Cranford Review 2021 by Cranford Community College

2020 / 2021

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

EDITORIAL Dear Reader

Mr. Kevin Prunty Executive Headteacher & National Leader of Education Jenny Lewis Chair of the Academy Trust Peter Stumpf Associate Headteacher Alan Fraser Assistant Headteacher & Director of Community Partnerships Rita Berndt Joint Head of School Rob Ind Joint Head of School Maria Bramhall Deputy Head of School PARTNERSHIP: Berkeley Academy - Heston West Big Local Hounslow Promise - Hounslow Education Partnership

by Mr Kevin Prunty

I am delighted that you are now enjoying our annual publication of the Cranford Review for 2020/21. It is a celebration of last year and although I have been incredibly lucky that there has been so much to celebrate over my 20+ years as a Head Teacher, I have never been so proud, as I am now, of this school, its staff, its pupils and its community. There have been two prolonged periods of remote teaching and learning over the last 18 months, yet our students recorded excellent results across a very broad curriculum, which reflect the hard work they put in, both in the classroom and at home. The Teacher Assessed Grades system used in this period is, in many ways superior to the usual terminal examinations system, in that it credits what each child accomplishes in each course of study in an evidential and verifiable way, rather than penalises what a child does not know or does not remember on the day of a final exam. Many countries credited with the highest educational performance in Europe and across the world have a Teacher Assessed Grades system even in normal times and it certainly merits consideration in the U.K. as normality returns. The examination success this year, which is in keeping with the academy’s impressive track record in the last two decades, is also a credit to the staff who have gone over and above throughout those 18 months and have worked tirelessly to ensure that our students stay well, stay safe, get a full and rounded education, are emotionally resilient, maintain their excellent levels of progress and that students are recognised for the efforts they have made. The academy has also been able to exercise its role as a supportive ‘corporate parent’ for those who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic’s impact. There are undoubtedly further challenges to come educationally as well as in health, employment and the economy, but these are challenges we will face together and we will succeed in turning them into successes. What is so impressive about the events, experiences, accomplishments and activities recorded in this booklet, in the context of the pandemic, is that the importance and value of the wider curriculum has never been so clear.

“Cranford Review” © 2006-2021 is a publication of Cranford Community College, distributed in printed copies, either available in PDF (digital format) to be downloaded from our school website: www.cranford.hounslow.sch.uk

Editor-in-chief: Jessica Joyce Graphic Design: Printed by:

Enzo Gianvittorio Springfieldpapers.com

As some normality returns, it has become more apparent how much we have genuinely missed being together as a school community of students and staff, working and socialising together, coming to school to learn, to educate, to grow and to belong, going on school trips, visiting theatres, museums, galleries, etc. We perhaps took some things about being together for granted before that privilege was suspended. We can look forward to spending more time together now that

EDITORIAL schools and society learn to live alongside Covid-19, doing some things a little differently but doing them, and most importantly doing them together – ‘together as one – together as ‘Cranford’. We have been brought even closer together with our wider community and partners; to overcome adversity together, to work together to find creative solutions to new problems, to care for and help others in unprecedented need, and to join forces to magnify impact. It is inspiring and heart-warming. Cranford and its community have hardly skipped a heartbeat during the pandemic. We have quickly adapted to the challenges of teaching, learning and assessment ‘at a distance’, including making over 600 virtually immediate loans of ICT and connectivity equipment for those in need. We developed safeguarding, pastoral and communication provision in spite of obstacles. We have taken practical steps to ensure that no-one goes unfed or unnoticed, to ensure that community mental health and emotional well-being have not been overlooked and we have connected people together so that we all know that we are not alone, especially those feeling most vulnerable. We have weathered this storm well and we have renewed optimism in the future. We have been blessed as a community and we are grateful. It is not just one storm, though, that helps a tree grow deeper and stronger where it stands. It is several storms over time, a series of torrents and gusts. All of this rooting and growing in the face of heavy weather protects a tree from simply blowing over. And, it prepares a tree for the storms yet to come. We are learning from the challenges, developing new skills, innovating and we are incredibly optimistic about the good things that will come from our resilient response to adversity, including the potential to develop positive, transformational and quantum shifts in social mobility and community cohesion as well as new approaches to teaching and learning. If there are further storms ahead, we will learn more, seek to do things better and be ever better prepared. We value learning and its powerful benefits, and we have ensured that every child has continued to get a full, proper and broad education throughout. Over 90% of our KS4 students have been able to maintain the full EBACC range of subjects this year too. This review of the year celebrates our values and our curriculum. It celebrates excellence, and it celebrates our community. It celebrates the importance that technology has played in the continuing success of our unique academy, and the enormous breadth of curricular and extra-curricular provision, which is virtually unrivalled in the state and private sectors.

At Cranford, we learn from the best in the world.

We also know that summer 2021 has been another record-breaking year at A level, GCSE, Vocational and Technical in terms of examination success and student progress. A truly special and huge thank you is owed to the teachers and support staff who have rallied and worked incredibly hard and diligently to, almost instantly, offer a full-service virtual school or school for the whole of the pandemic to date, alongside some on-site provision and the enormous task of grading GCSE, A-level, vocational and technical qualifications. The dedication of Cranford staff and the high level of engagement of students is an indicator of why the children who attend Cranford make such excellent progress and accomplish so much. As an academy, we have used the time strategically too, heavily and urgently investing in adaptations and safety improvements to our site and premises so that we can all be as safe at school and work as we could possibly be, including going forward. In addition to our commitment to all round excellence, a key theme of Cranford’s identity has been our longterm commitment to transforming the community. As founding members of First Story and more recently Hounslow’s Promise, Hounslow Education Partnership and Heston West Big Local, partner organisations that also focus on improving the life chances of our young people through exciting community development programmes, we continue to take a holistic approach to community development, school improvement, cultural capital and social mobility. The astonishing range of wider curriculum opportunities also includes specific projects that deepen and enhance students’ learning experience through performances, challenges, masterclasses, debates, conferences and competitions as well as clubs, trips, visits and lectures. A particularly relevant achievement has been to work with the University of Oxford from September 2017 to July 2021 on the Myriad research project to help schools prepare young people to manage their emotional health and improve resilience to the challenges of adolescence. As a result, we have happy, well-educated, wellqualified, well-rounded, well-behaved, well-motivated and well-prepared contributors to society, good citizens who value education, are able to enjoy it, succeed in life and thrive in a wide range of social contexts.

Kevin Prunty Executive Headteacher National Leader of Education 1

# GCSE RESULTS 2021 Fantastic GCSE results again at Cranford Community College

ranford students have achieved another set of amazing GCSE results, despite all the challenges they have faced over the past two years.

Executive Headteacher, Kevin Prunty said: “We are absolutely thrilled by the tremendous GCSE results our Year 11 students have achieved today. We knew they wouldn’t let a pandemic hold them back! Progress is stunning and it is particularly impressive that over 90% of Cranford students entered all EBACC subjects with 60% passing every element. There are so many Cranford students who have done exceptionally well it is hard to pick just a few. Some particular stars include: • Isra Jadoon, Heenal Mehra and Ayesha Kaur who all achieved an incredible 9 grade 9s, with Tyisha Rebolo picking up 8 grade 9s and a Distinction* in her ICT. • Samuel Dickson, Oliwia Bartnicka, Anix Gurung, Arushi Varshney, Marjaan Aman, Shamila Baig, Gurnoor Singh-Kaur and Maryam Moeen all averaged 8.5 across their subjects, managing a breath-taking 59 top grade 9s and 23 grade 8s between them. • Shreyas Shikare managed an incredible Progress 8 score of 4.7, meaning he secured on average well over 4 grades better than other students nationally from his starting point. Yasmina Del Rio Debiche, Prableen Gurwara, Zeeshan Qureshi, Nabila Mohamed and Hiba Raza made similarly breath-taking progress with Shenon Dias also picking up 6 grade 9s on the way! Congratulations to all our students and staff on a truly phenomenal effort. 2

A LEVEL RESULTS 2021

Superb A Level Results for a Stunning Cohort

ranford’s tremendous A level success stories this year were perhaps not that surprising if we remember that this cohort achieved the best GCSE results ever at Cranford in 2019. “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.” Amongst the many students heading off to Russell group universities, there are some real stand out high fliers: • Warda Khalif achieved A*, A*, A* and is off to Cambridge University to take up her place reading Natural Sciences at Gonville & Caius College. • Neha Hussain and Aliza Abbas will read Medicine at Imperial College and Kings College London respectively after gaining five A*s and one A between them. • Warwick University continues to benefit from Cranford students’ talent with Jack Blandford (A*, A*, A* Biochemistry), Brahmnoor Brar (A*, A*, A* - Computer Science), Bhanuya Balendran (A*, A*, A – Biochemistry), Adelaide Samgi (A*, A*, A* - Law with Humanities) all heading there. • Ruhaan Mughal will join them at Warwick having achieved a perfect Distinction * in BTEC Business to go along with his A*s in English Language and Literature and History A levels. Ruhaan will read Law, a choice which is on the increase at Cranford, with Inderjot Virk (A*, A*, A*) and Phajmeet Khurana (A*, A*, A) also being accepted to read Law at Manchester and Queen Mary’s universities. • Abraham Mathews scored a perfect set of A*s and has been accepted onto a highly competitive apprenticeship with GKN Aerospace. • Sankavi Sivarharan will fulfil her dream of reading architecture at Nottingham University after achieving a double Distinction* in her Cambridge Technical IT course to go with her A* in Fine Art. • Special mention should also go to Kimran Virk who will read Psychology at Kings College London after gaining A*, A*, A*. Well done too to Namra Ansar, Warda Hashi and Suadi Barri who also achieved straight A*s, the maximum possible grades. A huge thank you and well done to all of our students and their teachers. Rob Ind (Head of School)

# PASTORAL A Year Like No Other

– Reflection – e were overjoyed to fully reopen the Academy to all students at the start of September 2020. Careful planning and enhanced safety protocols including the addition of masks to the uniform policy enabled Cranford to prioritise, in highly abnormal circumstances, as normal a curriculum as possible for the students.

Regular hand-sanitising, temperature checks, fresh ventilation and intensive cleaning practices meant that science experiments and music classes, class debates and visual arts could all continue as close to normally as possible. Computers had been given out to students and families to combat digital poverty and enable online learning. Staff and students alike were resilient and thrilled to be back. Our pastoral response mirrored the overall objectives of the school, to welcome our students back as warmly and with as much normality as possible. Bonds between form tutors and their tutees were immeasurably strengthened by the Keeping in Touch calls from the first lockdown, and with the School Counsellor increasing her drop in sessions from weekly to daily and virtual assemblies and even virtual inter-form quizzes up and running. All was going well. Then came the second lockdown. Knowing how much the whole community was relishing being back in school, this was of course frustrating but it was far from unexpected and we were as ready as we could be. The vast majority of students were already online at home with suitable devices and a crack team of volunteer staff were on call 24 hours a day with technical support and equipment delivery services. The academy’s investment in AnyDesk for staff and Microsoft Teams for the whole community immediately paid dividends and, from Day One (January 5th 2021), all lessons including form time were ‘live lessons’ with teachers on camera, registers taken and learning as interactive and dynamic as could be. Thanks to the ongoing CPD programme and sharing of best practice, innovations in virtual teaching continued throughout the 38 school days that students and the majority of teaching staff were at home. Assemblies and counselling moved online seamlessly and we were even able to target support to individuals and groups that needed it most, from home visits to group sessions, for example, on ‘Making space for your wellbeing in a big household’.

Lockdown in numbers: • Over 11,000 live lessons delivered virtually. • Over 350,000 messages sent on TEAMs. • Over 1000 different online learning communities on TEAMs.

Nonetheless, it was a relief when we all came back to the Academy on March 8th 2021. Students and tutors have been incredible at embracing all of the extra routines and you would be hard pressed to find anywhere that manages the twice weekly lateral flow testing of 1700 people so calmly and confidently.

• Over 600 parental engagement meetings.

As I write, our attendance since March 2021 has been above 95% whilst nationally this figure has dipped below 75%. The last year has been full of challenges but Cranford has stepped up and we can all be very proud of our achievements.

• 64 Internet dongles with unlimited data given to households.

Rob Ind (Head of School)

• 96% attended and engaged every day.

• 247 academy PCs delivered to students. • 276 laptops provided by DHL, Hounslow’s Promise and the Department for Education.

• 125 webcams and headsets provided to students.

SIXTH FORM

Cranford’s continued success with Oxbridge, Medicine and Dentistry offers

espite challenges due to the pandemic this year, it has been another successful year for Cranford Community College’s Year 13 pupils and their UCAS Applications to university. This year, we have had an overwhelmingly large number of students that have chosen the route of university as their next stage in education. We are extremely pleased that our year 13 pupils have received offers from their desired universities including a large number of pupils receiving offers from a range of Russell Group universities such as: University of Birmingham - University of Exeter - London School of Economics & Political Science - University of Sheffield - University of Bristol - University of Glasgow - University of Manchester - University of Southampton - University of Cambridge - Imperial College London - Newcastle University - University College London - Cardiff University - King’s College London - University of Nottingham - University of Warwick - Durham University - University of Leeds - Queen Mary, University of London - University of York. The year 13 pupils received a range of support and guidance from their extremely knowledgeable academic tutors. Pupils valued how their academic tutors guided them through deciding their next path via university without bias. The support also included up to date discussions on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on future careers. The consistently strong support and guidance combined with high expectations of year 13 pupils from all the staff pushed the sixth form pupils to aim high and aspire to obtain places at the top universities in the UK. Cranford Community College has also been implementing its Early Entry UCAS programme aimed at promoting aspirations and access for students to apply to Oxford and Cambridge universities along with students applying for Medicine and Dentistry. This programme has been delivered by the school since 2017 and has been extremely successful. Examples of events and opportunities that the programme offers includes: • Promoting and supporting applications and visits to university summer schools, masterclasses and lectures. • Delivering workshops to support pupil applications to Oxbridge, Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Sciences.

• Guest Speakers from Oxford and Cambridge universities giving lectures to students on site. • Supporting with interview skills with interview coaching. • Follow up mentoring and support after students receive their offers. • Support and guidance with university admissions tests such as the BMAT, UKCAT and LNAT. As with every year, since the start of this programme, we had a substantial proportion of the year 13 cohort applying for Early Entry UCAS courses. However, due to challenges with the pandemic, our programme was adapted to give our students the best chances of gaining these prestigious places. This academic year, each year 13 Early Entry candidate was paired up with a member of the senior leadership team as a mentor to support them through building the perfect personal statement and guide them with the future focus choices that they make. In addition to this, medical students were supported to gain virtual medical placements and professional courses. Collaboration between the Sixth Form Leadership team and subject teachers optimised the effectiveness of experiences in mock interviews, which were completed virtually this year. 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. This year was no exception and we have received a record number of offers. On the next page is a list of students that have received offers from the above categories:

# SIXTH FORM

Warda Khalif University of Cambridge, Natural Sciences

Haroon Lukka University of Cambridge, Mathematics

The second year of A Levels is infamous for being one of the most difficult times of a young adult’s life. Couple that with online school and a plethora of closing deadlines and you have a recipe for disaster. However, during this time, a highlight was the writing of my personal statement. This was where I have to cram all my achievements and good qualities in 500 words to be judged by universities and may well decide the course of my life from here on out. Considering this, however, with specialised teacher support and many mock interviews, it was definitely the smoothest part of the past two years, and I am now on track to study Geography at the University of St Andrews. Having said that, it was definitely a challenge to find the right parts of your past to include to accentuate your character, and there is something incredibly satisfying about seeing your final piece of work as you submit it, knowing that it is the best that the current you have to offer as you enter adulthood. As such, I would greatly recommend finding opportunities to better yourself throughout your holidays (especially summer) so you can look back and know that no time has been wasted; volunteering or work experience can have a great effect on your self-improvement and provides so much to fall back to in your personal statement. In these A-Level years, there is no time to waste! But trust in yourselves and your work and everything will turn out just fine. Guy Boonyarakyotin (year 13)

Rajvir Sran Brighton Medical School, Medicine

Neha Hussain Imperial College London, Medicine

Anjali Bhambra King’s College London, Dentistry

Aliza Abbas King’s 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 to university, apprenticeships or the world of work. We wish our outgoing year 13s all the best for their future endeavours. Chetan Shingadia (Assistant Headteacher Post 16) 6

This October, I hope to be studying Natural sciences at Gonville and Caius, Cambridge. I sent many drafts of my personal statement to multiple teachers who all were all incredibly helpful and prompt with their feedback. During the interview process, I had attended a mock interview conducted by Mr Shingadia and Mr Aughterson, who both had gone through the Oxbridge process, and I received very useful advice from both of them. For those of you who are thinking of applying to Oxbridge, I would recommend you start revising for any entrance exams you may need to sit at least 2-3 months prior. In the interview, you are likely to be asked questions about topics of which you have no knowledge, so do not worry if you don’t get the correct answer straight away. Your thought process is more important than your ability to regurgitate prelearnt content. Also, start your personal statement as soon as possible, preferably have a first draft written before year 13 starts. This means you can spend September and October revising for your entrance exam. Warda Khalif (year 13)

Applying to university can be a stressful experience, but the support I received from the school helped make my UCAS journey less overwhelming. The teachers were more than happy to read over and give me tips on how I could improve my personal statement. Prior to applying, we were introduced to the entire process through period 0 meetings, which were great opportunities to ask any questions we had and read exemplar personal statements. Despite being in lockdown for the interview stage, the teachers made a great effort to stay in touch with us and even conducted mock interviews for extra support. The overall encouragement from the teachers

SIXTH FORM has helped me obtain an offer to study Dentistry at King’s College London. With regards to university and student life, the school provided us with financial and wellbeing tips through assemblies in order to prepare us for the future. My advice to year 12 students who are preparing for university this year would be to thoroughly research the course and universities you will be applying to. League tables and rankings are meaningless if you won’t be happy studying the course at that specific university. It is also worth looking at alternative routes to get to the career of your choice, so having a plan B is key. Lastly, if you need any help during your application, don’t hesitate to speak to one of the teachers because they want the best for you! Anjali Bhambra (year 13)

The prospect of applying to study Medicine can be daunting but the Cranford Early Entry UCAS programme made it a lot easier with support for booking admissions tests such as the BMAT, writing your personal statement and the most challenging part - interviews! I am pleased to say that the programme aided me to gain an offer at Brighton and Sussex Medical School where I will be studying Medicine in September. For those looking to apply to Medicine, I would say start early! Book the UCAT before school starts and use the summer wisely to study for admissions tests and get some medical work experience! Rajvir Sran (year 13)

This September, I hope to be studying Medicine at Guy’s campus, King’s College London. The journey to Medicine was not an easy one, however with the constant support of my teachers I was able to put forward a competitive application. In Year 13, we were coupled up with teachers who read over our personal statement drafts and gave helpful, constructive criticism. I had sent my personal statement to many teachers (who were always happy to help) across multiple subject departments hence I received holistic advice which enabled my statement to become much more concise and engaging. During the daunting interview process, I was supported by a former Cranford student who now studies Medicine at Imperial College London. We conducted many

mock interviews over a couple of weeks and the feedback I received during this stage was invaluable, thus I was grateful to have this interaction made possible through the school network. My advice to current Year 12’s who are going through the UCAS process would be to stay organised and more importantly to show a genuine passion for your subject in your personal statement. Over the summer, you can attend lectures, summer schools, complete a future learn course or read a book about your subject. Specifically, for those considering a career in Medicine, whilst it is important that you focus on your admissions tests such as the UCAT or BMAT 1-2 months early, do not let this overshadow your A-Level commitments. To alleviate the pressure at the beginning of Year 13, you should aim to complete your first draft of the personal statement during your summer holidays so that you can focus on your admission tests. Good luck for all your future endeavours in Year 13! Aliza Abbas (year 13)

For students doing UCAS early entry, there is a huge amount of support available from the school. In my case, I was able to get a wealth of feedback from teachers regarding my personal statement, which allowed me to write the best possible one, helping me secure the places I need. Moreover, the school hosts mock interviews, which give a good simulation of the actual interviews at universities. Due to the pandemic, university interviews were online only, and the school prepared me for this with an online interview that was very similar to the real thing and gave me a very good experience of online meetings, since I had never done anything of this nature. I was very fortunate to gain a conditional offer from Cambridge to study Mathematics. Thanks to the school’s outstanding teaching standards and support for students, I feel well prepared to go on and pursue my degree. For current Year 12 students (who will be entering Year 13 shortly), my main piece of advice is to apply to study a subject you will enjoy. You will be spending at least 3 years studying it in depth, so you want to choose something you can end up succeeding in. Employers look more at transferable skills as well as experience gained beyond studying, meaning the choice of subject matters less than some may think (with a few exceptions). Haroon Lukka (year 13)

# SIXTH FORM

The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund

The

16 to 19 Bursary Fund provides financial support to help students overcome specific financial barriers so they can remain in education. The Bursary Fund supports eligible young people with the cost of food, books, and educational visits or other course materials or equipment essential to successfully complete their Post 16 studies. This year, the Bursary Fund has supported eligible young people to purchase meals at Cranford. During periods of remote learning, food vouchers were sent to students to support with the cost of food whilst working at home. Students have benefitted from support with the cost of course materials and books to support their academic study and help with the cost of clothing and travel. A number of students have received laptop computers to support their personal study, for use at school during independent study periods and at home in order to support their academic study beyond Cranford as they move onto the next stage of learning or the world of work. For many of our students eligible for Bursary Fund support, the financial support received has been a lifeline and has been key in allowing students to remain in education throughout what has been a financially challenging period for many families. We are delighted that the Bursary Fund has enabled young people at Cranford to remain in education, it has provided the financial support necessary to allow young people to reach their full potential and offer opportunities beyond the school. Kerry Mulhair (Assistant Headteacher) 8

Outstanding engagement in learning during school closures

the 4th January 2021, the Prime Minister announced another national lockdown for the UK to slow the spread of COVID-19. This included the closure of school to all pupils including the sixth form. In Autumn Term 2020, the school invested in staff and student training along with building an online infrastructure through Microsoft Teams to ensure that the education of pupils at Cranford remains of the highest quality should there be another lockdown. This training also prepared staff for many other scenarios, for example if a student had to selfisolate or if a teacher had to self-isolate. Our sixth form students engaged extremely well in this process and gained a wealth of knowledge and experience in using Microsoft Teams before the national lockdown in January took place. From January 2021, as with all pupils in the school, the sixth form students followed their timetable remotely via Microsoft Teams, including attendance to form time. All pupils accessed their lessons through live online teaching. This was extremely important to ensure that students still maintained their school routine integrated with their daily routines at home. We were also impressed by the sixth form students also attending their revision classes that usually took place during period 0 and period 6. The sixth form students engaged extremely well with remote learning with attendance to online lessons being consistently above 95% for year 12 and 98% for year 13. The root reason behind this impressively high online engagement was the high quality online teaching and learning that was taking place on Teams. The lessons for all year groups were innovative and interactive throughout.

SIXTH FORM Some key interactive activities that the school used included:

• Breakout rooms on Teams which allowed students to participate in group work. • Online quizzes using Microsoft forms and Kahoot which promoted recall of knowledge and understanding mixed with light competition. • Meaningful homework to continue to be regularly set and marked using assignments on Teams. • Teacher’s consistently asking students to unmute to give their responses and promoting discussions using the chat feature in lessons. • Teachers checking work in real time and giving feedback as it was being complete using One Note Class Notebook. In addition to this, the sixth form students were also fully engaged in the pastoral programme of the school as they still virtually attended form time in the morning where they were attending virtual assemblies, taking part in Thought for the Week, Academic Reading and VESPA. Sixth form students were also receiving support via telephone and Teams calls to help them progress to the next stage in their education through UCAS and apprenticeship application support. Student wellbeing was a big focus in form time and we supplemented this through wellbeing workshops that took place weekly after school. Some topics in the workshops included: understanding and managing anxiety, how to make space for your wellbeing in a big household, routines and creating a productive environment, dealing with uncertainty and managing emotions and panic attacks. These workshops had an extremely large take up and student found these workshops useful as they could apply the practical advice into their lives straight away. Cranford is extremely proud of the resilience, positivity, enthusiasm and determination of pupils during the remote learning period where students continued to make exceptional progress and experience the highest quality of education provision despite the national lockdown. Needless to say, everyone was delighted to be able to return to on site learning on 8th March 2021. Chetan Shingadia (Assistant Headteacher Post 16)

SIXTH FORM

Student Testimonials – Lockdown Stories After hearing the announcement of yet another national lockdown, it was a stressful start to 2021. Virtual school became the new ‘normal’ and as well as experiencing a whole new platform of learning, my teachers worked their hardest in ensuring as much normality as possible by delivering lessons each period via Microsoft Teams. Although sometimes being told “your mic is muted” when speaking, or the video suddenly freezing, each 50-minute lesson was as engaging as it could be, as if we were sitting in the classroom. My teachers were proactive as I was still required to sit timed essays, go through exam questions at the end of each lesson and use the ‘interactive whiteboard’ feature together as a class. I could ask my teachers any questions regarding the content covered as they would remain online throughout the school day. Each day felt like living the same day on repeat and it was a challenge to stay motivated. However, I made sure I followed a structured daily routine by following my timetable as if I were at school. I treated ‘break 1’ and ‘break 2’ as the half hour opportunity to come away from my laptop screen and used my ‘study centre periods’ as an opportunity to do my own revision. I managed my own wellbeing and positive mind set by taking my dog for a walk after the end of the school day and spent time with my family in the evenings; I also stayed in daily

1/3

contact with my friends. Losing my Grandma in the midst of all of this was a difficult challenge for myself, however my teachers and the school were very supportive and understanding. Overall, my experience with virtual school has definitely been a steep learning curve and although experiencing online learning is very valuable, it made me realise how much of a privilege it is to attend school in person. Gurshaan Ghattoray (year 12)

Covid-19 has bought a sense of uncertainty in our lives. As a young person, I have had to think about things twice before any step - not just in academia. Coronavirus definitely has its advantages and disadvantages. During lockdown, my lessons were online however this time there was more effort needed than before. Teachers at Cranford were really understanding about the situation. For example, Ms Agarwal, my chemistry teacher was really good at delivering lessons online but also keeping us engaged at each point. She would actually use the board by making annotations on her PowerPoint rather than just reading off it. Our homework was also set and submitted online. One thing that I have learnt from my teachers during lockdown is that communication is key, 9

# SIXTH FORM

Student Testimonials – Lockdown Stories

even if it’s online. In the first couple of weeks, it was really hard to have a good routine or work during the study centre hours. However, I downloaded a lot of apps to maximise productivity and also made sure that I was actively going out once a day. I have been a ward helper in my local hospital for the last 2 years. During both lockdowns, I started spending more and more time in the hospital which Non-COVID patients and listened to their stories. This would really help me calm down and not go crazy. I also spent weeks working with the British Airways employees to ensure they were also physically, mentally and socially well as well as other staff members in the hospital. Volunteering has always bought peace to my mind and it has allowed me to ensure that people around me have a positive mind-set. Like everyone else, I also struggled in the first few weeks of lockdown. I am a type of person who does multiple things in a day and all of a sudden I was expected to lock myself in a room for months, which was scary. But my form tutor was very encouraging and speaking to her during this hard time made me realise that things will be okay. Sharanjit Kaur (year 12)

During lockdown, my learning was extremely productive, I made sure that the classwork was completed to the highest standard, and I sent it to my teachers after every lesson to get it checked. My teachers, especially for biology, made my learning interactive and engaging by using apps like Kahoot and Nearpod to engage the class in friendly quizzes. I created a timetable to ensure that I managed my time well, not only for my studies but to pursue my hobbies and passions. I managed my wellbeing by being physically active, ensuring I did at least 30 minutes of exercise daily to keep fit and healthy. Furthermore, I was privileged to receive an opportunity to become a volunteer at West Middlesex Hospital, gaining an insight into my future career. To stay positive during these catastrophic times, I would write a daily list of aims (career or personal liferelated) that I wanted to achieve, to encourage myself to stay engaged, positive and motivated. I firmly believe creating a detailed schedule is a useful habit and you can keep track of what needs to be done to make each day as productive as possible. Aryaman Dhir (year 12)

During the bizarre experience of lockdown, I ensured to maintain a clear-cut, productive routine in an attempt to normalise these unprecedented times. Although this was hard to keep at times, I used numerous methods to adapt, including a routine with a similar format to that of the schools: waking up at regular times, eating at ordinary schedules, and ensuring to give myself breaks - this sense of normality really helped me in maximising the productivity of my days. Despite some technical difficulties, my experiences with online learning were extremely pleasant. Although hard at first, I began to effectively engage with all my lessons and had the advantage of using online

2/3

resources such as quizzes, chat rooms (imitating group work) and the chat bar function - as well as adding to my work using online resources, which I believed really furthered my knowledge after lessons. Like many other students, a challenge I encountered over lockdown was maintaining positive mental health - with struggles to adapt to change, alongside the tendency to focus on the negatives, I made sure it was my priority to put my mental health first. By doing so, I was able to cope with times of uncertainty and impatience by finding hobbies outside of school such as clay work, painting and walking (which I’m certain my dog had no complaints about) as well as attempting to control a healthy work-life balance. Overall, learning through lockdown has given me the skill of adaptation, flexibility and self-reliance which are true life skills that will help in the future. Kasey Childs (year 12)

Although learning during lockdown had its challenges, the experience definitely had some positive aspects. Through the help of my teachers who devised a range of interactive lessons with Kahoot quizzes to help us engage with the content, learning during lockdown became a lot easier than anticipated. The teachers were always on hand to answer any questions via Teams or email and provide detailed feedback on assignments. I knew it was important to prioritise my wellbeing during this stressful period, so I ensured that I stuck to my school timetable whereby I went for a walk during the breaks to stay focused and maintain a good routine. There were times when I felt demotivated by staying inside but talking to my friends and family helped boost my morale. Dua-E Zehra (year 12)

Learning during lockdown was a challenge for everyone but a manageable one; there’s a negative stigma about online learning however it was an experience that made me as well as a lot of other people more independent as a student and as a person. Learning online had its challenges from internet issues and timing, nevertheless with a good mind-set and attitude to learning it was actually easier. A good attitude to learning in my case was keeping a routine and not taking this time at home for granted, I treated everyday as a school day: slept and did my work the same way I would during school. Teachers put a lot of effort into making the online lessons as interactive as possible with lots of Kahoot quizzes and other interactive activities. Microsoft Teams was our main tool of communication during lockdown which worked very well when it came to actual online lessons as well as setting homework tasks. People may have enjoyed not being in school but ironically lots of people longed to be back in school for their friends. Wellbeing was brought up a lot during lockdown where people found it hard to be cooped up at home all day however it gave us time to try new things, explore different options and opportunities.

