

consequences of even thinking about travelling to one of these terrorism 

groups. Apart from Humza’s humour and jokes, the event made the students 

realise how such terrorism groups brainwash children and lure them into 

joining them. We certainly need more of these events so that children are 

aware of the dangers and also to prevent any adults and young adults from 

joining such groups”. 

Aadil Awan (year10) 

17

Stephen Kelman Workshop 

On 

Friday 19th June 2015, the English 

Department organised an author event 

with Stephen Kelman, author of “Pigeon English” 

who delivered an inspiring workshop to students at 

Cranford. Firstly, he introduced himself and told the 

story of how a young boy felt isolated in his new 

town. Not all students had heard of his novel, but 

we were all so intrigued by the stark reality of this 

storyline. 

We then completed a writing task in groups, thinking 

about how we would feel in the boy’s shoes and to 

write from the perspective of someone outside their 

comfort zone, having moved to a new place. 

The groups came up with lots of different ideas for 

a story about moving to a new place, from an alien 

on a new planet, to a student in a new school. I 

really enjoyed it because we were able to work on 

teamwork skills and Stephen was there, helping us think of ideas and making 

suggestions for our stories. He encouraged us to brainstorm and create new 

ideas so our stories could be exciting and interesting. 

He spoke to us at the end to encourage us to read widely, visit the library 

and write short stories in our own time. I’m really glad I went. Here are 

two stories written by students who attended the workshop. 

Ayisha Mahmood (year 7) 

I 

swam off into the rubble 

peacefully residing on the 

seabed, it was almost frightening. 

The scale of destruction came 

overhead. Miniscule pieces created 

a sandstorm like movement. The 

movement was not violent, just 

beautiful. “Wow!” I said to myself. I 

laid back to float and waited. I did not wait 

for anything but myself. My relaxation was shortlived 

as I hit my head on an arched door. I cursed. The 

door was corroded heavily through time and sea water. I wandered 

through that very door and found myself in place more beautiful than 

that meatloaf from earlier. It was the little remains of parliament, 

it was just a mixture of rooms and halls with no roof, I sighed in 

disappointment. Looking down, I found an unusually old container; 

it looked to be a box of importance - yet if I were to open it, 

anything inside would be destroyed. While investigating I was 

covered by an ominous shadow, my heart skipped a beat. I dare not 

look up. At that moment, I hated everything. If I looked up, I felt 

everything I sought after would have ended. I expected something 

of goliath proportions. I had repeated those lines. My fate and my soul 

were up to me. I looked up and I was right. Everything I had wanted in life ended right there, 

thousands of fathoms below sea level. The shadow was, I whispered “Big Ben” in all its glory. 

Karan Kumar (year 9) 

Big Ben 

18

Healing ... 

Today 

it’s his birthday. A very special day for 

all of us but no one has said a word about 

it; I would like it to stay that way. I don’t want the past to 

perpetuate itself in the present. It has been three whole months 

since my father’s death and our family is still – healing. More 

pain grows into our hearts with each passing day. We’re all in 

the same place, on the same plane, heading towards the same 

country but we live in different worlds, on different planets, 

dealing with our own frustrations. My mother has died on the 

inside. She has built her walls so that no one could climb themand 

now she’s alive – but her soul isn’t. I’m so much like my 

mother. I have the same dark, brown eyes, the same short, brown 

hair, the same nose, hands and face but a completely different 

attitude. When I look at her I see the pain in her dark brown eyes. 

However, my eyes don’t show pain, they show enormous 

hatred for the people who killed my father. The 

people who have caused so much misery 

into our lives, but in a way they have 

managed to open new doors for 

me and my mum, and my 

sister. We’re heading to 

London today. 

Looking around the 

plane, I spot my sister talking to her 

teddy bear and I envy her with all my heart. Her brown 

eyes are gleaming with joy and her long, light brown 

hair is suffocating the teddy 

bear’s face. She’s not aware 

of what is happening in the 

world because she lives in her 

own colourful world. Unlike 

mother who’s in a world of her 

own too, full of pain and misery, 

my sister Lana, is in a happy place 

full of dreams and beautiful things. 

For her, father is still alive. ‘When is 

father coming back from work?’ she asks 

sometimes, when her mind can’t 

think of anything else to say. How 

lucky. I close my eyes, lean my head on 

one of the hundreds of blue, tiny chairs on 

this massive plane. I hope I can get some sleep 

before we arrive but it seems impossible as too much 

excitement mixed with pain is running through my body. This 

is the first time I am travelling on a plane and I have to say 

that it’s very fascinating as well as scary. The scariest thing 

so far was the take off because it felt like the plane was 

attempting a backward flip and it got stuck in the middle but 

now everything is fine. In London I’ll finally get a chance 

to go to school and get the education I need to support my 

family. I’ll get a home. My home; away from the bombs and 

the tears, and the wars; away from all the agony. Thanks to 

my aunt, who has offered to do everything she can to bring 

us here, all my dreams are now possible, but I still think 

about Syria. I still think about my friends, my burnt down house and 

most of all, my dad. 

Christiana Eftenoiu (year 9) 

19

On 

a lovely summer’s evening, Thursday June 25th 2015, the 

Gypsy Roma Traveller community of Cranford Community 

College and Berkeley Primary School gathered together in the Memorial 

Garden to celebrate their history month. Students showcased their work 

and created a display of all their achievements throughout the 

academic year. In addition they performed to celebrate 

their rich heritage. Celia Green from 7Z sang a song 

by ‘Adele’ alongside younger students from Berkeley 

Primary. Students’ younger siblings took part in a number 

of fun activities, one of which was to create their own 

Crown Derby designs on paper plates. 

This was a great family event and the parents really 

appreciated the BBQ (ably cooked by Mr Fraser) and 

refreshments that were provided and look forward to 

joining together again next year. 

Cara Cannon 

(Teaching Assistant) 

“The BBQ was 

lovely. It was 

nice to see the 

younger children 

performing in front 

of other families 

and teachers. 

They loved joining 

in with the activities and 

games. Making their own 

Crown Derby on paper plates 

was their favourite. We have them 

on the shelf at home”. 

(Parent comment) 

“I had fun at the 

BBQ, the singers 

were really good and 

the food was nice”. 

“I liked looking at 

all of our photos on display, 

I was showing my Mum and Dad and 

they liked seeing them too”. 

20 

“My Mum really liked reading my piece 

of writing about ‘who inspires me’; she 

wants a copy of it for at home”.

Cranford’s budding mathematicians 

have had an outstanding year, with 

amazing success in the junior, 

intermediate and senior maths 

challenges. The sixth form students made an 

excellent start in November 2014 with the 

Senior Maths Challenge, where 6 students won 

bronze awards, with Mariyum Mahmood and 

Meharpaul Gill gaining the highest scores in 

year 12 and year 13. 

In March 2015, there was further success with 

the Intermediate Maths Challenge. Our year 9, 

10 and 11 students achieved magnificent 5 gold 

awards, 12 silver award and 23 bronze awards. 

Particular congratulations are due to our gold 

award winners: Sachin Ranadev (Best in Year 

11), Harjit Singh, Arun Sharma (Best in school), 

Anjitha Anilkumar and Teodor Jetvic (Best in 

Year 9). Because of their excellent results for 

their respective year groups, Arun, Anjitha and 

Teodor, along with Hudaifa Mohamed from 

year 9 were also invited to take part in the 

Europe wide Kangaroo Maths Challenge, and 

Teodor was also invited to attend a special 

Royal Institution Maths Master class for the 

best year 9 students in the competition. 

“The Rock Star trip was amazing. 

We went to a radio and TV station 

and it was brilliant. We saw 

many things there such as how 

they worked and what they did 

as well as seeing many fish as 

they have the biggest amount 

of fish in Europe. We met many 

people from different schools 

who were also there and who 

were playing with us on the 

computers. It was amazing 

going there”. 

Shariq Ahmed (year 8) 

In April 2015 it was the turn of year 7 

and 8 students who achieved wonderful 

results in the Junior Maths challenge, 

with 20 students attaining silver awards 

and 28 students attaining bronze awards. 

Neha Hussain (year 7) and Jaijiten Hundal 

(year 8) did exceptionally well, scoring 

the highest scores in their year groups. 

Congratulations to all students who 

participated in or won awards in the Maths 

challenges. The Maths Department is very 

proud of you all. 

We are also happy to announce that four of our 

wonderful year 8 students competed in the first 

ever Times Tables Rock Wrangle. Parminderjeet 

Tamber, Subhan Jaura, Shariq Ahmed and 

Zakariya Abdullahi, accompanied by Mr Andrews, 

travelled into central London to compete in this 

prestigious competition involving many other 

schools from across the country. They all did 

extremely well and Cranford came in 17th out 

of the 38 participating schools. 

Sarah Brackley (Head of Maths Department) 

21

Internationalism 

in action 

at Cranford 

The 

A submission has now been made for a record sixth time. The feedback 

from the reaccreditation application was: 

“The collaborative work you have conducted with your partner schools 

and plan to conduct in the future is impressive and your relationship with 

them is very well-established, as shown by your achievements, which 

speak for themselves”. 

Academy Trust Board ratified the new internationalism policy 

at Cranford in November 2014, which confirmed our mission 

to educate students for the future, which is ever changing and as yet 

unknown, providing them with the skills, knowledge and outlook required 

in the new world order and enabling them to grow into global citizens. 

Cranford’s success in developing strong international links for the benefit 

of its students and staff has been 

recognised since the International 

School Award first began in 1999. 

Ocheon High School, Korea 

In July 2015, we welcomed, for the first time, a group of 

24 students and 2 members of staff, including the Principal 

Mr Park, from the Ocheon High School, Pohang in South 

Korea. Their stay of just one week was packed with things 

to do. Some of the group from Korea already have pen pals 

at Cranford and this was a great opportunity to meet face to 

face. The students were integrated into year 12 and joined 

in their activities during the final week of term. A high 

point of the week was on the Thursday when the Korean 

students were awarded certificates in front of their year 12 Cranford colleagues in recognition of their time at 

Cranford. During the week, Mr Prunty, Executive Headteacher and Mr Park , Principal, signed a Memorandum 

of Understanding between Cranford Community College and Ocheon High School with a view to deepening this 

new and exciting relationship. 

