Cranford Review / March_2018

March 2018
Cranford
Parliament
Since
September 2017, over 100 students have been part of something innovative,
the Cranford Parliament: a new initiative to replace the previous school
council system. Students were invited to stand for election and went through various election
processes in line with government elections.
Cranford Parliament functions in a similar way to an actual parliament. There are two first
ministers, two of both foreign and home secretaries and two chairs for each committee. There
are committees to oversee various aspects of the school including home, foreign, culture media
and health. With around 14 members in each committee, students have been coming up with
various, creative ideas some of which have already started to take place or have happened. With
weekly cabinet meetings consisting of the Members of the Cranford Parliament (MCPs) and
the leadership team, ideas can be brought together and can be discussed on how to implement
them and if needed voted for through our parliament.
Seema Malhotra, MP for Feltham and Heston came to our first Parliament sitting. Her inaugural
speech outlined the importance of our role and the function of an elected parliament.
In the second parliament sitting, MCPs voted to have one overall theme for the Cranford
Parliament – mental health. That would be the main focus of the parliament other than the
already assigned committees for this academic year. Many visitors to the school including
teachers from schools abroad have expressed positive views about the Parliament.
Over time, the system of the Cranford Parliament will embed itself into the school life of every
student. It should improve our mental health, wellbeing and most importantly the education
of the students.
As the current first minister, I believe that this is a great opportunity for students in the younger
year groups. It allows students to express their ideas and make a difference and learn more
about the democratic system of the United Kingdom. It is a stepping stone for any student who
wants to pursue a career in politics but it will benefit individuals in many different ways. A
big thank you to Mr. Fraser for getting this started I hope this new initiative will benefit the
teachers, the school and the students for many years to come.
Aadil Awan (Head Boy and First Minister)

2
Hounslow
SACRE
Annual RE Lecture
On
Thursday 9th November 2017 the Hounslow SACRE
annual RE lecture was delivered by local MP Ruth
Cadbury focussing on Community Cohesion in Hounslow. Being a
member of SACRE, I thought it would be of interest and relevance
to our youngsters and put out the word. Cranford’s 6th form students
made a really impressive impact.
They listened to Ruth talk with pride about Hounslow’s achievements,
that in terms of GCSE results Hounslow “punches well above its
weight.” She said Hounslow can be described as “hyper-diverse” with
different heritages linking together and there was no single majority
community, not even white British. 140 different languages were
spoken and 86% of children say they have a religious faith. These are
perhaps some of the reasons, Ruth postulated why the London Riots
of 2011 didn’t affect Hounslow. She did point out however, that a
number of challenges still face members of ethnic minorities living
in Hounslow, and in the UK more widely. Workplace discrimination
still exists, as does disparity in the admissions of ethnic minority
students to the top universities in the UK, something that wasn’t
actually the case in top American Universities such as Harvard and
Yale, who it seems do more to invest in ethnic minorities. The rise
in more overt xenophobia following the Brexit vote was discussed
and the negative consequences of it for all people.
When she opened up to the floor for a question and answer session it
was our students who led the way. Al-Enzeli Ramji pointed out that
having worked in Hammersmith for a few months, he felt a greater
sense of belonging than 17 years growing up in Hounslow had given
him. So how could Hounslow be more like Hammersmith? One
possible explanation, which Ruth proposed, was that the transient
population of Hounslow, with many people in rented accommodation
didn’t allow for community cohesion. Zala Amiri asked Ruth what
advice she would offer them, the young generation, on how to
contribute to society and gain recognition. Hopefully a question
posed by the RE teacher gave food for thought as it was asked if
Labour had a policy on raising the status of RE in some schools,
given it had been diminished somewhat by Conservative policies
in some schools locally and nationally, though thankfully not at
Cranford Community College. The students were there long after
others had left, engaged in conversations about local politics with
a local councillor.
Well done to the students for taking time in order to engage with
local politics and consider their part in making society a better place
for everyone.
Mehmoona Yousaf (Senior Teacher – SMSC)
The Battle of Ideas
During the October half term,
I attended some lectures at the
“The Battle of Ideas” weekend,
organised by the Institute of
Ideas. Two of the debates I
attended were, “Banter and
Besties: Is friendship in
peril?” and “All by myself: Is
loneliness a social problem?”
I was particularly interested
in these as I feel that these are
topics that really affect a lot of
people my age. I found “Banter
and Besties” really intriguing
as I didn’t realise that some
people actually want banter to
be banned from the work place.
I also didn’t realise that a large
number of men who work with
women feel like they have to
be careful with what they say.
It seems that the line between
banter and offensiveness has
become really slim. I was also
really fascinated about the
loneliness discussion because
it not only affects everyone at
some point in their life, but also
people have different ideas of
what loneliness is and handle
it differently. There were
some really insightful views
exchanged and I would highly
recommend others attending.
Kareena Suman (year 11)

To inspire and cultivate global leaders
Cranford Community College hosted a conference for Cranford’s 6th form on 31st October
2017 with an organisation called Seeds of Peace. Seeds of Peace has been running for
over 25 years and aims to inspire and cultivate new generations of global leaders in
communities divided by conflict. Some of the leading figures of Seeds of Peace were attending
a celebratory conference in London and offered to run a workshop with four of their ambassadors
and some of our 6th form students.
The ambassadors were Ashraf Ghandour, GATHER Community Manager (Jerusalem), Maayan
Poleg, Director, Middle East Programs (Jerusalem), Mirna Ansari, Program Coordinator, Middle
East (Jerusalem) and Qasim Aslam, Co-Founder and Managing Director, The History Project
(Lahore).
From the very start of the event I knew it was going to be successful. Cranford’s Student
Leadership Team met the Seeds of Peace delegation for lunch and straight away the conversation
turned to world affairs with both exchanging views and opinions.
After lunch the Seeds of Peace delegation talked about their work and their personal
experiences with a group of 6th form students. Perhaps one of the
most powerful accounts was Mirna’s of growing up as a
child in Gaza and her experience of waking up to bullets
coming through her bedroom window but all had experienced
challenges. It was truly inspiring to see their commitment
to peace given those challenges which was a very powerful
message for all of us. Our students then had the opportunity to
ask questions including whether they thought there would ever
be peace between Israel and Palestine. This opened a debate
as to what peace might look like. The conclusion was that an
end to conflict with people living together was achievable in a
generation but true peace would take several generations but
should be a goal that all should work towards.
After the formal workshop the Seeds of Peace delegates
stayed on for an hour talking informally with our students.
The following evening Cranford’s Seeds of Peace ambassadors
shared a platform with the US Ambassador at the Berkeley
Hotel in Central London delivering the same message to senior
business leaders and politicians. Good to see Cranford was first.
Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher – Director of Community Development)
3

