Cranford Review 2022

2021 / 2022

Cranford Community College
is a charitable company limited by
guarantee registered in England and Wales
under company registration number 7559818
at High St, Cranford, Middlesex TW5 9PD
Kevin Prunty
Executive Headteacher &
National Leader of Education
Jenny Lewis
Chair of the Academy Trust
Peter Stumpf
Associate Headteacher
Rita Berndt
Joint Head of School
Rob Ind
Joint Head of School
Maria Bramhall
Deputy Head of School
Alan Fraser
Assistant Headteacher / Director
of Community Partnerships &
Income Generation
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EDITORIAL
I
am delighted that you are now reading our annual
publication of the Cranford Review for 2021/22. There
is so much to celebrate, and this publication captures some of
the many opportunities offered to our students and community
during this past year. I have been involved in the leadership
of Cranford for 25 years and can truly state this is an amazing
school full of a range of opportunities both within the formal
curriculum but also outside of lessons during period 0 and 6,
school break times, weekends, and school holidays.
Our outcomes for students have been truly exceptional, yet
again, and on the next few pages you can find out more about
our excellent A-Level, T-Level, vocational and GCSE results.
Over the last two decades, examination outcomes have been a
major strength of Cranford Community College and summer
2022 has been no exception. We are particularly pleased
with the Year 13 cohort as this group have never sat formal
examinations before until this summer. They did not disappoint
us. The destinations where these young people go to after
Cranford are a testament in themselves to their hard work,
resilience and determination.
Ofsted inspected the school in March 2022 and the feedback
they gave the trustees on the quality of education was
excellent. Our students, staff, parents and trustees really took
the opportunity to show the school as it is and we are very
thankful for the contributions everyone made. Everyone was
stunning and the unity and pride shown was both impressive
and humbling. Middle and senior leadership shone with a very
strong light – which makes me very proud, and the inspection
team were also able to see how well colleagues at all levels and
students support each other. I had a clear and strong sense of
envy from the inspectors who were also school practitioners
when they were feeding back on what they saw. That level
of mutual support is not automatic in any organisation, but
it is a reassuring feature of relationships at Cranford. The
only area for action was Ofsted’s new policy that all schools
and academies must now offer the national curriculum to be
considered as Outstanding.
There are so many things to be thankful for in our world (not
everybody’s world but in ‘our world’ and ‘our experience’).
We are so fortunate in so many ways but, at Cranford, we have
never rested on our laurels or wallowed in our successes or
taken for granted our liberties or our opportunities. Instead, we
always work strategically to make things better and better, for
our children, for each other and for our community. We do this
every day, and year on year.

by Kevin Prunty
One of the greatest blessings we have now is an
opportunity to develop the concept of ‘normality’.
Normality does not mean everything returning to
how it was prior to the pandemic – It has to be much
better. After the first lockdown when we started
talking about returning to normality, the term ‘new
normal’ was often used. It was used in a deficit
way, implicitly the new normal ‘would be like the
old normal but we would have to live with some
additional restrictions.
I want to reconceptualise that ‘new normal’ to
ensure that, for us and for our entire community,
it is even better than normal would have
been had there been no pandemic. It can be better,
even with all the political and financial pressures
that fill the news media. Some great things happened
during and as a result of the pandemic – but greater
things can still be made to happen in recovery. We
have back control and where it is not given back,
we must wrest it back. We have back democracy
and where it is not given back, we must wrest it
back. We must not just revert to the agenda as we
saw it in 2019/2020, resilience is about ‘catchup’
to a certain extent but for our children’s’ lives
to be better, resilience and recovery must also be
about ‘acceleration’.
When I started as Headteacher, I introduced the
first community conference in a plan of
one per decade so that I could understand
better what our community (staff, children,
parents, trustees, contractors, businesses, the LA,
local charities and the community in general) would
want from the school in the 10 years that would
follow. I believe we have delivered fully on the
things our community has prioritised in the first
and second such conference.
I am planning another community conference in
October 2023, to find out once again what
this community wants from the academy for
which we are the ‘care-takers’. This will happen
just before Cranford Community College celebrates
its Golden Anniversary. Crucial to the Community
Conference and its impact will be garnering
the considered views of our pupils, many of whom
will be the parents of future pupils at Cranford.
2021 / 2022
I will be encouraging them to not just think about
how they would like to see the school improve but
what they would really want to be better for their
own children if they become parents.
Our 6 whole School Priorities may very well be
immutable, although even that is up for grabs
in the genuine consultation that the Community
Conference represents.
Here is a reminder of these priorities:
Identity 1:
► Inclusion, opportunities and safeguarding
Identity 2:
► Community, high quality alliances and
partnerships – Transforming a Community
Identity 3:
► Innovation, research and development
Identity 4:
► Building social and cultural capital
Identity 5:
► Excellence (not perfection) in all areas
Identity 6:
► Standing out from the crowd
As I mark my own Silver Anniversary at Cranford
Community College, I reflect on the achievements
and successes of thousands and thousands of
young people in the quarter of a century that I
have led the school and its community work. What
has been achieved has only been possible by the
dedication, hard work and passion of parents,
students, teachers, support staff, trustees, alumni,
partners and the whole community who have
ensured that the word COMMUNITY is at the
heart of everything we do. I am always energised
by the sheer scale of our staff and students’
achievements, and I hope that you too will gain a
flavour of these when you read this Review.
Kevin Prunty
Executive Headteacher &
National Leader of Education
1EDITORIAL

A LEVEL RESULTS
A Level Examination Results 2022
Exams are back and
Cranford’s tremendous A level success stories this year are even more remarkable
when we remember the disruption this cohort suffered in Year 12. For many
of these students, this will have been their first ever series of national exams
and it was a bumper year for the top A*/A grades which jumped 10% from 2019 to
represent 20% of all grades.
Cranford’s results saw significant rises across the top grades and the proportion
of students achieving A*- B grades has doubled to 44%.
“We are delighted with the fantastic performances of our A level students this
year” said Executive Headteacher Kevin Prunty. “The students have worked extremely hard,
in particularly challenging circumstances, and we are very proud of their results”.
“We are also very pleased with the performance of our first cohort of T Level students who have done
brilliantly.” Many of these students will now progress directly into employment as Early Years Educators or
Digital Production, Design and Development professionals whilst others take up graduate apprenticeships
and university offers.
Amongst the many students heading off to Russell group universities, there are some real stand out high fliers:
• Iman Jaura achieved an A* grade in RE to go with A grades in History and Maths and has won a place at
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University where she will study Law.
• Ahmed Ali turned down his place at Cambridge University, despite achieving four A* grades, as he has
been offered a full scholarship to read Maths at Imperial College, London. Also going to Imperial will be
Rayyan Khan (A*, A*, A) who will study Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
2

results are better than ever at Cranford
• Rohan Kapoor was another student who achieved a perfect set of four A*
grades and will be reading Maths at Warwick. He will be joined there by
Kavleen Arora and Manpreet Bahtra who gained superb results of A*, A*,
A and will study Law and Computer Science respectively.
• Kings College, London has proved popular with Cranford students this year,
particularly for future doctors. Aliya Abdullai (A*, A*, A*) will be reading
Medicine at Kings alongside Shargeel Hussain (A*, A*, A) and Filsan
Abdillahi (A, A, A). They will be joined at Kings College, London by Zehra
Hasan (A*, A*, A, A) reading Computer Science and Raaid Athar (A, A, A) reading Electronic Engineering.
• Other high fliers staying in London include Mohammed Abdul Hamid (A*, A*, A*), Faizaan Abbas
(A*, A*, A) and Ajeet Bhatti (A*, A*, A, A) who will all be attending University College London to read
Maths, Electronic Engineering and Law respectively; Zayia Berum (A*, A*, A*) and Guneet Dhameja (A,
A, A) who will be heading to London School of Economics to read Economic History and Geography and
Economics; whilst Priyajeet Bagga (A*, A*, A, Distinction*), Sybil Raposo (A, A, A) and Jasmin Kaur
(A, A, A) have opted for Royal Holloway to study Economics, Business and Management and Psychology
respectively; and Athisha Sivabalan (A*, A* A) will read Computer Science with Maths at Queen Mary,
alongside Dua-E Zehra (A, A, A) studying Accounting and Management.
• Ehsan Ayobi’s straight A grades in Chemistry, Maths and Physics have helped him secure a prestigious
Civil Engineering apprenticeship at Balfour Beatty.
A huge thank you and well done to all of our students and their teachers.
Rob Ind (Joint Head of School)
3A L EVEL R ESULTS

GCSE RESULTS
GCSE Results
2022
Cranford Students Shine As Exams Return
Cranford students have achieved another
set of fantastic GCSE results, despite
all the challenges they have faced over
the past two years.
Executive Headteacher, Kevin Prunty said:
“We are absolutely delighted by the
brilliant GCSE results our Year 11
students have achieved today. We knew
they wouldn’t let a pandemic hold them
back! Progress is phenomenal with two
thirds of students performing well above
national expectations. This is particularly
impressive given that 89% entered all
EBACC subjects which is more than
double the national average and testament
to our outstandingly broad and balanced
academic curriculum”.
There are so many Cranford students who have done exceptionally well it is hard to pick just a few. Some
particular stars include:
• Nancy Harkous who achieved an incredible 10 grade 9s, including the top grade 9 in all her attainment
8 subjects, resulting in an attainment score of 90 which cannot be beaten anywhere in the country! Nancy
will continue at Cranford Sixth form and is intending to study Further Maths and Spanish at A level – well
done Nancy.
4

GCSE Results
2022
• Tegh Kang, Abdulkhaliq Powell and Prem Pun gained six grade 9s each averaging well above 8 across
their subjects. All three intend to remain at Cranford for A levels.
• Ahmad Ahmadi, Hanan Benaissa, Tamana Qadari, Musa Raza, Alia Samad and Ifrah Shehzad
managed an amazing 22 grade 9s and 23 grade 8s between them.
• Mafee Ehsan obtained an incredible Value Added score of 4.4, meaning he secured on average well over
four grades better than other students nationally from his starting point across every subject. Juan Molano
Repollo also scored a Progress 8 score of above 4!
• Sameiksha Sharma who has only been with us for one year after arriving in the UK in September 2021.
She didn’t let that hold her back though and her hard work and the support of her teachers have helped her
secure an unbelievable 4 grade 9s and 2 grade 8s.
Congratulations to all our students and staff on a truly tremendous effort.
Rob Ind (Joint Head of School)
5GCSE R ESULTS

Cranford OFSTED Inspection 2022
OFSTED INSPECTION 2022
Cranford was inspected by Ofsted on
9th and 10th March 2022. The was the first
inspection that the school had had in almost
10 years following the removal in 2020 of the
exemption for outstanding schools.
In line with existing inspection practice Cranford was given
just one day’s notice regarding the inspection which meant
that inspectors really got to see the school as it truly is
every day.
The previous inspection in 2012 was against a very different and easier framework so we were under no
illusions that the inspectors would leave no stone unturned in order accurately assess the school. HMCI has
been clear that she wants a large reduction in the number of ‘outstanding’ schools and we were fully aware
that this would be part of the inspection agenda. The new framework has set a much higher standard.
During the two days the team of five inspectors visited lessons and observed social times. They met with
students, leaders, teachers, support staff and governors. They looked at student books, curriculum plans and
scrutinized school documentation including policies and records. They also conducted online surveys with
students, staff and parents. The team were incredibly thorough in their work.
Everyone in the school community came together to do the school proud and reflect what a truly great learning
institution Cranford is. The student survey and pupil discussion groups showed that Cranford students are
incredibly positive about the school and their learning experience here.
Staff worked very hard, particularly in the target ‘Deep Dive’ departments where inspectors focused heavily
on their first day here. The Heads of Department, as well as the rest of the subject teachers, did a stunning
job and received incredibly positive feedback. Well done to English, Science, History, IT & Computing, and
to Music who were very much in the limelight during the inspection.
The staff survey was a key feature of the inspection as inspectors focus heavily on what it is like to be a
teacher at the school. The survey received an incredibly high response rate and was overwhelmingly positive
– Cranford is a great place to work and one where people fell very well supported and able to develop their
careers. During the inspection, staff supported each other immensely, but the important point is that the event
drew everyone together.
Parents completed the anonymous survey online, and again were overwhelming positive about the school
and the education that the school provides for their children.
The governors of the academy played a key role in the inspection too and reassured inspectors that Cranford
is a very well-run school and that leadership at all levels is very strong.
Following a very rigorous two days, Ofsted concluded that Cranford is GOOD in every area:
• Quality of education
• Behaviour and attitudes
• Personal Development
• Leadership and management
• Sixth-form provision
We are very grateful to everyone who contributed to the inspection and would like to share some quotes from
the report which is available on the Ofsted and the Cranford websites.
6
Peter Stumpf (Associate Headteacher)

Ofsted Quotes
Quality of Education
• Pupils are happy and safe in school
• Teachers are ambitious for their pupils
• Teachers help pupils to learn and provide support
with any aspects pupils find difficult
• Teachers use their strong subject knowledge to
enrich pupils’ use of technical words and deepen
pupils’ understanding of complex issues
• Teachers routinely refer back to what pupils have
learned previously and provide useful hints to help
them remember facts
• Teachers check pupils’ learning regularly
• Pupils gain qualifications in a wide range of
subjects. This helps them to be well prepared for
their next stage in education and employment.
• Curriculum leaders have thought carefully about
how pupils will develop knowledge and skills over
time
• Teachers and teaching assistants communicate
closely so that the most effective strategies for
individual pupils are identified and used consistently
• Pupils receive extra help with reading when needed
so that they catch up quickly and develop reading
fluency
• All pupils benefit from having access to highquality
texts in the classroom and well-stocked
school libraries
• The school has a well-established programme of
curriculum enrichment opportunities for pupils
• There is a comprehensive careers education and
information programme providing advice and
guidance on a range of future pathways, including
apprenticeships and university courses
Behaviour and Attitudes
• Pupils are settled and attentive in class
• Pupils interact positively and respectfully in class
and around the school
• Pupils attend school regularly
Personal Development
• Through the school’s ‘Mind, Body and Soul’
programme, pupils are involved in a variety of
activities each term
• Mind, Body and Soul include learning needlecraft,
debating contemporary issues, swimming and
learning about different languages and cultures
• Wider curricular activities include theatre trips,
overseas travel and an award scheme to develop
essential skills for life and work
• The personal, social and health education and
relationships and sex education programmes are
planned carefully for each year groups and are
delivered by specialist teams
Leadership and Management
• Leaders have high expectations for pupils’
achievement
• Pupils said that there are trusted adults they can
speak to
• Leaders are committed to helping pupils gain
experiences and develop new interests beyond their
academic work
• Leaders ensure that pupils with special educational
needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported
• Staff felt well supported by leaders. They appreciated
that leaders consider staff’s workload and well-being
and provide opportunities for professional growth
• Leaders, including the governing body, build strong
links with parents, carers and the local community
• Leaders are committed to providing a safe
environment in which pupils’ education and
experiences give them a broad range of options for
their future
• Members of the governing body organise appropriate
training for themselves to help them fulfil their roles
• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective
• The safeguarding team works closely with outside
agencies so that appropriate actions are taken
• The safeguarding and pastoral teams work together
to identify and review support for selected pupils
• Leaders are committed to supporting pupils
throughout the year, with staff available through the
school holidays if needed
Sixth-form Provision
• Sixth form students enjoy taking on leadership
responsibilities, including being part of the student
leadership team and organising charity events.
7OFSTED INSPECTION 2022

ENGLISH
English
Department
8
When students started school again in
September 2021, we all felt excitement at
returning for – finally – a full year of inperson
schooling. There was much talk in the news
about a ‘return to normal’ but, what did that mean for
the English department? We went back to sitting in
classrooms together, sharing our thoughts and ideas;
we benefited from being with our peers and learning
from their successes and mistakes; we returned to
having live feedback and modelling in lessons to
help us progress. We also had to go back to practising
our great classroom behaviours of listening, waiting,
and raising hands – there are no mute buttons in the
classroom! So, if that’s what we went back to, does
that mean that this year was just like all the previous
ones? No!
We introduced a host of new, exciting topics to study
in English this year: Year 7 were the first year to
read ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and we loved
hearing all of your dramatic readings in lesson. Year
8 did some speaking and listening and got to speak
passionately and persuasively about topics they felt
strongly about; well done – many of you had us
convinced! Year 9 started a new unit reading ‘Animal
Farm’ by George Orwell and learnt some powerful
lessons about rhetoric and allegory. They also learnt
some interesting new metaphorical ways to tease
each other – we’ve heard you accusing each other of
being a ‘Napoleon’ or a ‘Snowball’!
In years 10-13, we have continued to teach all
the poems, plays, novels, and skills necessary for
excellence at GCSE and A Level. Our subscriptions
to GCSE Pod, an excellent resource for revising key
content through videos, activities, and self-marking
quizzes, Audiopi (a bank of podcasts on GCSE set
texts, available online and as an app), E-Magazine,
a publication by the English Media Centre which
contains a plethora of interesting articles that helps
students build their research skills and find their
own, individual ways to approach key texts, and
Massolit, an online database of short lecture series
by university professors on a range of subjects
(including every set text for A Level and GCSE
alongside wider contextual and genre studies to
support students’ wider knowledge and to stretch
and challenge). Many of our students will have
done Massolit quizzes written by Ms Brooks who
worked with the site, writing questions to accompany
these lectures in order to provide a more interactive
learning and revision experience.
Our time in lockdown was not how we would have
preferred to teach, but it did result in a wealth of
arts material being made available online. We have
continued to benefit from these and during our studies,
students have been able to watch productions and
behind-the-scenes interviews with actors and directs
from the through the National Theatre Online Library
and through our subscription to Digital Theatre Plus,
an online platform which houses hundreds of filmed
productions of plays from leading theatre companies
across the world alongside teaching resources,
documentaries, films and interviews.
We haven’t been satisfied with just online
productions, however, and have started to reintroduce
departmental trips. We took a group of year 7students
to Guildford to enjoy an outdoor performance of
‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ and Years 12 and
13 loved their trip to see Hamlet at The Globe. We
are working away planning more exciting trips and
opportunities for the year ahead – watch this space!
This year has been a return to normal for many
students and a completely new normal for those
who had yet to experience a full year in school at
Cranford. We hope you have enjoyed studying in
person as much as we have enjoyed teaching you. We
said it last year and we’ll say it again: the students
we teach really are the best part of our jobs!
Evelyn Brooks
(Head of English Department)

On
Hamlet at the Globe Theatre March 2022
For
A Level English students, trips to the theatre are some of
the highlights of the course and we were so excited to see
this return in 2022. With tickets eagerly booked in the Autumn term,
and fingers kept crossed against any covid-based chaos, the English
department returned to The Globe theatre almost two years to the
day since their last trip to see Shakespeare’s greatest (and longest)
tragedy: Hamlet.
The Sam Wanamaker theatre (a replica of the Jacobean Blackfriars’
theatre) is the indoor “little sister” of Shakespeare’s Globe on the
Southbank; intimate and candlelit, it holds just 340 in the audience,
seated as close to the stage as humanly possible. In this space, Hamlet’s
soliloquies became a direct conversation with the audience – the
question “am I a coward?” was repeated until there was an answer.
This was a brave interpretation of the play which attracted love/hate
reviews – but we loved it. I’ve never laughed so much in a production
of Hamlet (and I’ve seen more than 20)!
Year 12 went on a Wednesday night in the middle of our Ofsted visit,
and Year 13 went a month later. With two intervals and a running
time of more than 3 hours it was a bit of a marathon performance
(we didn’t get back to Hounslow until 1am), but students came out
with a greater understanding of the play and a wealth of ideas about
possible ways of interpreting the text which stood them in great stead
in their summer exams. It was incredible to be back in the theatre and
we can’t wait to go again.
Evelyn Brooks (Head of English Department)
Saturday 18th June 2022, 35 year 7 students enjoyed their very own
Midsummer Night’s Dream: a trip to an outdoor theatre performance
of Shakespeare’s famous Athenian comedy. The students absolutely loved
watching the play they had been studying in their English lessons come to
life in front of them. The setting, a forest clearing in the grounds of Guildford
Castle, lent itself perfectly to the heady midsummer setting of the play. The
students on the trip were discussing the play for weeks afterwards, talking about
their favourite characters, actors, and moments in the performance. It is so
important for students to experience Shakespeare exactly how it was intended,
and these lucky year 7 students will be able to draw on this experience as they
continue to read and love Shakespeare into year 8 and beyond.
While the course of the minibuses never did run smooth, the students will be
remembering this ‘rare vision’ for a long time.
Aisling McConville
(English Department)
Time Out: ****
“This ‘Hamlet’ is a wild, wild
ride, that shows Fouracres to be
a major star in the making and
Holmes to finally be hitting the
form at the Globe that he did
at the Lyric. It’s ‘Hamlet’, but
funnier, scarier and more daring
than you’ve seen it before”.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Year 7 Theatre Performance
“This is the best day of
my life”.
(Jagga Singh (year 7)
“The show was amazing
and I really liked watching
this summery play in an
outdoor theatre”.
Melanie Khanal (year 7)
“I really liked watching the
play we had been learning
about because it helped me
understand it. Bottom was
really funny”.
Paramveer Sidhu (year 7)
9ENGLISH

ENGLISH
English Department Reading List
nglish department want to share with the school the best books they’ve read this year!
The ETeachers have put up posters all around school to share what they are reading. Have you
seen them around the school? Why not ask your teacher about their book and if they would recommend it;
you might find some great reads!
Aisling McConville:
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
At once an achingly beautiful love story and a potent insight into race and
masculinity, Open Water asks what it means to be a black person facing
discrimination, to be vulnerable when you are only respected for strength, to
find safety in love, only to lose it.
Veronica Chow:
Anthropocene by Burtynsky, Baichwal, de Pencier
The Anthropocene is a proposed geological epoch which suggests that human
impact is becoming the most dominant factor on changes in the environment.
With insights into this issue through photography, essays and commissioned
poetry by Atwood, it makes a really poignant text. (Best enjoyed with a good
watch of The Salt of the Earth - Salgado)
Evelyn Brooks:
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
Spanning Prohibition-era Montana, the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, New
Zealand, wartime London, and modern-day Los Angeles, Great Circle tells the
unforgettable story of a daredevil female aviator determined to chart her own
course in life, at any cost.” – I love the combination of rich historical detail, a
human narrative about love, relationships and family, and sublime landscapes.
Bobbie Mahendru:
Big Ideas for Curious Minds
This is an Introduction to Philosophy by The School of Life. Without prompting,
they ask some of the largest questions: about time, mortality, happiness and the
meaning of it all. This is a book that helps to answer some of those questions.
I read it with my children and they were engrossed. It is also my go-to gift for
all their friends !
10

Oscar Johnson:
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
This book follows the relationship of newly married Roy and Celestial, and
explores what being married means in contemporary America. Almost at once,
the couple’s relationship is ripped apart when Roy is convicted of a crime that
both he and Celestial know he didn’t commit. Roy’s time in prison passes, but
when he is released things are not as they once were. I think this book is really
important because unlike so many of the other narratives we read nowadays, the
book begins with marriage, and the hope and promise of the future. The reader
is transported, with the couple, into an actually quite uncertain future, that is
perhaps more realistic and reflective of relationships today.
ENGLISH
How good does that sound !
Cicely Long:
Dune by Frank Herbert
Not just one the most critical and influential works in science fiction, but an
exquisitely detailed and completely immersive experience that examines big
philosophical questions about human nature and politics, as well as the more
micro-experiences of dealing with grief and responsibility. Ahead of its time –
it’s hard to believe it was published in 1965 !
Sixth Form Favourite books:
Huda Sharif (year 12) outlines the sixth form favourite
reads of the year. Some are so good they even got sent
by Uber to friends in the middle of the night !
Honey and Spice by Bolu Babalola
It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
Circe by Madeline Miller
Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
11

MATHS
Maths Department
2021-2022
The
Maths department is really proud
of how all of our students have
worked this year, dealing with their second year
of living through a pandemic. The students have
been mature and eager to learn and have done
themselves proud.
We have been particularly impressed by the
dedication shown by the year 11s and year 13s
in preparing for their GCSEs and A levels. We
are delighted to have had over half of year 11
attending half term sessions and 75 percent of
year 13 coming in to multiple holiday revision
sessions. We wish year 11 and 13 all the best for
results day.
I am sure many of the students would like to thank
the teachers in the department for their devotion
to their students, and their flexibility in coping
with teaching simultaneously in person to most of
the class while still including online students who
have needed to isolate at home. Also, I would like
to thank the teachers who gave up their holiday
time to help prepare students for their summer
exams.
Sarah Brackley
(Head of Maths Department)
12

“Maths is important as it is
used in everyday life: we can
work out the area of a building
using formulae, find out the
price of a missing item using
algebra and accurately analyse
statistics. I enjoy maths because
you can use reasoning to work
out an answer. If you do not
know the answer, you can use
reasoning and knowledge from
other topics to work it out.
My favourite topic is algebra
because, in an exam, you can
substitute your answer into the
question to see if you have got
it right. I also like trigonometry
as it is easy if you know sine,
cosine, and tangent”.
MATHS
Jaskiran Bhullar (year 9)
Junior and Senior Maths Challenge 2022
This year has seen great success in the
Senior and Junior Maths challenges. In
November, 38 sixth formers took part
in the Senior Maths Challenge. We are
delighted that 18 of these students’ won
awards, including every student in our
year 13 Further Maths class. We are
particularly proud of our year 13 students
who won Gold and Silver Awards. These
are Ahmed Ali, who received Gold and the best score in school, Rohan
Kapoor and Syed Hasnain, who also received Gold Awards, and Zehra
Hasan, Faizaan Abbas and Yuvraj Gabrie, who all received Silver Awards.
There were also nine year 13s and 3 year 12s who received Bronze Awards,
including Manav Vivek, who had the best score in year 12.
In April, it was the turn of the year 7
and year 8 students in the Junior Maths
Challenge. One hundred and thirty-six
year 7 and 8 students took the Challenge
in their Maths lessons, with 44 achieving
Silver and Bronze Awards. Jenny Mistry
(year 8) scored Best in School gaining a
Silver Award, and Risha Patil scored best
in year 7, also gaining a Silver Award.
Jasmin Talwar, Mohammad Chauhary and Yunus Sheikh (all year 8) also
gained Silver Awards. Bronze Awards were also achieved by 20 students
in Year 8 and 19 students in year 7.
We are very proud of our students and look forward to more Maths
Challenge success next year.
Sarah Brackley (Head of Maths Department) &
Loide Gando (Maths Gifted and Talented Coordinator)
“I love Maths because the
teachers are helpful, and the
work is always a challenge. In
my spare time and even during
sanctions, Maths is my go-to
subject and I even managed
once to beat Mr Shingardia at
a Maths question”.
Amani Salim, (year 10)
“I love Maths so much because
I am able to understand it well
and I love solving equations and
problems. Once I can answer
a difficult question, I am very
satisfied. I also appreciate the
Maths teachers giving up their
own time to help us. I love
Maths from the bottom of my
heart, in fact, if I have nothing
to do then I will do a bit of
Maths for fun”.
Asta Dias (year 10)
“I like Maths because Mr Plaha
makes it fun and gives us a
deeper understanding”.
Emily Gulbinaite (year 7)
“I like Maths because in lessons
Sir does fun activities such as
mini whiteboards and coloured
cards”.
Aman Brar (year 7)
“I love Maths because Mr
Plaha makes the lessons really
fun and interesting, even when
we have lots of work to get
done. I always look forward to
Maths lessons”.
Navjot Dhillon (year 7)
13

SCIENCE
Science Department 2021-2022
2021-2022 was a year where Science focused on bringing back the extra-ordinary to our students lives.
Practical work had a renewed focus, allowing students to continue to develop their analytical and investigative
skills as part of their balanced curriculum. The re-introduction of STEM club, open to all Year 7 and Year 8
students, assisted by 6th form scientists, allowed younger pupils to develop the practical and working
scientifically skills outside of lessons. Students in Years 7 and 8 who have made a particularly impressive
start with their lives to Cranford were also rewarded with trips to the National Space Centre in Leicester
and the Centre of the Cell exhibition at Queen Mary University respectively. Through opportunities such as
these, as well as the Siemens Infinity STARSHIP challenge for Years 9 and 10, the Year 11’s participation in
the Royal Society of Chemistry “Top of the Bench” competition, and school wide competitions and activities
for British Science Week, we have endeavoured to ensure that we are fulfilling our departmental vision to
increase the science capital of all students at Cranford.
The return of external exams brought with it the opportunity to trial new research-based techniques such as
Hattie’s Triage method. This involves unpicking the areas their specific class struggled with the most and
targeting these areas through bespoke teaching during both lesson time and Period 0 and Period 6 revision.
This tailored intervention approach not only proved to be an effective preparation strategy for public exams
but would ensure that the department would continue to fulfil its mission statement to “maximise aspirations
and opportunity for all students, regardless of background and ability”.
As ever, the science department would like to both congratulate and thank all students for their outstanding
hard work throughout an unpredictable and exceptionally busy year at Cranford. There have been many ups
and downs from 2021 into 2022, but your attitude and the progress you have all made throughout this year
has been truly exceptional, and we cannot wait to see what you have in store next year.
Angus Aughterson (Key Stage 4 Science Co-ordinator) and Amrat Atwal (Senior Teacher)
Discovering The Hidden World of Trees
Year 7 & 8 Ecological Survey
During late September 2021, fourteen volunteers
from Year 7 and twelve volunteers from Year 8
visited the memorial gardens at the front of the
school to conduct their very own ecological survey.
These students carried out detailed observations
of the health of Cranford’s trees, which creepycrawlies
were present, and some of the diseases
our plants might be susceptible to. The students
spotted the presence of lichen, slugs, spiders
and even insects such as ladybirds – indicating
our trees are extremely healthy and provide a
suitable habitat for a range of organisms! These
observations have been collected and sent to the
Natural History Museum, and subsequently been
used to inform a study about the health of Britain’s
trees in a real-life scientific investigation.
14
Angus Aughterson
(Key Stage 4 Science Co-ordinator)

Science STEM Club 2021-2022
SCIENCE
This year, a number of key stage
3 students took part in the weekly
Cranford STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)
Club, every Thursday morning. Students took part in a programme
participating in a range of fun, exciting, enquiry based practicals,
supported by their class teachers as well as the Sixth Form STEM committee.
Some of the sessions that students managed to take part in include:
• Flame tests – what colour do different metals burn?
• Methane bubbles
• Cell model making
• Invisible ink experiment
• Making a pH rainbow
• Microscopy investigations & preparing our own slides
• Egg drop experiment – how to protect an egg from a high fall?
• Hands on dissections of organs & organisms
Angus Aughterson (Key Stage 4 Science Co-ordinator)
Physics Taster Day hosted by Oxford University
I
attended Oxford’s online Physics Taster Day and we learnt a lot of stuff. I’ve
attached the files of what I think was important in what we did. I also got told
off for not including my units in one of the questions. We looked at spectra lines,
diffraction grating and galaxies. They made all of us plot our galaxy’s velocities
and distances to plot Hubble’s constant and showed us how the estimation of
the universe’s age was predicted and how it’s not exact since we’re making the
assumption that all galaxies have the same emitted brightness. Afterwards we did
some estimation questions on how many swimming pools of coffee are brewed
every day and how many dentists there are in Bristol. My estimate was way off for
the dentists because I overestimated the population of Bristol. I was also taught
that instead of using a random percentage which I thought were dentists, to think
about supply and demand and how many dentists Bristol would need.
Ziyad Nuru (year 12)
15

SCIENCE
In
the week of 14th-18th March 2022, British Science Week, this year based on the theme of “Growth”,
was celebrated in style by the Cranford Science Department, through a range of activities through the
school. This included a poster competition demonstrating growth, which was won by Elaha Najem (7X), who
created an outstanding booklet on the growth of leaves in nature. Student activities included a school-wide
competition guessing mystery microscope images, daily period 0 practical sessions for Year 7s and 8s, and
Mind Body Soul sessions on how life could grow on Mars. During science lessons, pupils created scientific
posters, learnt how to be engineers, thought analytically about climate change and population growth, and
even finished their week by growing their own bacteria!
Angus Aughterson (Key Stage 4 Science Co-ordinator)
16

In the amazing Science Week, we all tried out different
and cool experiments which we hadn’t done before.
All the activities were fun! On Monday there were 5
mini experiments to do, and Mr Aughterson and the
6th Form helped us. There was an experiment where
we used air through a straw to transfer coloured water
to the bowl with normal water, we used tissue to show
chromatography and we used Fairy Liquid to make a
boat made from foil run fast in a bowl. There were two
more experiments, one experiment was to use toothpicks
and make them flow and the second was to use some
chemical tablets to make a rocket fly.
On Tuesday we used water bottles to make water fountains
and on Friday we had a dissection session. There were so
many things to do, and it was hard to choose what to do
first as they were all just AMAZING! My favourite day
throughout that week was the dissection session because
it was something very new for me. It was very smelly and
weird, but I loved it! The dissection session I think was
very important because it was a real moment where we
could learn more about animals and see them with our
naked eye. I would like to say that if this event takes
place next year, more people should take part and it
would be memorable for them as well. Thank you.
Sukhman Anand (year 7)
SCIENCE
17

SCIENCE
Year 7 Science visit to the National Space Centre
“I, four teachers and a group of year 7 students visited
this biggest space centre in the whole of the UK in
Leicester. What I really enjoyed was the space artefacts
that were displayed and the space theatre. I also really
enjoyed the strawberry milkshakes! There was a big
space rocket displayed on the top floor in the space
centre. On each floor there was an interesting room full
of the different facts about space - I would definitely go
again if I had the chance”.
Hammad Hanif (year 7)
“The National Space Centre is an incredible place and
was a once in a lifetime experience with fascinating
things to learn about and explore. There were lots of
facts about the solar system and many interactive games/
activities to play and explore. Out of all the things we
saw, I think my personal favourite was the Planetarium
- it was all about the stars, solar systems, galaxies and
ultimately, the universe. This was shown on a screen,
and when it moved, it felt like we were moving in the
Planetarium. Before we left, we got the opportunity
to buy things from the shop, so we had our own little
souvenirs of the space centre. Overall, the trip was
fantastic! My friends and I would definitely go again,
and I will forever cherish this magical experience”.
Devneet Ghaba (year 7)
18

SCIENCE
Year 8 Trip to the “Centre of The Cell”
at Queen Mary University
Year 8 students were chosen for this trip on
the basis of their outstanding Attitude to
Learning and achievements throughout the year
in science. After a long tube journey into East
London, students were able to explore Queen
Mary university, meet current students and attend
two live interactive science shows carried out by
university faculty. The first show focused on genes
and evolution, developing students’ understanding
of natural selection and the driving forces behind
it. After a brief lunch, they took part in a interactive
show around disease and sickness, aptly named: “Snot, Sick and Scabs”. After a stomach-churning hour
where students developed their comprehension of how diseases spread and various events in the history of
medicine, and a brief but eventful trip to the gift shop - we all left the university behind for our expedition
back to Hounslow.
Angus Aughterson (Key Stage 4 Science Co-ordinator)
“I enjoyed the trip a lot and it was fun. There were
teachers in every group so we all felt safe. Everyone
enjoyed the science show lead by two ladies who worked
there. They did two shows, and they were both very
interesting. Mr Aughterson was a very good group leader.
He made the instructions clear and played games with us
on the journey there. Everyone was polite and engaging
in the show. Overall, it was a very good show and I hope
to have more opportunities like this again”.
Safiya Ali (year 8)
19

SIXTH FORM
Another Successful Year for Cranford’s UCAS Programme
We
are pleased to share that it has been another
successful year for Cranford Community College’s
Year 13 students and their UCAS Applications to university.
This year, we have had 93% of our students apply via the
UCAS route and choose to go to university as a future pathway
choice. All other students have chosen to pursue a degree level
apprenticeship or go straight into full time employment using the knowledge and skills learnt from their
sixth form studies.
We are extremely pleased that our year 13 students have received offers from their desired universities
including a large number of students receiving offers from a range of Russell Group universities.
The Sixth Form at Cranford Community College has a strong academic ethos and ensuring that all students
have a strong pathway ahead of their sixth form studies is an important goal to ensure student success. The
sixth form team continue to have very high expectations of year 13 students. They have pushed the sixth
form students to aim high and aspire to obtain places at the top universities in the UK.
Throughout the year, both year 12 and year 13 students have been attending events and taking on opportunities
both within and outside of school that promoted high aspirations. These included;
• Promoting and supporting applications and visits to university summer schools, masterclasses and
lectures.
• Delivering workshops to support pupil applications to early entry courses.
• Guest speakers from a range of universities and industries to provide taster lectures, support and advice
on university and career pathways.
• Supporting with interview skills with interview coaching.
• Follow up mentoring and support after students received their offers.
• Support and guidance with university admissions tests such as the BMAT, UKCAT and LNAT.
At Cranford we have had a substantial proportion of the year 13 cohort applying for Early Entry UCAS
courses. Many of our students were supported through the process of applying by the 15th October for Oxford,
Cambridge and medical courses. Due to disruption in learning through the pandemic, these students received
further support and guidance from the sixth form leadership team. Experienced teachers also supported this
process by conducting mock interviews with the students.
Since the inception of the Early Entry UCAS programme, our year 13 students have received offers from
Oxford, Cambridge, Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Sciences consistently every year. The current year
13s have continued this trend and here are a few notable mentions:
Ahmed Ali
University of Cambridge, Mathematics
Rohan Kapoor
University of Cambridge, Mathematics
Iman Jaura
University of Cambridge, Law
Shargeel Hussain
Kings College London, Medicine
Aliya Abdullai
Kings College London, Medicine
Cranford Community College is so proud of all the year 13 students aiming high and working hard to get to
their desired destination. We wish our outgoing year 13s all the best for their future endeavours.
Chetan Shingadia (Assistant Headteacher)
20