SIXTH FORM

Student Testimonials – Lockdown Stories I personally spent my time finding new hobbies and exploring my options for the future but there were times where I felt that my efforts weren’t going anywhere, but by being as open as I was and talking to my peers and teachers it made me realise that everything happens for a reason and that this was just an example of that. Mudathir Ahmed (year 12)

My learning experience during lockdown was a learning curve for me. I am a very sociable person, so the aspect of not being able to socialise was daunting. My teachers used creative methods such as Kahoot to create a classroom environment and keep us all socialising as if we were in school. However, I maintained a good routine by regulating myself to wake up every day as if I was going to school. I kept every day as in sync as I could muster by creating a timetable (as I would have in school) to follow and sitting at my table to help me get in the mind-set of wanting to work.  I managed my wellbeing through a lot of exercise and I kept in contact with people and socialised in class and group work activities so I wasn’t secluded. In addition, I still involved myself in activities I would have to partake in at school. My biggest challenge was motivating and disciplining myself to stay independent and on top of my work. I had to go over content I didn’t understand and reach out to teachers via Teams, who were very helpful and supportive in answering any questions. I have 3 younger siblings in a small home...that itself brought many challenges as it did for many others I am sure! Nevertheless, lockdown taught me that I am far more resilient than I thought I was, far more disciplined than I thought I was, and making sure I prioritise my wellbeing above anything else. Ruqaya Qureshi, (year 12)

When lockdown struck, I felt that the transition into remote learning was not too disruptive. My teachers made a great effort in adapting their teaching methods to fit the new circumstances. Online platforms like Microsoft Teams also made remote learning interactive and improved communication. Occasionally, I took part in quizzes on apps like Kahoot which made the learning more engaging and encouraged me to be competitive. Completing and submitting my assignments via Teams was simple as my tasks were sorted by their due date. This improved my organisational skills as everything was in one place and easily accessible. Although there was a lot of uncertainty and negativity in the media, I tried to stay optimistic with the hope of life returning to normality. Rohan Kapoor (year 12)

Remote learning was indeed challenging; however, I can honestly say that my experience of online learning during the coronavirus pandemic has been a positive one. I found it crucial to have a structured daily routine in order to have a sense of normality. The number one thing

3/3

I tried to do was treat each lesson as if I were physically going to them. It was quite easy to get distracted (by distractions such as phone), however I would try to keep it out of reach to minimise the distractions. Moreover, I think that sticking to the timetable helped me to insert some structure into my working day and life in general. It was quite tempting sometimes to miss study centre lessons, nonetheless I tried to follow my usual timetable. Moreover, one advantage of virtual learning was that lessons were usually recorded which meant we were able to revisit them and pause them in order to make notes or to absorb what had been said, which you cannot do in a real time lesson! Various platforms other than Teams were used to make learning interactive and interesting. Multiple choice quizzes on Kerboodle were an effective way to make lessons interactive and trying to find gaps in knowledge. Manpreet Bahtra (year 12)

During lockdown my teachers ensured that every lesson was interactive and engaging through the use of various apps such as Kahoot. This helped to reduce the gap between online learning and face to face learning. I maintained a good daily routine by making a timetable that helped me to stay on top of my work and it also left me with plenty of free time. I also managed to stay positive by maintaining an optimistic outlook on life and getting plenty of fresh air too! Filsan Abdillahi (year 12)

L o c k d o w n w a s a v e r y h a rd p e r i o d f o r m e t o stay attentive and on top of my work because we were at the beginning of our A-level journey, with new subjects. At first it was a struggle getting to grips with a new online schedule not to mention using Teams for the first time. I am grateful to my teachers as they incorporated ways to keep the class interactive such as break out rooms or even a simple game. I believe that over the course, remote learning improved the quality of my work and is evident in my current grades. I stuck to a strict timetable that guaranteed my work to be complete. Maintaining a healthy daily routine is critical especially throughout that time. Constantly doing schoolwork made me feel overwhelmed so I would use relaxation techniques such as walks, reading or even a phone call to my friends. It allowed me to feel ‘normal’ again under the circumstances. To stay positive during this time, I would remind myself of my end goal that I’m striving to achieve. This kept me going and gave me the drive to work harder. Demotivation was my biggest challenge and I overcame this by re-evaluating my choices and continuing to stay focused. Overall, I am thankful for this lockdown experience as it taught me a lot and I doubtlessly can say it changed me for the better. Ramla Ali (year 12)

MATHS AND ECONOMICS

In 2020-21,

the Maths department had a year unlike any before. We are really impressed by the resilience and creativity shown by both students and staff throughout, which has led to a highly successful and fulfilling year for all.

Model United Nations Experience

We realised back in March 2020 that we would need to change our curriculum plans as many of the topics due to be taught to years 7, 8, 9 and 10 were not appropriate to learn independently and required face to face teaching. Our Key Stage 3 and 4 coordinators, Mr Bina and Mr Dhokia did an excellent job of changing the order that we taught the topics while still ensuring students had the prior knowledge to access the work. In September further modifications were made to ensure that the missed topics were caught up and the structure flowed well. Still more adaptations were made in January when we locked down for a second time, replacing topics such as Straight line graphs and Transformations which required printed templates with topics such as formulae and sequences which are much more practical for online lessons. During the January lockdown, we utilised a variety of new resources to engage students in online learning, including Kahoot quizzes – multiple choice quizzes where speed and correct answer chains are key for a high score, Whiteboard Fi – a programme which allowed students to show us their working out in real time, google forms for students to submit their answers for marking and Microsoft teams chat for students to feedback their answers and ask questions. We were very impressed with how the students engaged with these activities and focussed during their lessons. Some teachers also made revision videos for their year 11s and year 13s to prepare for their exams, and also prior knowledge videos to prepare year 12s for new topics. The students responded really well to these, and I for one was delighted by the number of ‘likes’ and ‘loves’ given to my Easter A level Statistics videos by our wonderful year 13 Maths students.

I would like to thank all of the Maths teachers for their commitment to providing engaging and challenging lessons during both in class and online learning.

The year 12 Economics cohort had an amazing opportunity to put their economic knowledge into practice by participating in a Model United Nations (MUN) experience. The MUN was organised within the school, with each student representing delegates of various countries: such as the United States, United Kingdom, China, Turkey, India and Saudi Arabia, to name a few. Their mission was to discuss current affairs, representing the favours and common interests of their own ‘nations’. Key topics included how to transform and expand their economies postCOVID, how their countries can support the refugee crisis, or how to tackle social issues globally such as female discrimination. Whilst their interests and ideas were unanimous at heart, the realisation of putting these into practice were proven to be difficult due to conflicting vested interests held by countries, as well as understanding the power held by the UN Security Council. The MUN also provided the opportunity for the students to practise their communication, leadership and presentation skills.

Sarah Brackley (Head of Maths Department)

Alham Ahmad (Economics Department)

Our in class lessons have had to change as well, as we have been unable to share equipment (eg. Pens for mini whiteboards, traffic light cards and maths puzzles) and face to face group work for students has not been possible. Mr Dhokia came up with the excellent idea to help all students in years 7 – 11 to be able to use their mini whiteboards in class by donating our entire stock of mini whiteboard pens to the Heads of Years so they could give one to each student, eliminating the need for sharing. This year teachers have also utilised our online Maths Homework platform, Hegarty Maths, as well as employing Microsoft teams assignments, to ensure students still had access to quality homework and marking without the need to collect and quarantine their books.

MATHS

Sixth Form Trip Winton Gallery / the Science Museum

After

months of virtual learning, mock exams and UCAS applications, 20 Year 12 Mathematics and Further Maths students were selected to visit the Winton Gallery at the Science Museum on 9th July 2021. These students, among many others, had demonstrated hard-work, diligence and resilience throughout the academic year. The trip provided them with an insight about the importance and everyday use of mathematics. Some examples included the importance of mathematics within economics, statistics, computing, philosophy, trade, war and architecture. Alham Ahmad (Mathematics Department)

On our short yet productive trip to The Winton Gallery, we were able to witness how maths is used in real life more often than we would imagine first-hand. For example, we got to see the Elliott 401 computer which was used to analyse insect damage as well as to work in the mathematics of genetics, emphasising the limitless uses of maths, all the way from 1954 until now. We had the opportunity to look around the gallery at our own pace and look at many artefacts which extended our knowledge about war and trade, all in relation to maths. This opportunity allowed us to expand our interest in maths as a subject as well as give us a genuine insight into how it can be applied to the world around us and understand why it is such an important factor. It was also a perfect chance for us as sixth formers to see if we were interested in studying maths in higher education and perhaps pursuing a career in this field. Getting to visit The Winton Gallery was definitely a valuable opportunity and further sparked my interest in going on to study maths at university. Athisha Sivabalan (year 12)

# SCIENCE

Challenges and Solutions in a Covid World

education in a COVID environment has been an adjustment for staff and students alike. This has been the most disruption to a student’s education since World War 2 and it was imperative that students still reaped the rewards from being delivered an outstanding education. One of the challenges for science was balancing theory with practical work which is the heart of the subject. Through collaboration with science technicians, teachers and external agencies this was made possible allowing students to continue developing their problem solving and analytical skills which are crucial in wider contexts. This was an important milestone this year as not all schools in the borough had the facilities or resources to allow practical work to occur in a COVID environment but with the support from the school it made it possible for students at Cranford. This meant the department could continue to fulfil its mission statement to “maximise aspirations and opportunity for all students, regardless of backgrounds and abilities to reach their full potential in mastering the skills and harbouring the deep knowledge required in order to become young scientists and appreciate the value of science within society through outstanding teaching and learning”.

Just as a sense of normality was on the horizon the UK was hit with wave 3 resulting in a national lockdown. The department’s vision has always been to use research led techniques to build student’s science capital by delivering a holistic curriculum that; invokes an enthusiasm for science, focuses on developing working scientifically skills and promotes a deep understanding of scientific concepts through links to the bigger picture. This meant the departmental focus for this period was delivering outstanding lessons with a focus on engagement and informative feedback to mimic the classroom environment. Students and staff spent the autumn term developing proficiency in using Microsoft teams thus our curriculum was adapted to deliver live lessons to all classes. During the school closure, it was important that the department was able to ensure students continued to engage in science and reflect the same enthusiasm they had in a classroom setting. This meant staff were trained and confident in using software programmes such as Nearpod and Kahoot to model in class teaching and assessment. Staff feedback was that Kahoot unlocked a competitive element in students they hadn’t seen before with year 13’s looking forward to and being disappointed if the weekly Kahoot quiz didn’t go ahead. The use of Nearpod in a virtual environment also worked well with students stating “it is more interactive and good for questions” and “other teachers should definitely

SCIENCE use it”. To ensure students were still receiving an opportunity to develop scientific skills the department incorporated use of PHET and Java simulations into lessons to allow students to continue developing their observational skills through these online investigations. This allowed students to model scientific investigations and change parameters in an experiments just as they would do in school. A feedback poll was completed by students across all year groups about their experience of science lessons in a remote environment in which an impressive 367 pupils responded. In this poll students voiced that they knew they were making progress in their live lessons as they were now able to do things that they could not do before. They could also see an improvement in their marks when completing exam questions. Students enjoyed their lessons as they were able to converse with their teachers and they liked the use of Kahoot and Nearpod as these allowed them to actively engage in the lesson. These responses enthused our staff to deliver high quality lessons where the teacher demonstrates good subject knowledge, highlighting misconceptions and strong use of questioning using interactive tools. Students were offered scaffolded tasks and given lots of praise and encouragement to engage with the lesson and also to work independently. As with an ever changing COVID climate students returned to school in March 2021 and the departmental focus was shifted back to creating a positive learning climate in line with the department ethos to ensure contact time with students was maximised whilst supporting students with their adjustment back into normal routines. Alongside their return to school there were opportunities to promote science capital that had been put on pause. These included a national STEM week and a lecture from a guest speaker in the medical and research field, both designed to inspire our students and for them to see real world impact of science. The science department would like to take this time to thank students for continuing to show resilience this year and adapting to changes in school and during remote learning. You endeavoured to work hard and concentrate in live on-line lessons which itself was quite intensive. The positive attitude you have shown this year in science is commendable and we looking forward to building on your love for science next year. Amrat Atwal and Seema Mehmi (Heads of Science Department)

Science Testimonials Period 0 Activity

I really enjoyed all experiments. It was so fun and engaging. My favourite experiment was the rainbow boiling tube because it was so cool to see how acids can make a rainbow. All the experiments were fun. It was fun to enjoy the experiment with many people. We learnt many new things. Cranford Community College is a enjoyable place to learn new things especially doing many experiments. Palveer Layal (year 7)

My definition of science is the way of learning about life. I am grateful to be chosen as a student to attend a morning of fun. We did practices using acids, making a rainbow in a test tube, and seeing static electricity and how colour spreads to make beautiful patterns. I enjoyed the rainbow practical as it showed how 0.5 ml of salt added to acid could make a rainbow. Science has shown a different perspective to what we believe. Experiments are fun but also show how science has evolved for us to gain greater understanding. Sofia Bisnauthsing (year 7)

I really enjoyed the science session as it was really fun and was a way to get our minds thinking. I think my favourite experiment was the rainbow in a boiling tube as it was really interesting to see a rainbow .This was so much fun and my group made one! This has inspired me to become a scientist and this shows how great science is at Cranford Community College. Jagroop Layal (year 7)

I really enjoyed the ‘Rainbow Fizz’ practical because I got to learn about the different acids and how the reactions occurred. The science experiments at Cranford overall are really enjoyable as they allow me to understand science practically, as well as have fun. Jasleen Ghattoray (year 7) 15

# SCIENCE

Cranford “Innovates for the Future’’

have continued with the annual tradition for the Science Department at Cranford where British Science Week is an opportunity to advertise the biggest and best of what Science can do for our students. The annual theme this year was ‘Innovating for the Future’ which allowed us to offer a range of activities harnessing on the curiosity and imagination of our students and offering them opportunities to be innovative in all areas of Science throughout Biology, Chemistry and Physics. The level of enthusiasm and participation from our students was exemplary despite the unprecedented circumstances, owing to the disruption caused by COVID 19, and it being their first week back at school after almost 8 weeks of remote learning.

Mind, Body and Soul Every year the Science Department involves the entire school in a whole school activity for the Science week. This year saw the Science Department join forces with the weekly Mind, Body and Soul sessions. Here teachers from different departments led their groups in using technology to design a prosthetic limb blending the empathetic aspect of human nature with the use of technology to help people lead and enjoy an all rounded experience with life. The activity was equally enjoyed by the students of Year 7 to Year 9 as well as the members of staff who led it. Well done and a huge thanks to everyone who took part.

Key Stage 3 Science Lessons Throughout the week the KS3 students in the Science lessons took part in a variety of activities that spanned across the three Sciences including Physics, Chemistry and Biology. The main objective was to overcome the misconception that Science works in isolation and offer students opportunities to establish cross curricular links with disciplines such as Maths and Geography. The students saw themselves being involved in planning strategies for management of floods, 16

SCIENCE

including urban areas and country side as these become more and more frequent and severe as a result of global climate change. Students also designed their own rain gauge to collect data on rainfall and then present it to their peers. A session based on Biology had students researching key features of various biomes on the planet as well as the organisms that inhabit those biomes. After this students were then involved in exploring the human threats to the biomes. They had to design and present solutions to overcome these threats and maintain biodiversity. The sessions were extremely valuable in further developing the Science capital of our students while offering them a chance to work in small teams and demonstrate their communications skills to their peers.

Virtual Talk - Clinical Genomics As part of the National Science week, our A Level Science students were offered an opportunity to attend a virtual talk by Dr Lena Rai (Senior Clinical Scientist, Department of Clinical Genomics, Royal Marsden NHS Trust). It was organised virtually via Teams focussing on ‘’Enabling Precision Medicine through Genomics and Innovative Therapeutic Strategies.’’ It helped enrich the students understanding of how Science has helped develop an array of applications ranging in their use from offering an early diagnosis of patients with rare diseases as well as facilitating more effective use of cancer therapies. The session helped enthuse the students and they not only engaged with the lecture part of the session but also asked the speaker very enriching and thought provoking questions. Very well done! Overall, the activities in the Science week were very well received and helped maintain student curiosity, motivation and engagement in the lessons even further. Aastha Swaminathan (Science Department) 17

# ENGLISH

When

schools closed in March 2020, the English department rolled up their sleeves and got to work. From the sight of Mrs Brooks running along Cranford High Street giving out copies of A Level texts to departing students, to staff delivering exercise books and folders forgotten at school, to delivering a steady stream of technology across what felt like most of West London, the English department have been fully committed to ensuring that our students stay engaged in education, whether at home or in the classroom. We were a core part of trialling blended and online learning (creating YouTube channels, piloting Zoom and Teams lessons and delivering beamed lessons live to whole year groups at the end of the summer term 2020) and this has continued as we refine our online skills in 202021. Adopting Microsoft Teams as a medium was an incredible asset to our department. It meant that we were able to make resources immediately accessible to students, uploading revision materials and resources which would have been prohibitively expensive to print. From the Autumn term, Teams has been used to set and submit homework which makes submitting and giving feedback on work much easier. The facility to share and edit work in real time with students is an incredible way of giving meaningful feedback and helping students improve their skills with individual attention. We used Teams as a way of delivering intervention and catch-up materials, based on our very successful “learning mat” format which aims to summarise learning with a range of activities in accessible, “chunked” stages of learning. This allowed students to work through revision at their own pace, while also providing opportunities for stretch and challenge. We also used this year as an opportunity to investigate resources available online to support our students, particularly in Key Stages 4 and 5. We now subscribe to Massolit, an online database of short lecture series by university professors on a range of subjects – these include every set text for A Level and GCSE alongside wider contextual and genre studies to support students’ wider knowledge and to stretch and challenge. Mrs Brooks is also working with the site, writing questions to accompany these lectures which will be published online in the summer in order to provide a more interactive learning and revision experience. We have also made the most of the wealth 18

of arts material now available online while theatres are closed: students have watched productions from the National Theatre available free to all schools through the National Theatre Online Library, and the school have invested heavily in students’ access to the Arts 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. Students have been able to access this from home, bringing them as close as possible to incredible productions which they would not have been able to access otherwise. We continue to make use of our subscriptions to Audiopi (a bank of podcasts on GCSE set texts, available online and as an app) and the EMag (a magazine from the English and Media Centre for A Level students) to foster independence and give our students access to the very best possible resources. When the second national lockdown happened in January 2021, we were able to move into full live teaching immediately; as a department we played a significant role in professional development of others in the school and driving innovation. While online lessons will never be able to fully replicate the

ENGLISH classroom experience, there was a huge amount to celebrate: staff used the time to be creative and innovative about the way they delivered lessons and engaged students, from interactive activities on platforms like Nearpod, to high energy competitive quizzes; students were able to access individual and small group intervention through Teams after school and during study centre periods; staff were able to use features like “class notebook” to track and respond to student work in real time; teachers recorded their own audiobooks of set texts (complete with voices!) and both staff and students were able to bring some of their home personas to the classroom.

Teachers brought atmosphere and personality to their virtual classrooms with custom backgrounds. Gothic Victorian houses when studying Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, theatre sets for lessons on plays to the White House or the Death Star – we explored!

This was created by an A Level student to celebrate Tolkien day. Contemplating framing it for the English office.

As a result of our successes over lockdown, the transition back to in-school teaching was simple. We kept the best of online learning, and regained the in-person interaction that we missed so much as teachers. If the past 18 months have taught us anything, it is how much the students we teach are the best part of our jobs.

Evelyn Brooks (Head of English Department)

Being online allowed us to be more creative with our task setting. Here, year 13 created a gif summary of their set text Hamlet. The only rules were – no words allowed!

Cranford English

Channel

# ENGLISH

The poem “Limbo” and slavery Limbo And limbo stick is the silence in front of me limbo limbo limbo like me limbo limbo like me long dark night is the silence in front of me limbo limbo like me stick hit sound and the ship lie it ready stick hit sound and the dark still steady limbo limbo like me long dark deck and the water surrounding me

long dark deck and the silence is over me limbo limbo like me drum stick knock and the darkness is over me stick is the whip and the dark deck is slavery stick is the whip and the dark deck is slavery limbo limbo like me knees spread wide and the water ishiding limbo limbo like me knees spread wide and the dark ground is under me down down down

this presentation I will be explaining what this poem is talking about and how it is linked with slavery and how the British colonized West Africa. I will be talking about the part “long dark deck and the water surrounding me” to “limbo like me” and how slavery is linked with this poem. “Stick is the whip” I think that this part of the poem is about how the British would abuse and hurt the people from west Africa if they were slacking off, tried to escape or even tried committing suicide or worse. All these people had to go through this punishment so to punish them the crewmembers would whip them.

and the drummer is calling me limbo limbo like me sun coming up and the drummers are paising me out of the dark and the dumb gods are raising me up up up and the music is saving me hot slow step on the burning ground. Edward Kamau Braithwaite (2005)

were in a very unhygienic place. The hygiene was so bad that people started to have diseases like smallpox, yellow fever, malaria and many more; which caused a lot of people to suffer and even die because of this. Personally, I think that the phrase “the dark ship” is about on the lower deck people would be crammed in a tiny place with ceilings as low as 4 and a half feet which was horrible. “Limbo”

“And the dark ship is slavey”

Limbo is a dance that the slaves were told to do for the crewmembers enjoyment and they thought that it would enliven captive spirits and reduce their pain, however it was also a form of exercise and it helped make sure the slaves were healthy and that they were in good condition.

I think this quote talks about how the slaves were in a ship that was in horrible condition and all the slaves

Written by Edward Kamau Braithwaite (2005)

ENGLISH

poem ‘What is Love?’ is based on a song that I’ve listened to for many years. I decided to use this song because we want to know what is love and why we feel emotions for people we like. I also thought why not use it near Valentine’s day since some of us are alone, and some of us are with someone.

A technique I’ve used are some sentences like ‘The day we met’ and ‘A once in a lifetime’ to add emotions. A once in a lifetime is to show that we all fall in love really hard and that it will always feel like a once in a lifetime because we never know if we will feel like this anymore.

What is Love?

(TWICE – What is Love?) What is Love? What makes someone feel things? That makes you fly like a dove And make you feel like a king? What is Love? What makes you realises these emotions? With a sensation of being beloved, Like you drank cursed potions. What is Love? A question I ask myself every day, Wondering if I’m enough. I say this in May, The day we met. What is Love? Something I feel whenever I see you, my crush, With your hand around my hand like a glove, That makes me blush. What is Love? Something I saw at first sight, That made Earth throw adoration, like a shove While the stars shone bright. What is Love? Something that I don’t want to believe in anymore, You made me feel unloved, That made me run out the door. What is Love?

If you notice, in the beginning of each stanza I use repetition of ‘What is Love?’ because each stanza shows the days going by of my character wondering what love is. Another technique is that I’ve used some similes in stanzas 1-5. I’ve decided to use the similes in stanza 1 ‘like a dove’ and ‘like a king’ because doves are very majestic birds that we use in weddings so a dove can represent a very loving and beautiful bird flying around with those flower bunches to show you are so in love. ‘Like a king’ is used to show that they are the most important rule in life, and this character (the person they like) feels ‘like a king’ in their life. The simile in stanza 2 ‘like you drank cursed potions’ is meant to show that the character isn’t used to the feeling, and it feels like they must’ve drunk something wrong. I put potions because it is multiple feelings they are feeling, so they might have drunk multiple potions. The potions are cursed because when you look at love, at first it is scary but then you realise it is very good. In stanza 4, I put ‘with your hand around my hand, like a glove’ because their hands fit perfectly with their crush, and since they are holding hands a glove description fits perfectly and mainly because when I imagined this scene, I imagine the person they love to have large hands so when they hold hands it’s like a glove. Finally, in stanza 5, I put the simile ‘that made Earth throw adoration, like a shove’ because it’s like Earth giving the character advice to make a move for it. The rhyme scheme I’ve used is, ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, GHGH, IJIJ, KLKL. In my last stanza, I especially want people to be sympathising with the character because it shows rejection because sometimes love isn’t our path at the moment.

A once in a lifetime....

Overall, I want to show the reader that all these emotions have a meaning.

Alisha Pereira Habibo (year 7)

Alisha Pereira Habibo (year 7) 21

# SIXTH FORM

The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)

All

students whilst in Year 12 complete the taught element of the Extended Project Qualification as part of an academic programme of lessons that seek to develop their research skills, critical thinking and academic writing ability. Alongside this, students are taught how to reference work correctly and improve their ability to organise their time and work independently. Students then have the choice whether to use these skills to complete the Extended Project Qualification. It is a stand-alone qualification which is worth half an A Level and adds a further dimension to students’ studies in the Sixth Form, stretching and challenging the

“Overall, throughout the EPQ process I believe that I learnt a multitude of useful skills which I will be able to utilise when undertaking my Engineering degree at university. This is because the learning is largely independent and project based and so doing the EPQ has given me the skills I need to plan and complete a large project. I have really enjoyed being able to undertake research into computers and their processing power as this is an area I am passionate about. Sourcing information form a range of sources, I was able to extract the salient detail and cross check these for validity. I am really proud of what I achieved”.

Are computers reaching their processing limit?

Faizaan Abbas (year 13)

Why are cosmetic dental treatments becoming more popular?

“When I started the EPQ, I chose a title that really interested me as I want to study dentistry at university. Therefore, the opportunity to explore my prospective career in more depth was one I leapt at. Although I had some prior knowledge of certain areas of dentistry due to the university application process, I was by no means an expert in the field. I chose to focus on cosmetic dentistry as there is so much to explore and the popularisation of dental procedures in the media meant that it is currently a ‘hot’ topic. This aspect meant there was a lot of information around the topic and so I had to carefully refine my question and carefully plan the research that I wanted to undertake. Writing a 5000-word essay required a lot of dedication and I had to amend my plan several times to ensure that I stayed on track. I am really please with my finished project and the advantage it will give me when I am writing research papers as a qualified dentist in the future.” Anjali Bhambra (year 13)

SIXTH FORM

most ambitious by allowing students to choose a topic of their choice and study it in greater depth. As well as developing their independent skills, the EPQ also offers students the chance to develop their creativity and develop their hobbies, skills and talents outside of their Level 3 subjects. Students can choose to produce a written report or to plan, organise and run an event or to produce a creative artefact. It provides an excellent foundation for students to develop the academic skills they will need at university and beyond. Frances Green (Assistant Headteacher)

Are there gender disparities in sentencing within the criminal justice system in the U.K.?

“I learnt so many skills and a great deal about existing gender inequalities that exist in society as a result of doing my EPQ. Studying Sociology has made me more aware of the role gender plays within society and this coupled with my ambition to study law at university led to me choosing to research this topic. Time management was key to balancing my EPQ with the rest of my A levels; I have definitely improved my skills in this area as a result of completing my EPQ and I have also learnt to recognise when a strategy or method is not working for me and to respond and adapt accordingly. All of the reading and research I have done has opened my eyes to the way the criminal justice system operates in the U.K and has helped prepare me for my degree and future career.” Fatima Braganca (year 13)

How can interior architecture promote well–being in residential and dementia care homes in the U.K?

“During this project, I feel I have learnt a lot and had a fantastic experience. EPQ lessons were once a week and during this lesson my supervisor supported and guided me to help me understand how I should approach sources and how to be more critical about the type of sources I chose to use as part of my research. I was introduced to the idea of a Gantt chart, which I had never used before, and this helped me a lot with time management skills. I think that learning organisational tools such as this has really helped with my time management and helped me to understand how to prepare for my A Levels. Moreover, completing reflections was key to this project and whilst at first I did not understand the benefit of doing this, gradually as I approached the mid--project review I grew to appreciate the opportunity to look back on my own work and evaluate my own progress. I think the evaluation has helped me to understand myself as a learner and I think this will be invaluable at university.” Elina Gorjunova (year 13)

# GEOGRAPHY

Geography Department - A Lockdown Rollercoaster

The

Geography Department went through a rollercoaster ride during the national lockdown, gradually migrating from Frog to MS Teams, with lessons published virtually and interactive lessons for students to fully engage. Students managed brilliantly coming online to classes and engaging through the various activities that were created for them. Geography lessons grew from strength to strength with various use of quizzes, documentaries, interactive games and activities. The Geography curriculum is designed to grow inquisitive students with a passion for the natural and human processes on Earth. Spiralling down from Geography A Level, the KS3 curriculum is designed to give students the foundational map and inquiry skills to better understand our planet. For example, by the end of year 7 students are able to carry out their own fieldwork and make decisions in relation to our school environment. Year 7 students also look at local place, space and area, studying Europe and Russia through topics such as Climate, Biomes and Resource Management. In year 8 students are able to articulate controversies surrounding climate change and plastic pollution through debates and projects. Our year 8 students look at wider continents such as Africa and Asia, through the formation of the Himalayas and the development indicators within Africa. This prepares our students to be educated and engaged future citizens with an engrained love and respect for the world. At GCSE, the broad range of themes and topics enables our students to delve further into Earth’s processes, whilst the combination of human and physical geographies develop critical thinking skills. Thus our students reach A Level Geography with an abundance of skills and knowledge, which are utilised through an analysis of current political issues, such as contested borders, and enhanced during the study of Earth’s scientific processes, such as the carbon cycle and geomorphology of the coastline. The main curriculum is enriched by a programme of extensive fieldwork trips to Surrey, Central London and the region of Devon. Our connections with numerous educational institutes enable us to offer enrichment in the form of workshops to build on interpersonal skills, as well as opportunities to visit the Geographical Association and the Royal Geographical Society. Students are directed towards a variety of local universities and their outreach programmes, encouraging them to explore the value of further specialisation within a geographical context. This seven-year accumulation of analytical, mathematical and cartographical talents prepares our students for a variety of future opportunities, including entry to Russel Group universities in both arts and science subjects. This leads to an array of exciting careers including new fields linked to climate change, globalisation and the management of the earth’s resources. Aaron Lever (Head of Geography Department)

GEOGRAPHY

Geography A-Level Trip to Slapton, Devon

In July 2021 Year 12 Geography students travelled to Slapton, Devon to conduct research and gather data for their Non-Examined Assessment on a five day residential visit. Students spent 5 hours in the minibus driving from Cranford to Slapton, through heavy torrential rain. One day of the residential involved our students spending a whole day in Plymouth, observing and collating data on regeneration within the town centre looking at the different areas of regeneration and how this has impacted on the local people and the environment.