Cranford has established strong 

links with Korea and has 

hosted many visits by senior 

educationalists, eager to see how 

Cranford works. They always 

leave very impressed by the 

students and the staff. 

Napoli, Italia 

In June 2015, we welcomed 

a group of 12 students from 

the Naples area in Italy for a 5 day integration programme with year 10 

students. Each Italian student was buddied up with a Cranford student and 

attended their lessons. This first-hand experience of visiting lessons in an 

English school is second to none and every student was very appreciative 

of the support and help from both Cranford staff and students. We look set 

to work directly with the Italian school to ensure this kind of opportunity 

occurs again. Berkeley Primary School was also involved and hosted 2 

Italian students who worked with year 4 and 5 pupils for the week. They 

were absolutely delighted with the experience and this opportunity gave both the Italians and Berkeley pupils a 

wonderful opportunity to get to know each other more. 

22

Tianjin College of Commerce 

In September 2014, we played host to a group of 10 

students and 6 staff from our long-standing partner 

college in China, the Tianjin College of Commerce. 

This was their annual visit to Cranford, during which 

they experienced school life as well some of the sights 

and sounds of London, Oxford and Brighton. This link 

goes from strength to strength and was reinforced by 

the re-signing of the Partnership Agreement earlier 

this year between the two institutions. In addition, one of their teachers, Ms Qi Wang stayed on at Cranford 

to further develop her English skills as well as see how Cranford does outstanding teaching and learning. I 

am delighted to announce that this coming October, a group of 37 year 12 Cranford students and 5 members of 

staff will be flying to China to visit the new campus of the college, which is now located in the enormous Haihe 

Education Park, in Tianjin, which houses all types of education institutions. 

South Dong Chang Middle School, Shanghai 

Once again at the end of June 2015, we welcomed a group of 14 students and 4 members of staff from our partner 

school in Shanghai, the South Dong Chang Middle School. This relationship has flourished since Mr Prunty, 

Executive Headteacher, first made contact with the school in March 2012. The students participated in the music 

concert on the Wednesday evening, when the rain, rather kindly, held off. The group, as last year, visited Berkeley 

Primary School and gave a wonderful assembly covering many aspects of music, dance and recital, from a Chinese 

fan dance, a fusion music piece with a clarinet and traditional ocarina (xun, pronounced a little like soon) to full 

western rock. The pupils at Berkeley were enchanted and welcomed the visit with 

open arms. The Chinese students were able to visit Cranford and learn about the way 

the school works as well as visit London, Oxford and Windsor. We look forward to 

Cranford visiting Shanghai. 

Matsumoto, Japan 

In April 2015, a group of 32 students from Japan were with us for one day. 

They were also buddied up with Cranford students from years 9 and 10. 

Japan scores very well in the PISA ratings and as an outstanding school, 

we are keen to learn from the best of their system, whilst sharing what 

we do very well too. 

The list goes on and on: visits from Finnish students and teachers came 

to Cranford in May 2015, a group of Lithuanian teachers keen to learn 

from us visited for a day, we have a new link with the Lebanon, which 

focusses on Arabic, we have had a number of year 8 students involved 

in webconferences with Russian students in Moscow and St Petersburg and we are always seeking ways that we 

can enjoy international relations with a view to learning from each other. 

Cranford, a truly international school. 

Philip Dobison 

(Assistant Head of School / International Relations)) 

23

“Excellent people don’t 

believe in excellence 

- only in constant 

improvement and 

constant change”. 

Tom Peters 

Targeted Intervention Days have again been a 

huge success this year with students experiencing 

challenging and diverse learning experiences. The 

aim of these days is to provide ‘deep learning’ opportunities for 

students to explore new topics or revisit subjects to embed learning. In addition 

students have opportunities to develop as citizens with activities designed to prepare 

them for the world beyond school. This year has seen students taking part in a rich 

variety of activities from personal development, educational visits 

and subject specific intervention all of which have supported 

students in making excellent progress and experiencing new 

things that they have never done before. 

Personal Development Days 

Year 7 focused on improving communication and team building whilst 

challenging bullying and anti-social behaviour. There was a focus on 

cyber bullying and e-safety. 

Year 8 explored risk and making informed choices, in particular looking 

at drugs and alcohol. They also spent time exploring the impact of the 

media on their decisions and thinking. 

Year 9 explored positive relationships and careers; they focused on domestic violence, 

sexting and e-safety. In addition they explored different options and pathways as part of 

their careers education. 

Year 10 focused on health and wellbeing learning about healthy bodies, sex, relationships 

and pregnancy. 

Year 11 learnt about mental health and preparations for their 

examinations. Time was spent exploring managing their 

workload and stress whilst being ready for the future. 

The primary aim was to provide them with strategies to 

cope with future challenges and exam stress. 

Year 12 spent a great deal of time revisiting key topics 

such as the impact of drugs and alcohol as well as 

positive relationships. In addition students looked to 

the future, preparing for life after secondary school 

discussing their life and positive skills they have. 

Students contributed to key debates linked to the 

wider world debating topics such as plastic surgery and 

the impact of tourism on society. 

Year 13 “Healthy Mind and Healthy Body” day explored just that but also focussed on 

UCAS and strategies to prepare them for life after school including cooking for one. 

24

“Computers let people 

avoid people, going 

out to explore. It’s so 

different to just open 

a website instead of 

looking at a Picasso in a 

museum in Paris”. 

Raf Simons 

Subject Days 

Targeted Intervention Days have provided an excellent 

opportunity for departments and year groups to get out of school 

and continue the learning on educational visits. Through the TI 

Day programme we have seen students set foot on foreign soil 

and have experiences very different to that offered 

in the normal curriculum at Cranford. 

This year we have seen TI Days provide students 

with access to learn new skills at the London 

Careers fair at the Excel Centre and explore 

human evolution at the Natural History Museum. 

They have studied great artistic works at Tate 

Modern, the National Gallery and even ventured 

to Barcelona and the Eden project to study the natural form 

and creative expression. Students have analysed artefacts and 

sources of evidence at the Museum of London and travelled 

to Bletchley Park to see some of the first computer systems 

that helped crack codes during World War Two. 

Within the creative arts, students have spent time on theatre and ballet trips, 

studio tours and creative workshops to develop their dance, drama and media 

talents. Students have studied the impact of time and people on the country with 

a trip to the south coast and navigated the countryside with the Duke of Edinburgh 

residential trip. Year 8 students have had their nerves challenged with outdoor pursuits 

activities at Kingswood and created games in the computer lab. This is just a flavour 

of the exciting challenges students experience outside of the classroom and beyond 

the blue gates of Cranford. 

Targeted Intervention Days are an excellent opportunity for students to 

revisit and boost their understanding of key topics within subjects so that 

they are in top shape to approach their exams. This year saw teachers’ 

creativity go into overdrive with activities 

taking place for all year groups and with all 

subjects giving students that little something 

extra to ensure they make the best progress. 

From coursework clinics and external visitors 

to no pens day Wednesday and a whole school 

numeracy focus students feet hardly touched 

the ground as they moved from one fantastic 

learning experience to the next. 

Let’s see what TI Days hold in store next year. 

Kevin Biggs (Senior Teacher Developing High Attainers) 

25

On 

Tuesday 30th June 2015 as London 

basked in glorious sunshine and 

temperatures soared to 25°C Cranford 

Community College hosted the ‘Art, Design and 

Technology Exhibition 2015’. The fantastic exhibition 

of work showcased the talents of exam 

students in years 11, 12 and 13. 

Exhib 

The theme was based on Barcelona in 

recognition of the year 12 and 13 trip in 

March 2015 with the ADT Department. 

The range of work on display this year was 

excellent with a more creative element 

on 3D Design and Textiles. Students and 

parents who visited the exhibition were very 

impressed by the work on display and many 

people commented on the high standard 

this year. Students are commended for the 

dedication and commitment they have 

clearly shown in producing the work. 

There was a special area set aside for our 

very own year 8 artist Zahra Sadiq 

who has a keen interest in art and 

design, working during her spare time to 

produce beautiful Manga pieces for the 

exhibition. 

This year the prestigious Tracy 

Fletcher Art Award, created in 

memory of Tracy Fletcher, a former 

Head of Art and Design who sadly 

died at the age of 49 in 2009, was presented 

to this year’s recipient Noorish Hussain by 

Mr Prunty along with some art equipment. 

Five outstanding pieces of key stage 5 artwork 

were selected by students and staff. Students 

voted to choose the final five pieces of work 

by: Nida Malik, Amarpal Singh Kharay, Lyba 

Fatima, Tahir Hussain and Noorish 

Hussain. 

Thank you to the ADT staff who helped 

to set up the exhibition to make it a 

great success. Your contribution and 

tireless motivation made the day run 

smoothly and definitely made it the 

best Art Design and Technology 

exhibition to date. 

Thank you to all the staff in whatever 

capacity you contributed, it made the 

day run smoothly. It was great to see 

so many colleagues at the exhibition 

as it makes a big difference to our 

students for other teachers to see 

their work. Many of you said really 

lovely comments to me in passing 

during the evening. 

26 

Ruby Qureshi 

(Head of Art Design and Technology)

ition 2015 

When 

I was given a set of 

questions to choose 

from an exam paper I considered various 

topics relating to them. However, 

‘Significant events’ stood out to me and 

inspired me to produce something which 

had a strong, influential and effective 

meaning behind it. I started to brainstorm a 

few ideas for this particular question which 

resulted in me choosing World War 

One as a significant event. 

As I researched more about World War I, 

I came across an idea which inspired me to 

create this particular final piece; research 

of the fallen soldiers. I felt the need to 

express this unit with a final piece which 

told a story. When I was researching fallen 

soldiers and their lives I discovered that 

the soldiers carried many possessions with 

them, in their helmet, while fighting for their 

country. This created the basis of the ‘story’ I 

wanted to present through my final piece and 

I wanted to closely look at a particular soldier 

and his life. After further research I included 

and made the following items placed in the 

helmet: a letter to the soldier from home, 

a tin of cigarettes, medals, a prayer card, a 

field manual and a picture of his sweetheart. 