My ENO Summer experience
During the summer I joined the youth
project with the English National
Opera (ENO), which was a week-long
programme where likeminded teenagers got
together and helped to create a new piece of
theatre based around a classic opera with the
help of professionals in opera and the arts. This
opportunity arose through the school’s on-going
partnership with the ENO.
We based our piece on “Aida” by Verdi, the story
of a young Ethiopian princess whose kingdom
is at war with Egypt, who has infiltrated the
Egyptians and disguised herself as a slave to gain
information for her father. While she is there,
she falls in love with the Egyptian Captain of the
Guards, so when her people are taken over, she
must decide between her love and her country.
During the week, we came up with song lyrics,
choreography, and various ideas for the end
performance, all with a director, composer,
and choreographer to help lead us in the right
direction. It was an amazing experience as I got
to try out things I had never done before and
learnt about opera. This was then followed up on
where we were able to sharpen and perform what
we had created again at the Victoria and Albert
Museum (V&A) for a special event along with
other professional opera singers, and that was
an incredible experience. The pieces we made
had so much meaning
behind them as we collaborated with women who
had to leave their homes in the Middle East. The
lyrics they created for us were so heartfelt you
could really feel their longing for what was back
home, which I could completely relate too. After
our performances, we heard that many members
of our audience were heard crying, showing us
just how powerful our piece had been.
After the week of the summer project, I was
offered a position in their year-long Youth
Company, and I have enjoyed every second of
it. Every half term or break, we take two days at
their ENO Baylis Building in West Hampstead
to come up with various different pieces of
our own with the help of professionals in the
industry. The first week, we started figuring out
ideas for what we wanted our piece to be about
through mind maps and other processes, and we
learned some songs related to our ideas. We also
got to learn about character and how to create
characters and stories with the director Lyndsay
Turner (who directed Benedict Cumberbatch
in Hamlet recently at the Barbican) which was
amazing. Our second session was even better
than the first. We got to meet new professionals
who helped hone our ideas into a performance
piece. We created two songs with the composer,
and we made and choreographed each of
4

them with the director. While doing this I
felt like I was in a rehearsal for something
big like Oliver Twist, as I was surrounded
by so many people who were enjoying it
and yet being so mature about the way they
were performing; it was inspiring.
Throughout this next year I will have
more sessions with the Youth Company
continuing to see where our piece goes
and what messages we want to send to
audiences. I will be able to see many operas
at the London Coliseum for free as a plus
of being a part of this company. I am so
happy and privileged to be able to be a part
of this, and I feel like it is teaching us and
training us to be more than just actors and
singers; it’s teaching us to be creators and
how to have active minds and imaginations
which I really love and appreciate. If you
want to find out more you can go to their
website: www.eno.org. If I’ve learned
anything through this experience, it’s that
opera is more than just fat ladies singing
in Italian.
Aria Cundall (year 12)
The
A classic Victorian tale
with a refreshing twist
theatre production
of Jekyll and Hyde
at the Ambassadors Theatre in
London provided a refreshing
twist of a classic Victorian
tale. With themes of feminism,
sexuality and duality, it
bestowed a modern outlook on the themes of the
original novella. Furthermore, the very current
themes make the plot much more appealing to
a modern audience as it involved many types of
people, for example, women and the LGBTQIA+
community. The almost complete juxtaposition of
the two tales (the one told in the play and the original
storyline of the novella) created a sense of shock for
the audience as it was absolutely unexpected. As
well as this, the use of current technological profiles
such as fanfiction and blogs made it easier for the
audience to comprehend the storyline of the play.
Personally, I liked the regular cross cutting between
the Victorian era and the modern era. The main reason
for this was how the protagonists of both mirrored
each other’s decisions and actions significantly.
The change in protagonist from male to female was
particularly interesting. Especially, from the way
the male Jekyll was treated in comparison to the
way that the female Jekyll was treated, for example,
the way the characters interacted with the royal
society was extremely different. I enjoyed how
detailed and precise the set and costumes were; they
were relevant to both of the contexts.
A lot of what the characters said was extremely
blunt and honest which definitely added to the
shock value of the play.
Overall, I enjoyed the production as it was more
contemporary, shocking and attention-grabbing
compared to the traditional tale of the original
story. The modern parts of the play added twists
and elements that made the whole play enjoyable
and if you are in the mood for a gender-bending,
pro-feminist shocker of a play then Jekyll and Hyde
is the one to watch.
Maisie Mullen (year 11)
5

Shakespeare
Schools
Festival
Twelfth
Night
In
November 2017, eighteen year 8 students from Cranford Community
College took part in the international Shakespeare Schools Festival,
run by the Shakespeare Schools Foundation. They performed a thirtyminute
version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night along with three other schools
performing other plays by the world-famous bard.
These hardworking students brought Twelfth Night to life over a period of
two months, culminating in a performance led by a professional director at the
Wycombe Swan Theatre and Town Hall. Performing to over 200 guests, the students used skills they
had gained throughout the rehearsal process to wow family, friends and the general public.
The rehearsal process took students on a journey of personal discovery as well as exploration of the
play itself. Combining play with traditional dramatic techniques such as freeze frame, direct address
and improvisation, the group were able to imbue their own personalities into both the characters
they played and the performance as a whole. The start of one scene, for instance, came directly from
games which had been played during the first weeks of the rehearsal process.
In addition, there were three students dedicated solely to production roles. These three girls worked
tirelessly to design and assemble individual costume pieces for all characters whilst also painting
set, creating a lighting design and doing hair and make-up.
In recent years, the Arts have had a shadow cast upon them; the Shakespeare Schools Foundation
(SSF) and affiliated Festival strives to turn this view around; it represents an opportunity for young
people to use the Arts to develop a plethora of related and transferable skills. SSF cite that 86% of
teachers saw student behaviour improve as a result of participating in the Festival and 97% agreed
their students’ confidence had increased.
The very talented cast and crew did an amazing job representing the school and were delighted to
take part in the festival.
“Here’s to a new year filled with adventures and explorations in the Arts, creativity and continuing
to broaden our students’ horizons”.
Katie Turner (Creative Arts Department – Director “Twelfth Night” )
6

Twelfth Night
by Cranford Community College
at The Wycombe Swan, 11/20/2017
appraised by Kristoffer Huball
I would like to offer sincere thanks and congratulations to Cranford Community College for
your wonderful production of Twelfth Night as part of the 2017 Shakespeare Schools
Festival. Students and teachers alike have put hard work, imagination, determination and
passion into this production, and were a credit to the school. I'd like to take this opportunity
to highlight just a few fantastic moments that you should be especially proud of.
This production opened with a bang and grabbed the audience’s attention right from
the beginning. I loved the way that this ensemble thought about the opening movement
section, showing the party on the boat before it crashed on Illyria. It showed the levels
of tension within the scene and was choreographed well. It also gave the audience a
sense of where these characters had come from and what’s at stake for them.
I was very impressed by the huge amount of character work that had been done with
this piece. All of the young performers had clearly defined characters, with strong levels
of motivation making them feel three dimensional and relatable. The relationships are
what made this 400 year old story feel relevant to this modern audience.
The use of the company in this production must be commended and there were
excellent ensemble reactions to the main plot points, showing a professionalism in
support, and a deep understanding of the complex Elizabethan text. This was
particularly evident during the boxtree scene in Olivia's garden, which was filled with
engergy and focus.
Twelfth Night was tremendous, thrilling and triumphant.
Congratulations to everyone involved in this superb production. I hope to
see Cranford Community College in the Festival again next year.
Kristoffer Huball
shakespeareschools.org charity no. 1164676
My experience in
Twelfth Night was a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity and I will never forget it. Loads of people
think that drama is a waste of time but it gave me all these
advantages to life and it would probably help me in the
future as well. I recommend other people to take up drama.
Ashaani Balendran
The Shakespeare Schools Festival was an amazing
experience, I learnt how to use light, sounds, cues and
so much more. I made so many new friends and enjoyed
working back stage. I would love to participate in the
SSF again.
Kehan Munir
I am so glad that I took part in the festival. It was exhilarating
and I felt so proud of myself. I have made so many friends during
this process. We have had laughs and worked so hard to be able
to light up that stage. I feel that I have grown in confidence and
become more mature. I wished that it could never end. I hope I
will be able to have an opportunity like this again and I will most
certainly take part. My advice to everyone else is that when you
see an opportunity grab it because you never know when you will
see an opportunity like that again and you never know where it
will take you.
Being
part of Twelfth Night, I have learnt that drama
is not about reading from a script, it has to come
from within you and you really have to feel your
character whilst performing. This also helped
build up my confidence, helped me speak more
loudly and not be afraid to show everybody my
talent. I really enjoyed being part of the cast,
it was really exciting. I am really going to miss
rehearsals, I hope I do this again and have as much
fun as I did during this period of time. I will miss
being Sebastian. Thank you Twelfth Night and Miss
Turner.
Isra Jadoon
Anchal Chawla
I loved how to express my inner self through my
character. I loved the costumes that the production
team created. I loved how I made new friends and
how I created a bond with them. “I am free to be what
I want to be”
Tyrone Emmanuel
7