On the following day students walked along Slapton Sands, and conducted beach profiles, sediment size in relation to erosion rates and enjoyed fish and chips with ice-cream! The students enjoyed themselves thoroughly and had a great time. Thank you to all the staff involved in making this trip possible. Aaron Lever (Head of Geography Department)

Geography GSCE Trip to Epping Forest, Essex Year 10 Geography students travelled to Epping Forest, Essex in July 2021 to conduct their fieldwork on rivers. Students collected data on Debden Brook, by measuring the width, depth, and velocity and sediment size. Students used tape measures, metre sticks and stop watches to determine whether the flood risk increases or decreases as you travel further downstream. Seventy-seven students went to the rivers and enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Thank you to all the staff involved with making this trip possible. Aaron Lever (Head of Geography Department) 25

# MWL

- MODERN WORLD LANGUAGES

Bienvenido! Willkommen! Welcome to the MWL Department Our Mission At Cranford, all students have the opportunity to learn a modern world language. They learn German or Spanish and immerse themselves in another culture. Thus, our aim is to offer an immersive learning environment to all our students where they feel liberated and empowered to express their ideas and thoughts in a different language. Furthermore, by learning a foreign language at Cranford our students are given the opportunity to be equipped with the necessary skills to become open, tolerant and proud citizens of the world through a varied and diverse cultural and academic experience. In the Modern World Languages Department we have an ambitious and comprehensive curriculum which ensures that all students are well prepared for the next phase in education/life. 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 at Key Stage 3 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 the 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 openminded citizens of the world. At Key Stage 5 we kindle the students’ curiosity and encourage in depth discussions about political, historical, artistic and cultural topics in the target language, preparing 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. Finally, within the MWL department, students are given the opportunity to express an individual voice and are encouraged to experiment with language. Our intention is that by the end of their last year of secondary education, all our students have understood how to “shape” the language to create this voice and make it their own. In the past year, we have embraced new ways of making this ambitious curriculum happen for our students. Our staff have been proactive in finding new ways to teach while online from home and still keep the spark and fluidity of language learning alive. We have re-written schemes of work taking account of new technology, such as Nearpod to allow students to continue to collaborate and work on projects together. We have challenged our students to learn in a new ways as well as challenging ourselves to deliver outstanding lessons whatever the context we find ourselves in. Ally Manole (Head of German - Modern World Languages Department)

MWL - MODERN WORLD LANGUAGES

Christmas Baking Challenge for Year 7 and Year 8

part of our immersive programme in German and Spanish, we encourage our students to get into the spirit by researching and finding out more about the cultures behind the languages. What better way to get to know a culture than through the food! Our Year 7 and 8 students rose to our Christmas baking challenge, donned the aprons and introduced themselves to the rolling pin with delicious results! John Lennon (Modern World Languages Department)

ours d? y e r s i e p recip g ins Feelin ne of the Try o

rbe A e t u !G o j a n a tr Buen

elf!

it!

S A U G LEN TO A G DE Ingredientes: • 120 gr de harina de repostería • 100 gr de mantequilla • 100 gr de azúcar glas • 2 claras de huevo + 1 yema • 1 cucharadita de esencia de vainilla • 1 pizca de sal • 100 gr de chocolate negro para la cobertura

Receta: 1. La mantequilla tiene que estar a punto pomada, sin pasar por el microondas. 2. Ponemos en un bol la mantequilla y el azúcar molido y lo batimos enérgicamente con un batidor manual hasta que quede todo bien integrado. 3. Añadimos poco a poco las claras de huevo, sin dejar de batir, hasta que quede todo bien mezclado. 4. A continuación pondremos también poco a poco la harina previamente tamizada y seguimos batiendo. 5. Lo mezclaremos todo con una espátula hasta conseguir una masa bien fina. 6. Pasaremos la mezcla a una manga pastelera con una boquilla lisa. 7. Preparamos una bandeja para el horno cubierta con papel de hornear y con la manga hacemos unas tiras finas de unos 7 cms. aproximadamente de largo. Hay que dejar una separación ya que al entrar en el horno se expanden. 8. Hemos precalentado el horno a 200º centígrados por arriba y abajo y ya las cocemos durante unos 12 minutos aproximadamente. 9. Cuando empiecen a dorarse hay que sacarlas del horno ya que después se secan. Las dejamos enfriar. 10. Derretimos el chocolate en el microondas y después le ponemos un poquitín de mantequilla para darle brillo al chocolate. 11. Al final bañamos una de las puntas con el chocolate caliente y las dejamos en una rejilla hasta que el chocolate se seque. 27

WORLD CLASS SCHOOLS

Cranford continues to be a World Class School

October 2019, I was on fortunate enough to be one of the staff members going with our year 12 students to visit our partner school in Pohang, South Korea. This is where I noticed a plaque standing proud in the school’s English themed café. It was the World Class Schools Quality Mark plaque. At that time I did not know that I would be involved in the reaccreditation of this award however I realise now the significance of this achievement for their school. Cranford first received the award in 2015 and is one of only nine schools in the country to have proved worthy of accreditation over a period of five years. This is a fantastic achievement! This has only been possible with the enthusiasm and dedication of our students who have been at the centre of the application process. Due to the disruption of COVID the accreditation process was very different, though this did not stop our students showcasing the school’s ‘World Class Quality’. Students were required to upload evidence to demonstrate the schools values on Learning, Leading, Community to Achievement, Community, Workplace and Knowledge and Understanding. Over the course of a term students worked valiantly to write statements about these values. I was blown away by the stunning things that students wrote. This re-accreditation process reminded me of the world class students we have! Mahavir Ladva (Examinations Officer and Careers Co-ordinator)

Students who participated: • Prem Pun (year 10) (WINNER for the Character of the Year Award 2021 on the COMMITMENT TO ACHIEVE category) • Victoria Albu (year 9) (Shortlisted for the Character of the Year Award 2021 on the KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING category) • Gurshaan Ghattoray (year 12) (Shortlisted for the Character of the Year Award 2021 on the LEARNERS category) • Amanjot Grewal (year 7) (Shortlisted for the Character of the Year Award 2021 on the LEARNERS category) • Sharanjit Kaur (year 12) (Shortlisted for the Character of the Year Award 2021 on the LEARNERS category) • Anajli Bhambra (year 12) (Shortlisted for the Character of the Year Award 2021 on the LEADERS category) • Muqadas Saleem (year 9) • Dua Zehra (year 12) • Jeff Mensah (year 9) 28

Commitment To Achieve WCSQ At the start of last year, I was on a trip to our partner school in South Korea, this is where I noticed a plaque standing proud in the school’s English themed café. It was the World Class Schools Quality Mark plaque. At that time I did not know that I would be involved in the reaccreditation of this award however I realise now the significance of this achievement for their school. We first received the award in 2015 and are only nine schools in the country to have proved worthy of accreditation over a period of five years. This is a fantastic achievement! This has only been possible with the enthusiasm and dedication of our students who have been at the centre of the application process. Due to the disruption of COVID the accreditation process was very different, though this did not stop our students showcasing the school’s ‘World Class Quality’. Students were required to upload evidence to demonstrate the schools values on Learning, Leading, Community to A c h i e v e m e n t , C o m m u n i t y, Workplace and Knowledge and Understanding. Over the course of a term students worked valiantly to write statements about these values. I was blown away by the stunning things that students wrote. This reaccreditation process reminded me of the world class students we have! Mahavir Ladva (Examinations Officer & Careers Co-ordinator)

MWL - MODERN WORLD LANGUAGES

World Class Student:

Winner Character of the Year 2021

Form tutor approached me with the opportunity of being a World Class student. ‘World Class’ was enough to draw me in and I quite blindly put my name down for the chance and in my defence, World Class is a seductive title. Characteristics of the ‘World Class Student’ were organised into areas and fields which students were put into. Each student had their respective field or several to provide evidence in how either their day-to-day or previous actions would suffice as proof that they have validated themselves as World Class in their respective field. My allocated field was commitment to achievement and that was further subdivided into several more sections for which I had to provide evidence: for example, my ability to adapt my strategies, being able to communicate efficiently with varying demographics and an area of specialised talent. This opportunity caused me to do something I have rarely ever done before. Was it practicing the ability in proving myself and evaluating my ability to provide sufficient evidence? Sure, in some way – but for me, personally, this caused me to stop. To look around my room and try to collect certificates and memorabilia that I never stop myself to do. Though often it appears vain and narcissistic to look upon your achievements and past glories, I believe this proved to me that it is not the case. Being proud of your work is essential to perpetuate you further into excellence through careful planning, re-evaluation and determination. I would advise all students to stop just for a moment. Take a productive break by basking upon the fruits of your labour. Admire your work yet know not to grow complacent and continue to strive further, continue to aim to be World Class and continue further. Prem Pun (year 10 - WINNER for the Character of the Year Award 2021)

Year 7 “About Me” Booklet This summer term, our year 7s created an autobiographical booklet in Spanish and German. The content was based on their learning throughout the year and was a means of consolidating their knowledge. Lessons took the form of revising the specific language and structures, which accumulated in the production of different pages of the booklet. Inside, students described themselves and their families, both their personalities and physical appearance, all in the target language. They expressed their opinions about artists and their hobbies, using intensifiers and comparatives to create more sophisticated content. Other topics included talking about pets and their favourite animals. Students were encouraged to get creative and include drawings and pictures of themselves. It proved very popular among the students, who were committed to creating linguistically accurate yet exciting target language booklets which they can keep forever. Above are some examples of the students work. Hope Eley (Modern World Languages Department) 29

# CAREERS

Careers Education through Lockdown

During

a time of extreme uncertainty in the labour market, the Cranford students’ hunger and enthusiasm for opportunities has been astonishing. Careers information, guidance and support has transformed to meet the needs of our students. Rather than delivering blanket guidance, we have recognised the need to deliver individually tailored guidance and support. From 1-2-1 phone calls, virtual assemblies and meetings with students I know how ambitious our students are to apply for so many diverse opportunities. There has been an increased interest in recent years in technical and vocational education. There is a massive need to prepare our young students to meet the current and future needs of the labour market. As employability skills have developed, a significant number of our Year 11 and Year 13 students have managed to secure apprenticeships. Having secured these places before results day proves that our students are confident in starting their journey into the world of work. Cranford, together with other local schools was involved in the first virtual careers fair. This was organised by the careers professionals in the borough and designed to meet the needs of our young people. It was great to see Cranford alumni taking part noting the important contribution that former students make. This is evident in the contribution they made towards the fair. These included Karishma Lall, Devyani Geentilal and Amrita Tarall who all held webinars at the virtual fair to give our students their top tips and the ‘insider view’ from the world of work. The number of virtual opportunities companies are offering has catapulted. There are a vast number of organisations who are offering initiatives and experience to young people through their corporate responsibility schemes. It has been beneficial to engage with these companies and discover all the amazing things on offer. It was particularly exciting embarking on our T Level journey, especially with the industry placements. Having spoken to a magnitude of companies, I have been awe struck by the number of organisations that want to offer these young people some work experience. Our current T Level industry placement partners have demonstrated their amazing values and commitment to students. I have been stunned by Ajar Technology, Berkeley Pre-School and St Mary’s University from the beginning of this journey. This portfolio of partners is growing quickly. We are in exciting discussions with a few international companies at the moment. It has been great to be bold, passionate and enthusiastic in grasping any opportunity to develop, learn and grow. With so many positive outcomes from this year, next year’s careers information, guidance and support will be even more dynamic in meeting the needs of students. Mahavir Ladva (Exams Officer and Careers Co-ordinator) 30

CAREERS

Love Your Career Virtual Careers Event

The H

ounslow Virtual Careers Event was held on Wednesday 3rd March 2021. This event was sponsored by the Mayor of London ESF Funding and Hounslow Borough. It was the first of its kind in the London area. First and foremost, this event formed part of the ongoing commitment to the Careers Education Programme and supports the GCSE Options process for Year 9 students. Students and parents found out more about the options process, GCSE courses and visited the school booth to take part in a live Q&A session. Students were also able to have live conversations with employers. Both local and national businesses were represented including Heathrow, BT, Wilmott Dixon and Metropolitan Police. STEM Careers also featured and students spoke to companies such as DreamMedic, NHS staff and research scientists. Our alumni were involved throughout the evening and students visited the virtual theatre to listen to stories about their career journeys and took part in the Q&A session. 1. Senior Finance Department for American Express - Karishma Lall After leaving Cranford Community College in 2012, Karishma went to study Economics at UCL. Her course included a year abroad at the University of California. Since 2016 she has worked for American Express and is now a Senior Finance Analyst. Karishma told students about her experience of working in a huge international company 2. Network Engineer Apprentice from BT - Amrita Tar Amrita often gets asked if her job as a Network Engineer for BT takes her out on site, even climbing up poles! While her studies at Cranford Community College didn’t prepare her to climb trees, however it did help her to make a decision about her post 18 course. Amrita told students about her story discussion the daily work of a Network Engineer. 3. Apprentice from Cisco - Devyani Geentilal After leaving Cranford Community College Devyani decided to opt for the apprenticeship route. Students listened to Devyani discussing her training and the benefits of doing an apprenticeship with a top company such as CISCO. Mahavir Ladva (Exams Officer and Careers Co-ordinator) 31

# CAREERS Hochtief Murphy Virtual Work Experience

Johnson & Matthey Virtual Law Experience

At the start of this year, I had the opportunity to be a part of the HOCHTIEF MURPHY JOINT VENTURE virtual work experience programme which was absolutely incredible. This joint venture construction group undertakes large scale construction projects in London and beyond. I was really nervous about it during the application process but the programme itself was extremely fun and intuitive. I was able to learn a lot about the world of construction which was really cool. I got to see first-hand stories and workshops from the perspective of different roles on a construction project such as the CAD technician, Site manager, environmental expert, etc. In addition, the activities themselves were very insightful and comprehensive. We were able to fully design a project and create completed plans for it. We covered a large portion of the various steps and components of a real construction project in a way which was easy enough to work through for students of our skill level but still advanced enough to properly challenge and train our way of approaching a large scale project.

‘Our vision is for a world that’s cleaner and healthier, today and for the future generations.’ – Johnson and Matthey

Aside from the exciting challenges we worked on each day, the instructors really helped to create a fun and comfortable environment for the project, as well as help us relax and calm down during the downtime with fun brainteasers which really made us laugh about the obscurity of such answers. Overall, I had a really great time on the programme and learned a lot about the ins and outs of the construction world in addition to exciting projects and construction companies working across London. I am extremely grateful to Cranford for organising this opportunity for me and would highly recommend the experience to anyone wanting to pursue a career in construction or engineering. I promise you that you will have a great time and learn a lot of useful things about your career interests. Manav Vivek (year 11)

Johnson and Matthey is a global leader in sustainable technologies. Currently, they are trying to tackle three major global challenges: the need for clean air, conservation of our planet’s natural resources and the need for more affordable and ever more personalised healthcare. In December 2020, I attended a virtual skills and careers day with Johnson and Matthey. This well structured and interactive session was led by two female lawyers who have the same roles in their career but having taken different paths to get there. They both explained their journeys, which was quite fascinating as you realise that there are several different ways to establish career in law. As the virtual experience proceeded, we learnt about the different types of qualified lawyers that are out there, e.g., solicitors (private practice vs inhouse) and barristers, the differences that there are within each type, their specific role and what type of qualifications are required. The two women then went to further describe what a typical day in their life is like and how it varies from each other’s. This session ended with a really useful question and answer session on careers in law. Personally, I think that if you are able to have as many experiences as possible in a variety of career talks or work experiences this is great because it can allow you to have a greater understanding of each career. Career talks allow you to learn that you do not always need a law degree to qualify as a solicitor, there are alternative routes for every career. Despite it being virtual, I thoroughly enjoyed this career talk, it not only allowed me to understand what it is like to be a lawyer but also what skills are required in a professional field, which I believe will help me build a strong career. Arushi Varshney (year 11)

ECONOMICS

Economics at Cranford

conomics is a real life subject and develops enquiring minds so students can relate what they are learning to the world around them. The real world nature of the subject provides numerous opportunities for students to explore and analyse significant issues such as inequality and poverty, implications of Brexit and the need for sustainable development in the wake of global warming. Our students are taught to examine the impact of the theories by eminent economists on the world and why they evolve with the changing needs of society. Economics helps students to develop an insight into current events happening nationally and globally. COVID 19 is such an event which has led to numerous economic implications nationally as well internationally due to the interconnected nature of the world. This pandemic has taught us how Economic theories could provide answers to the problems faced by society. The study of Economics is not only carried out through in class learning but also through independent research tasks outside lessons. This became more evident to the Economics department during remote teaching as a result of the lockdown. The year 13 students carried out research tasks to assess government interventions such as the furlough scheme, ‘eat out to help out’, stamp duty and business rates exemptions, and grants for the tourism, hospitality and leisure sectors. An education in this context has required adjustments for staff and students alike. This year was used as an opportunity to explore online resources to support our students. We adapted our curriculum to ensure the students were able to have good learning experiences through the use of video clips and educational documentaries. We made use of online teaching and learning tools such Kahoot and Seneca. The Kahoot quiz activities were thoroughly enjoyable. Seneca was a useful platform which provided opportunities for online revision with interesting tasks. KS4 students made good use of resources available on BBC Bitesize and Quizlet in order to consolidate and strengthen their economics knowledge. Microsoft Teams has been an effective platform to provide live lessons to the students. To track students’ knowledge and provide quick feedback, Teams features such as interactive virtual white board, quizzes, and class note were extremely useful. In order to support year 11 and year 13 with their next phase of learning, comprehensive transition packs were provided virtually with a programme of enrichment activities, careers advice and transition sessions during the lockdown. Feedback from students on remote teaching and learning was very encouraging. Upon their return to school, students were presented with enrichment opportunities to promote cultural capital. These included Junior Economist of the Year Competition organised by the Royal Society of Economics and FCDO Next Generation Economics Competition organised by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Students also took part in the Model United Nations (MUN) programme whereby they brought their economics knowledge to assess contemporary economic problems. This past year has taught us the valuable life skill of adaptability which will serve our students well not just in their academic endeavours but in life in general. Ramanpreet Kaur (Head of Economics Department) 33

CPD

CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Teaching and Learning Team CPD 2021

Cranford Community College, we provide a robust and wide ranging CPD (Continuous Professional Development) programme accessible to staff at all stages of their careers. With new teachers, we not only have specific courses that address practical strategies within the classroom, but we also make extensive use of Mini Action Research Projects (MARPS). These MARPs encourage our teachers to not only reflect on their own teaching practice and be innovative in the application of new strategies with the use of pedagogical literature, but they also keep the student and their attainment at the forefront of their project. Here, staff are guided by our Lead Teachers as well as their mentors and are expected to present their findings to the rest of their cohort after evaluating the data they have collected. Examples of these MARPs include new competitive reward strategies and investigations in to how formative assessments can be used effectively to monitor student progress when teaching remotely and online. Whilst we provide opportunities for our new teachers to engage in CPD which encourages innovation, we also ensure that our aspiring middle and senior leaders have similar prospects through the NPQs (National Professional Qualifications in Senior and Middle Leadership). Accredited by the University of London Institute of Education, these courses ensure that our leaders of today and tomorrow are able to develop

their leadership and management qualities through the implementation of either a department wide or school wide initiative. These aspiring middle and senior leaders demonstrate their skill and knowledge as not only strategic and effective practitioners, but also as successful front-runners of change, always representing the school’s ethos. Our school’s CPD provision aims to ensure that all staff engage with professional development together and that they have a shared platform to share best practice. To this effect, Cranford Community College runs frequent training programmes that address the school priorities as well as the emerging needs and desires of our teaching staff. Teacher Development Days are also similar examples of where CPD has been provided, particularly regarding our use of MS Teams and other creative teaching platforms as part of our blended teaching and learning approach thereby catering for our staff’s needs to ensure that our students receive the best education possible. At the forefront of Cranford Community College’s CPD provision is the impact on our students; we are a school that strives for excellence in all areas and as such, we firmly believe that by investing in our teachers’ professional development, we are investing in our students’ success. Sahrish Sheikh (Lead Teacher)

CPD

CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

CPD

CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Newly Trained Teachers Speak for Themselves

As a Teaching

School, Cranford Community College has always put the training and development of staff as a key priority for the organisation. This includes training new entrants to the profession and 2020 – 2021 was no exception where the school successfully trained 15 new teachers all of whom were awarded QTS (Qualified Teacher Status). Over 75% are continuing their careers at Cranford with the others going to work in other London schools. Here are some testimonials from this cohort of trainees: Peter Stumpf (Associate Headteacher)

Throughout my first year of being a trainee at Cranford I have been offered many different opportunities to aid my development. The first of these is weekly CPD sessions, these run weekly afterschool with all other trainees at the school. These sessions are led be experienced members of staff that have each offered invaluable advice on their range of expertise. These sessions also allowed us to gain the support of the other trainees in the same situation and offer each other advice. As a trainee you are assigned a mentor, they are an experienced member of your department with which you meet weekly to discuss your progress so far and how to take that progress even further. My mentor arranged for me to observe members of my own department teaching as well as members of other departments. This allowed me to take techniques observed in other departments and adapt them to suit teaching in science. Over the last term I have been able to shadow a year 7 form tutor and experience the pastoral side of teaching for the first time. In September I will be becoming a year 7 form tutor, the experience I have gained over the last term as prepared me with the skills I will need to take with me next year. I am very grateful for all the experiences Cranford have provided mw with so far and cannot wait to start a new year in September. Megan Jones (Science trainee) 36

‘Throughout the course of this year I, as one of the many trainees, have been provided with numerous opportunities and experiences to develop as a teacher. This has included but not been limited to: weekly CPD sessions with focuses such as behaviour management and planning for progress, Teacher Development days where training was provided to develop our teaching skills in a Covid secure environment, and weekly mentor meetings every Monday morning. These meetings have allowed me to develop my classroom presence, as well as begin to improve my planning skills in areas such as scaffolding and differentiation. In addition, Cranford has provided me with the chance to observe many fellow teachers and incorporate some of the highly varied methods and techniques used effectively by others, into my own lessons. The use of many of these strategies has allowed me to cultivate stronger relationships with pupils and in turn run more effective lessons. In addition, I have particularly enjoyed the opportunity to teach two Year 12 classes and experience the challenges of teaching A-level compared to those of Key Stage 3 and 4. These experiences have all led to an incredibly busy but ultimately hugely fulfilling first year at Cranford, where I am very excited to continue on next year. Angus Aughterson (Science Trainee)

CPD

CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

As a former Cranford student I wanted to give back to my community and what better way than to convey my knowledge to the community where nearly all my teenage years were spent. With the pandemic surrounding us, I am certain that this year has been vastly different. Students wearing their masks made it increasingly difficult to identify specific students which may have resulted in more efforts in managing behaviour. Furthermore, we were restricted with many activities due to COVID-19 rules and therefore we had to be very innovative with our teaching. As a trainee I would try out many different methods to motivate and encourage students to work to the best of their abilities. Personally, one of the perks of going into lockdown was the ability to create engaging lessons online. Although the first few weeks of remote learning were difficult, as soon as both teachers and students settled into the new format of teaching, this ironed out the initial impediments challenges to teaching and learning. Furthermore, I realised that providing students with these fun activities online and promoting competition lead to students being motivated. In fact many students produced more pieces of work virtually than in real-life. That is when I made the biggest discovery as a trainee teacher that engaging and competitive lessons lead to students having a very positive attitude to learning. When returning to school post-lockdown, I promoted a lot of competition between pupils and this led to high levels of student engagement. Furthermore, being involved in the marking of the Year 11 GCSE papers allowed me to evaluate where pupils have misconceptions in mathematics. This allowed me anticipate and clarify these misconceptions during my final term of teaching this academic year. I look forward to going into the next academic year at Cranford and I hope to continue developing my skills as a teacher. Aminul Islam (Mathematics Trainee)

Training this year at Cranford has been one of the most illuminating experiences. I have learned so much from my department, mentor and the students. It has been extremely rewarding being able to train to teach in such a supportive environment. Despite teaching being mildly uprooted this year with the virtual learning; the whole teaching community rallied together and made transitions as smooth as they could have been for staff and students. I very much look forward to contributing more to the school and continuing to develop my knowledge and skills in the coming year. Veronica Chow (English trainee)

# DUKE OF EDINBURGH

Virtual Duke of Edinburgh 2020-21

It’s

been an odd 18 months for Duke of Edinburgh! Our presentation evening in March 2020 was possibly one of the last events we were able to hold in “normal” conditions – but that doesn’t mean Duke of Edinburgh has stopped!

Gold

Shenon Dias

Arushi Varshney

Marjaan Aman

Shamaila Baig

Samuel Dickson

Sanjana Bhola

In 2020 we enrolled 65 students into Bronze and Silver awards, and the vast majority of these participants have continued with their awards from home. Some activities needed to be changed, and a bit of imagination was needed, but I have been blown away by the creativity and resilience of our young people. Over the past year, Cranford students have logged 273 hours of volunteering work. They have run around 300 miles between them. They have learnt to knit, to cook, and to play chess. They have developed their photography skills. They have tutored siblings, neighbours and family friends. They have helped elderly and vulnerable neighbours. This summer, many of our year 11 students will be volunteering in their communities, working towards their awards and gaining valuable experience. Our students have embodied everything the Duke of Edinburgh award was created to foster in young people and I am so proud of each and every one of them. The ultimate testimony to the impact of the DofE is the number of students who have enrolled for the prestigious Gold award this year. Through Heathrow funding, we were able to secure places for seven of our year 11s on the award, which includes an extended expedition in wild country and a residential element. The most challenging of the DofE levels, the Gold award, is celebrated with a presentation at St James Palace or Buckingham Palace Gardens, and attended by a member of the Royal Family. We are one of the only schools in the borough to offer the Gold award, and for these students to have enrolled and started work during a period of such turbulence and uncertainty just goes to show that they have what it takes to complete the full award. I am particularly keen to celebrate this group, as they have completed every award level through from Bronze and were the first cohort I worked with as Duke of Edinburgh coordinator. Plans are underway to get students out on expeditions again in September, and next year I am determined that Duke of Edinburgh will be back bigger and better than ever. Evelyn Brooks (Duke of Edinburgh Lead) 38

DUKE OF EDINBURGH

Silver

Amandeep Thiara

Angel Aiduki

Amanprit Khaneja

Arwa Umar

Bernice Pereira

Gurnoor Kaur

Bronze

Amar Dhillon

Ashaani Balendran

Heenal Mehra

Abdulla Chaudhary

Ahmad Noori

Alicia Grinhaff

Arjun Mankoo

Ashveer Sidhu

Bobby Banga

Damon Szumowski

Erika Gorjunova

Esa Rana

Hamdan Khanzada

Hussein Mahamud

Ibrahim Chaudhary

Ifrah Shehzad

Ines Goncalves

Ishmeet Singh

Jagveer Kang

Jaiden Dhillon

Jasleen Sethi

Karan Sangha

Kirandeep Khurana

Luliya Jemal

Manraaj Khaneja

Maria Ferreira

Naiera Hussein

Neel Nakum

Nihal Kang

Oliwia Dabrowska

Prashin Kumar

Ria Vivek

Samira Cali

Shreyas Shikhare

Sohrab Ahmadi

Tegh Kang

Zayna Chaudhary

Anchal Chawla

Ayesha Kaur

Inderjit Singh

Satnam Curry Isra Jadoon

Murtaza Abbas

Rahma Suleiman

Jack Macmillan

Mya Shambhi

Robert Keeley

Shritu Singh

Kinza Saasaa

Nadra Hassan

Ryan Dulay

Sukhpreet Bual

Urina Paudyal

Leroy Eshun

Navneen Awaldi

Satnam Curry

Tyisha Rebelo

Tyrone Emmanuel

# RE

- RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Religious Education Department Review 2020-2021

The Religious

Education Department is committed to offering an ambitious and innovative curriculum which develops spiritual, moral, social and culturally rich students who are equipped with the skills to think critically whilst building religious literacy. The unique nature of Religious Education requires students to engage in topical, controversial and often sensitive issues. Class discussions and debates are paramount to learning and through listening and responding to their peers, students appreciate each other’s views and also become tolerant members of society. The pandemic therefore offered a fresh challenge for the department and we were set with the task of ensuring we protected the nature of Religious Education despite not being in the classroom. The department was ambitious and innovative in their approach. Through collaborative discussions and planning we all researched various virtual learning platforms which we tested through trial and error before sharing best practice with one and other. Some examples of good practice used and shared were:

Microsoft Teams Chat Feature One particular benefit of online learning was the utilisation of the chat feature on Microsoft Teams. This allowed students to contribute to the class discussion throughout the 50 minute lesson, as well as to continue the sharing and evaluating of ideas after the lesson had finished. I found that students that were otherwise quiet and happy for more boisterous members of the class to take the lead in discussions, really came out of their shell and expressed their ideas in a way that they wouldn’t have done in a traditional classroom setting. This has inspired me to continue this practice moving forward, utilising Microsoft Teams as a discussion forum, where students can post articles or debate issues surrounding the content covered during lessons. This has proven very successful with many fantastic debates unfolding on our Teams pages, ranging from discussions of the ethics of capital punishment to considering the effectiveness of arguments for and against the existence of God. This unforeseen benefit of remote learning allowed all students the opportunity to discuss and debate with their peers, within the lesson and beyond, promoting personal development and ensuring that students still feel connected to their class, in spite of the physical isolation imposed upon them.