Imperial College London - Electrical Engineering
Applying to UCAS is quite an overwhelming experience however, I was given support and
guidance every step of the way. This was through lessons on how to write a personal statement,
after school meetings for early entry and mock interviews, all of which were extremely beneficial
in making my UCAS process as smooth as possible. The teachers were easy to approach and
gave invaluable feedback on my personal statement which helped improve it dramatically. The
mock interviews really helped me gain an understanding of what I could expect from an interview
and allowed me to feel fully prepared and more confident. For anyone thinking of applying for early entry I
would say to go for it, there is a lot of work that goes into it however it’s an experience I would never regret.
I would recommend starting as early as possible as this will help getting things done and make deadlines
less stressful. Looking at any entrance exams you need to sit and starting to prepare as early as possible
for them is also a good idea. They can be really difficult and require a decent amount of time to prepare for
however don’t let it take over your A-levels, remember to manage your time wisely.
SIXTH FORM
London School of Economics - Geography with Economics
Faizaan Abbas (year 13)
The UCAS process was stressful, but the support given from teachers made it much easier.
Filling out personal information and looking at university choices before summer was heavily
encouraged by teachers which helped us get a brief idea of the full process. The main part of
UCAS was the personal statement. Leaving it till last minute was a very bad idea so I cannot
stress enough how important it is to get a first draft done by summer!!! However, the guidance
given by teachers was amazing by assisting me with my personal statement alongside the constant
feedback that was given (big shoutout to Miss Arnold who literally saved me). Overall, the UCAS process
may be scary, but the support given by the teachers eased it all and they cannot be thanked enough.
Guneet Dhameja (year 13)
University of Nottingham - Pharmacy
I was very well supported throughout the UCAS process. The hardest bit was my first interview
but receiving help from the Sixth Form team to prepare for it definitely made me more confident
going into the interview and after the first interview it became much easier. When writing my
personal statement, it helped to look at pervious personal statements for the same course and
planning but also getting advice from teachers on what should I add or amend. I look forward
to achieving my predicted grades and going on to study Pharmacy at university.
Prabhjot Bharaj (year 13)
The Sixth Form 16-19 Bursary
We
are pleased to see the bursary continuing
to make a positive difference to the
academic lives of our students and their families.
The bursary provides financial support for eligible
Post-16 students. These incudes the cost of school
lunches, travel, textbooks, revision guides and
learning equipment. This also included several
students receiving a laptop which they can use in
their independent study sessions in school and at
home. These students received laptops not only for
their time in the sixth form but also beyond that
when they are studying for their university degree
or working as an apprentice.
What is also fantastic is that the bursary also
provides financial support for academic visits such
as university open days, masterclasses, and work
experience programmes. The bursary provided
financial support to allow eligible students to
complete and send their UCAS application and to
pursue their ambitions of attending university after
completing their Post-16 studies at Cranford. This is
extremely important to us as Cranford believes that
facilitating access and raising aspirations will lead
to high achievement.
The bursary scheme enables eligible students to
access the full breadth of the curriculum they are
studying, feel safe in and out of school, and provide
them with many opportunities beyond Cranford.
At Cranford we are pleased that the bursary scheme
supports excellent outcomes and reflects the school’s
mission to transform a community.
Chetan Shingadia (Assistant Headteacher)
21

UCAS Apprenticeship Virtual Fair
SIXTH FORM
On
Wednesday 9th February 2022 30 year 12 and year 13 students participated in the annual UCAS
Apprenticeship Fair 2022. This took place virtually in school and students beamed into the fair
using their webcams and headsets.
Apprenticeships are becoming a very popular future pathway both in our sixth form and also nationally.
A degree apprenticeship enables students to gain a full undergraduate or master’s degree while they work.
Degree apprenticeships take three to six years to complete, depending on the course level. Students spend
most of their time working and study part-time at university.
In the UCAS Apprenticeship Fair, students were able to attend talks from career experts and current
apprentices across many different businesses and industry. Students also had the opportunity to visit stalls
lead by prospective employers of the future.
Highlights of some talks that were on offer were:
• My journey as a Google apprentice.
• Apprenticeship roles within the UK Intelligence Services.
• Where can an apprenticeship lead me?
• Discover Bloomberg: How to build your personal brand.
• Discover the unexpected: Being an Apprentice at Experian.
Some key employers that our students engaged with virtually were:
• Bellway Homes
• British Airways
• Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology
• Experian
• National Grid
• NHS
• PWC
• Rolls-Royce Plc
• Sky
The fair enabled students to be one step ahead in securing an apprenticeship and inspired them further to
raise their aspirations and achieve their goals. Here are what some of our students said about the UCAS
Apprenticeship Fair.
22
Chetan Shingadia (Assistant Headteacher)

SIXTH FORM
At the UCAS Apprenticeship Fair, I learnt the importance of apprenticeships. My key
highlights were the comparisons of apprenticeships and universities across a wide range
of different sectors. The fair helped with my career plans as it gave me an insight into
how I want to continue after sixth form and what will benefit me more.
Reiko Mistry (year 12)
We learnt about different routes after sixth form and how to research these opportunities.
I found it quite helpful as it really got me thinking about whether I want to go to
university or into an apprenticeship. Before I went to the fair I wasn’t sure as to what
apprenticeships were and whether the they were good as degrees. The fair reassured
me. Overall, I found it quite eye opening.
Muskaan Sanghera (year 12)
I learned about different apprenticeships that are located in London and the UK. The
key highlight for me were the MI5 and MI6 apprentice talks, as I wanted to know
about this opportunity and how to apply for it. The fair helped me know about all the
opportunities available, and the jobs that are high in demand.
Tiana Duggal (year 12)
I learned that there are many different companies that offer apprenticeships, in many
diverse fields. It showed us that there are many different opportunities that are available
to us. The fair also showed me that apprenticeships are not only restricted to computer
science or engineering. Apprenticeships are for a diverse range of people.
Ahmed Mumin (year 12)
23

SIXTH FORM
Summer Sutton Trust Pathways Programme
Pathway to Law at Oxford University
Starting year 12 off as an aspiring lawyer, I was eager to try and find as many opportunities as I could to
help me draw nearer to my goal of becoming a barrister. I had asked Ms Agarwal if there were any law
opportunities available and a few days later she told me about a Sutton Trust programme known as “Pathways
to Law.” So I applied for the programme at Oxford University, where I was potentially thinking of applying
to. After a long application process, I found out in November that I was accepted and was asked to attend
the launch event at the Law Faculty, which was an amazing experience as I got to explore the city of Oxford
and listen to a fascinating lecture about Serious Injury law.
So far, this programme has been extremely helpful in building my student portfolio. It gave me the opportunity
to meet many students from across England and build new relationships outside my school. Also, it provided
me with the chance to do work experience at Irwin Mitchell Law firm, the largest full-service law firm in
the UK. This gave me insight into what the working life of a lawyer looks like and helped me to develop my
teamwork and presentation skills. Moreover, this experience has helped me finalise my decision that I would
be applying to Oxford as opposed to Cambridge in year 13.
With a year left on the programme, I am excited to see what lies in store for me as I continue to grow deeper
in my knowledge of the legal field and experience of the legal profession.
Samuel Dickson (year 12 Head Boy 2022-2023)
Pathway to Medicine at Nottingham University
I attended a Sutton Trust Summer School at the University of Nottingham between the 10th and 14th of July
2022. During the programme I was in the Medicine and Medical Sciences strand which meant that I attended
academic sessions regarding medicine.
Throughout the programme I attended multiple lecture-style academic sessions by medical professionals
and researchers who talked about getting into medicine, studying medicine at university, and about working
in medicine. These were very insightful and provided me with a vast amount of useful information which
has helped me know what to expect from a career in the medical field and has taught me about the different
pathways available after a medicine degree. The summer school was led by ambassadors who were university
students. This gave me an opportunity to ask questions about their thoughts on university, their courses and
their preparations for their admissions tests and interviews.
The Summer School also involved sessions about networking, finance at university and support systems
available for students. In addition to the academic sessions, we also played many games, had a tour of
Nottingham and were able to take part in the different societies available at the university which made the
programme fun and exciting. Overall, the programme was very interesting and was a fantastic experience as I
met new people, developed my interpersonal skills/ networking skills, and learnt a lot regarding my next steps.
24
Oliwia Bartnicka (year 12)

Summer Sutton Trust Pathways Programme
Pathway to Biochemistry at
St Andrews University
This is a short summary of my experience at Saint
Andrews which was my Sutton Trust University. I
am not going to sugar-coat my honest opinion but
the week I spent in Scotland was genuinely the best
week of the year. I met tons of new friends, easy to
talk to ambassadors, admission officers who gave me
insightful information and I experienced great and
memorable presentations on how to get into Saint
Andrews (which I hope to attend this time next year).
We were all given an itinerary of what the next
week was going to be looking like and at first
glance I questioned it. I was wondering how on
earth are nearly 500 students going to complete this
many activities in the timespan of 5 days? But the
admission officers and ambassadors immediately
had us working on our first activity which was a
scavenger hunt around the whole University. This
had to be one of my favourite activities as I received
the chance to talk to new people and receive their
initial opinion on the university. These new friends
I had made also were known as my “academic
family” as we all had an interest in BioChemistry.
Our academic family’s prioritised Chemistry and the
day after the scavenger hunt, we attended our first
Chemistry lecture which was easy to understand and
comprehend as the lecturer was a final year lecturer
so he seemed to know what he was talking about
and the information he was bestowing upon us. After
that it was then our second subject lecture (mine was
Biology).
Each day was different because the Biology lecturers
managed to interpret different activities to do, for
example the first day we did a practical, then the
second day we had someone talk to us about Marine
Biology which sparked our interest in Biology more,
we then did another practical, and then more lecturers
came to talk to us about their course. I want to say
I enjoyed the lectures more but the activities we
did after them genuinely makes me reminisce about
the week more than ever. We did fun activities like
comedic movie nights and breezy evenings on the
beach (which resulted in all of us walking through
the town of Saint Andrews barefoot and covered in
salty water).
On the last night of our amazing residential trip
we attended a “Ceilidh” which I still struggle to
pronounce to this day, it means “Scottish Party”.
There was a band which played tons of songs which
we all performed Scottish dances to like the Gay
Gordon’s and Canadian Barn-dance (just to name a
few), at the end of it all, we all inevitably had to say
our goodbyes and hope to reunite in September 2023.
To conclude, I loved this Sutton Trust experience
so much and recommend it to anyone who’s having
second thoughts on applying.
Naffay Mahmood (year 12)
SIXTH FORM
Pathway to Medicine at Oxford University
Being part of the cohort for this year’s Pathways to Medicine program has given me a realistic view of
what it’s like to study Medicine, as well as giving me the drive, motivation and encouragement to apply
for Medicine. It started in November, and ends in the following year’s December, so they can support me
throughout my A-Levels. I was able to take part in many informative webinars, workshops and conferencesprompting
me to do further research and wider reading. There were also in-person events throughout the
year, where I was able to meet doctors of different medical fields, and even getting clinical work experience
at St Mary’s Hospital! Furthermore, by being in the program, I have received a contextualised offer from
Imperial College to study Medicine.
Oxford is a highly renowned and prestigious university, therefore taking part in the UNIQ Medical Sciences
program has been a privilege and an amazing learning experience. Throughout the course, I was able to meet
many different students from across the UK and develop soft skills such as teamwork and communication.
This amalgamated with the scientific knowledge I gained from experts: Oxford’s professors, students and
researchers. I wasn’t able to attend the summer school as it overlapped with my exams, however, they were
very understanding and facilitated me with virtual courses to cater to my needs. Being on the program has
definitely encouraged me to apply to Oxford.
Swarnali Acharjee (year 12)
25

CAREERS
Over this past year, the careers activities,
enthusiasm, and opportunities has been
astounding. From the impact of the pandemic
on the world of work, excitement for careers,
industries and businesses was a little diluted. This
year, it is evident that our community has pushed past
this barrier and turbo charged the students to think
about the world of opportunities. As always, there
has been immense focus on preparing our students
for their next steps. Whether that be choices for
GCSEs, A Levels or choosing their future pathway.
All these decisions and milestones allow our students
to have the right tool kit to transition into the next
phase. With the skills, knowledge, and confidence I
know our students develop, it is always inspiring to
see them take their next big step.
On 11th November 2021 we had some amazing news
from the Spark! Awards ceremony. All 3 nominations
won! It was a great opportunity to celebrate the
success of our T Level industry placements:
Aspirations Day
On the Thursday 25th November 2021, the school
held its first Aspirations Day. This day was dedicated
to students’ engagement with businesses, charities
and further education providers. We had over 40
organisations attend the day in our Sports Hall.
Students were encouraged to mingle, engage and
ask lots of questions so that they made the most of
the opportunity. I know this will be the first of many
future Aspirations Day
The event was attended by a large number of
companies across different sectors including Higher
Education providers, Business, Public Sector,
Healthcare, Science, Construction, Charity, Colleges,
Engineering, Digital, Travel, Hospitality, Cranford
Alumni Network and much more.
1. Isha Ali – Work Experience Student of the Year
2. Tara McLaughlin (Ajar Technology) – Volunteer
of the Year
3. St Mary’s University - Work Experience
Provider of the Year
We could not be any prouder of all this success.
Segro Employability Workshop
Spark! is a local education partnership who support schools with their careers provision. We were lucky to be
offered 30 places for an employability programme with Segro. Segro is a real estate investment trust, which
owns, manages, and develops modern warehouses and light industrial properties. The programme aimed to:
• Increase the employability and work readiness of young people
• Raise the confidence and careers aspirations of young people
• Raise awareness of the property and logistics sector
• Develop diverse talent pipelines for Segro.
The programme had three different phases. A 2 hour workshop with managers, directors and colleagues from
Segro. An industry insight day for 10 students. Lastly, weekly career mentoring for 6 weeks for 4 fortunate
students.
26
• Karamveer Tamna • Simleen Shdana • Guneet Dhameja • Maria Naz
The students benefitted highly from all the different phases and were really able to get a good feel of the
business and the employees. The insight day was fascinating, students visited a warehouse in Hayes and
then to Heathrow Cargo Centre to see how Segro supported the airline industry. Rachel Mcadam from Spark
facilitated the programme and said that the students were ‘… a brilliant bunch of young people!’

Aadil Awan, Lucy Tirahan & Zala Amiri
Cranford Alumni
What our students said about the
event:
“It was good to see different
companies”
“I got to ask questions”
“Hearing about their company
was useful, now I know how to
apply”
“The people in the company
gave an insightful review of their
company structure”
“I am thinking of doing an
apprenticeship and got to talk to
apprentices”
“The universities were keen for us
to join them”
CAREERS
List of Attendees
Business: Allianz - Ipsos
MORI - Eco world. Higher
Education: Richmond upon
Thames College - Royal
Holloway University - UCFB (University Campus of Football
Business) - University of Surrey - University of Creative Arts
- UWL (University of West London) - Uxbridge college - West
Thames College - St Mary’s - Brunel University - Coventry
University - University of Law - Kingston University. Healthcare:
GSK - Pharmacy. IT/ Engineering: Infosys - Atos - Qinetiq -
Jacobs. Construction: Mace Group. Public Service: Met Police
- British Army. Charity: FareShare. Science: NPL (National
Physical Laboratory). Transport: TfL (Transport for London).
Hospitality: Hilton Heathrow
National Apprenticeships Week 7th to 13th February and
National Careers Week 2nd to 7th March 2022
Students are so fortunate to receive a rich and wide curriculum that
supports and celebrates the careers, employability and enterprise
curriculum but commemorating these events is a crucial reminder
of how vital these national events are. As well as partaking in
assemblies with vital information, students had the opportunity
to take part in tutor time activities. These events and activities
helped students to gain new knowledge and consolidate all the
information they have.
Mahavir Ladva (Head of Careers)
27

SIXTH FORM
EPQ / Extended Project Qualification 2021-2022
The
Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is an A-level standard standalone qualification designed to
extend and develop students’ abilities beyond the A-level syllabus and prepare for university or
their future career. It can be taken as an extension of other Level 3 qualifications or vocational qualifications.
It is worth half an A-level and is recognised by universities and employers.
The EPQ allows students to lead their own projects. Students get to plan and carry out research on a topic
that they’ve chosen and they can take inspiration from something touched on in class or something personal
and unrelated to their studies. They then use this research to produce a written report and, in the case of
practical projects, an artefact or a production. Here is just a sample of the EPQ projects undertaken this year.
Fran Green (Assistant Headteacher -EPQ)
28

Vote for...
Marjaan
Hounslow Youth Parliament Election 2022
I
initially applied to be a member of Hounslow Youth Parliament
because I wanted to improve my confidence in preparation for
university. Prior to this experience, I was nervous about public
speaking. However, after a few training sessions and campaigning,
speaking in front of an audience no longer paralysed me with fear.
The campaigning process was three weeks and surprisingly a lot of
admin work. I spoke to Heads of Years to coordinate and present
assemblies to each year group. During the voting week, my campaign
team and I collected one thousand five hundred ballots over the
course of four days. Form time was very hectic that fateful week.
I am incredibly grateful to Isra, Manav, Oliwia, Sanjana, Shenon,
and Tanishka whom I very lovingly named “My MYP Minions”.
Mr Fraser was a great support in my election journey. He provided
great guidance and crucially gave me the motivation and confidence
to follow through with my goal.
SIXTH FORM
Thank you to Ms Jenkins and Ms Ledlie for helping me collect all the ballots.
Now that I have been elected to this position, I have gained amazing networking opportunities, developed
my managerial skills and attended events like the Vote at 16 Panel Discussions with Members of Parliament
at Westminster. I am responsible for leading Hounslow Youth Council, my three manifesto points and
contributing to two national projects. This position has increased my awareness of our community and the
steps young people are taking to make improvements.
Leading such projects has increased my motivation to contribute to social change through the legal domain.
I enjoy settling disputes and believe this would only be enhanced in a legal career, which is why I would
like to become a lawyer. Work experience placements at firms like DLA Piper have solidified my goals and
I cannot wait to become part of the legal profession.
Marjaan Aman (Deputy Head Girl - Environment Committee)
“I am delighted to let you know that Marjaan Aman
was elected as the member of Youth Parliament for
Hounslow.
As a school we are very proud of her and that her hard
work and diligence has paid off.
Marjaan is going to be an excellent ambassador for
Cranford and Hounslow, and I am sure all that know
her will be equally delighted and in no doubt that she
will be both very successful and effective in her role.
During the campaign Marjaan has demonstrated her
intelligence, confidence, determination, resilience and
integrity. Indeed she is a wonderful role model for the
other Members of Parliament.
On behalf of Marjaan please pass on her thanks to
all the students who voted for her and as a school we
should all celebrate in her success.
We will continue to support Marjaan in this important
role. I know that the London Borough of Hounslow
wants to engage more with young people and Marjaan
will be key to that success”.
Kevin Prunty
(Executive Headteacher & National Leader of Education)
29

INDEPENDENT LEARNING - STUDY CENTRES
Study Centres
6 & 7 Opened
In
September 2021, two additional
study centres opened ‘SC 6 and SC
7’. These spaces had been entirely
refurbished in the Summer holiday to provide an
additional 155 study spaces. This is in addition to
the existing Study Centres so that in total, we now
have 382 individual study spaces in Cranford.
At Cranford we want to ensure all students can make
the most of our facilities and help them maximise
their education. Outside of lesson time, 6th form
students can use our study centres as a quiet place
to work. Each study centre is equipped with a
minimum of 40 computers, laptops and books.
Having a space dedicated to quiet independent
study encourages students to push themselves and
their peers.
Each study centre has a staff member present
to uphold and maintain the work ethos and high
standard expected of all. Year 10 and 11 students
are able to access the study centre one lesson per
week, to help them develop independent study
skills. The study centres create a culture of hard
work and focus with resources readily available to
assist students in reaching their academic potential.
Manjula Giga (Study Centres Manager)
30

Study centres at Cranford include
computers, laptops, desks and larger
round tables allowing students
to choose what suits them best
depending upon the work that they
need to undertake. Study centres
give students the opportunity to
work independently and utilise their
time efficiently. They are kept tidy,
ensuring that the students can focus
in a clean environment and they have
comfortable chairs so students can sit
and finish their work. Study centres
are also quiet areas, this guarantees
that students will be able to focus and
work to the best of their ability in a
peaceful area. Study Centre 7, the
biggest study centre, has been newly
built and allows for group work with
large round tables.
Study centres have been a blessing
in disguise, they provide me with
the facilities that I need to complete
tasks effectively, without wasting
vital revision time after school. As
a student myself, I enjoy sitting at
a desk by myself, since I work best
independently, and study centres
allow me to do so. When having my
laptop and headphones, I can sit
quietly and get through all my work
at my own pace. Since the study centre
periods are fixed and timetabled, this
allows me to schedule
tasks for that day.
Sanjana Bhola
(year 12)
Cranford’s study centres are an
excellent learning environment
which provide students all they
need to have a successful education.
For example, access to computers,
textbooks, and laptops across
study centres, ensures that students
always have opportunities to further
themselves in their academic studies
and are always catered for regardless
of their subject choice or level of
education. Moreover, in Sixth Form
having 8-10 hours of time in a study
centre a week is extremely helpful as
it allows students to undertake much
of their studies in school. Many
students do not have a quiet working
space at home, so the abundance of
study centre periods in Sixth Form
gives students the quiet time needed
to finish course work and revise.
Study Centre 7 has been a fantastic
addition to the facilities at
Cranford: the round tables make it
ideal for both student and teacher
meetings, where teamwork and
group discussion is needed. As a
‘Sixth Form only’ study centre, it
is also extremely useful as it means
that year 12 and year 13 students
can work in breaks and study centre
periods without the interruption of
the younger year groups.
Overall, the study centres have
been very effective in allowing
Cranford to maintain its status as an
outstanding learning environment.
Having worked in multiple schools as
a supply teacher, I have a fair sample
to use for comparison when it comes
to the quality of each 6th form. At
Cranford, I could instantly see the
framework and ethos of the school,
which is displayed through students
and staff alike. There is a trusting
and mature relationship between
everyone in the school, with a focus
on making the students feel welcome
and comfortable to ensure they make
the most of their education.
Working in the study centres
reinforced my initial thoughts,
as I was able to see students
taking responsibility for their own
aspirations. 6th formers, rather
than having free periods, are sent
to study centres where there are
ample resources to aid them in their
studies. Leaving students to their
own devices can be a risk, but I
believe the trust shown by the school
is what motivates them.
You spend a lot of time with the 6th
formers when working in a study
centre, and it has been a real pleasure
getting to know all the students and
seeing their drive and determination
to succeed. One of the 6 Cranford
identities is to be innovative, and
the study centres are a clear display
of that. I have yet to see a school
that wants to constantly improve and
optimise the learning environment
for students as much as Cranford.
INDEPENDENT LEARNING - STUDY CENTRES
Samuel Dickson
(Head Boy 2022-2023)
Ilias Kubica
(Study Centre Assistant)
31

Bienvenido! Willkommen! Welcome to the MWL Department
MODERN WORLD LANGUAGES
32
In
the Modern World Languages
Department we build on the varied
linguistic skills students have learned at key
stage 2 and use the insight they have gained
in their language lessons to cement a love
and passion for language learning. We aim
to make the communication meaningful and
relevant to the students, thus igniting a desire
to communicate in another language. We use
a communicative approach where students
learn and practise the new language through
interaction with their peers and the teacher.
Building on this solid foundation, our key
stage 4 curriculum enables students to further
explore the depths of the language they
study. This provides students with a valuable
opportunity to critically explore the world
around them and to become inquisitive and
open-minded citizens of the world.
At Key stage 5 we kindle the students’
curiosity and encourage in depth discussions
about political, historical, literary, artistic
and cultural topics in the target language. We
prepare our students for their personal and
academic journey as well as a wide variety
of career opportunities, such as Languages
combined with a Science, Economics,
Business, International Law or Engineering.
In the past year our students have embraced the
opportunities given to them, such as taking part
in the Foreign Language Spelling Bee, which
resulted in two year 7 students participating
in the national final at Cambridge University.
All of our year 7 students participated in the
class competition. In Key stage 3 students also
immersed themselves in cooking and baking
traditional Spanish and German dishes to
deepen their understanding of the cultures and
produced fantastic booklets about themselves
all in target language!
Gute Arbeit! Buen trabajo!
Ally Manole (Head of German Department)
Korean Club
Congratulations to Saido Mohamed C6L who
won second place in a national Korean speaking
competition organised by the Korean Education Centre
UK.
Well done indeed to all of Korean Club members in
strengthening our school’s link with our sister school,
Ocheon High School in Pohang, South Korea. We
received lovely gifts from the school in Korea such as
letters, Korean ramen, stationery and sweets and, in
turn, our Korean Club members sent over a very British
care package including tea and stationary to our Korean
friends. Our students honed their Korean writing skills,
sending heartfelt letters to our friends in Ocheon. We look
forward to recommencing the sixth form trip to Ocheon
High School.
Our key stage 3 and key stage 4 Korean club is currently
getting stuck into K-Drama in addition to Korean language
tuition. We are currently organising a pen-pal exchange
programme with a middle-school in Daegu, South Korea
with the help of the Korean Language Education Centre
UK.
We are deeply indebted to the fantastic Sunny Chung who
comes to Cranford every Wednesday to teach Korean
to key stage 3 as part of the school’s Mind Body Soul
programme and Sunny also then teaches the afterschool
Korean club and has shown tremendous dedication to
spreading interest in the Korean language and culture in
the UK.
If you are interested in joining our Korean Club where
we learn a little language and culture, play fun Korean
games and watch Korean dramas, please come along
to our club – we cater for all year groups. For more
information about the club please contact Mr Lennon –
jle-cc@cranford.hounslow.sch.uk
John Lennon (Head of Year 8)

Modern World Languages Week 2021
The MWL
department was proud to host a range of activities in
celebration of Languages Week in September 2021.
The students took part in a language’s scavenger hunt, which saw them searching around
school for pictures of their teachers holding their favourite foreign language word written
on a whiteboard.
Those with the greatest number of teachers and words were the winners!
Congratulations to Jessica and Ashpreet in year 10, and Nica in year 8.
During the week, each day the department hosted a Lingo Bingo, where
students had a board made up of lots of different words in a foreign language.
Students were learning words in Punjabi, Polish, Romanian, Somali,
Albanian, Turkish, Swedish, Nepali, Dutch and many more
languages!
We also worked with the catering staff to create a tri-lingual
menu for the canteen, teaching students the different names
for their food each day.
Ally Manole
(Head of German)
MODERN WORLD LANGUAGES
Year 7
“All About Me” Booklet
Having learned how to describe themselves,
their family and their hobbies, our year 7
students spent a half term creating a booklet
about themselves in Spanish and German. They
had to collate everything they have learned
this year and talk about themselves, their
family, pets, hobbies, favourite artists etc., all
in the target language. They produced work
that was not only linguistically accurate
and complex, but also very creative and
colourful.
33

MODERN WORLD LANGUAGES
Foreign Language Spelling Bee
Over
German Biscuit recipe
This
Christmas, our German year 7 and year 8 students
got busy baking typical German biscuits and Spanish
omelettes. They had to follow a recipe in Spanish and German – the
results looked amazing, and our students and their families got to enjoy
German baking delicacies and traditional Spanish tapas.
How about you try one of the recipes? Much like our students, you will
have to translate the recipes first.
year, all of our year 7 students
took part in the Foreign Language
Spelling Bee national competition for Spanish
and German. Three of our students qualified as
school champions to compete in the Regional
Final in March 2022 as part of the last 45 out of
the 2428 students who started the competition
in London. In true Cranford spirit, the three
qualifying students were not only exceptionally
supportive of each other before, during and after
the competition, but also of other participants.
They had to translate each word from English into
German/Spanish, before spelling it correctly in
the respective language within one minute!
Well done to Aisha, Sukhman and Melanie!
Backe
backe Kuchen !
34
Listo
para
cocinar !
Spanish Omelette recipe
• 5 huevos
• 500 g de patatas
• 1 cebolla
• Sal
• Aceite de oliva virgen extra
Primer paso: cortar y freír las
patatas y la cebolla.
Segundo paso: mezclar con
los huevos.
Tercer paso: cuajar la tortilla.
• Zutaten für 50 Plätzchen
• 250 g weiche Butter oder Margarine
• 250 g Speisestärke
• 100 g Mehl
• 100 g Puderzucker
• 2 Pck. Vanillezucker
Zubereitung: Alle Zutaten werden zu
einem geschmeidigen Teig geknetet.
Aus dem Teig werden ca. 50 Kügelchen
geformt und auf zwei mit Backpapier ausgelegte Backbleche verteilt. Lasst
dabei ausreichend Abstand dazwischen. Mit einer Gabel werden oben
Muster eingedrückt und die Plätzchen kommen erst mal für 15 Minuten
zum aushärten in den Kühlschrank. Danach werden die Bleche nach und
nach bei 160°C Ober- und Unterhitze für ca. 10-12 Minuten lang gebacken.
Sie müssen noch hell sein und keinerlei Bräune annehmen. Ansonsten
werden sie nicht weich und zart. Nach dem die Plätzchen abgekühlt sind
werden sie mit Puderzucker bestreut. Sie halten sich luftdicht verpackt ca.
2 Wochen frisch.
Wörterbuch
Speisestärke = cornflour 2 Pck
Vanillezucker = two teaspoon vanilla extract
geschmeidig = smooth
geknetet = kneaded
ca. = approximately
Kügelchen = small balls
mit Backpapier ausgelegte Backbleche = Baking trays lined with baking paper
lasst dabei ausreichend Abstand dazwischen = leave sufficient space between
the balls eingedrückt = press in erst mal = initially bei 160°C Ober- und
Unterhitze = at 160 degrees Celsius conventional oven setting (not fan oven
setting) Sie müssen noch hell sein = they still must be light coloured and not
brown.

To top off that fantastic achievement, Sukhman and
Melanie then went on to qualify for the National
Final taking place at Cambridge University
on Monday, 27th June 2022. They were part
of the last 107 out of 20,000 participants
nationwide and have made Cranford proud.
Well done both of you!
Ally Manole (Head of German Department)
I was so exhilarated to have this opportunity to visit Cambridge University for a Spelling Bee for German; I
would have never imagined that I would come second in the whole of London and be able to compete in the
semi-finals, representing Cranford Community College.
The astonishing support from my teachers, family members and friends, I felt jubilant and reassured my entire
journey.
Hello
My time in Cranford with
the amazing teachers has
been great and so has the
languages subject German.
It has been a pleasure to
learn this subject and it has
taken me to a higher level.
I started off thinking that
this was difficult but with
the help of my teacher Ms
Manole I finally understand
everything. When it was
time to do the Class
Spelling Bee competition, I
was so worried, I thought
that I could never get to
a higher level but then I
was shocked when I found
out I won. Next, I did the
School Spelling Bee and
then the Regional Spelling
Bee competition and I won
again. I came 3rd from the
whole of London so I got
a bronze medal! At the end
of this I had to compete in
the National Spelling Bee
competition at Cambridge
University. I didn’t win, and
I couldn’t go further into the
Grand Finals. I wasn’t upset
at all because I had a chance
to visit a big University and
at least I got to this high level
where I could learn German
and now, I can speak parts of
German fluently. I thank all
the teachers especially, Ms
Manole for all the support
in the MWL German. It has
been a wonderful journey!
Danke!
Sukhman Singh Anand
(year 7)
Overall, it was a thrilling and remarkable time that I had meeting people,
competing and being able to congratulate others. I felt like a winner being
able to make it so far in this competition.
Melanie Khanal (year 7)
International School Award 2022
Reaccreditation Success
Cranford Community College has been successful in becoming
reaccredited with the International School Award in the summer
of 2022. The International School Award (ISA) recognises
the school’s commitment to embedding and developing international
awareness within the school community. This is something that Cranford
Community College takes great pride in, particularly following on from
our language college legacy.
Part of being an ISA school requires working in collaboration with
international partners in relation to the curriculum as well as working
with the wider community. We are pleased to share that in 2021-2022,
we were able to return to our international activities and partnerships
through a variety of ways: the Korean Culture-box Exchange, Erasmus+
Soft Skills project activity visit to Italy with our Erasmus+ partners and
the Languages Week scavenger hunt organised by the Modern World
Languages Department – these are just 3 of the many activities the school
community has led and engaged with. We look forward to continuing
to develop our work with our current international partners and forging
new partnerships internationally and locally, supporting our school and
wider community.
Sahrish Shaikh (Senior Teacher)
MODERN WORLD LANGUAGES
35

INTERNATIONALISM
Thailand Partner School Visit
Renew and Deepen Relationships
In
June 2022, Kevin Prunty (Executive Headteacher) and I were
able to visit our partner school in Thailand, Princess Chulabhorn
Science High School (PCSHS) in Pathumthani. This was the first visit to take place since the pandemic when
our teacher exchange programme had to be put on hold.
The visit saw us attend the annual teacher celebration day. This was a celebration for the whole school
led by the students whereby they showed their appreciation to their teachers. This included poems, songs,
processions and giving gifts. It was a very special and unique occasion.
Following this the leaders of both schools met to re-negotiate the partnership arrangement and sign a
Memorandum of Understanding between the two organisations. We are delighted that shortly afterwards, our
first delegation of teachers made their pilot trip and more details are provided on these pages.
36

INTERNATIONALISM
Here is an extract from Kevin Prunty’s speech at the ceremony…
“We are always very happy and it is always a privilege to visit Princess Chulabhorn Science High
School. It is so much more important this year as it is a signal of things turning back to normality.
Although there were many disappointments because of COVID I think the one thing that it did achieve
was to point out to young people and to the world how important science is. We are very keen to renew
and deepen that relationship through the projects that we have planned for the future”.
We are looking forward to renewing links with our partner schools in other countries such as South Korea,
France, Germany, The USA, The Netherlands, Norway, Italy, Portugal, as well as making new links. These
international opportunities are a key part of the mission Cranford provides for our students in preparing them
to be global citizens.
Peter Stumpf (Associate Headteacher)
37

INTERNATIONALISM
Thailand
Staff Exchange Programme
July 2022
Princess Chulaborn Science High School
(PCSHS), a boarding school in the
province of Pathum Thani - Thailand,
was the two-week home and workplace for
three staff members from Cranford Community
College from 4th – 15th July 2022. This was
the continuation of the teacher exchange
programme post pandemic between PCSHS
and our school and it was, without a doubt, a
fantastic success.
The two-week exchange programme involved
teachers from three subject areas: Science,
English and ICT & Computing, with a very
clear focus on teaching and learning. The academic aspects of the programme consisted of co-teaching
and planning lessons, understanding the curriculum and assessment processes as well as STEM project
successes at PCSHS (national and international) with academic visits to a wide variety of institutions. To see
how PCSHS taught and delivered its STEM projects was very important to this programme as it naturally
linked with Science and ICT but also specifically with English language teaching. The STEM projects are
presented in English and allow the students to work directly with their partners at Thammasat University,
selecting their own topics of interest. One of the things that really stood out to us was the use of small scale
‘green’ science within the Science lessons which encouraged an all-inclusive and equality for all in access to
science knowledge. As a Science school, PCSHS was keen to share its newly built ‘Solar System’ room and
the practical application of programming skills through use of KidBright micro-computer devices. Students
within the English Language classrooms were keen to show off their command of the language, particularly
when it came to conversational English and pop culture.
Whilst the programme had an academic and teaching and learning based foci, it was equally (and very
importantly) also focused on culture. We were able to engage with Thai culture from day 1 of our arrival,
as seen in the welcome ceremony and assembly, involving the singing of the national anthem at the start
of the day. Food is a very big part of Thai culture and is something that we thoroughly enjoyed learning
about…and eating! Thai people like their food spicy, healthy and in small yet large quantities – it really is
38

a whole event that goes on for a few hours. Thai cooking classes as well
as the sheer variety of meals consumed made for a fantastic experience,
most particularly learning to make at least 3 different varieties of Som
Tum Salad and experiencing Mu ka tha – the Thai equivalent to a BBQ.
Other culturally relevant activities that we were able to participate in and
learn from were traditional Thai dance, Thai tie-dying and the drawing
of national and historical Thai symbols.
With cultural experiences came Thai history – both are intrinsically
linked. Two of the key experiences that stand out is the visit to Ayyutaya,
a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as the visit to the Royal Palace
and Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok. It was an opportunity to
learn about how Bangkok came to be the capital city that we know today
as well as understand the impact of Buddhism on the country’s identity
on a deeper level. The latter was seen more closely when PCSHS hosted
an annual ceremony for 9 visiting monks from the local temple and
monastery, marking the beginning of the harvest season. Of course, as
this was an exchange programme, these visits and experiences were an
opportunity for us to share with our hosts the contrast within the UK where we have multiple cultures and
ethnicities who contribute towards a very diverse and developing society.
INTERNATIONALISM
With all the activities and experiences that we had the pleasure of being a part of, one of the core things
that rooted itself within us was the extremely positive and family-like relationships that exist within the
school. In essence, it felt like we were at CCC, being in a family and community that cares for each other.
This shared ethos is a clear indicator of why this partnership and exchange between the two schools will go
from strength to strength.
All in all, the teacher exchange to Thailand was not only a remarkable and fantastic experience for all
involved, but it has established itself as the starting point for a growing partnership and friendship between
the teachers and students as well as the schools themselves. We now look forward to hosting PCSHS when
they come to visit us in the Spring of 2023.
Chetan Shingadia (Assistant Headteacher), Sahrish Shaikh (Senior Teacher) &
Homayon Zeary (Technical Infrastructure, Planning & Strategic Developments Manager)
39