EU - RAN
Educational Conference, Budapest
The
Radicalisation Awareness
Network (RAN) is an umbrella
network connecting people involved in
preventing radicalisation and violent
extremism throughout Europe. Within
RAN, practitioners from different European
countries can meet others in their area of
expertise to exchange ideas, knowledge and
experiences on countering radicalisation and
violent extremism.
As part of the school’s collaboration with
RAN two members of Cranford’s staff
attended a working group examining the issue of fake news, conspiracies and propaganda. Mr Alan
Fraser, Director of Community Development, a core member of the education working group and
Barbara Lodge, Cranford’s Head of ICT and Computing. I was invited to present my work on this
topic to the group and take part in a panel discussion.
The purpose of the meeting was to examine the rapidly-evolving media and information landscape
and share projects and ideas to help students develop their media literacy skills and ability to think
critically about the information they consume.
The conference was attended by 40 delegates representing over 20 different countries and from a
wide range of backgrounds and experiences. On the first day of the conference the group shared
their different approaches and projects on the topic of fake news, conspiracies and propaganda. This
was an exciting opportunity to exchange ideas and resources. For the second day of the conference
the delegates divided into smaller groups to work on specific projects, taking the best of all the
approaches and collaborate to form ideas and lessons for primary, secondary and further education
students.
One of the outcomes from the meeting was the identification of the gulf between teachers’ understanding
of social media and that of their students. Inspired by the conference Cranford has submitted a bid
to Google to develop an online platform to train primary teachers on the safe use of social media.
8
Barbara Lodge (Head of ICT and Computing)

Student
Voice
through
Generation
Global
Generation Global has been developed by the
Tony Blair Foundation to give students around
the world the skills and opportunity to engage
in dialogue on sometimes controversial topics. As part
of Cranford’s programme, students follow a course on
building dialogue skills including how to talk with people
with differing views. Once students have completed the
course, they are paired in the first instance with a school
in the US to have a discussion. If all goes well they can
sign up to a range of topics and discussions with schools
around the world.
Our first dialogue was with a school in Virginia called
West Potomac High School. Year 13 students from
Cranford engaged with Seniors in the US on the topic
of identity. Students from both schools shared what
parts of their identity they were proud of and what were
the challenges. They spoke about many different types
of identity including gender, nationality, their leisure
interests (anime) and their faith identities. Many students
felt that identities could also bring challenges. Some were
concerned about putting their nationalities down on their
university applications, others felt that expressing their
religious or national identities may mean they won’t fit
into society or with their peers so well.
Students then went on to talk about issues of hate speech,
with students in the UK explaining some of the hate
crimes towards the Muslim community. One student in the
USA said that her Mexican identity was often challenged
by the political situation, with Trump saying he wanted
to build a wall. Students asked each other about how
they interacted with other communities and how diverse
their local communities were. Students in the UK were
surprised to hear how diverse their partner school was. A
student in the USA explained that some areas in the USA
were very open to diversity and others not so. A student
in the UK replied, “It is the same here in the UK.”.
Students also responded to questions about whether
they hide any parts of their identity. They discussed that
sometimes they do depending on who they are talking
to. Jessica in the UK however said “I’m Latino and I
let people know that, it’s important and a part of me”.
Lucia added “being Latina or Hispanic
you can’t change and I’m not willing
to change and I’m open with it. But
how open can you be when there is
prejudice?”. Students also spoke about
how their parents told them how to
deal with prejudice. One student said
her parents tell her not to trust some
of the community, another that she
shouldn’t shout about her heritage.
Miriam in the USA said; “As a kid my
parents said don’t wear a hijab, people
aren’t open to it....” A student in the UK
responded saying “Living in London it’s
multicultural, it’s fine to speak Arabic.
But when we go elsewhere mum tells us
not to speak Arabic. You want to fit in”.
Students then went on to discuss some
of the ways you could try and prevent
prejudice and help people to be more
accepting of diversity. Students at both
schools agreed that education was key.
This video conference opportunity is
hoped to be the first of many where our
Generation Global young people can
engage in a meaningful dialogue with
students of their own age around the
world dealing with the same issues and
challenges that they are.
Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher – Director
of Community Development)
“The conference taught me that I was
right in the sense that although we may
look different and our identities may be
different we are all the same, because we
are all human. There are many people (not
just students) that would benefit from an
experience like this, it really does open
people’s eyes to another world out there”.
(Year 13 student)
“The video conference was an eye-opening
educational event that allowed me to
enhance my knowledge by evaluating the
differing views of others around the world
when discussing identity and how each
individual differentiates when identifying
themselves in society. I was able to
empathise with the students at West Potomac
and acknowledge the impact that living in
different societies has on how we as young
adults reflect on the world”.
(Year 13 student)
9