I came across a poem, ‘For the Fallen’ by 

Robert Laurence Binyon, which inspired 

me to base my whole final piece on a fallen 

soldier. This final piece represents this poem 

and shows how WW1 is expressed through 

a 3D art piece. 

“They shall grow not old, 

as we that are left grow old. 

Age shall not weary them, 

nor the years condemn. 

At the going down of the sun 

and in the morning 

We will remember them” 

Noorish Hussain (year 13) 

27

On 

Feltham and Heston Youth Engagement Conference 2015 

Friday 13th March 2015, Cranford’s sixth form 

students attended a Heston Youth Engagement 

Conference. The event involved a discussion about politics 

and Q&A with Seema Malhotra MP as well as a panel debate 

with external guest speakers. With an election looming it was 

an opportune time to listen to both MPs and other experts 

about how to make society a better place. More importantly 

this event provided our students with an opportunity to have 

their say and to share their concerns and ideas with people 

that need to better understand the local community. 

Mehmoona Yousaf 

(Senior Teacher SMSC and Head of RE Department) 

“I enjoyed the different activities ranging from 

sports workshops to feminism. I liked the fact that 

I got to have my say on how people our age should 

be treated”. 

Simran Gill (year 12) 

“The event was truly eye-opening as we discussed 

the involvement of young people in politics. I was 

also informed about the many youth clubs and 

activities arranged for us. Most of us were unaware 

of these and so we are now more enthused about 

getting involved in local events and clubs”. 

Sofia Rahimi (year 12) 

Sixth Form attend a debate on 

the future of Britain’s Constitution 

On 

Wednesday 26 November 2014, students in years 12 & 13 attended a deliberative event to engage with 

a significant parliamentary consultation focused on the future of Britain’s constitution. 

This event was to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta, held at Royal Holloway 

College, University of London. In this debate we explored various arguments for and against having some form 

of written constitution. This allowed us to recognise that although the unwritten nature of the constitution is 

distinctively British and reminds us of our history, it is necessary and can become a symbol and expression of 

national identity and a source of national pride. With a panel of experts in the field of politics, we discussed three 

options for the ‘New Magna Carta’ and concluded that due to the practical problems with preparing a written 

constitution, there is limited support for implementing one and is a low priority even for those who support the idea. 

28 

Simran Mehra and Gursharan Seera (year 13)

Trinity 

School 

RE Debate 

with the 

former 

Archbishop of Canterbury 

In 

the spring term 2015, I was contacted by 

Trinity School in Croydon and invited to a 

seminar held by the former Archbishop of Canterbury, 

Dr Rowan Williams. This was an alumni event and so 

former pupils of all ages were able to attend. Eager 

to broaden my pupils’ horizons as much as possible 

and provide them with excellent opportunities, it was 

agreed I could take three students with me; Ashwin 

Thakur, Zahra Butt and Gurpreet Wadhwa (year 12) 

were selected to come on the trip. The event allowed 

them to reflect upon the wider impact of RE and its 

relevance to our society, and it proved to be enjoyable 

as well as informative. 

Sam Hodge (RE Department) 

“I had the opportunity to visit the Trinity School to listen 

to the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. 

The workshop about God questioned many topics such as 

what if religion was still as strong as it used to be? The 

workshop was good fun and useful as it gave a wider insight 

into the significant impact religion has on society. We also 

considered what it really takes to be connected with God”. 

Ashwin Thakur (year 12) 

“I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to 

meet the former Archbishop of Canterbury. He spoke about 

religion in society and there was a question and answer 

session which I found interesting as it allowed me 

to understand things from more of a religious perspective. 

It was a great experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it”. 

Zahra Butt (year 12 

Local Women and Girls 

Safety Summit 

In 

February 2015, Cranford played host to a girls’ 

safety summit that was led by Seema Malhotra, 

MP for Heston and Feltham and Shadow Minister for Preventing Violence against Women and Girls. Approximately 

70 students of both genders attended to discuss challenging topics including (female genital mutilation), sexual abuse 

and harassment of females, especially amongst young people. We explored 

the media portrayal of women with many students highlighting the role of 

the music industry in perpetuating negativity towards women, both in their 

physical appearance as well as the language used to describe them and the 

influence this has on them. Many of the girls were brave in sharing their own 

personal experiences of unwanted attention when out in local areas and these 

were noted by the local councillors who were present. 

We felt privileged to have had the chance to voice our opinions and to have a 

say in improving the safety of young women in Hounslow. 

Kishan Shah (year 13) 

A Visit to the US Embassy 

On 

a 

hot Thursday in June 2015 we were invited to attend a very special event 

at the US Embassy in London. The evening, celebrating the life of Herman 

Bernstein, gave us an insight into the history of Albania during World 

War II. In fact Albania was the only 

country in Europe that had more Jews 

after the war than before showing how 

much of a safe haven they offered 

the persecuted Jews of Europe escaping Nazi terror. 

The conference opened our eyes to the harmonious 

relationship amongst followers of the Abrahamic faiths 

in Albania and we learnt a lot about Bernstein’s life and 

contribution to this end. 

Gurpreet Wadhwa (year 12) 

29

usic Department in partnership 

The Mwith The DJ Workshop 

Company ran a series of DJ’ing workshops 

with students from years 7, 8 and 9 throughout 

the spring and summer terms 2015. This was 

an opportunity for students to gain valuable 

experience and build skills in the art of DJ’ing. 

Students attended the sessions once a week and 

learnt a new skill at each session. They learnt to 

use state of the art equipment, build skills and 

gain knowledge of the history and techniques of 

DJ’ing. 

In addition, all students gained an Arts Award 

qualification upon successful completion of the 

course. 

This has been a fantastic experience for all 

students involved. 

Julie Sacre (Workshop leader) said: “The students 

love the workshop. They learn something new 

each week and it’s wonderful to see them achieve 

so much in such little time”. 

Lewis Tirahan (year 9) added: “I learnt so much 

in the workshop. I’ve never used these mixing 

desks before and it was really cool to get my mix 

on a professional CD. I also got a qualification 

from it and my parents are really proud of me”. 

The Music Department look forward to 

working with The DJ Workshop Company in 

the future to continue to provide workshops 

of such high quality. 

Mo Wasiq 

(Head of Music) 

“I think it is fantastic that this is on your 

qualifications. There are lots of songs 

that I liked. The teacher was very helpful”. 

Humza Jeylaani (year 9) 

“I found the course really interesting and it 

is not something you would usually get the 

opportunity to do especially like this. This 

course really interested me as I engaged 

with the teacher really well. 

I would now love to do the silver award as 

I am now enthusiastic about D’jing”. 

Paula Antougia (year 9) 

“The teacher was extremely encouraging. 

She explained the work incredibly well. 

I understood fully. I would really like to 

carry on and get the silver award in 

this course”. 

30 

Lina Imam (year 9)

continues to make Cranford’s students truly shine 

Factor Team are responsible for organising activities focused on improving personal 

The Wand social development whilst learning new skills and gaining new experiences. Our 

aim in WFactor is to provide our students with a rich set of experiences that serve to inspire them to be 

engaged citizens who can effectively interact with peers and adults whilst enjoying and learning about 

the wider opportunities available to them beyond the taught curriculum. We set our students apart from 

the crowd when moving on from school not just making them outstanding on 

paper but as individuals that truly shine. 

We are now in our fourth year of running this unique initiative 

and this year we have delivered a comprehensive enrichment 

programme as well as a wealth of other opportunities for students 

to make new friends, gain new experiences and learn new skills. 

Our activities are open to all students and 

over 75 different experiences have been on 

offer, including volunteering in the local 

community, kick boxing, Latin, BBC 

Schools Radio project, creating the 

props and set for the school production, 

and classical civilizations alongside 

some old favorites, to name but a few . 

WFactor continues to provide an 

afternoon of activities to make 

Cranford students truly shine. 

Kevin Biggs (Senior Teacher / WFactor) 

“My first WFactor was robotics and I chose it because it was interesting 

and I love learning about technology. We first started by building a Lego 

Mindstorms® robot and there was an assortment to pick from which had 

different abilities. I learnt about teamwork and helping others since there 

were a lot of parts and we had a deadline by which to finish the complex 

construction. During the last 2 weeks we had permission to use the iPad with 

a compatible app to control the robot and move it wherever we wanted, our 

robot worked and we had a lot of fun”. 

Oussama Zemry (year 10) 

“Bollywood dancing was the best WFactor I’ve had this year as it 

was very entertaining, fun and I love Bollywood dancing. Exploring 

comedy was just unbelievable, there were times I was laughing so 

much that tears came while laughing so much”. 

Gracey Mehra (year 7) 

“Over the years I’ve had many WFactors but my favourite 

by far was crafts because I was with all my friends and I got 

to make a vase spray painted gold and silver. WFactor is a 

chance to meet new people and have a chance to relax”. 

Ehlaama Ahmed (year 9) 

31

Cran 

Community 

Over the past year Cranford has developed a strong relationship with Queens 

Park Rangers. The school delivers the education programme for their 

academy players and the Cranford Superdome is now ready and will open autumn 

2015. Cranford students and the wider community are also benefiting from a 

number of initiatives led by QPR’s Community Trust. 

QPR run two very successful Premier League for Sports clubs at Cranford. The 

clubs are free and open to anyone from the local community. Currently QPR 

run tennis and basketball but are proposing to introduce a new sport in the 

new academic year. The club runs weekly with regular 

tournaments involving other premier league 

teams. The basketball students recently 

showed their determination by getting 

up at 4:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning to 

take part in the National Premier League 

Basketball Finals in Sheffield. Sadly they 

lost in the quarter finals to Stoke but they 

did beat the Manchester United team on 

the run up. 