HISTORY
Department
2021-2022
2021-2022 has been a very exciting
academic year for the History
Department. With the world
experiencing a number of ‘turning
point’ events, we have made it our
mission to ensure that students have
had a platform to discuss their independent ideas. ​Students of
all key stages have been able to engage with a wide variety
of opportunities, maximizing on their cultural capital but also
supporting their academic progress and critical evaluation of
the world they live in. In October, students had the opportunity
to engage with a whole school competition for Black History
Month, with the winning prize being Akala’s new release ‘Dark
Lady’, a young adult novel inspired by African tribal history and
Shakespeare’s sonnets. As a department, we also ensured that
our Post 16 students had weekly debates on Microsoft Teams,
with each student responding to the topic and question of the
week. These topics ranged from discussions to do with exams
going ahead in the Summer of 2022, to more historically related
topics such as what political system of governance is better
or an alternative to Democracy. These resulted in some fiery
discussions! For year 8 students, the department was able to
engage with the Holocaust Educational Trust and arrange for a
Zoom call and talk with John Fieldsend, MBE, a survivor of the
Holocaust. This was not only thought provoking, but it was also
a perfect example of how history is very much alive. His message
of hope, strength, and kindness towards each other could not
come at a better time than this. Whilst the History Department
seeks to run activities that will enable our students to become
well-rounded members of our society, we have also ensured
that our students have had plenty of academic opportunities too.
Year 9 students have had the chance to visit the National Army
Museum and work with specialists on the British Sector of the
Western Front 1914-1918, handling primary source materials
and gaining experience that they can use when it come to their
GCSE Paper 1 content. Year 12 students have had the exciting
opportunity to visit Pevensey Bay and Castle, the site where
William the Conqueror first landed when he arrived in Britain in
1066 as part of the Norman invasion. The opportunities that we
provide our students also focus on student aspirations. In July,
some of our year 12 students visited City University’s UCAS
day in conjunction with the Historical Association. Here students
were able to speak to current university students studying
History, get specific advice regarding their UCAS applications
as well as attend some lectures lead by university professors. We
are extremely proud of the work that the department has done
and how fantastically our students have engaged and developed
this academic year.
Every year the History department
at Cranford Community College
likes to run a whole school learning
opportunity and competition for all
students. This year was no different.
Students were asked to focus on
what Akala (activist, rapper and
author) had to say about his own
experiences as a black individual
in his semi-autobiographical text
‘Natives: Race and Class in the ruins
of Empire’. They were then given
two options: a) research a key black
historical figure as mentioned by
Akala and create an informative post
or b) select a key black historical
figure and write a rap or poem from
that person’s perspective. We were
fortunate enough to have a number
of entries from across the school but
there were three particular entries that
stood out for us. Here they are for you!
Each of these students was awarded
a copy of ‘The Dark Lady’ which is
Akala’s first venture into writing
for young adults, taking inspiration
from African Kingdoms as well as
Shakespeare’s sonnets. Here is also a
review for you of this book, written
by one of our winners. It is a fantastic
read - definitely one on the History
Department book recommendation list.
Sahrish Shaikh
(Head of History Department)
40
Sahrish Shaikh (Head of History Department)

Rosa Parks
Black History Month is an annual
observance originating from the USA
where it is also known as African
American History Month.
BHM has received official recognition
from governments from the USA and
Canada, and more recently has been
observed in Ireland and the UK.
It began as way of remembering
Important people and events in the
history of the African diaspora. It is
celebrated in February in the USA
and Canada while in Ireland and the
UK it is observed in October.
These are some significant people
from Black History Month.
Barez Popal (year 8)
HISTORY
41

HISTORY
42
Year 9
National Army Museum Visit
On
Wednesday 29th June 2022 the History
Department organised an educational trip
for thirty Year 9 students who had the opportunity to
visit the National Army Museum. Students were able
to see first-hand what British soldiers experienced on
the home front.
We had an excellent tour round the museum which
was full of interesting and interactive exhibits. The
Museum told the history of various armies and
soldiers both from the past and present. We even had
the privilege of reading about a British soldier whose
face was dismantled by a bullet wound but was able
to recover and works in the Museum today!
After a well-deserved lunch we took part in a very
interactive trench medicine workshop which allowed
students to engage with real-life materials such as
trench boots, stretchers, and soldier’s uniform.
Students were even able to try on Indian soldiers’
uniform! After analysing these primary sources in a
real hands-on approach, each group presented their
findings to each other.
We had an amazing time at the museum which made
us feel as though we were back in the 1900s.
Kajol Kaur (Key Stage 3 Humanities Curriculum and
Assessment Co-ordinator)
“The National Army Museum trip was an amazing
experience. We got to look at weapons used in the World
Wars and also looked at the treatments used for injuries
and diseases in the war. Additionally, we also saw uniform
worn by the British Army in different parts of the world
depending on the climate and atmosphere. Overall, it was
a really good experience and we got to learn lots about
the British Army and how they have served all over the
world”.
Divya Sareen (year 9)
“The trip to the National Army Museum gave us an
extraordinary chance to experience life in the War and
a great deal of battles in other countries for the first
time. We also viewed the “Road to Recovery” section
of the museum which gave us an interesting outlook on
soldiers’ lives after and during injuries they gained in
WW1/2 and taught us the struggles of being able to live
with the injuries for the rest of their lives”.
Ruqayyah Vora (year 9)
Year 12
Pevensey Castle and
Eastbourne beach
Pevensey Castle was an amazing educational
experience, from learning about how the
castle was used during the World War to how it
linked to our Detailed course that consisted of how
the castle changed after the Norman Conquest
in 1066. Furthermore, it also enlightened me
about it was a prison for a range of prisoners,
from Queens suspected of being a witch to low
level peasants who were kept at the bottom of
staircases. Overall, I really enjoyed the trip and
would recommend it to everyone, a special thanks
to Ms Kaur who organised it. #it’snicetobenice
Zayed Fadhluddin (year 12)
The trip was great for a first-hand historical
experience about our course on the Anglo Saxons.
Our first visit to the castle had a lot of information

HISTORY
Nineteen Year 12 students made the trip with Miss Kaur, Mrs Jenkins and Mr Lever to the Sussex coast
on Tuesday 12th July 2022 to take in a number of sites of the historical interest to A-level historians
who are studying ‘Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest’ in year 12.
Pevensey Castle is a medieval castle that has been home to Romans, Normans and was even used during
World War Two. We started our journey exploring the stone castle which is well-known as a place where
William the Conqueror landed near to defeat Harold Godwinson and become the first Norman king of
England.
The Year 12 pupils were excited to see in person this historic location, especially the stairs to the dungeon
… luckily no one was imprisoned by the keyholder of Pevensey Castle! It was very interesting to see
what life would have been like for those who broke the law in the medieval ages.
The castle also had an extraordinary exhibition on the World War Two which displayed how there were
over 1,300 explosive bombs and 14,000 incendiary bombs that fell in the local area. Many soldiers also
trained and lived on the castle grounds before heading to the Home Front.
We then took a short drive to Eastbourne beach to explore the local area which was also home to much
history especially the war. In January 1939, Eastbourne was classed as a “safe zone” so many children,
teachers and mothers were evacuated to Eastbourne. Overall, it was a brilliant trip that reminds us of the
rich History this country holds.
Kajol Kaur (Key Stage 3 Humanities Curriculum and Assessment Co-ordinator)
not covered on the course and allowed us to see much of what
had been left over by the Normans. The castle gave good insight
about the Anglo Saxons and Normans – the weapons used and
how the castle was constructed to ensure that they were safe.
Additionally, the beach was a good reminder of how and where
the Normans landed during their invasion, and how normal
places we visit have history behind them.
Shehrose Haddad (year 12)
The trip was very educational as we got to explore some of the
places that are related to our Anglo – Saxon course. We also got
to learn about some different historical events such as the WW2,
and it was very exciting to see the Gun emplacement which was
rebuilt during the 1930s. Moreover, the trip to the beach was
a good historical insight as looking at the sea reminded us of
how the Vikings would have sailed to England through the sea.
Umamah Shaikh (year 12)
I enjoyed my time visiting Pevensey Castle -
it was nice to get a brief insight into what the
History students learn about on their course. It
gave me a chance to learn about the background
of the castle and the events that took place there.
As a geography student, visiting Eastbourne
afterwards was my favourite part of the trip, and
luckily the weather was nice enough for us to
have a nice afternoon along the coast.
Shamalia Baig (year 12)
43

HISTORY
Holocaust
Educational
Trust:
Talk from a
survivor
44
istory Department had the
The Hfantastic opportunity to
engage in a talk with John Fieldsend (MBE),
a survivor of the Holocaust who escaped to
Britain via the use of Kindertransport (child
transport) in 1939. Whilst this was conducted
via a Zoom call during a Mind, Body and
Soul activity for our year 8 History students,
suffice to say, this talk lead by the Holocaust
Educational Trust and John Fieldsend really
did touch our minds and souls. The talk was very personal and emotional and allowed our
students to engage with Oral History as well as reality, recognising that History is made up
of survivors who lived to tell the tale. John Fieldsend began by addressing the society that we
live in today and the struggles that we see and
experience, particularly as young individuals.
He moved swiftly onto his own experiences
of bullying, hate crime and discrimination.
One particular example he gave us was of
when he injured himself whilst playing with
his father and he needed stitches as he had
hurt his head. But, when his father took him
to get medical attention, the doctor refused
because John was Jewish. His personal stories
continued to capture us all as he carried on,
most specifically when he read out the last
letter he received from his parents before they
were taken to a concentration camp and killed.
It was clear to see that over 75 years on, that letter still had a powerful impact on him; it most
certainly stunned the students and staff who were a part of this talk. The year 8 students were given
the opportunity to ask John questions, showing off their knowledge of the Holocaust but also their
historical investigative skills. Ultimately, John
Fieldsend’s heartfelt message and harrowing
stories evoked a sense of realisation within us
all: we need to make sure that we remain kind
to each other in a world such as the one we live
in today and we must continue to look after
each other without hesitation. The History
Department would like to take this opportunity
to celebrate the maturity of our students but
also thank the HET and John Fieldsend as well
as the Cranford staff who supported in making
this event happen.
Sahrish Shaikh (Head of History Department)

John
Fieldsend
John Fieldsend was born on 11 September 1931 in Czechoslovakia to a
Czech mother and a German father. He had an older brother and they
lived in a town called Dresden in Germany. One of John’s earliest
memories is that of a visit from Hitler to the town of Dresden in 1935/6.
Whilst John and his family did not go and watch the procession, Hitler could
be heard shouting “Die Juden, die Juden…..those terrible Jews.” At the age
of five, John’s life began to change. He could no longer play with friends
he had always played with because he was Jewish. One day when he was
playing with his father, he cut his head and the doctor refused to treat him
due to being Jewish. One night, John’s mother and father decided to leave
Dresden due to the treatment of the Jews. They drove to John’s grandparents’
house in Czechoslovakia. They had a secure life here until Hitler invaded.
Again, Jewish life became very hard and the Jews were treated terribly. One
day, John’s mother and father told him and his brother that they would be
going on a long journey to England on their own. John and his brother were
put on a Kindertransport train and arrived in England at the end of June 1939.
On arrival in England, John and his brother were separated and lived with
different foster families. Soon after the war in 1946, John received a farewell
letter from his parents that had been written just before their internment and
some photo albums that had been passed on by the Red Cross. John had not heard from his parents since
1942. Sadly, his parents both died after being sent to Poland. John’s foster home was a happy home, and
he remained living there until he got married in 1961. John carried out research into his family history and
discovered the name of the man who had put him and his brother on a Kindertransport train. His name was
Sir Nicholas Winton, and he was responsible for saving the lives of over 600 children during the Holocaust.
John married Elizabeth and they had three children and seven grandchildren. He lives in Oxford and regularly
shares his testimony in schools and colleges on behalf of the Holocaust Educational Trust.
HISTORY
John Fieldsend BEM
Year 12 Independent trip
Historical Association & City University
On
Wednesday 13th July 2022, 5 year 12 A Level
History students made their way to the far side
of London to attend a UCAS and Historical Association led
day at City University, London. This fantastic opportunity
came about through the History Department’s links with the
Historical Association and meant that students who aspire to
study History at university had the opportunity to speak to
UCAS guides, current students of History at the university
as well as get a flavour of what lectures at university are
like by attending some of them. This type of exposure is a
big part of the History Department’s intent and philosophy
- to inspire students and support their aspirations in more
ways than one. Have a read through some of or student
testimonies of their big day out.
Sahrish Shaikh (Head of History Department)
45

GEOGRAPHY
The Geography Department 2021-2022
With
Covid restrictions relaxed the Geography Department was able to teach the full national
curriculum to its best, incorporating fieldwork, fieldwork and even more fieldwork! Students
investigated the school site in year 7 examining environmental quality and conducting field sketches, whilst
year 9s and year 10s went to South Kensington and Knightsbridge for their urban fieldwork looking at the
quality of life. Year 10s also enjoyed a day to the River Wye, where they investigated flood risk and river
discharge.
All of these trips and fieldwork could not have been possible without the help and support of Caitlin Arnold
who joined in September 2021. Caitlin has been an integral part of the Geography Department, supporting
students with revision, holding extra classes, and writing our new Europe Scheme of Work.
Students were fully engaged in geography this year, learning about the continent of Africa and Asia in year
8, Europe and Glaciation in year 7 along with climate change and pollution. It was the first year since 2019,
for public exams to take place and we wish year 11 luck for their future aspirations and career paths.
More, now than ever, geography is becoming an increasingly important subject to study, with geopolitical
events happening with Russia and Ukraine, Palestine and Israel, climate change disasters and degradation
of the natural environment from increased human activities. There is a lot to learn about how we can create
a sustainable and greener world for our future generations.
Here is a short extract from The Guardian “View on Geography: it’s the must-have A-Level”
“It is inherently multidisciplinary in a
world that increasingly values people
who have the skills needed to work
across the physical and social sciences.
Geographers get to learn data analysis,
and to read Robert Macfarlane. They
learn geographic information systems.
They can turn maps from a twodimensional
representation of a country’s
physical contours into a tool that
illustrates social attributes or attitudes:
not just where people live, but how, what
they think and how they vote. They learn
about the physics of climate change, or
the interaction of weather events and
flood risk, or the way people’s behaviour
is influenced by the space around them.
All these are not just intrinsically
interesting and valuable. They also
encourage ways of seeing and thinking
that make geographers eminently
employable, which is why, according to
the latest information from the Higher
Education Careers Services Unit, only
5.8% of geography graduates were
still job-hunting six months after they
graduated, against an average of 7.3%”.
You can read this book from the library or
purchase it from any book retailer store.
Aaron Lever
(Head of Geography Department)
46

GEOGRAPHY
Geographers Back in the Field
After several disrupted years – Cranford Geographers were back out in the field!
Year 7 kicked off the field work in a new topic
investigating Cranford Community College’s human
and physical geography. Students tried out several
data collection methods throughout the Spring term
to build a picture of our school environment including
field sketches, environmental quality surveys and
quadrat land-type surveys.
The combination of investigation and not being in
the classroom made this one of the enjoyable and
memorable topics of the year:
‘It was good fun because we got to be in the fresh air
and learn about the environment’
Himatullah Baha (year 7)
‘It was interesting to learn about because I have never
done fieldwork before’
Maya Ganger (year 7)
Field trips provide an invaluable opportunity
for students to embrace the physical and human
environments that they spend so much time studying
in the classroom. Studies have found the opportunities
to conduct hands-on fieldwork helps students to ‘do
geography’ and to ‘think geographically’ about their
world – a key reason why they are a compulsory and
essential part of the Geography GCSE at Cranford.
Summer fieldwork began in May 2022, with 120
year 10 students visiting Amersham field centre.
Students investigated changes in the River Wye and
the impact on flooding upstream and downstream.
After a million questions about packed lunches,
what to wear and whether the new Jordans were
appropriate, students arrived at school early for a full
day of fieldwork. Welly boots and clipboard – check!
After some protests all students bravely stepped into
the river to help collect data about river width, depth,
velocity, and field sketches. With lots of data and
damp socks students were ready to return to Cranford
and complete the rivers fieldwork section of their
exam.
Despite many of our students never having been to a
rural area, students said:
‘It was really helpful for consolidating our rivers
knowledge and for our exams plus we got to use new
equipment such as the hydroprop’
Krithik Balamugunthan (year 10)
After half-term it was time for the urban geography
trips. Prepared with clipboards and questionnaires,
240 year 9 and 10 students were ready to investigate
how quality of life differs between inner city South
Kensington and outer city Hounslow. Over 8 days
and with help from 8 different teachers, all students
safely tubed, bused and walked across London.
Cranford students took in the joys of the Piccadilly
line, wondered at the Victorian architecture, milliondollar
mansions and ‘boujie’ bakeries.
‘I really enjoyed looking at the architecture and
environment in Central London’
Krish Kumar (year 10)
‘The fieldtrip was amazing because we were able to
explore new places we’d never visited before’
Anshika Kaur (year 9)
Our conclusions... South Kensington beats Hounslow
in income, employment, education and health
categories, but Hounslow’s access to housing, living
environment, green spaces and lower crime rate
make it a tight competition.
This year has been full of fieldwork (with loads
more to come next year) which we hope has inspired
Cranford Geographers to be interested and engaged
in the world around them.
A massive shout out and thanks to the following staff,
who helped support the fieldwork trips: Rita Berndt,
James Grammaticas, Shobana Reji, Alisha Qaddoos,
Salma Hamadi, Bradley King and Krystie Field.
Caitlin Arnold (Key Stage 3 Humanities Curriculum
and Assessment Co-ordinator)
47

TEACHING AND LEARNING
Teaching and Learning Team
2021-2022
48
This
academic year has been a busy yet
exciting year for the Teaching and
Learning team at Cranford Community College.
We introduced and implemented the new Early
Career Framework (ECF) with its large cohort of
Early Career Teachers (ECTs) who successfully
gained their QTS in July 2021. The ECF is a twoyear
induction programme for new teachers and
encourages extensive use of pedagogical readings
for developing teaching and learning within the
classroom as well as action-research projects. Whilst
the programme was new to us, many of our ECTs
were not – a fantastic example of how our trainee
teachers continue on to stay with us after completing
their initial teacher training year.
We have had trainees train with us on a variety of
different routes this year – Teach First, School Direct
and PGCE. Three of these were former Cranford
students who returned to the school to not only train
and qualify as teachers but also to give back to their
local community, a trend that continues on into the
new academic year. Our initial teacher trainees have
also continued to stay on with us after gaining their
QTS this July and will begin their ECT induction
with us in September 2022. To recognise their
achievement and success in gaining their QTS and
completing a challenging training year, we hosted a
celebration event for this for which you can see some
of the photos here.
One of the key aspects of support for teacher
training that the school provides is its outstanding
CPD programme with particular use of Mini Action
Research Projects (MARPs). After their success in the
previous academic year, the Teaching and Learning
team supported the 2021-2022 teacher trainees in
completing their MARPs on foci of their choice.
The final presentations were not only insightful and
well structured, but they were also indicative of the
depth of pedagogical knowledge and passion that our
trainee cohort has for teaching.
As part of whole school CPD, the Teaching
and Learning team were able to implement the
Developmental Observation cycles for all teaching
staff. This was a fantastic success as it enabled
within department as well as cross-departmental
support through the GROWTH coaching method,
establishing a platform for sharing best practice as
well as the process of continuous self-reflection and
action. Through this development in the CPD ethos
of the school, there is no doubt that teaching staff
at Cranford Community College will continue to go
from strength to strength.
Amrat Atwal and Sahrish Shaikh
(Senior Teachers Teaching & Learning)

A new cohort of Teachers Graduate in 2022
I am a former student of Cranford Community College and having returned as a trainee teacher,
I was able to quickly see the positive changes across the school. These included, but were not
limited to, the use of the Restorative Justice approach, development of high-tech resources for
use in classrooms and pedagogically focused development in the quality of teaching. As a school,
Cranford Community College has provided me with support at every step of my training year
through the CPD sessions allowing for greater recall and retention of important information
and knowledge. As a whole, my experience has been one that will be positively shared with
others and I believe the journey I’ve embarked upon with CCC has resulted in me having all
the necessary tools and knowledge to be a great ECT and further improve as I become a more
experienced teacher.
Harminder Plaha – Maths (School Direct)
One of the reasons I decided to train at Cranford Community College for my teacher training
year is because I am an ex-student. Being from the local area, as well as attending Cranford
Community College myself, motivated me to give back to my local community. I am able to bring
my experiences to teaching, allowing me to have a deeper understanding of the issues students go
through. With this understanding I am able to adapt my teaching styles to better suit the students
of and inspire them to not only love Psychology but broaden their mindset of what they can
achieve if they work hard. The work environment at Cranford is one that allows you to flourish
and work toward greater independence in becoming an outstanding practitioner.
TEACHING AND LEARNING
Aleena Khan – Psychology (School Direct)
It feels like a long time ago that I was being welcomed to Cranford during the Teach First
induction in the Summer of 2021. Since then I have been embraced by the Geography Department
and school community. From day one Cranford’s Teaching and Learning team have supported
my development in the classroom and beyond the classroom. Through regular developmental
observations, professional development and scheduled mentoring, I have been able to better
manage and overcome challenges I faced in behaviour, lesson planning, adaptive teaching, and
workload. It is clear Cranford values the energy and perspective of their trainees and I have been
provided with ample opportunity to take on additional responsibilities from leading geography
fieldtrips to taking on KS3 Curriculum and Assessment lead in my department. I look forward to
another year both teaching in and learning from Cranford’s community.
Caitlin Arnold – Geography (Teach First)
Training at Cranford was a great experience. The ongoing support from the Senior Leadership
Team and my mentor ensured my journey through the training year was smooth. I had the
opportunity to teach a range of classes which gave me a wide breadth of knowledge on the IT &
Computing curriculum at all key stages. The program strikes a perfect balance between being
directed and giving you the independence you need to progress as a practitioner in the field at a
healthy rate. The school has a highly diverse demographic which is perfect for the training year
as you are able work with pupils from all walks of life. I believe it is of utmost importance to train
with an institution that provides a clear progression ladder for your career and Cranford does
this so well. I am very excited to reach the next milestone in this journey I started two years ago.
Safwan Sheikh – IT & Computing (School Direct)
Working at Cranford this year has been an enlightening experience. Having previously taught
abroad, it was great to come back and teach in a school within my local area. I feel that I have
really progressed this year, in terms of organisation, planning as well as building a strong rapport
with both students and staff. Being a member of the Mathematics department, I witnessed a strong
support system which led to me receiving excellent feedback from various teacher observations.
I have also enjoyed partaking in extra-curricular activities, such as football with KS3 students
during Mind Body Soul, supporting with the Sixth Form Cultural Fashion Show and visiting the
Bank of England with the Year 13 Economics class. I am very much looking forward to working
with such a prominent school in the borough that takes utmost pride in its core values, as well
as contributing more to the school and developing as a teacher.
Adnan Nassari – Maths (PGCE)
49

TEACHING AND LEARNING
I can’t believe I have only been working at Cranford for a year. Since I started teaching here,
I have grown in confidence in the classroom, developed my practice as a teacher, and built
strong relationships with both the staff and student body throughout the school. Cranford is
incredibly supportive of teachers training here; staff run CPD sessions for trainees each week
on different areas within teaching – from student metacognition and recall to teacher wellbeing
and workload-management. This CPD, run by the Teaching and Learning team, is a whole-school
initiative that has the best interests of developing new teachers at heart. As a trainee, I have
been encouraged to observe outstanding teaching practice across the entire school, which has
been fundamental to improving my own pedagogy. All teachers training at Cranford are lucky to
have the support of the entire school behind them.
The opportunities I have had this year are extensive; teaching an A-Level class, taking on a Year 7 form class,
and organising a student trip to the theatre name just a few. As an English trainee, I have found the entire English
department – postholders, my mentor, as well as other Early Career teachers – to be an absolute bedrock of support
that has allowed me to develop and thrive, professionally and personally. Teaching English in such a diverse
environment is a real privilege, and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading my favourite texts with students as well as
exploring new ones with them for the first time. All of the staff at Cranford, and particularly in the English department,
are aligned in ethos, values and vision, and I feel like I have developed professional relationships that I will continue
to learn from as I continue my teaching career here.
My absolute favourite part of this year, however, has been getting to know and building relationships with the students.
It is the students that make Cranford such a fantastic place to work; they are driven, hard-working, and aspirational.
I have been able to develop a positive relationship with all of the students that I teach – as well as some I don’t—and
I really look forward to nurturing these relationships over the coming years.
Oscar Johnson – English (Teach First)
50

IT and
Computing Department
2021-2022
One
of the highlights of this year has been the students’
excitement in getting back to our engaging KS3
curriculum on the computers. Students have covered a range of
both creative and technical units producing some fantastic games
through visual programming, analysed data using spreadsheet
software and some impressive reports on innovation within
technology. The curriculum is fun and interesting with a high
level of stretch and challenge, equipping students with directly
transferable skills.
The different pathways offered at both KS4 and KS5 remain
one of our many strengths as we ensure that students have an
option to choose a course that is best suited to them, either the
academic, technical or vocational route. This year saw our first
cohort of T Level students complete the course along with the
industry placements. It was a remarkable experience going out
to visit the students at several different work places, and seeing
them thrive in the working environment. We aim to continue to
develop and strengthen our ties with our industry partners.
This year we were lucky enough to have both Amazon and Cisco
deliver apprenticeship talks to both our year 12 and 13 students
to help guide and inspire them. They provided information on
the whole process, from the application stage as well as how
to progress up the hierarchy once successful. Students found
these talks most beneficial and have submitted apprenticeship
applications.
As a department, we are proud of the opportunities this year has
brought and wish to continue growing and supporting students
to reach their full potential.
Sukhjeet Kudhail (Head of IT and Computing Department)
Amazon Web Services
(AWS) GetIT
We have had yet another successful
year with taking part in the AWS GetIT
programme. Students have been working
in mixed groups to design an app that
would solve a problem in our school or in
our local community. The ideas that were
generated covered a range of different
areas from; recycling, budgeting, buddy
systems and health issues. When the
groups presented their ideas to our AWS
ambassador, she was really impressed
with the extensive range of ideas the
groups had generated, along with the
thought gone into the different features
the app would include. Students attended
weekly period 0 sessions to help develop
their ideas and produce a presentation that
covered; the initial problem, the possible
solutions, the technology they planned
to use within their apps and then finally
what their app would look like. Once
their presentations were ready the groups
presented them to the AWS ambassador.
Both of us were extremely impressed with
how well prepared, mature, supportive
and confident they all were. A huge well
done to all for taking part, you should all
be very proud of yourselves.
Sukhjeet Kudhail
(Head of IT and Computing Department)
IT & COMPUTING
“Over the course of 4 months, every Wednesday
during period 0, I participated in the Amazon
GetIT competition workshop which was run by Ms
Kudhail. In these sessions, we were working on a
project to create an app design to benefit the local
community. After the planning process, towards the
end, we presented our app design to an employee
who works at Amazon Headquarters. I learnt many
skills from this competition such as: team working
skills, presentation skills and leadership skills. These
attributes were key in the process of planning the
end result and I enjoyed working with my peers in
developing the project”.
Jasleen Ghattoray (year 8)
“Being in the Amazon GetIT competition was a brilliant
experience learning leadership skills. It was fantastic to
experience the process and to be a part of the journey. We had
so much fun creating and designing the app. This was amazing
as it taught us how to use marketing and advertisement and
most importantly having fun. This was an incredible time
solving problems for the community and helping them by
creating an app. The most significant skill we have learned
through participating in the Amazon GetIT competition is
teamwork. We had all worked together to combine all our
fantastic ideas into one app design, demonstrating passion
and determination. This competition has helped us develop
our skills which we can take on in the future”.
Palveer Layal (year 8)
51

T LEVEL
Our T
T Level Education and
Child Development
Level students have continued to complete their industry placements and apply the
pedagogy they learn within the classroom. Students have fed back that the topics they
learn are pertinent within the context of the local community where their placements usually are and have
allowed them an opportunity to ‘give back’ to their community by helping young children learn and develop
as well as give our students a real sense of social connectedness.
The course curriculum has been designed by us in a way that encompasses employability, enrichment and
pastoral elements which are vital in order to get our students ready for higher education or facilitate a career
in early education. We ensure that students are taught in a way that allows them to apply their pedagogical
knowledge to the skills they are learning at their industry placement in ‘real time’ since both take place side
by side throughout the duration of the course. This allows our students to develop a deeper understanding
of the requirements of industry placement and the reality of what work within the early sector encompasses.
Many of our students have already been offered work at their industry placements and many have also applied
and been accepted on to degree courses ranging from social work to child psychology to teaching, which
will allow them to continue to pursue their passion of working within the sector and making a difference to
the lives of our future generations.
“This placement has been a great opportunity for
Barinder Dosanjh (Head of Social Sciences)
me to really find out what type of work is involved
in an early years setting and I have
been able to apply all the knowledge
I learn at school at my placement.
It has definitely helped me to make
up my mind that I want to pursue
a degree and career in this field,
I recently went for an interview
at university and found that I was
surprisingly confident and able
to express my views and ideas
more clearly and really express
myself through the use of my body
language. I really feel that this is
due to the experience I have been
gaining working alongside other
professionals during my industry
placement because it has made me
more confident in social situations
and I am able to communicate with
others more easily”.
BCS - The Chartered Institute for IT Awards
We
Wolisha Fernandes (year 13)
were delighted to receive an invitation to the BCS - The Chartered Institute for IT
awards evening. One of our proud placement partners, Ajar Technologies had invited
us. Without hesitation we accepted the invitation and were looking forward to a night celebrating
Isha Ali’s amazing achievement. Ajar had nominated Isha for the Digital T Level student of the
year award. The board, however, reviewed the application and felt that her journey at Cranford and
Ajar warranted something a bit more special so a recognition award for progression was announced on the
night. Isha was truly overwhelmed when her name was read out as winner at the end of the evening. We are
so proud of what she has achieved over these past 2 years in the Digital T Level course and placement and
we have no doubt that Isha will continue her triumph as she embarks upon her journey of starting a degree
level apprenticeship with Ajar Technologies. A true T Level success story and many more to come!
52
Sukhjeet Kudhail (Head of IT and Computing Department)

T Level - Year 13
The first Cohort
A
huge congratulations to the students for being part of the first ever cohort of the Digital T Level.
They have triumphed, persevered, been adaptable and remained motivated throughout the 2 year
course. All students have successfully completed 9 weeks of industry placement, where they all
made fantastic impressions with the companies, so much so that they have asked for more placement students
next year. Some students have secured part time work and one student will be completing a degree level
apprenticeship with her placement provider. The IT and Computing Department are so very proud of you all!
T LEVEL
Sukhjeet Kudhail (Head of IT and Computing Department)
“The T Level Digital Production, Design and Development course was the most eye opening 2 years
of my life and was a risk I’m glad I took. Being one of the first to go through the course, I had no
previous older students to get guidance or a sense of direction from or even past papers to go through.
While deep in assignments and coursework, it wasn’t necessarily at the top of my list in terms of what
to study at 6th Form, however with the balanced workload and real-world work experience (working
with the Department of Health and Social Care), this course has really set me up for multiple career
paths like apprenticeships or straight into the workforce with experience gained from the 9 weeks
work placement. I can confidently say that T Levels is the course for the future. I’m someone who
really enjoyed the course and the connections I made”.
Emmanuel Adebowale (year 13)
“When first choosing the course, I was unsure of what it had included as it was a new course to begin
with. However, over the 2 years I realised that picking this course has opened up a lot of opportunities
for me. Throughout year 12, there was a lot of content that you had to understand and familiarise
yourself with. I joined Ajar Technology on a T Level work placement in the summer of 2021 working
directly with their software solution RealCADENCE by VoloForce.
Following successful completion of my required placements, I was offered part time roles during my
school holidays. During my placement and through school holidays, I supported the UK Head of
Operations working on account management and service support for their automated task management
app RealCADENCE which allows enterprise organisations to complete tasks through an automated
process. My role included supporting the service desk, solving technical issues, and designing help
guides, along with general admin and marketing tasks. My experience with Ajar Technology and
VoloForce UK has helped my confidence grow and I am able to speak confidently with various
colleagues, clients and stakeholders. During my time, I have joined client meetings working with
colleagues in the UK and USA and contributing to live projects. I was involved in a live project for
Sky implementing changes in the system for their needs. I have learnt how to conduct myself in a
work environment, from learning the different styles of professional communication to being able to
present in front of people with confidence”.
Isha Ali (year 13)
BCS Awards
Tuesday 12th July 2022 was the day I received an
award. Not knowing what award I was receiving,
at the end of the day I walked home with an award
for progression and a smiling face from everyone that came
and supported me. It was an amazing experience of meeting
new people and making that new connection with different
people from different companies. At first, I was a bit scared,
as I didn’t know if I was supposed to speak on stage, however
it was way better then I imagined it in my head. I thank
everyone who supported me on that incredible night.
Isha Ali (year 13)
53

INTERNATIONALISM
Cranford’s exciting Erasmus
project, delayed by the
Covid pandemic, got back
into full swing in February 2022
with our second visit to Kvaløya Videregående Skole
in Tromsø.
Back to the Arctic
For Sukhjeet Kudhail (Head of IT and Computing)
this was a first trip to the arctic circle joining
Mudassir Sarwar (Data Manager) and Rob Ind (Joint
Head of School) on a project building collaborative
relationships with high performing technical
education systems around the world.
Kvaløya (‘Whale Island’) school specialise in
Construction, alongside the general education they
offer their 16-16 year old students, working closely
with the industry in Tromsø to educate the carpenters,
plumbers, concrete workers and tinsmiths Northern
Norway needs. We were also fortunate to visit Nordkjosbotn upper secondary school who showed us round
the mechanical and electrical engineering facilities.
Norwegian vocational education is hugely impressive. We observed practice demonstrating huge amounts
of technical skill but also secure and highly academic specialist knowledge, culminating in a visit to the
Level 5 and 6 maritime school in Tromsø school where they use their new £1.6m virtual bridge to train ship
captains of the largest vessels on the world’s seas.
Our hosts, Oddbjørn, Jon and Tore, were fantastic and we even got a night out in Tromsø to see the ‘Norwegian
Ed Sheeran’ – not quite!
Tromsø is very near the top of the world geographically but also in technical education and there is a lot we
can learn from them. We look forward to working together to create opportunities for our students to have
the chance to witness
the magic of the Arctic
in the future.
Rob Ind
(Joint Head of School)
54
Cabins built by
students and
then sold to local
community.