News from the
PE Department
The start of this academic year has been a very busy
one with lots of opportunities for students to engage in
sports activities in addition to the taught curriculum;
here are just a few articles reflecting the work of the
department in the autumn term 2017.
Extra-Curricular
Extra-curricular activities take place before
school (period 0), at break times and also
afterschool (period 6). On offer this term
was a wide range of sports including dodgeball,
basketball, netball, rugby, badminton, football,
cricket and weight training. This is a good
opportunity for students to refine skills, learn
gameplay tactics and have fun.
Several fixtures were played this term and
Cranford was well represented. Students had the
opportunity to play netball and basketball fixtures
across most year groups where they gained
valuable playing experience.
Students have the opportunity to continue to
participate in extra-curricular clubs but we expect
to see many more involved. According to the
Association for Young People’s Health (2016) it
is suggested that there is “a positive relationship
between sport or organised activity and positive
mental health outcomes for young people. These
include preventing problems arising, promoting
positive youth development, and using activity
to treat pre-existing mental health conditions”.
This spring term will see fixtures in netball,
football and cricket so be sure to attend trainings
and clubs if you wish to be included.
Rob Notley (Head of PE Department)
Community Sports
This
academic year has seen an increase in Cranford Community
College students engaging in sport across the local area. This
has been in partnership with the Youth Sport Trust and the Heston West Big
Local. The college’s School Games Organiser, who is a part of the PE department
represents Cranford in the local community and Hillingdon primary schools. His
role is to increase sporting participation in younger children. He has led many
events, including indoor athletics which involved 6 local primary schools all
competing across a range of events, from standing long jump to speed bounce. In
addition, Cranford supports year 9 students leading each team and stations as
part of their Youth Sport Award.
The year 10 Sports Leaders, also on the Youth Sport Award programme, helped
Sport Impact deliver a cross Hounslow Borough Sports day. Every primary
school in Hounslow attended the event held in the Cranford SuperDome,
with over 200 primary school pupils participating in physical activity led by
Cranford Students. Many local teachers praised our year 10 Sports Leaders
on their professionalism and maturity when leading the event. This is a true
reflection of our Sports Leadership programme at Cranford.
This year Cranford has increased its engagement with the local area, in
particular focusing on health and wellbeing. The school with the Big Local
now offers free Boot Camp fitness sessions led by a trained personal trainer. These sessions
are held every Monday at 5.30pm. All are welcome to join. There is also much more to come.
10
Rob Notley (Director of Community Sport)

Athletics Success
This
year was one of Cranford’s most
successful sporting activities.
Students aged 12-14 years took part in the Borough
Athletics competitions at Osterley Park Athletics
Centre. Students elected to participate in a track
event and a field event or two field events. There
were around 20 students involved per age group
with our highest participants being the year 8
girls. The selected students had training twice
a week in the lead up to the event with PE staff
organising these sessions. Students who were
awarded medals on this day included Szymon
Gora who received gold in javelin and gold in
shot put. Robert Keeley was awarded silver in
long jump. Karolina Mucko made it to the 100m
final for the 14-year-old girls. Anjal Dhakal also
achieved silver in discus and javelin. Overall the
full day competition was a very enjoyable day
out for the Cranford students which put Cranford
on the map for athletics for 2018.
Boys and girls from years 7-10 also competed
in super 8 athletics twilight tournaments after
school throughout the year. Both boys’ and girls’
tournaments were successful and all students
learnt a great deal about competing individually
in sport.
Girls’ cricket has continued to grow within
Cranford Community College over the years
with participation rising amongst junior girls.
The girls have been training with a coach from
Middlesex weekly. The girls who opted to
compete in the one-day competition were:
• Layba Nisar 8V
• Sahiba Grewal 8V
• Lernin Bejaj 8V
• Tara Grewal 8X
• Kirstie Poon 8X
• Avneet Bagri 8T
• Malikah Raja 8T
• Ashaani Balendran 7W
• Taniskha Bumrah 7X
Marrium Chughtai (year 8) was awarded best
on ground on the day. These girls represented
the school outstandingly and were placed 2nd
overall in the county. These girls continue to
train weekly and are striving to improve as a
team for future success.
Diane Marston (PE Department)
Year 9 W Factor Sports Science
This
year the Physical Education Department
offered ‘Sports Science’ as part of the
W Factor extra-curricular activities on Wednesday
afternoons. Led by Mr Rattu, this was a completely
new and refreshing opportunity for students in year 9
to explore and understand more about studying sports
at higher education, career aspects within the sports
field, becoming a professional athlete and learn about
professional athlete lifestyles. This later tied in with
students starting the Young Sports Awards.
Students so far have taken part in various activities such as having a taste of a
football academy training session led by QPR coaches, researching the human
body, studying sports nutrition and then cooking healthy meals
such as pizza and chicken fajitas, sports journalism alongside
meeting Manisha Tailor MBE. Manisha was honoured with an
MBE this year for her work in women’s football and travelling
across the country and the globe to speak and to teach football.
The department looks forward to expanding the Sport Science
Programme in the future alongside increasing the impact of it
within the wider community of Cranford.
Hamesh Rattu (PE Department)
11

Trip
to
China
An opportunity not to be missed
Going
to China
was not an
opportunity to be missed under any
circumstance - that was something that
we all firmly believed in - so we jumped
at the chance to go. It was a fantastic
trip in which we were not only able to
explore the country and its beautiful
landscapes and architecture, but also
immerse ourselves in an entirely new
culture and way of life. Students and
staff alike, we were all excited to be
leaving London behind to be welcomed
by the fantastically kind and hospitable
Tianjin College of Commerce. Formal
dinners, sports games, official tours
of the sites, shopping at local markets,
home visits, in-classroom experiences
and of course, climbing The Great Wall
of China were all a part of our jampacked
itinerary for the week which had
been organised by the Tianjin College of
Commerce (TCC) officials. Whilst the
daytime activities were organised for us,
the evening activities were organised by
us which involved an M & M chopsticks
challenge and a phone amnesty.
Needless to say, after just over a week
there, everyone was joyfully exhausted
and ready to come back home, but that
came at the cost of leaving our newfound
friends behind at TCC. It truly
was a fantastic experience for us as
staff members and was certainly a
memorable experience for our year 12
students. Let’s go back again next year.
On
19th October 2017
I made my way to
Heathrow- this is where my
journey began. The flight itself
to China might have been long
and tiring but it was all worth
it in the end. After landing at
Beijing International Airport,
we were warmly welcomed by
some students and teachers from
Tianjin College of Commerce
(TCC) who accompanied us to
Tianjin.
Each day was different, as it
was filled with new food, new
Matt Southern-Myers, Sahrish Sheikh and
Milton Ferreira (Trip Leaders)
12

From
delicious culinary dishes, to ancient artefacts,
amazing architecture and mesmerising
views, China was honestly the experience of a lifetime. Upon
our arrival at Tianjin College of Commerce (TCC), we were
greeted with the warmest of welcomes and
though completely jetlagged, everyone seemed
to be in awe of both the hotel and the campus.
The next few days were filled with sights, various
locations and different cultural findings where
each new experience turned out to be better than
the last. Everywhere you turned you would find
Chinese culture had a lot to offer, especially at the
Tianjin Market where everyone’s bargaining skills
made that day a quest for who could get the best
deal. I definitely didn’t win.
Amongst the few shopping sprees, filled with endless
souvenirs, cheap Gucci belts and Burberry scarves which
seemed to be the pick of the lot, there also came challenges
of physical aptitude.
cultures, new people and new
places to see. It was overwhelming
trying all these new things during
such a short period of time yet I
enjoyed every moment of my stay.
Unfortunately, our stay there was
only for 9 days; to some this might
sound long but to me it felt like a
day. That’s when I understood what
they really meant by: “time flies
when you’re having fun”.
For me the best part of my stay
was being able to spend time with
students from (TCC) and eventually
becoming good friends. I was not
only able to make friends with the
Chinese students but also with the
people who went on this trip with
me. Two months after the trip I’m
still in contact with my new friends
from China, even though we have
the time difference as an obstacle
but we are able to overcome that.
This exchange programme has
allowed me to create a new circle
of friends that I hope to treasure for
life alongside with all my memories
of my stay in China. To me that’s
what matters the most.
Sabrina Aktar (year 12)
First it was badminton, next it was climbing the Great Wall.
Quite a jump, I know.
The day we climbed the Great Wall was
a day no one had prepared for, not even
the most athletic amongst us. Yet after
several flights of stairs, water breaks and
false hopes given by our staff members
like “Come on guys, you’re nearly
there!”, we made it to the Great Wall of
China. What a view.
Despite not being able to go Beijing, I am grateful
for all my unique experiences as a tourist in Tianjin.
Not many people receive the opportunity to become
so fully immersed in a completely different culture.
Having been able to meet students on campus and
also visit one of the students’ home, we got
to experience their way of living
which was very fascinating as
many students in Tianjin have
a completely different way of
life from those in the UK. What
I also found astonishing was the
hospitality and patience of our
Chinese hosts; without them the
language barrier would’ve become
more prominent.
Sadly, it was over before we knew
it and wishing our “thank you” and “goodbyes”, became
hardest part (harder than climbing the Great Wall). In the end,
this trip was truly an authentic experience.
Cristiana Eftenoiu (year 12)
13