Nearpod A fantastic virtual learning platform used by the department was Nearpod; the website allowed for lessons to remain interactive and student led. RE lessons place a strong focus on students working to find out information for themselves and then to consolidate through discussions and practice exam questions. Nearpod allowed me to take advantage of students having access to the internet in lessons in order to research key religious teachings and beliefs. For example, students were learning about religious teachings on the topic of exploitation and after introducing them to the topic I allocated students a particular religion and they then had to research and share a religious view on the topic. Students were able to share their view on the collaborative board feature and this also allowed their peers to see the range of views collected by the class and ensure all students contributed to the lesson.

Microsoft Teams Breakout Rooms The RE curriculum tackles a range of topics which require discussion and debate, such as abortion, euthanasia, and LGBTQ+ rights. I found during virtual lessons many students were too shy to discuss their views via the microphone and this made such discussion near impossible. To overcome this challenge, I trialled the use of Breakout Rooms to allow students to work in small ‘classrooms’. Students were allocated to a small groups of 4-6 students and given a task to do such as write reasons for and against the use of animal testing for medical purposes or to peer-assess each other’s responses to an exam practice questions. I was able to enter the different ‘classrooms’ and found that students were far more confident in using their webcams and microphones in smaller group discussions. Avneet Kang (Head of Religious Education Department) 40

RE - RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Cranford Thought for the Week Programme 2020-2021

The Thought for the Week (TFTW) programme is delivered to all students every week through form time. TFTW encompasses a broad spectrum of topics and issues from current affairs to social movements. Through exposure to topical and important issues students can build upon their cultural capital and be fully aware and a part of the society they live in. TFTW continued during virtual learning via form time and continued to allow students to consider the morality of topics and issues discussed. During virtual learning TFTW covered a range of topics such as the Capitol Riots, fear of the Covid Vaccine, Misogyny, Black Lives Matter and the Indian Farmers’ Protest. To help further engage students with virtual learning some TFTW’s offered students an opportunity to take the topic further independently. One such example was for a TFTW on Black Lives Matter where students were offered a range of extension tasks to pick from. Miadeep Sahota 8T chose the task of choosing a British Black photographer and created a stunning collage. Avneet Kang (Head of Religious Education Department)

“I have always had an eye for photography and diverting this task to my life I believe a collage will pose as the ideal way to capture the significance of black lives noticeably and hurriedly. I chose the Black-British photographer Raphael Albert owing to the fact that he was a good-hearted, righteous and extraordinary individual who made it apparent that black is beautiful. Indisputably, black is stunning and I am eternally grateful that he emphasised this. When racial tensions develop, they don’t just affect one or two of us — they affect us all… as neighbours, workmates, friends and fellow individuals. Racism creates a society where people don’t trust and respect each other. When it’s allowed to flourish, it lessens us as people. We are all equal; that’s how it should be. This is a basic human right. Finally, by guaranteeing life, liberty, equality, and security, human rights protect people against abuse by those who are more powerful. We should all be equal, irrespective of the pigmentation of your skin. At the end of the day we all bleed red. The colour of your skin should not deprive you of human rights.” Miadeep Sahota (year 8)

# MUSIC

Keep the Beat Music Club Making a difference to young people’s lives

“The music club is fun and I look forward to it. Instead of doing silly things or wasting time, I practice in preparation. It’s a great way to channel energy that I would otherwise have used in a negative way.” Rayan Ali (year 9)

“It’s really helped with my confidence and thank you sir for believing in me.” Dontae Anyia (year 7)

‘Keep the Beat’ music club was set up as an intervention in June 2021 as a platform for students’ self-expression through music. The aim was to creatively channel students’ energy through music therapy and to demonstrate that through hard work and pushing past our own limitations that we are able to feel a sense of accomplishment and confidence in our abilities. The club ran once a week after school and was very much student led. During our first session we spoke about what our end goal would be and discussed a strategy for ensuring that the end goal was met giving students a sense of ownership and responsibility, not only to the project but to each other. The end goal was to put on a small performance for a select number of teachers. The group were fully committed and worked diligently supporting each other to create their own songs as well as working as a group to create a free style and student voice. With the periods of remote learning and various lockdowns due to the pandemic, this academic year has been challenging for so many of our young people. Through music, they have been able to connect with each other and reflect on their own well-being and have had the opportunity to share their stories, celebrate their identity and express themselves through music.

“The music club boosted my confidence to perform in front of actual people. It was something to look forward to and it was a reward. Overall I really enjoyed it and hope to be in it again.” Matthew Akinmuleya (year 9)

“I am so proud of all three students and the amount of hard work that they put into their music, they should all be so proud of themselves and what they were able to achieve. I really loved how they all worked together and supported each other with their performances, you could see how they have worked hard. They are all so talented. The sky is the limit for these students and I hope to continue to work on their music with them in September”. Jake Fernandez (Teaching Assistant)

“The music performance was a lovely example of the bond between our three students. It was great seeing their hard work pay off.” Faisa Hassan (Teaching Assistant)

We were very lucky to have use of the fantastic resources and equipment in the music department which contributed to the sense of professionalism and really helped with engagement. The group gave a mind-blowing performance at the end of the summer term and did themselves proud. ‘Keep the Beat’ are now aiming to continue next year and to hopefully record some of their original material.

“I was really impressed with the music performance! I loved each performance and was so proud of all of them. Thanks to Rayan for kicking off the show, one of her raps really touched my heart and made me quite emotional. Matthew is definitely on his way to making it big because the talent on that stage was honestly impressive (should he wish to do so). Well done to Dontae for closing the show! His own performance was amazing and is definitely one I want to see and hear again! As each performance happened, it was lovely to see their confidence develop! Well done to them all.”

Kerry Mulhair (Assistant Headteacher and SENDCo)

Sabine Geister (Three Bridges Twilight School Manager)

A zooming good Christmas for Cranford and Berkeley Staff

The

afternoon of Friday 18th December 2021 provided a wonderful opportunity for staff at Cranford Community College and Berkeley Academy to get together virtually and wish each other a Happy Christmas. By now we were all experts in using Zoom for virtual meetings and so like ducks to water we donned our Santa and elf hats and enjoyed some Christmas songs and an eventful game of online bingo. In recognition of all the hard work staff have been doing and to provide some Christmas cheer, staff were given a Christmas grab bag to enjoy over the festive season. A fitting end to a busy year. Rita Berndt (Head of School)

Santa Claus Came to Cranford Virtually

Cranford Community College we always endeavour to send our students off for the Christmas festivities with an upbeat message, and this year it seemed even more appropriate to send the message of good will and good health to our students, even though we could not come together to celebrate. This year we sent a virtual message to them all via a Christmas classic with many familiar faces rocking along to “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”. A definite upbeat moment at the end of a challenging year. Sharandeep Saroya (Assistant Headteacher – Sixth Form)

# MEDIA STUDIES

Media Studies Finding New Ways Through Professional Technologies

The

modern world is all but consumed with Media, we experience it in every aspect of our daily lives and in the year in which Covid meant ‘normal’ didn’t exist the multitude of media platforms that we are exposed to became even more pertinent and essential to our connection with the world. The Media Studies Department at Cranford Community College believe it is essential that students are given the tools to explore and engage with a multitude of media platforms. Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, advertising, film, music and the internet – media is now both produced and consumed in more forms and quantities than ever before. We used these to our benefit as we found new ways of engaging our sixth form students with the A level curriculum using Nearpod, MS Teams, Kahoot and Socrative.

While the Eduqas specification was adapted to allow students to submit ‘mock ups’ of their final NEA products we continued to promote high expectations and supported our Year 13 Media students in completing their coursework projects whereby they responded to the exam board brief to create marketing campaigns for original films including a theatrical release poster, teaser poster, Blu-Ray cover and website. During the period of lockdown we developed focussed research and planning activities which would allow our students to gain an in depth knowledge of industry standard marketing materials to inform their own development of ideas and final products. One student even drew inspiration from the pandemic and developed her ideas around an original film which followed

URGE

YOU ARE HUMANITY’S LAST HOPE NOVEMBER 16

28 year old Jo life�s ambtion tive, having h scene he disco praying on vun some motivatio down the broth the brothers w and did not st no escape but Will Jon Caine the town?

. .

Special Features Trailer The making o

diogo atouguia and diogo atouguia Present DO VICTIM Sara majoothi Cinematography b Edi

DOWNLOAD THE FILM TO YO

DIGITAL COPY ALS VIDEO COPILOT

REQUIRES GREAT AMOUNT OF PASSION AND HEART BEAT SOME HEARTBREAKING SCENES AND GREAT LOVE STORIES THAT WILL MAKE YOU DREAM AND ESCAPE REALITY.

MEDIA STUDIES the narrative of a trio trapped in a global pandemic. Our students became resourceful and photographed family members, friends and even teachers once they returned to school in order to credibly cast their marketing material. Media at Cranford offers a broad and balanced curriculum with ample opportunities to explore social and cultural capital through our exploration of set texts as well as wider analysis. We aim to enlighten a spark of curiosity in our students where they delve beneath the surface to analyse the complexities of media texts, be it through the political contexts or social and historical backgrounds which inform the content an audience views. While in lockdown we taught our Year 12 Media students through Nearpod in order to ensure all students were able to engage with the set text and share valuable opinions. As we studied issues surround industries and audience in Black Panther (2018) we were able to encourage the enquiring minds of our Year 12’s to carefully consider the representations they are offered in media texts, through use of sophisticated and technical media language and the application of theoretical perspectives. We support students in developing an awareness of how the media constructs representations of reality and unravel the stereotypes of gender, race, ethnicity, disability and sexuality that are both reinforced or subverted through technical codes.

VIDEO COPILOT REQUIRES GREAT AMOUNT OF PASSION AND HEART BEAT SOME HEARTBREAKING SCENES AND GREAT LOVE STORIES THAT WILL MAKE YOU DREAM AND ESCAPE REALITY.

Atanas Aleksandrov Milton Ferreira Daniel Collado

on Caine had just started his n to become a private detechad zero cases, at a crime overs two coward brothers nerable innocents. In need of on, watch as Caine chases hers. Having led a wild life, were up for the competition top until they were left with to take on the detective. e be able to save

Gag Reel of: No Escape

“NO ESCAPE” dETECTIVE MILTON FERREIRA two brothers Atanas aleksanrov and daniel collaby michael fox Design Team Rocco ltd Music by JASHEH ONFFROY special vfx OSCAR MORENO ited by diogo rafael Filmed on Location at Lonon

WWW.NOESCAPE.COM

SO INCLUDED

ITS EASY - TRANSFER THE DIGITAL FILE TO YOUR MAC, IPHONE, PC OR OTHER COMPATIBLE PLAYER FOR VIEWING ANYWHERE, ANYTIME

Directed by Diogo Atouguia

NO ESCAPE

OUR PORTABLE PLAYER!

NO ESCAPE

The media is a powerful entity which plays a significant role within society as audiences growingly move from passively receiving messages to actively participating in the construction of media. We offer students the opportunity to turn the spotlight back in the medium itself as they investigate exactly how and why the media functions. Throughout the curriculum we teach students to apply their knowledge whilst expressing their creativity and developing their use of new and professional technologies. Sharandeep Saroya (Assistant Headteacher - Media Studies) 45

# IT & COMPUTING The

past 18 months have been like no other at Cranford and yet the students have been able to demonstrate how amazing, adaptable and resilient they are. The curriculum at KS3 was drastically changed as students did not have access to PCs in the classroom, some units were adapted where by students were covering theory and skills during the lesson and then completing the practical tasks at home. The use of MS Teams allowed students to then showcase their work during lessons to gain feedback from both peers and their teachers. The second lockdown worked as an advantage, as students were able to work on practical tasks at home during the lesson. One aspect that students enjoyed was that they were able to showcase and present their work in class to others online.

IT & Computing Department

Our Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 curriculum remained the same, however as a department we had to adopt different styles of teaching. Both students and staff pulled together making sure disruption was kept to a minimum to ensure that students were able to progress. Where trips and visits had been planned, these were adapted to virtual workshops for example the Game Design workshop delivered by Brunel University and Ajar Technology also delivered a workshop on The Business Environment. Overall students and staff have developed through making use of different technologies to help collaborate and teach, truly appreciating the importance of IT and Computing in the ever changing world we live in today. Sukhjeet Kudhail (Head of IT and Computing Department)

IT & COMPUTING

On line Game Design Workshop with Brunel University

tudents had an exciting opportunity to take part in an online workshop delivered by Lecturers from the Gaming Department at Brunel University. The timing of it was great as students had just started a Game Design and Prototyping Unit as part of their Cambridge Technicals Diploma in IT course. The initial arrangements were to go and visit the university, however due to the restrictions the workshop had to be conducted online. The students found it very engaging and thoroughly enjoyed completing the challenges set during the breakout sessions. The experience allowed students to gain an understanding of a career in Gaming, where some came away from the session wanting to explore the option further and potentially make changes to their UCAS options. Sukhjeet Kudhail (Head of IT and Computing Department)

The experience was exceptional and eye-opening as my fellow peers and I have learnt many aspects within the gaming community ranging from the physical production of the games to the concept and audience behind it. The tasks and activities that we undertook were very amusing and really involved us within the program. I would recommend anyone who is looking into creative software or any IT related career to look into the Brunel University Games Design unit. Anas Abdirasaq (year 13)

My experience with the Brunel Meeting was really good as I enjoyed how much depth they went in to when talking about games development. Other interactive activities such as group work and the Card game were also really fun to play and be a part of as well finding more about the course from the actual lecturers. Their engagement really inspired me and it has made me reconsider my course choices for university. I would definitely recommend this meeting to anyone who is interested in games development or other type of computer projects. Palakjot Singh (year 13)

The workshop was very useful and interesting as it allowed us to gain information and knowledge about a course that I was interested in but didn’t know much about. The teachers interacted with us a lot which made it interesting and gave us activities that allowed us to understand the course and what we would expect at university if we took the course. I would recommend this workshop to anyone who is interested in game developing as a career or to study at university as it helps to understand what the course is about and what to expect. Ashvin Kapoor (year 13)

The work shop was very interesting in that it gave me more knowledge about game design. Part of the session involves groups sharing ideas. Two random words are picked which you have to make a game about. It was challenging and fun. Nalen Gurung (year 13)

I came into the online workshop with an open mind and I believe that it was very helpful. This is because it actually helped me widen my viewpoint of gaming as a career. I have learnt many things about games and believe that this workshop is perfect for anyone who may be unsure what they want to do after year 13. Yahya Ishaq (year 13)

My experience with Brunel University was fun and enjoyable as we did a lot of activities and we learnt a lot about games, the processing time, and money that goes into game development. I was quite surprised to see that GTA (Grand Theft Auto) took only 7 years to make £700 million. I also enjoyed the card activities where we would pick two cards that have random words and then we would have to think of a gaming concept that links those two words. This activity really challenged and spiked my creativity and that is why I really enjoyed it. Sankavi Sivaharan (year 13) 47

# T - LEVELS

T Levels Programme 2020-2021

eptember 2020 saw the launch of Cranford Community College’s new T level programmes. Inspired by our collaborative international projects with colleges in Norway and the Netherlands and a constant openness to new and exciting curriculum opportunities, 29 of our sixth formers began their studies in Digital Production, Design and Technology, and Education and Childcare.

As well as providing our students with the amazing opportunity of 45 days industry placement, these first T levels provide academic and technical skills in key shortage areas for the local economy. For the Social Sciences and IT and Computing departments delivering them, it has been a whirlwind year and the Minister for London, Paul Scully MP, waited only three weeks before he wanted to see some of the new T level learners in action. Naturally, his first port of call was Cranford and, as Secretary of State for Business, he was wowed by the students’ and staff’s enthusiasm, aptitude and vision for this new course. The Member of Parliament for Sutton and Cheam was greeted by our Sixth Form Leadership team and toured the academy before his entourage were joined a selection of our potential digital industry partners to visit a T Level Digital lesson. Students impressed the visitors by showcasing their programming skills, working in groups to develop some existing code to meet some requirements. They also met with a range of teaching staff who were involved in the planning and delivery of the course. Overall, the Minister was very impressed with the course and was excited about the opportunities and skills the young people will gain from the work experience. The students were far from overawed and spoke fluently and thoughtfully about T levels and wider issues in education with one enterprising young man even asking the MP if he would personally mentor him! We are still awaiting a response on this but were told: “The Minister really enjoyed the visit and found it very helpful. It was useful for him to get a sound understanding of how T Levels fit in to the skills agenda; he also particularly enjoyed engaging with the students. Thanks to you and the college for all the work on pulling the visit together. It was very much appreciated!” Cranford is proud to be at the forefront of changes to the post-16 curriculum. We will continue to work tirelessly to equip our students with the knowledge and skills that will help them succeed in the 21st Century economy and plan to expand our T level offer in 2022 to include Construction, Healthcare Science, Business Improvement and Laboratory Science. The T level cohort of 2020/21 are pioneers and their successes this year are a huge testament to their own hard work, the dedication of Cranford staff and a range of fantastic new partnerships we are developing with local industry. A particular thanks to Ajar Technologies, St Mary’s University, IAG and Berkeley Academy. Rob Ind (Head of School)

T - LEVELS

The T

Level Digital students have made a great start to the course this year, albeit through these unusual circumstances. I have been especially impressed with their continued motivation and adaptability. This cohort are some of the first ever students to start this new and exciting course. Students have covered a range of theory; The Business Context, Emerging issues and impact of digital, Problem Solving and Programming. Students have been working on tasks within the class both independently and in groups, with an emphasis on presenting their findings back to the whole group. All of these are key skills that will help them in their work placements and beyond. Where possible we have tried to incorporate workshops with our partners like Ajar Technology. These have focused on The Business Environment and Work Readiness. Sessions were delivered by the London Enterprise Advisor Network mentor, Christine Osgood who has a professional background in HR. Students have already gained many transferrable skills that they will be able to use while out on industry placement and in readiness for employment. From their knowledge and understanding of the Business Environment, they will be able to decompose problems and provide solutions based on given requirements. Students have grown in confidence and have developed their communication skills. This has been evident from their interviews and the feedback received from the employers and students currently on placement. Students adapted with ease to the online learning during the lockdown and isolation periods. However they are very happy to be back in the class with their peers and teachers.

At first I was quite sceptical at choosing the T level Digital course but after looking at the specification and the experience I would gain, I am now looking forward to completing this course. So far I have learnt and developed valuable skills such as being able to programme/code. I was also given the opportunity to have an actual interview with the companies that have offered us work placements, I found this very beneficial as it helped me prepare and have a feel for what it’s like going for an actual job interview. I have attended workshops with a former HR member where we discussed the workplace. I now feel prepared for the work placement which I will be attending during the second year of the course. Harsh Jeintilal (year 12)

Within this course of unforeseen ups and downs I believe I was able to make the most of what was on my plate with the help of my teachers, which in my eyes, were always putting me first and helping me to achieve what I didn’t expect of myself at the beginning of the year. As it was my first year within the course and not having a lot of experience, I can confidently say that I am more knowledgeable and more aware of what my future could entail, and how I should act and behave with the experience I have gained for the second year of the course thanks to my teachers and peers. Emmanuel Adebowale (year 12)

My T Level journey has been fun and also complicated. At the start of the course my python skills were not the best but with time I got better by continuously practising at home and in supervised study. I really enjoy the business side of the course because i got to see how organisations operate and what they do to be able to reach client needs and reach their goals. I’m really looking forward for my work placement but i am a little bit nervous because I want to impress the people at the work placement and potentially get an apprenticeship. The interview I had with Ajar Technology and St Mary’s University made me very nervous but in the end I think I did well and now I know how to prepare for an interview so next time I’m sure I will do better than before. Octavio Rodrigues (year 12)

Sukhjeet Kudhail (Head of IT and Computing Department) 49

# T - LEVELS

“One of our key initiatives this year which focuses on our local community in Hounslow is the partnership with Cranford Community College. Cranford is one of only around 50 education settings in the UK to be d e l i v e r i n g D i g i t a l T- L e v e l s . We identified this as an excellent new pathway for young people to move into technology industries and way for us to get involved and develop our home grown talent while increasing our commitment to social value and the local community. In September 2020 our team joined the launch at Cranford with Paul Scully, MP and Minister for London to look at the impact of introducing the Digital T Levels in our local community and London. Since then we have worked with Cranford to create suitable placements for their students and support their learning journey. Three students finish their first work placement with us today and this has been so successful that one of the students will actually be staying on with us for her first ever summer job! B y w o r k i n g w i t h C r a n f o rd a n d the students, Ajar Technology has been able to give back to our local community and disadvantaged young people in our borough, develop new talent and hopefully future proof our business with young people interested in our industry. It has also allowed our teams to develop their mentoring skills by working with these young people. As we all work to recover and regenerate workforces across our borough, this work with Cranford is pivotal in providing opportunities for the young people in our area. I’d encourage more local businesses to get involved and support Cranford with work placements where they can”. Tara McLaughlin (Ajar Technology) 50

T Levels Placement Interviews

“Thank you all for coming along to the interviews on Monday. You did a great job of presenting yourselves and representing your school in a mature and professional manner, you should be very proud! From meeting you it is clear to see that you all have a great future in digital industry and being the first group to take the Digital T-Level course, you really have taken on the challenges of the past year, approached your learning in a positive way and excelled. I wish you all the best as you continue with the course, and look forward to hearing how you get on with your placements either at Ajar Technology or other companies working with Cranford.”

class students have spent all year learning about the digital curriculum and the knowledge gained prepared them for their industry placements. Students in the class were commencing their first four-week placement in June but first they needed to work for their place. Students took part in a rigorous recruitment process which involved applications, C.V.s and interviews. They were very nervous however with preparation and determination they did themselves and Tara McLaughlin everyone proud. It was lovely (Ajar Technology) to see how they were very supportive of each other throughout the process. Tara McLaughlin, Bid Manager at Ajar Technology, and Ben Henderson from St Mary’s University conducted the interviews as both these organisations were going to be offering the placements. The students came suited and booted and conducted themselves very professionally throughout the process. Sukhjeet Kudhail (Head of IT and Computing Department)

T - LEVELS

T Level in Education and Childcare

The T

Level Education and Childcare students have had an exceptionally challenging yet rewarding year with their progress and achievements. Students embarked on a professional journey learning the ways of the education sector with the support of fantastic teachers at Cranford Community College and the splendid work experience opportunity at Berkeley Academy. These experiences nurture our budding T Level students to learn theoretical as well as practical elements of the education field. These included elements such as child development, working with parents, carers and families and reflective practice to name a few. In addition to these very attractive attributes of the course, students have gained training in safeguarding children, prevent training and gained a DBS certificate too. Accompanying the theoretical and practical skills was the employer set project module. The employer set project is an assessment where students complete different tasks for education and childcare which include completing an intervention plan and an activity plan in response to a child profile giving information on a specific child. The employer set project is a perfect example of the skills that are applied by students and the excellent opportunities

that students are given for readiness in a career in the education and childcare sector.

“My favourite part of T Level in Education and Childcare is the work experience. This I because it allows me to interact with children and apply it to my T Level. It also gives me an idea of the real world”.

“The employer set project provided me with the opportunity to acknowledge the different activities that are suitable for different ages and what type of planning it takes to make activities like resources, risk assessment and how it links to the national curriculum of early years”.

“Work experience allows us to interact with the children and experience life in the workplace. I find it useful because it helps me apply my knowledge to real life and gives me a taste of what it’s like in the real world. I mainly find it enjoyable and a great way to encourage me to take my course seriously. Moreover, work experience is a great opportunity to test ideas into practice and it also provides an excellent look at my CV” .

How do T Level students achieve success in the employer set project I hear you ask?! Well, this is by the consistent and frequent work experience at Berkeley Academy that students complete alongside their theoretical studies. Here at Cranford students are lucky to have many doors open for them to transfer their skills from the T Level course directly to the real life workplace environment. At Berkeley Academy students invest a certain amount of hours a week where students work with a range of children from Early Years to year 6. T Level is unique in giving students the ability to work with different age groups. Our T Level students gain confidence, explore their interests, improve their CV and learn networking skills with other professionals. Students have shared that they have gained social skills too such as empathy, patience, communication skills and listening skills. The qualification is equivalent to three A levels whilst also providing students with incredible employability skills. Sunaina Nayyar (Second in Social Sciences)

“The employer set project was a great opportunity to help me understand what it takes to create activities for children which will give them the opportunity to develop in many ways. It also helped me understand the different milestones of children’s development at work”. 51

# T - LEVELS

Education and Childcare

Reflections: Reflection 1 In the employers set project I found it useful to explore my creativity and ideas as it gave me a look into how much planning is really needed in work situations. It allowed me to use my knowledge and form ideas of how to work towards my targets for the children. For example if a child was struggling with social development/ social skills, I would base my ESP on this issue and search for ways in which I could support the child. This is useful because it allows me to explore options and different approaches I could take to not only engage the children but make sure they reach their target successfully. How have the teachers helped? Our teachers are incredibly experienced and therefore they have more knowledge and expertise in this specific field. They have helped us through telling us about the Dos and Don’ts in work placements. They have supported us through our elements of learning and made sure it was well structured ensuring that we learn in the best way possible. Maysa Mearlin (year 12)

T - LEVELS

Reflection 2

The employer set project was a wonderful opportunity to help me understand what it takes to create activities for children who are behind in their developmental milestones. It helps them in the moment to develop in many ways possible, with the help of the support. It also allows me to incorporate play in their activities which allows me to see the child’s interests and help me to understand them and do intervention plans to support them further, so they can reach their full potential development. I personally believe that I have progressed in this course, and have achieved a lot of confidence. Throughout this course I have filled the gaps in my knowledge. In T- level Education and Childcare I have learnt behavior management for children and different educational theories. I have studied how to be approachable to EAL (English as an Additional Language) and SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) children and help them by creating activities to support them. Safeguarding was in element 3, where I learnt different laws and legislation to protect children from harm. In element 5 I have been taught how to communicate with parents and other professionals. I have excellent teachers who helped me during this time in the course, they all helped me to do well and provided me with different opportunities to progress in the course. I have studied most of the content by creating and learning through PowerPoint slides, creating leaflets, and undertaking independent research. I have completed two exams along with employer set project which tested all the work we did independently and studied in lessons. I also do work experience as part of my course; it allows me to use my knowledge of what I have studied and apply it to the work setting. Throughout this T-level course we have been given training such as the prevent training which helped me acknowledge how to act in a situation that requires me to prevent an incident from occurring. I have also received a DBS certificate which qualifies me to work with children. I enjoy this course because it teaches me how to work with children and to support them if they have any additional needs. T-level is interesting because it provides industrial placement and helps me learn and understand children. Wolisha Fernandes (year 12)

Reflection 3 Over the course of this year, T-level Education and Childcare has taught me numerous things and has also given me the opportunity to place what I have learnt from my teachers into my work experience at Berkeley Academy. We are given the chance to experience what life is like as a teacher by going to our placement in a primary school once a week. At Berkeley Academy we are assigned with year groups from pre-school (ages 2-4) till year 2 (ages 6-7), which changes after every half term. Since taking part working with children has taught me many aspects within myself and within my course. It has taught me many social skills, such as patience, empathy, communication with the children and my colleagues. It has also allowed me to develop confidence within myself. Ms Dosanjh, Ms Nayyar, Miss Campbell and Miss Forbes are our 4 teachers who teach us this subject. All together we cover elements 1-12. For example in element 3 (Safeguarding, Health and Safety, and Wellbeing) we have covered the importance of safeguarding and protecting children from harm or maltreatment. This has allowed us to think like professionals and be aware of how the children in our settings can be in harm and ways we can prevent that. Another element that we cover is element 5 (Parents, Families and Carers). In this element we focus on the advantages of working with parents, carers and wider families to support children and young people, the different contexts in which children may grow up and the importance of being sensitive to this. We have learned various techniques such as making PowerPoints, note-taking, exam questions, group discussions and group activities. This is an advantage as it allows us to take on many skills that we can use in our exams and employer set project. So far in this T-level I have completed 2 internal exams, an employer set project that lasted for 2-3 weeks and topic tests for each element. The exams have allowed me to reflect on my practice and take from my mistakes and improve for year 13. I have loved the T-levels so far as I have gotten all the support from all of my teachers and peers. I hope the new year 12s will enjoy this subject as my peers and I do. Harsimran Kaur (year 12) 53

# T - LEVELS Reflection 4 I personally feel that I’ve done well and made a lot of progress during this course. We have covered a lot of different throughout the course. In element 9 we have been looking at reflective practice and how beneficial it is and what type of impact it has on us and why it is important. In element 12 we have looked at EAL (English as a second language) and we have looked at some strategies which will provide help to support students that have English as an additional language. In some of our lessons we created PowerPoints which helped us build up confidence by presenting to our class. We have also done a lot of active learning which helps us receive a better understanding of the work and provides us with the opportunity to link it back to our placement at Berkeley Academy. I have found this course to be very enjoyable as it has adapted my knowledge of an individual’s developmental milestones and how theories are linked to my work placement. The employer set project provided me with the opportunity to acknowledge all of the hard work that goes into every activity in every single lesson and how a lot of different aspects are taken into consideration such as planning, risk assessments, and if a child has any type of disability or requires additional support. I was also able to see how the activities would link to the national curriculum and Early Years’ Foundation Stage. Simone Mandall (year 12)