Cranford Goes Dutch
INTERNATIONALISM
May 2022 saw Cranford’s long-awaited trip to the
Netherlands as part of our Erasmus project sharing
best practice with high performing vocational education
providers across Europe. Sukhjeet Kudhail (Head of
IT and Computing), Mudassir Sarwar (Data Manager)
and Rob Ind (Joint Head of School) are leading the
project from Cranford to support our delivery of the new
T levels and sharing our expertise in assessment practices
and integration of migrant students with our European
neighbours.
Koning Willem I College is a Vocational school primarily
for 16-19 year olds. They welcomed us warmly to their
college, which is spread over several campuses in the
heart of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, introducing it as its very own
country. And with some reason. The college is host to
18,000 students and boasts a hairdressers, theatre and
several different restaurants all staffed and run by the
students.
With their cutting-edge facilities, UNESCo school status
and recent accolade as the most sustainable education
institute in Holland, our Dutch partners were the perfect
hosts to us and our Norwegian colleagues. We were able
to learn about their teaching methods and impressive
relationships with the local labour market, as well as
observing a coaching session for training social workers
and meeting with the teachers in their ICT academy.
Den Bosch is a beautiful medieval city which is the capital
of North Brabant. We were lucky enough to explore the
town and its surroundings by car, bike, horse, train, canal
boat and even rollercoaster (on a backstage tour of the De
Efteling theme park) – quite a journey. We can’t wait to
go back for the final leg of our project in September 2022.
Rob Ind (Joint Head of School)
55

INTERNATIONALISM
Cranford welcomes
our Erasmus partners
The
first week of June 2022 brought with it the
opportunity to welcome our Norwegian and
Dutch Erasmus partners back to Cranford after their first
visit in 2019.
Whilst some of the team have changed, our focus on sharing
best practice in the areas of inclusion, assessment and
technical education have not and we spent a brilliant week
showing off our school, local area and city with a focus on
our developing industry partnerships and integrating new
migrant students. In fact, the itinerary proved so popular
two extra Norwegian language teachers joined our group.
Since the project began, our new T level courses in Digital
Production, Design and Development and Education and
Childcare have seen their first cohorts shine and these
students, as well as the new 6th form leadership team
played an integral role in the visit. All the students involved
in observations, feedback groups and tours hosted with
maturity and skill and our guests commented on how
aspirational and engaging they were.
We are also grateful to Sheena Poley, Hounslow Local
Authority’s Head of School Organisation and Access to
Education for an illuminating presentation on Hounslow’s
educational provision for asylum seekers and other students
arriving from overseas; and to Springwell Primary school
for welcoming us with open arms to meet with our students
working to support their early years and Key Stage 1
provision.
The social side of the programme enabled us to embrace
our cultural history with visits to central London and the
London Eye and Hampton Court Place – well, international
collaboration isn’t all work, work, work.
56
Rob Ind (Joint Head of School)

Italy April 2022
INTERNATIONALISM
Erasmus+ Soft Skills Project
The
Erasmus+ Soft Skills Project is
something that Cranford Community
College had started to part-take in pre-pandemic.
However, the first visit for this was delayed… until
April 2022. April 2022 saw not only the first visit
and event of the Erasmus+ project, but it was also
Cranford’s first teacher and student international
activity to take place in over two years. It was a great
way to re-start our international visits in person!
The project involves collaborative work between
4 schools: Liceo Statale Bonaventura Rescigno
(Italy), Zespok Skol NR2 Wgrowiec (Poland),
Agrupamento De Escolas De Ourique (Portugal)
and Cranford Community College (England). It is
a project that requires students to address a number
of different themes: culture, language, mental health
and enterprise whilst also presenting their work and
working collaboratively to develop their soft skills.
This first trip of the entire project and scheme was
a huge success. 3 teachers and 6 students visited
Salerno, Italy during the school Easter break in
April. The year 12 students were from different
backgrounds and ethnicities, as were the teachers,
which celebrated the diversity of our school. This
diversity enabled rich and meaningful conversations
and formation of friendships.
Whilst in Salerno, students took part in workshops
and presentations as well as local school-based
activities such as sports competitions, a treasure
hunt, snap-shot lessons and local excursions. Here,
the students were able to develop their soft skills
by immersing themselves in activities with their
counterparts from the partner schools. One activity
that proved to be popular was the interaction with a
language teaching robot, Pepper. This robot was used
by the school to support English language teaching
as well as play a number of interactive games.
However, the academic setting was not the only place
where soft-skills and friendships were developed.
Much of the week was also spent exploring the local
attractions and learning about the culture and history.
The day trip to Pompeii was one trip that stands out
– to witness the remains of the population and city
frozen in time as a result of a natural disaster is not
something to be taken lightly. It was beautiful yet
haunting. Being in Italy also meant that we couldn’t
not visit some iconic Cathedrals in the area or one
of the oldest gardens in Salerno, a place where many
of the forefathers of European medicine found their
methods and herbs for treatment.
57

INTERNATIONALISM
Of course, no trip to Italy could be
complete without countless visits
to gelato parlours, pizza places
and its beautiful coastal towns.
After a very busy week we were
able to enjoy some downtime
by heading to the mesmerising
Amalfi coast. Here, the bustling
markets and food vendors were
full of life and were ideal for lots
of Instagram photos.
Whilst this Erasmus+ trip was a great way for students
to develop their soft-skills and build friendships, it
was also a fantastic opportunity for our staff to get to
know each other better. Dinners in the evenings were
always referred to as ‘family meals’ and we had the
opportunity to catch up with our experiences of the
day as well as any funny moments we had as well
as bicker about things such as who was making the
most friends!
By the end of the week, students from all four schools
had formed very close friendships (which continue
to this day and have resulted in some holiday plans
too!) alongside developing their soft skills – a big
reason for why Cranford Community College seeks
to establish and nurture international relationships
with partner schools and encourage its students to
participate.
Thank you to all the staff and students who made
this a fantastic first international trip and Erasmus+
event. We now look forward to the next Erasmus+
Soft Skills visit in Autumn 2022 where our staff and
students will be heading to Poland!
Sahrish Shaikh (Senior Teacher / Trip Leader)
Wow!
What an absolutely fantastic opportunity this was for both the staff and the students. It
was an amazing chance to experience different cultures and school life in Italy and meet
a range of fun, energetic and very welcoming hosts. Our students did us proud. They were extremely mature,
responsible, and great ambassadors for Cranford Community College.
It was exciting to witness how quickly the students bonded with each other and the strong friendship groups
that were formed in such a short space of time. For some of our students, this trip was the first experience
of life outside of their home environment and comfort zone. This has been a real positive impact on their
personal development. As teachers, we too developed a great bond with other colleagues sharing different
traditions and cultures. We look forward to the staff and students’ pending visit in February 2023 when we
will have the opportunity to host the Erasmus Project.
Some of my memories include learning about the history of the Margareta Pizza from, not the Italians, but
our very own Italian expert Mr. Alham, the vast entertainment from Harjot, and the amazing stories over
our evening dinners from the rest of the students. Not to mention our great trip leader Ms Shaikh, who made
visiting the Amalfi Coast possible even on a very tight itinerary. Our experience of Italy was inspiring, from
our stay in the quiet town of Salerno, to our visits to the ruins of Pompeii, shopping in Naples, and finishing
off with the breath-taking views of the Amalfi Coast. This was a trip I will always remember, memories I
will cherish and friends I will keep. Thank you, Erasmus 2022.
58
Baljinder Dhillon (KS5 IT and Computing Co-ordinator)

Before we embarked onto this
trip, I had mixed feelings on what
to expect. I was excited to travel
abroad with my friends, getting
to know them better, share great
moments, meeting, and networking
with new people from different
countries. During these times of
preparation, I was more worried
about the language barriers
between us and the rest of the
groups and was wondering how we
would be able to communicate with
each other. I found out very quickly that this would
not be a problem as they all spoke exceptionally good
English. We visited a lot of tourist attractions such as
Pompeii, visiting Naples and Salerno, where we stayed
and where the Italian School is based, having dinners
in various restaurants, and overall having an enjoyable
time.
During this trip we made some long-lasting memories.
Since then, we have also stayed connected through
social media. I learnt a lot of valuable skills which I
have taken with me since. It was an amazing trip full of
memories that I will keep forever.
Leroy Eshun (year 12)
INTERNATIONALISM
I participated in the Erasmus+ Soft Skills programme
trip to Italy. Prior to the trip we had to work as a group
to prepare presentations that we would present about
our country, school, and local area. This was extremely
useful as it gave our group a chance to get to know each
other better, it also required us to be organised and
meet deadlines to create interesting and informative
presentations. The trip was an unforgettable experience
where we made many fantastic memories. It was my
first time away from my parents which was quite
nerve-racking, however it meant that I became more
independent and now believe that I would be capable of
travelling on my own or moving away from my parents
sometime in the future. During the trip we spoke to a
multitude of people and built fantastic friendships, as
well as learned about daily life and school in different
countries, this has been very insightful and has
provided us with information about the world that was
previously unknown to us. The programme was full of
amazing trips to historical and religious sites (Pompeii
and many churches) as well as visiting and exploring
the area where we stayed which was extremely exciting
and was a chance for us to experience the beauty of
another country.
Oliwia Bartnicka (year 12)
I was one out of 8 students selected to go on the trip.
One wonderful thing about this trip was that every day
there was different activity to do which allowed us to
bond with the European students. One key skill this
trip has taught me is that confidence is key to making
connections. The whole point of this programme is for
students to network and that is exactly what we did. I
am very thankful to be one of the 8 chosen to go on this
trip and I can happily say that due to this trip I have
been able to develop my soft skills immensely and it was
one of the best experiences I have had.
Harjot Chawla (year 12)
59

INTERNATIONALISM
On the trip we were able to develop
our social and communication
skills while meeting new people.
We were put in groups with people
from Italy, Portugal and Poland, so
communication was not necessarily
as easy as we thought it was going
to be for the first couple of days,
due to language barriers. However,
as the days went on, we were able
to get along perfectly, despite
English not being everyone’s first
language. Being able to mix with
people from different areas of Europe was interesting
as we were able to see the difference in culture between
countries that are physically so close to one another.
Our stay in Italy was made even better by the hospitality
of the Italians and their welcoming nature towards us.
Shamaila Baig (year 12)
During the flight from Heathrow to Naples, I wondered
if the trip’s exciting nature would be diminished by the
primary school-based setting of the trip. However, I
ended up not wanting to leave the school and its students
with the vibrant nature of each of the Erasmus groups.
The depth of personality and diversity of culture and
thought processes encouraged a new longing for travel.
The Italians were truly welcoming taking us on mini
tours around Naples and even paying for my coffee!
This welcoming nature has resulted in new relationships
across the continent. Italy and its reputation for its
special Pizza and Pasta also stood strong, by giving me
the most perfect Pizza from Antonio. This coupled with
the numerous Gelato shops has me longing to go back
already. Erasmus was a truly memorable experience.
Shaan Cheema (year 12)
Taking part in the Erasmus + project was truly a once
in a lifetime opportunity. This trip has also served to
remind me of my love for languages, as I made it a
mission in the week to learn as much Italian as I could
(which I still use now). Moreover, as a Christian, I
could not get enough of the beautiful Cathedrals and
breath-taking Christian art found all throughout Italy.
Particularly, visiting the tomb of Matthew the Apostle
in Salerno will always be a monumental moment in my
life. I am profoundly grateful to all the staff who helped
to make this programme a success. The unforgettable
memories made, the skills developed, the amazing
friendships formed, and the hospitality of the Italians
will remain in my heart for a long time to come.
Samuel Dickson (year 12)
60

To say that our one-week visit to Italy was
enjoyable and flew by quickly would be an
understatement. After 2 years of lockdown
and travel restrictions we were all looking
forward to travelling again. I was made aware
of the Erasmus trip to Italy by Shaan Cheema
during my Economics lesson after discussing
the discrepancy between living standards and
income inequality in Northern vs Southern
Europe. Almost instantly I had signed myself
up on the basis that I would be “supporting the
students with their Italian”. There was so much
for both teachers and students alike to complete
before the trip (including the onerous task of completing 10 PLFs
and vaccination documents). The students had to work on various
soft skills over the course of their 2-day presentations, representing
the school, the local area and the entire country in a foreign country. In preparation for our travel, we would have
a Friday Period 0 weekly meet-up where Mr Fraser would give us more information on what to prepare for. The
students were very enthusiastic about developing their soft skills in preparation for their presentations in Italy, but
equally excited about learning Italian and attended some sessions at Cranford with me before the trip. Their level of
Italian really impressed their Italian friends who then taught them some words in the Neapolitan dialect.
Departing rainy Heathrow and arriving in rainy Naples, it was a chaotic journey to our hotel in Salerno, albeit
with an amazing backdrop of Mount Vesuvius surrounding us. We spent days exploring the sights around the Bay of
Naples, including Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast and the city of Naples. Our phone storage and luggage became full by
the end of the trip.
The trip included 2 days dedicated to visiting our partner school, located in a remote town called “Roccapiemonte”.
Instantly after our hospitable welcome, which felt like it was a family reunion, our students had befriended
all the students and were very engaging and confident in their presentations and brought in their “individual
characteristics” – which won the hearts of the Italian, Portuguese and Polish students and teachers. They
had opportunities to socialise with the other students for the rest of the day and were then extremely excited
about returning to the school later that week. I know for certain that the students have made lifelong friends
across Europe, and it was very emotional watching them say their goodbyes and seeing some tears.
We were lucky enough to have witnessed first-hand how the Erasmus project is useful for our students and staff alike
and would hope to see this continue, despite doubts being raised following Brexit. At the same time, it has made us
very keen to attend further school trips and establish global alliances with other schools.
The trip also proved to test my willpower as fasting for the entire trip and being surrounded by authentic Italian pizza
was very challenging. This trip was also very memorable for myself, Ms Dhillon and Ms Shaikh. We had so much fun
supporting the students, getting to know them more and it felt as if we have become a ‘large Italian family’. Words
cannot describe the pleasure I have had to support the students and represent Cranford abroad.
Alham Ahmad (Maths & Economics Teacher)
INTERNATIONALISM
Arrivederci !
61

PSHCE
PSHCE at Cranford focuses on
developing students’ understanding of
themselves and the world around them.
The curriculum has a focus on personal
responsibility, morality and mental
health alongside the wider world and
life in modern society. We engage
issues of equality, fairness, human
rights and look at current events and
societal issues. We examine gender,
sexuality and race whilst learning how to
reflect, evaluate and think critically. We hope to
help pupils fulfil their potential, develop a positive
attitude and learn how to overcome obstacles and
develop useful lifelong skills.
Student feedback on their feelings about PSHCE
are overwhelmingly positive showing that they
truly value their lessons as a key part of their
secondary curriculum.
Barbara Lodge (Head of PSHCE Department)
New this Year
We are excited to report on some of the major
developments in PSHCE this year. Firstly, we were
delighted to add a new specialist teacher to our team,
Miss Carroll, and to expand our PSHCE offer into
both Year 10 and Year 12.
Our new curriculum in Year 10 focuses on SRE (sex
and relationships education) from looking at life
online through social media and real life to learning
about consent and understanding personal health and
responsibility.
In Year 12 the curriculum is very broad, journeying
through mental health, careers, domestic violence,
negative lifestyle choices, enterprise and financial
capability and skills! It is a pleasure to add support
to our Year 12 students at such an important time in
their life, thinking about next steps and their futures.
62
We feel the best way to get an idea about PSHCE
here is to hear from our students themselves.

“I feel that PSHCE has helped me a lot with understanding
my emotions and how I can be a better person. I have learned
that emotions are normal and it’s ok to feel
down sometimes. PSHCE has also
helped me be a better person and how
I should help other people when they
are dealing with stress and how to be
a kinder person”.
PSHCE
Aleeza Saeed (year 7)
“PSHCE has been helpful for me. There
have been things I’ve learnt which give
me a view of how the world actually is.
I think PSCHE is a very effective subject
for young people, helping with mental
health and improving life skills”.
Barez Popal (year 8)
“PSHCE has been helpful to me since
there was a lot that I wasn’t aware of. I have also been helped
to understand the consequences of my actions: even if I type
something that might seem funny etc., it may not be funny to
an opposing person. I have been made aware of the effects of
social media, online grooming and more”.
Kal-El Muhammad (year 8)
“I personally find PSHCE a great lesson as it allows us to
have an education about mental and physical health that other
lessons do not teach. All the staff members that teach PSHCE
are open and kind, creating healthy bonds with all students. My
favourite topic in PSHCE was when we made a project about
gambling, as we had many opportunities to work independently
to research and create a PowerPoint about an interesting topic”.
Muqadas Kabiri (year 8)
“After having done PSHCE for about 3 years now, I can
safely say that it has become one of my favourite subjects.
The teachers are kind, understanding and open minded. The
PSHCE department always try and teach important, serious
life impacting topics whilst also making them fun. PSHCE is
a subject I personally feel all students should have, because it
truly is amazing and you learn so much from it”.
Suhana Akhter (year 9)
“PSHCE can help you change your behaviour and reflect on
yourself and your choices. It is a great lesson where you can
learn about consequences of your behaviour and actions. This
is one of the most important things I have learned”.
Mental Health - Let’s talk day – Thursday 3 rd February 2022
Period 1 Period 2 Period 3 Period 4 Period 5
Dealing with Stress
Discuss stress and the impact
it has on your mental health.
Watch 5-minute video on
stress.
https://www.gcsepod.com/
mental-health/
Write a letter to
yourself Include how you
are feeling and why. If you
are feeling a bit low, how
could you help with this?
Write a list of things you can
do if you feel low.
What things make you
feel happy, sad, angry
or
excited?
How do you show these
different emotions?
Could you start a mood diary,
write an entry for how you
are feeling today?
Meditation
How do you let off steam?
Think about what you do
when you are feeling sad or
angry.
Could you find a track on
YouTube and meditate to it?
Meditation
A-Z Emotions
https://www.youtube.com/ How many different
watch?v=ZToicYcHIOU emotions can you think of?
10-minute meditation – How Can you name an emotion for
to be present. each letter of the alphabet?
Gratitude list/diary
Write a gratitude list and
make sure you add to it every
Choose an activity and deliver it at the beginning or end of your lesson (Minimum - 15 minutes) Please feel free to adapt any of the ideas to suit your class.
What are your
proudest
achievements and
Create a
collage/poster
of all the things that make
you unique. It can include
things you enjoy, adjectives
that describe you, pictures,
text. Share it with somebody
when it is finished.
It’s OK not to be OK
Watch the 15-minute video.
There are opportunities for
discussion built into the clip
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=e-_KHth-FPo
Exercise – Create fitness
goals!
Write a plan of how you
could incorporate more
exercise into your week.
Happy Box!
Make yourself a box of all
the things that make you feel
Dance yourself
happy!
Put on a dance tune from
YouTube and dance. How
does it make you feel?
Example: Choreograph -
Shape of you, Ed Sheeran.
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=Kl5B6MBAntI
Singing
Sing along to a song you like.
Find a song on YouTube
with lyrics and get the class
to sing along.
What’s on your mind?
Talk about
the things
that are
worrying
you or you
feel unsure
about. It can really help to
talk things through! (Pairs or
small groups, or you could
write it down individually).
What is anxiety and
how to overcome it?
Ted Talk on Anxiety – 15
minutes
https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=WWloIAQpMcQ
Happiness Playlist The Black dog –
Write down a playlist of Dealing with
songs that make you feel
depression
happy/positive. Watch the short video clip –
(When you get home, create 5 minutes and discuss in
the playlist).
groups what you learnt.
What other types of mental
illness are there?
Group or class
discussion Why do people
find it hard to discuss mental
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=XiCrniLQGYc
The Story of You
Write a short s
Gurnoor Arora (year 10)
“As a sixth former, PSHCE has been helpful in
providing a more guided approach to life after
secondary school, and has been a good avenue for
respectful debate, where students are able to freely
discuss misconceptions. The sex education and lifestyle
lessons I think were particularly useful for students, as
they provide answers to questions that I think a lot of
students are anxious to ask, and do so in a relaxed and
non-judgemental environment. The debates that spurred
from these topics were explored maturely, and I think led
to many people widening their worldviews and respect
towards others”.
Nikola Szczawinska (year 12)
63

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
The Religious Education Department 2021-2022
The
Religious Education department is a high performing and forward-thinking department who
have created a very ambitious and innovative curriculum. The team is driven in its pursuit to
develop spiritual, moral, social and culturally rich students. This is achieved by providing a uniquely broad
and varied curriculum designed around the needs of our community. Students start their journey in the RE
Department exploring the Eastern religions in Year 7 before moving on to the Abrahamic Faiths in Year 8.
Once they have a good understanding of the world’s major religions they are able to apply key teachings to
a variety of themes studied in Year 9 such as Religious Conflict and Crime and Punishment.
Students are given ample opportunities to reflect on different beliefs which inform their personal perspective
on life; to understand the consequences of their actions and strive to be a force for good in society. The
diversity of the school population is celebrated as students work together and there is an appreciation of all
the cultures and faiths that make up the school community and also the national and global community. This
year we took this further by extending the scheme of work on Religious Conflict and adding lessons on the
India- Pakistan Partition and Somalia Civil War to better reflect some of the backgrounds of our students.
As a department we promote the capacity to think critically in order to make well informed, open minded
and thoughtful judgements. Topical and controversial issues are not shied away from but are welcomed,
providing vital opportunities for important conversations to be had within the safety of a classroom and
a teacher to facilitate. This year, Year 9 students engaged in formal debates and TED talks on the topic of
Crime and Punishment, specifically on Capital Punishment. Students were taught lessons on the different
forms of punishment and given a variety of case studies to examine before being put into groups to prepare
for a formal debate. This allowed the students an opportunity to present their opening arguments, rebuttals
as well as closing statements to their peers and practise their presentation skills.
In lessons, the department build religious literacy equipping students with the key knowledge and cultural
capital they require to be socially aware and tolerant members of both their diverse local and wider
communities. This will benefit them through every aspect of their life, as they move into higher education
and the workplace, equipping them with the skills to empathise and respect the views of others and be morally
competent individuals. We have begun plans for the next academic year to organise a visit to both the local
gurdwara and mosque for Year 10 in the Autumn term. This will compliment their study of Sikhism Practices
and Islam Practices which is a core component of the GCSE Specification.
Avneet Kang (Head of Religious Education Department)
I think that the debate was fun and interesting.
Both sides had really good points and had the class
switching sides most of the time. It really helped
me understand both point of views to later help me
in the assessment. It was interesting how the class
challenged the speakers with questions and their
views as well, so everyone had a chance to share
their ideas.
Hiba Amin (year 9)
Being one of the main speakers against the motion
“capital punishment should be abolished” helped
me to shape arguments that I didn’t personally agree
with at the start. By the end of the debate, I was a lot
more open-minded.
Alina Manha (year 9)
The whole class debate about capital punishment
allowed everyone to come to their own conclusion
about capital punishment as during the exchanges
we heard many differing viewpoints. Preparing for
the debate gave an insight into the different aims of
punishment including who deserves the worst kind
of punishment, which isn’t a straightforward thing
to determine.
64
Sana Khan (year 9)

The Thought for the Week programme
The
Thought for the Week programme is delivered to all students every week through form time.
TFTW encompasses a broad spectrum of topics and issues from current affairs, social movements
and ethical issues. This year TFTW included topics such as ageism, decision making, Wesak, Jesus’ teachings
and intersectionality. Through exposure to topical and important topics and issues students can build upon
their cultural capital and be fully aware and a part of the society they live in.
TFTW provides a unique opportunity for students to explicitly focus on their spiritual, moral, social and
cultural development. The school embraces the diversity of our students and applies for a ‘determination’
from the standing advisory council on RE this allows us to ensure TFTW includes religious teachings from
all major world faiths and is not limited as well as including non-religious and humanist teachings. Through
spiritual reflection on these beliefs, students are able to form their own perspective and be confident in their
belief system.
Students are presented with a range of viewpoints within TFTW and are encouraged to consider the morality
of the topics and issues discussed. Form tutors are able to facilitate discussions on recognising the difference
between right and wrong when looking at controversial topics. This instils an awareness of moral autonomy
within students and the responsibility that comes with it, a core Modern British Value. Modern British Values
are further highlighted as students are given ample opportunity to work in pairs, groups and as a class. This
builds upon their social skills as they are exposed to different views which they may disagree with and learn
how to cooperate and resolve conflicts. TFTW includes topics and issues from around the world and explores
the stories of individuals from different cultures.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Avneet Kang (Head of Religious Education Department)
“Thought for the week has been an engaging part
of form time. It has been insightful learning about
current global issues, ethical debates, and topics
regarding personal morality. For example, we once
spoke about religious freedom and debated whether
Islamophobic comics/articles published in France
were immoral or an act of free speech. Thought for
the week has challenged our perspectives on certain
topics and has allowed us to view them from a newer
perspective, as well as enhancing our conversational
intelligence and confidence”.
Ayesha Kaur (year 13 Head Girl 2022-2023)
65

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Oxford Uehiro Centre’s Ethics Competition
On
the 22nd of September 2021, Ms Birdi informed our Ethics
class of the Oxford Uehiro Centre’s third Practical Ethics
and Responsibility competition. We were required to submit a video up
to 4 minutes long on an ethical problem and discuss how we thought
responsibility was involved. The 4 best entries would be invited to the
University of Oxford for their Ethics and Responsibility Day, where
more debates would occur. After hearing that the competition was run
by Oxford university, I jumped at the opportunity to take part. I quickly
assembled a team with my 3 classmates: Daniel Ortega, Husina Nyika
and Samira Baiden (year 12) and after some planning, we all agreed to
discuss a controversial ethical dilemma in 21st century contemporary
society- Euthanasia, with our question being: ‘What is the responsibility
in life and death: can euthanasia be morally justified?’.
The video needed to be submitted by the 10th January 2022, so to meet this deadline whilst still thriving
in our academic studies, we had to do a lot of planning and preparation as a group. We met up one period
0 a week, where we would research the necessary laws and examples which applied to our topic, formulate
arguments both for and against and eventually develop an answer to the question – should Euthanasia be
legal? After this initial planning stage, we then had to record the video, and with no media students on our
team, this certainly proved to be a bit of a challenge.
Thankfully, we were able to gain access to the media room and Mr Ramsden and Ms Saroya supported us with
the editing and filming. After a difficult week of recording and editing we finally finished and submitted our
video, and now all we needed to do was wait. A month later and the results were in. Our entry was “highly
commended” and we were awarded with a certificate for our efforts. Even though we did not win, all of us
are more than happy with the fact that our video was highly considered.
Overall, taking part in this competition came with its fair share of challenges, but all of us had an amazing
time working together and made many hilarious memories. Our evaluative, research, filming and editing
skills have been strengthened by this competition. Moreover, all of us are extremely grateful to Ms Kang
and Ms Birdi for presenting us with this opportunity, and we want to thank Ms Saroya and Mr Ramsden for
all the technical support they provided to help us with our video – this success would not have been possible
without them.
Samuel Dickson (Head Boy 2022-2023)
Practical Ethics and Responsibility Competition
Practical Ethics and Responsibility Video Competition 2022
CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT
This is to certify that the video:
What is the responsibility in life and death: can euthanasia be morally justified?
Produced by:
Samuel Dickson, Samira Baiden, Husina Nyika and Daniel Ortega of Cranford Community College
has been Highly Commended
Authorised By Date
66

Summer Fete for Sarcoma Awareness Month
CHARITY
The
summer fete was a good
experience for all the students
at Cranford for everyone to come together in order to raise awareness for Sarcoma cancer. Leading my first
event at Cranford for the summer fete I have learnt what our committee and our students are capable of. We
are able to interact with one another in positive ways in order to connect and enlarge our social networks
through the entirety of the school. This therefore was a positive impact for us as a whole committee as we are
able to say that our first event went as well as we could have ever planned. From the lead up to the actual day
of the event we went through a series of preparations such as creating posters, doing assemblies, prepping the
activities and bake sale that included: samosas, pakoras, cupcakes and ice creams whilst creating awareness
within the student population. It was a very successful event, where we raised a total amount of £430 for
Sarcoma Awareness month. We are very proud of what we achieved for our first event as a committee and
we can’t wait for more events to be bigger and better in the next academic year!
Xzaara Sandhu (year 12 - Charities Committee)
67

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Battles of Ideas
Weekend October 2021
The
Battle of Ideas Festival in London brings
together around 300 speakers for over 70
debates over the course of a single weekend. According
to one of the convenors of the festival, they believe
that hashing things out in the public square helps us to
understand better the world as it is and, perhaps, how
it should be.
The organisers of the weekend believe there could be
no better venue for a weekend festival of open-ended
discussion - what they’re calling a People’s Takeover
of Westminster - than Church House. The original
Church House was founded in 1887, built to commemorate
the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria… Now a Grade II listed
building, its walls resonate with history and debate - as a
chamber for the General Synod, it also provided a meeting
place for the two Houses of Parliament during the Second
World War. Many historic speeches and events took place
within the building during this time, in particular Churchill’s
announcements during World War 2 including that of the
sinking of German battleship Bismarck. And it is there that
a number of our students, ranging from Year 9 to 6th form
visited on the weekend of 9th – 10th October 2021, walking
the same corridors as some of the most celebrated statesmen
in British History. Given the missed opportunities due to the
pandemic, it was important that as many students as possible
took advantage of the free tickets for students. Now more than
ever, where opinions at home and abroad seem to be getting
more polarised, it is crucial for our young people to learn the
skills of listening to others, reflecting upon what they hear and
challenging their own mindsets. Those students who benefitted
from taking a day out of their weekend to attend, had a vast
array of debates and key notes speeches to choose from. These
included:
• Pandemic or Pandemonium: are the kids alright?
• Assisted dying: has its time come?
• From egg freezing to abortion: A woman’s right to choose.
• Free speech
• Culture wars
• Is it time to scrap exams?
• Hate, heresy and the fight for free speech
As their following accounts highlight, the students felt it was
a fantastic use of their time, and it is clear they gained a lot
from attending and being exposed to views that they have not
previously considered. Some of their reviews are extremely
insightful, I look forward to even more students attending in
October and reading about their experiences.
68
Mehmoona Yousaf (Senior Teacher Pastoral)

The Battle of Ideas weekend in London truly was an amazing
experience and I would love to do it again. The topics and
issues that were discussed were extremely interesting, I had
taken many notes down on the topics. We had taken part in the
topics of western culture, the party of the poor and medicine
break through. All three topics were discussed through many
points of views and helped us pick up the different views upon
these issues. I would love to go again. Despite all of us being
the only secondary students there, we were very grateful and
it was a true learning experience.
Pari Mahmotra (year 9)
The Battle of Ideas Festival was a unique and memorable
experience. These debates enlightened me to whole new
perspectives and encouraged me to look deeper into such
topics. Not only did it allow us to explore various issues around the globe, but it also introduced us to several
different ideas and opinions on subjects such as: western values and should we value them, who is the party of the
poor, medical breakthroughs, and many more. It also gave us the chance to prepare for our future by travelling to
central London; taking trains learning directions through map reading and walking around new areas.
Soha Haidery (year 9)
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
The Battle of Ideas Festival is inspiring, fun and interesting. It is enlightening as you listen to other people’s ideas
and perspectives on the world’s problems. Throughout the festival, both the people on the panel and the audience
were listing to each and respecting each other’s opinions. It changed our point of views on many different topics
such as western values and medical break-throughs. It encouraged people to have their say and have their views
challenged. When we went to Church House, we got to explore London too. Overall, I really enjoyed it and would
want to go again.
Sousan Hakeemi (year 9)
When I first heard about the Battle of Ideas
Festival, I was hesitant. Why would I waste a
perfectly good Saturday watching a bunch of
discontented “experts” when I could quite easily
be doing whatever people deem as entertainment
these days? Regardless of my initial hesitance,
I can honestly say that it was an exciting and
educational experience. It illuminated topics
that aren’t discussed enough, topics that the
general population don’t acknowledge or even
know about, topics that we blindly leave in the
hands of authority and assume the position that
they have everything under control. I think that
is important, especially in today’s society, to be
aware of what’s happening in the world and be
open to new ideas. Overall, it was lovely to see
how supportive and respectful everyone was of
each other’s opinions and I thoroughly enjoyed
the Battle of Ideas Festival.
Kyrah Thomas Turner (year 11)
The Battle of Ideas Festival was a fantastic opportunity granted to me by Cranford. It
provided me with insight into controversial topics, while also allowing me to develop
my communication and debating skills. I attended the festival on Sunday 10th of
October 2022 and took part in two debates: The “Keynote Controversies”, which
discussed the role of Western Values in our society today and “Letters on Liberty”,
which discussed the role of conscience and how we must take it seriously. As an A
Level Religious Studies student I loved taking part in these two debates, as they were
rooted deeply in philosophy and especially ethics, which gave me the opportunity to
apply the knowledge I’ve acquired in school in interesting and complex ways. One
big take away from the festival for me is that even if you are not 100% knowledgeable
about something that’s being discussed or debated, do not be afraid to put your
thoughts and opinions across - you’re only going to learn from it.
Samuel Dickson (year 12)
69

ECONOMICS
70
Economics at Cranford 2021-2022
Economics at Cranford offers a broad and balanced
curriculum with several opportunities to explore
cultural capital through exploration of a range of
economic events happening locally and internationally.
We aim to ignite a spark of curiosity in our students
where they consider arguments from a range of different
perspectives while analysing a particular decision or
policy and its impact on the economy. Furthermore,
we examine the impact of the theories by eminent
economists on the world and why they evolve with
the changing needs of the society. One such example
is where students gain an insight from behavioural
theories to study circumstances where consumers might
be predictably irrational which help them to reflect on
the decisions they make in day to day life.
Our students are encouraged to make links between
their in-class learning and real-life events. We support
our students to develop awareness of the world around
them with the articles written by leading economists
from Financial Times, Economist, Economics Today.
A range of resources are made available to the students
on Ms Teams to assist them to extend and, strengthen
their knowledge and skills outside lessons. As a part of
their curriculum, the students are taught essential skills
such as analysing and interpreting data for the purpose
of evaluating the implications of specific individual
and government activities. Furthermore, students build
upon their quantitative skills and learn how to use
diagrammatic analysis to support their findings on the
UK economy as well as the wider world.
We offer our students a variety of enrichment opportunities
such as talk by the Bank of England Ambassador, future
focus sessions with former students and a trip to the
Bank of England Museum. To promote aspiration and
support year 11 and 13 with their next phase of learning,
comprehensive transition packs are provided with a
programme of enrichment activities, careers advice and
transition sessions. Our students are actively encouraged
and supported to take part in extra-curricular activities
such as university summer schools, Junior Economist
of the Year Competition organised by Royal Society
of Economic, FCDO Next Generation Economics
Competition organised by Foreign, Commonwealth &
Development Office and essay writing competitions
offered by universities.
Ramanpreet Kaur (Head of Economics Department)
“I have been studying
Economics at Cranford
for four years now and
it is without a doubt
my favourite A-Level
subject. Economics is
such a useful subject to
study as it gives insights
into how the world works
and I think that everyone
should get the chance to study the basic concepts
of Economics at school. In my opinion, A-Level
Economics lessons have been extremely wellstructured
and tailored to students’ needs. Every
lesson sees us provided with useful recourses that
aid us in further our understanding of the topics
learnt in lessons. Overall, I highly encourage
those interested in persuing Economics in future to
consider choosing it as one of their A-Levels”.
Simran K Singh (year 13)
“Economics has been amazing! Having not studied
Economics at GCSE, choosing it as one of my A level
subjects was a risk worth-taking. Over the course of
two years, Economics taught me a lot about various
markets and the policies the UK government has to
implement to tackle major economic issues such as
poverty, inequality, inflation and sluggish economic
growth. The resources have been phenomenal, and
they have been extremely helpful to understand the
content as well as the exam skills. It has been a
pleasure learning Economics and would definitely
recommend students to choose it as an A level
option due to the immense support provided by the
department as well as how fascinating the subject
is”.
Guneet Dhameja (year 13)
“Studying Economics in Cranford has gifted me
with priceless knowledge that I will cherish for the
rest of my life. Topics such as the Financial and
Labour Market have primed me for the challenges
of adulthood, and I can safely say that the value of
the lessons have immensely impacted my education
for the better. My favourite part of the course was
learning about Oligopolies and the multi-faceted
way they approach competition in an industry. I
highly recommend studying Economics at Cranford
to enrich the way you understand and view the
world”.
Zayia Berum (year 13)

ECONOMICS
The
Mock Model United Nations
Year 12 Economics class had an opportunity to enhance their presentation, leadership and
debating skills by participating in a mock Model United Nations. The students were assigned
in pairs to be delegates of a country. Some countries comprised of the permanent members of UN Security
Council and understood their role on the global stage. The issues were aligned to their understanding of the
economics specification, which included key issues such as economic growth, inequality and environmental
impact. It also brought the contemporary issues faced such as the inflation crisis, a post-pandemic recession
and the conflict in Ukraine. Each delegate had to represent their own nations vested interest on stage but also
provide a convincing argument/solution that appealed to the majority of the delegates.
Alham Ahmad (Maths & Economics Teacher)
The Model United Nations was a highly engaging
experience. As a class we assumed roles as national
ambassadors to debate and solve global issues. I
represented India and through research I was able to
learn a lot more about India’s current economic state
and policies being used to tackle pressing problems.
We discussed how each country being represented has
dealt with the coronavirus pandemic, matters of trade
and security, environment, socio-economic factors and
much more. The discussions transformed into intensive
debates which enabled us to practise our speaking and
communication skills. Overall, this was an incredible
learning experience for the class, as we learnt about
international relations and ongoing issues amongst the
United Nations by actively taking part.
Heenal Mehra (year 12)
Taking part in the Model United Nations allowed me
to gain perspective into different countries within
and outside the UN and understanding how trading,
environment problems, political and regional stability
works. I took the role of a Turkish ambassador and
debated multiple issues and policies regarding the
socioeconomic problems and more recently of Covid-19,
with countries across the world who have different
interests. We also considered current affairs and recent
politics for example the Russia and Ukraine conflict.
Tanishka Bumrah (year 12)
Whilst participating in the mock Model UN, I had been
assigned as a representative of China. This was a daunting
task, as several points of discussion were based on social
welfare and equality. Being told to systematically argue
policies I fundamentally disagreed with improved my
debating skills, however, being a delegate of arguably
the second most powerful country in the world also
had its upsides. In the topics of trade and defence I
was able to use my economics knowledge to understand
where to strengthen the Chinese economy and how to
create sustainable and beneficial links to solve economic
issues. The entire experience was extremely engaging
and insightful.
Shaan Cheema (year 12)
71

ECONOMICS
Year 12 Trip to the Bank of England Museum
A
trip to the Bank of England Museum was organised for our year 12 Economics students in July 2022.
It aimed at developing insight into the history of the Bank of England and what the Bank does to keep
inflation low, maintain trust in its banknotes and keep the financial system stable. Our students had a fantastic
opportunity to witness a wide-ranging collection detailing the Bank’s history from its foundation in 1694
to the present day. As we entered the site, everyone was so enthusiastic to attempt a game called ‘take the
helm’ where they could experience the difficult task of maintaining inflation at 2% target and the problems
the economy may face whilst controlling inflation alongside ensuring economic growth does not suffer. It
was an exhilarating experience for our students to be able to hold a genuine gold bar from within its box. The
value of the gold bar is updated each day and displayed alongside the bar. Students were captivated to see
collection over 40,000 items including archaeology, banknotes, coins, oil paintings, sculpture and decorative
art. Furthermore, they explored the history of transatlantic slavery through its connections with the Bank
of England and the wider City of London. A range of interesting displays helped our young economists to
understand that apart from the traditional tool of interest rate, the Bank makes use of forward guidance and
quantitative easing as a part of monetary policy to maintain financial stability in the economy. Students were
provided with engaging activity pack designed to explore the Museum whilst learning the role of the Bank.
Overall, our year 12 students found this trip immensely beneficial and said it left them inquisitive to discover
and learn more about monetary policy and macro-economics in general.
Ramanpreet Kaur (Head of Economics)
“As part of my A-Level Economics course I had an opportunity to visit
the Bank of England’s Museum in Summer 2022. Located within the
Bank’s main building itself, this moderately sized museum was filled to
the brim with artefacts and information regarding the Bank, as well as
its role in the United Kingdom economy. Exhibits ranged from artefacts
depicting the foundation of the Bank in 1694 to a recent exhibition
highlighting the relation of the Bank to slavery over the course of time
with a display on counterfeit currency. Overall, I found the Museum
fascinating, leaving me keen to discover more about the history of
economics in the UK”.
Daniel Ortega (year 12)
“The Bank of England trip has been an enriching experience that has
enabled me to develop my understanding of the Bank of England’s
role in achieving monetary and financial stability. The trip involved
fun activities on investigating the function of the monetary policy in
maintaining a stable inflation rate of 2%. There was also another
activity where I was able to lift a real gold bar. The display gave a
fascinating insight on the Bank of England’s history such as on old
bank notes and coins, early investors of the Bank and the evolution of
the Bank’s architecture. The trip also gave an overview of the history of
the economy portrayed through mosaics and various ornaments dating
back to the 1700’s. Ultimately the opportunity of being able to visit
the Bank of England is a great memory and has immensely aided my
understanding of Economics”.
Uthistan Sritharan (year 12)
“The Bank of England Museum trip was extremely useful. It helped me to
learn the history of the Bank and how it evolved over the years. Seeing
the first denominated banknote issued by the Bank was probably my
favourite part of the trip. It was quite interesting to see how handwritten
notes changed into printed polymer. I am glad that I was able to be a
part of this trip. Overall, I found this trip productive and it definitely
will help me to understand my A Level Economics content better as I
have had first-hand experience”.
72
Sukhpreet Bual (year 12)

