CR June 2018

On7th March 2018, Cranford welcomed for the third time a delegation of 9 students and 3 members of staff from our partner school, Joto Senior High School in Okayama, Japan. A former member of Cranford’s staff, Mr Christopher Baxter, now lives and works in Japan and it was through his good offices that the link with Joto SHS, a designated Global High School in Japan, was established in 2016. Year 12 students from Cranford spent the day with their Japanese peers in an integration programme, which started with presentations by the Japanese on a range of subjects from recycling plastics to how small agricultural holdings survive in Japan and continued into solving riddles and a quiz on the UK and Japan. During their tour of the school, the Japanese were blown away by the Cranford SuperDome and were very envious of our fields and facilities.

These visits present a unique opportunity for students from both schools to experience first-hand exchanges with their counterparts. We look forward to continued opportunities for students to meet their peers from across the Globe and are preparing for the annual visit by Ocheon Senior High School from Pohang, South Korea in July 2018.

Philip Dobison (Consultant)

Alumni Event 2018

Having been worked on the idea for months, I was able to organise a careers event with a twist. I had been reflecting that at times careers events with representatives from organisations far and wide, who the students couldn’t necessarily relate to wasn’t the best for them. The rationale was it would be far more beneficial and motivational if we used our own amazing former students (who are involved in careers ranging from apache pilots, pharmacists to risk analysts in the City of London) as they would have been on very similar journeys. Some of them have remained in the local area, in roles such as teaching, others have gone further afield and are working in consultancy with global firms such as Deloitte. One thing they do have in common is the desire to give back and support the school that supported them, by sharing their expertise and the lessons gained from their experiences with the next generation. The event was an astounding success; it was so oversubscribed that we are already thinking about how to make the next one even bigger. There was a real buzz about the room with every former student making genuine connections with the Cranford students, who shuffled around the room in a cross between musical chairs and speed dating. The event was a roaring success, a reminder of the impact we have on the lives of young people and something that was most definitely worth the time and effort invested in it; something that we envisage will become bigger and better in future years.

The careers event was followed by an Alumni only reception. This was a wonderful opportunity for former students to catch up with each other as they mingled over refreshments, excitedly sharing stories with each other about their exploits and adventures since leaving school. There was perhaps even more excitement amongst staff to catch up with their former students, beaming with pride listening to all that they had accomplished. This was the embryonic start of what we hope will be a blossoming Cranford Community College Alumni. Given their enthusiasm for this event and their obvious commitment to supporting the school, we imagine the stunning individuals who gave up their Friday evening for this event will spread the word to help ensure that happens.

Mehmoona Yousaf (Senior Teacher)

“The Alumni conference was one of the most useful and most informative event I have attended. I had many conversations with the alumni (such as a pilot, an accountant, a lawyer, an army cadet and many more) and knowing that they pursued their careers in different fields through various pathways allowed me to get an insight into different industries after education”.

Armeen Junaid (year 13)

“The alumni conference was an event which gave me a broader insight into life after post-16 education. I was able to converse with a number of previous students who shared their experiences with us and shared advice on adapting to university life; being able to talk to these students was a motivating experience since they talked of their A Levels and the opportunities they had taken after leaving the school, having previously been in our position as A Level students”.

Carmen Gaur (year 13)

“The event taught me that life can take you in any direction, don’t see your plans as set in stone”.

Karamveer Tamna (year 10)

“The event was eye-opening for me especially, because I never thought there were that many people in different industries such as piloting and journalism who went to Cranford, and who are of the same background as me. It was also motivational because you learn and hear things that the teachers don’t necessarily say, so it gives you that moral boost needed to work hard and not give up, because they went through the same experiences and managed to get to their goals”.

Abdulhakim Mohamed (year 13)

“They showed me not to underestimate yourself – you can do whatever you want in life”.

Arsida Dukaj (year 10)

“The event was inspirational, as it taught us that you can achieve anything you want to if you try”.