Tennis has also proved popular with young 

people taking advantage of our excellent 

indoor facilities during the winter. Some 

of our students had the opportunity to take 

part in their first tournament at Roehampton 

National Tennis Centre. This was followed by a trip to Wimbledon which 

was enjoyed by all. 

Friday evening sees the busiest QPR club with 50 to 60 young people aged 

between 16 and 19 having a coached football session. This has proved so 

popular that students who have left school and gone to university still come 

along. 

In addition students have benefited from one-off events such as a 

coaching session for year 9 girls and boys led by Les Ferdinand and 

Charlie Austin. 

This has been an excellent first year and we are confident that our 

partnership will continue to grow and develop in the future. 

32

ford‘s 

Partnerships 

What a wonderful first year it has been, working with our partners Brentford 

Football Club Community Trust and Motivate Hounslow, part of the Mo 

Farah Foundation. 

The key to the success of our partnership has been the training of twenty year 10 students as part of the Games 

Force programme. This has enabled them to move beyond the Sport Leaders’ work in primary school to 

running clubs at Cranford and even going out into the community and running 

sports activities at events. Recently four of our Sports Leaders were 

praised by organisers and members of the public for the work they 

did at a sporting event in Chiswick. 

The Games Force leaders have now 

established a number of highly successful 

clubs at Cranford, in particular Dodgeball 

and basketball. The dodgeball session is 

amazing and not for the faint hearted with 

over 70 children aged 11 to 15 playing 

and loving it. Our Sports Leaders are 

now trained coaches in dodgeball and are 

confident in running session both in and 

out of school. 

Our strong relationship with Brentford has 

enabled them to run free football sessions on 

Mondays and Wednesdays for boys aged 11 

to 16 and a free girls session on Wednesdays. 

Another highlight of our partnership was 

the athletics events at Brunel and St Mary 

University in July 2015. Over 60 of our year 

9 and 10 students took part in these events 

which enabled our students to receive top 

class coaching from university coaches. 

It also gave them the opportunity to 

visit two of the best athletics training 

facilities in the country. Everyone said 

they were suitably inspired. 

Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher) 

33

Science 

Department 

Activities 


The Drayson Project 

“We found this WFactor really 

interesting, educational and fun. During 

this WFactor, we had the opportunity 

to visit Brunel University which was an 

unforgettable experience for all of us. 

It helped us notice the unconscious bias 

between both genders around us.” 

Devyani Greentilal and 

Juhi Kumar (year 9) 

There is a huge issue currently 

in the UK’s STEM (science, 

technology, engineering and 

maths) workforce as less women 

are opting for careers in this 

industry. 

Cranford Community College is 

currently involved in the Drayson 

Project. This is a pilot project run 

by the Institute of Physics. The 

main aim is to try to get more girls 

studying A-level physics. We are 

doing this through a variety of 

methods, such as: 

• Training for Science teachers on novel ways of teaching 

concepts like forces or energy 

• Increasing girls’ exposure to more STEM careers (trips, 

WFactor etc) 

• Training whole-school on unconscious bias and gendered 

teaching methods 

• WFactor “Girls in Physics” 

Three year 10 classes took part in “I’m a Scientist - Get me out 

of here” (IAS). This is a live chat with physicists around the world. The impact of IAS 

on the student groups was measured and the girls showed an increase in confidence and positive associations with 

physics/physicists and a decrease in negative stereotypes. The boys showed a decrease in negative stereotypes. 

Additionally, staff and students have been invited to take a test produced by Harvard University to test their own 

unconscious bias: 

A WFactor session named ‘Girls in Physics’ taught the girls about unconscious bias, career opportunities and 

how to boost their confidence in this subject. One way of doing this was by setting the girls a task of designing 

a physics toy for an 11 year old. This included market research with a group of year 7 students and conducting 

presentations on their toy and, describing the physics of the toy in detail. A group of year 9 girls also attended a 

day at Brunel University aimed at trying to encourage more girls into the industry. 

For more information on the Drayson Project you can visit the link below: 

https://www.iop.org/education/teacher/support/girls_physics/drayson/page_63799.html 

The Egg Drop Project 

As part of the mechanics unit in A2 physics, Students have 

been undertaking a project to design an impact container 

that would protect an egg when dropped from a considerable 

height. Students were required to bring together their 

knowledge of how force is related to acceleration and the 

steps that can be taken to reduce the impact force in the 

event of a crash. There were some excellent designs with 

most students’ opting for spongy materials that increase 

the impact time and reduce the overall force felt. 

34

The Algae Fuels Project 

At the start of this year, a group of year 9 

students were engaged in a research project 

between UCL (University College London) 

and The London Steam Museum involving 

the use of algae as a biofuel at UCL alongside 

members of the UCL research team. They were 

investigating different methods of extracting 

biodiesel from Algae. 

London Water and Steam 

Museum Trip 

On the 20th March 2015, the Science Department took 15 gifted 

and talented year 8 pupils to the London Water and Steam 

Museum in Kew. Here they attended a master class on energy 

by the Institute of Physics. The master class was in the context 

of how steam was once used to generate energy for much of 

London in the 19th century and the challenges facing us now 

and in the future as the demand for energy gets higher. 

Trip to Kendrick School 

On 

Monday 9th March 2015 the Science Department 

took nine year 10 students on a “Cutting Edge 

Science” trip to Kendrick School (Reading). Our year 10 

students took part in two workshops: 

Drug Discovery - Through a range of activities, students were 

introduced to drug discovery and learnt key concepts used by the 

pharmaceutical industry and academia to develop 

new medicines. A case study involving current 

research into malaria treatment at Imperial College 

was used as the context. 

Current & Biosensors - In this workshop students 

explored how electricity works in both solid and 

liquid. We also looked at the use of this knowledge 

in biological sensing applications. 

In addition, we got to meet the eminent scientist 

Professor Lord Robert Winston who gave an 

inspirational lecture to a hall packed with 

students from various schools. 

Everyone had a great day working with Early 

Career Researchers from Imperial College 

London to explore the role of a scientific researcher 

and hear inspiring contemporary research issues explained 

and demonstrated. Our students were able to acquire and 

learn new scientific vocabulary working in groups to 

discuss ethical considerations and acquire problem solving 

analytical skills. 

Kirsty Foale (Science Department) 

35

GCSE Music 

Showcase 


NOfA 

Summer 

Concert 


Cranford Community College’s Music 

Department held its final GCSE Music 

Showcase of this academic year on 1st 

July 2015 in the Concert Hall. The showcase has 

been running successfully for the past 2 years 

and this event was once a again a celebration of 

the talented musicians at Cranford. 

This year we decided to include students from 

years 8 and 9 who will be studying the RSL Level 

1 course (GCSE equivalent) from September 

2015, to showcase some of the music they have 

been working on. The repertoire was chosen by 

the students and gave them a chance to perform 

and as ever, it was very diverse, challenging 

and exciting. For some of the students, it 

was the first time they’d performed live to an 

audience and they took up the challenge with 

great enthusiasm. 

Mr Seijas (teacher of Spanish) said: “It was 

fantastic to see the students perform to such a 

high standard. They really looked like they were 

enjoying themselves. I certainly did”. 

Mr Fraser (Assistant Headteacher) said: “It’s 

really refreshing to see such talented and 

dedicated students performing with confidence”. 

The students involved were: year 10 GCSE, 

Tatyana Baiden, Mercedes Blake, Ahmed 

Fadhluddin, Amir Hashemi, Raul Plahe, Zohaib 

Salam, year 9 RSL, Teodor Jevtic, Shubdeep 

Sethi, Jaiman Bhalsod, year 8 RSL, Shariq 

Ahmed, Daniella Bic, Onkar Riyat and Nathan 

Thongkom. 

The Music Department would like to thank 

everyone that came along and look forward to 

holding more events like this next year. 

Mo Wasiq (Head of Music) 

On Wednesday 

8th July 

2015, musicians from 

years 7-11 celebrated 

their incredible year 

at Cranford with a 

packed out concert in 

the Memorial Garden. 

Despite rain clouds 

earlier in the day, the sun 

was shining as students 

showcased their work in bands, as soloists, with featured 

performances from our Chinese visitors from our partner 

school in Shanghai, the South Dong Chang Middle School, 

the Year 7 Choir and the school NOfA ensemble, who played 

music by Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev. 

The National Orchestra for All (NOfA) is an organisation that 

aims to provide any enthusiastic student, regardless of ability, 

with opportunities to participate in ensemble music making. 

We have been working closely with the organisation for two 

years as part of its Conductors for Change (CFC) project 

which supports schools in expanding these opportunities and 

performing music together. Students spoke at the event, about 

the impact this opportunity has had on them both musically 

and personally, helping them develop confidence and team 

working skills. 

Earlier in the term, our students had met with other young 

musicians from across the country to rehearse and perform at 

the Alexandra Palace at an event organised by NOfA. They 

worked with professionalism and dedication, on music we had 

learnt here at Cranford, and music they saw for the first time 

on the trip and the results were amazing. The students on the 

trip, and those taking part in the concert really were a credit 

to the school. 

Our concert was the perfect opportunity to showcase the 

hard work from this trip, as well as the hard work of many 

other young musicians at Cranford. In the past two years, 

the Cranford music department has really taken on board the 

NOfA spirit, and students, particularly in the lower school 

have grown hugely in both confidence and skill. I’m sure 

those parents and staff who have been at concerts for the past 

two years will agree that the students have been going from 

strength to strength. 

The school’s NOfA ensemble will continue to rehearse and are 

looking forward to another year of brilliant trips, activities 

and concerts. For more information please contact Mr Wasiq, 

Head of Music. 

36 

Leah Mirsky (Music Department/NOfA)

NOfA 

Unforgettable Opportunities 

My name is Cristiana, I play the keyboard and I 

want to tell you about 

NOfA. NOfA, for 

those of you who don’t 

know, is the National 

Orchestra for All 

and it is a wonderful 

organisation that gives 

young people like me 

great, unforgettable 

opportunities. NOfA 

allows us to perform at 

several different events 

and learn many musical pieces written by amazing 

musicians. 