Reflection 5 For task 1a I made an intervention plan for Amelia to show the different strategies that I would use to her meet expected milestones for her personal, social and emotional aspects of development. Through the intervention plan I stated what strategies I would use to achieve this. After stating what my strategy was I linked it to an educational theory. After linking a theory to my strategy I stated what my intended outcomes were for Amelia after the strategy had been used. When completing my activity plan I felt very confident as I understood what I was being asked to do and had enough time to do everything that I needed to. Overall, I think my intervention plan went well as I wrote down everything that I had in mind and completed it to the best of my ability. Task 1b was the activity plan. I used the activity plan to establish what activity I thought would help Amelia to meet her expected milestones for her personal, social and emotional development. The activity that I chose was a role-play and I picked it because it would encourage Amelia to communicate and interact with her peers. As she socialises with her peers it will make her more confident in herself and make her feel more confident to form new relationships with her peers or other practitioners in the setting. I felt confident when I was completing my activity plan as I understood the task and was able to complete and include everything that I wanted to write. What I thought went well was that I completed the task to the best of my ability. Keiria Ahmed (year 12)

T - LEVELS

Reflection 6 T Level has taught me how to be confident and believe in myself, allowing me to express my inner character throughout the course and gave me the opportunity to interact with all different types of people. I found the programme challenging at the very beginning however I soon got the hang of it and now it is very interesting. Zuhur Osman (year 12)

Reflection 7 Throughout our first year we have completed all our content which we needed for our employer set project as well as our end of year exams. This content included topics on behaviour, safeguarding, child development, working with parents and professionals and many more. One of the things we learnt was that everyone learns differently, through different ways. Hence why our teachers changed our learning strategies all the time. For example, even though some of the students struggle with doing a PowerPoint presentation in front of the class and the teacher, we still did them from time to time. As a result, pupils have gained confidence in presenting in front of people which is an essential skill. As a retake student, who was doing A-Levels last year, in my experience, T-Level has been more impactful. One of our tasks was to create an activity plan for a child. We were given a child profile which told us what her interests were as well as her struggles and home situation. This is similar to coursework. However, it was under timed conditions and also allowed us to apply our work experience. Another benefit of T Level is that we were able to do work experience which allowed us to practically learn, apply our knowledge and be prepared for our future roles. This is because students in my class and I want to go on to being Nurses, Social Workers, Occupational Therapists etc. This will allow us to transfer our skills like interaction with children onto our future jobs. Furthermore, next year our main focus will be on our work experience. This will include completing three assessments as well as being observed all on our work experience. Jessica Singh (year 12)

# T - LEVELS

Minister Skully’s Visit

T - LEVELS

ranford Community College is one of a few schools nationally delivering the new T Level qualification in Digital this year. As part of this the Parliamentary Undersecretary for Business and Minister for London, Paul Scully together with some of his Westminster staff visited Cranford in September 2020 to see first-hand how the new courses were going. Minister Skully was interested to see how Cranford was delivering the Digital and Education and Childcare T Level courses. The Minister was given an introductory debrief by our Sixth Form Leadership team and went on a tour of the school. He met with potential partners for the industry placements to get a better understanding of the practical aspect of the course. Students impressed the visitors by show casing their programming skills through working in groups to develop some existing code to meet some requirements. He met with a range of teaching staff who were involved in the planning and delivery of the course. Overall he was very impressed with the course and was excited about the opportunities and skills the young people will gain from the work experience placements. Sukhjeet Kudhail (Head of IT and Computer Studies Department)

# SUMMER SCHOOL

2021

place very busy a n e e b s jo r ranford ha it h 6 m a w r e m m su g o in g o v e r th e a c ti v it ie s l o o h c s 450 summer re n e a rl y e w re e th different r b u s ie s t variety of o n . A t o u a in rt a p u n it y king ord Comm f children ta n a r C y ig run b ton West B s e H , s a c ti v it ie s e c a ll camp reative Sp d a footba n College, C a g in rn a art Le Local, Sm V2. outuber S Y e th y b past run a f te r th e t n ta r o p w a s im a n c e to re n th e c h We f e lt it d il h c e iv ould s to g ere they w h w 1 8 m o n th s ie it v be more fun acti engage in ills and to k s fe li t n demic orta e new aca th learn imp g in rt ta s about confident year.

Summer S c h o o l, w e have ha le a r n in g d lo ts o f n e w th in g s a n d g e tt in fun , m a k in g g re a d y fo n e w f r ie n r next yea to C ra n fo ds, r. S o m e o rd a n d s o f u s a re n me have b have all e ew e e n h e re b njoyed the e fo re , b u t games, ac in physica w e ti v ities, and l, we’ve p challenges layed gam c r ic k e t a ; es like ru nd had c gby, footb o m p e ti ti o a rc h e ry, a all, n s in u lt nd dodgeb im a te f r is a ll . In c re o u r c o n f id bee, a ti v e , w e ’v ence and e im p ro v e c r e a ti v e s d is c u s s io n d k il ls th r o , a n d c ra ft ugh dram s - we ma w o rk , o ri g a , d e some am a m i, fr ie n d s h ip b ra c a z in g a rt have been e le ts , a n d m a n y h ig m o re ! T h e h li g h ts to least the d re Summer S elicious fr chool - n ee lunche many mom o t s - and there ents to shin have been e. I would winners fo like to con r being m gratulate o ost helpfu c o m m u n it ur l, improved y m in d e d confidenc , a n d o u ts there have e , ta n d in g c o n been prize tr ib u ti o n s includin s w it c h , a n g Fit-Bits d iP a d ! T , a Ninten h a n k s to a staff, cante d o ll th e te a c h e en workers rs , s u p p o rt , and stud possible! ents who made this all Ka th e r in e P e d e r s o n (S ummer Sc hool Lead 2021)

SUMMER SCHOOL

2021

A b ig th a n k y o u to a ll th e C ra who wer n fo rd s ta ff e in v o lv e d in th e d e d e li v e r y o s ig n a n d f th e s u m mer scho o th e r o rg o ls a n d th a n is a ti o n s e f o r p r o v id needed op in g m u c h portunitie s for the chil our comm dren from unity. We h a d a c ti v it ie s f o r 6 to 1 h e lp in g to 6 y e a r o ld m a k e it a s summer o learning. f fun and

A la n F r a ser (A s s is ta n t H e a d te a ch Commun it y P a r tn e e r - D ir e c to r o f r s h ip s )

ranford back at C e b to d nce le ilies a cha n a r e th r il m o d fa n d o n L a s ace g children r e a ti v e S p ge offerin e ll o C y it r again. Commun w togethe ro g to 1 0 d n a g fr o m 6 t, create in c g e n n n ra o c n to c h il d re d thanks o n s fr o m to date an ti r a a c e li y p r p a la u to a ll p 140 o l m e a ls ’s most po o L h Wit h o v e r S c s C n e e e r e f 1 has b to o ff e r ing. years, 202 e e n a b le b e v a faces smil h d y n e a th ll F fu to H A eping tummies ramme, ke ts to keep g n a ro p ip g ic rt in a e ch p b g and mu usual well in ir k e o o th c g t, in r rama, a y li tt le been runn g h p la y, d t everyda u u CSL have o o r b a th g ll e in k their ie s w b e e n th in ference to if e d v c o m m u n it a a h e k n a e r e c h il d ill help m , CSL are more. Th ake that w As always m . n m a e c th y e d n young u at th f those aro ’s amazing o changes th t rd a fo th n d ra n C eing a mums. some of own wellb Hounslow mploying e d y te b n l le a c ta lo fabulously keeping it as been andful of h a d mmunity h n a o c a s a e people it idors ble to reun in the corr a r g te in h e g b u r, la e more. to hear ugh yea gether onc “After a to so pleased to re g a e in v W ri . y t how jo ip th to s e e ju s an absolute ativity and friendsh le b a e r a we e cre milies and h ip th a t w s fa d l r a and to see a c h lo f o unity.” g ti m e s rks are to erful comm I t is d u r in and netwo d n ts o c w je a ro h p cal f suc cts valuable lo humbled to be part o being proje ly ll e ib d W e re c v ti in are se visit e of Crea mber. Plea ning a rang te n p e ru S k c in a b n to be d Childre CSL hope enagers an e T , s m u out more. for Local M slondon.org to find ace Creativesp

n) ces Londo o h e r ty a ti v e S p a e r Rachel D C r to ir e c (A r ti s ti c D

# REMOTE LEARNING

Remote Learning

at Cranford Community College September 2020 When students and teachers returned to school in September 2020 there was an enormous amount of enthusiasm for teaching and learning and excitement at being able to socialise and reconnect with friends and colleagues. It was also clear that the way teachers teach and the way students learn needed to be responsive to a range of situations that we were are likely to find ourselves in over the coming weeks, months and potentially years. We knew that teachers and students needed to be agile enough and competent enough to switch from one mode of teaching and learning to a different mode seamlessly. M i c r o s o f t Te a m s t r a i n i n g w a s delivered to teachers and students so that everyone was confident in delivering lessons remotely, attending l e s s o n s r e m o t e l y, c o m p l e t i n g classwork, homework, catch up work and handing it in remotely. Teachers were marking, giving feedback and monitoring student engagement. We were ready for whatever Coronavirus was going to throw at us. September 2020 to December 2020 proved to be a challenge but the training and confident use of Microsoft Teams ensured that students were able to learn from home if needed and teachers were able to teach from home. Teachers isolating were beamed into lessons and students isolating at home joined their classmates via a PC, laptop or tablet. It wasn’t at all unusual for a student in the classroom to be doing pair work with a student at home using Teams on an Ipad. At this time we also continued to ensure that everyone was connected at home and able to access Teams. To date we have loaned out to students 247 PCs 276 laptops, 64 internet dongles, and over 100 headsets and cameras. 60

REMOTE LEARNING

January 2021

The lock down in January 2021 tested the whole school community’s IT skills, adaptability and resilience. It also offered an opportunity for teachers to be extremely creative and use a range of teaching strategies and resources to ensure that lessons were engaging, interactive, curriculum focussed and enabled students to learn and make excellent progress. During the second lockdown Cranford continued to deliver a full curriculum and full-time provision, with ‘live’ teaching and learning predominantly through Microsoft Teams, with some use of Zoom. These live face to face lessons allowed students to interact with the teacher and other students, work in small groups and have learning opportunities as close as possible to learning in school. The provision extended to include homework and some extra-curricular clubs and activities. Remote education provision at Cranford continues to evolve and improve as teachers explore new technologies and software and incorporate innovative practices into their lessons.

March 2021 On the 8th March 2021 all students returned to school. Where students and teachers have been required to isolate they have continued learning and teaching from home. When this happens students still attend their timetabled lessons live using Teams which ensures that they are able to access the same curriculum as their peers. Teachers isolating at home are still beamed into classrooms to deliver their lessons which ensures as little disruption to learning as possible. The whole school community from parents and students to teaching and non-teaching staff should be applauded for their commitment to ensuring all students have access to a full and engaging curriculum whether they are in school or learning remotely at home. Blended learning, the combination of face to face learning, classroom based learning and on line learning will continue to be a feature of the curriculum at Cranford Community College. Rita Berndt (Head of School) 61

# BUSINESS

Business Department

Remote Teaching Dream Team

While

we were remote teaching from January to March 2021, the Business Department used this as an opportunity to reflect on our ability to provide accurate feedback to the A-Level Business students, that was also motivational and facilitated their development. To give the project a starting point, we conducted a focus group with our students to identify what they liked and disliked about our current approach to assessment. Based on the results, our students were satisfied with the consistency, transparency and accountability of assessments and feedback. However, students disliked it when they felt their work was compared to others, had limited guidance of when an assessment would happen and what would be covered. They also said that they wanted more informal assessment opportunities, and exemplar materials for post assessment reflection. The department also analysed the expected outcomes for this cohort in January and identified that zero students were exceeding their target grade, only four students were performing at their target grade, and on average students were performing three and half sublevels below their target. After completing this primary research, the department used secondary research to identify suitable theorists and current best practice to enhance their remote teaching provision. Key theorists and approaches identified were; Herzberg’s seven Principles of Motivation, Keeley’s guidance on formative feedback and Lemov’s approach to delivery. Following this research, the department implemented the following changes to our remote teaching provision; embedded high challenge/ low stake testing using applications such as Quizlet, Nearpod and Kahoot; removed names from tracking sheets and encouraged students to use appropriate nicknames during activities; produced a timetable for assessments; allowed students to have bespoke assessments based on their own areas for development; and contacted the examination board for additional exemplar materials as well as starting a bank of our own outstanding student work. To assess the impact of our intervention, we completed another focus group and analysed the latest data entry. The students now said they felt reduced pressure, a greater sense of ownership and autonomy, and really enjoyed the gamification of activities and revision. The data for the cohort showed that, four students were now exceeding their aspirational target grade, only one student was not performing at their aspirational target grade, and the average achievement level had increased by just under three sub levels. In summary, we believe our department, practice and students have thrived during lockdown. We appreciated the opportunity to combine our own research with the latest pedagogical theory, in order to transform our students’ virtual teaching experience. Moreover, we plan to keep progressing with our action research, so that the school can remain ‘beyond outstanding’, we lead from the cutting edge and continue to transform our community. 62

BUSINESS

BTEC Business – External Assessment Champions

January 2021 at the start of the second National Lockdown for schools, three of our students made the very brave, mature and amicable choice to attend school in order to complete their BTEC Business external assessments. As a school, we gave all our students the choice to sit these assessments based on their personal situation. If students decided to attend, they had to wear PPE and arrive early to complete a lateral flow test and temperature check, which no doubt added to the stress of the situation. Junaid Mussa and Jithwin Lalel Venkata sat a 2 hour examination for Unit 3 Personal and Business Finance. This unit required an understanding of why money is important and how managing your money can help prevent future financial difficulties. It was vital they understood the financial decisions you need to take throughout your life and how risk can affect you and your choices. The business finance aspects of the unit introduced them to accounting terminology, the purpose and importance of business accounts and the different sources of finance available to businesses. Nyat Btomlak sat a 3 hour controlled assessment for Unit 6 Principles of Management. This unit examined how businesses adapt their approaches to management, in response to challenges in their environment. It also covered the roles and responsibilities of management and the skill sets they require to work effectively in areas such as the management of people, financial, resource and quality management, and the management of change. This unit helps students to progress to employment, by considering a career working in supervision and management. The students received their results from the examination board in April, with all students achieving a Merit and Jithwin scoring the highest points with 26/ 32. Nyat’s outcome contributed to her being predicted a Distinction* and Distinction for her Diploma. Jithwin’s outcome has contributed to him being predicted a Distinction* for his Extended Certificate and Junaid’s result has led to him being predicted a Distinction* and Distinction for his Diploma. Gurpreet Patel (Head of Business Studies Department) 63

# SEND

SEND

Remote working

are incredibly proud of how well our SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) and vulnerable students adapted to the periods of remote learning. One of our main concerns during this period was that our SEND and vulnerable students would be at risk of falling behind due to problems accessing remote learning independently. Our main priority as a SEND team was to provide quality pastoral and academic support to young people to enable them to engage with their remote learning and continue to make progress. Whilst the majority of students accessed remote learning from home, there were a small number of students who engaged with their remote learning on school site. During the periods of remote learning, all students with SEND, students with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), those known to SEN and other vulnerable students, were allocated to a teaching assistant to provide both pastoral and academic support during this period. Teaching Assistants were available to offer pastoral support, ranging from: a friendly voice on the end of the phone or on TEAMs to promote well-being; wake up calls to ensure students were up and ready to join their lessons remotely, and ensuring that students had the right resources and equipment to work effectively at home. Teaching assistants also supported academic progress in lessons and were quickly able to share innovative strategies to effectively work with individual or groups of students on TEAMs to maximise progress. There were some excellent support channels in place on TEAMs where TAs were able to share differentiated materials and to provide one-to-one or small group support to ensure young people were able to access the curriculum whilst working remotely. Maintaining lines of communication between school, students and parents was essential in enabling us to provide quality support to our young people. Parental questionnaires were sent out and provided us with necessary information to ensure that we were dynamic in meeting the demands of remote learning and able to support and meet the needs of our young people. Staff and students adapted very quickly to remote learning. Students showed admirable resilience in how quickly they were able to adapt to this new way of working. Together, staff and students found innovative ways to ensure that Cranford was able to provide the best SEND provision possible during these difficult circumstances. 64

SEND

Curriculum:

AQA Unit Award Scheme This year, students at Cranford have been working towards achieving certificates through the AQA Unit Award Scheme. The Unit Award Scheme is a unique recording of students achievement rather that a qualification. Students have the opportunity to study a range of engaging units which can be tailored specifically to their personal needs. The scheme allows students to receive accreditation for their achievements across a broad range of units accessible to students regardless of ability. The Unit Award Scheme offers students the opportunity to have their efforts and achievements formally recognised with a certificate for each unit they successfully complete. The Unit Award Scheme has an ‘Achievement for All’ motto, the scheme encourages students to celebrate what they can do, rather than what they can’t and has been hugely successful this year. The Unit Award Scheme offers an important pathway in the development of our students’ social, emotional and mental well-being as well as focussing on some more practical, hands on components. Students this year have studied: Emotional Wellbeing, Awareness of Bullying, Building Healthy Relationships, Social Media and Staying Safe Online. All these units have had been central to the development of social and communication understanding as well as helping to prepare young people for adulthood. ‘This year students from years 9, 10 and 11 have taken part in the scheme. The students have really enjoyed working on the different units. The lessons are very interactive and often include independent research, making and presenting PowerPoints, creating posters/leaflets and group work – all necessary skills when working towards greater independence and preparing for adulthood in the wider community.’ (Mrs Tutt, Lead Teaching Assistant)

The Unit Award Scheme is a really nice way of talking and gathering others opinions. I really liked the Emotional Wellbeing and Awareness of Bullying units. During the lockdown we all made a PowerPoint about Bullying and presented it to the rest of the group over Teams, we all did well with this. My presentation techniques have improved and I felt confident and my voice was loud.

Avneet Sandhu 10U

In Unit Award Scheme we learn new things including presentation skills – where we made a PowerPoint and presented it to the rest of the group. I like Unit Award Scheme and have enjoyed doing it as it is interesting to learn new things. It feels like a free lesson as its fun, I learn things and contribute and discuss with everyone around me. Chester Aitken 10Y

My favourite unit was Awareness of Bullying because we learnt how you can be better and kind. In lockdown we did a presentation. We talk about how you can stay healthy. I like learning about real life things. Ryan Arnold 10T

We have only just started Unit Award Scheme this half term but I think I will enjoy it as I like presenting my ideas and developing better understanding of certain topics. Warda Abdillahi 9U

I really like doing the Unit Award Scheme programme because it gets me to learn about interesting topics such as Knife Crime and Awareness of Bullying. I really felt happy for myself because I have got two AQA certificates and by the end of Summer I will have three more. When I started doing this course it made me really happy because I like the group and Mrs Tutt really makes things interesting. Thank you for letting me do the course. Aminah Yousuf 8T

The students were all very happy to receive their first two AQA certificates in the post over the Summer half term break and I am sure will be just as happy to be awarded a further three certificates before the end of this year. The Unit Award Scheme motivates and encourages students to become independent learners as well as giving their self-esteem a boost when they see what they can achieve. Kerry Mulhair (Assistant Headteacher and SENDCo) 65

# SOCIAL SCIENCE

Fostering Strong Attitudes to Learning

ociology is the study of human social relationships and institutions. Sociology’s subject matter is diverse, ranging from crime to religion, from the family to the state, from the divisions of race and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture. Sociology offers a distinctive and enlightening way of seeing and understanding the social world in which we live and which shapes our lives. Sociology looks beyond normal, taken-for-granted views of reality, to provide deeper, more illuminating and challenging understandings of social life. Lockdown uncovered numerous challenges and barriers with online learning, but it also proved how effective it can be. With the Sociology department, it was extremely important to us that we fostered strong attitudes towards online learning and providing students with the resilience to overcome any potential challenges posed by online learning such as, for instance, remaining focused during online classes or maintaining sufficient motivation. We achieved this by incorporating various medias in our lessons such as quizzes through online learning platforms (Kahoot, Quizlet). We also used video chat on TEAMS rather than basic instant message when interacting with students as well as times using non-verbal communication such as emojis. Sarah Campbell (Head of Sociology Department)

- Social Sciences Student Well Being at the Forefront of Learning

Social Sciences we put a huge emphasis on student wellbeing. We sent all of our students wellbeing questionnaires to complete in order to give us a better idea of how our students were coping with their remote learning. It gave us an opportunity to identify areas for improvement in our online approach so that we could provide our students with outstanding teaching and learning opportunities remotely and also to be prepared to continue with this practice once we were all back in the classroom. Following on from the responses we got from the questionnaires, huge emphasis was placed on student mental wellbeing as well as academic wellbeing. Contact was made regularly with parents to inform them on progress students were making and ways in which they could support their online learning for Social Sciences subjects. As a department, we supported and taught each other how to use interactive platforms such as Nearpod, Quizlet, and Kahoot 66

so that we could embed these confidently into our lessons in order to make the lessons more engaging and challenging for our students. More focus was placed on completing exam questions under timed conditions and then sharing answers with each other so that students could gain an in depth understanding of ‘how to think like an examiner’. Students fed back that this was a huge help, allowing them to understand the requirements of Assessment Objectives more clearly and how these are applied to their answers. To assess impact, we challenged students with timed exam questions. We got them to peer assess answers as well as critically evaluate and reflect upon the way in which they worded their own answers in order to gain maximum marks. We found that students started to gain higher marks and a deeper understanding of how to answer questions. Lockdown itself helped our students to gain a more in depth understanding of how our subjects work

SOCIAL SCIENCE

“Ripper Street Tour”

supports Psychology Students in the ‘real world’. In Psychology, students got to explore how psychological concepts apply to mental wellbeing especially during times where aspects of our lives may be more out of our own control as they were during the lockdown. In Sociology, students got to experience first-hand how social policies shape our lives and gain a more critical understanding of how these social polices impact on their lives as students. Our CPLD and T level students had to stop their work placements for the duration of the lockdown but continued to apply knowledge and understanding of work expectations through observation videos and simulated activities that would be required of them as Early Years Professionals. The effort and enthusiasm of the students during these activities exhibited their professional attitude toward learning and understanding the need to care for children especially during such uncertain times.

Just before the first lockdown in March 2020, the Psychology Department and year 13 students were lucky enough to take in a trip to London for The Jack the Ripper Tour. The tour, undertaken in the darkness of a cold winter evening, set the scene for what was to be a very interesting experience for all of us. Students got the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the topic ‘Aggression’ which we study in year 13 and how it may have played a part during the murders. We journeyed back into time and followed in the footsteps of Jack the Ripper to gain a deeper understanding of his gruesome crimes in order to try and discover who he was and try to delve deeper into the mind of the infamous serial killer. The students loved the tour and fed back how it solidified their understanding of the topics we study in Year 13 for Psychology and how the tour exceeded their expectations.

Barinder Dosanjh (Head of Psychology and Social Sciences)

Barinder Dosanjh (Head of Psychology and Social Science)

# HISTORY History Curriculum

History

is a part of our fabric as a society – the past is all around us, embedded in every nook and cranny of our local area and is deeply rooted in our cultural backgrounds and experiences. For this reason, the History department’s curriculum at Cranford Community College is not only full of depth and variety, but it is also all encompassing. Our students are taught to explore their local History and consider how it was impacted by global events such as World War I. They are also equally taught to question the exchange in power between individuals who governed the state and the people who worked the land. With all of its beauty and variety, History is something to be experienced and not just read. This became even more evident to the History Department when remote teaching and learning as a result of the pandemic lockdowns. We very quickly adapted our curriculum to ensure that students were able to experience History and still gain the benefits of a broad curriculum through the use of documentary clips and videos, engaging with recorded eye witness accounts and testimonies of the Holocaust. Our students were also directed to involve their family in their learning by enquiring about their migration stories and experiences of living in the local area during the British Civil Rights movement. Where students were exploring life in Tudor England, they were given a Tudor biscuit recipe to try! The results were interesting to say the least! Our KS4 students in year 9 and 11 were exposed to current medical developments and asked to produce time capsule pieces of their own – they all were, of course, living through a historical event itself. Despite these adaptations, the department endeavoured to ensure that students developed their historical skills – critiquing source materials, understanding how to write historical narratives as well as apply second order historical concepts such as significance. Whilst we adapted our curriculum activities to become more explorative for students, we wanted to retain the feel of historical narratives and studentteacher engagement. Therefore, the History Department was very quick to try out new remote teaching and learning apps and platforms – two of which was Kahoot and Nearpod. The quiz activities here were thoroughly enjoyable and a clear indicator of how competitive our students really are! To be able to track our students’ work, the History Department also implemented the use of OneNote – an online notebook linked to MS Teams. This was a fantastic live way of monitoring student work and providing feedback in real time, almost replicating entirely for staff and students the experience of being in a real classroom. Our students at Cranford Community College have experienced History in its purest form by living through global events that we often only read about in textbooks. They have been fantastic at adapting to the changes that have taken place and out of it all, they have learnt so much which will only serve them well in their future endeavours. Sahrish Shaikh (Head of History Department) 68

HISTORY

Year 7 - Tudor Biscuits In an attempt to learn what life was like in Tudor England, year 7 students in History were encouraged to have a go at baking some biscuits using a traditional Tudor recipe. Ms Shaikh had a go at baking them along with her year 7 class and suffice to say, they all very soon realised that Tudor biscuits are not suited to 21st century taste buds. However, the results for students such as Divya Sareen and Lina El Jamiy in 7W were far better than the results for Miss Shaikh. It was a fantastic way to engage with History through remote teaching and learning during the lockdown of Summer 2020. Check out some of the photos of their Tudor home-baking. The recipe is here for you to have a go at baking too if you like! Sahrish Shaikh (Head of History Department)

Year 8

100 Great Black Britons

the summer term of 2020, Year 8 students explored the development of Civil Rights for minority groups in Britain, post-1945. Part of this unit was a national competition: ‘100 Great Black Britons.’ Students were asked to complete a mini research project on their selected individual from the list (nationally compiled: https://100greatblackbritons.com/list.html) and present their ideas in any form they wished, celebrating the life and achievements of their chosen individual. Here are some of their examples – many very thoughtful and celebratory pieces! Their sentiments couldn’t be more relevant to society now, more than ever before. Well done year 8! Sahrish Shaikh (Head of History Department) 69

# HISTORY

The Holocaust Explained: Freddie’s interview

reddie’s story makes me feel really upset and sad as from a young age, Freddie was faced with antiSemitism; he was beaten up and described as a “dirty Jew” when he was in primary school. This shows that from a very young age, many Jews had to face rude and offensive comments which could have affected them mentally. He also mentioned that under Nazi occupation, life for Jews were very hard. Shops owned by Jews had signs outside them saying, “Do not buy from Jews,” written by the Nazis. When Freddie reached Auschwitz, he said that he saw, “officers with whips and dogs on a lead.” Via a speaker, they announced that, “young men shall walk to the concentration camp, but the elderly, women and children will be taken to them concentration camp via trucks and cars.” They also mentioned, “not to worry as all will be reunited.” Freddie mentioned that when they reached the camp, they were given numbers and they were now only going to be called by the number and not their name. This makes me feel very downhearted as their basic human right of being called by their name was taken away. Additionally, in the concentration camp, they had to do very hard labour. An example of this is carrying a 25kg bag from one place to another and they were not allowed to walk but had to run. This makes me sympathise with all the Jews and others who were in the concentration camp as they had no choice but to do the hard work. I feel really upset as they already were separated from their family and friends but now also had to do hard work while being alone without any of their loved ones. Also, after hearing Freddie’s story it makes me want to raise more awareness about the Holocaust and educate the people around me about what genocide is in order to prevent history repeating itself. Divya Sareen (year 8)

Year 11

National Army Museum

Online Workshop 70

The

COVID 19 pandemic meant that the History Department’s planned trip to the National Army Museum in Summer 2020 could not go ahead. However, we managed to find a solution to this problem. The NAM was absolutely amazing in offering to run an online workshop for us in December 2020 for our year 11 students. This workshop could not have come at a better time – right before year 11 were due to complete their mock exams for History. The workshop was based around the British Sector of the Western Front 1914 – 1918 and addressed the treatment of wounds and illnesses experienced by soldiers at the Western Front. The workshop was interactive and students were able to learn from the museum experts what life really was like in the trenches and how medical advancements were made. Sahrish Shaikh (Head of History Department)

Year 11

COVID

History Curriculum Summer term 2020

HISTORY

To Future Self

Being in quarantine feels normal. I still have the same schedule however it feels a little weird as even summer holidays are not this long. The impact coronavirus has had on my education is that my GCSEs are cancelled, and I no longer go to school. School is done online, it’s weird but I’m also happy about it as I won’t have to wake up early until September (hopefully!). I recently heard that Slovenia is the first European country to completely wipe out coronavirus – some hope that it is possible. Countries such as USA are bad, they have over 1 million cases. If you do read this in a couple of years, remember to appreciate and be grateful to the little things in life. Sometimes humanity forgets to be so appreciative to be able to go to things such as restaurants or parties and I think it is important that we just be grateful about it. Kareena May 21st 2020

we had to narrow down why History is important to one simple statement, it would be foolish for that statement not to be: ‘Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it’ (George Santayana). The world experiencing a pandemic in the year 2020 and living life in lockdown was a perfect example of History repeating itself and so, it was the ideal opportunity to encourage our year 11 students to become true historians. As part of our end of year 11 History curriculum, the History department created a Pandemic Project in which students were asked to reflect on their knowledge of plagues and pandemics from their study of Medicine Through Time, c.1250 to the present day. Here, they explored the trends and patterns of the Black Death 1348, the Great Plague 1666 and the Spanish Flu 1918, as well as how the world responded to these. As part of this project, students were encouraged to engage with a number of source based activities – the creation of materials that one day, will become historical sources documenting their experience of the COVID-19 Pandemic. One such activity was a ‘time capsule’ activity where students were asked to document their experiences of the Pandemic in the form of a letter to their future selves. Here are two examples which we thought were particularly poignant and indicative of how much we have all been impacted by the Pandemic and what our hopes are for the future.