Fatima Hussain (year 10)

“I learnt not to stop trying, as some of the Alumni didn’t have the most amazing grades at the start, but they didn’t let that stop them from achieving their dreams”.

Gursharen Pannu (year 10)

Faiza Ali, now working as Project Officer for the Anti-Tribalism Movement wrote: “It was so nice to be back at Cranford with old friends and to meet current students. I really enjoyed hearing from students about their experiences at school and their future aspirations. I’m looking forward to this being something Cranford hosts every year. This couldn’t have happened without the amazing teachers who put their time and effort in to it so thank you...”

Nila Deda, working as a Management Consultant for Deloitte commented “I was really impressed with the questions the students were asking, the levels of engagement we got and how they were using our experiences to plan for their own time at university. I was also impressed that year 10 students turned up! So amazing that you arranged the evening! This is why you are an amazing teacher! Because you care so much”.

Beat The Street Tour Bus

OnMonday 5th February 2018 we were fortunate to be visited by Glen Rowe, Managing Director of Back Stage Academy with a massive 18 metre tour bus. The purpose of the visit was to introduce year 9 students to careers in the music industry and to learn about what it is like to go on tour.

Glen Rowe, Tour Director for Muse and now Managing Director of Backstage Academy, gave students an insight into the world of live events production, life on the road and answered questions on his twenty-year career in the industry. Students then got the opportunity to spend time on the Beat the Street tour bus to get a glimpse of the touring lifestyle.

The students really enjoyed the experience and were very impressed by the tour bus. It certainly changed their views of the rock star life style.

going on the tour bus and seeing it all in person. I want a career in music and seeing it all up close has really inspired me and the rest of my band members. I’ve always wanted to go on tour and perform songs for people and now I’ve had a taste of what that could actually be like and I want to continue working with my band and hopefully at some point have our own mini tour. The people that came in to talk about what it’s like in the music industry have also helped as now I know what to expect for the future”.

Corben Smith (year 9)

“I really enjoyed that day, particularly walking into the tour bus. As an aspiring musician in a band this has been a wonderful, inspiring and educational lesson. It showed me how life is on tour and how it is not as bad as it seems, because I’m in a band, I want to go on tour and this shows how life is like on the road. Glen who worked with Muse, showed us how there is more to the music industry than just bands and producers. He really enlightened me on the subject and I really am pleased having learnt that”.

Zayia Berum (year 9)

Luke Joyce and Rory O’Hare (Creative Arts – Music)

Duke of Edinburgh Awards Evening 2018

Cranford Community College was well represented at the Borough Awards Evening for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards on Thursday

14th March 2018 at Heston school with over 40 students gaining their Bronze award and 6 students gaining their Silver. Students completed their volunteering, physical, skill and expedition to gain the awards for a sustained period of time. From cooking and computing to archery and athletics students gained skills and physical development. What was most impressive was the hours and hours students spent volunteering for others, this included working with the elderly, helping others in libraries across the borough or coaching others in sports. The students gained their expedition element this year on the North Downs and complete an overnight camping experience and extended walk being completely self-sufficient. Students who gained the award are amazing members of the school and local community show many skills throughout the programme. On the evening students were immaculate and represented the school exceptionally well.

Congratulations to all our award winners; Silver awards: Navneet Ghttora, Aditya Kumar, Sumit Mehra, Shahzain Nooruddin and Tajinder Gill.