Year 13 Bank of England Trip
With
the recession caused by the pandemic
and the subsequent inflation crisis,
economic theory has started to revolve more around
our everyday lives. The field of monetary policy
in particular looks at how the central bank (Bank
of England) regulates the entire macroeconomy by
adjusting the interest rate and supply of money to
maintain price stability and foster economic growth.
In March 2022, we were lucky enough to welcome
Simon Kirby – a senior economist in the Monetary
Analysis Directorate to Cranford.
The Year 13s were very enthusiastic witnessing a
prominent member of the Bank at Cranford, discussing
the various topics that they have learnt in class, as
well as learning more about the role of the Bank.
This included how the Bank ensures that banknotes
are difficult to forge, the various policies necessary
to combat the inflation crisis we are currently facing
and how this mission has been the same for the past
300 years. We also saw how the Bank of England
handles over £600 billion transactions in a day and
how they store over 400,000 gold bars in its vault,
worth £100 billion. The enthusiastic and curious
mindset that the students displayed saw us privileged
enough to have another guest speaker – Michael
Lever – to share a similar talk to the Year 12s.
The Year 13 class were surprised with a visit to the
Bank of England after Easter. The students were able
to witness first-hand how difficult it is to control
inflation, despite having the initial presumption that
this can be simply remedied through adjusting the
interest rate. We also glimpsed into economic history,
seeing how the Bank of England has modernised
itself over time with the changing of banknotes,
security behind the gold bar vaults (which is a lot
more secure than what is seen in ‘Money Heist’)
and also facilitating the growing use of contactless
payment. Ending the day on a beautiful sunny Friday
afternoon was an excellent way of saying farewell to
this amazing Year 13 class.
Alham Ahmad (Economics & Maths Teacher)
ECONOMICS
“Our trip to the Bank of England
was a fantastic experience which
was greatly enjoyed by the whole
class. It was a lovely day where
we were all able to apply our
knowledge of Economics to a
variety of different activities
located all around the museum.
We were all able to learn about
the history of Economics which
was extremely interesting and see
its application in real life. Thanks
to Mr Ahmad, Mr Nassari and Ms
Field we were able to enjoy such
a fun day out with the class”.
Karolina Mucko (year 13)
73

ECONOMICS
Bank of England Ambassador:
Talk on ‘Economics in Practice’
In
summer 2022, our year 12 Economics cohort
had an excellent opportunity to attend a talk
at Cranford on ‘Economics in Practice’ by the Bank
of England Ambassador Michael Lever. Michael is
a policy adviser in Independent Evaluation Office
at the Bank. He delivered an engaging presentation
on the role of Bank of England in maintaining
financial stability in the UK. As a part of their A
level Economics curriculum, students explored the
functions of the Bank with a brief insight into its
history. It was quite intriguing for our students to
discover how a small change in interest rates can
impact our day-to-day spending, mortgages, business
investment, inflation, jobs, growth and many more
areas in the economy. Michael touched upon the
current economic situation where by the UK economy
is facing substantially high inflation, rising energy
costs, low growth, and rising interest rates in the past
few months. Students asked about the challenges
presented by use of cryptocurrency in the modern
world and the need for regulation by the Bank to
manage this highly volatile market. Our year 12
students learnt that the Bank is not only an influential
organisation but it is also a uniquely rewarding place
to develop a career. This talk could not have come at
a better time as straight after the talk year 12 students
made a start with their UCAS application process.
Michael very kindly shared his story of working
at the Bank in a wide range of roles. The talk was
interactive and students were able to learn ways to
become a part of the Bank at all different stages
such as level 4 apprenticeship, internships, industrial
placements and graduate development programmes.
Overall, our year 12 students were delighted and
enthused to be able to attend this talk and found it
highly productive.
Ramanpreet Kaur (Head of Economics Department)
Future focus session with
Adil Awan former student &
KPMG apprentice
To
prepare students with their next phase of
learning, the Economics department invited
former student Adil Awan to have an interactive
session with year 12 students. The session aimed
at enhancing students’ understanding of careers/
apprenticeship programmes in Economics and how
to prepare for those opportunities. After all, who
knows better what a university or a course is like
than someone who is actually there at the moment?
The session covered a range of areas such as the
application process for university and apprenticeship,
interviews, managing money, organising workload,
and course structure. The students came prepared
with numerous interesting questions and displayed
immense enthusiasm throughout the session. They
found the advice and information gathered in this
session highly beneficial in preparation for the
UCAS application process.
Ramanpreet Kaur (Head of Economics Department)
74
“It was a great
privilege to have
the opportunity to
attend a talk by the
Bank of England
Ambassador Michael Lever. He spoke on interesting
topics such as interest rates, cryptocurrency and
quantitative easing. It was an immensely insightful
experience. I developed an understanding on how
the Bank works and the way it operates within the
economy. I was so inspired by his work ethic and the
level of success he achieved at such a young age, which
gave me huge motivation and inspired me to persue
Economics at university. I am extremely pleased that
I was able to be a part of this talk – it has encouraged
me to explore Economics at a much deeper level”.
Shritu Singh (year 12)
I attended a talk by a former Cranford, Adil Awan, who
is currently on an apprenticeship scheme at KPMG. It
really helped to collect information on various career
options available to take up after sixth form. Adil gave us
an insight into his life as an apprentice at KPMG, how he
manages his time between working and having to study
for the course, and his social life. I learnt that one of the
main benefits of being an apprentice is gaining valuable
work experience while studying and not having to pay
off any debts. I found this session extremely helpful in
choosing my future career path as it is always a dilemma
whether to choose university or apprenticeship.
Muskaan Kaur Sanghera (year 12)

Over
2021
2022
An Anthology
in the Making
the course of June and July you may
have seen some slightly frazzled
students dashing straight from their lessons after
school on a Monday, not out of school, but straight
into the B Block. This was not a feat of madness but
instead an act of sacrifice in the name of creativity.
The dizzy and out of breath students arrived at CR4
for a prompt 1515 start to their First Story sessions.
This year the First Story Programme ran slightly
differently to previous years, wherein students only
had 8 weeks of workshops to perfect their final
anthology pieces. We were grateful to be joined
there by our resident author Adam Z Robinson who
brought brilliant creativity to every session, inspiring
the students at every turn and encouraging them to throw every
literary rule book out of the window (much to the joy of those
who had promptly forgotten every piece of knowledge from their
English lessons…). The students bounced off of each other’s
energy from the get go, creating a vibrant, and enthusiastic
space that fostered their ideas and budding confidence. It lent
just the right amount of creative ingenuity to help us reach our
anthology title “Three novels and a Poem walk into a bar…”.
This title, although non-conventional, perfectly exemplifies the range of creative ideas that we
had in the room and the wonderful ways in which the students stepped beyond the boundaries
of language. We’ve had many creative styles and a broad range of ideas from monks in strange
towers to poetry evocative of the dirtiest Hounslow Highstreet. With an eclectic mix of year 10
and year 12 students representing a wide range of interests, this might seem inevitable but took
a lot of bravery on the part of the students. They boldly shared works every session and the work
we witnessed over the course of the weeks has been exceptional and has often left each other in
awe and admiration. I’m sure if you ever walked past you were never more than two steps away
from hearing thunderous applause. They took on prompts such as “write a story
set in a supermarket without using vowels” with great gusto and I promise you
it is a difficult as it sounds. To add to the natural success of the writers, we also
had two entries to the EcoPoetry competition from Cammeron Jones and Nikola
Szczawinska who swept the podium and won first and third place respectively.
It has been an honour to see these students grow alongside each other and it has
been a greater honour to listen to the writing that they have shared. I cannot wait to
see where their writing takes them and look forward to the next cohort – hopefully
with some returning faces.
FIRST STORY
If they do not, I hope they will remember the message that every single voice
and idea mattered. It serves as a valuable reminder of the values that we hold
at Cranford. With thanks to the English team who encouraged these students to
participate to also to Mr Ind and Mr Prunty who ensure that these opportunities
never die down for the students. The longevity and success of the First Story
Programme at Cranford despite the many challenges that have been thrown into
the mix stands only as a testament to the dedication the school has to student
opportunities.
For those who are already itching to read some of the spectacular pieces of this
year’s anthology I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until the Autumn for the big reveal
when we have our celebration evening. For now, please fill your appetite with
some samples of writing and the fantastic EcoPoetry entries. Until next time!
Veronica Chow (First Story Lead Teacher)
75

BUSINESS STUDIES
Business Studies Department
2021-2022
This
year the Business Studies Department
has been very exciting! We are a popular
choice of study at GCSE and for our 6th form students,
and we were pleased to welcome a new teacher, Mr
Lloyd, to the team. Students have achieved excellent
results in their studies with many on track to gain top
grades in their A Level and BTEC courses which we
hope will secure them places on a range of Businessrelated
courses at university and in the world of work. As
a department we have focused on developing world
class assessment, tracking and feedback procedures,
led by Mr Ryan, and were delighted to showcase our
methods to other departments to share good practice.
Encouraging and supporting our students to help them
succeed is our priority and we are excited to see the
results of their hard work this Summer.
Gurpreet Patel (Head of Business Studies Department)
BTEC Business Charity Event
at Cranford
On
Friday 25th March 2022 a charity fundraiser
was held by the Year 13 BTEC students, the
proceeds of which went to Heston West Big Local.
Students set out with the expectation of raising £300
for their chosen charity, a target which was exceeded
by 15%. Heston West Big Local is a not-for-profit
organisation which focus their efforts on the Hounslow
area and do their best to make it a happier and healthier
borough of London, and one in which people are proud
to reside.
Coming up to the event the BTEC students had put
countless hours of work to ensure that every part of the
event was a success. The saying “Measure twice, cut
once” was at its truest form when it came to the event
preparation. Every element was risk assessed including
the time taken to set up before break and even how
profitable things would be once the event got going.
On the day things couldn’t have gone better in any
conceivable way. Stalls were selling their games and
products, attendees were orderly, chaos was kept to
a minimum and lastly, all of the litter was picked up
as quickly as it was dropped and everything was put
away allowing for students to return to their lessons.
This did not go unnoticed with Mr Fraser stating that
“the concourse was spotless” and “it didn’t look like
an event had taken place at all”.
Overall, this day just goes to show how a small group
of organised and motivated individuals can make
amazing things happen.
76
Stefan Mishlinkov (year 13)

MACMI LLAN CHARI TY EVENT
(CANCER SUPPORT)
• Enj oy cookies, cakes, cupcakes, donuts
and samosas and help cont ribut e
donations towards Macmillan Cancer
Support!
• This year we would like to ask students
and staf f to help with the food
donations and ask them to contribute to
the event
• Can all sweet donations please be given
at the school shop by this Wednesday
(13 th ) and please make sure that the
sweet treat s/ past ries are in dat e t o be
sold for Thursday 14 th Oct
Thursday 14th
October 2021
Break 1
On the Concourse
Sweet treats you can
donate and buy f rom the
char it y event :
Cookies
Cake slices
Cupcakes
Donut s
Pakoras
And other sweet pastries
CHARITY
Sixth Form
Macmillan Cancer
Charity Cake Sale
On Thursday 14th
October 2021, the
Charities Committee
organised and ran a
charity event in support
for the Macmillan
Charity. The Charities
Committee was keen
to support and donate
to Macmillan Cancer
Support as it was already
cancer awareness month.
This year we asked
students and staff to
contribute to the event by
donating sweet treats to
help raise money. During
the event, different
kinds of food were sold to raise money
including sweet pastries, cookies, donuts,
cakes, cupcakes and pakoras which sold
out in minutes. The Charities Committee
set a goal of raising just over £200, but
thanks to the combined efforts of students
and staff from across the school, we were
able to exceed that goal and raise just
over £600 ! The money raised should help
fund the charity in helping and supporting
people with cancer by providing emotional,
physical and financial support to enable
those who have been diagnosed with
cancer get through such a difficult time. We
would like to thank all students and staff
at Cranford who helped support the charity
event and raised such a huge amount of
money from donations.
Gurshaan Ghattoray
(year 13 - Charities Committee)
77

CHARITY
Sixth Form
Food Bank Collections
In
February the charities
committee decided to organise
and set up a food bank in the school
whereby all students and staff were
encouraged to donate at least one
non-perishable item towards the food
bank. The charities committee set
up a “food bank station” where any
student or staff member may donate
any necessary items. The food bank
which the committee chose to donate
to was the ‘St Paul’s Hounslow West
Foodbank’. The charities committee
decided to do this in part because
of the rise in the cost of living and
food prices (due to inflation), and we
believed that a food bank would be one
of the best ways to assist the less fortunate and those who have been disproportionately affected by the costof-living
increase. The covid pandemic had also made living conditions worse for some households, thus our
food bank will hopefully reduce the stress of people who cannot afford basic food and toiletries. This food
bank was a success because we were able to collect a large number of donations from both students and staff
across the school (enough to fill the school minibus!). I would like to say a great thank you to all those who
donated and well done for making a positive contribution to our local community.
Gurshaan Ghattoray
(year 13 - Charities Committee)
8 th June 2022
Dear Julie
DONATIONS TO THE FOODBANK AT HOPE CHURCH
We wanted to say a huge thank you to all the pupils, parents and staff at Cranford Community College
for the very generous Foodbank donations you collected and delivered to us before half term.
The Foodbank team greatly appreciates the school’s encouraging support for the work we do with local
people and families experiencing financial hardship. During the course of 2021, the Foodbanks at our St
Paul’s and Good Shepherd locations supplied enough food to feed over 13,500 adults and children (as well
as providing toiletries and hygiene products) – an increase of over 80% compared to the previous year.
We simply would not have been able to continue providing such a high level of support to so many
vulnerable people without the very generous donations we continue to receive from schools, churches,
businesses and individuals within our local community.
With our thanks and very best wishes,
Avril Gearing
Avril Gearing
Foodbank Coordinator
E: foodbank@hopehounslow.org.uk
T: 07763 083049
Charity No: 1164343 | Place of Registration: England
Hope Church Hounslow
C/O Bath Road, Hounslow West, TW3 3DA
www.hopehounslow.org.uk | T: 020 8581 5537 Vicarage | T: 020 8707 4092 | info@hopehounslow.org.uk
78

Year 12 - Aspirations Day
Tuesday 19th July 2022 will be remembered as the day the UK heat record was broken with temperatures
soaring to 40.3C, but this sweltering day was also significant for our Year 12 students at Cranford as
they had the privilege of attending a range of talks from 34 guest speakers throughout the day to raise their
aspirations. We had academics from Middlesex University, University College West London, St Marys
University, Brunel University, Kingston University, University of Hertfordshire and Roehampton University
delivering taster lectures in a range of different subjects from Criminology to Aerospace Engineering to give
our students an insight to studying these courses at university.
CAREERS
An important aspect of this event was ensuring that there was something for everybody and we were lucky
enough to have a range of professionals from different industries attend Cranford to provide an insight to
their careers and the pathways they took to achieve their ambitions. Sharon Blyfield from Coka-Cola gave
an interactive presentation on how best to prepare for interviews and creating an effective CV. Mustafa Omar
from Metro Bank talked about Fraud – The Silent Victim + Think Like A Banker, Lend Like One and Nick
Nanikhan gave students a much needed understanding of student finance.
Cranford has always been proud of the relationships we maintain with our Alumni and it was great to welcome
back Warda Khalid and Faisa Ali who delivered a talk on the Oxbridge Experience and Pariksit Dogra
provided an insight to his career at KPMG. Our students found the ‘real talk’ from our alumni extremely
insightful.
Students came away from the day feeling that they had been given a truly valuable and insightful experience
and our guests all commented on how respectful Cranford students are.
Sharandeep Saroya (Assistant Headteacher)
Thank you for the warm welcome at Cranford this
morning and for the invitation to take part in Aspirations
Day. I really enjoyed meeting the students and answering
their questions. I’d be very happy to come back to the
school again so please do let me know about future
events where we can contribute.
Rhiannon Evans (Learning & Outreach
Manager London’s Air Ambulance Charity)
It was good to see you today. Just wanted to thank you
for the opportunity to come in and speak to the some of
the kids, they had some really great questions.
Pariksit Dogra (ex-student KPMG)
Thanks for having me this morning, I really enjoyed
getting the chance to speak to your students. I hope the
students found the presentation useful.
Emma Macrae (Scottish Civil Service)
Thanks so much for your help with the sessions today.
Everyone I met was so friendly and kind, I was also really
impressed with your students. You have a great school!
Dr Maria Mellins
(Associate Professor SAfEE Qualifications / Stalking
Awareness for Education Environments / Course Lead
BSc Criminology and Sociology)
79

PERFORMING ARTS
80
Performing Arts 2021-2022
Getting back to doing what we do best !
September 2021; A new academic year, a new
term and a new determination to get back to
doing what we do best in Performing Arts and
that is giving students the opportunity to be creative,
innovative and have fun, working practically in
Music and Drama. After eighteen months of limited
participation in the arts, we were determined that
the new year would bring new opportunities and that
these opportunities would include performances in
and out of school and much needed theatre visits
to inspire creativity. To achieve this, we planned to
have a showcase performance each term to celebrate
the amazing talent of Cranford students.
At the start of the academic year there were still a
number covid restrictions in place. Mask wearing,
keeping distance and sanitizing were still creating
challenges for practical work but undeterred,
everyone tried to carry on developing drama and
music as best they could. Relaxation of these
requirements in late September freed us up to really
drive the organic process and an air of excitement
was clearly felt, not only in the taught curriculum
but in the extra-curricular projects.
For the autumn term we planned Cranfest 2021, a
concert in celebration of music talent across the
school. This would be the first concert since 2019
and the music department became a hive of activity,
just as it had been prior to the pandemic. With the
RSL music course now firmly established in key
stages 4 and 5, younger students were mentored and
supported by older students in learning instruments
and songs, resulting in some extraordinary crossphase
musicianship. In addition, Mr Daplyn worked
with a group of year 9 boys on an original studio
performance entitled “BadTimes Stories” a piece of
devised, dystopian theatre. The plot evolved around
the discovery of a story book buried under rubble at
a waste tip and a group of young boys reading and
learning from these stories of the past.
For the spring term performance, we were rehearsing
for the Shakespeare in Schools Festival 2022. We
chose to perform “The Tempest” and seventeen
year 8 and 9 students undertook the project during
Mind, Body, Soul. The group, having spent most of
their rehearsal time engaging with the language and
learning lines during the early autumn term, began to
experiment with possible practical ideas for bringing
the text to life. This was incredibly exciting as what
had been a discussion about “what if” became “let’s
try this ….” including inventing different ways to
make an umbrella a ship, a disguise or Prospero’s
magic staff. This was an exciting challenge as
none of the cast had ever been involved with a
production before, but supported by Ms Rae to bring
Shakespeare’s play from page to stage performing
first, on a professional stage at the Beck Theatre
in Hayes and then to a school audience of staff and
students at Cranford.
The heart of any Performing Arts curriculum is the
ability to innovate and inspire young people. The
creative process is essential in giving ownership
to a story they want to tell. Our biggest project,
scheduled for July 2022 was the school production,
developed throughout the academic year during
Mind, Body Soul, was one such project. “OverRuled”
was a story developed entirely through students’
discussion, music and lyric writing, improvisation
and reflection, inspired by how the past two years
had impacted on their lives and how they see their
future. They wanted to examine through theatre and
music what really matters to them; the world agenda
of globalization and ecology and the way the post
pandemic “new world” now viewed life.
This was an extraordinary piece of theatre and so well
received by its audience. Its contents and relevance
were scarily accurate in its messages and warnings
giving many of us food for thought.
In addition to all the exciting curriculum and extra
-curricular opportunities, we were delighted to be
able to visit live theatre again in support of the Drama
and Theatre Craft curriculum. All these productions
helped to inspire an understanding and appreciation
of the non-performance elements when putting on a
production. Students were able to take ideas and use
them in their own work in set, lighting, sound and
costume design.
Looking back over the past year it is quite amazing
what has been achieved. It is this determination
and love of the performing arts that continues to
engage young people in the desire to participate in
performances and learn from industry professionals.
They love the buzz they get from being part of a
group, a company or a technical team and they
get such a sense of achievement when they hear
the applause and the words of acknowledgement
from their families, friends and teachers. Even the
shyest of young people can be transformed by this
experience and that is why we will continue to do
what we do best in Performing Arts and make it
possible for young people to take part in exciting
and creative projects.
Jessica Joyce
(Head of Performing Arts Department)

BadTime Stories
In
September 2021 a small group of year 9 boys
approached the Performing Arts Department with
the idea of doing a studio performance in the autumn term.
I was keen to work with this young team of enthusiasts
and workshopped some initial ideas after school in the
Drama Studio. After a relatively short time the boys had
come up with a framework for the drama which once
agreed generated some enthusiastic improvisations and
discussion. This resulted in the title, “BadTime Stories”, a
cautionary tale about the value of folklore, and the danger
of ignoring the wisdom it contains.
It was clear from the outset the past two years had a
significant impact on the boys individually and as a
group. As their confidence grew, they took the opportunity
to reflect on their own circumstances and experiences
during the pandemic and thought about how their lives
had been diminished by the “loss “of various things they
had previously taken for granted. This led to the idea
of the setting with thought of how life might be if there
were no stories to tell and pass on through generations…. a world without stories. We researched various
folklore stories from different cultures to find ones that would be good to translate into a visual representation
alongside the story telling. Each story had a moral and helped to bring the whole piece together.
PERFORMING ARTS
The performance took place over two nights in early December 2021 to a small studio audience. I and the
boys were enormously proud of the finished project and feel they have learnt so much about theatre, the
value of storytelling and themselves through this process.
Tom Daplyn (Director - Performing Arts Department)
Creating “BadTime Stories” was an amazing experience!
I learned a lot about costume and set design throughout
my time working on this production. Some students are
reluctant to stay after school but for me rehearsing felt less
of a chore and more of privilege. One main reason for this
was how much input and freedom Mr Daplyn allowed us
to have with staging, acting and scriptwriting. It allowed
us to relate and represent the characters we portrayed in
a more natural way. This was such a delight to perform
and with the cast being good friends of mine, it was a
very comfortable and open setting to express yourself.
We had an amazing cast of actors including Lakshay
Mehra, Brandon Coleman, Koa Cundall, Balveen Sodi
and me with Khadar Abdullai behind the scenes creating
the wonderful stage and world around us but we cannot
forget our director and scriptwriter, Mr Daplyn and Mr
Ramsden for doing all the tech.
Deen Asskoumi (year 9)
81

PERFORMING ARTS
82
In
2019 we held our first Cranfest which was
hugely successful. With the two-year absence
of music making at Cranford we were determined to
reignite the students with the promise of a Cranfest
2021 to bring back all the good things we do in
music and celebrate a thriving department and our
talented music students. We were keen to involve
students from all year groups and were delighted
with how many in year 8 -13 wanted to take part. We
were also delighted to find so many talented year 7
students who showed great promise and wanted to
get involved.
Cranfest is a celebration of music from a variety of
genres and the development of the music curriculum
at Cranford over the past five years. Our approach
is student centred encouraging young people to take
up an instrument and to learn to play and perform.
Having an end of term concert as a goal always makes
for a very busy autumn term, but which confirms
the joy of music making in the school. Weeks of
rehearsals during period 0 and period 6 alongside
breaks 1 and 2 and any spare time in between saw
the buzz of previous years return to the Music
Department. It was really exciting watching younger
students learn from older students (and at times vice
versa), gel together in newly formed bands and to
see confidence grow as they tackled a range of songs
old and new, some original compositions, others old
favourites and even some in different languages.
An exciting and varied programme began to be
developed as we moved towards December and our
proposed performance date. Ticket sales were going
well and even sold out much to the disappointment of
the Last minute.com Cranford students. Everything
was going to plan when the dreaded Covid struck,
and it looked like what the students had worked so
hard for would be lost. Fortunately, Kevin Prunty,
Executive Headteacher, was also determined that
the concert should go ahead and so with strict covid
rules in place and a very supportive audience of
parents, students, and staff, Cranfest 21 took place
on Tuesday 14th December 2021. From bhangra to
blues and rapping to soul, the Concert Hall “rocked”!
It was such a great evening of celebration and the
audience were clearly blown away by the variety of
music performed.
We are incredibly proud of what our students have
achieved and delighted we were able to share this
wonderful evening with everyone. Bring on Cranfest
2022!
Luke Joyce
(Head of Music Department)

PERFORMING ARTS
“AMAZING!!!!! Cranford has got
talent. An incredible evening and I am
so pleased that I was persuaded to go.
Well done everyone”
Dawn Knock (SEND Department)
“Last night was such a delight. I think
staff and visitors alike really enjoyed
themselves. The performances were
amazing and I, for certain, had a few
tears in my eyes at times. I am so
proud of all our superstars”.
Sabine Geister (Three Bridges)
“The quality of the performances was
of a very high standard. Luke and Rory
have done an amazing job with the
students. One of the best performances
I have been to with representation
from all key stages. Parents/audience
reaction was very positive and the
comments as they exited confirmed
this”.
Shawn DeSouza (Assistant
Headteacher)
“What an amazing job you all did in
organising Cranfest – it was so well put
together and organised. Also a massive
thank you as well – opportunities like
this have been thin on the ground due
to Covid and so this would have been
even more of a monumental effort than
normal to put together. The year 10’s
in particular are crying out for ways
to express themselves and I know they
are grateful for the opportunity – it
has done them the world of good.
Thank you for all for the hard work.
Who needs Wembley Arena or the O2
when you have the Concert Hall?”
Bradley King (Head of Year 10)
83

PERFORMING ARTS
Shakespeare In Schools Festival 2022
“The Tempest”
Cranford Performing Arts team were delighted to be a part
of the live Shakespeare in Schools Festival again this year.
Our students took on “The Tempest”, Shakespeare’s comedic story
of magic, betrayal, romance and power, with performances in the
professional space at The Beck Theatre Hayes and at Cranford.
The cast and student directors used ensemble theatre techniques
to create shipwrecks, caves and the mysterious island where the
action takes place using only umbrellas and minimal costume.
In the few short months of weekly rehearsals, the cast took real
ownership over the story and language of the play, with the
festival director commenting on how natural and conversational
their delivery of the text was. I was incredibly proud of the hard
work and dedication of the cast and student directors; the quality
of the performance and the joyful rehearsal process were a credit
to them and to the school.
Laura Rae (Drama Teacher and SSF Director)
“The experience was amazing as a
whole. This included the rehearsals, the
play, the costumes, and the people we
worked with. The rehearsals were a joy
because I got to meet the wonderful cast,
enjoy myself and memorise lines. I loved
the relationships and friendships that I
built. Everyone is kind and we learned
to accept one another.
The joy of the performance was nerve
racking for us all but we all had excitement
packed inside of us. The dress rehearsals
were my favourite as we were all excited
getting dressed into our costumes. Then
we had a briefing which was exciting
because we had a full view of the stage.
It was a memory I’ll never forget. Then
after the briefing we played some games
outside. The fountains were beautiful,
and the weather was perfect. When it
was finally our chance to perform, I
felt a wave of confidence. I thought to
myself, “This is my time to shine” and I
managed the stage very well. I was very
grateful for this experience, and I’d do
it a thousand times more”.
Minah Shirzad (year 8 -Trinculo)
84
“The opportunity the school has given me was amazing to experience.
I got the chance to play Ariel in ‘The Tempest’. Playing Ariel was
the best experience ever since I got to dress her how I wanted and
make sure the attitude was suitable for her. Ariel was a pleasure to
play because she matched my personality in real life, so acting her
was easy and fun. Ariel was able to show her power and confidence.
It was a fun experience because we got to choose our costumes.
Rehearsing was tiring but worth it since we managed to learn our
lines and be confident with them. Performing at the Beck Theatre
was amazing, and we were encouraged by our teachers.
I recommend this experience to anyone because it’s fun and
unforgettable. The cast was amazing and the directors were helpful
and nice”.
Bianca Briceag (year 9 - Ariel)
“I have been rehearsing “The Tempest”
since September so for about 7 months.
From the MBS sessions, to after school it
has been so much fun working with Ms Rae
and the cast. This play has helped me talk to
people I would never have talked to. It has
opened new opportunities for me such as the
school production”.
Laaibah Baig (year 8 - Stephano)
“I acted in a few of the scenes. I also
directed the scenes. The actors were very
cooperative. I enjoyed building a bond with
everyone”.
Hajir Shuweikh (year 9 - Student Director)

“So, throughout the Mind, Body and Soul lessons I had
so much fun rehearsing and doing the starter games.
Playing ‘Boatswain and Gonzala’ and ‘Spirit’ was really
fun because all the lines were amazing.”
Samuele Suman (year 8 -Gonzalo/Boatswain)
“I really enjoyed helping direct. It was a suitable job for
me. I think it also really helped the cast and helped bring
the scenes together. I’d really recommend being a part of
performing arts Shakespeare in Schools Festival. It was
an amazing unforgettable experience”.
Nasra Hashi (year 9 - Student Director)
“What I enjoyed was that when we got to the theatre, there
were different schools there and I made new friends. I
was very nervous when it was us going on stage, but still
I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone I know”.
Khalil Yusuf (year 9 – Ferdinand)
“I played Miranda and I enjoyed playing her a lot. I
also enjoyed doing a play with this group of people and
would like to work with them again. I had a big part in
choosing my character’s outfit and the meaning behind
the colours and type of clothing. Eg: flowy clothes =
elegance + being on an island, black = sadness & anger
& depression, Blue & pink = link to my father, white =
my marriage to Ferdinand. I loved working at the Beck
Theatre and doing the Tempest and the Shakespeare in
Schools Festival. I’m grateful for the opportunity and I
would love to do something like this again”.
Marina Mocanu (year 9 – Miranda)
“It was fun, the directors and actors were all very nice,
the room to practice in was spacious and I made many
new friends. The travel to Beck Theatre was a whole
different and fun experience. I’m so glad a took part”.
Kal-El Muhammad (year 8 – Caliban)
PERFORMING ARTS
“I did the Tempest and I played Alonso. I liked how we
had our own changing room and how nice the performers
were. The Beck was big and it was scary to perform in
front of a big audience”.
Zakariye Galadid (year 8 – Alonso)
Cranford Community College
Presents
The Tempest
Tuesday 29th March 2022
“O brave new world that has such people in’t … “
Twelve years have passed since Prospero, previously Duke of Milan, was wrongfully
overthrown by his brother Antonio and Alonso, the King of Naples.
When Prospero’s enemies sail by the island on which he and his daughter Miranda
were shipwrecked, he conjures a storm. All are unharmed but Alonso and his son
Ferdinand are separated in the chaos and assume each other dead. Anotonio
persuades Sebastian to attempt to murder his own brother Alonso. This would make
Sebastian King of Naples. Meanwhile two drunken servants called Stephano and
Trinculo, conspire with Caliban, an island creature, to overthrow Prospero. With the
help of Ariel, a spirit, Prospero brings all of these characters together as the story
reaches its climax …
Prospero – Ashaaz Maredia
Briceag
Caliban – Kal-El Muhammad
Sebastian – Koa Cundall
Miranda – Marina Mocanu
Antonio – Zaqee Rakhda
Gonzalo/ Boatswain – Samuele Suman
Cast List:
Ariel – Bianca
Ferdinand – Khalil Yusuf
Stephano – Laaibah Baig
Trinculo – Minah Shirzad
Alonso – Zakariye Galadid
“We are such stuff as dreams are made on”
The Tempest
by Cranford Community College
at The The Beck Theatre, 22nd March 2022
appraised by Vikki Walsh
I would like to send my sincerest congratulations to Cranford Community College for your
wonderful production of The Tempest as part of the Spring 22 Shakespeare Schools
Festival. It was a brilliant evening of theatre, and I’d like to talk about a few elements that
really shone.
This was a creative and inventive production of The Tempest that gave the audience a
thrilling example of how theatre can transport the audience into the world of a play. We
were immediately drawn in through clever use of clear umbrellas. From being spun as
stormy waves, held as weapons by those shipwrecked on the island, covering Caliban as his
cave, and having the handles form a loveheart to highlight Miranda and Ferdinand’s
partnership (an unforgettable moment!), the cast handled these props brilliantly. It was
delightful to hear how they came up with ideas themselves, such as the umbrellas being
pulled away and dropped from the hands of Prospero’s rivals at the wave of Ariel’s wand.
There were lovely hypnotic moments in this performance, which were wonderfully enhanced
by live sound. The winding and whirring effect that, along with whispers from the ensemble,
seemed to come from nowhere, was really effective. This was a refreshing interpretation of
the magic on the ‘isle full of noises,’ and it worked so well because the cast were fully
committed and invested.
Reactions from the ensemble were wonderfully played to maximise the impact of the action.
It was great to see everyone having so much fun with these moments! The physicality of
characters was very strong and this was well balanced with a conversational quality to the
dialogue. The cast demonstrated a high level of ownership over and belief in their
characters.
Congratulations to a playful cast who performed a Tempest which truly transfixed the
audience and transformed the stage! Staging a Shakespeare play in these changing times
takes extra courage, tenacity, and creativity. You should be incredibly proud of what you
and your teachers have achieved.
I hope to see Cranford Community College in the next Festival!
Cranford Community College
Vikki Walsh
“a Tempest which truly
transfixed the audience and
transformed the stage!”
85

PERFORMING ARTS
“OverRuled”
School Production 2022
Cranford Community College
Presents
An original Musical Theatre Production
Tickets £3
Tickets on sale from the School Shop
or via the school website
Email: jpr@cranford.hounslow.sch.uk
Tuesday 5th, Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th July 2022 5.00pm
To be held at Cranford Community College Concert Hall
"What could link the ‘Treebels’ and the Government?
Why would someone attack the Leader? And who will take the seat
of Power? Everything is up for grabs in OVERRULED”.
In
September 2021,
students in year
7, 8 & 9 embarked on
a creative journey with
the Performing Arts staff
during Mind,Body,Soul,
to devise an original piece
of Musical Theatre to be
performed at Cranford
during the Summer Term
2022.
This year long project has
involved students working
in various production roles
and was a completely
original piece of theatre
with all aspects created and
performed by the students.
This was our first School
Production since 2019 and the first opportunity to share with a
live audience in school. As with all creative journeys, its success
was wholly dependent upon everyone involved giving their time,
energy and commitment to see the project to its conclusion. In
total more than 80+ students worked on this production. For most
students this was their first experience of working on a project on
this scale. It was a very organic process. Script writing evolved
in tandem with the song lyrics and music with Mr Joyce and Mr
O’Hare whilst student directors ran drama workshops to help
develop the characters and scenes facilitated by Mr Daplyn and Ms
McMahon. Behind the scenes design work developed on set and
costumes as well as lighting with one student Khadhar Abdullai
taking on the lighting design under the guidance of Mr Ramsden.
To create a production in twelve months was quite achievement.
Our production was entitled “OverRuled”. It grew from several
discussions around the pandemic, the G7 summit on climate
change and the past two years with lockdown. The students looked
at the old world we lived in prior to lockdown, the “new normal”
and considered “the what if?” They felt they wanted to examine
the dystopian world idea and discovered many of the characters
and situations felt all too real and familiar.
The production was performed over three nights
including a matinee performance to Year 5 Berkeley
Academy children who questioned the cast about
the ideas behind the story and were also very vocal
in their agreement of the very important message
the production gave. The feedback and response
from the audience of parents, staff and students was
unanimously positive. They were blown away by the
quality of the production and everyone said the shows
message gave them real food for thought.
86
Jessica Joyce (Head of Performing Arts Department)

Synopsis: In a country not too different from our own a greedy
government has broken and bullied the nation, tearing down the
last remaining natural places to make space for their shiny new
personal projects. When their latest actions force the environmental
group the ‘Treebels’ out of hiding a seemingly unrelated attack on
the Government sends the country into chaos. What could link the
‘Treebels’ and the Government? Why would someone attack the
Leader? And who will take the seat of Power? Everything is up for
grabs in OVERRULED”.
“Overruled was excellent from start to finish, students clearly poured
their heart and soul into their performance, and this was clear from
their professionalism and passion in every aspect. I was blown away by
the original music, innovative set design and confidence of the cast”.
Caitlin Arnold (Geography Department)
“Wow, what a thought provoking, poignant and engaging political
drama devised entirely by Cranford students. What this group have
achieved is truly momentous and the cast and crew should be proud of
all they have achieved. The original music in this production stirred
up so many emotions it was uplifting, enraging and heart-warming at
different times to reflect the mood of the scenes”.
Sharan Saroya (Assistant Headteacher)
“I absolutely loved seeing our student’s creativity come to life. I really
felt quite emotional appreciating all the hard work that went into this
wonderful production. To see so many of them take part and to see them
in a different light just made it even more special. It was funny and
moving and I enjoyed every second. Well done to everyone who played
a part in this production from the crew to the cast”.
Barbara Lodge (Head of PSHCE Department)
“An engaging and creative work with an important message for the
modern day. The performances, music and production were fantastic!”
Freddie Page (RE Department)
“I was very impressed with the professional level of the production
– smooth running with great use of video and sound, great staging,
fabulous music and excellent acting! The students can be very proud of
their achievement. Well done everyone!”
Ally Manole (MWL Department)
“I really like the way the stage protruded into the audience. The stage
decoration was also very good. The Music was outstanding as always.
I Really enjoyed the acting. Remembering all those lines and delivering
it very well especially the main characters. I was very impressed that
the students wrote the whole thing themselves”.
Shawn D’Sousa (Assistant Headteacher)
“This year’s production of “OverRuled”
was a student made show we started
in September 2021, period 5 every
Wednesday. I was involved from
January when finding actors was
introduced, which has led to me playing
the glorious Prime Minster! Rehearsals
were fun. The teachers where amazing
throughout the whole thing. They really
did help improve our acting!”
Harleen Bath (year 8)
“It has all been special. I was lucky
enough to help write the script and
perform. The music was also amazing.
I have learnt how scripts are written
and how songs can be incorporated. It
has been an amazing experience I hope
to have again”.
Amanjot Kaur Grewal (year 8)
“I was a designer and actor. This was
original and student made which is
really good for everyone. It’s really
been great to be part of it and I really
enjoyed it. I would definitely do it
again”.
Brandon McFarlane (year 9)
“I got to see the behind the scenes
of everything. I’ve learnt a lot about
directing and helping with the
production. I would like to help with
directing another play”.
Bianca Briceag (year 9)
“I was a musician. I loved that this
show was made by students. Working
together makes things fun and it worked
out perfectly. I would love to be in
another show”
Minah Shirzad (year 8)
“I was an Actor. The show was brilliant,
and everyone was so friendly. I have
learned to be more confident and have
overcome stage fright. Yes, this was a
wonderful experience”.
Navjot Kaur Dhillon (year 7)
PERFORMING ARTS
87