23/05/20 Hi Iman. It’s you... Or me... It’s us! Only I am slightly younger (and probably dumber) than you. I just survived day 63 of the coronavirus lockdown and sadly haven’t really achieved anything. Despite having all this free time, I’ve failed to learn a new skill or discover a hobby or even manage to get my school work done before its deadline. The complete opposite to you, of course. I hope... Depending on when you see this letter again, you could be at university, married to some loser with eight kids together or you could be 70 years old and barely able to move - remember that 16 is the age when you first started experiencing back pain. You did this to yourself. Also, please don’t have eight kids. On another note, I thought I’d remind you of what you were doing during the famous COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 that swept across the globe and pretty much changed everyone’s life. It’s surreal. And not necessarily in a good way, though there were benefits for some people. Including you. I’ll explain how. 1. You spent more time with your family. Although there were a fair share of arguments, you still stayed up until the early hours of the morning with them having plenty of good fun together. 2. You had a super-long holiday off of school. This was needed after the weight of revision that was on your shoulders (which you didn’t even attempt to decrease by the way - something that I hope has changed by year 12). 3. You got to know people better! In particular, someone who I hope becomes the loser you could potentially be married to in ten years’ time. Again, please don’t have the eight kids. 4. The lockdown made you realise how many things you’d been taking for granted. I’ve always been content with sitting quietly in my room and not bothering to leave the house yet now I find myself craving fresh air and just wanting to go somewhere. Anywhere! Cranford is also something I miss: coming late to form almost everyday, laughing like a maniac with my friends and enjoying the canteen food. Oh the canteen food! Delicious. When I first heard that Friday the 20th of March would be the final day of year 11, I can’t say I was surprised. With the pandemic worsening it was bound to happen. Nonetheless, the reality of the situation is much bigger than we could’ve imagined; it’s all about finding a way to cope now. I hope that upon coming out of lockdown, life returns back to the way it was, with a few alterations. Perhaps 20 years from now we’ll be living in an advanced society, where people are more tolerant and kind, where we do more for those who are putting their life on the line for our protection, where we are considerate of what other people have had to go through in this time. I also hope that sometime soon the salons open so I can get my eyebrows done! See you in the future, From past you/me/us

Sahrish Shaikh (Head of History Department) 71

# FIRST STORY Summer

2020-2021

seemed very far away when we began our First Story sessions at Cranford Community College. We joined a Teams call in January 2021, in the middle of a deep lockdown, dealing with technological difficulties from a variety of different houses. In these dark afternoons, writing was perhaps a particularly useful escape and students travelled backwards and forwards in time as we wrote about spring and summer, remembering or anticipating the smell of barbecues or the sounds of bouncing basketballs or the feel of a bike ride in a park on a breezy day. Much had changed by our final session a couple of months later. Restrictions had eased enough so that students could return to school and I could appear in person instead of as a discombobulated head projected onto a whiteboard. The weather even co-operated so that one of our later sessions could take place outside in the school grounds. As well as the welcome move towards summer in tone and temperature, it was great to see how the students had developed as writers over the eight sessions, despite some of the challenges that the pandemic created. This anthology showcases some of the work that they were able to produce under difficult circumstances and is a great testament to their tenacity and commitment. The first section of this anthology, ‘Perspectives’, explores how this group of writers see the world and are seen by others. From powerful provocations about prejudiced gazes to more playful explorations about which creatures are appreciated, these pieces pose questions to the wider world and demonstrate the power of writing to engage with social justice. The second section, ‘Memories’, explores a range of different moments from the writers’ lives, from heroic climbs up hills to tense missions to detonate virtual bombs. Relationships are at the heart of this section, with pieces showing the intense intimacy that can define encounters with other people – from the joy of spending time with friends and family to the jagged feelings left after a break-up. Intense emotions also drive the final section, ‘Definitions’, which brings together some of the students’ explorations of ideas. Among the nouns that are under their magnifying glasses are ‘spring’ and ‘summer’, with a variety of details and feelings evoked by these seasons. Other pieces here build on exercises we did to imagine abstract nouns through concrete imagery, with some delightful Writing is often presented to young people as a form of escape. Many analogies emerging to showcase the of our young authors were glad to take it as just so and have produced writers’ imaginations. some wonderful and evocative works, pointing towards past meetings This collection wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of staff at First Story and Cranford Community College. We owe huge thanks to Emma Leahy, Jay Bhadricha, Charlotte Prendergast, and all the tremendously supportive and enthusiastic First Story team. Staff at Cranford College have also been supportive and flexible in this challenging year, and Aisling McConville and Robert Ind have been brilliant at ensuring the smooth continuation of the programme. As the lead teacher working on the programme, Conor Campbell has offered extraordinary levels of support, deftly navigating any technological and logistical hurdles and always being willing to share words of encouragement and his own writing with the students; we couldn’t have asked for a better teacher to guide us through this year.

and future hangouts (restrictions permitting!). As Darragh rightly points out in his introduction this year the opportunity to escape was more valuable than ever. But as you consider the perspectives presented in this volume, I hope you will also note how our students here at Cranford Community College have approached serious and personal topics, expressing themselves and their identities with a deftness and confidence many professional authors would envy. This volume as a whole speaks to the ethos of Cranford Community College: being optimistic and positive while also encouraging our students to engage with and explore the larger issues in the world around them. You will, I trust, find the pieces as interesting to read as they were to encourage.

The challenges of the ongoing pandemic have affected all of us, but thankfully they have not affected the brilliance and generosity of the staff at First Story. Emma Leahy has been fantastic in organizing all aspects of the volume’s administration, while the students could not have hoped for an author better suited to meeting the challenges of the pandemic than Darragh Martin. The energy he brought to the online meetings ensured the students pushed through the additional after-school screen time, and his diligence and thoroughness in his feedback has helped shape the students’ work into the compelling writing you will find in this volume. But Darragh and I could only encourage, and ultimately the work speaks primarily to the inspiration and talent of the students who took part. This book is their canvas – enjoy their work. Conor Campbell (First Story Lead)

FIRST STORY One of the pieces in the final section likens happiness to music on a rainy day and I hope that this collection can bring music of a different kind to what has been a rather rainy year so far. The summer activities mentioned in this book should become possible again and, hopefully, these adventures will also include more writing from this brilliant group.

Darragh Martin (Writer-in-Residence)

Pigeons Talk Back

Our Canvas

Hello there, young lad, It’s me, the Pigeon, the spectacular Bogeyman! Now listen, I promise I won’t be mad, And with the rest of my tragically short lifespan, I’d like to know why exactly You humans treat us like trash! You shun us, You poison us, You laugh when we’re in pain, You shoot us all the time, And don’t give us the time of day! Message to My Hair Now I’ve stopped to wonder, To think, reflect and ponder, The questions you ask are annoying. OUR CANVAS What exactly have we done Long strands of messiness make me To be bullied by everyone?! tired. We clean up all your gutters! Tangling feelings stress me out. CRANFORD COMMUNITY COLLEGE We clean up all your streets! Uncomfortable pigments of red We keep away the dirty rats! disappoint. And eat up all the bugs! Every day, knots twist me up. DARRAGH MARTIN Yet, for some unknown reason, Why make me feel uncomfortable? We’re hated, shunned and beaten. What happens next? All we wish for is to be loved… Do I cut you off? To be treated with kindness and Hamail Afzal (year 10) respect, like you do to the noble dove. Spring Snapshot Why must you humans always disgrace OUR CANVAS Those who differ from what you view Spring smells like fresh chicken as okay? and chips, CRANFORD Surely, this isn’t COLLEGE the way things should be, And the burning of barbecues. COMMUNITY A world of hatred and separation, Spring feels like a cool bath, Where DARRAGH man goesMARTIN against man, Or the uprising of a solar Pigeon goes against pigeon, system, A world of pain and segregation. After a cold supernova Surely, aren’t we both meant to be free? degraded our souls. So please, humans, In the park, young girls and Stop killing us for your twisted amusement! boys avoid each other like But wait, do not despair, criticism, For there is, of course, a silver lining. As a newlywed couple stare at a blue sky. All you have to do The beating of a basketball and the striking of nets, Is feed us, like the old men and ladies! Almost reminds me of a perfectly ordered orchestra. Then, there is a small chance, Prince and Michael Jackson play, we may forgive you. While parents reminisce about a ‘perfect’ 90s Made by the Pigeon Gang, childhood. keeping it real since 1983. Spring is just a favourable time. Featuring writing by:

Abdulrahim Awal•Arnav Mehta•Azhar Abdi Blue•Brian Basaj•Hamail Afzal Harshika Sarna•Iman Kabanda•Maria Ferreira Nancy Harkous•Nihal Kang•Prashin Kumar Samira Cali•Waa’il Ali•Zahra Sarwar

The First Story Group at Cranford Community College

Our Canvas is an anthology of new writing by the First Story students at Cranford Community College who took part in creative-writing workshops led by Writer-in-Residence Darragh Martin. First Story believes there is dignity and power in every person’s story, and here you’ll find young people expressing themselves in their own unique voices.

An Anthology by the First Story Group at

Edited by

‘First Story is a very exciting idea – writing can liberate and strengthen young people’s sense of themselves as almost nothing else can.’ PHILIP PULLMAN Author of His Dark Materials

Our Canvas

Cover design by First Story www.firststory.org.uk £10.00

Featuring writing by:

The First Story Group at Cranford Community College

An Anthology by the First Story Group at

Edited by

‘First Story is a very exciting idea – writing can liberate and strengthen young people’s sense of themselves as almost nothing else can.’ PHILIP PULLMAN Author of His Dark Materials Cover design by First Story www.firststory.org.uk £10.00

Waa’il Ali (year 10)

Abdulrahman Awal (year 10) 73

# FIRST STORY

Hands off my Hijab The blistering sun scorches my back as I scramble away, Scurrying to escape the hateful glares directed at me. Their judgemental eyes are fixated upon me, I don’t feel like I belong in my own community. Run, Nancy – they don’t want you here. They don’t like you and your identity. Run, Nancy – you don’t belong here. They don’t want you and your individuality. Fear and anxiety overwhelm me, I ponder: What have I done wrong? My frightened legs begin to flee, I wonder: What’s to hate about my hijab? In the day and age where modesty is to be feared, I question the world I live in. The world in which covering your body results in sneers Is a grotesque reality full of misery? Society’s expectations pressure me to veer From my faith and the beliefs which I hold dear. To be frowned upon and despised by peers Makes practicing my religion hard to bear. To conceal my hair and body empowers me, However, mankind paints a contrasting image Of oppression, restriction and captivity. But this is not what the religion of Islam preaches! Freedom and liberty are the sensations I feel when wearing my hijab: Freedom and liberty from the barbaric beast of body criticism, Freedom and liberty from the sadistic swine of sexualisation, Freedom and liberty from the pernicious predator of patriarchy. How can a civilisation be so corrupt? To transform a symbol of peace into one so malicious? The ignorant view the hijab in disgust – But how can something so innocuous be viewed as flagitious? I scurry until my legs can bear no more, The booming sun strangles my trembling skin, Familiar shrieks and howls of ‘terrorist’ roar, I cry – this is a war us Muslims will never win. Nancy Harkous (year 10)

Summer Memories I remember, The scorching sun trickling its rays across my body, The sounds of birds singing their cheerful melodies, Flowers which were painted all the colours of the rainbow, The still, glass lake decorated with lily pads and leaves from trees. I remember, I raced with Maria on the obstacle course, And felt afraid when we reached the top. The refreshing feeling of the orange flavoured ice-lolly, And the sweet tingles it brought to my taste buds with each bite. I remember, We climbed up the lush, green northern hills, The sun’s heat pulled me back and made it harder to climb, I almost slipped many times, But when we reached the top, the view was beautiful. I remember, The warm grass welcomed our picnic, We laid food on a brightly coloured blanket, And ate sweet strawberries and savoury burgers, Tangy juice exploded with flavour. I remember, The towering trees which brought us shade, Their lush arms made roofs over our heads, Emerald leaves danced in the wind, Some fluttered down onto the ground. I remember, The sun beginning to set, The journey back with the new memories we’d made, How tired I was after such a long day, And how excited I was to finally get some rest. That was in summer 2020 and now we’re in 2021, I can’t wait to get another summer away from school, So I can relax and have some fun, It might take a while, but it’ll be worth the wait, With the pandemic taking over the year, Hopefully, summer won’t come too late. Iman Kabanda (year 10)

FIRST STORY My Point of View

Featuring writing by: Adelaide Samgi•Aliza Abbas•Angel Aibuki Anjali Bhambra•Arwa Umar•Kimran Virk•Mahira Butt Manav Vivek•Maryam Moeen•Nadra Hassan Raisa Hassan•Syed Jaffery•Tara Rooprah•Zena Rehmamn

The First Story Group at Cranford Community College

Into the Linguistic Loophole is an anthology of new writing by the First Story students at Cranford Community College who took part in creative-writing workshops led by Writer-inResidence Ross Raisin. First Story believes there is dignity and power in every person’s story, and here you’ll find young people expressing themselves in their own unique voices.

Into the Linguistic Loophole

‘You’re craving attention by showing those shoulders, don’t you lie.’ When I just saw a shirtless boy walk by. Boys will be distracted by the shortness of my dress. But tell me, can’t they just stare at me less? ‘You’re overdressed, stop trying so hard.’ ‘You’re underdressed, now try harder.’ I’m hearing their voices, not taking it in. My patience has scraped thin. ‘You’re a woman, don’t you raise your voice.’ As if speaking my opinion can’t be my choice. I try to speak normally but I’m just not heard, I get pushed away and told it’s absurd. Put yourself in my shoes, Remember everything women go through, Having to deal with people like you. Please, just look from my point of view.

INTO THE LINGUISTIC LOOPHOLE An Anthology by the First Story Group at

CRANFORD COMMUNITY COLLEGE Edited by

Maria Ferreira (year 10)

ROSS RAISIN ‘First Story is an inspiring initiative. It’s a joyful project that deserves as much support as we can give it.’ ZADIE SMITH Author of White Teeth and Swing Time

Unravelling

Cover design by First Story www.firststory.org.uk £10.00

The trees have life again. Nature crawls out from the shadows. The blazing hot sun blesses us with its power. Baby foxes scurry out of their dens. Daisies sprout out of the ground. Busy bees buzz around the emerald grass. The sky covers us with its turquoise painting. The smell of barbecues comes from neighbours’ gardens. Hedgehogs unravel from their hibernation. Spring looks like merriment. Azhar Abdi (year 10)

First Story 2020 Open House: Delving into the Linguistic Loophole

Wednesday 4th November 2020, the First Story cohort 2020 were finally able to share their anthology readings at the First Story Open House in the Cranford Suite. This was a long awaited event, originally planned for July 2020 but through the challenges of the pandemic, like many other events it had to be rescheduled. But the wait was definitely worth it. The event was attended by students, parents and staff. Together we ventured into the Linguistic Loophole witnessing an array of diverse storytelling full of imagination, creativity and empowerment by their own authentic voices. Ross Raisin, resident author, reflected on the schools continuing support and encouragement for Cranford students to be part of this wonderful initiative. He spoke of how these writings reflected Cranford’s continuing inclusive approach, fostered by staff and the Executive Headteacher Kevin Prunty, since its first cohort. It was certainly an afternoon of inspiration, humour and imagination as together we delved into the Linguistic Loophole. Aisling McConville (First Story 2020) 75

# SPORTS / PE

Physical Education during Remote Learning

emote learning was a challenge that all staff had to adapt to. In PE we had to adapt and think outside of the box on how to keep students engaged in a practical subject now being completed via computer screens without creating any online unease. When adapting to remote learning it was a priority that the quality of PE education was not to be compromised, so we used this as an opportunity to try something new. Lessons were delivered with a theory and practical split. Students continued with the sport they would have been doing if it wasn’t for lockdown. Adaptations were made for them to be able to practise at home by using items such as using frying pans and sock balls. In this way we ensured that the curriculum was still followed. The second part of the lesson had a theory focus allowing the department to promote healthy active lifestyles with topics such as nutrition, psychology and sports and how the human body works during sport. In order to further promote physical activity to ensure student wellbeing was at the heart of our “lockdown’’ curriculum we ran weekly competitions with winners having medals posted out to them. I am very proud of my team as it was not an easy transition for such active teachers, but they displayed the right behaviour and attitudes which reflected on students in order for online PE lessons to be successful. Hamesh Rattu (Director of Sport and Community Wellbeing)

Divya Sareen (year 8)

Ravrahet Singh (year 9)

Abd El Rahmane Brik Chaouch (year 9)

Rianna Lukka (year 7)

PE in P.E.

in lockdown sounded to me like an old riddle. I was perplexed about the logistics behind it and the notion of P.E. in lockdown was amusing. Were we to do star jumps and burpees for the fifty minutes or dance along with our teachers on call? Well, the inevitable time came that we had P.E and I was thrown into a completely different side of Physical Education that I never really realised was a discipline. Diet was a key topic. Although intuitively intertwined with sports I never saw this as a topic to be covered. It wasn’t just the traditional pie-chart diet plate of veggies, cheese, meat and a sliver of sugary snacks and confectionary. Instead lessons delved into a lot of biology I was unaware of. I was introduced quite comfortably into buzzwords I had heard before, calories, macros, micros, and this established a foundation of knowledge. Alongside my own curiosity, which acted as a catalyst of sorts, this caused me to do further research and finally apply the learning to my life. Measuring what I eat helped me control my weight to my needs – whether it was to add on a little more lean-mass or to lean out after a binge weekend, having that knowledge of diet radically improved my training and mental health. Alongside watching my calorie intake and my macros, I was soundly retaught the importance of sleep and how essential sleep is to my training

Yunnus Sheikh (year 7)

SPORTS / PE

Lockdown

A student’s reflection

and to my everyday commute from my bed in the morning back to my bed at night. I gave myself a regular bedtime and a time to get up in the morning and though I do not have a one hundred percent track record of sticking to this, my quality of sleep has increased exponentially. The final aspect was an area of sports psychology that I was already aware of – ‘crash cutting’. This is the process of trying to lose as much weight as possible in the shortest amount of time. Whether it be through dehydration, starvation or sitting in saunas in a bin-bag, this lesson in P.E provided me a new angle on sport and the willingness some athletes have to resort to such measures.

Sunny Sports Day July 2021

This year we decided that after all the ups and down with COVID-19 and sports the students deserved a sports day. With restrictions still in place we had to keep it safe and maintain bubbles which meant a traditional whole school sports day was not possible but we adapted and moved forward. Forms in year 7, 8 and 9 selected athletes to take part in track and field events which they came out to participate in during lessons. This was followed by the year group coming together for the final races so everyone was able to cheer on friends to gold! The 3 days of sporting events, including events in track and field, were a great success in the sunshine, with students coming together enjoying healthy competition, socialising, having fun and supporting each other’s accomplishments. As with previous years, form groups in each year competed against each other and the results contributed to the overall result in key stage 3. The sports days wouldn’t have been possible without the fantastic help from the sixth form sports committee and I would like to give a special mention to; Sean, Tara, Karolina Mucko and Yaseen Khan who did an excellent job helping to organise and manage events on the day.

The lockdown lessons provided me with a fantastic perspective on how everything from sports psychology, diet, and sleep all impact upon physical and mental health. I attempted my hardest to heed what was taught and have now applied my knowledge to my daily routine. Coming back to the astro-pitches and kicking a football is enjoyable as always, but those lockdown lessons were arguably more fundamental to my involvement in sport than scoring any penalty I could dream of pulling off. Prem Pun (year 10)

# SPORTS / PE

Sunny Sports Day July 2021

Well done to all athletes, forms and teachers who were involved in 3 successful sports days. The results were at times really close. Key Stage 3 Winners Table: • Year 7 Winners 7T • Year 8 Winners 8X • Year Winners 9T • Overall Key Stage 3 winner T. There are so many stand out athletes from sports day. Special recognition goes to: • Tanvir Sahota 9W • Amani Salim 9W • Tyler James 9T • Ravrahet Singh 9V • Harith Sheikh 7Z • Anshveer Chugh Chawla 7X • Kirsten Woodward 9U • Radwaan Mohsin 8V • Renu Begum Da Fonseca Hossain 8U Hamesh Rattu (Director of Sport and Community Wellbeing)

“Year 8 loved it and the buzz created was lovely to see after a hard year. I have to say thank you too to the sixth formers involved. They really gave it their all and I was happy to see them engaging well with the younger students”. Milton Venancio Ferreira (Head of Year 8)

“A Huge thanks to the PE department and the 6th form students who supported them for a smoothly running afternoon which was really well planned and carried out. Well done”.

Mehmoona Yousaf (Senior Teacher – Pastoral)

SPORTS / PE

Competitions and Inter-forms in Sport

Competition should not be feared, it should drive us to learn at a faster rate and perform at a higher level. Competitions and inter-forms are put on by the PE department because we want to help students learn this, have fun and install resilience on how to win and lose gracefully. Lockdown did not stop us from doing so. We carried out many at home competitions which students had to enter online ranging from physical challenges such as the plank or how many steps you can do in one day. The final lockdown competition we had was an ‘Express Yourself’ challenge encouraging students to be creative and express what makes them happy which was run during children mental health week. Students created videos, wrote articles or sent images in as entries. In school we ran inter-forms in football, running, athletics and dodgeball. Winners received medals for their efforts. We hope to continue our extensive competition approach and will be using the new online format a lot more in September 2021. Rebecca Carter (PE Department)

Dodgeball Review Students in year 7 and year 8 took part in an interform dodgeball tournament after school. The students played within their form in an exciting round robin tournament. Due to COVID the tournament was played outside on our astro pitches. Throughout both tournaments, all students showed a great amount of passion, resilience and respect towards one another. After some fantastic performances from both students and teachers who took part, on the first day 8X came out as the winners and 7Z on the second day. Congratulations to both forms who are currently reigning champions for interform dodgeball at Cranford. Basheak Bussue (PE Department)

Express Myself I express myself by Express playing sports. I love to Myselft play many sports but I love one particular one and that is netball. Netball to me is my passion and I believe that I can express myself in many ways through it. Netball makes me happy and I believe I can be myself and become a better person. Netball helps me to take things off my mind and lets me be myself. It makes me become more confident and determined. Netball makes me feel resilient and I can really show my true colours by showing people what I love. Netball is in my comfort zone and makes me feel stronger and it tells me that I am ready to do anything I want but I just have to be resilient and I have to persevere. In year 6, I was in a netball team and that is where my passion for netball started. I started in an afterschool club then I slowly got into mini tournaments and then I was chosen to go to this big tournament. It showed that I need to be patient and it takes time to achieve your dreams and goals. Jagroop Layal (year 7)

# SPORTS / PE

One World Marathon

How Far Did We Go Together?

ollowing the success of One World Marathon 2019 where over 7000 people participated in 63 different countries we had big plans for 2020. Unfortunately, due to Covid we were not able to build on the success of 2019 but we did manage some events across the world including at Cranford. We held the event in October with students completing at least a mile while for the first time staff also contributed miles by either walking or running. Although One World Marathon is not meant to be competitive there were some great rivalries individually and by department. We are hoping that the 2021 event in autumn will be able to go ahead with very little restrictions. Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher Director of Community Partnerships)

SPORTS / PE

Staff Sports Friday

October 2020 105 staff took part in our One World Marathon event alongside all Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 students. A fantastic effort from all led to staff accumulating 138 miles, meaning we logged 5 full marathons as a staff team. As a partner of the One World Marathon, the students and staff at Cranford Community College have really promoted and encompassed the core values of the One World Marathon of collaboration, unity and working together in our efforts to complete miles. My aim this year was simply to beat last year’s total of 33 student marathons but also to use the event for staff to promote wellbeing, create new role models for students and a reminder that during these un-precedent times we can still have fun (social distancing & rules considered). This shows how much of a team we are at Cranford. The team and I appreciate that not all staff were 100% comfortable running or walking around the field but without sounding cheesy they have broken a barrier and potentially a barrier that was stopping many other students from getting involved in Physical Activity. They now have 99 other roles models in school to help promote the importance of physical activity and wellbeing. A truly outstanding effort from us all has led to a staff and pupil total of 1184 miles and 45 marathons – Simply Amazing! A BIG Thank You from all the Sport Team. Hamesh Rattu (Director of Sport and Community Wellbeing)

Staff

sports runs every Friday after school. The focus of Staff Sports is wellbeing and staying physically active while also socialising with teachers across departments promoting the community aspects of our school. A range of sports and activities is on offer so anyone can get involved including fitness, football, tennis and badminton. The Friday sports has made finishing busy weeks much more enjoyable allowing for a good mental break before heading into the weekend alongside some friendly rivalries as staff challenge others to games of short tennis and table tennis outside, badminton and Tennis. Below are some quotes from staff who have taken part on a regular basis: “I have really found the after school sports sessions played a huge role in helping me take better care of my physical health. I got advice on how to work out and how to improve my form during the exercise. It’s been really useful and I am very grateful to the team for helping us prioritise fitness”. “It was fun and a chance to engage with colleagues over something other than teaching”.

We hope to continue with more sports in September! Jescynda Savige (PE Department) 81

# PSHCE

PSHCE - Supporting Students during Lockdown and beyond

hat a strange time it has been for us all! Here in the PSHCE department we have spent our time ramping up our education on mental health to support the students during lockdown and coming up with some innovative projects and leisure time ideas to engage our students and help them to thrive. You might remember some of them featuring in our last publication. This year we have also enhanced our curriculum to focus on supporting students to become more critical thinkers, in both year 8 and year 9 we’ve added more content to our lessons on disinformation, misinformation, fake news and conspiracy theories. We want to help our students to develop their skills at spotting deliberate and dangerous information as well as helping them to identify trustworthy and reputable sources. We have also introduced new units to teach students about dangerous online behaviours and how to spot red flags in potentially unhealthy relationships. As always we provide an emphasis on where to get help and support with any matter they feel concerned about. Keeping our students safe and teaching them strategies to do that with has always been a priority. Students continue to report a high level of enjoyment of their PSHCE lessons, stating that they find it very helpful in their day to day lives. We believe that PSHCE plays a vital role in supporting students with their non-academic learning and the way in which they navigate and interact with the world beyond our school gates. Barbara Lodge (Head of PSHCE)

PSHCE

PSHCE Statistics

Internal Review from Students:

In a survey from last year (March 2020): • 75% of students rated their enjoyment of PSHCE lessons as 8 out of 10 or higher. • 85% of students said that PSHCE challenged their thinking and helped them to form opinions about a wide range of topics. • Over 85% of students reported feeling that they felt secure in knowing where to access help, advice and support if they need it. • Almost 100% (97%) of students said that they were encouraged to share their views and opinions. • Almost 100% (98%) of students agreed that what they have learnt in PSHCE could make a real difference to their life.

“For me PSCHE has changed my lifestyle in a good way its taught me how to manage anger which I needed and I enjoy every lesson”. year 7 student

“I think PSHCE education is important because we are learning about everyday life and how we should control our lifestyles”. year 8 student

“I think PSHCE is a good subject because every lesson you have a wide variety of things to do and every lesson we talk about the subject and it is fun to hear everyone’s views and to learn different ways of looking at things”. year 8 student

“PSHCE has really helped me to become more confident in sharing my opinions. I don’t worry about what other people think as much as I used to”. year 9 student

“PSHCE really helps you understand what goes on in society and helps stop you from making stupid decisions”. year 8 student

“The lesson topics help me become a better person”. year 7 student 83

# MIND, BODY & SOUL Mind, Body & Soul 2020-2021

Mind Body Soul

Learning a new skill or taking up a challenge can give you a sense of achievement and increased confidence. Being physically active is good for your overall physical fitness and also has a positive effect on your mental health. Choose something you like to do and share this with others. As shared interest helps build friendships and positive relationships.

MIND, BODY & SOUL

It is

always exciting to create the Mind, Body and Soul curriculum at the start of the academic year. The curriculum offer aims to provide students with a range of exciting opportunities that will develop a range of skills, broaden their knowledge and understanding and increase their cultural capital. The teachers at Cranford have an amazing array of passions, interests and hobbies and it is from our talented teachers that we get the inspiration for the Mind, Body and Soul curriculum. Debating, STEM activities, Shakespeare in Schools, Chess, Italian, Korean, Art and Craft and a range of sporting activities have been popular sessions for the last few years. This year we further expanded and enriched the offer with Yoga, Philosophy, Mandarin, Enterprise, Journalism, Boules, Music Technology, Situation Ethics and Wellbeing groups. In September the students made their choices and embarked on a voyage of discovery enthusiastically learning Mandarin, practising Yoga and contemplating philosophical questions. In January 2021 we were not deterred by the second lockdown and continued to deliver the same curriculum to the students through face to face lessons on Microsoft Teams. Sports activities became Joe Wicks style with the teachers leading practical sessions from school encouraging students to use household implements as a bat and rolled up socks as a ball. Teachers and students were very resourceful with the STEM sessions, and art and craft sessions using whatever was available in the home and raiding the recycling box. Students and teachers continue to enjoy the benefits of the Mind, Body and Soul programme whether we are in school or learning remotely. Rita Berndt (Head of School)

Year 7 A Plethora of Talent

Every year Cranford Community College welcomes a plethora of new talent through its doors and this Year 7 cohort has been no exception. To showcase their talent, our Year 7 form time programme included competitions and challenges including the Year 7 Microsoft Paint Competition and the Screen-Free Bingo Challenge. The talent, effort and attention to detail on display in the Paint competition amazed form tutors and classmates alike.