Recently, some of us in NOfA went on a trip to Alexandra Palace where we got 

to rehearse various different pieces throughout the day and have a concert at 

the end. I want to say how great it felt to be part of an orchestra and 

how amazing all these different melodies and instruments sounded 

when they were put together in order to play as an ensemble. 

One thing I love about NOfA is the fact that anyone can join, no 

matter how talented you are or whether 

you’ve never played an instrument before, 

if you’re willing to put in the effort and 

you enjoy music NOfA would be pleased 

to have you. 

Another thing that I love is the noncompetitive 

environment 

that you join when 

you’re part of NOfA. For 

example, when we went to 

Alexandra Palace, during 

the rehearsals everyone was helping each other 

and the staff were just brilliant, always there to 

give you a hand because we weren’t working 

individually, we 

were working as 

an ensemble. 

One last thing I’d like to 

say is “ Thank You”. Thank 

you NOfA for giving us 

great opportunities, thank 

you to all the parents and 

people for attending this 

concert, thank you to the 

Performing Arts 

Department for 

offering so much 

support and last but 

not least thank you Ms Mirsky for helping us become 

such a great orchestra because without her this concert 

wouldn’t be taking place. 

Cristiana Eftenoiu (year 9) 

37

Cranford Hosts 

Annual Hounslow 

Sixth Form 

RE Conference 


On 

Friday 19th June 2015 Cranford Community College hosted the annual RE conference for sixth form 

students in Hounslow. 

All secondary schools in Hounslow were invited to bring sixth 

form students to participate in the daylong conference. The day was 

hugely stimulating for both students and staff alike, offering excellent 

learning and reflection plus great professional development. 

The theme for the day was: Is Britain still a Christian Country? 

The Keynote Speaker was Dr. Ranvir Singh with closing remarks by 

Seema Malholtra M.P. 

The conference was sponsored and supported by Hounslow SACRE 

(Standing Advisory Council on RE), Cranford Community College, 

UCL Institute of Education and the EiP RE group. 

The day began with a Keynote Speaker, Dr Ranvir Singh, who was 

formerly a member of the RE department at Cranford. Ranvir always 

offers a unique perspective to stimulate minds. He is involved in Religious Studies as a teacher, an examiner, a 

teacher trainer, a producer of resources, a member of a faith group, an activist in 

interfaith relations, a member of SACRE and as a parent. Most recently, he has 

been involved in the curriculum and qualifications review as a member of the 

board of the Religious Education Council of England and Wales. 

The day included lively, interactive workshops as well 

as a ‘Question Time’ style panel, with members of 

religious and non-religious belief systems responding 

to questions made from the floor. The carousel of 

different workshops was run by teachers who have 

just completed their PGCE in Religious Education at 

the UCL Institute of Education. 

RE is currently very much in the spotlight, with Ofsted giving the subject renewed 

attention and the current government’s emphasis on the importance of young people 

understanding what it means to live in a religiously diverse society and there is also 

the opportunity in terms of fundamental British values that these type of events offer. 

This annual conference was an extremely worthwhile event and very well received by 

all those students and colleagues who attended. 

Mehmoona Yousaf (Senior Teacher SMSC and Head of RE Department) 

38

“I enjoyed many activities in the Borough RE 

Conference, including debating about the design 

argument and references to it in many religious books. It 

was interesting looking at how the universe was created 

and we considered different theories”. 

Shagufta Bibi (year 12) 

“The Annual Borough RE 

Conference was good as the 

workshops allowed me to increase 

my knowledge of ethical and 

philosophical issues. Listening to 

the opinions of others increased 

my awareness, in particular 

the workshop on terrorism was 

intriguing as we debated the 

definition of a terrorist and it had 

me constantly thinking”. 

Adil Hassan (year 12) 

“Running a workshop at the Annual 

Borough RE Conference enabled me 

to understand students’ perceptions 

about whether Britain is a Christian 

country. Leading the workshops was demanding but 

valuable as we were constantly trying to challenge 

students about their mind-sets. Overall the conference 

was very interactive and enabled everyone to develop 

their views and learn not to accept everything the media 

reports at face value”. 

Nabila Hiyati (year 12) 

“The annual Borough RE Conference was kicked off by 

Dr Ranvir Singh’s key note speech which was amazing in 

exploring international history and politics in addressing 

the key question: Is Britain still a Christian country? 

He made the speech very interactive and highlighted 

for instance how Christian beliefs dominate our legal 

systems. I learnt to appreciate life as a teacher as I led a 

workshop on the problem of evil”. 

Gurgina Sidhu (year12) 

“The Annual Borough 

RE Conference allowed 

students from different 

faiths to interact and 

communicate in an 

academic setting. It was 

largely to engage with 

controversial themes 

and international 

problems which have 

connections with 

religion. The highlight 

of the event was the panel discussion because all major 

faith groups were represented including Humanism and 

the fact that two students stepped up to represent 

their beliefs”. 

Mariyum Mahmood and Faisa Samater (year 12) 

39

DRAMA 2014 / 2015 

An Amazing Year of Opportunities 

“All 

Our Heroes” is a community arts 

project touring schools and public 

venues in Hounslow and Birmingham. The project 

which began in September 2014 and will be 

touring for two years, evolved through workshops 

and discussion with Cranford students in creating 

the piece working alongside professional actors 

from Zero Culture Theatre Company. The play 

opens your eyes to a wider world that is not part 

of the regular curriculum. It delves into the lives 

of villagers in a distant land but soon brings home 

to you the thing that connects us all, the theme of 

loss, longing and suffering. 

When you have productions like this performed in 

school you can see the impact immediately. Some 

of the comments made by the younger audience 

were profound: “It has made me think of history 

in a different way. The effects of war on the lives 

of real people, not just soldiers, but families and 

children like me”. 

Seema Sethi (Head of Performing Arts) 

40 

Having received in September 2014 the 

recognition of Arts Mark Gold for outstanding 

arts opportunities across the school, we started the 

academic year with the success of “Richard III” 

and the Shakespeare in Schools project, with a cast 

mainly comprising of year 11 students. We knew this 

was going to be an amazing year of opportunities 

for students in drama, either as a participant or as a 

member of the an audience. 

This academic year we took 8 trips to the theatre 

including “Richard II” at the Trafalgar Studios with 

year 9, 10 & 11 students and “Red Earth” at the Unicorn, 

London. Year 13 drama students, in support of their A 

Level drama studies saw “The White Devil “ at the 

RSC, Stratford Upon Avon, “Woyzeck” and “Othello” 

at the Lyric, Hammersmith and at The Globe and some 

year 10 and 11 students joined them to increase their 

theatre experience. In addition we took year 10 and 11 

students to see “The Curious Incident of the Dog in 

the Night-time at the Gielgud Theatre and “Woman in 

Black “at the Fortune Theatre, London. 

In the summer term students from year 9 performed 

to 120 primary school students from Berkley Primary 

School as part of their Theatre in Education project that 

they have been working on in lessons. They tackled 

themes that are relevant to younger audiences; bullying, 

peer pressure, SATs, friendships, and family. The 

young children engaged with the performances and 

asked some very pertinent questions along with giving 

some very positive feedback. This experience fired up 

the year 9 students and had a direct impact in lessons. 

We finished the year with our stunning school 

production, “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” where 

students from across the school got involved either 

onstage or back stage in making this an outstanding 

end to an amazing year of opportunities. 

I am delighted these experiences in drama this 

year both in lessons and beyond have captured the 

imagination, enthusiasm and love of drama amongst 

so many in our student population. Our focus for the 

new academic year will be building upon the success of 

2014-2015 including even more opportunities for key 

stage 3 students to visit the theatre and participate in 

performance, with the introduction of the Arts Award 

and a KS3 drama club and our planned new production 

for the Shakespeare in Schools Project in October 2015. 

There is much to look forward to... ...So get involved. 

Seema Sethi (Head of Performing Arts)

“All 

Our Heroes” play was very dramatic and engaging as it was based on 

people’s lives which then made you feel more connected to the play. The 

fact that the main story was about war and from the perspectives of the people who 

lived in India made the play even more powerful as it has not been spoken on it before 

about how some countries just got pulled into the war without having a choice. It went 

into depth and detail about how this war affected different classes in India. The piece 

was presented with only 3 actors; who played many different characters, who made the 

switches through the use of costume. The use of limited props but made it even more 

effective and in depth because of their symbolic meaning for example the ladder that 

was symbolic of the how the farmers sowed their land and then it was used as the barrier 

between the countries who were at war and finally as a look out post on the rooftop of 

a home in a village where a young boy looks out for his father and then a look out post 

in England where they are looking for enemies approaching. 

Zara Choudhry (year 11 GCSE drama student 2015) 

“My personal 

response to this 

play is that I think 

the play was really 

good; it had a lot of 

passion to it but I 

think it could have 

been longer because 

I wanted to get 

more engaged in the 

play because it was 

really intense”. 

Nia Morgan Herman 

(year 11 GCSE 

drama student) 

At 

first I believed that the play 

would be created around the 

topic of war only; that it would be dull 

like all the war plays I have reviewed, 

however when the play started I was 

grabbed by the performance skills and 

I found it very interesting as it was 

from a different perspective. Their aim 

was to mark the centenary of the First 

World War; ‘All Our Heroes’ explores 

the stories and perspectives of men and 

women from the Indian sub-continent 

far, far away. 

I think that it was thought-provoking 

because it was from a complete different 

perspective, one that is never told to us in schools and we had never learnt; for example we are always shown 

the British side of the war and how they felt during the war. These performances showed us that people living in 

Asian countries, who I thought, were not in so much tension and were in good living conditions were suffering 

badly from the war. 

Personally I think that the play was valuable to watch, this is because it makes all of us aware of the things 

happening in other countries and reminds us of how much we have developed during the past centuries. Also 

it reminds us the role that was played by each country during the world war. The message of the play probably 

was to show that life was not easy for anybody and that they were also suffering throughout the world war. From 

this performance I learnt that I should view different things from a different perspective. I understood the play 

very well and enjoyed it a lot due to there being only 3 main actors which made it easier for you to focus on. The 

theatre and stage being small made the audience feel closer and connected to the actors. 