PERFORMING ARTS
Theatre Trips to Enrich Learning
Performing Arts is not just about performing it is about what goes on behind the scenes to make the whole
performance come together. Part of our curriculum has been to develop a greater understanding of the
technical elements of theatre through Theatre Craft. With the two refurbished Drama studios and the access
to some high-tech equipment, we wanted to encourage students to know how to use this equipment and how
design elements are an essential part of any production. Practical lessons became opportunities for hands
on experiences using stage lighting and creating box sets or working on stage makeup and costume design
and students were able to apply this learning to their own productions including the school production
“OverRuled”.
But it is important to also see how this works in a real theatre context and we were fortunate to take students
in year 7-9 to three very different productions during the year. “Hex” at the National Theatre; “The Ocean
at the End of the Lane” at the Duke of York Theatre and “A Monster Calls “at The Rose Theatre, Kingston.
It is clear, theatre trips do make a difference an enrich learning.
Jessica Joyce (Head of Performing Arts)
“Hex” at the National Theatre
On Thursday 20th January 2022 we were delighted to take 30 year 7 students to the
National Theatre on the Southbank to see a new musical “Hex”, an original musical
based on the story of “Sleeping Beauty” with a modern twist which deals with themes
including, trust, betrayal and forgiveness. This was a completely new experience for
these students and a great introduction to live theatre and its possibilities for storytelling in an innovative way. Here
are just some of the responses the students made to this experience:
The show was an extraordinary, delightful and awesome experience. All of the scenes were my favourite, but if I had
to pick one it would be when they re-united together because then they could be a happy family again. My favourite
character would probably be the ogre or the fairy because they were really funny and were courageous/brave.
Sarah Springmann- Raib (year 7)
It was incredibly unbelievably amazing, awesome and it was like Sleeping Beauty. My favourite scene is the scene
when Princess Rose was a baby when she starts crying with the King and Queen. My favourite character was Princess
Rose because she was the second main character of ‘Hex’. I loved the theatre, the actors acting and the production.
Gursimran Khera (year 7)
88

“The Ocean at the End of the Lane”
at The Duke of York Theatre
On Thursday 24th February 2022 we took 30 very excited year 7 students to see “The
Ocean at the End of the Lane”; at the Duke of York’s Theatre, London. The story tells of
a man on returning to his childhood home, he finds himself standing beside the pond of
the old Sussex farmhouse where he used to play. He’s transported to his 12th birthday when his friend Lettie claimed
it wasn’t a pond, but an ocean…Plunged into a magical world, their survival depends on their ability to reckon with
ancient forces that threaten to destroy everything around them. Some of the students had read the story previously
and were excited to see how they would achieve all the magical aspects on stage. This is what they said:
What a show! I loved When the hummingbirds appear and make the demons disappear. The little sister was really
funny. I loved the tension and suspense and would use it in my work.
Arien Kaler (year 7)
This was a magical horror fiction story that a monster tries to enter
our world. My favourite scene is when the boy was blocking his
thoughts. Letti was the best character because she was the hero
and saved the boy. My favourite part was when Ursula was first
introduced because it was really suspenseful and showed the reason
the whole play happened.
Sulayman Hakeemi (year 7)
PERFORMING ARTS
My favourite scene was when the flea controlled the dad and he tried
to draw his son, it’s very spine-chilling. My favourite character is
Lettie because her ‘ocean’ was breath-taking and her character was
adventurous and brave. When the boy was obliged to stay in his lab
circle because he was tempted by many deceiving people, that made
the biggest impression on me.
Melanie Khanal (year 7)
“A Monster Calls”
at the Rose Theatre Kingston
On Thursday 31st March 2022 20 year 8 and 9 students watched a Monster Calls at the
Rose Theatre, Kingston. The play tells the story of Conor who is dealing with far more
than other boys his age. His beloved and devoted mother is ill. He has little in common
with his domineering grandmother. His father has resettled thousands of miles away.
But Conor finds a most unlikely ally when the Monster
appears at his bedroom window one night. Ancient, wild,
and relentless, the Monster guides Conor on a journey of
courage, faith, and truth that powerfully fuses imagination
and reality. Again some of the students had either read
the book or seen the film previously but they were really
interested to see how the magical moments and the tree
would be achieved on stage.
The A Monster Calls trip was an amazing reward. I
remember first entering the theatre and it seemed quite
small, but the cast used the stage perfectly. The lighting
was amazing, it always had a perfect effect on the play
creating an atmosphere and it gave you the chills at some
points. I loved how it happened all in front of us in the same
place, but it set a different atmosphere every time.
Balveen Sodi (year 9 )
It was really fun and enjoyable time. Instead of just
watching the play on a screen, the school took the time and
effort for us to see it live. “A Monster Calls” was fantastic
and is underrated for how clever all the things they did to
make it real
Deen Asskoumi (year 9)
89

Duke of Edinburgh Scheme 2021-2022
DUKE OF EDINBURGH
“The DofE experience might have been tough
at some times, but it was a life-changing,
adventurous experience. I believe the Duke of
Edinburgh Award helps you along the path to
a productive and prosperous is future”.
Anisa Bilkhoo (year 9)
The
DofE scheme helps participants develop
leadership, teamwork, self-motivation,
communication, confidence, consideration, and the
ability to learn. Selected Year 9 students have been
taking part on the DofE Bronze award since Sept
2021 during Mind body and Soul. The students
have been learning key skills such as Map reading,
country code, cooking, tent building, and first aid
skills. All students have been completing 4 sections
that are compulsory to complete the award either at
school or in their spare time. The sections involve
helping the community/environment, becoming
fitter, developing new skills, planning, training
for and completing an expedition. This has helped
them to discover new interests and talents as well as
developing essential skills and gaining a recognised
qualification for life and work.
On the 1st and 2nd July 2022 27 year 9 students
embarked on their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award
expedition to Chalfont Heights. Using all of their map
reading, teamwork and navigation skills they tackled
a challenging 24km hike over two days, encountering
a range of challenges as they did so! From tackling
difficult terrain to dealing with the terrifying threat
of horses, all students worked incredibly well in their
teams to support and motivate each other. Weeks
of classroom training was suddenly made very real
when faced with the outdoors, a map and your wits
to get you back to the safety of the campsite.
After a challenging first day which included getting
very lost, many stinging nettles and a horse rescue
mission from Mrs Brooks, students showed off their
well-honed camp skills: putting up tents, cooking
over their stoves and supporting each other as they
relaxed after a long day. Day two, and the teams had
learnt from the mistakes of day one and managed
their day much more carefully; everyone managed to
get to the end point on time and achieved the aims of
their expedition. They showed incredible teamwork,
supporting each other through some very difficult
moments, and were an absolute credit to themselves
and the school.
Massive thanks also go to the staff who gave up
their time to support the students in a number of
ways, going well beyond the normal demands of
the classroom and demonstrating the dedication
to the students which makes the Cranford staff so
special: Mr Venancio Ferreira, Mr Lever, Mr Bussue,
Mr Fernandez and Ms Gomes for accompanying,
assessing and supporting students throughout the
expedition. Ms Ledlie and Miss Shaikh for their help
in the training process (particularly accompanying
the very hot training hike!) and Ms Gladysz, Mr
Ryan, Ms Jenkins and Ms Prunty for supporting the
logistical and administration side of the expedition.
Evelyn Brooks
(Head of English – Joint DofE trip leader)
90

“Overall, my experience in completing my bronze DofE was full of
excitement and challenges. The most challenging part of DofE was the
expedition, which really tested our abilities in being able to work as
a team. This experience was very enjoyable, and I was able to create
many memories along the way and I would definitely like to take part
in it again in the upcoming years”.
Nikita Thakur (year 9)
DUKE OF EDINBURGH
“The Bronze DofE course felt like quite an achievement:
the jubilation after finally removing that hiking bag
off my aching shoulders made me realise how far I
had come. It made me think about the commitment I
made in the past year to the physical, volunteering and
skills aspect of the programme. I would never miss the
chance of doing silver next year”.
Tashmin Kaur (year 9)
91

ART
The GCSE and A
Level Art
and Design
students have done a great job tapping into their creative
skills to produce great pieces of work this year.
The year 11 students focused on the theme fruit and vegetables
for the first term of the year. After dusting off the kiln, it was
made ready for use. Their enthusiasm to work with another
material made it into an exciting and fun experience. They came
up with imaginative and creative tiles and sculptures inspired by
several artists they researched. From abstract to realistic pieces,
the students made their work stand out applying vibrant colour
schemes, patterns and drawings they carved in or added on to
the sculptures. In the second term the focus was on the portrait
project which again has led to some great original pieces.
The A-level students continued producing their works of art linked
with their personal themes. Topics such as portrait, surrealism,
human body parts, flowers, fruit, food, shapes & geometry were
researched. Whether they were utilizing modern technology to
create their design or the more traditional process of printmaking
by etching, the students explored and developed their crafts. Their
works of art are a testament to their creative minds.
Here is just a sample of the work produced:
Elaine Leidsman (Art Department)
92

ART
93

DIGITAL VISUAL
This
year the Digital Visual department
has conscientiously structured
lessons to give students a real-world experience of
careers in the digital visual sector. Our students have
researched and undertaken the role of animators,
landscape designers, digital artists, directors,
magazine editors, games designers and architects.
Year 7 have been busy exploring the marketing
industry and developing their understanding of
audiences and how they can ensure that they are
producing marketing material that will appeal
to their intended audience. They started the year
designing a new chocolate brand and its packaging
and then moved into directing film trailers for an
original ‘coming of age’ film. In the summer term
we looked at Games Design and how characters are
developed as part of a game to appeal to gamers.
The students sketched out their ideas before creating
digital drawing on the iPad using SKETCHBOOK
with our brand-new class sets of Apple Pencils.
We are proud to share some of their work with
you which shows imagination and technical skill
working in a completely new medium.
Year 8 started the year exploring coding and
developing their understanding of conditions and
commands. Students learnt about how coding is used
in a range of industries and can be a powerful tool.
The students got their creative juices flowing when
they worked on a project as digital artists creating
digital self-portraits inspired by the artist Julian
Opie and Shepard Fairley who uses a minimalist
style to create his artwork. Finally, students got
to grips with plasticine to create characters and a
set for their very own short animations. Watch out
creators of Wallace and Gromit, our students are
showing real promise!
94

DIGITAL VISUAL
Year 9 are our most experienced digital visual
students who have now started to fine tune
their technical skills as they created digital
landscape designs developing their ability
to shade and control line weights which
supported them later in the year with their
initial architectural designs for their very
own mini city. The students were introduced
to our cutting-edge 3D printer with those
who excelled in the design phase being able
to 3D print mini buildings. Students used
SCULPTRIS to create 3D models of innovative
buildings for a future city. The students also
showed a lot of talent in their design skills as
they worked in teams to create new magazines
with carefully constructed brand identities.
Each student produced a magazine front cover
using the codes and conventions we studied
as part of our research and analysis.
Sharandeep Saroya (Assistant Headteacher -
Digital Visual Department)
95

MEDIA STUDIES
Media Studies Department 2021-2022
The
all-consuming nature of media was evident once more this year, as our A level students took part
in weekly Microsoft Teams debates on the relevance and impact of media in the real world. As
stories broke of twitter take overs, social media black outs and major studios halting film releases in Russia
we discussed the issues of regulation and ownership effecting the media industry. As the newspaper headlines
fuelled political warfare following party gate our students sought to actively deconstruct the meaning created
on the front pages of national papers. The mania surrounding trend setting Netflix seasons such as Squid
Games sparked debate around the ethics of marketing methods used to engage audiences with media content,
while Marvel’s historic release of Ms Marvel with its representation of the protagonist’s Pakistani heritage
paved the way for analysis of technical codes and conventions used to unravel stereotypes while appealing
to a broad global audience.
Our Year 13 students embarked on a journey of creative discovery as they developed marketing material for
an original film including a theatrical release poster, international release poster, DVD cover and website
in response to a brief set by EDUQAS. It was extremely exciting to unveil our 15 brand new iMacs in the
Media suite for students to develop their NEA projects as we continue our commitment to high aspirations
for our students by ensuring they work on industry standard software. We were impressed with the level
of commitment and quality of work produced this year through excellence demonstrated in production and
postproduction.
Sharandeep Saroya (Assistant Headteacher - Media Studies)
jAMES
jORNER
rHEA
KAUR
CHantelle
tAYLOR
“A MASTERPIECE!” -
tHE SUN
“What a THRILLER!” -
tHE TIMES
Media
Studies
96

WARNER BROS. PICTURES PRESENTS
IN ASSOCIATION WITH LEGENDARY PICTURES A GREEN HAT FILMS PRODUCTION A TODD PHILLIPS MOVIE
NICKI MINAJ JOHN CENA RANDY ORTAN ‘MERCY’ MAX WITH JAMES AND VANESSAc CHRISTINA AGUILERA e CARDI B f JOANNA
g ARIANA GRANDE pCHRIS JONA & SUZY PARKS aJAMES WILLOW & JEFFERY STAR j WILLIAM SMITH kBY VANESSA SMITH
From the amazing award winning producer/director Mikael Sohail, the
mastermind behind Captain America, Dunkirk and 1974 has now changed the
game in film making with his newest production Lucas Haze. In 1945, Colonel
Lucas Haze (Ryan Grylls, 1974) has returned to his home in London after six years
of fighting on the front line in World War II. Distressed to come back to a city that
once was his beautiful home, now covered in chaos. Suffering from PTSD he
struggles to adjust to life off the battle field and the line between his current reality
and his past become blurred. His childhood sweetheart and headstrong wife, Lily
(Rachel Smith, JoJo Rabbit ) has cared for his two children and run their home
eagerly awaiting his return only to find that he is no longer the man she once
knew. Lucas is now plagued by an unhealthy and catastrophic obsession to keep
his family safe. He moves to the suburbs with his family in a search to find sanity
and peace. Be ready to experience a rollercoaster of twists and turns as this movie
explores the consequences of war on a soldier and devastating effects that his
family has to face.
“A BRUTALLY BRILLIANT MASTERPIECE”
-THE GAURDIANparamoun
presetns a Mikael Sohail procution in association weith reletavity media and a bryan grazer production in association with rory ohare rachel smith
Lucas haze ted levine josh brolin david west lary fong. muisc by mark wilkinson costume designer jane austin cd producer john david editor pedro scarla production
designer arther max director of photography harris peg eexecutive producer steven fly wriiten by ridly scarred directed by mikael sohail
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Additonal scenes of different characters of extra unscene flashback scenes
-Feature commentary with director Mikael Sohail
-Important facts about WW2 in context of this Film
-Behind the scenes of the cast and crew
Max James Vanessa
R YA N
G R Y L L S
Directed By Sariya Wills
R A C H E L
S M I T H
Having Media Studies as one of my
subjects for A-levels has enabled
me to expand my knowledge
and understanding of the media
industry. This subject has allowed
me to critically analyse certain
media texts such as the WaterAid
advertisement and how newspapers
are able to adapt to the internet.
This subject involves a lot of
research which I love the most as
I can find my own information on
certain topics and critically analyse
information first hand. Furthermore,
this subject has equipped me with
the communication and technology
skills that are needed in the modern
workplace and helped boost my
creativity skills. I love Media
Studies as this course allows me
to understand the culture behind
media platforms, how social media
and other mainstream platforms
are able to manipulate their
audience, as well as the impact
and relationship media has with
us. This course has improved my
literacy skills which motivates me
to write detailed essays as I learn
a wider range of new terminology
and theories which can be used in
my other subjects. Media Studies
overall is a contemporary subject
for me as it is relevant to everyone.
MEDIA STUDIES
“Emotional Rollerocoaster”
-MTV
Nehchal Singh
(year 12)
P R O D U C E D B Y T H E AWA R D W I N N I N G “ S A L E U M ”
Sypglass Media Group
Paramount pictures
97

SEND
SEND
Special Educacion Needs and Dissablities department
2021-2022
98
END (Special Education Needs and
The SDisabilties) department continues
to flourish, both in terms of our expertise and in terms
of the focused academic support that we continue to
provide for the students in our care. As a department,
we have undertaken training to better support our
students who require Occupational Therapy and are
developing our strategies to supporting students with
social, emotional and mental health difficulties.
The year began with a celebration of SEND students’
outstanding GCSE results. We are delighted that
Daniel Ortega, Shreyas Shikhare and Tara Rooprah
continue to study at Cranford in the Sixth Form; all
three are studying A Levels and making excellent
progress - we are incredibly proud of all they have
achieved.
Mr Miles took a group of students from the Picasso
ASD Centre to compete in a cricket tournament at
the Middlesex County Cricket Club training ground
in March. The event was organised by Mr Rattu
in conjunction with Middlesex Cricket, a charity
who work with schools to provide cricket coaching
for students with SEND. Students enjoyed this
rare opportunity to not only train in a professional
environment but to compete against other schools –
all thoroughly enjoyed the experience!
We welcomed Ofsted inspectors in late March and
saw this as an opportunity to celebrate and showcase
all the achievements of our SEND students and to
recognise the dedication and commitment of all
staff working within Inclusion at Cranford. Cranford
students, as always, did us proud when inspectors
visited our various SEND provisions. Ms Hamadi’s
reading group were quite simply outstanding and
invited one of the Ofsted inspectors to join their
reading group. Students spoke confidently and
enthusiastically about the book they were reading;
they were able to talk at length about the plot and
context and demonstrated their genuine love of
reading. Hamza wowed another inspector when
he read aloud a poem he had written about his
COVID lockdown experience. It was written for the
assessment task for the year 7 Identity unit. This was
also shared with Ofsted in March.
He confidently shared his personal reasons for
writing his poem and how he hoped his poem would
raise awareness of the challenges young people faced
during what was a very difficult time especially for
students with SEND.
Art has been an important part of self-expression
for students placed in our Three Bridges Twilight
School. Painting particularly has proven to very
effective in relieving stress and anxiety and promotes
overall happiness. Mirhan’s paintings are particularly
inspirational: she has painted a magnificent bridge for
Science week playing close attention to the structure
of the bridge; she also painted a beautiful skyline
inspired by the New York skyline. Mirhan says that
‘painting makes her feel relaxed and is her creative
outlet.’ Palwasha has painted a stunning sunset
and commented that ‘painting makes her feel calm
and relaxed.’ The Three Bridges Twilight School
proudly has these remarkable pieces of art on display
to encourage positivity as well as contributing to a
colourful and tranquil learning environment.
Our dedicated SEND team continue to look for
innovative and purposeful interventions to continue
to support SEND students to develop academically
and flourish socially. We are looking forward to
welcoming new students into Year 7 and SEND
students in Year 11 back into our Sixth Form in
September 2022 and celebrating what we are
confident will be another fantastic year of GCSE
results!
Kerry Mulhair (Assistant Headteacher & SEND Co)

Three Bridges Twilight
School Painting
Mirhan Al Haj Shareef (year 8)
painted the bridge painting in
accordance with science week
where the rest of her class built a
bridge. She also painted the city
and chose red colours as a sunset.
She was inspired by the New York
skyline. Painting makes Mirhan
feel relaxed and have a creative
outlet.
SEND
COVID (Poem)
Out of the terrifying night that Covid started,
waking up with the shiny sunlight,
we couldn’t get flights,
waiting to be high in the sky like kites.
Palwasha Zadran (year 8) painted
the sunset. She was inspired by
the sunset at sea. Painting makes
Palwasha feel calm and relaxed.
She really enjoys painting.
Ayaan Choudhry (year 7) and Hamza Ali Asif (year 7)
have worked together on the ‘messy’ painting. Hamza
chose the neutral background and Ayaan worked on
the colour splashes. Both were inspired by a good
mood and ‘controlled messiness’.
Leaving school, Covid was really cruel.
Online lessons don’t count for school,
people dying, it was a high amount,
losing loved ones that we couldn’t count.
Thank you to the NHS,
they never got a moments rest,
they had a big quest,
leaving school we couldn’t do our GCSE’s or tests,
couldn’t see our aunties or uncles never
getting blessed.
When will this end,
coming back to school I finally got to see
my best friend,
no-one could even lend a pen, people metres apart
seeing their loved ones go it broke our hearts,
how long will this last!
Hamza Ali Asif (year 7)
SEND - UAS / AQA
Unit Award Scheme
AQA Unit Award Scheme – a new social skills
intervention piloted this academic year for students
in Years 9, 10 and 11.
The AQA Unit Award Scheme is a unique way
to record learners’ achievements. Its ‘can do’
approach is used to boost student confidence,
support engagement and motivation. It is a tried
and tested means by which learners, no matter what
their age or ability, can have their achievement
formally recognised.
Ms Geister has successfully secured Entry Level
certificates for 9 students who receive Social Skills
intervention in Years, 9, 10 and 11. They have
enjoyed developing a range of transferable skills
from preparing and baking cakes, personal finance
to revision and study skills. The programme has
also helped to develop social, emotional and
mental health awareness in our young people. They
have explored topics such as managing stress,
overcoming conflict and exploring mental health
which ultimately has made them more aware of
their own mental and emotional well-being.
AQA Unit Award Scheme has proven to be a huge
success this year and we look forward to exploring
more exciting and engaging topics next year.
Kerry Mulhair (Assistant Headteacher – Head of
SEND Department)
99

SEND
Super 1’s Cricket Tournament
This
year we took a small team to the West Super 1’s Competition at Middlesex Indoor School.
A team made up of William Wallace, Pry’ince Cunningham, Alexander Amrouche (year 7),
Hubert Ochendalski (year 7), Nataniel Myszakowski (year 8), Anish Subramanian (year 8), Yasir Malik (year
10) and Miguel De Guzman (year 11) were taken by Mr Bell and Mr Miles. Students were selected following
a successful six-week Cricket programme with Middlesex County Cricket coach Stefan.
The boys all represented Cranford in a positive and brilliant manner and had a fantastic day out playing
Cricket against other schools.
Damian Miles (SEND Teacher)
100

Boxing
To Learn and Excel
As
part of our commitment and dedication
to supporting SEND students to
develop both academically and socially we
were delighted to welcome the local charity ‘No
Shame in Running’, a youth violence reduction
organisation, to work with students at Cranford
on an Active Mentoring and Sports programme.
The programme ran for 8 weeks in the summer
term and used sport alongside mentoring to
support young people to build a positive view
of themselves and achieve the things they want
and deserve from their life.
No Shame in Running use boxing and kickboxing
to encourage all young people to learn and excel
in each discipline. This programme supported our young people to reflect on where they
were in the moment and also to review their skills, positive attributes and create goals to
help them realise where they could be moving forward.
SEND
This has been a hugely successful intervention, students involved in this intervention
commented that:
“The sessions were really good. I was able to release my anger. I enjoyed doing the
sessions with Darren. It was fun. It helped me to control my negative emotions”.
“I enjoyed the sessions because boxing is my favourite sport. Darren was really good
in motivating me. I improved my boxing speed a lot”.
We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with No Shame in Running next
year.
Damian Miles (SEND Department)
101

JAMIE’S FARM
The Jamie’s Farm experience
2021-2022
Jamie farm is a unique residential experience where our pupils work on a farm. This teaches our
students to learn new skills, experiences, teamwork and communication skills. The farm is a family
organised set up which includes therapeutic programmes that centre around the life and workings
of a farm. Students are selected based on recommendations depending on their needs. When students
first arrive at the farm, they are understandably nervous as this is a whole new way of life for them to
engage with, but it is not long before they settle in and really gain from the quality of life and therapeutic
atmosphere from working with the animals, with the farm staff and with each other. By the end of the
week they don’t want to leave! They look back on their time with real happiness and fond memories.
Priscilla Ledlie (Assistant to the Senior Teachers Pastoral)
102

“I had an amazing experience on Jamie’s
farm. It did come with many challenges which
have taught me a lot. All staff members were
incredible and I feel very privileged that I
had the chance to get to know everyone.
It was great to see our Cranford students
in another light and really get know them
individually. On the last night round the fire
pit Elias said something that I will always
remember “I have really liked that we have
made our own little community on this trip.”
I totally agree with him - it was lovely. I
loved that the farm pushed us all out of our
comfort zones and made us try new things”.
Rebecca Prunty
(Student Engagement Officer)
I went on the trip to Jamie’s Farm only
knowing a handful of the students but I left
with positive relationships and memories
that will last a lifetime with all involved.
From going on walks sharing stories about
experiences both in and and out of school
to bringing back childhood memories in
the barn playing Connect Four and playing
the piano at the end of a hard long day
working on the farm. It was amazing to
see students grow as individuals and step
out of their comfort zones.
Basheak Bussue (PE Department)
The April trip to Jamie’s farm brought
students and staff closer to nature than
perhaps most of us would have initially
liked. Now, I am regularly harassed by
students asking me if they can go back to the
farm again. Before I went, I asked other staff
members who had been there before what
I should expect. I was told to expect hard
work, a test of our resilience, and ultimately
a fantastic time. But any description of
Jamie’s Farm cannot do it justice or prepare
you for it.
Working as a team, staff and students cleaned
out the pigsties, fed the animals, prepared
the food, chopped the wood and played.
Though there were times of tension and times
of doubt, through hard work, teamwork and
play, Jamie’s farm brought us all together
in a way I couldn’t have imagined before. It
wasn’t just the idyllic setting, the fantastic
weather we had for those evening hikes, the
bonding with Bella the resident therapy dog,
the games we would play or the wonderfully
warm and welcoming staff on the farm that
made for a fantastic week but it was also a
magical quality that resides there that made
it special and needs to be experienced to be
understood.
John Lennon (Head of Year 8)
“I enjoyed the farm because I
overcame my fear of dogs and I
got on well with the staff and they
had very nice food”.
Ryan Dhillon (year 8)
“I learnt that I can survive without
my phone for a week, and I can
wake up early”.
Gurnur Kaur (year 8)
“I found the farm really relaxing
and made me feel more productive
because I woke up early and found
that I can survive without a phone.
The staff there were really kind
and open minded towards me. I
found the farm fun”.
Haifa-Armani Halane (year 8)
“I think Jamie’s farm was a great
experience to help get away from
the city and all its struggles. It
helps understand what you truly
want and helps you see you at your
best self. It helped me understand
other people and actually see my
teachers as human beings”.
Khushpreet Gill (year 9)
JAMIE’S FARM
103

SPORT AND COMMUNITY WELLBEING
PE department 2021-2022
This
academic year the Physical Education
department used the previous lockdown
as an opportunity to reflect and then change many
things within our curriculum and focus on areas of health and wellbeing and progress in the way we use
technology within lessons.
The team were keen to provide many sporting opportunities and make up for lost time. The extra-curricular
programme was full of many opportunities from competitive sports such as Football, Netball and Basketball
to non-competitive sports such as Dodgeball and Fitness. We also believed that sport is the perfect vehicle
to help promote academic success as a healthier and happier child is more likely to make academic progress.
The year started on a positive note with Samuel Dickson’s success in the Hounslow Cross Country
championship before moving on to represent Hounslow at the Middlesex All School Championships and
this really did set the tone. This was quickly followed by the Academy Board agreeing to a new PE uniform
for students following a student voice questionnaire. Students were part of the re-design and selecting the
new style which we are excited to see all students in from September 2022.
The start of the year also saw the introduction of our Loyalty Card Scheme for students being involved in
extracurricular. Pleasantly surprised with the positive response to this we will be continuing this moving
forward and look to make the rewards and trips bigger! This year students were rewarded with JD sports
vouchers, a pizza and movie afternoon, and a trip to Longridge Activity Centre to take part in outdoor
laser tag.
As much as we love our students being involved in sports for health, wellbeing and enjoyment it is nice to
win and share the successes of our students. We have had many ‘wins’ to celebrate. The Year 10 football team
finished top of their cluster league resulting in our first borough final against Isleworth and Syon. Athletics
saw some of our female athlete superstars step up and shine notably Kirsten Woodward (year 10), being
crowned Borough and Middlesex Champion in girls Javelin. We are delighted that we have Nicomi Brooks
(year 7) who is the fastest girl in the Hounslow Borough and Eve Aibuki (year 9) claiming silver in the 200
metres. The growth of our fantastic Sports leaders continued and I am personally, super proud of how they
shine a positive light on Cranford Community College every time they step outside and support events. The
positive praise and feedback received from organisers, teachers and headteachers speaks volume about the
nature, confidence and skills of our young leaders who continue to develop each year.
Cranford gets a New PE Uniform
In
the summer of 2021,
we asked students for
their thoughts and views on
the current PE uniform (black
and white). The majority of
students agreed that it was
time for a change; they wanted
a new style, a change in colour,
and more kit options. Research
was done on designs, and we
met and spoke with different
uniform designers to see what
they could offer and at what
cost. A student panel was
created who gave us their
thoughts on material, designs
and item choices.
The overall cost of the kit was
an important factor to everyone
104

Academically our GCSE and BTEC Sport Cohorts have done amazingly well. The Year 10’s have made a
fantastic start to their GCSE programme. Our Year 13 who have now left will await final verification of
results which we are sure everyone will be happy the final outcome.
Our QPR scholars continue to exceed expectations and not only have all scholars completed the programme
but the majority were offered extensions to their contract. We are very excited to hear about their continued
growth into professional football.
This year students showed great resilience in many individual ways and I hope that next year they continue
to do so, grow and develop and enjoy taking part in Sports. We want all our students to be motivated to find
a sport for their lifelong journey whether it be competitive or for fun.
Community
Sports
This
year we were able to
make positive steps
in the community encouraging and
promoting a healthy active lifestyle
not only for physical health but mental wellbeing. Covid-19
had an impact on our plans initially but this year we were able
to get the ball rolling.
We successfully ran community based HIIT (high-intensity
interval training) sessions alongside Hustle Hiit with support
from Heston West Big Local (HWBL) which saw staff and
community come together. We have now followed on from
this by re-starting the family fitness sessions on a Tuesday
evening making use of the summer sun focusing on exercise
without equipment.
This summer we will be running a multi
sports club and are pleased to say that
it will be led by a homegrown student
and coach Wole Agboola, this is a great
opportunity for him to grow and develop
further as a sports coach as he is passionate
about sports and thrives in positions
of leadership. We hope the volunteers
supporting him can one day follow in his
footsteps.
Our continued leadership programmes
allowed us to promote sport, our fantastic
facilities and the ‘Cranford brand’, to our
local primary schools positively.
SPORT AND COMMUNITY WELLBEING
We have successfully re-started the walking football post
pandemic after a long absence, alongside our good friends
HWBL and we have now partnered with Southall Athletic
WFC to help promote football and provide some of their
female coaches more coaching exposure with the ethos being
‘’For the community by the community.’’
Next year we hope to continue to provide
more opportunities, host workshops on
living a healthy active lifestyle and reward
our loyal community users.
Hamesh Rattu (Director of Sport and
Community Wellbeing)
involved, and our aim was
to ensure it was at the best
possible price. We met with
the school’s uniform supplier
and made some changes to the
logo and the design. Following
on from this and meeting with
the Executive Headteacher
and the Academy Trust Board
we are pleased to say a new
PE uniform has been agreed.
We look forward to seeing all
our students looking smart
and professional in their new
stylish PE uniforms for lessons,
clubs and competitions.
Hamesh Rattu
(Director of Sport and
Community Wellbeing)
105

SPORT AND COMMUNITY WELLBEING
Athletics Gold for the Girls
This
summer saw the return of the
Hounslow Borough Athletics
Championships after a 2-year pause due to
COVID. Over the course of 2 full days Cranford
entered 8 teams across year 7-10, many of whom
had never competed in the athletics competition
prior to the event. Three students Eve Aibuki
(year 9), Nicomi Brooks (year 7) and Kirsten
Woodward (year 7) picked up medals on the day.
Nicomi ran an impressive 100m sprint in 14.95s
leaving the field behind to win her race and
qualify for the Middlesex County Championships
whilst Kirsten threw a whopping 23.08m to also
qualify for the Middlesex Championships. When
Kirsten found out she was going to the Middlesex
Championships she dedicated her time after
school almost every day to practise her technique.
This ultimately paid off as she clinched the gold
medal and is the Javelin U15 Middlesex Schools
Champion. Eve also ran very well to claim the
silver medal in the 200m sprint with a time of
31.8s against a very competitive field.
Hamesh Rattu (Director of Sport and
Community Wellbeing)
Putting the
“Qais’’ forward…
A
cricket gem at Cranford, Qais
Bhaisaheb (year 8) this year
has been pushing for a spot in the
Under 15’s team at County level.
Qais is a talented young spin bowler
and his Cricket talents have not
gone unnoticed. Already a part of
the Ealing Trailfinders Cricket club
and representing in the Borough
Team of Ealing this year he has
pushed for more. After a successful
trial period he was selected for
the Team Hounslow at the London
Youth Games who went all the way
to the quarter finals. He is trialling
for the County set up, and we wish
him all the best in his efforts. As a
school we will continue to celebrate
and monitor his success both in and
outside of school. Well done!
Basheak Bassue
(Physical Education Department)
106

Cranford PE Loyalty Card
In
September 2021 we introduced a new
engaging and interactive competition
amongst students in the form of the PE Loyalty Card.
Taking inspiration from Nando’s the card works as
follows: students attend an extra-curricular club and
are given a stamp on their card for every club whilst
students who represent the school at a fixture are given
two stamps. At the end of each term the students with
the most stamps collected were put into a prize draw for
various PE prizes such as gift vouchers, pizza parties as
well as a Laser Tag trip. The student engagement with this
pilot has been astonishing with some kids requiring a new
card almost every other week due to attending so many clubs. This has helped the PE department
massively in bringing back students to extra-curricular activities post COVID as well as seeing how
many students and which students have turned up to specific clubs over the week.
Basheak Bassue (PE Department)
Laser Tag Reward Trip
On
Monday 11th July 2022, Mr Rattu and Mr
Bussue took a group of students to Laser Tag
at Longridge activity centre in Marlow. We were selected
to go as a rewards trip because we attended the most
extra-curricular clubs throughout the year and used the
loyalty card which was new this year.
SPORT AND COMMUNITY WELLBEING
It was a lovely hot day. We got to compete against each
other in two teams (15 students in total) along with the
teachers playing. We played outside which was really
fun and made it more exciting. After the session was
over, we went for a walk along the river and had a picnic.
The activity centre was really big and had lots to do such
as rock climbing and raft building which Mr Rattu has
promised we will do next time! Overall, we had a great
day out with the students and our teachers.
Divya Sareen (year 9) and Anjna Sareen (year 7)
107

SPORT AND COMMUNITY WELLBEING
Hounslow Secondary School Cross Country Championships
and the English All Schools
Well done to Samuel Dickson Cranford’s very own running super star this year!
Samuel’s cross-country journey started by coming first in the year 12 and 13 Race with a fantastic time of
19 minutes 17 seconds and a PB (personal best) on his 5k time at the Hounslow Secondary School Cross
Country Championships. Overall, in the senior’s race Samuel finished 4th out of 30 boys on the day. He was
then selected for Team Hounslow to run in the Middlesex Schools Cross Country Championships in January.
Samuel ran his best time despite a difficult terrain (very muddy in parts and not the most straight forward!) He
loved the experience of seeing Harrow School and meeting other students.
I am super proud of Samuel’s efforts. He injured himself 2 years ago and has bounced back. He is a great
role model for resilience and motivation.
Hamesh Rattu (Director of Sport and Community Wellbeing)
Throughout years 10 and 11, I took
up running as a hobby: it gave me a
sense of freedom and thrill that no other form of physical activity could. As year 11 PE lessons progressed,
Mr Rattu recognised my skill in middle - long distance running. In the athletics lessons, Mr Rattu was training
the boys to reach a 5k and I achieved that goal in my first lesson. From that point forward, he encouraged me
to join a running team to try and take part in some competitions, but I would always say no due to my hectic
schedule. When year 12 started, Mr Rattu offered me the opportunity to lead a running club afterschool; I
was ecstatic that he had trusted me enough to oversee my own period 6. Many students attended my club,
and we had many hilarious moments and made many fantastic memories. Leading this club has given me the
chance to develop my relationships with the students from the lower school which has improved my social
skills and will be a vital asset to me as I carry on as Cranford’s Head Boy.
I am extremely thankful to Mr Rattu for entering me into Cross country
competitions to not only represent Cranford, but Hounslow. It was exceedingly
difficult, but it was an experience which I will never forget. Also, I thank
my best friend, Anix Gurung, who programmed a training schedule for both
my Borough race in Osterley and my County Race at Harrow School. The
training was excruciatingly difficult, especially while balancing it alongside
my A levels, but without him, I would not have had the success I did in my
races. Even though I do not plan to carry on with running at the competitive
level, it was an honour to represent the school as well as Hounslow, and I
am immensely grateful to Mr Rattu for all the running opportunities he has
given me.
108
Samuel Dickson
(year 12 - Head Boy 2022-2023)