It is still hard to believe that our year group is now in year 8. It has been a year and a half that we will all remember for many years to come. We have had to adapt in ways that we never thought possible, get used to technology like never before and depend on one another not just as classmates but also as friends. At the start of the pandemic we were stripped of our regular pastoral routines. Form time, assemblies and regular tutee ‘check ins’ were all taken away from us. We suddenly found ourselves in the position of having to be very creative- and fast.

The Screen-Free Bingo Challenge encouraged students to get away from their computers during lockdown by pitting forms against one another to complete as many challenges as possible. Tutees challenged themselves to learn new skills such as photography, cooking, baking, and handicrafts to mention but a few. Participants showed hard graft too: helping with the housework and even getting out to wash the family car.

To substitute form times, form tutors called their tutees during the morning to check in with them and see if they needed support with anything. As time progressed this went from individual calls to group calls, to whole form class Microsoft Teams calls.

Year 7 students exhibited critical-thinking through form time discussions on wide-ranging themes such as social injustice, coronavirus, the dangers of social media and the climate emergency. At Cranford we strive to foster autonomy amongst our cohort and currently our very own Environmental Protection Agency has come into its own in this regard, taking responsibility for environmental awareness campaigns and fact-finding missions to inform their classmates.

I started to record my assemblies for tutors to show their form classes. This was often a labour intensive process of planning, recording and then editing. If you have ever had to listen to your voice playback from a recording, you will share my pain. Thankfully, I came across Loom, a software that supports people who need to record presentations but also want to have their face recorded so people can see them too. This helped break down the barriers that learning from home created.

Mindfulness has been a core focus of Year 7 and will continue as such in each year to come. Looking after ourselves begins with the mind. During form time, we facilitate student reflection and a moment of calm to begin the day at school. Students have engaged with activities such as mandala colouring and watching slow-TV, while being guided towards self-reflection and contemplation, invaluable life-skills. As we hope and pray for a much more “normal” school year, we know that whatever life throws at us, our current cohort of Year 7s has already shown the ability to turn challenges into opportunities for growth. John Lennon (Head of Year 7) 86

Year 8 Adapting to the Challenge

Suddenly, we saw a spark of ‘normality’ in our daily morning routines. Although this was great, I was still missing one of the highlights of my week: assemblies.

Recording assemblies was interesting and for a while, filled the gap but I wanted more. Once the year group were stable with their use of Microsoft Teams, I wanted to experiment with a whole year group LIVE assembly: 210 students and 9 members of staff, all online with participation. The first assembly filled with many unknowns, but Year 8 made me incredibly proud. They were there, on time, attentive and wanting to participate. I left that assembly beaming, proud of what a big group of young people had accomplished. There was a quote circulated that has stuck with me throughout: “There is a strength built in those who overcome adversity”. This year group is made of resilience, compassion, creativity and determination and I look forward seeing them through another year and see them grow in these traits. Milton Venancio Ferreira (Head of Year 8)

Year 9 Up for the Challenge

Year 10 Displaying Impressive Resilience

With the first national school closure and period of remote learning behind us, Year 9 returned to school in September ready to push on with all of the challenges that Year 9 brings. Whilst school was different with the new safety and procedural routines that Covid brought, such as lessons in tutor bases, wearing masks and increased sanitisation on the entry to school, Year 9 students quickly adapted and before long it was like we had never truly been away for so long.

The Year 10 cohort have shown such impressive resilience in the face of extreme adversity this year. They have made the safety advice implemented by the school seem like an easy to follow habit, which has helped keep us all safe. They have mastered the art of lateral flow testing very quickly and seamlessly and have incorporated this process into their tutor time routines. In most tutor groups, it was students who maturely oversaw the procedure and made sure that everything was done properly and hygienically and that the classrooms were left tidy for the next lesson.

The beginning of Year 9 also saw the start of GCSE learning in some subjects. Year 9 have proven themselves more than up to the challenge, leaving their class teachers extremely impressed with their resilience, determination and will to succeed, particularly throughout the second school closure, where remote learning returned with a vengeance to form another barrier for Year 9 students to successfully overcome. As national restrictions began to ease we saw many of the highlights of the year take place. Amani Salim made her national TV debut on Football Focus, showcasing her football skills as she had a kick around with retired professional footballer Marcus Bean; Matthew Akinmuleya and Rayan Ali displayed the wealth of musical talent at their disposal when they hosted their own music concert; and a larger group of Year 9 pupils represented Cranford with pride during an Amazon technology workshop. I have never been prouder of my year group and I have extremely high hopes for them as they move on into Year 10. Bradley King (Head of Year 9)

They also had their first GCSE style internal exam experience this year, for which they received glowing feedback from the exams coordinators. It was a great chance to become more familiar with the exam process so that it is not too overwhelming next year and although it was stressful at times, they all came out of it stronger and better prepared. Year 10 have worked with restrictions and found ways to keep connected and stay creative. I have received lots of videos on Teams of students playing musical instruments and I have also received lots of pictures of drawings that they have been doing. I had no idea just how original, imaginative and artistic some of the students in the year group are. In assemblies and form time Year 10 have tackled mental health issues, learned about Chinese philosophy, and competed in current affairs quizzes. They are an extremely passionate group and engage keenly in debates. Working with these brilliant young people has enriched my experience as a teacher at Cranford immeasurably. Matt Nation-Tellery (Head of Year 10) 87

# YEAR 11

Future Leaders Programme

February 2021, ten well motivated and excited year 11 students became part of the excellent KPMG girls Future Leaders programme. This is what they had to say about it:

Year 10 July Return Brings Happy Sunny Days for All

fter a very long time away from school and lots of Frog based learning we were all super excited to get back into school on Monday 6th July 2020 for two weeks of long awaited time with our teachers and friends. We were organised very safely in Covid secure tutor group bubbles, which we soon got used to and before long it was like we hadn’t been away. At the end of the two weeks we had had some great fun doing some really interesting activities and even more importantly been given the skills and knowledge we needed for all our subjects to make sure we were all back up to speed and ready to hit the ground running in September.

How to do a public speaking challenge virtually In the February 2020 we got the chance to do the Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge in school. Little were we all to know that this would be the last time we ever had a live event in school in our year group. I was lucky enough to win the challenge that day and was excitedly waiting for the final in March. Well we all know what happened next! Fast forward a few months and at last the Challenge Final came around! It was all very different on Zoom but I did my speech on Racial Stereotyping and my solutions to it. Although I didn’t win I got really good feedback and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. 88

Ahmed Mumin (year 11)

The programme was interactive and provided new and better understanding of the KPMG workplace in the form of activities set up to be easily accessible for the participants. In the short time we spent under their guidance, we learnt how the staff worked together in groups to complete complex projects. Mentors were assigned to help us decide what careers we are interested in and introduce us to further opportunities in the future. Marjaan Aman (year 11)

The work experience with KPMG not only gave us a new perspective of the work world but also guidance. We were assigned mentors who check in with us regularly and are always there for when we need them. They give us advice for our future careers, education and everything in general. The work experience was really interactive as we got the opportunity to speak to a variety of people in different departments and have a go at fun activities. Despite it being virtual, we still were able to obtain an understanding of how different departments work together to complete projects. Overall, the work experience was really great and I am grateful to have been a part of it. Arushi Varshney (year 11) Simon Watton (Assistant Headteacher Year 11)

In Loving Memory of Aaron Singh Matharu

YEAR 11

Year 11

End of Year Celebration

The

celebration events for Year 11 completing a very important milestone in their education lives was very different this year owing to the obvious restrictions due to Covid. The event kicked off with a virtual assembly, something that students were all too familiar with in lockdown and since returning to school in March. Mr Watton and Ms Bahra took everyone down memory lane reminding them of all the wonderful things the year group had achieved since Year 7 and how much they had all grown and developed as individuals. Ms Sidhu even managed to send a message to students expressing her sorrow at not being able to attend the celebration but reminded them that she would see them very soon. Each Tutor then said a few words about their tutor group and wished them well for their future endeavours, even though we know we’ll see them back in September as Year 12. Aaron Singh Matharu was paid tribute to through the virtual assembly and I know each and every student took a moment to remember him and his infectious personality, all the while wishing he could have been here with us all on this day to celebrate. The second part of the celebration was a little less formal where students and staff were able to say good bye, socially distanced of course and wearing masks, in person on the back field and sign shirts & folders. It was lovely to see so many staff that have taught Year 11 come along to say their good byes and congratulate students in managing to get through what has probably been the toughest year for them. Ms Prunty had kindly organised refreshments for the celebration which went down really well with staff and students, and coupled with the beautiful sunny weather it turned out to be a perfect celebration. Deepak Bahra (Head of Year 11) 89

# YEAR 11 11T what a phenomenal tutor group you have been, you have made me laugh and smile every day this year and I am missing you very much. Although I haven’t been lucky enough to be your tutor all the way through I have known you all for many years as your teacher and I am grateful I got to spend this last year with you. I hope you do incredibly well in the Summer, you have all worked so hard this year and coped well with all the uncertainty and disruption. I wish you every success in your GCSEs and for your future. Barbara Lodge (Tutor 11T)

11U have had a successful 5 years here at Cranford and have shown they have a positive and caring attitude, getting involved in a variety of activities. They organised and successfully ran a charity event, they donated and wrapped Christmas presents for children staying in hospital for an extended period and every year collected a large haul of items for the food bank. The year group competed in a variety of interform competitions showing great sportsmanship when 11U were given their podium positions every year. They have shown great resilience these last two years with COVID impacting their studies but they did not let this impact their academic successes and continued to work hard until the end of the year. The growth and maturity they have developed across the years has been a pleasure to see and this will serve them well in any milestones in the future. Seema Mehmi (Tutor 11U)

In the face of what can only be described as a tumultuous year, 11V have shown admirable maturity and perseverance. Every single morning has been full of optimism and it has been an absolute pleasure to be their form tutor even if only for a short while. During times of high pressure, looming exams and assessments, and the stresses of a never-ending pandemic, 11V never ceased to find reasons to smile and laugh, and to make me smile and laugh too. Our form room was a place of solace and comfort, where each individual and their unique, brilliant character contributed over the past five years to making 11V the brilliant form that it was. I have no doubt that their futures will be bright, and most of all that they will continue to mature into kind, conscientious individuals. Kulsoom Raza (Tutor 11V)

YEAR 11

I am so lucky to have been with such an awesome group for five years. It’s been an incredible journey from year 7 to 11 with our ups and downs but I’m hoping we had fun along the way too. I am so proud of each and every one of you and the progress you have made especially overcoming all the obstacles in lockdown. You have shown great determination and perseverance. As your form tutor I’ve always tried to be as honest, real and supportive to each of you and tried to have a positive impact on your lives by making registration meaningful and thoughtful. I hope you can take with you all my advice, quotes and most importantly my best wishes for your future. Gurpreet Patel (Tutor 11W)

It has been an absolute pleasure and privilege to be 11X’s form tutor and seeing them go from strength to strength. They have come a long way with their perseverance, hard work and commitment despite being in unusual times in the past year. They have made the most of every opportunity that came their way. I have to say how impressed I am seeing them to be such incredible young mature people and I am grateful to be a part of that journey with them. As now they are about to achieve an important milestone in life. I am confident that they will achieve the best grades in their GCSEs. To 11X - I would like to send my best wishes for your next academic endeavours. I look forward to seeing you in the Cranford Sixth form. You will always be part of the Cranford family. Ramanpreet Kaur (Tutor 11X)

It has been a rollercoaster 5 years, with many ups and a fair few downs in between, but we have all made it in one piece! I am so proud of you for showing true grit and determination to succeed in your GCSE year despite the once in a century challenges you have faced with the lockdowns! I could not be happier with the people who have made up our form and I hope that as a form tutor I have given you the advice and support you have needed and made your time at Cranford as enjoyable as possible. I wish you all the best in the next chapter of your lives and all the successes you deserve. Vinay Dhokia (Tutor 11Y)

I may have only been their form tutor since year 9 but they will always be memorable. The first 6 months of being their form tutor was challenging but I know that is because they were all learning to trust me. 11Z have always been honest and accepted challenges when they needed it and this has helped them become the amazing people they all are now. I am so happy with them as a form and I could not have asked for a better group of students. Jescynda Savige (Tutor 11Z)

# YEAR 13

Cranford Community College’s

Spectacular Year 13 Leavers Event

The year 13

Celebration event took place on the 28th May 2021 on a bright warm morning in the school’s beautiful memorial garden. This was to celebrate the end of a chapter in their school lives and wish them best for the next stage in either education, training or employment. The year 13 students arrived after their final form period and dressed up extremely well for the occasion. They arrived at their round tables, sat with their form tutor with a grand selection of pastries, sandwiches, cakes, fruit, soft drinks and also extremely delicious cupcakes made by our year 13 baking expert Sara Majothi. The celebration event kicked off with speeches from the Sixth Form Leadership Team to say how exceptionally proud they were of the year 13 students in regards to putting their education and future first despite the disruption that the pandemic has caused. This included having a positive and upbeat mindset and role modelling resilience to the rest of their school peers. The Sixth Form Leadership Team also spoke about how Cranford would be there for them even after their school life ends and continue to support and advise them should the year 13 students need it. The event in itself was organised by the Student Leadership Team. They worked tremendously hard with the Sixth Form Leadership team to ensure that the event was successful and memorable. During the celebration there were pastoral awards presented by the form tutors. Each form tutor said a few words about their tutor group to reiterate how amazing they have been during the year including sharing many funny anecdotes and moments. There were also department awards to recognise students that were beyond outstanding and showed exceptional effort during the year in each subject area. The student leadership team ended the event with their final speech. This inspiring speech described the academic journey that they have all been on and that there are more great things to come in the future. The end of the event gave time for form tutors, subject teachers and students to say their final farewells in school, take memorable photos, and finish eating the amazing spread of food that was on offer. Year 13 truly deserved to have the best event possible to celebrate their formal end to school and the Sixth Form Leadership Team were tremendously delighted to provide it. Good luck year 13! You have been an absolute pleasure to have in the sixth form and give the world all you have got. Chetan Shingadia and Sharandeep Saroya (Assistant Headteachers – Sixth Form) 92

Year 13 Celebration Event

YEAR 13

Message to Year 13 As we have come to the end of the celebration event, we would like to take a moment to think about the past two years. We’ve all spent a significant portion of our time at Cranford and there is probably a mixture of unprocessed emotions in this crowd. Some of you may be excited to start the next chapter of your life, whereas others may be finding it harder to say goodbye. But for us personally, there was far more fear in this final week than anticipated. The idea of leaving school probably seemed so easy and exciting all those months ago, but as the time approached, it became a lot more real and hard-hitting. The time spent at Cranford is unforgettable in many ways and we’re sure that you’ll be leaving with fond memories just like us. We would like to congratulate us all for reaching this major life milestone, as well as the teachers for helping us come so far. For now, the toughest times are behind us and we can begin to look forward to enjoying this summer and our lives ahead. No more Teams lessons, no more thinking about coursework, and no more gathering of evidence. This might be the freest you’ll be in a while, so make the most of it! Take this opportunity to pick up that hobby, get that job or be more active. From today, you will virtually be a blank page; the responsibilities you had as an A-Level student will no longer hold you back, and you will have the chance to re-evaluate and redefine your identities. I’ve learnt that being able to embrace your individuality is an important asset to have. I found that the common attribute between many successful people is the appreciation of their individuality and the ability to love themselves harder every time they develop further. You define your own success and you will set the standards for yourself that you know you’ll be proud of. You may have heard that after the age of 18, life goes downhill and that your school days will be the best time of your lives, but we hope you realise that life is what you make it. Look around you and appreciate the presence and support you’ve been given by your peers and teachers because it’s undeniable that you have been influenced by the environment around you, and hopefully you have made a positive impact on someone else too. But ultimately, you are the one who decides how to react to changes and take them in your stride. No matter what you decide to do, life will be hectic and things may seem overwhelming, so we want to remind you to reflect on yourselves from time to time. Check in with yourself to make sure you are content with what you are. Don’t think less of yourself, but think of yourself less. Ground yourself in the present moment and enjoy life as it happens because it will only happen once. And the same thing goes for this celebration event. So let’s take a moment to take this all in and simply enjoy it. Stay safe this summer and we wish you all the best in your future endeavours, and don’t forget to be kind to yourselves! Guy Boonyarakyotin & Anjali Bhambra (Head Boy and Head Girl 2020-2021) 93

# SIXTH FORM

a school this year we were particularly aware of the immense impact of the pandemic on our students physical and emotional wellbeing and we proactively implemented a range of supportive strategies to meet the needs of students in what was challenging circumstances. We committed to ensuring that all students were in daily contact with their form tutors and partaking in a daily routine with registration, thought for the week and assemblies in the morning but we were keen to gain a greater insight in to the individual impact on wellbeing and surveyed students across the entire school. In response to some of the key issues our students were facing I worked “The wellbeing workshops were delivered online, with our School Counsellor, Nisha Benning to put together exploring different topics to help students think about a programme of online workshops to support students in their mental health during lockdown and support four key areas. All workshops were recorded to ensure attending online lessons. The topics included: they were accessible to students who were unable to join understanding and managing anxiety, how to make sessions and also after the sessions so they could reflect on space for your wellbeing in a big household, routines the strategies shared by Ms Benning. We received really and creating a productive working environment, dealing with uncertainty, and managing emotions”. positive feedback from students and parents Sharandeep Saroya (Assistant Headteacher - Sixth Form)

Nisha Benning (School Counsellor)

Fund Raiser

This

year the Sixth Form Committees were determined to ensure that the pandemic would not stop them from raising money for Children in Need and that Covid Safe measures could be put in place to ensure that a range of activities could be organised to support the charity. The traditional bake sale wouldn’t be possible so the charities committee got creative and worked with Ms Prunty to produce ‘sweet treat goodie boxes’ which were sold in advance via the online school shop and then pre-packed for a collection only service. The beautifully packaged treat boxes went down a storm and meant that although we missed the masses of students gathering to take a peek at the array of cakes on offer, the committee were able to arrange a safe, well organised and well managed ‘covid friendly bake sale’. Teachers were delighted to find their goodie boxes delivered to their desks and students were pleased to find additional boxes had been prepared for those who suffered with ‘treat box envy’ having not pre-ordered. The STEM committee organised a series of three fun workshops for Year 7, 8 and 9 where students were able to participate in exciting experiments including Methane Bubbles, Screaming Jelly Beans and Van der Graff generator. The committee limited the number of 94

students in each workshop to ensure safety procedures could be followed so the lucky students that were able to take part were able to gain a really engaging and practical experience. The Sports Committee organised a football tournament for each year group which was so popular that many year groups sold out of places by the end of the day on which the signup sheet was released! Teams competed against each other with great spirit and the Sports Committee worked well to run the matches and create a positive atmosphere for the competitions. The Wellbeing, Arts and Culture Committee worked together to run a series of three Origami workshops for Year 7,8,9 in which some real talent was discovered and we found some Origami masters who ended up modelling techniques within the sessions. The workshops were so calming and inviting that even the supervising teachers got involved and learnt to create some mini Origami pieces. In total the committees were able to raise a tremendous £370.76 for Children in Need. Sharandeep Saroya (Assistant Headteacher - Sixth Form)

SIXTH FORM

Sixth Form

STEM Committee

This

year as Head Girl and as STEM committee leader, I led STEM club for Year 8s which took place in a Covid friendly manner. The aim was to increase socialising skills but also to allow students to gain communication skills. The first session consisted of students carrying out a crystallisation to make blue crystals, the aim of this session is to apply the chemistry in a familiar context. The second session consisted of students carrying out methane bubble experiment; the solution was prepared by the committee members due to safety issues. The third session involved students building and launching a water rocket. The last session consisted of students assisting dissections of the heart and a squid; the committee members were present at all times and looked after the students. This club was put together by STEM committee members and each and every one of them showed great leadership and communication skills. We hope to replicate this for other year groups in the future. Sharanjit Kaur (Head Girl 2021-2022 - STEM Committee)

# SIXTH FORM

Sixth Form Committees Summer Fair for Young Minds

Wednesday 14th July 2021 the Sixth Form Student Committees hosted a very popular Summer Fair on the concourse to raise money for the charity ‘Young Minds’. The various committees organised a range of stalls including; • Wellbeing and Arts and Culture Committee – Decorating Biscuits, Wish tree, Sweet Cones, Guess the Jelly Beans • Environment Committee – Tombola • Charities Committee – Popcorn, Ice Pops, Cakes, Samosas The concourse was buzzing with activity and brimming with smiles and the sound of joy as teachers could be seen standing back to take in the small glimmer of normality resuming at Cranford. The committees were proud to have raised £565.77 for a charity they feel passionately about. Sharandeep Saroya (Assistant Headteacher – Sixth Form)

SIXTH FORM The Summer Fair was a very educational experience for me. It boosted my confidence in leadership, and within my committee. I feel that it achieved my aim of getting students across all year groups involved and integrating as a Cranford Community. I was quite anxious about our ideas but as a committee we decided to run an activity in which students decorated leaves with wishes, and hung them on a tree. To my amazement this was quite popular, and the sixth formers helped immensely in promoting the stall which contributed to drawing in the younger years, as they wanted to be involved. Overall, this experience taught me to believe in myself more, and if you are able to speak, and get the right people on board with your ideas, the execution of them will be easy and enjoyable.

Ruqaya Qureshi (Deputy Head Girl - Arts and Culture Committee)

This term the Charities Committee w e re k e e n t o r u n a C r a n f o rd Summer Fair which took place on Wednesday 14th July 2021 to raise money for Young Minds, after what had been a very stressful and uncertain year for everyone during this ongoing pandemic. Each Committee had their own stall, making the market a success ranging from: tombola, decorating your own biscuits, cupcake and samosa stall (which sold out very quickly) and a popcorn and ice pop stall. Within minutes the Concourse was packed with excited students; it was very heart- warming to see the Cranford Community come together once again and enjoy the afternoon and was a great way to end the academic year. Gurshaan Ghattoray (Deputy Head Boy - Charities Committee)

It’s Coming Home… Maybe Euro 2020 was finally here and it wouldn’t have been football fever if we didn’t have our very own Cranford Euro’s tournament organised by Sean Udott and the sports committee for the 6th formers. Teams signed up and entered paying a small sign-up fee which was donated to the Young Minds charity as all committees looked to raise money towards one good cause. The tournament was a great success with a mix of students and staff enjoying themselves and socialising after school. The winners on the day were Belgium which was made up of Prabhjot Bharaj, Endri Basaj, Mark Lowis-Naya, Ali Firdous Sadiq, Jack Talla, Hanad Hassan and Taranjeet Bharaj all in Year 12. Well done boys. A special shout out to Karolina Mucko, Akshra Bhati and Arshnoor Gill for managing the tournament on the day. Great work! Sean Udott (Head of Sports Committee) 97

# ART

Art & Design

March 2020

saw the start of the first national lockdown for the students however the Art Department had already prepared for this. Art equipment packs had been ordered so that students were able to have resources at home and they could continue to do practical work whilst online at home during the first lockdown. In addition to this school staff delivered sketchbooks and some additional equipment that individual students had requested that assisted with personalised learning and ensured that students continued to produce creative and individualised work. The Art department were innovative and tried different delivery methods to see what worked well for students including using Google Docs to upload evidence of sketchbook pages and utilising Teams for lessons and sharing of ideas. There were structured learning activities for GCSE students which linked to the equipment they had been given and individualised written feedback helped them to further refine work. This worked in line with the curriculum plan as students were developing the skills they were being taught. A Level students were also able to continue working on their own portfolio project. This worked well, students were making very good progress and were also able to continue with creative exploration in their work. Students at this uncertain time were very engaged and receptive to online learning although they did miss having the time and space to work in the art room which they referred to as ‘home’. On return to school in September 2020, teaching Art to GCSE & A Level was challenging as social distancing rules in Autumn prevented sharing of resources and avoiding cross contact across bubbles. The curriculum plan was adapted to take into consideration health and safety however, 98

ART

GCSE & A level

this did not deter the students and they were keen and eager to learn and to be back in a conducive work space. Using a visualiser during lessons also helped to demonstrate techniques so that students could observe the technique and interact and ask immediate questions. During the second lockdown Nearpod was used online to involve students interactively. They then produced work that they regularly uploaded through assignments in Teams. Students were given verbal feedback on a one to one basis online, which was done whilst the rest of the group was working. This meant that students were able to listen in to advice that would also be applicable for them such as ideas for techniques, skills and processes. All students attended all lessons while online which is a great testament to their commitment and work ethic. On return to school students were able to continue with their work after review and feedback was given to refine their work. The students were extremely pleased when they were once again allowed to come back and work in the Art rooms making the most of the opportunity for practical independent learning. All students at Cranford have worked extremely well during these unprecedented times. Their dedication, commitment and perseverance have been outstanding! They continued working hard even though there were elements out of their control and have made us very proud. There has been some excellent creative work produced this year, students have explored, experimented and created some lovely personalised and meaningful work. Pam Hunt (Head of Art) 99

# DIGITAL & VISUAL

Digital & Visual: An Innovative and Creative Curriculum

igital and Visual is an innovative and creative curriculum. The effects of lockdown and the Covid pandemic has not hindered students’ ability to design or be creative. The pandemic meant that the teachers had to adapt the curriculum plan and they were still able to implement both Digital and Visual learning. The subject teaches students about designing on a Digital and Visual platform using iPads and PCs as well as traditional drawing techniques to focus their designs in response to an industry standard brief. The students work collaboratively within projects and develop skills in problem solving and critical thinking. The curriculum is planned to be skills based and industry focused to develop our students so that they are skilled for careers in the future. 2019 was the first year of the Digital and Visual curriculum and students began building up their skills following the exciting curriculum plan and then in March 2020 lockdown hit. The Digital and Visual staff were quite responsive to this by creating a bank of online lessons in line with the curriculum plan. Students were given a choice of digital or visual responses to the brief depending on the resources that they had available to them. As a result they were very creative. We were lucky that the students could continue with the creative curriculum on their return in the 100

summer. Teachers had to implement health and safety protocols and students were good at following the new guidelines. The curriculum plan again had to be amended slightly due to health and safety but remained innovative and interesting for the students. During the second lockdown, lessons were taught through Microsoft Teams using Nearpod. This is an app where presentations that are creative can be interactive and allow students to participate and contribute to class discussions. We also made small collaborative working groups within Microsoft Teams which was monitored through channels. All groups produced creative drawings which were submitted through assignments in Teams and were given feedback. Students worked on Teams remotely to learn about the main genres in films and conventions of film trailers. We watched film trailers for Disney’s’ Mulan and The Lion King and tried to identify the key conventions in each trailer. The 2nd half of the term we were back in school and students explored conventions of film poster which culminated in each student working on their own theatrical release film poster on the iPads (using Autodesk Sketchbook). For some students this was the first time they’d used iPads to create a poster in a digital format and created some really exciting posters using the iPads. Students have learnt a lot about industry and covered a range of different skills in the Digital and Visual curriculum even through the pandemic. They have learnt about careers, marketing, branding, creating a brand identity, film production, genres, conventions of a poster, presentation of ideas, story writing, storyboarding, games design, games mechanics, drawing features of characters, avatar creation, Coding, app design, poster illustration, photography, artist’s analysis, poster analysis, Augmented reality, collaborative working. Students have really enjoyed the creativity and relevance of the Digital and Visual Curriculum and the department would like to thank the students for their enthusiasm, continued efforts and excellent work this year! Pam Hunt (Head of Art)

DIGITAL & VISUAL

We get to use lots of technology which gives us the opportunity to portray art in real life. It was really fun to use the AR technology. Krish Sidher (year 9)

The best aspect in my opinion about Digital and Visual is how we learn new and exciting extra ordinary subjects- unlike normal school subjects. We experience new and interesting activities while learning using technology and iPads. Abdullah Faisal (year9)

I think a good aspect about Digital and Visual is that we learn about more options for the future and also we get more experience. Pranav Bhandare (year 9)

In Digital and Visual we designed a game and this was really fun and we got to use iPads. Richa D’Cruz (year 7)

The best thing in DV is using the iPad to help us work. Amal Mumin (year 7)

A good aspect is the creativitywe are allowed to produce work from our own ideas, which makes it more interesting and enjoyable. Teamwork is also a good thing. Jaskiran Bhullar (year 8)

The best thing about Digital and Visual is being able to use your imagination to make amazing things. Eve Aibulxi (year 8)

The good thing is that we can learn new things like coding and AR. So very good to learn these skills as it can help in the future. Mylene Fernandes (year 8) 101

# PERFORMING ARTS Performing Arts

A Year Like No Other

single light placed at the centre of a darkened stage denotes that theatres across the world are closed. A ‘Ghost Light’ as they are referred to is placed to remind the theatre ghosts of the past that they will be remembered and the stage will be full of light again. Not since the Second World War have theatres been closed on such a scale. But the Arts industry is not unused to these kinds of challenges. Throughout history they have had to live through closures, disease, war, Puritan outrage and now a pandemic. Each time the industry’s resilience and determination has resulted in a reinvention and a creative brilliance which has brought to many much needed joy and entertainment. At Cranford, we work with industry professionals who know what it is to reinvent themselves. Improvising and adapting is an integral part of the creative process; it is the nature of the subjects we teach. When the pandemic hit we had to move from a wholly practical learning experience, where “doing” and being with others, working in groups, having physical contact, playing instruments, singing and performing was no longer allowed, to an online remote learning experience, in isolation, with no instruments and limited interaction. The first lockdown was a real challenge finding new ways of engaging students by trying not to deliver a dry, uninspiring curriculum. Design elements and storytelling, poetry and lyric writing became the focus. Learning about the music industry and music genres. Testing knowledge through quizzes. It was a learning curve for everyone. When school returned in September 2020, the team were determined to get students back into learning practically. Students worked in bubbles and respected the boundaries. A new project emerged, Humans and Humanity, based around the experiences of the first lockdown and the pandemic. Each year group focused on one aspect and the work culminated in some kind of performance, depending on what was allowed. It was not long before confidence began to build and although limitations were in place, students need for creativity was on the road to recovery…. then the second lockdown happened. Undeterred the practitioners regrouped their ideas and adjusted their plans feeling better placed to build on the experiences of the past. By this time the Arts industry, primarily theatre, had created many more online resources allowing for greater opportunities 102

for creativity. It was still a challenge, a challenge which the team rose to by drawing upon their passion for the arts, their extensive knowledge and their determination. The Music department wanted the students to be able to still create their own music, to feel that music making was still at the heart of their learning. Band Lab proved to be invaluable in this purpose as was Nearpod. Both platforms providing real learning remotely. The Drama department also drew upon online platforms to engage the students in Drama and Theatre Craft. The National Theatre, the Old Vic, RSC, Chichester Festival Theatre etc, released a plethora of pre-filmed live performances free to schools to help bring live theatre to the students learning. Productions of “WarHorse”, “Medea” and “Wonderland” inspired students not just on performance elements but on learning about the technical side of theatre including set design, lighting and costume. School re-opened on 8th March 2021.Much had been achieved in building material for the Humans and Humanity’s project. Students worked on putting into action the written aspects and finding new ways of presenting ideas practically. Theatre Craft lessons had a two pronged approach using performances of “A Monster Calls” to inspire animation using digital software and practical activities building sets, experimenting with stage makeup, costume design and storytelling. In music they focussed on developing playing skills, for year 7 the first time of actually playing an instrument, before coming together in their bands. When Executive Headteacher Kevin Prunty introduced the Arts Practitioner vision for teaching drama and music, the fundamental idea was for it to be fun. The past 18 months has tested this vision, but as we come through the other side and things begin to return to some kind of normality, there is a sense of hope that the Ghost Light will soon disappear from stages across the world, including those at Cranford as we launch four new performance projects in 2021-2022. A Christmas concert and “BadTimes” Stories studio performance in December, Shakespeare in Schools Festival “The Tempest” in the Spring and an original school production to be developed across key stage 3 in July 2022. There are exciting times ahead with much to look forward in the next academic year. Jessica Joyce (Head of Performing Arts)

PERFORMING ARTS

Theatre Craft Post Lockdown

uring the summer term, with the threat of another lockdown receding, we were able to move some of our theatre craft studies offline. This gave the students a much needed break from computer screens, and a return to the more practical side of the subject. Working in pairs and small groups, the students formed production companies devising and designing their own original shows, inspired by some aspect of life during the pandemic, whether personal to them or drawing on wider world events during the last year. We followed the same creative process used by professional production companies and the students developed their ideas from the ground up, beginning with initial inspiration and research, through to the planning stages, before realising their ideas as detailed costume designs and set models. I was delighted by the level of engagement shown by the students and the care and thought they put into their work. It was also fascinating to witness the wide range of subject matter the students chose to draw upon as inspiration for their stories. Tom Daplyn (Performing Arts – Drama Department)

Year 7 - Set Designs

Anish Subramanian (7U) and Natanial Myszakowski (7U) built this scene of a road block for their piece about the farmer’s protests in northern India.