Diba Sarvari (year 11 GCSE drama student 2015) 

41

The 

Performing Arts Department’s summer production this 

year, “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” was performed as 

a traverse piece to a sold out audience. The original play by Bertolt 

Brecht is a play within a play and one that comments on the politics 

and what was going on in society in 1944, in the lead up to the World 

War II: the divide between rich and poor and the issue of corruption 

and lawlessness. 

Our version was set in contemporary India, against the backdrop of 

the fast growing economy where the rich are getting richer and the 

poor, poorer. Wanting to stay true to the original play we workshopped 

around the themes and then looked at the original text and then changed names and 

locations. This process was really useful because not only did I want the students to be performers working 

towards a production, but I wanted them to engage in depth with the themes that the play raises, so that they can 

think about them and act critically. 

The cast began rehearsing in March 2015 during WFactor and after school on Fridays and some weekends in 

the lead up to the performance. Students started the process with improvising around the text, where they were 

given scenarios based on the original text. This proved to be a challenge, especially learning the lines. Three 

weeks before the performance dates we had a full run through reading the play, which we had not done before and 

discovered it was running at 4 hours and no audience was going to sit through a school play that was this long so 

we edited more and more until we got the running time to 2 hours. 

The first part of the production was filmed by professionals and starred our staff, Mr Ali, Mrs Bahra and Mr Ladva, 

all of whom did a sterling job. We also took on the expertise of a professional lighting and sound technician, 

because I wanted the students to have an experience of working with professionals. 

The credit for the design and making of the floor cloth goes to two year 7 girls Gursharen Pannu and Arsida Dukaj, 

who worked tirelessly to ensure that it was ready in time, seeking the help of others when the pressure was on. 

During the production week, when we got into the performance space that’s when it began to feel like everything 

was all coming together. Lights and sound, singing and acting... the true ensemble worked creatively to produce 

a stunning show, one which the students will not forget in a hurry and neither will I. 

The message in Brecht’s original play is about giving to those who are worthy and the message I wanted to 

strongly portray was how much we need to preserve the arts within schools, communities, society so that we 

are humanised. Productions always bring out the best in people, and the entire school community galvanised in 

ensuring that the show went on, especially those friends and colleagues who gave of their time at weekends and 

after school to make it a success. 

Post-show feelings are always emotional, but the cast and technical crew have created a group chat family... 

the chalk circle, and long may it live. 

42 

Seema Sethi (Head of Performing Arts)

“It’s really hard to describe how I felt when I saw my name on 

the board for the selected actors and singers. The feeling is 

overwhelming as you know that taking part in a production at 

Cranford is going to be amazing because the standard of drama is 

phenomenal. I’m so grateful to have taken part in such a meaningful 

play and as Ms Sethi said at the end of the three tiring days “the 

arts are what humanises us” and only now have I realised how deep 

those six words are; (Also my last lines in the play were “and the 

land to the villagers so that we are humanised”). At the start of 

the play, I didn’t know 90% of the people and now I can proudly 

say that I know everyone. Now it is finished I miss the late night rehearsals, 

endless learning of lines and giving it your all. I can’t thank Ms Sethi enough for 

allowing me to be a part of this, and everyone who put so much hard work into it 

This is one I definitely will not forget.” 

Tatyana Baiden (year 10) 

“I’ve just got in 

from watching “The 

Caucasian Chalk 

Circle”. Please 

could you pass my 

congratulations on 

to the pupils, they 

were wonderful. Also 

pass my thanks on 

to the staff for their 

inspiration and hard 

work. Really enjoyed 

the performance”. 

Jenny Lewis 

(School Governor) 

43

44 

The LRC Buzzing 

with the Spelling Bee 

The 

Learning Resources Centre was 

a hive of activity on Monday 6th 

July 2015 when Cranford hosted 

the first ever Hounslow Primary Schools Spelling Bee 

in the morning and in the afternoon the 3rd annual 

Hounslow Secondary Schools Spelling Bee. 

It was an exciting and nerve-racking morning and 

three schools arrived for the Primary Bee. 

Beavers Primary School, 

Westbrook Primary 

School and Berkeley 

Primary School and, all 

schools entered a team 

of four budding spellers 

having held internal heats 

in their own schools. The 

first activity was a memory 

game. All students took it 

in turn to go and look at an 

image filled with words and 

they then had to spell these 

words back to their teams 

who would then recreate the 

image. All of the schools 

were very competitive and 

interestingly all scored 23 

out of 25 in this game. 

We then went to the first 

round; the children had a choice 

on spelling an easy, medium and 

hard word. The harder the word, 

the more points it was worth. The 

teams all had to try and earn as 

many points as possible to make 

it through to the final. After all 

the schools had taken part in this 

round the children went on a break 

whilst the scores were added up. Sadly, 

Beavers missed out from being in the 

final but only by a couple of points. All 

the teams were gathered back and the 

finalists Berkeley and Westbrook were 

invited to take a seat on the stage. The 

next round would be in the format of a penalty shootout, 

the first school to spell two words incorrectly 

would be eliminated and thus the other team would 

be crowned a winner. The two schools took to the 

platform and spelt words. The words got more difficult 

but the students kept spelling them correctly. I became 

increasingly worried I was going to run out of words 

as the round progressed. There were gasps around 

the room when Westbrook spelt their first incorrect 

word but the round continued. The teams spelt a few 

more words correctly but then Westbrook spelt another 

incorrectly. This meant Berkeley had won the first ever 

Hounslow Primary Schools Spelling Bee. 

In the afternoon, eight schools had accepted an 

invitation to attend and participate in the 3rd annual 

Hounslow Secondary Schools Spelling Bee. The 

competition is getting bigger every year; Cranford 

Community College, Brentford School for Girls, 

The Heathland School, Isleworth & Syon, Kingsley 

Academy, Lampton School, Reach Academy and St 

Marks Catholic School all challenged each other in 

an attempt to win the prestigious and highly soughtafter 

trophy. Councillor for Hounslow and author 

Shaida Mehrban volunteered to sit on the panel and 

award the trophy to the winning school. The students 

battled it out in teams to try and accumulate the most 

points. The first round was nerve-racking and all of 

the students eagerly spelt the words they were given. 

After all the teams had competed the students then 

had a break whilst the points were counted. It was 

then announced that Cranford Community College, 

The Heathland School, Isleworth & Syon and Reach 

Academy had made it into the final. The four schools 

chose their best two spellers to represent them in the 

final. The difficulty of words for the round was chosen 

by the panel. At first all of the schools spelt their words 

correctly, then after a few rounds Reach Academy 

spelt their word incorrectly, this meant they were out. 

The teams proceeded on and next to fall under the 

pressure was Cranford Community College and soon 

after Isleworth and Syon. This meant The Heathland 

School won. Shadia Mehrban was invited to award the 

trophy. 

It was a very successful exciting day and Cranford 

students can be very proud of their achievements again 

this year. Roll on next year’s challenge. 

Mahavir Ladva 

(Learning Resources and Study Centre Manager)

On 

Tuesday 9th June 2015, six year 7 students were selected to take part in the Poetry Slam competition 

at the Paul Robeson Theatre. The competitors were St Marks, Brentford School for Girls, Kingsley 

Academy, Isleworth and Syon and Cranford Community College. We were required to write a poem about transition 

(moving from one thing to another) which we would later perform in a competition against the other schools. 

The workshop was run by a poet called Adam. He was also a rapper; he performed one of his pieces to us about 

his time wandering the streets and living on M&S rubbish from the bins. Our poem was called “Origins”. It was 

based on a poem we heard about a man who moved into a new city. We made our poem about the things people 

have said and things we did in the past. 

Cranford Community College came 3rd. Some pupils were chosen as the most enthusiastic members and they 

received a book that has not been published yet. Although we did not win the event we came in 3rd place and it 

was a great experience taking part. 

Harit Boonyarakyotin (year 7) 

Origins 

I’m from do your homework. 

I’m made of average grades. 

I’m made of don’t show you’re weak. 

Just act like the hard guy. 

I’m from konnichiwa. 

I’m made of I’m not Japanese! 

I’m made of sleeping in assembly. 

I’m made of visits to the head of year. 

I’m made of tuck your shirt in. 

I’m from hidden insecurities concealed by confidence. 

I’m made of the middle child. 

I’m from get ready for your exams! 

I’m made of all my friends. 

I’ve lost fragments of a heart now cold. 

I’ve lost life that made me the centre of the universe. 

I’ve lost the comfort of youth but 

I’ve found the hardships of growing up. 

I’m made of trying to fit in a world that doesn’t want. 

I’m made of belike your older sister 

I’m from spit your gum out 

I’m from turn your phone off 

I’m made of you’re going to be late 

I’m from a shadow that lurks behind confidence. 

I’m torn between good and bad. 

I’m from the back of the class. 

I’m made of blending in with the crowd 

I’m now from the scorching sun, 

always shining bright. 

We found ourselves in a community. 

Written by Harit Boonyarakyotin, Zain Khan, Kimran Virk, 

Abdulahi Awal and Yasmin Rabi (year 7) 

45


Cricket News 

McKenzie and Company Cup Winner 2015 

The 

Cranford force, managed by Mr Wain and Mr Rattu, 

arrived at Regents Park. Having won the previous 

tournament beating Twickenham Academy and Featherstone High 

School and drawing against Isleworth & Syon in an intense match, 

Cranford’s year 9 & 10 combined team qualified for the McKenzie 

& Company Cup 2015. We met up at Southall Station early on 

a hot Wednesday morning in July 

2015, with our packed cricket kits. 

We were ready to go and win the 

competition. 