Bronze awards: Aliza Abbas, Shaan Abbasi, Rameez Ahmed, Ilays Ali, Nimra Anjum, Manleen Arora, Nicole Atouguia, Bhanuya Balendran, Rheana Bhalsod, Anjali Bhambra, Jack Blandford, Harit Boonyarakyotin, Gurvir Brar, Laura Chicharo Freire, Manisha Dhamrait, Arsida Dukaj, Adam El Kosbi, Rajmit Ghttora, Jaineet Gulabzada, Aadam Hasnain, Syed Jaffery, Ajeet Kang, Yashveer Kang, Mashal Nejrabi, Adelaide Nunes - Samgi, Reeya Patankar, Elvis Pun, Aryan Raicar, Aeyman Saeed, Taran Saggu, Gurpreet Sahota, Manbir Sekhon, Danyal Shah, Mehir Singh, Rajvir Sran, Karamveer Tamna, Mithushala Thanabalasingam, Shabnam Uria, Kimran Virk, Dua-E Zehra.

Kevin Biggs (Assistant Headteacher – Duke of Edinburgh Lead)

The trip was amazing. It took us two hours on a Saturday to get to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, but it was worth it. The production was magnificent and it will definitely be helpful in my A level exam; trips like this one are beyond great when it comes to helping students in their exams and this production specifically was one of the best I have seen in theatre. The Duchess of Malfi is a thrill to watch, there are so many different interpretations of the play on YouTube ranging from controversial to outstanding, but being able to watch the play live is a whole other experience. Seeing the play come to live was phenomenal, it explored so many social issues that society has yet to overcome: patriarchy, sexism, classism, rape etc. Reading about these issues and linking them to how the audience would have felt in the 17th century and would feel today cannot compare to the ways in which we reacted whilst watching the play. Some of the scenes were horrific and shocking to watch, like Julia’s rape scene and the second half of the production in which blood is poured all over the stage from a decapitated bull and all the actors walk through it and drag each other around it like it’s not there – so gory but so intriguing. Every scene had a plot twist and I couldn’t help but lean forward on the edge of my chair surprised and delighted at the Maria Aberg’s directorial choices about which aspects of the play to keep in and which ones to take out. The fact that politics was only in the background of this play and wasn’t as prominent as it is in the original play made this one appear as a soap drama. It was so interesting and so helpful that I included it in my essay for Monday. We should most definitely encourage young people to go to the theatre and watch modern interpretations of old plays, because they truly do leave you with a message about our society today as well as society then.

Mary Stuart at the Duke of York’s Theatre

On Monday 5th February 2018, year 11 GCSE and year 12 drama A-level students went to see Mary Stuart at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London in support of their exam. Although we had researched the production we had not anticipated what we were about to see would be so different and so exciting, keeping us on the edge of our seats right until the end, even though we knew that Mary Stuart would be executed.

The coin, deciding each actress’s fate for the night, is spun right at the start. With the aid of two extra screens, we see the result: heads. Julia Stevenson is appointed queen, whilst Lia Williams prepares for her harsh imprisonment as Mary Stuart. From this moment on, the play becomes a constant cycle of uncertainty, deceit and betrayal.

Decisions made at the flip of a coin, accentuated melancholy through song and a divine timelessness created through scenes which lack words; those are the elements which left us in awe. Robert Icke’s innovative adaptation brought this iconic story in history to life engaging younger audience members like myself and making my understanding of what happened more accessible. Icke’s production strips away all the unnecessary elements that have been added onto the train of theatre travelling through time, with such simplicity that the story and the relationship between these two queens becomes central to the action.

His awareness of the “big problem… the industry’s going to have to address and sort out” regarding the lack of interest in theatre for younger audiences, is what gave his production a nuance of timelessness. It is because of directors like him, that theatre has not faded into a fond memory of the past, but rather embarked on a boat towards the future that will carry a younger audience forward with its magic and possibilities.

This production has opened my eyes to the possibility of theatre and how it can inform my practice as an A-level drama student, which is so exciting.