Ritika Vohra (7T) and Beyoncé Lobo (7T) created a double sided set model for their production about racism set in an American high school, inspired by stories of the BLM movement. 103

# PERFORMING ARTS

Humans & Humanity: Creative Responses to COVID

ey stage 3 students have been using their Drama and Theatre craft classes to reflect on and respond to their experiences of lockdown and world events over 2020/2021. Exploring a practical subject like drama through Teams was quite a challenge! Rather than developing performance skills such as voice work and physical theatre, during the spring term our drama students considered how different theatrical conventions can be used to enhance the audience experience, wrote their own original scripts and investigated the nonacting roles within the theatre industry. Students also enjoyed live recordings of theatre productions through the National Theatre Live at Home provision In Drama year 9 explored political theatre, using plays by Anna Deaver Smith and Katie Mitchel as inspiration before creating their own pieces of political theatre imagining what a post-pandemic world might look like. Year 8 focused on choral performance, studying the National Theatre’s production Medea and learning about the creative potential and uses of Greek chorus before writing pandemic inspired choral pieces. Meanwhile year seven focused on their non-verbal performance skills and were inspired by WonderLand to adapt existing stories with a modern twist, including mime and tableau to share stories based on their own experiences and to adapt existing stories to set them in the pandemic. Adapting an extremely practical subject that requires participation and teamwork seemed impossible at first. However, we quickly found that our young people had ideas to share and using a few easy resources we still managed to share and develop those ideas. Using sharable whiteboards on Microsoft Teams, Kahoot quizzes and interactive suggestion boxes on Nearpod students were able to make unique creative writing pieces and innovative designs. In Theatre craft students developed their visual skills. In year 7, students created fictional sketchbooks inspired by “War Horse” and learnt about the various off stage roles and careers within the theatre industry. Our year 8 students practised their photo-shopping skills by editing new ‘pop art’ realities whilst year 9 imagined what they would like their community’s future to look like and replicated it through animations made in adobe after effects. The work created ranged from humorous to thought provoking, satirical to deeply personal and we were blown away by the creativity and resilience demonstrated in Performing Arts lessons during this unique year. Laura Rae, Tom Daplyn and Daniel Ramsden (Performing Arts Drama Department)

104

PERFORMING ARTS

Inside These Four Walls

Time Always Getting Slower

Inside these four walls: a single daisy in a huge field, Inside these four walls: a lone raindrop in a storm, Inside these four walls: a fox separated from its pack, Inside these four walls: a duck away from the pond.

Every day, time’s always getting slower Is the clock even moving? Every time passes by It’s getting slower When was the last time I was surrounded by people? Time is always getting slower My brain slows down as the hands make a click Wondering when the next one will occur Am I crazy or has time slowed down? I’m on an endless loop Cycling Repeating Life will never be the same again I used to go shopping every week It’s been 6 months Having to wear a mask Keeping hand sanitiser and staying 2 meters away Family, friends have been separated Will normality come? Shops are closed Markets are down Businesses have run out Online is the new life Shopping, eating, watching and communicating Are all reliant on technology Shops are empty Soap and shampoo and tissues have run out Never thought this would happen It has been so long Feeling like 1000 years But now it’s finally coming to an end.

Inside these four walls: as open as a labyrinth, Inside these four walls: as calm as an airport in a blizzard, Inside these four walls: as empty as a five-star restaurant, Inside these four walls: as free as a prison. Inside these four walls: some were marching in protests for a change, Inside these four walls: some were voting in politics and elections, Inside these four walls: some were stopping bushfires, Inside these four walls: some were evacuated due to floods and landslides. Inside Inside Inside Inside

these these these these

four four four four

walls: walls: walls: walls:

longing longing longing longing

Inside Inside Inside Inside

these these these these

four four four four

walls: walls: walls: walls:

sick sick sick sick

of of of of

to to to to

dress up, touch, see faces, go out.

covered faces, constant sanitizing, two-meter signs, computer screens.

Inside these four walls: soon there will be a party, Inside these four walls: soon there will be hugs, Inside these four walls: soon there will be school corridors, Inside these four walls: soon there will be crowded places. Inside these four walls: not for much longer.

Aaron Mankoo, Aisha Ansari and Abid Akhan (year 8)

Jaskiran Bhuller (year 8) 105

# PERFORMING ARTS

Music

Curriculum Developments for Live Remote Learning

September 2020 we were delighted to receive the Music Mark Award for the second year running. This award recognises the high quality music education at Cranford. We have always been very proud of the range of music opportunities we have been able to provide students and we had plans to continue this even when the challenge of the pandemic interrupted our plans. During lockdown we were forced to re-invent our music syllabus to be able to run the lessons remotely and without instruments or music technology facilities. We split our lessons into two different foci: firstly; ‘interactive learning of music theory’ and secondly; ‘music technology’ using an online accessible platform.

Music Theory Although this can often be a dry topic to learn, we used the amazing features available on Nearpod, the online platform that allows teachers to run lessons in real time along with students. Students can interact with questions in various forms such as words, pictures and sounds. The lessons feature engaging videos and clear information on a range of topics. We ran lessons covering ‘Melody’ ‘Tempo’ ‘Dynamics’ ‘Rhythm’ and ‘Harmony’. These lessons proved very successful in engaging our classes during lockdown and helped to build our students knowledge and understanding of music terminology as well as grasping new skills through the various activities.

Music Technology We discovered the excellent online platform ‘Band Lab’. Students were all able to sign up and use the digital audio workstation via their P.C or device. As music teachers, we were able to set assignments and check students’ work in real time, as well as make changes and giving feedback. The website includes an amazing array of modern electronic music loops that the students had access to, including EDM, Hip Hop and Grime. We even managed to use it as part of our RSL lessons for key stage 4, as the website allows you to use your computer keyboard as a midi controller. This online platform was a game changer for us and the students as it made it more possible for real music making to continue and we saw some amazing creative work being produced across the year groups. It really empowered and engaged students and gave them a real sense of achievement and a feeling of being part of a live music lesson.

106

PERFORMING ARTS

Music Curriculum Developments Summer 2021 We recently chose to update our live music curriculum at Key stage 3 in order to help students develop their individual musicianship skills. After creating new resource sheets for each instrument, we looked at how we could change the music spaces and put them to better use. We have now created separate areas for each instrument group in the band – Drums, Keyboard, Bass, Guitar and Vocals. Students spend the first half of term practising alone using headphones, with MP3 players for backing tracks and newly created resource sheets. This takes place in the designated instrument areas. Our goal is to give more opportunity for students to get familiar with playing the instruments and focus on their musicianship skills in a non-distracting environment before working in their bands Drummers can now follow basic drum notation sheets, keyboard players are given sheets with triad chords, guitar and bass players learn using TAB chord sheets and vocalists have time to develop techniques such as correct breathing and voice projection. After half term the students move into their bands, and by this time are a lot more confident playing their instruments. The focus now becomes learning how to work in a group, how to keep in time together and how to develop an appropriate arrangement of their song ready to perform at the end of term. Luke Joyce and Rory O’Hare (Performing Arts – Music Department)

107

# PERFORMING ARTS

Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare in Schools Festival 2020

very year Cranford Community College has seized the opportunity to bring their fresh take on the classics of Shakespeare. From gritty portrayals of King Lear to the party town in the Merchant of Venice, the students and directors have reworked life into these productions.

Cranford’s keen drama group were excited to start on another Shakespeare production again this year but we were all faced with a challenge. With restrictions in place for people being close and performing to an audience we quickly realised we wouldn’t be able to perform our finished play to a live audience thanks to the ongoing pandemic. Not willing to let our performance go we looked at how we could still capture and share the hard work of the company. During lockdown many theatres had tapped the power of film and the Shakespeare in Schools Festival agreed this would be a great option and opportunity. Over the autumn term our outstanding company worked hard every Mind, Body and Soul session to build their vision. We boiled the story of Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ down and quickly realised that a farcical love story shared many of the same stories today about gossiping crushes. The students came up with great suggestions, transposing soldiers to the football team and rival groups to teachers and staff. Whilst not only constructing a great story and improvising the original dialogue, the group then had to take on the task of learning to shoot for film. Through a crash course of skills the crew learned all the basics of film making, turning into distinguished film directors and the actors refined their acting for the camera. Shakespeare in Schools Festival also worked round restrictions by providing a useful workshop from one of their directors over zoom. Even though we were many miles away the company director could still feel the energy and creativity of the students over the zoom call. We ended up having an exciting term of drama at a difficult time thanks to all the young people’s hard work and adaptability, alongside amazing support from Shakespeare in Schools Festival. Dan Ramsden (Performing Arts Drama Department – SSF Director) 108

PERFORMING ARTS

Students feedback: As part of the S h a k e s p e a re p ro j e c t I was a part of the B e a t r i c e g ro u p . We had to portray them as a group of mean girls within the school. My favourite part of the project was to be able to learn how to film at different angles. Another time I enjoyed was at the guest workshop. In the guest workshop we had to play many interactive games. Even though this was via zoom, it was an amazing experience. In this project, I think I overcame things such as public speaking and was more comfortable and confident in speaking and acting in front of everyone. Ashvika Jaitly (year 8)

Throughout the term of doing the Shakespeare play I had so much fun. I was the camera woman. I found it quite easy to get the hang of it and ended up falling in love with the concept. I still needed a bit of assistance here and there but for the most part I was quite independent and I liked having the freedom to use my imagination throughout the term. Alongside this, I also learnt many skills throughout and loved developing my skills more and more each lesson. The guest workshop was a little bit out of my comfort zone as I had never really acted in this kind of way, however I found it very useful. After the workshop I found it easier to do my job as the camera woman as I could assist the “actors” with what I thought looked nice based on the skills that the practitioner had taught us. Overall my experience was very positive and I enjoyed learning the new skills each week. The skills which I learnt will also help me in the future too. It was an amazing opportunity and would recommend to anyone who gets the chance to take it, it’s a lot of fun! Caitlin Pyatt (year 9)

I played the role of Don Pedro, Prince of Aragon. My favourite part was when we used to film separately. I developed the skill of improvising as we didn’t have a set script. I can use that now as in future auditions I can improvise without a script. My favourite part of the workshop was when we were thinking about what happens next in the play.

For this Project, year 8 and 9 students worked together to perform Much Ado About Nothing for the Shakespeare in Schools Festival. It was quite challenging to do so in the middle of a pandemic yet it still was an enjoyable project. My favourite part was working with my friends to plan and film different scenes in the show. I think I developed different skills revolving around acting and coming up with new ideas. The workshop was very enjoyable and helpful despite it being done virtually. My favourite part was working with my friends on each of the different scenes. Syed Hassan (year 9)

I took part in the Shakespeare School Festival; the whole experience was amazing and different. Our performance was based on one of Shakespeare’s famous plays: Much Ado About Nothing. As a part of this project, my teammates and I worked on acting out and filming a modern version of Benedict and his love for Beatrice. My favourite part of this project was when we used the hot seat and asked questions to really think about what our character’s motive in the play was. I learnt many skills from being there such as becoming more confident in myself and has been very helpful to me. The guest workshop was such a great time, even though our practitioner was teaching us online. My favourite part was when we played all the fun games and activities. Tashmin Kaur (year 8)

I really enjoyed this experience because it has taught me how to bring out my inner-self and my creativity. My role in this particular project was mainly being the camera woman. The reason why I really liked this job was because I filmed the people who were in my group and it was really fun. Being the camerawoman was awesome. My favourite part of the project was when we reviewed our videos and discussed them at the end of each lesson. The skill that I developed was not to be nervous easily because now I do not become shy whilst performing. My favourite part of the workshop was the zoom call with Louie Keen because he wanted us to unlock our creative mindset. I really liked it because we had fun challenges, scenarios, and little plays with our groups. But all together I really liked the Shakespeare Festival because it was so much fun and I learnt new things in drama. This is really a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am hoping to do this again in my life…….. ‘To Be, Or Not to Be? That Is the Question’. Warda Abdillahi (year 9)

Lakshay Mehra (year 8) 109

# SIXTH FORM

Sixth Form Prefect Team 2020-2021

The

prefect team at Cranford was set up in 2019 to give recognition to students in the sixth form who regularly volunteer to support at important school events from engagement evenings and transition events to performances and Open Evening. Not only did they support these events as ambassadors of the school, they took on a range of roles including welcoming students and parents at ‘sign in desks’, acting as car park attendants and tour guides. Their role was expanded as they took on a weekly break duty joining the staff duty teams to engage with students in the lower school, manage queues, supporting staff in reinforcing expectations and Cranford policies around the site. This year has been unique and much of what students once knew to be normal came to a halt as we adhered to a range of COVID safe measures. There was no more moving around the school from lesson to lesson as the year group bubbles were formed, each year group was given a designated entrance/exit to the school and their own eating space and time to maintain the bubbles during lunch breaks. All of this meant the prefects role this year had to be adapted so they could continue to work alongside staff and students without breaking bubbles and supporting staff in our enhanced COVID measures. The sixth form student leadership team led their five prefect teams in duties positioned outdoors where they helped sanitize hands, ensured students kept masks on within 2 meters of each other and keeping group sizes below six. Our prefects embraced all the changes and also took the opportunity to support student wellbeing by using their duty positions to actively engage in conversations with students across the school and even fed back to student committees on ideas for events and activities. Sharandeep Saroya (Assistant Headteacher - Sixth Form)

110

SIXTH FORM

Student Leadership Team 2020-2021 Farewell Despite being cut short, my experience as Head Girl has taught me many things such as thinking outside the box, managing and prioritising my time efficiently, and being a positive role model. I was fortunate enough to be working closely with the student leadership team, teachers and the Charities Committee members in order to collectively organise a ‘Children in Need Week’, whereby we sold prepackaged sweet treat boxes to raise money and awareness for Children in Need. In the period of remote learning, the student leadership team and I set up a page on FROG for students to participate in weekly challenges for each of the six committees. Creating such events and challenges became much more rewarding when I saw everyone at Cranford getting involved. The role of Head Girl has been a massive privilege, and I am thankful for the lifelong lessons that I am taking away. Anjali Bhambra (Head Girl 2020-2021)

Paradoxically, the past year has been both eventful yet serene as our lives were reduced to simplicity by lockdown after lockdown. My role in the leadership team also faced this duality; the work piled on as new responsibilities surfaced, but I also felt as if a lot of time was spent deciding that some things cannot go through in light of new safety precautions. Overall, the STEM committee put together a charity event for students to take part in science demonstrations outside of the curriculum, as well as providing activities and competitions throughout the year. A highlight of this year was definitely the moment I overheard a student tell their friend that our event was the ‘most fun thing they’ve done in a while’. It is difficult to not label the past year as a bad one, but moments like this go a long way in making it memorably fun. I’m not sure how long the current state of affairs will last, but I would greatly encourage any of the younger students to aim for this position. I was blessed with a good team of fellow students to work with and both the role and my ordinary student life was a lot more enjoyable because of it; you get to talk to people you wouldn’t normally get a chance to, both students and teachers alike. Harit (Guy) Boonyarakyotin (Head Boy 2020-2021) 111

# COMMUNITY One World Football

ranford is leading on the development of a new One World initiative. In the autumn we teamed up with three countries in Western Africa; Niger, Cameroon and Ghana, to run a pilot football tournament bringing people together from across the world. The rules are that you play two games in your own country with one team representing the home country and the other team representing another country. The games take place simultaneously in each country and then the scores are aggregated to see which team has won. The pilot proved a great success and there are plans to hold a bigger tournament in the autumn involving more local schools teaming them up with other countries around the world. Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher Director of Community Partnerships)

Football for Peace

Over

the past year Cranford Community College has worked with Football for Peace (FfP) on a number of food initiatives. Football for Peace is a global foundation co-founded by professional footballer Kashif Saddiqi with the aim of using the power of football to tackle many of the world’s problems. Sara Vite, a former Cranford student and a Special Envoy for FfP and got in touch with us about a new food initiative they were looking to run in December 2020. The Christmas food initiative saw Cranford and Heston West Big Local deliver 500 meals to our local community. A big thank you to the volunteers for helping to organise and deliver the food. In April 2021 we worked with FfP on another food initiative delivering food to families in the local community. The food was sourced by FfP from Wembley Stadium. It was frozen food which because of the pandemic would have just gone to waste but was rescued by FfP and distributed across the country. Volunteers from Cranford, Berkeley Academy and local football team Hounslow Wolves came together to deliver the food to the local community. The BBC heard about the story and asked if they could do a piece for their flagship football programme Football Focus. So we arranged for a camera crew to follow Kash and Marcus Bean, a former Brentford player as they made deliveries. We were delighted to be able to share this great community initiative across the county. Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher - Director of Community Partnerships) 112

COMMUNITY

Cranford Community College becomes a designated Vaccination Centre

ince the start of the pandemic, Cranford Community College has played an important role in supporting our community in difficult times. In March 2021 we were approached by Bhogal Pharmacy Hounslow about using Cranford as a vaccination centre. The school was very keen to support the vaccination role out and help our community be safe against Covid 19. Following an inspection and a long meeting with the pharmacy regulating board it was agreed that we would become a vaccine centre starting in April. Unfortunately due to the vaccine shortage at the time we did not finally open our doors until May. Since opening our centre has delivered to date over 20,000 jabs to members of the community, Cranford staff and Sixth Form students. Officially, the centre will be open until the end of September but we are waiting to find out if we will be involved in the Booster Jab rollout in the autumn. Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher - Director of Community Partnerships)

113

# COMMUNITY

Walking Football

It’s the beautiful game without the running! Since 2016 the Big Local have been running weekly Walking Football sessions aimed at all ages and abilities. The project, originally a brainchild from two former Cranford Community College students – (Kulbir Maras and Baljinder Padda), has since grown in strength and in numbers. The sessions are a great way for parents to come together with their children for a kick about and a chat. The sessions have proven to be hugely popular with local residents. Big Local board member and volunteer Layba Nisar, 17, said: “I love coming to Walking Football, it’s a great way to get some exercise and fresh air, but also get to know my local community. I have made so many friends attending these sessions and it’s really nice to see everyone play regardless of ability. I would encourage you to come along, you won’t regret it!” Sessions are fully inclusive and open to all in our community.

Big Local Christmas Hampers Surprise

few days before Christmas the Big Local in conjunction with Cranford Community College delivered festive hampers to 50 families in our local community. We focused on families and residents who previously received our Covid-19 essential food parcels during the first lockdown and a few volunteers. The Christmas hampers were kindly donated by Sapna Dhall and Mimi’s Coffee and Dessert Lounge in Hounslow. We also prepared our own hampers supported by chef and author Manju Malhi. Watch the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHA6vJCGdMU 114

After

Success at our Socially Distanced Community Clean Up Day!

COMMUNITY

nearly six months of lockdown, we finally got together to run our Big Local Socially Distanced Community Clean Up Day on Saturday 26th September 2020. In partnership with Hounslow Highways and Keep Britain Tidy campaign, we collected over 25 bags of rubbish. In total, we had 20 volunteers (including local MP Seema Malhotra), 4 groups of 5, staggered throughout the morning and afternoon. The Clean Up was an opportunity to trial our new Covid-19 secure measures to ensure the health and wellbeing and safety of our volunteers and the public. We would like to thank our brilliant and amazing volunteers for their incredible dedication and support and our partners Hounslow Highways, Keep Britain Tidy and Cranford Community College.

ranford Community College is proud to continue hosting the Big Local Youth Film Club for over 5 years alongside experienced filmmaker Blaise Singh. The sessions provide young people an opportunity to learn the art of filmmaking and an opportunity to get creative. Pre-pandemic we have worked on a number of exciting projects, including Hounslow Council’s Young People’s Voice documentary and anti-knife crime awareness films in partnership with the Mayor of London. Many of our young participants have since gone to university to study either film, drama or journalism and a few have already secured employment in the industry. The Youth Film Club equips young people with the skills required to get into the industry and nurtures local talent. Cranford student and film club participant Sanjay Suresh, 14, said: “Since coming to film club my confidence has grown, I have made new friends and learned new skills working with the camera and also acting. I love attending every Sunday and look forward to working with my team”.

Making a difference through film

If you would like to get involved or would like to learn more about what we offer, please go to our website: www.hestonwest.org Taz Virdee (Heston West Big Local – Project Manager)

115

# SIXTH FORM

Introducing

The Student Leadership Team 2021-2022 My role as Head Girl is to contribute to supporting the social, physical and mental health of Cranford students while also making sure that they are achieving academically. My manifesto was to encourage students to work with the local community in order to enable students to achieve a greater sense of community. I decided to this by increasing the number of youth-led activities and clubs to help students gain transferable skills and improve work ethic. My goal and ambition is to provide support and give every student an opportunity to leave an everlasting legacy in Cranford and to inspire others to get involved with the local community. Sharanjit Kaur (Head Girl - STEM Committee)

During this academic year I didn’t really plan on applying and becoming Head Boy however it became clear that not only would this benefit me, but I could help my peers and other students get the most out of their time here at Cranford. The application made me super nervous, making me go outside of my comfort zone doing things like videos and interviews; however, it built my foundation and boosted my confidence to where I can be comfortable in those kinds of environments. During the school year in my role as Head Boy as well as leader of the Environment Committee I have put together and helped plan a successful Summer Fair and other projects, involving other younger years. Through all of this and with the help of the other members on the student board, being Head Boy has been a big learning curve and has taught me things like leadership and how to persist during tough times. My main aims are to make school a place where students enjoy succeeding both academically and mentally no matter what. In the near future I also plan on making big events involving all years and other fun surprises to come. Mudathir Ahmed (Head Boy - Environment Committee)

The process of becoming Deputy Head Girl involved two main steps. These were the letter of application and the interview process. During the interview process I was asked questions such as how I would represent the student body or how I planned on leading a team of prefects. This was a lengthy process but I felt relieved and proud when I was chosen to be Deputy Head Girl and the leader of the Wellbeing committee. The Wellbeing committee believe that the wellbeing of each individual in the school is extremely important, especially after the pandemic. We aspire to host workshops and intervention sessions next year to embed effective wellbeing strategies into all year groups. One of our core aims for this year is to create a safe space for all students to go to. This space would be surrounded by positivity and people to talk to. We aim for this to be completed in the near future and have spent time carefully planning and finalising the details. Alisha Meaney (Deputy Head Girl - Wellbeing Committee) 116

SIXTH FORM

Sharanjit Kaur (Head Girl - STEM Committee)

Alisha Meaney (Deputy Head Girl Wellbeing Committee)

Mudathir Ahmed (Head Boy - Environment Committee)

Sean Udott (Deputy Head Boy – Sports Committee)

Ruqaya Quereshi (Deputy Head Girl - Arts and Culture Committee)

Gurshaan Ghattoray (Deputy Head Boy - Charities Committee)

Dua E Zehra (PSHCE Ambassador)

Being appointed as Deputy Head Boy is a position I look forward to fulfilling. Having studied at Cranford Community College since year 7, I have appreciated the support from the school and would like to contribute back, before completing my final year. I am also the chair of the Charities Committee and as a team our core aims are to involve the school community in supporting smaller local charities and to raise money for mental health charities. We are keen on bringing the school community together by delivering exciting opportunities for the students. To conclude my Cranford journey as Deputy Head Boy is a privilege and I look forward to the responsibilities that lie ahead. Gurshaan Ghattoray (Deputy Head Boy - Charities Committee)

As the head of the Arts and Culture Committee, my main aim is to bring together the students from Cranford, through creativity and diversity. I want to celebrate the arts at Cranford, as there are an amazing bunch of talented individuals amongst the students. I would like to set up workshops helping student’s wellbeing through art. I am currently planning on organising a cultural fashion show for next year to promote diversity at Cranford, and help students enjoy, and appreciate the diversity at Cranford. Overall, this role is enhancing my leadership, organisation, and team working skills, and helping me learn many new things. Ruqaya Quereshi (Deputy Head Girl - Arts and Culture Committee)

As Deputy Head Boy my aims for this year are to create a platform for sixth formers to have their opinions voiced. As Head of the Sports Committee my aims for this year are to increase female participation in sports and to make sports and active lifestyle integral to the routines of all Cranford students. As a committee we assisted the PE department with extra-curricular events running after school for KS3 and 4 and set up after school events for sixth formers allowing them to relieve stress from the usual school day. After expressed interest we started a girl’s only basketball club which runs on a Monday at break time which provides a safe space for female participation in sports. Also this year we had great success with a Euro themed football event for sixth formers and staff which raised money for the charity ‘Young Minds’. It has been a great experience thus far and with the support from the rest of the leadership team it’s exciting to see what we can achieve in the upcoming terms. Sean Udott (Deputy Head Boy – Sports Committee)

When I first stepped into my new role as a PSHCE ambassador at Cranford Community College, I knew that it would be challenging and balancing my A levels with this may be difficult. However, my passion for positive wellbeing amongst students eliminated any challenges that this role initially posed. My role as PSCHE ambassador involves delivering educational assemblies to students regarding topics such as mental health, wellbeing and student finance. Some of my core aims as PSHCE ambassador for the following academic year include: raising awareness of social issues such as gender discrimination and introducing self-defence classes for all students. Dua E Zehra (PSHCE Ambassador) 117

# CRANFORD ALUMNI

Magic Singh makes his West End debut

Thursday 22nd July 2021, I had the privilege of attending the West End debut performance of Cranford’s own ‘Magic Singh’ as he took to the stage alongside renowned magicians and illusionists in ‘Wonderville’ at the Palace Theatre in London’s West End. ‘Wonderville’ brings together some of the greatest illusionists live on stage in a breath-taking display of magic and illusion that will electrify, surprise and leave theatregoers in awe at what they are seeing. The electric excitement of returning to theatres after the pandemic was felt by the audience and performers alike but for me there was also an overwhelming sense of pride as I watched a fellow alumni Amardeep Singh Dhanjal accomplishing such a well-deserved achievement. As Magic Singh was introduced and took his place on stage with an air of sophistication and confidence in his stride, he emerged from the smoke as a true gentleman cloaked in green velvet wearing his turban with pride. I was transported back to a time 18 years ago when crowds of students gathered around Amardeep on the Cranford Concourse all gasping in amazement as they got a glimpse of the latest magic he had learnt with coke can in one hand, and a deck of cards in the other. He was always able to engage, mesmerize and astound audiences and this night was just as spectacular, as a young girl from the audience volunteered to take part in the act and made her way to the stage neither she nor the audience had any idea of the astonishing, nerve wracking magic she was about to be part of as Magic Singh’s performance got underway! I felt a real sense of pride seeing a fellow Cranfordonian achieving his ambition on a London Stage. Sharandeep Saroya (Assistant Headteacher)

118