Minnesota Trip
Visit
to the
University
of
Minnesota
Following
embark on a similar trip to
of Minneapolis and St. Paul,
insights into how educators
significant barriers to educ
Minnesotan schools as well a
Global Academy
An Inspiring School Visit
One
of the schools we had the privilege of visiting
during our stay was Global Academy, situated
in Minneapolis. Global Academy is a free, chartered
elementary to middle school that seeks to serve a diverse
group of students. They cater for 432 students and display
a commitment to serving the broader world based on the
goals of the International Baccalaureate Organisation;
this was plain to see in every classroom we visited.
Part of Global Academy’s vision for their students is that
they will be active, compassionate and lifelong learners who
have the human and technical skills to be productive and
successful world citizens. In order to achieve this, they build
much of their learning around these themes: enthusiasm,
empathy, integrity, tolerance, commitment, independence,
appreciation, confidence, cooperation, creativity, curiosity
and respect. These values seemed to be embedded throughout
the school, with questions posed on display boards in
corridors which children are encouraged to respond to.
We gained a real and valuable insight into the way that Global
Academy has created an open dialogue with parents to
respond to the cultural needs of the communities they serve.
14
It was a true pleasure to visit this school and meet staff
and students alike. The high expectations, value placed
on cultural diversity and positive attitudes embedded
throughout the school have cultivated an environment of
curious, respectful and aspirational learning with pupils
who are encouraged to see themselves as agents of change
and active explorers.

on from research conducted by the University of Minnesota on the Somali population within the
student body of Cranford and Berkeley, it was proposed that a group of colleagues from our schools
learn from Minnesota University researchers and spend some time in schools within the twin cities
with a focus on how educators there advocate for their own Somali learners. We were eager to gain
work with community leaders and families to bring about positive results for children who face
ation. We completed an intensive and informative programme of study within the University and
s other educational institutions; below is a brief description of some of the activities we undertook.
LEAP Academy St. Paul
Another
school we were
invited to was LEAP
High School, which is situated in the “other”
twin city, St. Paul.
Standing for Limited English Achievement
programme, LEAP caters to young people
from kindergarten all the way up to the age of
21, focusing on what are described as SLIFEs
(Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal
Education). LEAP is forward-thinking in its
ethos; it focuses on what students can achieve,
rather than what stands in their way, despite the fact that the students of LEAP do face significant
barriers to learning, not least (as the students we met discussed) homesickness and missing family
in their countries of origin.
The student body is made up entirely of young people from an immigrant background, boasting 232
children from 20 different countries. Many young people relied on jobs after school to financially
support their families back home.
15

Minnesota Trip
We were lucky enough to hear from some of the young people who learn at LEAP, who had been asked
to think about what qualities a teacher needs to have in order to support them effectively. They told
us their teachers had the ability to make them feel loved and free from nervousness and that they felt
safe, secure and happy within the school.
After our meeting with the students, the Berkeley and Cranford colleagues were allocated to different
classrooms for a 30-minute observation to gain a real hands-on perspective of what the school was
doing, and on the possible differences and similarities between US and UK education. The teachers
from London were struck with the passion and dedication shown by the teachers they observed, and
were unsurprised to learn that LEAP teachers are held to a very high professional standard, with
frequent observations and a strong emphasis on professional development.
“I saw passion and dedication
from an obviously intelligent
and well-informed teacher
who used his knowledge
and experience to create a
classroom environment based
around curiosity and discovery.
I saw great mutual respect
between teacher and learners,
and a real culture of learning
and enquiry”.
Andy Watts
“What I liked about the
teacher’s approach was
that there was constant
encouragement”.
Anna Perszewska
16
“There was a sense that the teacher has worked hard to
create a space where the students can express themselves
and be who they really are. Her high expectations of the
students and their capabilities were evident throughout”.
Lydia Gamlen
“The teacher hadn’t grouped the students by ability,
rather by home language spoken-this automatically
created mixed ability groups and allowed the young
people to support each other in their learning”.
Seema Ghauri
“What struck me most were the relationships in the
classroom. One of the students asked me if I was coming
back tomorrow-I said I couldn’t, but I really wanted to”.
Lisa Mercer
“Most of the students had been in Minnesota for less
than a year. The classroom really represented the
children and their home culture, as well as celebrating
their learning”.
Fay Pollitt
“The teacher encouraged the children to support each
other in their own language”.
Madhuri Tank
“I saw the use of key vocabulary
as a component in the children’s
learning”.
Jon Ryan
“It was a very positive atmosphere in the classroom.
The children could have gone off task whilst the teacher
and I talked but they remained focused”.
Gerry Lee
“I had a very interesting conversation with the students,
which really shows how outward-looking they are,
rather than letting language barriers make them more
introverted”.
Aaron Singh
“There were very high expectations of the students -
the teacher used positive reinforcement to support the
students in using some high level vocabulary”.
Uxio Seijas
“The students were able to use their gym lesson to have
fun whilst learning new skills”.
Basheak Busscue
“The most impressive thing I noticed was the high rate
of staff retention - teachers don’t want to leave LEAP
high school”.
Peter Stumpf