The 7 over format favoured the 

team with the two big hitters, 

Hamza Hussein (year 9) and 

Junaid Aurangzeb (year 10) who 

were hitting everything out the 

ground. There was no stopping 

them. With the rules coming into 

play, the batsman had to retire once they reached 20, which was disappointing 

after seeing the big hits from the two openers. None the less Cranford could finish 

off the game with the middle order batsman, Amaan (year 9) Vignesh Kannan 

(year 10) and Aadil Awan (year 10). Our opening bowler Sahib put the pressure 

early on the opposing team in every game after earning at least a wicket to his 

name in all three games. With some awesome fielding by John and Ryan (year 9), 

we were able to defeat Hayden and Stephney Green School in the two opening 

group games of the day and win our group. 

Cranford was in the final. One more win against Bethnal Green School (winners of group B) in the finals, would 

crown Cranford champions. The team were on their toes on every ball, and with the encouragement and support 

from one another, Cranford had won the McKenzie & Company Cup 2015. Winning a trophy, medals for each 

of us, shirts, tickets to one of the Middlesex games, kit bags for the school and most importantly qualifying for 

the regional finals and representing 

Middlesex, it turned out to be a great 

day after all. Without a team effort 

this would not have been possible. 

Aadil Awan (year10) 

Cranford cricketers represent 6 counties 

in the Regional Finals in Chelmsford 

Cranford cricketers represented 

6 counties in the regional finals 

in Chelmsford. Winning their 

first game by 7 wickets they were 

boosted with confidence. Junaid, 

Vignesh and Tawos each played a 

beautiful innings to give Cranford the 

win. Going into their second game, 

the team were confident after they posted 68 runs from 7 overs. Hamza (year 9) getting 20 runs from 6 balls. 

Unfortunately the opposing team had a few good starting overs getting 36 runs from the first 3 overs. Despite 

the efforts from Akshat who only conceded 4 runs in his over and Aadil who got 2 wickets, Cranford lost the 

game and was not able to reach the final game. 

Even though they did not reach the final, Cranford still won their 3rd game and came 3rd in the competition. Well 

done to the team and a special thanks to Mr Wain and Mr Rattu for supporting us all the way. Let’s make sure we 

are better and even stronger next year round boys. 

46 

Aadil Awan (year10)


Girls 

Boxing 

Clever 

“I can’t believe I 

met a boxer” 

“Great fun, thanks” 

“Exhilarating” 

“I am completely 

exhausted but it 

was so fun” 

“Can we do this 

every week?” 

This 

year Cranford has continued working 

in partnership with Sky Sports Living 

for Sport running the year 10 Sports Leaders Course. 

The Sports Leaders have again stood out and shone 

at all the primary schools they have visited and run 

events for. We were incredibly lucky to 

win a competition due to the leadership 

training and won an additional visit from 

a Sky Sports Mentor Hannah Beharry. 

Hannah has boxed for England and Great 

Britain, with a string of gold medals 

under her belt aged just 23. She is an 

inspirational role model and ambassador for the positive 

influence of sport. 

Hannah has been an Athlete Mentor for Sky Sports Living for Sport 

for several years. Speaking about her role as an Athlete Mentor, 

Hannah commented: “I’m really looking forward to visiting as 

many schools as possible and using my life story to inspire and 

motivate others. It will be fantastic to support teachers, and make 

a real difference to young peoples’ lives by talking about their own 

stories and journeys.” 

Hannah stayed in the Physical Education Department for the day and led 3 

lessons on boxing training. Students were selected by the Physical Education 

Department based on their effort during the year in their PE lessons. During 

the lessons the students learnt a variety of punches and basic training 

techniques with Hannah and were 

a credit to the school 

for their enthusiasm 

and the maturity of 

their questions they 

asked at the end. 

Anita Fiddess 

(Second in PE Department) 

47

Jack Petchey Award 

Abdiaziiz Sahal 

September 2014 

(nominated by 

students) 

Abdiaziiz Sahal was 

given the Jack Petchey 

Award in September 2014 

because he participated 

in the Regional Spanish 

Spelling Bee, which was 

won by Cranford, and 

participated in the side that came in the top 5 in the 

National Spanish Spelling Bee. Abdiaziiz has also 

won the Hounslow English Spelling Bee which was 

an amazing achievement for him. Abdiaziiz helps 

our teachers after school helping us to go beyond 

outstanding. He has chosen new books for the LRC 

and he empathises with people’s genres. Abdiaziiz 

has helped make the year 8 FROG page dedicating 

hours at home and in school editing and creating 

new ideas. He has been student leader two years in 

a row and is a great role model for students. 

Ashmita Kumar 

October 2014 

(nominated by 

Ms Painting) 

Ashmita is an incredibly 

hard working young 

lady whose homework 

and classwork always 

demonstrate an 

outstanding attitude 

to learning. She is 

polite, helpful and respectful – in all ways a 

model student. I am nominating her because of 

her amazing ability and willingness to help other 

students. Twice now, I have seated a new starter 

next to her in German lessons – one student with 

real literacy and confidence issues and another who 

was an EAL beginner. She has managed to act as an 

incredible TA to these students whilst never letting 

the quality of her own work drop. She ensures that 

they understand every element of their lessons and 

these students’ success in German is in no small part 

due to Ashmita’s fantastic help. 

Sarah Mahmood 

November 2014 

(nominated by 

Ms Mirsky) 

Sarah has contributed hugely 

to the Music Department in 

the past year, not only being 

dedicated to her own studies, 

progress and performances, 

but also supporting the 

school community as a 

whole. She has performed at prestigious events such as 

the year 13 Celebration Evening, the NOfA project and 

supported behind the scenes at extra-curricular events 

giving up her free time before and after school. 

Dillon Chuhan 

January 2015 

(nominated by 

Ms Qureshi and Ms Jaura) 

Dillon is a committed student 

who has given up a lot of 

his time for art & design. 

He consistently encourages 

younger members of the 

school with their work and 

students look up to him as a 

role model. He has grown independently by actively 

engaging in the National Saturday Art Club. He 

volunteers to mentor other students in the community 

and has given up his time on Saturdays by becoming a 

student leader at the University of West London. This 

role ensures he is supporting students who would not 

otherwise have the opportunity to explore art and design 

in such an open and varied way. 

Gugandeep Banga 

February 2015 

(nominated by student) 

Gugandeep is an exceptional 

individual, who always 

strives to improve the school, 

its ethos and the surrounding 

community. Through his 

work with the charity ‘Mind’ 

he has developed skills 

central to his passion and 

initiated some mental health lessons as part of the school 

curriculum. His responsibility as a prefect provides 

support and empathy for others who may need it. He is 

48 

“We do the Awards because we want to 

believe in themselves and make a con

Winners 2014 / 2015 

the first person, within our school, to apply to the top 

universities in the US and is very fortunate to have 

received the opportunity to gain a scholarship to New 

York University. He has taken part in various extracurricular 

activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh 

Gold Award. He participated in “First Story” last year 

and wrote an inspirational and heartfelt poem that was 

published in an anthology called “Fishing for Words”. 

Gugandeep truly deserves recognition for his superb 

efforts within the school and the community. 

Kishan Shah 

March 2015 

(nominated by student) 

Kishan is truly a 

unique, inquisitive and 

conscientious individual. 

These attributes will only 

strengthen his aspiration 

of becoming a lawyer. His 

completion of the Duke of 

Edinburgh Silver Award 

epitomises his endeavour to test his abilities. Kishan 

has been an active member of the school community 

with his 3-year-long contribution to the First Story 

organisation. He endlessly aims to give back, evident 

through his position as co-leader for this year’s cohort 

for First Story, as well as expressing and sharing his 

passion for creative writing. 

Khalid Butt 

May 2015 

(nominated by Mr Fraser) 

Khalid has been working 

alongside another coach 

teaching tennis to students 

in years 9, 10 and 11 in 

WFactor. He is a natural 

coach whose style is 

encouraging and positive. 

The transformation of a 

disinterested year 11 student into a keen enthusiastic 

player is a testament to his coaching skills and was done 

with continual praise. Khalid is a fantastic role model 

and is keen to take further coaching qualifications. 

Lucy Tirahan 

June 2015 

(nominated by Ms Joyce) 

Lucy is an outstanding all 

round student who involves 

herself in the life of the 

school whilst maintaining 

excellent academic 

standards. She is a credit 

to her year group. Winning 

the regional final of Jack 

Petchey Speak Out competition recently is just one 

example of why she should be given this award. 

Josiah Mutupa 

April 2015 

(nominated by Ms Sethi) 

Josiah is a conscientious 

student who seeks out 

opportunities that will 

develop him both as a 

person and as student of 

drama. He independently 

took it upon himself to enrol 

at the Lyric Theatre and on 

a film project. He has a quiet confidence and has 

produced some excellent work in his drama lessons, 

both individually and as part of an ensemble. Recently, 

he sought out an organisation that volunteers in India, 

and prepared an application and video to outline why 

he wanted to go to help build a school. He was open 

to the culture and the country and as a result had a very 

positive experience. 

Ms Katie Hibbins 

Adult Leader Award 

(nominated by students) 

Ms Hibbins is an exceptional 

teacher who goes above and 

beyond her normal duties 

in order to drive students 

to succeed and engage in 

enrichment programmes 

such as High Achievers 

and the Duke of Edinburgh 

Award. She has enabled students to be involved in 

visits to Oxbridge and Edinburgh Universities. Not 

only is she a true scholar, but she also embraces 

the World Challenge Scheme and took students to 

Morocco last year to help build classrooms. As a kind 

and genuinely caring teacher she encourages even the 

most challenging students to behave appropriately. Ms 

Hibbins is a true asset to this school. 

help young people raise their aspirations, 

tribution to their society.” Jack Petchey 

49

Cranford’s Rewards Day is the 

culmination of the DREAM 

rewards points system which 

runs throughout the year. All students 

attended a trip or activity with over 

700 going offsite. New 

trips this year included 

the London Eye, Harry 

Potter World and the 

local bike track for a half 

day’s BMX coaching and 

races, as well as old favourites such 

as Coral Reef, Thorpe Park and Brighton. 

The DREAM system was imported from New York 

in 2008 and is the focus of our positive behaviour 

management strategy with students gaining DREAM 

points for Discipline, Respect, Enthusiasm, Achievement 

and Maturity. Whilst individuals are rewarded on a weekly 

basis and the leading form group in each year 

wins a half-termly pizza party, the 

end of year Rewards Day is what all 

students are working towards and trips 

are allocated on the basis of DREAM 

points gained throughout the year. 