Cranford Sports Leaders
This
• Year 5 and 6 Cricket Tournament at Springwell Primary school.
• Hounslow Year 4 Primary Athletics hosted by Cranford Community College
• Hounslow All schools Tennis festival in Chiswick
• Year 5 and 6 Cricket finals at Gymkhana Cricket Club
• Year 5 Tag- Rugby tournament at Springwell Primary school
year the Cranford Sports Leaders out
did themselves not only as individuals
but as a collective representing the school in various
events and schools. There has been nothing but praise
from everyone who has had the pleasure of working
with our leaders including Luri Baptise and Matt
Whitefield our Hounslow School Games Organisers,
primary teachers and headteachers.
Below is a list of all the events we have sent leaders
out within the Borough this year.
This year we started a bespoke Sports Leadership programme at Berkeley
Academy. This saw a combination of key stage 4 students with 6th former
students deliver afterschool clubs. All leaders involved have been fantastic and
have not only gained further skills, knowledge and experience but provided a
valuable club for children which
has been appreciated by both the
school and parents.
SPORT AND COMMUNITY WELLBEING
Year 10 Football Team
This
Across all events we have used
over 50 Sports Leaders. Each
leader has been outstanding but
I would like to give a special
mention to the following leaders
for their consistency and dedication throughout the
year; Sanjana Bhola, Shenon Dias, Kasier Malik, Ajeet
Bhamra, Kswaier Klimas and Amani Salim. Well done!
Hamesh Rattu (Director of Sport and
Community Wellbeing)
year the Year 10 football team had a very successful season back after Covid. After a rocky
start, we were able to follow up with some wins which led to them winning one half of
the Hounslow Borough League. This year
the team was captained by Aaron Flower
who led by example at all times as one of
our midfield trio at the heart of our team
alongside Matthew Berum and Abdusalaam
Abdi. Gurnoor Arora alongside defenders
Abdiqhatar Mohamed, Adegoriola Agboola
and Zeyaan Abbasi were some of our trusted
backline, and no team is complete without
goals which Bartlomiej Jozwicki, Hussain
Asif and Elijah Mathews secured. Well done
to all boys involved in the team across the
season, you should be very proud of your
efforts.
Hamesh Rattu (Director of Sport and
Community Wellbeing)
109

MIND, BODY & SOUL
Mind
Body
Soul
Mind, Body and Soul
2021-2022
Wednesday afternoon provides an
opportunity for students and staff to
move away from the regular timetable of
history, ICT and science to a selection of
diverse activities that the students can choose
to immerse themselves in such as the Duke
of Edinburgh Award Scheme, OverRuled -
school production, and Global Project.
The activities on offer are a reflection of the
wide-ranging interests and talents of the staff
at Cranford as the Mind, Body and Soul offer
is determined by the staff and their desire to
share their enthusiasm for an activity with the
students. This year Anime, Naruto Uzumaki,
Yogalates and Incredible Illustrations have
featured on the options form and have been a
fantastic success.
The Mind Body and Soul programme
welcomes the involvement of organisations
and individuals from the community. Students
have enjoyed swimming at Heston Pool,
Korean taught by Kyoung-Sun Chung (Sunny)
from the Korean Language Education Centre
UK, Shakespeare Schools Foundation ‘The
Tempest’ and new this year is a partnership
with Let’s Go Outside and Learn.
Let’s Go Outside and Learn worked with year
7 students on a social action project which also
included designing a logo for Avenue Park
and zipwire land art using natural resources
to create art. The following article gives an
insight into the excellent work year 7 Cranford
students achieved with Let’s Go Outside and
Learn.
Rita Berndt (Joint Head of School)
110

Let’s Go Outside and Learn
Social action is about people coming together to help
improve their lives and solve the problems that are
important in their communities, ideally impacting upon
different groups of people. In Spring 2022, a group of year
7s took park in developing a Social Action Campaign project
as part of their Mind Body and Soul program. Most of the 6
workshops took place outdoors, including two visits to the
River Crane in a local green space, Avenue Park.
The group explored many possible social action themes,
including litter and wildlife conservation. However, taking
into account the views of other local people, they decided that
they were particularly passionate about the feeling of safety
in the park, as well as some of the broken equipment in the
playground.
MIND, BODY & SOUL
Together, the group agreed that one way to increase safety in
the park was to increase the number of people who visited the
park. To encourage more people into Avenue Park, the group
designed a ‘Welcome To Avenue Park’ sign which was installed
at the High Street entrance to the park. Each student made a
letter using natural materials such as mud, flower and rocks!
They also wrote letters to Hounslow Council to highlighting
that some equipment was broken.
Well done to this group on the fantastic pieces of art they
created and all the effort they put in to bringing about social
change. Here is how the students described their experiences:
Lucie Bloomfield and Sarah Salisbury (LGOL)
“Although it’s a wonderful
place there is plenty of room
for improvement!… This
is important for the whole
community”.
Sandra Szostak (year 7)
“We made a sign to attract
people and we put the sign
out-side Avenue Park to
make more people come…
I enjoyed the walk and the
visit to the River Crane was
awesome”.
Arisha Khalid (year 7)
“Let’s Go Outside and Learn was an
amazing experience as we got to see
new and exciting things such as the River
Crane”.
Zara Khan (year 7)
“The trip was about learning about the
outside. The experience was amazing. We
saw the River Crane and it was the first
time for me. We got to make the catch
phrase for the park and make letters with
natural items”.
Aanushka Parsad-Ram (year 7)
“I enjoyed making the logos”.
Saishrauan Mohandas (year 7)
111

NATIONAL SATURDAY CLUB PROGRAMME
National Saturday Clubs Programme
2021-2022
Cranford Community College has been delivering the
National Saturday Clubs for seven years and is very
proud of the fact we are the only school in the country
that delivers the programme. After two years of being online
it was great to return to face to face learning.
We delivered two clubs this year, Art & Design and Writing
& Talking. The clubs were run by two tutors Esra Kizir
Gokcen, an artist, and Veronica Chow, a teacher in the English
Department. The clubs met every Saturday morning and in
addition to developing their skills in each field there were also
opportunities to participate in a number of other activities.
For example, the students designed the Christmas card for
the Hounslow Mayor and went on a visit to ARUP in the City.
The Writing and Talking Club had a workshop on the art of
storytelling.
The last few months of the club were focused on producing the pieces for the public exhibition at Somerset
House. Participants and parents were invited to attend the graduation ceremony at UCL before going on a
private viewing of all the clubs’ exhibits.
Congratulations to the National Saturday Club members 2021-22.
Esra Kizir Gokcen (National Saturday Club Tutor)
The National Saturday Club made a fantastic comeback this year with COVID restrictions being lifted which
culminated in an in-person Summer Show at Somerset House which was open to the public. Across the many weeks
of work the students explored many new forms of writing, playing with language and stepping past their comfort
zones in order to create outstanding and exciting pieces of work. Students started the year of workshops by exploring
different ideas of identity, completing their own self-portraits which were
an exploration into how students could use words in conjunction with art.
These portraits were then displayed across the country and admired by many
members of the public. They then participated in a virtual “Visit” wherein
their efforts were noted and commented upon by industry leaders and the
co-founders of the foundation, Frances Sorrell OBE and Sir John Sorrell.
The students then applied their newly gained skills to their final project for
the Summer Show where they created a literary Yggdrasil exploring ideas
of diversity and inclusion. Members worked hard to create a conceptual
response to the challenging space provided, creating a tree that was filled
with black-out poetry leaves and hanging artefacts that ranged from fully
formed magazines with articles on topics such as feminism, racism and
Islamophobia to poetry anthologies. Their works were further accompanied
by 66 poems that were threaded together with thread to represent the myth
that people can be connected by a red thread – literally tying together their
exhibit. The students then attended their graduation ceremony where they
received their certificates and had a chance to admire their work at the
prestigious Somerset House. The students are already looking forward to
next year and the new experiences that lie ahead.
112
Veronica Chow (National Saturday Club Tutor)

NATIONAL SATURDAY CLUB PROGRAMME
Writing
and
Talking
Club
113

QUEEN’S PLATINUM JUBILEE WEEK
Cranford held a week of activities
and events in recognition of the
Queen’s Platinum Jubilee from
Monday 23rd – Thursday 26th May 2022.
We decorated the Concourse with bunting
and there were a number of displays around
the school. The events took place at various
points in the week including in lessons,
before and after school and at break 1
and 2. We wanted the week to be both a
celebration and an opportunity to raise
money for charity. Here is just a selection
of activities:
On the Monday the staff held a “Bake off”.
They were tasked to bake a large cake or
selection of small cakes fit for the Queen.
There were a range of delicious entries, and
we were hard pressed to award the winners.
But after much deliberating and taste testing
the winner of the large cake category was Hardeep Bhachu and the winner of the small cake category was
Maria Bramhall. Each were awarded a jubilee apron which they happily modelled and the competition raised
£73.10. On Monday break 2 the music department staged an “open mic” concert.
For students there were sporting activities each day where prizes could be won ranging from archery shoot
outs, freestyle football, egg and spoon races and netball shoot outs. On Tuesday period 6 the library held a
Jubilee quiz and on Wednesday period 6 the Art department held a competition to create a painting or poster
to celebrate the Jubilee. On Thursday a group of year 9 students presented a workshop version of “Basil the
Rat” from Fawlty Towers. Throughout the week the dining hall served up a range of traditional British style
foods reflecting 70 years which was quite a change for many of our students.
Different departments adapted their curriculum to teach about the Jubilee. For example, In History year 10
looked at different monarchs and made comparisons between Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II. Year 7 students
made bunting and posters. In English they celebrated some of the rich vocabulary in the English language.
Fortunately, the weather was kind to us and everyone enjoyed participating in the activities and learning
about why the country was celebrating this amazing moment in history and the longest living monarch.
All monies raised were donated to charity.
114
Jessica Joyce (Event organiser)

Cranford Community College
Brea
k 1: The cakes will be available for staff to purchase. All monies raised through the sale of the
cakes will go to the DEC.Org. Ukraine Appeal
Physical Education Jubilee Timetable
Jubilee Celebration
Day Break 1&2 (student) Period 6 (teacher)
Jubilee Sports Event
Monday Egg and Spoon Race Staff Rounders
Tournament
Tuesday Archery Accuracy Staff
Ironman/Ironwoman
Wednesday Football Freestyle Staff Badminton
Tournament
Thursday Netball Shootout NA
Entry fee for all events will be £1.00 or 50p.
Event Information
Egg and Spoon - 10m race down the concourse.
Archery - Three arrows per entry. Try to win a prize
Freestyle Football - One minute per entry.
Netball Shootout - One minute to score as many times as
possible.
Iron Events
Staff Bake Off Competition 2022
One kilometre timed run, Archery, 100m sprint, javelin and long
jump.
All events will be scored out of 10 and a score table will be
generated.
Bake A Cake fit for Her Majesty the Queen
In celebration of the Platinum Jubilee
Monday 23 Rd May 2022
Two prizes available.
Entry Categories: -
Either A large cake or A collection of small cakes
Bake Off
Entries will be judged on appearance to reflect the occasion
All Cakes to be donated for sale after the judges decisions
On behalf of the sports committee, we would like
to say thank you to everyone who participated in
the sports events. We raised a lot of money for
charity. This event was our first event and was
amazing. We put a smile on everyone’s face and
gave rewards to the students that participated,
such as sweets and medals. We found that this
was a great way to bring the whole school
together. A big thank you once again!
Sanjana Bhola (Deputy Head Girl,
Sports Committee and PSHCE Ambassador)
Jubilee Quiz
In recognition of the Queens Platinum Jubilee,
we at Cranford library decided to extend those
celebrations to an after-school quiz. Students of
all age groups came by the library after school to
take part and test their knowledge on her majesty,
teaming up and competing to win an array of
prizes. In total, 6 teams took part, scoring points
on 20 questions regarding the Queen’s personal
life, hobbies, and history. There wasn’t much
to separate the teams, with everyone getting
into double digit scores, and first prize was
eventually shared between two teams. In the
spirit of the day, everyone was presented with
prizes including books, stationary, snacks and
board games. The students that attended had a
great time and learned more about the side of the
Queen we don’t usually see.
QUEEN’S PLATINUM JUBILEE WEEK
Ilias Kubica (Supervised Study Centres Assistant)
Jubilee Art Competition
I entered the art competition and got inspired
by the Queen’s Jubilee. I drew how she grew
up while being the queen. This is because it is
her 70th year reigning as Queen, so reminding
everyone about how she was before would be
special.
Mehreen Shinwari (year 7)
Fawlty Towers
Cranford Celebrates
The Queens Platinum
Jubilee
Monday 23 rd May 2022
Jubilee Concert
1.50-2.20pm B106
Ticket £2
The Fawlty Towers workshop reading was an
absolute blast. I had so much fun playing Basil
and the rest of the cast had an amazing time as
well. It was far from perfect and quite chaotic but
felt so fitting because of the nature and madness
of Fawlty Towers itself. I felt like putting on a
rehearsed reading of the show was perfect for
the Queen’s Jubilee since it is such a staple in
English television and has become a classic hit.
Cranford Celebrates the Queens Platinum Jubilee
“Basil The Rat”
Thursday 26 th May 2022
B004 4.00pm Tickets £2
Deen Asskoumi (year 9)
115

HEAD OF YEAR
Year 7 Review 2021-2022
The
vision of the year 7
team is one that “seeks
to build and maintain an ethos of
independence, growth mindset and
kindness to build student’s awareness
of their bigger role, identity and
impact in society, through maximising
aspirations and opportunities for all
students, regardless of backgrounds
and abilities to reach their full
potential and appreciating the value
of actions within society.”
Starting the year off under lockdown
restrictions meant opportunities for
the year group to develop these areas
were limited but when normality
resumed the year 7’s were able to be rewarded with a wide range of activities to support the development of
their personal, moral and cultural capital.
March 2022 launched the first of these prospects with an opportunity to engage in a road safety performance
and workshop. The purpose was for students to consciously think about their actions as road users to support
behaviour outside school. Students engaged in the activity and were able to relate to the storyline presented
by the external guest, allowing the year group to understand the bigger picture of their role as citizens.
June 2022, the academy invited self-made businesswoman and social media influencer, Erim Kaur, to deliver
a talk to students. This was a selective event where 30 year 7 students were amongst those within the audience
to listen to her inspiring story and aid in raising their aspirations. The talk was well received, with the girls
asking insightful and inquisitive questions to Erim.
July 2022, 40 year 7 students were selected as ambassadors for the Hounslow Junior Citizen programme.
They supported in sessions with primary school students who attended the event, resulting in the smooth
running of workshops. They had so much fun in this leadership role they were asking if there would be
opportunities to help again, with many others in the year group asking to be volunteers. Having missed their
chance to attend this event in primary school, the year 7 cohort were invited to attend talks led by the Met
police on topical areas such as knife crime, radicalisation and violence against women. This supported the
year 7 vision for students to have an awareness of their bigger role in society, with many students making
positive contributions to discussions.
The year ended on a strong
note with a pizza party hosted
for 30 students who had the
most improved ATL from
spring to summer term. In our
Friday character development
sessions, the year group have
been working hard on growth
mindset, metacognition and
SMART targets. This allowed
students to focus their
attention on specific areas and
subjects, so those who showed
the most improvement were
rewarded for their hard work
and for overcoming their own
obstacles.
Seema Mehmi (Head of Year 7)
116

Year 7 - Taster Day September 2021
Taster Day at Cranford usually takes place in the summer preceding new year 7 students’ arrival at
secondary school. The pandemic changed our normal routine. This year it was quite different with
September being their Transition Taster Day.
HEAD OF YEAR
The day started with some very nervous, anxious students but ended with students leaving the school with a
big smile on their faces. Throughout the day as students got to know their form classes many of them were
able to relate with each other through getting to know you and team building activities - We had some amazing
spaghetti and marshmallow towers by the end of the session. The highlight of the day for many was their
science taster lesson, which allowed students to marvel at science experiments and have an introduction into
their first secondary school lesson. The day was filled with laughter and accomplishments and high standards
we expect from the year group were met.
Seema Mehmi (Head of Year 7)
“Switching to Cranford made me feel a lot older than
I felt in primary school. Moving to a new school meant
new people. At first, I felt nervous, but when I got here,
I was glad that the students and teachers here are so
nice”.
Syeda Zaidi (7X):
“Moving to Cranford was a big step, as moving to a new
school where I had no idea what was going to come at
me was really scary. But I soon found it very comfortable
and not scary at all”.
Reyhana Sheikh (7X):
“I have found great passion for music because of this
school and the same for science. This school has really
brought out the courage in me and I am terribly grateful
for all the opportunities that Cranford has brought to
me”.
Elaha Najem (7X):
“Our first day was a fun learning experience. It helped
us socialise and gave us a good boost to start the year”.
Travis Blay (7Y)
“My taster day was amazing. I met people from my
primary school and reunited with them in high school. We
got to take part in a science lesson which was so much
fun. We got to do a science experiment which made me
excited to continue with science for the rest of the year”.
Wahidur Rahman (7Y)
“At the start of the year I was quite nervous as I thought
I wouldn’t make friends. Now I have loads of friends I
can trust and talk to.”
Sumaya Sharif (7V)
“On my first day of Year 7, I felt bewildered and lost,
however, my new teachers welcomed us all with open
arms! Year 7 has been an enthralling time of my life,
meeting new people, learning fascinating things in all
my subjects and being praised and rewarded by my
teachers. Cranford Community College has a variety
of opportunities and facilities as well, such as the dome
and astroturf; we also have a multitude of exciting trips
throughout the year to reward particular students for
their outstanding attitude to learning!”
Melanie Khanal (7U)
“My first year at Cranford has flown by. When I first
joined the school, I was quite worried and nervous about
all the new people I would meet. Now I am much more
confident and have made so many more friends. The
teachers and courses that this school has to offer help
me to feel more comfortable, such as the library, dome,
astroturf and after school clubs. In the summer holiday,
before I joined the school, Cranford ran a summer
school program which made my transition a lot easier.
Cranford has given me a lot of opportunities such as
sport tournaments, spelling bees and school trips. I can’t
wait to continue my time at Cranford!”
Abdirahman Mohamed (7U)
117

HEAD OF YEAR
Year 7
Road Safety Awareness
Year 7 were presented with a great
opportunity to see a performance
about road safety and the dangers faced by
pedestrians. The performance catered to the
age group making the scenarios relatable
to the behaviours they might display when
with friends and the consequences of those
choices. The students were engaged and
enthusiastic and asked some great questions
to the performers after the session. Overall,
they were able to appreciate the importance
of actively thinking about their actions in the
real world and assessing risks in all situations
which is an integral part of the culture we are
building within the year group.
Seema Mehmi (Head of Year 7)
“My personal opinion on the road safety assembly is that it
was very entertaining and informative. It really showed me the
troubles of the road and the consequences of not being aware
of your surroundings”.
Luqmaan Abdirazak (year 7)
“In my opinion, the road safety performance was amazing! I
thought that it was well-acted out and they made the characters
come to life. You are also able to take a life lesson from that - not
just the ‘stop, look, listen’ technique (which is still important)
but also to not run after objects that you may drop on the road
even if it’s your iPhone 13. I’ve also learnt that it’s not just
immature people that pay the price as even the cleverest mature
person might make this mistake. This could happen because
when you are overwhelmed with emotions, the emotional part of
your brain overrides your logical part and then we don’t think
about what we are doing and make a mistake. Overall, I think
the performance was outstanding and it was nice to meet new
people and I think it was an enjoyable experience (excluding
the sad ending). I had lots of fun, met new people, and learnt
that it’s not only immature people that make these mistakes – it
can be anyone”.
Navjot Dhillon (year 7)
Pizza Party
118

Erim Kaur Inspirational
Guest Speaker
Students were invited to hear the inspiring
story of Erim Kaur. Erim lost her mum to
cancer at a young age, so life became about
surviving through struggle and paving her own
path. She has overcome obstacles and broken
glass ceilings to launch and run two successful
businesses; her luxury hair brand (ByErim) and her
social media account which has amassed a loyal
fan base of over 250k followers on Instagram.
HEAD OF YEAR
The event consisted of a talk by Erim and an
opportunity for students to ask her questions.
Students asked thoughtful and interesting questions
which allowed them to relate further to her journey
and raise their aspirations. It was an uplifting
evening of support and students left inspred.
Seema Mehmi (Head of Year 7)
Going to the Erim event was extremely eye opening and
being able to attend as a feminist was great. Erim’s
speech was really inspirational, and it left me with
motivation. I’m grateful that Ms Mehmi was able to put
together an event like this. Overall, it was really nice to
listen to a female speaker about her life story and about
feminism.
Sandra Szostak (year 7)
In my opinion I found Erim’s speech really
fun, interesting and engaging. Her experience
in the business industry was really motivating
and showed how strong and resilient she is. Her
perseverance and kindness is really something
to look up too.
Samia Neves Pinto (year 8)
I found Erim’s speech very inspirational, her
story made me feel like no matter what, I can
achieve my goals and she made me want to look
at the business industry. It was very interesting
and some of her experiences were very relatable
to mine. She seemed like a very strong person
and that made me feel motivated to be as resilient
as her.
Willow Sell (year 8)
I enjoyed the event because her speech about not giving
up was very inspirational. I felt honoured to be chosen
to attend. I’m glad Erim was kind enough to share her
story with us and even explain the struggles she had to
go through to get to where she is today. I liked the fact
that she let us ask questions about her business journey.
I’m grateful she was comfortable to open up about her
personal life too.
Renubegum Da Fonseca Hossain (year 9)
The talk by Erim was eye-opening. It was very
encouraging to hear a young adult talking about their
journey through business and life so frankly. Erim was
engaging and honest which made her progress seem so
much more obtainable. Her simple strategy of making the
most of life and aiming as high as possible whilst dealing
with tough personal issues was reassuring for me.
Marjaan Aman (year 12)
119

HEAD OF YEAR
120
Year 8 Review 2021/22
Year 8 has had an overwhelmingly
successful year. We are quickly gaining
a reputation for producing excellent
academics, athletes, musicians, artists and actors.
It makes me incredibly proud as Head of Year to
see our Year 8 footballers show real potential,
rivalling our current Year 10s in terms of ability,
application and dedication. On the cricket field
we have also seen Qais Bhaisheb been chosen to
represent Hounslow, a remarkable achievement
for the young man. The school productions of
The Tempest and Overruled saw many of our
Year 8 students tread the boards and the very
memorable performance of Harleen Bath (8V) as
an untrustworthy Prime Minister and the energy
Ranvir Singh Kaur (8Z) takes to the stage each
time is definitely worth a lot more than the £3
entry fee.
A measure of our success has been the excellent
contributions our students have made to the
Year 8 committees. The Year 8 Media Team was
created as a platform for our students to share
interests and ideas through writing articles –
including a moving reflection on the pandemic
by Sofia Bisnauthsing (8W). The Media Team
was a tentative start at a project which I envisage
will grow to become a medium for our students
to get stuck into local and global issues.
The Year 8 Environment Committee continued
its good work. They carried out an awareness
campaign to help conserve energy in our school,
an issue even more pertinent today than a year
ago with the spiralling costs of fuel. This year,
the committee headed by Amanjot Grewal
(8W) looked at what we do as a school and
where we want to go to in terms of protecting
the environment and minimising our carbon
footprint. The team interviewed Mr Fraser
about issues concerning our students and it is
this collaboration between Senior Leadership in
the school and our students that will deliver the
right message and make change happen. A video
of the interview was produced and shared at
assembly. The Year 8 Environment Committee is
currently working on advising Senior Leadership
on matters including sourcing recycling bins and
in turn, Mr Fraser has been eager to involve our
students and have their voices heard.
Looking ahead to Year 9, we will increase the
number of Year 8 student committees to mirror
the Sixth Form committees and look forward to
working closely with them. It promises to be an
exciting year ahead.
John Lennon (Head of Year 8)
Year 9 Review 2021/22
With the trials of the last two years behind
us, Year 9 were welcomed back to Cranford
Community College with a huge year ahead
of them. Now that we are at the end of this academic
year, I am still taken back by how incredibly successful
this year group have been.
We began the year, just like the previous two years,
focusing a lot of energy and resources in supporting
students development of important life skills that
can take them to the finishing line of their academic
journeys. We did this through our Character
Development Programme and also the VESPA
programme. Both of these courses are designed to
teach students leaderships skills, social skills and
emotional/ mental well being skills too.
Throughout the year, seeing the young key stage 3
students I met back in 2019 quickly become mature
key stage 4 students embarking on their first GCSE
lessons, was a moment of great pride for me. With
every passing term I was taken back by how much
they were maturing and how fast they were making
progress.
In January we gave students the opportunity to make the
first of many big life choices, their GCSE preferences.
Seeing how seriously students took this choice was a
reflection on how much they have grown as people
and we are now looking ahead at a successful start to a
full GCSE curriculum in September 2022 with a focus
on their futures, their ambitions and how we can help
them achieve their maximum potential.
In March 2022 students undertook their first mock
exams, which was another fruitful challenge for the
year group and gave them a chance to apply all of the
knowledge they have aggregated till then and also to
apply all of the life skills we were teaching them on
handling mental health, emotional health and physical
health during a stressful period of time such as exams.
I couldn’t write this review of our year without
mentioning the triumphant completion of Year 9’s
Duke of Edinburgh award. Nearly 30 students took part
in this award that focuses on volunteering, developing
new skills and testing themselves physically by
taking part in a new activity. It was wonderful seeing
students try new things and, for many, having their
first camping experience!
We ended the year with an incredible trip for 40
students to head to the south of England to spend a
weekend challenging themselves, building lifelong
friendships and simply having fun! Look out for
another article in this year’s glossy for the update on
that.
Milton Venancio Ferreira (Head of Year 9)

Year 9 PGL Trip to Osmington Bay
HEAD OF YEAR
From the Friday 8th to Sunday 10th July
2022, I had the absolute privilege of
taking 40 year 9 students to the south
coast of England. After a near 3-hour coach
drive, we arrived at Osmington Bay greeted by
the beautiful sight of the ocean in front of us.
The purpose of this trip was to reward students
for excellent attitudes to learning and superb
attendance to school. In addition, we were able
to have a fantastic weekend filled with laughter,
good memories and new friendships.
With the support of Ms Pedersen, Mr Lallchand
and Mr Fernandez, it was a weekend full of
new experiences and joy. Students took part in
trying to build their own rafts with their teams
and then testing them out- some were far more
successful at building rafts than others. I am sure
that students will all agree that teacher’s support
during this task was very much welcomed as we
took turns splashing teams with water- all in the
interest of science of course.
Students also had a go at fencing- a particular
shout out to Ryan Flower in 9V who seems to
have a natural talent for the sport!
Then came the scarier tasks. From climbing up
a wall and then abseiling down it to jumping
from a trapeze. I was in awe of the bravery these
students displayed, all of which dissipated rather
quickly once the student’s informed teachers,
rather forcefully, that we also had to climb, abseil
121

HEAD OF YEAR
and jump. All the laughing I did at students being
weary of heights quickly came back to haunt me as
I arrived at the top of the wall with Ashwin Chopra
in 9V in a fit of nervous laughter before convincing
each other to fall down. My only shining moment
was beating Mr Lallchand in a race to the top of the
wall- despite what he says. Another shout out is due
here to Manisha Singh in 9W who surprised us all
with how brave and quickly she undertook all the
activities.
I hope all the students that came on this trip left
with a new perspective on their own abilities and
how resourceful, resilient and capable they all are. I
hope they will continue to have these memories as a
special chapter in their time here with us at Cranford
Community College.
Milton Venancio Ferreira
(Head of Year 9)
122
PGL was a great and wonderful trip and such a great
opportunity for me and so many others to engage with
one another and take part in such fun activities such
as raft building, rock climbing and much more. PGL
comprises of so many spectacular challenges which I
was grateful to experience with my friends and teachers.
The staff in PGL were super supportive and our teachers
too. Being able to understand and be part of such a nice
trip was amazing and for many others their first time.
I would definitely recommend people to go and I would
love to experience this again.
Pari Mahmotra (year 9)
PGL was a great experience in which we were able to do
many different activities. We also got to find out so much
more about the people in our year group. I am grateful
to get such an opportunity to enjoy a weekend outside of
school with my friends and teachers.
Ashvika Jaintly (year 9)
PGL was an exciting, adventurous, entertaining
experience, which was filled with extremely fun activities
such as rock climbing, trapeze, problem solving, flag
capturing and fencing. Pursuing these activities builds
confidence and also encouraged us to grow as students,
even if it was outside of our comfort zones. With our
groups, especially with problem solving, teamwork was
key in being successful, so PGL taught us to work together
better. Being away from home helped us become more selfreliant
and taught us how to fend for ourselves without
parental guardians. Many memories and inside jokes
were created with friends, as the trip gave us time to bond
and become closer than ever before; it also motivated
us to make new friends, and new relationships which
might have been unexpected, but overall welcoming. In
conclusion, PGL is a exhilarating, treasured experience,
that’s talked about and remembered.
Anisa Bilkhoo (year 9)
Our experience for PGL was fun and was one of the best
trips we have ever attended. Throughout the whole trip,
we made new friendships with people in our year who we
may have not communicated with previously. Moreover,
we got the chance to try out new activities which we had
never done before. It helped us develop more confidence
and get over our fears. We are very grateful for this
opportunity and are glad we have been able to take part
in this very entertaining and eventful trip.
Divya Sareen and Manisha Singh (year 9)

HEAD OF YEAR
Year 10 Review 2021/22
What
a year we have had in Year 10! GCSE learning has formally begun across all subjects, the
first time since year 7 where we have had an uninterrupted year of school and thankfully
the return of society back to normal to allow more opportunities for extra-curricular activities. Well done
to all students for their continued maturity and attitude in tackling increasingly difficult content in lessons
and particular credit to our iMedia students who were the first in the cohort to sit formal exams this year!
Outside of lessons have seen year 10’s returning to all kinds of extra-curricular activities and opportunities.
We have been lucky enough to have students support with a number of whole school events, such as our 20
students who played a crucial role within the Met Police Commendation event, whilst our Year 10 football
team made recent school history in reaching for the borough finals for the first time in many years. We even
have two students – Max and Amani – playing critical roles in the Women’s Euro Championships, being a
ball boy and flag bearer respectively.
Year 10 is a challenging time for any cohort of students – the start of GCSE learning in all subjects, the
looming prospect of their exams in the future – this, coupled with the impact of their last two interrupted
school years, meant that the obstacles presented to them were large. However, despite these challenges I am
writing this yearly review as a Head of Year who is incredibly proud of how we have taken the opportunity
to meet these challenges head on. We are making incredible progress not only academically, but also in our
development as young adults, and I am excited to see what successes lie ahead for us next year.
Bradley King (Head of Year 10 )
123

SIXTH FORM
Sixth Form Review 2021-2022
What an incredible year it has been for the Sixth Form. Two years of living through a pandemic, disrupted
not only students’ academic progress but also their personal development so we ensured we ran
activities and sessions to support the students as much as possible. This extended from the Friday Period 6
Power League to Winter Wonderland, tree planting, charity fundraising events and sports, all the way through
to our stunning Year 13 leavers celebration event. We celebrated their achievements through pizza parties,
trips across London and numerous edible rewards.
We have high aspirations for all of our students and by regularly promoting and encouraging students to get
involved, this resulted in students completing the Oxford UNIQ programme, and the Sutton Trust programmes
at a number of Russell Group universities such as University of Oxford, Cambridge University and Imperial
College London. The curriculum also expanded so all Year 12 classes have a timetabled PSCHE lesson
where they covered a range of topics such as misogyny, cyber security and career planning – all of which are
critical for our students to be well informed. We saw a number of students continue on the Extended Project
Qualification where they researched and wrote well written projects in areas of their interest.
It has been an absolute delight being Cranford’s Head of Sixth Form, and I wish all the Year 13s the very best
wherever their paths lead them, and to the Year 12s, I hope you’re ready for another exciting year at Cranford!
Priya Agarwal (Head of Sixth Form)
C6U were a great form to be with; funny, smart, inquisitive – the superlatives are endless! We bonded over our
enjoyment of puzzles ranging from what started out as wordle to the monster that was “sedecordle” with the
occasional “nerdle”, “globle”, framed and “heardle” thrown in for good measure! We’ve created some great
memories this year. These moments and so much more helped shape and bring our form together!
Vinay Dhokia (Tutor C6U)
I think the pizza party is a perfect incentive for students to be on time to
school and creates friendly competition between forms for things such as
the quiz which we do in the mornings. I enjoyed the pizza party a lot as I
love pizza of course but it also allowed me to engage with other students
in my form I’ve never spoken to and usually wouldn’t speak to. There was
music and coke and lots of pizza it was really fun and it makes me want
to make sure my form wins so we can secure the next pizza party, and we
WILL get the next pizza party.
Tyrone Emmanuel (year 12)
Pizza Parties
C6J well done for having really good attendance this year and
congratulations on winning not one but two pizza parties!!!!! I’m really
proud of you all for coming into school, having really good attendance as
a form and having a positive attitude to learning. Let’s keep it up for next year and aim for even more pizza parties!
124
Rianna Forbes (Tutor C6J)

Year 12 Induction Day
September 2021 Induction Day gave us an opportunity
to meet students whom either we hadn’t seen in months
or whom we had never met before. We were able to start
building relationships, which fittingly came from the
teamwork activity to build spaghetti towers on the day.
We had sessions that focussed on us putting together a
timeline for the next two years at Cranford, vision and
goal-based activities and also looked at our own personal
growth that we have seen. It was a really well thought out
event that supported our transition into Year 12.
SIXTH FORM
Morgan Slater (year 12)
Year 13 Rewards Trip - Dear Evan Hansen
On
Tuesday 29th March 2022, 30+ year 13 students attended
the Noel Coward Theatre in the West End to see “Dear Evan
Hansen” as part of the rewards scheme for sixth form. The show tells
the story of Evan Hansen an anxious, isolated high-school student who’s
aching for understanding and belonging amid the chaos and cruelty of
the social media age. He soon embarks on a journey of self-discovery
when a letter he wrote for a writing exercise falls into the hands of a
grieving couple whose son took his own life. The show tackles the idea of
acceptance, the power of social media and how one boy’s “lie” can have a
profound effect on a whole community needing to believe in something.
The students absolutely loved the show and much of the storyline,
particularly in relation to the power of social media prompting intense
discussion.
Rebecca Carter (Joint Head of Sixth form)
Sixth Form 2021-2022
125

Sixth Form Cultural Fashion Show 2022
SIXTH FORM
Cranford Community College
ARTS AND CULTURE COMMITTEE AND CHARITIES COMMITTEE
Sixth Form and Staff
Cultural Fashion
Show
TICKETS: £2 per person (all money will go to the charity
'Young Minds')
PURCHASE FROM: School Shop Only STAFF and SIXTH
FORMERS
Sixth form and Staff: come and join us to celebrate cultural
diversity at CCC. Take part in the cultural fashion show,
embrace and celebrate your culture!
Venue:
Concert Hall
Thursday 31st March 2022
4:15pm - 5:30pm
On
the 31st March 2022, the Charities Committee
and the Arts and Culture Committee decided to
team up, plan, organise and run Cranford’s very first Sixth
Form and Staff Cultural Fashion Show. As Cranford is a
very diverse school with many different types of students
from different cultures and backgrounds, we decided that
this was the best way to celebrate and recognise cultural
diversity at CCC. Over 15 cultures were represented by our
sixth form students and staff throughout the evening, who dressed up
in their colourful cultural attire and walked the catwalk. We had many
different performances, performed by sixth form students too which
included traditional Indian dances, a Bhangra performance, traditional
Somali dances, Afghan dances, Nigerian dance performances and many
more. The evening was vibrant, full of music and energy, and the
audience (which included sixth form students and staff) was fantastic,
cheering on their friends and teachers. This evening was also a way to
motivate students before their upcoming exams and it was a great way
to celebrate the level of hard work and effort that the sixth formers
have demonstrated across the past year. It was great to see how the
teachers and sixth formers worked so well together to plan their
different performances and walks and it just showed how positive the
relationships are between students and staff here at Cranford.
I really enjoyed working with the Arts and Culture Committee alongside
the different students and staff who took part in the fashion show, it was
a great way to meet and work with new people. Overall, we managed
to raise £300 from the fashion show and this donation was donated
to the charity ‘Young Minds’. Thank you to every one of the students
and staff who contributed and helped make the event a success, it was
a great show and was an amazing way to raise money for the charity.
126
Gurshaan Ghattoray (year 13 - Charities Committee)

SIXTH FORM
127

CHRISTMAS 2021
Staff Christmas Carols - “Jingle all the Way”
There was no doubt that the end of the autumn term and 2021 was not quite as we had planned with the
resurgence of Covid, but undeterred we felt we had to sing carols to keep the spirit of Christmas alive.
On the last Wednesday of term, a number of staff took part in our annual Christmas singing at the school
gates. This year was different due to Covid and the number of gates that had to be covered. Our singing staff
did not disappoint and brought with them some Cranford cheer to the festive season. Groups of staff sang
at each gate all dressed up with bells ringing. Some students took part in the singing or played instruments,
while others seemed happy to be entertained and have such a great greeting on a cold winters morning.
Priscilla Ledlie (Assistant To Senior Teachers - Pastoral)
128