The Journey: Refugee Resettlement in Minnesota
One
morning we heard from Melody
Ward, an Independent Refugee
Advocate who works and lives in Minnesota.
Melody has worked in refugee resettlement since
2001 and describes it as her passion, which grew
from a chance meeting with four Sudanese “Lost
Boys” in Chicago. She was struck by their joy, hope
and drive for a good life. There are 22.5 million
refugees worldwide, with 189,300 resettled
in 2016. 85,000 were resettled in the USA.
Before exploring the successes and challenges
of refugee resettlement, it is helpful to have
a working definition of “refugee”. The legal
definition of refugee is someone with a wellfounded
fear of persecution for reasons of race,
religion, nationality, political opinion, sexual
orientation or membership in a particular
social group (UNCHR). Melody builds on this
definition with her belief that refugees are
resilient, in possession of incredible strength
and great survival skills and above all, people
with everything that you and I have, except the
privilege of opportunity. When they leave their
homes, they leave behind belongings, families,
careers, communities and feelings of security.
Camp life can be bleak; there is competition
for basic necessities such as food, housing
and safety. Therefore, access to education and
health care is limited. The camp services are
contracted to respond to basic human needs
like water, so the education a child or young
adult receives in a refugee camp varies.
The largest ethnic groups for resettlement in
Minnesota are Somali and Karen, with 1405 and
658 people respectively. Challenges for those
resettled in Minnesota which affect education
include but are not limited to: disparities
between camp life and urban life, mental and
physical health, isolation, the shock of bitterly
cold winters, self-advocacy, language, racism
and discrimination and a change in family
roles, triggered by a parents’ loss of job or
profession since arriving in the States. That said,
Minnesota is among the top states in America for
refugee resettlement due to a strong partnership
between faith communities and public entities,
good public benefits, the presence of colleges
and programmes which target refugee adult
learners and the existence of a stable and
welcoming job market. In addition to this, there
is the phenomenon of “Minnesota nice” - it is a
friendly state with a neighbourly feel. There are
lots of clothing banks and organisations that run
clothing or furniture “drives” to gather resources
for those who need them.
There was an overwhelming sense that
Minnesota sees positive texture in the way
that immigrants can add to our society. They
encourage new arrivals to reflect upon the assets
they bring, and there is a sense that new cultures
challenge existing ones to become even better.
We all have a responsibility to show humanity
and kindness to those who have suffered
unimaginable things and have had to tell and
relive their stories countless times in order to
begin a new life, somewhere safe. By working
with and supporting refugees, we can play a part
in restoring dignity and humanity. Many of our
group left this workshop feeling driven to seek
out opportunities at home to support and gain an
insight into refugee resettlement in the United
Kingdom.
It was an enormously inspiring group which
left teachers from Berkeley and Cranford with a
keen desire to continue our learning once back
in the U.K. Particular strands we felt eager to
follow up upon were community engagement,
inspiring displays, careers and aspirations and
the celebration of ethnic culture, history and
community.
Peter Stumpf (Associate Headteacher), Lydia Gamlen
and Andy Watts (Berkeley Academy Delegates)
17

Internationalism
Japan
Avon Tyrell Activity Centre, Bransgrove,
New Forest 8th-13th August 2017
The
sun was shining as we set off from
Cranford for our first joint activity
week with students from the very prestigious
Keio University Junior High School in Tokyo. As
we drove further into the New Forest, there were
concerns about how far we were from anywhere,
especially as the mobile signal dropped. Avon
Tyrell is a beautiful rambling house, built in 1891
in grounds covering 65 acres. Interestingly, the
house has 365 windows, 52 rooms, 12 chimneys,
7 outer doors and 4 wings (does that remind
you of anything?). The house was entrusted
to the Youth of the Nation and opened as a
centre in July 1949. 10 Cranford students from
years 9 and 10 led by 2 year 12 students were
accommodated alongside their Japanese peers
in large rooms with up to 10 beds. All meals
were taken together in the self-service canteen
downstairs and international interaction was the
name of the game. Through games, activities and
visit, the groups bonded and firm friendships
were fostered.
Some of the activities were challenging – the
high ropes were a major success as was the raft
building, canoeing, archery, low ropes, trust
walks (where the group is blindfolded except
for the leader) and the visits to Stonehenge,
Visit by our Korean
partner
school
Once
again the Ocheon Senior High School
from Pohang in South Korea paid us
a welcome visit but unusually they chose to come in
December. The upside of this timing meant they saw
London at its Christmas best. Every school day, the
Korean students visited a wide range of year 12 lessons,
where possible with their Cranford email pen pals. This
proved very popular with both students and staff, with
the Korean students involving themselves in the learning.
A particular hit with our friends from Pohang was drama,
where they were thrown into an improvisation on “fake
news”. Alongside their Cranford experience, they were
accompanied by our students to Central London and
Oxford. The group enjoyed their evening of musicals
– choosing either Phantom of the Opera or Aladdin and
swept around the London Eye at dusk to see London,
beautifully lit up. Plans are well ahead for a return visit
by Cranford to Korea in October 2018.
“The Korean students were very enthusiastic and I enjoyed
working with them”.
18
“They would bow and shake hands as a thank you to allow them
to be a part in the school”.

Salisbury, Swanage and Corfe Castle, Durdle
Door and Lulworth Cove.
This fantastic opportunity arose out of an
introduction by the Japanese Foundation to Keio
in February 2016 and proved to be the most
wonderful time for Cranford students. We are
all set to repeat the experience next year with
more Japanese learning before we go (がんば
ってください pronounced “gambatte kudasai”
it means “keep at what you’re doing, no matter
what”).
Philip Dobison
(Assistant Head of School - International Relations)
“The fact that there was hardly any
internet and that there were only
a few pupils who spoke English
forced us all to interact with
each other and through this we
met new people, both English
and Japanese students”.
Zahra Sadiq (year 11)
“My experience with the Keio
University Junior High School, Tokyo, Japan was truly
amazing and a fantastic opportunity to socialise and make
friends with new people who had a completely different
lifestyle to me… This was genuinely a memorable trip and
I hope to keep in contact with them and see them again”.
Karamveer Tamna (year 11)
In
conjunction with City Capital College Group and specifically with Westminster Kingsway
College, Cranford hosted 11 South Korean teachers over two weeks in November 2017, so
that they could see first-hand how lessons are taught here. The Korean teachers also turned their
hand to a PSHCE lesson on Korean culture, which ranged from fan making leading to a Korean fan
dance, to eating with chopsticks, from calligraphy to gonggi (jacks in the UK) and jegichagi (foot
shuttlecock). The feedback was very positive from both Korean and Cranford staff.
One teacher said:“I found the whole process useful”.
South Korean teachers working
alongside Cranford staff
“It was a great opportunity for me to discuss the ways that some mathematical concepts are taught at schools in
Korea”.
“These visits have a huge impact on the children’s understanding of being global learners”.
Philip Dobison (Assistant Head of School - International Relations)
19

Internationalism
Korean Government Invitation Programme for
Students from Partner Countries 2017
orean Government Invitation
The KProgramme for students
studying Korean from partner countries was a
ten day programme. Having learnt the language
for a year at school and independently, I joined
over 120 students from 50 countries. We stayed
at Gyeongsang National University (GNU) and I
knew was prepared to take full advantage of the
opportunity and advance as a passionate learner.
Before the opening ceremony we spent the day in
Seoul, visiting the Namsan Tower and Myeongdong,
a major shopping street. Heading to Myeongdong,
the shopping hub of Seoul, we shopped for the
latest Korean fashion clothing, skincare and so on
and I was treated to bingsu (Korean shaved ice).
The opening ceremony was held by the National
Institute for International Education (NIIED)
where we enjoyed various performances by a
Korean pop group and a traditional band.
Then I was introduced to my roommate with whom
I became close friends, indeed after one day, we
had all become good friends. We started our stay in
Jinju with a campus tour, lectures, visits to various
industries such as Korea Aerospace Industry and
Doosan Heavy Industries and other surrounding
universities. During the week, we visited many
historical sites: Songgwangsa temple, a filming
site and Naganeupseong folk village where friends
and I wore traditional Korean attire called hanbok.
My first week in Korea was coming to an end and
homestay had begun. The Kang family was very
welcoming and helped me experience the authentic
daily life of a Korean with an early morning visit
to a traditional street market with fishmongers on
every street corner and a variety of Korean street
food stalls to choose from. The homestay was an
amazing and valuable experience.
During the second week, we went to more ancient
temples, were taught how to play the traditional
Korean drums in a form called salmunori, explored
Shilla Millennium Park which is used to preserve
the Shilla period and is also used in many dramas,
practised taekwondo, explored Jinju castle as
well as a trip to Gyeonghae Girls High School.
I learnt more about Korea’s education system
with the visit to the high school and enjoyed
the lessons I participated in where we listened
to class presentations, played Korean games,
enjoyed ice cream and experienced the difference
in approaches to education.
The farewell ceremony marked the end of the
programme and was an emotional celebration
of how much we had achieved individually and
as a team with a certificate of completion and
achievement ceremony.
The KGIP was an amazing programme which I
will never forget. It has inspired me to continue
my Korean studies and I hope to return to Korea
as an advanced learner. The Korean Government
Invitation Programme for Students from Partner
Countries 2017 was a fantastic opportunity, one I
will cherish for many years to come.
Ayisha Mahmood (year 10)
20