Although competition for the top choices 

is always stiff, every student enjoys a 

fantastic rewards trip or activity and, as 

always, much fun was had by students 

and staff again this year. 

So whether you are hoping to be sunning 

yourself on Brighton beach, hurtling down Thorpe Park’s log 

flume ride or gliding across the ice at Slough’s ice rink, the 

competition starts again in September 2015 to gather those 

all-important DREAM points. We can’t wait. 

50 

Rob Ind (Assistant Headteacher Pastoral)

Message from Year 7 

It 

has been a wonderful past 9 months for 

the year 7 cohort in all asepcts. 2014-2015 

has seen students representing Cranford at Lord’s 

Cricket ground, athletics tournaments and other 

varied, activities including a whole year musical 

performance in the very first term. 

Therefore, it was no 

surprise that the end of 

term saw a tremendously 

successful debate 

between the different 

tutor groups. Each tutor 

group put forward teams 

of two and thanks to the 

support of their tutors, 

as well as the students 

themselves, the quality 

of performance was 

extremely high. 

Eight teams were 

whittled down to 

two in an engaging 

opening round, with only two teams entering the 

final round. In the final, Aliza Abbas and Ajeet 

Kang (7U) were pitted 

against Ayisha Mahmood 

and Shaan Abbasi (7Z). 

It was a thoroughly 

entertaining and tightlyfought 

affair; 7Z’s pairing 

of Shaan and Ayisha 

came first by a margin 

of just two votes. As 

well as this, 

presentations 

and speeches 

were given by 

other members 

of year 7 in an 

evening that 

did credit to the whole year 

group, the tutors and the students 

themselves. It has been, from start 

to finish, a tremendously positive 

year for the cohort and year 8 will no 

doubt see further impressive work 

from them all. 

Aaron Sohi and 

Yas Ashfaq 

(Head of Year 

7 and Year 

Manager) 

51

Year 11 

Record of 

Achievement 

and Prom 


On 

Tuesday 16th June 2015, year 

11 students together with their 

parents, friends and family gathered 

together to celebrate the achievements and 

talents of the year group. The event began 

with a dance group performing a dance 

fusion piece which perfectly captured the energy and 

enthusiasm of the year group and it was 

clear that the dancers had spent a lot of time 

preparing the performance. 

Ms Gerber and Mr Stumpf made an excellent 

opening speech which inspired the students 

and was a perfect introduction to the 

presentation of the Record of Achievement 

folders. The tutors worked hard to ensure 

the presentations were seamless and all 

members of the year group looked smart and 

mature when collecting their folder. 

The Year 11 Band performed “Flashlight” by Jessie J 

which mirrored the feelings of many within the room. 

Ms Sullivan and Ms Kaher gave emotional speeches, 

reminiscing on how year 11 students had grown up 

since year 7 and considering what the 

future may hold for all of the young 

people who have been in their care. The 

final part of the formal presentations 

was the RoA video, created by 

Shafla Sharaz and Rimsha Amjad. It 

contained messages from former as 

well as current teachers, photos from 

year 7 to year 11, videos from drama 

performances and time spent together; a fantastic 

finale with many lasting memories. 

“If there ever is 

a tomorrow when we’re 

not together…there is 

something you must 

always remember. You are 

braver than you believe, 

stronger then you seem, 

and smarter than you think. But the most 

important thing is, even if 

we’re apart… 

I’ll always be with you”. 

“Do the things you love, not 

the things others love”. 

“Don’t think you know 

everything, take other people’s 

advice into consideration”. 

“Never be afraid to ask for help”. 

Everyone then set off for the Prom which was 

held at the Riverside venue. The students looked 

fantastic, with some very smart suits and beautiful 

dresses. Their behaviour and attitude reflected their 

appearances and it was wonderful to see 

the entire year group dancing together 

all night. Tutors made presentations to 

students who had worked hard throughout 

the years, and the prom king and queen 

were announced. It was a fitting end 

to a fantastic year group’s 

hardest year yet and 

they did it as they 

had the last 5 years; 

together. 

Well done Class of 

2015- the best is yet 

to come. 

Rachel Sullivan 

(Head of Year 11) 

52 

“Be yourself, respect yourself. Don’t be 

afraid to stand up for what you believe in, 

even if it means risking embarrassment”.

Year 13 

Celebration Evening 2015 

Year 13 

Celebration Evening took place 

at the Heston Sports Ground 

Imperial College London venue on Thursday 7th May 

2015, to acknowledge the culmination of our year 13 

students’ academic careers at Cranford 

Community College. Ms Prunty, Mrs Joyce, 

Mr Wasiq, the Year Team and the students 

put on an evening which was well attended 

by students, parents, grandparents, siblings, 

teachers, tutors, year managers (past and 

present) and senior management. 

The programme for the evening 

got off to a spectacular start 

with a Bhangra Performance 

by Rimsha Jaffari and Mehreen 

Nazimi, supported by KS3 

students on the Dhol Drums. Then 

the Student Leadership Quartet 

(Bethany Johnson – Head Girl, 

Surya Varatharajan – Head Boy, 

Abrar Al-Habtari – Deputy Head Girl, 

Ravi Mandalia – Deputy Head Boy) 

introduced the evening and thanked 

staff and peers for their support. 

Mr Prunty, Executive Headteacher, then took 

to the stage (in his red socks…) and praised the 

year group for their commitment to Cranford and 

strong work ethic. This led into the 

second amazing performance of the 

evening, with Kimran Mahal singing 

“Killing Me Softly” accompanied by 

Mr Singh on guitar. 

The tutors from the Year Team then 

introduced their Form Groups and 

read out personal messages about their 

tutees as they came onto the stage and 

received certificates from Mr Prunty. In 

the background a presentation displayed 

pictures from years 7, 10 and 12, and each student’s 

destination university or employer for next year. 

The final performance of the evening was a passionate 

performance of Sam Smith’s “Lay with Me” 

beautifully sung by Bethany Johnson and 

Ms Mirsky, also accompanied by Mr Singh 

on guitar. 

The formal element of the evening closed 

with Mr Ryan (Head of Year) reminding 

his year group they were a record 

breaking year group. Before Ms Ledlie 

(Year Manager) thanked the year group and 

Ms Ashfaq (Year Manager / Year 7-12) said 

an emotional farewell to her babies. 

Then everyone got into the party spirit ate, danced and 

partied a memorable evening away. We wish everyone 

well for the future and hope they will keep us informed 

of their progress at university and beyond. 

Jonathan Ryan (Senior Teacher Head of Post 16) 

53

Welcome to the 

Student Leadership 

The 

annual elections for the new Student Leadership quartet for 2015-2016 were held during the latter 

part of the summer term 2015. The candidates went through a number of stages in the election process 

which involved: writing a letter of application, presenting in assembly, supporting and presenting on year 7 Taster 

Day, creating a manifesto and being interviewed by a student panel. Congratulations to all those students who 

applied and to our elected team, and to Hanna Malik, Ashwin Thakur and Amit Asskoumi who also did really 

well, but just missed out. 

Jonathan Ryan (Senior Teacher Head of Post 16) 

“I applied for the role of Head Girl because I’ve always been able to put my thoughts into 

words, but this application process was harder than usual as I was enthusiastic to write down 

everything I could possibly offer the role. I am currently studying A Level English literature, 

history and religious studies and I hope to one day be a lawyer. This application process has 

allowed me to practise writing for my UCAS personal statement. As a lawyer, you need to adopt 

the position of leader in a court of law to achieve justice. The role of Head Girl will allow me 

to lead a team to achieve the best possible outcomes for the school. I am extremely excited to 

embark on this eventful journey as your Head Girl. I will put everything into making myself a 

positive Cranford role model. Thank you”. 

Diana Atougia (Head Girl) 

“I applied for the position of Head Boy as I wanted to make a change that would last a lifetime. 

When the position of Head Boy was first advertised with specific traits and characteristics, I 

immediately felt that my personality and achievements met these requirements and with the 

encouragement of my peers, I proceeded with the application and much to my delight was 

successful. The application process stretched me because it was the first time I had ever been 

through such a rigorous process. However, much like with everything I do, I gave it my best 

effort. The first fence to jump was the letter of application. From this I learnt how to present my 

achievements. The next hurdle was creating a unique manifesto that would inspire and excite. 

Finally, the interview; this stretched me the most as it was a test of ability to vocalise my views 

and ideas as well as answering questions under pressure. I currently study A level psychology 

and sociology and BTec business. My career aspiration is to become an officer in the British 

Army. Being Head Boy requires leadership, communication, resilience and perseverance, and this position will help 

prepare me for my future career. That’s looking into the future. My priority, apart from getting exceptional grades, is 

to be a Head Boy that Cranford can be proud of”. 

Taylor Panesar (Head Boy) 

“I applied to become Deputy Head Girl as I would like to be part of any challenges and 

developments happening within our school. Applying for this post gave me experience of an 

interview which helped my confidence along with other skills. I believe the position of Deputy 

Head Girl will help me in the future because I know that it will make me stand out as a successful 

student amongst others and will make others aware of the responsibility I have in this role. This 

opportunity will help me to listen to students’ views and opinions and if there is anything I could 

do to help them I will ensure to do so ”. 

Maria Isaaq (Deputy Head Girl) 

“I am Adil Hassan, the Deputy Head Boy. I’ve been a student in the school for 6 years and when 

this opportunity arose I decided to aim for it. The application process stretched me but I discovered 

I am skilled in speaking in front of big crowds as well as handling bigger responsibilities. The 

role of Deputy Head Boy will allow me to increase my skills in being a leader and being able to 

make decisions within a team which links to my career aspiration of being an Investment Banker 

for which I am studying maths, physics, economics and geography. I am proud to be the Deputy 

Head Boy and I aim to help keep Cranford at the top”. 

Adil Hassan (Deputy Head Boy)

Cranford Review 2015

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