Christmas Market event December 2021
Christmas is all about getting
together, eating delicious food,
opening presents, dancing to
Christmas music, and participating in
festive games and activities. This is
exactly what Cranford did this year.
On Tuesday 14th December 2021, the
Charities Committee organised and ran a
Cranford Christmas Market to support and
raise money for the charity “The Salvation
Army”. This charity helps the homeless
and the less fortunate by providing them
with hot meals, shelter, advice, mental
health support, employment support and
much more. Christmas is all about spending time with people and your loved
ones, so this charity was the most appropriate for this time of year.
CHRISTMAS 2021
After a stressful 2021 for everybody, the Christmas Market was a brilliant
way to end the year. Samosas, pakoras, cakes, cookies, donut pops, hot
chocolate, pin the red nose on Rudolf, the Christmas tombola, Christmas
music, and much more were among the festive games, food and drink that
students and staff were exposed to. Support and some donations from students
and staff helped us raise £900 ! for the charity. The sixth form and staff
Christmas Jumper Day, in which students and staff dressed up in their most
festive and fluffiest Christmas sweaters, helped us raise even more money
for The Salvation Army. We would also like to say a special thank you to the
Canteen staff who made tasty samosas, pakoras and muffins for the event and
to Ms Prunty for her incredible hard work in helping us organize such a big
and successful event.
Gurshaan Ghattoray (year 13 - Charities Committee)
129

YEAR 11 - CELEBRATION
On
Year 11 Celebration Evening and Prom 2022
Thursday 30th June 2022, a gorgeous summer evening, Cranford held its first Year 11 Celebration
Evening and Prom since the pandemic. There was much excitement around the evening with the
expectation of our year 11 transforming from students into glamourous adults as they returned to celebrate
the end of their exams and the year 11 journey.
The evening began with the formal event where parents and family joined their son or daughter to applaud
them as they received their certificate from Ms Berndt and Mr Ind, joint Heads of School. Celebration
evening was an immense success. Tutors introduced their tutor group and spoke about their joy at seeing
them through their time at Cranford and looking so grown up on this special evening. As Head of Year, I
imparted some words of wisdom too, saying how proud I was of what they have achieved and their hopes
for the future. There was entertainment provided by one of our talented singers, Luliya Jemal who sang
“Diamonds” by Rhianna and everyone was blown away by her beautiful voice. Certificates, speeches and
photos were a great way to celebrate accomplishments and to encourage future endeavours. Students and
their families were dressed very elegantly and it really set the tone for part two….The Prom…
The Prom took place at the Riverside on Bath Road, a venue we have used in previous years and we
were not disappointed as it looked amazing. There were some wardrobe changes into even more stylish
clothes for the Prom. This part of the evening was for students (and staff) who celebrated the end of year
11 with a dazzling meal, some individual awards and then a night of music and dancing. The atmosphere
was amazing and I was very pleased that this group of extraordinary young people made the evening so
special for each other. I feel very privileged to have been a part of this cohort’s experience at Cranford.
Matt Nation-Tellery (Head of Year 11)
130

YEAR 11 - CELEBRATION
131

YEAR 11 - CELEBRATION
Messages to Year 11
Dear 11T,
I haven’t been your form tutor for very long, but I have known
you all for most of your time here at Cranford. I was absolutely
delighted when I found out I was going to be taking over as
your tutor and keen to see how you had all grown up. I wasn’t
disappointed. You are a really talented and lovely group of
people. You made me feel welcome from day 1 and I think we’ve
had a really awesome year together.
It’s been truly lovely to see how much you have all matured and
the focus and motivation you have put into doing well in your
GCSEs. Please carry on working hard to make your dreams
come true and most importantly, always take the time to be a
good human. I wish all of you the very best for the future.
Barbara Lodge (Tutor 11T)
Dear 11U,
I became your tutor in year 8. Four years later, after many
academic, personal and global challenges, we are still together,
smiling and working on improving ourselves. This is a real
testament to the school, our families and community, and the
young adults in 11U.
I wish you all the best of luck for the future and hope to see you
all in September for the next two years of your journey.
Jonathan Ryan (Tutor 11U)
Dear 11V,
We have been together for five years and I can honestly say it
has been a blessing. This is not something that is new for you
to hear as I have told you this consistently for five years. You
have made my mornings a delight with your cheerful smiles and
greetings and your mischievous comments and I know you have
completely understood if I have ever had to get a little tough on
occasions, as you knew I only had your best interests at heart.
As a form we have had a lot to celebrate, particularly being
the constant winners of the quiz and having great discussions
about thought for the week. I will miss each and every single
one of you and count myself lucky to have known you for these
past five years. 11V you should be very proud of yourselves and
view this next stage of your life as one full of excitement and
opportunities.
Gill Taylor (Tutor 11V)
132
Dear 11W,
We finally made it to the end of year 11. I can still remember
you all on Taster Day; those baby faces, all so sweet and now
you are all mature young adults. I will cherish all the morning
chats we had and remember those happy and not so happy faces

on a Monday morning. Thank you for all the happy times we
shared together. You are an exceptional group of young people
about to embark on a journey into an unknown world of more
studying or working. I want you all to take advantage of the
opportunities you get, enjoy life and don’t have any regrets.
Stay positive, work hard, make it happen. Good Luck!
Baljinder Dhillon (Tutor 11W)
YEAR 11 - CELEBRATION
Dear 11X,
I’ve been with you since Year 7 and watched you all grow…
literally- most of you are taller now than I am, which I suppose
isn’t too difficult to be! More importantly, I’ve watched each
one of you develop your own personalities and become more
confident over the years. I am so proud of all you have and will
achieve. I will miss each one of you with your own quirky little
traits that have become part of your beautiful personalities
over the years.
Remember, just because I’m not your form tutor anymore,
doesn’t mean you can’t still come and see me if you need help
with anything… S10 is always open to you guys! Please make
sure you always try your best in whatever you do. I love each
and every one of you!
Barinder Dosanjh (Tutor 11X)
Dear 11Y,
We began our journey together from year 8, and over the
last four years I have seen you all flourish into incredible,
young, enthusiastic and lively individuals. You have supported
one another and had fun together, and I hope you have built
friendships that will last a lifetime. It has been my pleasure to
be your form tutor.
I am sure each and every one of you will achieve your full
potential and it will be a pleasure to see you again in Sixth form
at Cranford. I wish you the best of luck.
Hardeep Bhachu (Tutor 11Y)
Dear 11Z,
I had the pleasure of taking over 11Z in April of year 10. I
must admit I was nervous taking on a form group at such a
late point in their school careers and worried that we would
not have that special bond that every form tutor has with their
tutees. My worries were soon allayed as I discovered for myself
how wonderful and unique my new tutor group were. All our
journeys were shared ones, where they were respectful and
polite and worked hard towards fulfilling their ambitions.
Although our forthcoming journeys will no longer be shared,
I know they will do well and see a bright future. I thank them
for our time together and would like to remind them that I am
still here if they ever need me. Good luck 11Z and all the best.
Amrat Atwal (Tutor 11Z)
133

REWARDS
Summer
Celebration
Day 2022
134
After
breaking records with temperatures
of 40.2 degrees recorded at
Heathrow the previous day, Cranford’s Celebration
Wednesday 22nd July 2022 was another cracking
summer day.
The Rewards Trips
Due to the heatwave the trips were rescheduled to a
cooler day. Over 500 students enjoyed rewards trips
to Brighton Beach, Southend’s Adventure Island, the
Science Museum and Hyde Park, Tate Modern and
that old favourite Airport Bowl.
In Brighton, trip leader Ally Manole (Head of
German), reported the groups were ‘fantastich’.
Students embraced the opportunity of being near the
seaside and had an amazing time skimming stones,
going on rides at Brighton Pier and eating ice cream
and Brighton Rock.
Year 8 - London and Science Museum trip
The trip to London and the Science Museum for year
8 students was one that was filled with plenty of
‘wow’ and ‘are we there yet?’ comments. It was a
clear indicator of how much walking the students did
but also how they enjoyed every bit of it and were
amazed by the wonderful sights of London. Students
relished the chance to explore central London, both
at the Science Museum and Tate Modern where, as
John Lennon (Head of Year 8) explained, they had a
fun-filled day out on London’s South Bank, visiting
the Graffiti Tunnel, enjoying the stunning street art
and then on to Tate Modern via Jubilee Park and the
South Bank’s Skate Park. They also had a photo
challenge to complete in which each group was tasked
with taking as many photos as they could of iconic
buildings and monuments whilst on their walking
tour around the South Kensington and Knightsbridge
area. Students took the opportunity to take pictures
of Big Ben and Westminster Abbey across the
river and were treated to strange and wonderful
exhibitions at London’s Tate Modern - whilst they
all did very well, it was Mr Rahman’s group that
were the winners. Congratulations to them! Weary
from walking but thrilled by the freedom and buzz of
London, students will take memories from this day
into their summer. This group of year 8 students were
a pleasure to spend the day with. A fantastic way to
end a wonderful year at Cranford. Thank you to all
the staff who accompanied us on this trip but also to
all the staff who helped make this happen.
Year 10 - A Day by the Sea
Another Head of Year, Bradley King, took 59 of his
Year 10s to Southend Adventure Island Amusement
Park where students were able to quite literally let
their hair down on rides such as Rage and Screature.
A great time was had by everyone – even the typical

REWARDS
M25 gridlocked traffic didn’t dampen any spirits –
and it was so lovely to see students enjoy time with
their friends away from the classroom.
Year 12 Monopoly Challenge
As part of the whole school celebration week, all
Year 12 students and tutors headed off into central
London to complete our very own ‘Cranford
Monopoly Challenge’. Students created detailed
routes around London to see a number of landmark
sites and complete a number of challenges. The aim
was to collect as many points as possible to be the
winning group of the day. Challenges included going
to ‘diamonds are forever’ (Bond Street), ‘complete a
good deed as a team’ and, ‘sharing your culture with
a stranger’. A great day out for all students and staff
and congratulations to C6A and their tutor Evelyn
Brooks as the winning team.
Whilst the Year 8s, Year 10s and the Sixth form
were out of town, the Year 7s and 9s enjoyed special
celebratory activities of their own.
Year 9 Sports Day
Year 9 Sports Day was Cranford’s first full Sports
Day since lockdown, where both athletics and
team sports participation took place. This included
events such as javelin, archery, relay, basketball and
dodgeball.
Besime Isikgun (PE teacher) said “it was highly
enjoyable for both pupils and academy staff, and the
engagement and competitiveness projected from the
pupils was fantastic to see”
In javelin we had a new school record set by Darius
Marinau (9Z) where he achieved a remarkable 22.3
metres. Biom Rai (9T) landed a fantastic distance of
10.65 metres in shot-put coming in 1st place overall.
In high jump, Raqib Sulman (9U) and Chandeep
Baweja (9W) demonstrated great sportsmanship in
their event, however both narrowly missed out on
first place to Arjun Ghotra (9T), who managed to get
to an impressive 1.5 metre victory.
Eve Abuki (9Y) confidently took the gold medal in
the 200m race and Ruben Cardozo (9Y) supported
his fellow form group champion resulting in a clean
sweep for 9Y.
A massive congratulations to 9T who were the overall
champions. We are sure Mr Lever is proud! The PE
department wants to congratulate all pupils on their
participation with both supporting and competing,
well done to everyone and we look forward to having
you back next year.
Year 7 Charities and Enterprise Day
Year 7 had a great day showing off and developing
their leadership, teamwork and creative skills. With
135

REWARDS
weeks of planning ahead, each form
group decided on a charity that
they felt most passionate about and
hatched a plan for 3 fundraising
activities they would organise and
execute to raise money for their
chosen charity. Every form group
worked on planning and arranging
resources for activities in the
following categories: Food/Drink
sales, Games and Entertainment.
Students began the day with a virtual
assembly briefing them with the
plans for the day; it was remarkable
to see how quickly students got
stuck into their assigned tasks to
work against the clock before it was
time to sell, sell, sell period 4!
Year 7 students spent their morning
making smoothies, milkshakes, fruit
cocktail sticks, decorating cakes
and biscuits to name but a few of
the yummy treats they had in store.
Our most creative students made
some beautiful marketing material to
attract customers to their stalls and
our most competitive year 7s created
games that were not to be missed!
they could as a form; the form with
the most tokens would get to donate
the overall money raised to their
chosen charity.
Students set up their stalls with great
excitement at the start of period 4
and enjoyed an hour of mingling
with their friends, enjoying sweet
treats and competing with each other
in cards games, penalty shoot outs
and obstacle courses.
Staff were drawn in by the joy
and laughter of year 7 with many
coming out to donate and participate
in activities enjoying the Cranford
buzz.
We ended the day with a celebratory
assembly where each form cheered
each other on with awards and
certificates. The final prize went to
7X Who raised the most number of
tokens and so we are proud to be
donating a total of £1000 to their
chosen charity the Teenage Cancer
Trust.
Rob Ind (Joint Head of School)
“I found the charities and
enterprise day very rewarding
as we spent time on the each
of our own unique games,
food and entertainment for
a charity. What I enjoyed
the most was that we were
helping charity and the
teenagers would be happy to
receive money for their cancer
treatments. I also enjoyed the
preparation part as everyone
got along to help each other”.
You Wei Guang (year 7)
“The charities and enterprise
day was an eye-opening and
astonishing experience for
me. We all felt determined to
create various fundraisers,
such as selling cupcakes
and Contributing tokens and
money to other forms.By the
end, knowing that we would
help other children with
cancer treatments, was the
most rewarding to me”.
Melanie Khanal (year 7)
All students were given 3 tokens
each to ‘spend’ at the stalls as they
competed to raise as many tokens as
136

Cranford Celebrates World Book Week 2022
This
year World Book Day was celebrated on Tuesday 22nd March
2022. We decided to host a week of activities with the main
celebrations taking place in the Cranford library. The aim was to encourage
students to become more familiar with the library and bring new readers as
well as doing something fun for regular visitors.
These activities included a quiz night, a mystery investigation, arts and crafts
and a movie night. It was a busy week as each activity created more anticipation
for the next, building the number of students that participated each day.
Due to the high number of students that participated, we required the assistance
of some 6th form students to help run each activity and maintain order in a
somewhat chaotic week. We ended each day with refreshments and snacks to
refill the spent energy.
WORLD BOOK WEEK
Along with these activities, we set up a shop on the opposite side of the library. We sold Books, board games,
stationary and many other novelties to students and staff members that visited. This added to the bustle of
the library bringing more students that perhaps would not have visited the library before.
Overall, it was a great week filled with positive energy and a fast pace. World book week was definitely a
highlight of the school year for many students. We look forward to celebrating again next year.
Manjula Giga (Study Centres Manager)
English Department
Celebrates World Book Day
This world book day, the English Department
received vouchers to purchase a new book for free!
We know that reading and having books helps us
with our studies and throughout our lives. How did
you celebrate world book day? Perhaps you found
a new book to read by completing the scavenger
hunt and finding out what teachers across all the
departments like to read.
Katherine Pedersen (Second in English Department)
137

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
CONNECTED
FUTURES
Hounslow’s Promise, the charity started by Cranford
Community College and Seema Malhotra MP
has a new programme called Connected Futures. The
programme supports young people aged 18 to 24 into
employment and the first few months of employment
when failure rates can be high. The programme has
4 different parts. The main part is the mentoring
programme but there are also masterclasses where
leaders in their field talk about their careers, wellbeing
sessions and volunteering opportunity.
The programme developed following discussion with the Kickstart employees which Cranford ran last year.
The Kickstart scheme was the government scheme which gave unemployed 18 to 24-year-olds the chance of
employment for six months. Cranford took on 12 young people on the scheme and was able to offer 6 people
jobs after the scheme had ended. Our discussions highlighted that young people over 18 often don’t have
anyone to go for advice and guidance. They sometimes feel abandoned. Connected Futures is about giving
that support network to this group of young people.
The programme lasts 9 months and so far, has 40 young people signed up with a target of 150. The project
is being funded by London Borough of Hounslow and DWP.
Could you spare just 1-2 hours a month to make a difference in the life of a young person?
Become a mentor with Hounslow’s Promise to support a young person take the next steps in their career.
Hounslow’s Promise is an employment and education charity founded by Seema Malhotra MP. Since
January 2022, it has been running the Connected Futures programme to access to employment for young
people aged 18-24 through mentoring and a range of other interventions.
Hounslow’s Promise are looking for professionals who can support young people through 1:1 mentoring.
To apply to become a mentor, you need to:
• Be in employment or retired
• Be 25 years +
• Have a passion and commitment to supporting young people in your community
• Be able to spare 1-2 hours per month
You do not need any previous experience of mentoring as you will receive full training.
HOW TO APPLY: If this sounds like an opportunity for you, you can register your interest on the
Hounslow’s Promise website: www.hounslowspromise.org
Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher / Director of Community Partnerships & Income Generation)
Connected Futures
Young Leaders
1:1 mentoring from a
professional in Hounslow to help
you set and achieve your goals
Masterclasses and trips to
local businesses to help you
develop new skills and learn
about different careers
Volunteering opportunities so
you can give back to the
community and gain experiences
to add to your CV
Access to fitness and wellbeing
classes led by professional
coaches
Sign Up Here
www.hounslowspromise.org/connectedfutures
Become a
Mentor
Today
Work closely with a young person aged 18-
24 in Hounslow
Share your career journey and expertise
Help your mentee to set and achieve their
goals
1-2 hours of your time each month
Full training provided. No previous
mentoring experience needed
Sign Up Today
www.hounslowspromise.org/mentor-sign-up
138

Metropolitan Police West Division Commendation Awards
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
In
July 2022 Cranford Community College welcomed the Metropolitan Police West Division
Commendation awards ceremony in the Cranford Suite. The event was hosted by twenty Year 10
students who managed the event from guests’ arrival, refreshments and general hospitality.
The ceremony recognised the bravery of over 50 police officers and members of the public. The event was
attended by the Division Commander Chief Superintendent Sean Wilson, Mayors and Deputy lieutenants,
senior police officers and families from Hounslow, Hillingdon and Ealing. Many of the citations were
harrowing stories with a common theme of bravery, going above and beyond and saving many lives
through their actions often at risk to themselves.
Following the ceremony, the officers and their families enjoyed a wonderful lunch provided by our
catering staff. One officer commented ‘this is better than the ceremony at New Scotland Yard.’
During his closing remarks the Chief Superintendent praised our students saying that they are excellent
role models for society.
Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher / Director of Community Partnerships & Income Generation)
139

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Sports Facilities Upgrade for School and Community
We
are delighted to have three completely refurbished tennis courts and two netball courts. These
will be used by the school during the day and by the community during evenings and weekends.
Further enhancements will be a new perimeter fence and for the first-time floodlights which will enable all
year-round play. We are particularly excited about netball as it is an increasingly popular sport and we are
in discussions with the Netball England on how we can grow netball at Cranford.
These improvements are
possible thanks to funding
from QPR who continue to
be a high-quality partner.
The tennis courts and
netball courts are part of
a wider site improvement
plan which will see some
major improvement over the
coming years including all
new high quality changing
rooms for both the school
and the community which
are due to open in September.
Alan Fraser
(Assistant Headteacher
/ Director of Community
Partnerships &
Income Generation)
Welcome Back to the Welcome Club
This year we welcomed back the Welcome Club which has been going at Cranford for over 25 years. The
Welcome Club is a group of retired people who meet once a week to play bingo and socialise. Due to
the pandemic the club had not met for over two years and for many of the participants this was there first
time out of the house. To celebrate their return our catering team baked a special cake and we look forward
to welcoming them for years to come. If you would like to join them, they meet every Monday in The Globe.
Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher / Director of Community Partnerships & Income Generation)
140

Cranford Community College
Golden Woodland Walkway Project
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
To
celebrate 50 years of Cranford Community College and the work it has done over the past 50
years for students, families and the community we are creating a woodland walkway which will
follow the perimeter of the school playing field, a distance of approximately 1km. The first 100 trees were
planted in November 2021 with a further 900 trees planted in March 2022. In addition to the trees there
will be a 2m wide woodchip pathway following the route between the trees. The trees are native species
and consist of a mixture of silver birch, hazel, rowan, elder, blackthorn, crab apple and dog rose. There
will also be some specimen trees including oak, beech and juniper.
The trees and the pathway have been created by members of the community including staff, students,
community lettings groups and external groups including police and army cadets, council and councillors
and community organisations which have been associated with Cranford over the years. The path was
dug by the school grounds maintenance team. Everyone involved found the experience rewarding and
enjoyable and after a quick guide on how to plant trees everyone got stuck in.
The idea behind the project is to encourage people working together to achieve a common goal. In
recognition of their efforts the names of the organisations will be added to a plaque at the start of the
walkway.
By planting now, the trees will be established by September 2025 when the official opening of the
woodland walkway will take place.
Planting took place in March with approximately 50 volunteers at each session. Lunch was provided as
a thank you to all those volunteers who gave up their weekend to create this amazing golden woodland
walkway. Over the coming year there will be further development of the woodland pathway including the
planting of 50 specimen trees donated and planted by our partners and community groups.
Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher / Director of Community Partnerships & Income Generation)
“The tree planting was an overall amazing experience; the feeling of doing good for the community was
amazing. It was inspiring knowing that there were like-minded people working collectively to achieve the
same goal: to help the environment. Being part of this charitable initiative to celebrate the school and the
surrounding community demonstrates my commitment and pride in this amazing community”.
Harjot Chawla (year 12)
141

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Holiday Activity Programmes 2021-2022
During the major holiday periods Cranford has been participating in the Holiday Activity Fund and
running holiday camps in conjunction with Creative Spaces London and Heston West Big Local. The
camps are funded by London Borough of Hounslow and are open to children aged 7 to 16.
Children have a choice of 3 types of activity, either sport, creative or film making with all doing some physical
activity at some point in the day. At Christmas we ended the camp with a traditional Christmas party with
an entertainer and at Easter we had an Easter Bonnet parade with some amazing hats. The summer project is
run throughout August providing four weeks of activities building on the experience of the previous camps.
The camps are great fun and equally appreciated by the children and parents. It is particularly pleasing to
see that many of the staff who run the camps are former or current students who have developed the skills
and confidence needed to act as leaders through volunteering activities.
Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher / Director of Community Partnerships & Income Generation)
142

Once again,
Creative Spaces London have been
working with Cranford Community
College and the Big Local to deliver our popular Big Summer Project.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Throughout August over 60 local children have had access to creative
workshops, film and sports plus a hot meal. The project has offered participants
opportunities to try mosaic-ing, tie dye, printing, clay crafts, storytelling,
football, dodgeball and a range of games and physical activities. In addition,
the summer project has encouraged young people to try new things, enjoy
messy play and meet others in their community. It has also provided valuable
employment, volunteering and training experiences for local young people,
whilst supporting families, which in turn has encouraged better wellbeing and
community cohesion.
The summer project marked its final day with a group celebration on the 25th
August as we gently waved goodbye to a wonderful summer. We would like
to say a huge thank you to Cranford Community College for all their help,
support and hospitality again this year and we look forward to seeing you
next summer!
Rachel Doherty (Artistic Director - Creative Spaces London)
143

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Brentford F.C. Community Sports Trust Focus 30
On
Monday 28th February 2022 Brentford Football Club Community Trust ran a programme called
Focus 30 with some Year 8 students. The aim of the programme was to improve children’s ability
to focus in lessons through sporting activity. The programme was a mix of class-based activity and physical
activity with the last session being a visit to the new Brentford Community Stadium and a tour of the amazing
new facilities.
Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher /
Director of Community Partnerships & Income Generation)
In
Radicalisation
Awareness
Network (RAN)
May 2022 I took part in the first face to
face Radicalisation Awareness Network
(RAN) meeting since the start of the Pandemic.
The RAN is funded by the EU and is made up
of education and youth work practitioners from
across Europe. The meeting took place in Lisbon
and the topic for discussion was the role and
impact of gender on radicalisation and hate crime.
The consensus was that the pan Europe rise in hate
crime against women and misogyny were a serious
threat and challenge which schools needed to push
back against.
As well as a productive meeting it was great to
see old friends and colleagues who I had not seen
for three years including my Finnish co-author
of the paper we wrote together for the EU. We
wrote it last year and it was published in January
2022. It is called the Manifesto for Education and
looks at the threats to education and society from
radicalisation and polarisation.
144
Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher / Director of
Community Partnerships & Income Generation)

On
Senior Norwegian Police Delegation
Visits Cranford
Wednesday the 4th May 2022 Cranford hosted a delegation of senior Norwegian police who were
taking part in a seminar on radicalisation as part of their senior leadership programme. The seminar
was organised by the Met Police officer DC Abid Raja. Abid has been involved in many projects at Cranford
and was keen for us to host and participate in this important seminar.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
The seminar was opened by Kevin Prunty, Executive Headteacher, who outlined why the area of radicalisation
and hate crime was personally so important to him. The morning was a series of seminars followed by a
sumptuous lunch prepared by our catering team.
The afternoon session started with a mixed group discussion between the police and 20 year 12 students on
the challenges that young people face today and comparing them with the challenges faced by Norwegian
youth. Each group then presented back their discussion. There was a general consensus that the challenges
faced by young people are the same in both countries with gang activity seen as the biggest threat.
The final session was led by Alan Fraser with the theme of what Cranford does to develop cultural and social
capital through effective high-quality partners.
The Norwegian police were full of praise for the school. Their most memorable session was the group
discussions with our students.
Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher / Director of Community Partnerships & Income Generation)
145

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
In
Hounslow Citizens Scheme Summer 2022
July 2022, after a break due to the pandemic, Cranford welcomed back the Hounslow Citizens
scheme. The scheme is a day event offered to every Year 6 child in Hounslow and this year nearly
3000 children participated in the two-week event. The event takes place on our playground with children
rotating round a series of different scenarios. The scenarios were created to reflect the changing threats that
young people face today. The scenarios were delivered by the Met Police, London Borough of Hounslow,
London Fire Brigade, Cyber Choices, Fraggers Gaming and Brentford Community Heath.
The scenarios included:
• Cyber crime and Cyber choices plus a link to gaming where children are vulnerable to being groomed for
criminal activity.
• Knife crime sadly still a problem often linked to gang activity.
• Clever never goes – this is a variation on the more traditional stranger danger message which reflects the
fact that children are often at more danger from people they know.
• Violence against women and girls including domestic violence.
• The dangers of Lithium batteries as a fire risk.
• Physical and mental well-being.
These were very serious topics, but we made sure that the children also had an enjoyable and memorable day.
Our Year 7 and 8 Ambassadors did a superb job helping to ensure the event was a great success.
Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher / Director of Community Partnerships & Income Generation)
146

In
Social Sciences
Department
2021-2022
Social Sciences, we believe that
learning should be placed within a
Inspectors visited Social Sciences and recounted
how impressed they were that a sixth former,
Adewole Agboola, did a fantastic job when
given the opportunity in A level Psychology to
take over the teaching of the class.
dynamic framework of discussion and debate and should promote a high level of independent learning from
the pupils and therefore part of our intent is to help them to engage in self- regulated learning in order to
develop self-mastery and a love for life- long learning. Bearing that in mind, we have continued to promote
a high level of independent learning from the pupils, by encouraging them to undertake their own research
on the topics they are learning and engage in ‘flipped learning’ so they come to lessons prepared and armed
with the foundation they need to effectively build their knowledge. Our overarching aim is to develop
and build upon their social and cultural capital so they can flourish as global citizens. During lessons,
students have been sharing this knowledge by taking on the role of ‘teacher’; preparing presentations,
work sheets and teaching their peers lessons inside the classroom. This has provided our students with the
ability to develop their confidence, articulating their ideas in order to share with others, develop excellent
interpersonal skills and practise their oracy skills in a safe and nurturing environment. Answering their
peers’ questions has helped our students to engage in critical thinking, develop their critical reasoning
skills and has armed them with the ability to communicate balanced arguments. Lessons such as these
reinforce our high expectations of the students and emphasise the value we place on scholarship as well
as equipping our students not only for the challenges of higher education but for the world of work too.
SOCIAL SCIENCE
Barinder Dosanjh (Head of Social Sciences)
147

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Heston West Big Local
2021-2022
Celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
- A Summer of Culture!
On Sunday 5th June 2022 we held our Big Local and Summer of Culture
Queen Platinum Jubilee Event at the Brabazon Community Centre. In
partnership with Creative Spaces London (CSL) and Bantu Arts, we had
over 130 residents join in on the celebrations. Bantu Arts were amazing
delivering drumming masterclasses and live performances.
CSL inspired the community to create Jubilee-themed art and accessories.
Our Big Local Youth Film Club participants captured the event,
interviewing attendees including the London Borough of Hounslow’s
newly elected leader and Heston West ward councillor Shantanu Rajawat.
We were also joined by several Cranford Community College students,
including Ryan Arnold. Ryan said: “It was fantastic to see the community
come together and celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee. I really enjoy
volunteering with the Big Local, my confidence and skills have improved
a lot. The African drumming was my favourite part of the event.”
Overall, the event was a big success, drawing in residents from across
the local area.
148

Boccia Success! Brilliant turnout
at our first-ever disability sports
tournament
On Saturday 11th June 2022, in partnership with London
Borough of Hounslow’s Public Health department. Big Local
volunteers Tarek Mrad and Ramandeep Mann organised the
borough’s first ever Community Boccia Event at Cranford
Community College.
Cranford Community College sixth form student Zobia
Masood volunteered at the event, interviewing participants
for the event film. Zobia said: “I am delighted to see residents
from care homes and supported living coming along to our
school to be part of this amazing event. We need to have more
activities and events like today involving people with complex
disabilities with the community. I am proud of the everyone
and loved getting involved with playing Boccia.”
We had over 70 local people attend, including residents from
day care centres and supported living accommodations across
the borough. Big thanks to London Borough of Hounslow for
their support. Special thanks to all our Big Local volunteers,
participants and supporters on the day.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Celebrating our COVID-19 heroes at our 5th Big Local
Community Volunteer Awards Ceremony!
On Saturday 11th September 2021 we held our 5th Big Local Community Volunteer Awards
ceremony celebrating our volunteers who supported our Covid-19 foodbank programme last
year during the pandemic. Together they picked, packed and delivered over 2,500 meals serving
our local community. Big thanks to all our incredible volunteers and community partners and
also Mayor of Hounslow Bishnu Gurung for attending and giving out the awards.
Cranford Community College Head Girl Sharanjit Kaur said: “It was a brilliant day, I am really
proud of everyone in our community. To me, everyone is a winner for volunteering for Heston
West Big Local. I am proud to have been recognised for my voluntary work and receive the
prestigious Brian Clark Award. It was so great to see so many students at Cranford Community
College getting involved with the local community and being part of the Big Local Youth Action
Team. Volunteering changes lives for the better, thanks to volunteering, I gained leadership
skills which helped me become Head Girl at Cranford and will help me with my future career.”
We would like to give a massive thanks to all our supporters, volunteers and community partners
for their brilliant effort and support during the pandemic including Cranford Community
College, Heston Royal British Legion and Keep Britain Tidy.
Taz Virdee (Heston West Big Local –
Project Manager)
149

YEAR 13 - CELEBRATION
On
A Fond Farewell to Year 13
Friday 27th May 2022 we said a fond farewell to year 13 in the Cranford Suite. On a beautiful
sunny evening this social event celebrated the end of their time at Cranford and gave everyone
an opportunity to look back over the past few years. This year group have been very much affected by the
impact of the pandemic, but they have been resilient and worked hard to ensure that they achieved as best
they could and remained positive even when there were huge challenges to face. But on this night, it was
all about celebration and as the Student Leadership team 2021-2022 stepped down from their role, they
spoke eloquently about their memories of the year group with humour and affection. Ms Carter and Ms
Agrawal also spoke of their pride in the year group and all they had achieved. After some entertainment
and some presentations, it was time to enjoy the refreshments, take photos and thank their teachers and
tutors for their support and hard work.
Good luck year 13 with the next phase of your lives. See you on results day.
Rebecca Carter and Priya Agrawal (Joint Heads of Sixth Form)
150

YEAR 13 - CELEBRATION
A Message from the Student Leadership Team 2021-2022
Thank
you Ms Agarwal and Ms Carter for keeping us together and making sure
that we were always on the right track. Thank you to all the staff for your
hard work and being our role models. Thank you, prefects, for always
being there to help us out and making sure that we met the expectations. To our teachers, for the lessons
and encouragement. To our peers, for their friendship and learnt mistakes. To each other, for those happy
moments and imperfections, that molded us into the people we are today
All priceless moments! We shared a season of our lives, but every season has an end. Our time at Cranford
has taught us to pour all positivity and energy into every moment of our lives because every moment
matters. We wish you all the best for the upcoming exams and the future ahead.
151

SIXTH FORM
Introducing
The Student Leadership Team
2022-2023
It is a great honour to have been elected as Cranford’s Head Boy. It has been my ambition ever
since I was on the 2019 student panel, and I thank God that this longstanding goal of mine has
finally come to fruition. I am forever grateful to Ms Agarwal and Mr Prunty, who deemed me
worthy of this influential position, and with the support of such a strong leadership team, I
am excited to see what lies in store for us as we do our best to represent Cranford’s student
body. I understand that this role will be difficult, but I hope that my term as Head Boy and
Leader of the Charites Committee, brings nothing but success to Cranford. I am eagerly
looking forward to seeing how we will enhance our school profile to make Cranford an even
more exceptional environment for students and staff alike.
Samuel Dickson (Head Boy – Charities Committee)
It is a great privilege to have been elected as the Head Girl of Cranford Community College!
Having been a student at this school since year 7, taking on this role seemed like the best
way to give back to the school for supporting me along this journey and shaping me into the
individual I am today. I am really looking forward to working with the whole leadership team
to further better an already exceptional place of education and am confident in the strong
team of students we have. One goal I am particularly motivated with is raising a greater
engagement with STEM within the school community. This will allow the student body to
have a better understanding of the world around us and will enable them to develop a range of
skills and experiences so they can flourish into well rounded individuals. The STEM Committee and I have
put together a plan for the next academic year, which involves a great number of extra-curricular challenges
and activities that we are excited to share!
Ayesha Kaur (Head Girl - STEM Committee)
I applied for a role on the Sixth Form Leadership Team because I wanted to represent Cranford.
I enjoy leading a team and had the personal aim of building my interpersonal skills and
becoming a more confident individual. My intention for our student body was to increase
communication between the leadership team and the wider school to better understand student
voice. Positive feedback to the projects run by the Environment Committee is one of the ways
we ensure students are happy. The Environment Committee has had over 45 students sign up
to participate in our Sunflower Project. Years 7 and 8 will be exploring their gardening skills
during the summer term. Planting sunflowers will help students become more aware of their contributions to
the environment. I look forward to what the Environment Committee will achieve in the next academic year.
Marjaan Aman (Deputy Head Girl - Environment Committee)
152

I am a suitable, positive, inspiring role model. I strongly believe that we, as the student
leadership team, have the right determination to push the school to its best and encourage
students to become great and independent individuals. My main aim is to make the school
grow as a community for both teachers and students.
Satnam Curry (Deputy Head Boy - Wellbeing Committee)
My name is Sanjana, one of your new PSHCE Ambassadors. This role allows me to listen to
students. I think it is important to advise and teach students about important life skills and by
being a PSHCE Ambassador I will have important links with students across the school. I want
to run clubs which focus on mental health and social well-being. I would like to make the school
an even better place for everyone, teachers and students included.
SIXTH FORM
Sanjana Bhola (Deputy Head Girl - PSHCE Ambassador)
Having studied at Cranford since Year 7, I have been provided with such a tremendous amount
of support and opportunities that have enabled me to flourish into the person I am today.
Therefore, as one of the Deputy Head Girls, I would like to give back to the community by
creating opportunities that involve the nourishment of younger years. As the Head of the
Sports Committee, I want to particularly focus on increasing female participation in sports and
participation in extra-curricular activities. My main aim is to help students succeed academically
by creating opportunities to allow them to improve and maintain their physical well-being.
Concluding my final years at Cranford as Deputy Head Girl is a privilege that I am extremely grateful for,
and I look forward to fulfilling the role to the best of my ability.
Shenon Dias (Deputy Head Girl - Sports Committee)
As Deputy Head Girl, my main aim is to create a safe environment for all my peers, giving them
a chance to fully express themselves, and as a result achieve their full potential.
Furthermore, as Arts and Culture Committee leader, I hope to propose many amazing events
which would include representations of different arts.
As a result of the strong abilities of our committee members, we hope to host meaningful events
that benefit us as sixth formers as well as other year groups. This also gives us an opportunity to enhance
our soft skills such as teamwork and communication, which will benefit us later on in life.
Lastly, I will ensure that I am a good role model to be looked up to by the younger years, as this role requires
being approachable and being able to work as part of a team, along with having confidence and being
respectful. I believe these are important qualities all Cranford students should aim to have.
Reemas Mohamed-Yusuf (Deputy Head Girl - Art and Culture Committee)
My name is Harsimran, I have just taken on the roles of PSHCE ambassador, STEM committee
member and prefect. Although I’ve just started my position, I am very much looking forward
to figuring out my responsibilities and supporting the school community.
Within the few meetings we’ve already had we’ve had some great ideas about how to further
enrich our school. One idea in development is the worry box. I’ve learnt to liaise with key staff
members and have taken many tips and considerations that will inform my projects in the future.
I’m very grateful for the speed in which the STEM student team work and I am particularly looking forward
to our upcoming project in July.
Harsimran Bath (PSHCE Ambassador)
153

Cranford Becomes a Vaccination Centre
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
When Cranford was approached
in February 2021 by Bhogal
Pharmacy about setting up a
Covid vaccination centre on site we thought
it would be open for about six months.
Over a year later it is still open and has
been designated a vaccination centre for
the Autumn booster programme which will
run until the end of December 2022. Since
its opening, the centre has delivered over
50,000 vaccines and has proved invaluable
in enabling our community to be better
protected against Covid. The high-quality
facility has been praised for its efficiency
and was one of the few centres in the area
to be licensed to vaccinate the 5- to 11-yearold
cohort.
With the vaccination centre on site, we were
able to ensure all our staff and students who
wished to have the vaccine were able to do
so easily.
Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher /
Director of Community Partnerships &
Income Generation)
“Cranford Review” © 2006-2022 is a publication of Cranford Community College, distributed in printed copies,
154either available in PDF (digital format) to be downloaded from our school website: www.cranford.hounslow.sch.uk