Year 8 Giving to the
Community
In
the autumn term year 8 students
were tasked to think about
how they could do something
for others and help the community. An
opportunity arose when we were invited
to visit a local Care Home to spend time
with the elderly and give back something
to the community. Students were
selected to represent the year group on a
Wednesday afternoon during W Factor.
During their visits they played board
games and quizzes with the residents
and just spent time listening and talking
with them.
In addition, the whole year group decided
to do a collection of Christmas presents
for those in the local hospital and 15
students were selected to represent the
year group to visit and play Santa’s elves
giving gifts to patients of all ages to
spread a little Christmas cheer. We were
overwhelmed with the number of gifts
donated by the students.
All the students involved said they were
delighted by the response they received
both at the care home and at the hospital.
I am extremely proud of my year group
and the way they engaged with this
initiative and showed how generous our
students can be to those less fortunate
than themselves.
Randeep Sidhu (Head of Year 8)
Little Elves Trip to
deliver Santa’s presents
We reached the ward, and some of us got
to visit some children that were just born.
Because I am an identical twin I got to
visit some new born twins and saw their
two small hands. I didn’t want to disturb
them so I just left the present next to
their cot as the mother said;” Thank you
Santa”, I said; “No problem you guys are
on the good list”. In the end I was happy
because when everybody is happy there
are always happy endings.
Hiba Raza (year 8)
Visit to Norwood Green Care Home
Last term for our W Factor, 14 selected students from
year 8 made several visits to the Norwood Green Care
Home. We were anxious to see how the residents
would react to so many school
children but when we had
arrived we were greeted by
lovely staff and the bright
smiles given to us by the
elderly warmed the room. At
the care home we played a
‘get to know you game’ where
we rolled a dice, looked at
a question corresponding to
the number rolled and then
answered it (for example,
what’s your favourite TV
show?).
Over the weeks we made a
few visits and this lightened
the residents’ days as they
rarely have visitors. We learnt that
some of the residents living at the care home had
dementia; this meant that when we went back to visit the
following week, they had forgotten who some of us were
or who our teachers were. This was something that some
of us weren’t used to seeing, however, both students
and the residents made an effort to get to know each
other again. It was an amazing experience
visiting the care home, mixing
with the older people which is
something that doesn’t happen
that often in today’s society. ​
Shamaila Baig (year 8)
Going to the Care Home was a great
opportunity. I got to meet people a lot
of new people and enjoyed being out of
my comfort zone. At first we were a bit scared
as we were not used to the environment but
soon we were able to talk and interact with
the elderly. I met a lady who spoke Swahili
so I went home and learnt some words so I
could talk to her and I loved the smile on her
face when I could speak to her. I was able
to interact with many people and was able
to find out their story. I was overwhelmed
by some stories but was happy to have
the chance to find them out. Some were
reluctant to speak but others were not. We played
bowling with them and were able to have fun. I loved going there
and would love to go again. I got much love from them. This
opportunity made me want to give back to the community .
Huda Sharif (year 8)
21

On
Thursday 17th December 2017,
the new Creative Arts Department
invited parents, staff and guests to join them
in showcasing student work at their Light
and Dark Festival. The event was organised
as a celebration of the work produced in the
new innovative creative arts curriculum at key
stage 3 introduced in September 2017.
The combined arts curriculum, delivered by a
team of dynamic arts teachers and practitioners,
offers students the opportunity to learn new
skills and techniques through a variety arts
experiences whilst nurturing their talents and
enabling the joy of the arts to be at the centre of
their learning. In addition, students have been
offered a variety of enrichment opportunities
to increase their arts experience and foster a
greater understanding and appreciation of the
arts industry.
22
The curriculum focus has been project based on
a cross-arts theme of “My Place in the World”.
Year 7 students looked at transition from primary
to secondary school creating memory boxes and
wish trees in art and using the memory boxes
to stimulate drama pieces. Students in year 8
have focused on foods and cultural recipes and
the stories associated with food, plus puppet
and shadow theatre, whilst in drama they have

with performances in dance, drama, music,
animation, and visual art, whilst enjoying a
variety of refreshments made by the students.
They were also invited to add a wish to the
wish tree.
created animation stories alongside traditional
storytelling. Year 9 students have focused on
making and creating using different genres and
materials in art and creating performance pieces
and a festival event in drama.
A wonderful evening and a great way to end
the term.
Jessica Joyce (Creative Arts)
The Music Department has been completely refurbished
with the introduction of the live room
for students to create their own bands, learn to
play an instrument and to rehearse and perform.
The second room has been transformed into a
music technology centre for the creation of their
own music using REASON 9 software. Students
in all years have been working on original music
under the arts theme and learning to become
confident musicians and performers.
The Light and Dark experience enabled attendees
to witness just some of the work produced during
the term through a promenade theatre experience
23

Presentation Evening 2017
An Uplifting and
Inspiring Evening
Cranford Community
College’s Annual Presentation Evening on
Thursday 16th November 2017 was held at the
Riverside, Bath Road. This was a new venue for our awards
evening, but a fitting setting for such a prestigious event in
our school calendar. The evening was a huge success with
recipients of awards sitting down to celebrate with parents,
staff and guests to a meal and entertainment.
The uplifting and inspiring awards evening was hosted by
the 6th Form Leadership Team Jessica Atouguia (Head Girl),
Aadil Awan (Head Boy), Ali Hussen (Deputy Head Boy), Zala
Amiri (Deputy Head Girl), Malika Ali (Deputy Head Girl)
and Mustafa Ahmed (Deputy Head Boy). There was a
really positive buzz from the evening where all celebrated
the success of current and past students. Awards were
presented by our guest speaker Sharon Stockman who has
worked in a variety of social worker settings and gave an
inspirational speech about her life and dealing with the
challenges of being blind, however, her guide dog Clover
stole the lime light being a different type of guest to our
awards. Awards were punctuated by performances by the
school band and the Shakespeare in School group from
year 8 performing an extract from “Twelfth Night”.
A special award, The Pride of Cranford Award, was presented to Tejinder Purewal,
year 11 for his outstanding act of community service and the Rod Lewis Award
went to Dinnie Heroe, for her work in the Three Bridges.
The new setting of the Riverside and the inspiring stories of those receiving awards
brought a different and exciting dynamic to what is always a wonderful evening
which everyone enjoys.
Kevin Biggs (Assistant Headteacher)
24

On
Wednesday March 29th,
2017, Tejinder Purewal
then in year 10, arrived late to
school with a rather unusual excuse.
He claimed to have been helping an
elderly gentleman who had collapsed
near the Munchies restaurant on the
Bath Road. His punctuality is not
exactly perfect so questions were
asked and details confirming his story
emerged later that day after contact
from the local police and ambulance
services and a few weeks afterwards
from a local family.
Tejinder, supported by another
Cranford student, administered CPR
to a gentleman who had suffered a
heart attack. Tejinder stayed with
Mr Antonio
Fernandez for 30 minutes until the
ambulance arrived and amazed
witnesses (including the staff of a
neighbouring pharmacy) with his
determination and expertise.
Having practised his first aid skills at
school, as well as with the local army
cadets with whom he trains, Tejinder
put his knowledge and training into
powerful effect and there is no doubt
he played a crucial role in saving the
life of a member of our community.
Tejinder has already been recognised
with a national paramedic award
but today we honour him with a new
award donated by Mr Fernandez and
his family – ‘The Pride of Cranford’
Award.
Mr Fernandez recently turned 80 and
I am absolutely delighted to welcome
him and his family here tonight to
celebrate Tejinder’s remarkable
achievement with us. Mr Fernandez
will present Tejinder with an
individual medal and I would also like
to invite up Ms Priscilla Ledlie, our
own Pastoral Manager for year 13 and
medical officer, who has personally
been involved with Tejinder’s first aid
training both in school and as part
of the 192 Heston Detachment of the
army cadet force, to present him with
the inaugural ‘Pride of Cranford’
shield which will go on prominent
display in the school and become, at
the request of Mr Fernandez and his
family, a new award.
Citation for the award by Rob
Ind (Head of School)
The
Rod Lewis
Award has
been generously donated by his wife
and longstanding member of the
Academy Trust, Jenny Lewis and their
daughter Nicole, a former student at
Cranford, in memory of Rod and his
many years’ service as a Governor.
Rod passed away after a long illness
in February 2010.
This award has been created
to recognise either a group or
individual adult or student, who has
made an exceptional contribution,
or achieved something exceptional
which has added to the success of the
school, its pupils and/or the whole
school community.
From talking to people about Rod, I
think one of the things they always
remember is how incredibly positive
he was about students and their
achievements, about staff and the
school and in life in general. When
perhaps other people would have
given up and isolated themselves from
the world, Rod was still
wanting to stay involved,
coming into school and sharing his
wisdom and wit with the school and
the whole community.
So the winner of today’s award is
entirely appropriate. She is also
someone who is incredibly positive,
who never gives up on young people
and who, even in her busy day-to-day
life always finds time for everyone.
Dinnie Heroe has now been working
at Cranford for four years overseeing
our Three Bridges Twilight School
and has worked tirelessly to develop
the Three Bridges and nurture the
staff and students within it. She never
gives up on the young people there
and will fight for them to have equal
opportunity and the chance to make
a fresh start, often in challenging
circumstances. She works hard to
broker positive relationships with the
families of children at Three Bridges
to ensure they provide appropriate
support at home.
Dinnie is also very caring and
supportive towards the staff at Three
Bridges and across the school,
developing their confidence, abilities
and spotting opportunities for growth.
She is very diligent and dedicated
and will always go the extra mile for
anyone.
Recently Dinnie has ably taken on
the role of Acting SENCo at Berkeley
and much like with everything else
she doesn’t blow her own trumpet
but gets the job done providing truly
outstanding support for staff and
families and being a champion for
children. She is a worthy recipient of
the Rod Lewis Award and I would like
to now invite Jenny Lewis onstage to
present Dinnie with her award which
comes along with £100 to support a
project of her choice.
Citation for the award by Rob Ind
(Head of School)
25

Targeted Intervention Day 1
Personal,
Social, Health,
Citizenship and
Economic Day
“There is nothing I wouldn’t
do for those who are really my
friends. I have no notion of
loving people by halves; it is
not my nature”.
Jane Austen
The
Personal
Development day, held on Friday 24th November 2017, was devised
in light of previous learning; students worked with staff and external providers
building on students’ understanding of how to be in the world.
Key stage 3 students worked on building self-esteem and celebrating success. They spent time
exploring how to deal with feedback both positive and less so in a variety of forms and completed a
project on how they celebrate each other’s achievements. Year 7 and 8 students completed the initial
assessment of the Myriad Project a piece of research conducted by Oxford University on mindfulness
and resilience. They also spent time looking at relationships and explored the different feelings
at different stages of relationships from initial interest and friendship to life after a relationship.
Year 10 students explored the world of relationships, sex education and health. They spent time looking
at relationships and consent in a variety of scenarios and then went on to find out about contraception and
sexual health. During the day they also explored the impact of pregnancy and having children. Students
also learnt about pornography and the internet and the misrepresentation it can create around sexual activity.
Year 11 students worked on resilience looking at the impact of dealing with pressure and exploring how
to cope with challenging situations. They also worked with OB Education on revision techniques
and educational stamina on the run up to their mock and real exams.
26

“It was really interesting learning about
pregnancy, I found it so stressful doing the
shopping list whilst a baby was screaming”.
(year 10 student)
“The idea of a lifelong
commitment to somebody
because of photographs
taken and posting them
was interesting and
something I had not
thought about”.
(year 9 student)
6th form students explored a variety of topics including looking at relationships
and in particular how to deal with negative or risky relationships. They explored the
impact of fertility issues around conceiving and researched adoption and fostering as
alternatives ways to become parents. The students also considered the issues around
pornography. Both year 12 and 13 students examined mental health issues and in
particular looked at the impact of resilience and being proactive in looking after your
mind. The day for year 13 students was designed around looking at what happens
after school has finished and leaving home. They spent time working on finances and
budgeting and cooking for themselves. Some students used the time to work with tutors
to complete their UCAS application where others spent time exploring apprenticeships.
The day proved to be hugely valuable. It enabled students to engage in meaningful discussions on
topics that affect them in their daily lives and to gain a greater understanding of how to adjust to
this ever changing world.
Kevin Biggs (Assistant Headteacher – PSHCE)
27

End of Term
Celebrations
Our
end of term assembly on
Friday 15th December 2018
adopted a concert format. There were two
fantastic shows put on to celebrate the
end of term with bands from years 7,
8 and 9 sharing their musical talents with
some songs being written by students.
The 6th Form Leadership Team hosted the
concert with great skill and humour.
Mr O’Hare started the proceedings
with a rap he had written about school
which the students appreciated. The
year 9 W Factor Street Dance group
also moved the audience with their
fast-paced and exciting routine. The
two performances by staff at the
end of the concert brought
the house down with
Mr Ferreira singing
“Havana” by Camila
Cabello followed by
“I wish it could be
Christmas” by Wizard:
a very entertaining end
to a fabulous concert.
Kevin Biggs
(Assistant Headteacher)
28
“Cranford Review” is a regular printed publication either available to download in digital format at “www.cranford.hounslow.sch.uk/newsletters-publications”
Editor-in-chief: Jessica Joyce | Graphic design: Enzo Gianvittorio | Printed by: Cleverbox.co.uk | Copyright © Cranford Community College - 2018