Cristiana Eftenoiu (year 12)

Spring 2018

Another fantastic term of Physical Education at Cranford. We’ve entered so many more competitions, increased participation of extra-curricular sport and provided other schools with a base to facilitate sport. The PE department have been working hard to ensure all students receive a great experience of sport and exercise. We have a number of year 8 girls leading the way with Brunel University and the Youth Sport Trust on the Girls’ Active Programme. Our school’s games organiser is developing the name of Cranford Sport in Hillingdon schools by leading sporting events across primary schools. We have also been facilitating sporting tournaments for behavioural schools across West London in the Cranford SuperDome. Our sports leaders continue on their Youth Sport Award course, whilst we also celebrate national individual sporting success. We are truly making every student have a positive experience of sport and PE at Cranford Community College.

Interform

Throughout the year students have been representing their form groups as part of Cranford’s Interform competition. There has been a fantastic turnout with students arriving before school to furiously compete in football, dodgeball and basketball. The enthusiasm and appetite for the competition have been huge and it’s been great to have form tutors come down to support their forms.

As the points currently stand W tops the table in year 7, T in year 8 and T in year 9. However, this could all change as the competition continues culminating with Sports Day at the end of the year. A special thanks goes out to the Youth Sports Leaders who volunteered a lot of their time to help out with running the competition.

Rob Notley (Director of Community Sport)

Winter Sport Update

Throughout the winter of 2018, Cranford Community College students were involved in a wide range of sports. The school has participated in football, netball, rugby, basketball, cricket, weight training, badminton, dance, dodgeball and trampolining. Both the female and male fixtures within these sports had a lot of success throughout their season. There was a range of football and netball tournaments where the girls’ teams won many games competing against other schools within the borough. Special students to mention are year 9 students, Karolina Mucko and Avneet Bagri, who joined Grasshoppers Netball Association. Some year 9 boys have also advanced their skills within athletics and have been training at the Osterley Athletics Centre since the start of this year. Cranford is very proud to offer such a diverse range of sports that students can either play at a recreational level or a competitive level. The PE department and students are looking forward to a strong summer ahead in the borough athletics, cricket and rounders season.

Diane Masters (PE Department)

Creative Arts Spring Term

During the spring term the creative arts team have been working with students in year 8 on the topic of health and well-being with a particular focus on mental health and healthy life styles. The chosen theme of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” has underpinned creative work in all arts areas with specific focus on the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party which will take place as part of the Cranbury Festival on Saturday 14th July 2018.

Students worked using the medium of clay to create various teapots, cups and saucers. A tea party is a social occasion where people can gather together and have a discussion. The clay work was made by year 8 students based on current social issues they feel strongly about. Some of the diverse issues explored include racism, inequality, privilege, gang culture and world conflict. In addition, students have made “Mad Hatter” hats. In the 19th century, hat makers were exposed to the mercury used in manufacturing and many were poisoned by it. Mercury poisoning causes neurological damage, including slurred speech, memory loss and tremors, which led to the phrase “mad as a hatter”. Lewis Carroll was familiar with the conditions at asylums and visited at least one. Besides staging theatre plays, dances and other amusements, such asylums also held tea-parties. Year 8 students have been exploring the symptoms associated with different forms of mental health and

Health and Well-being Project

have made hats reflecting these symptoms. This opened a discussion about the social stigma and discrimination faced by people who suffer from mental health issues. Additional large scale portraits of the characters and bunting will create a colourful background for the party.

In drama year 8 students focussed on mask making and physical theatre, using masks in performance whilst looking at how our face represents us and who we are on the outside but how maybe we hide behind the mask. In addition, they looked at food stories considering how what we eat can affect our health and wellbeing. In music the year 8 bands have created original songs on the theme of mental health as well as composing original soundscapes in music technology reflecting the theme and these will be performed on the live stage at the festival.

The issue of mental health is a difficult topic to cover. Using the creative arts as a means of talking and learning about this topic and how young people feel has made it more possible for them to share their stories, their concerns and their questions and made them more confident in dealing with the day to day issues surrounding this ever growing problem.

Jessica Joyce (Consultant – Creative Arts)

“Being able to visit the Speaker’s House in the Houses of Parliament was an amazing experience. I was able to talk with various individuals attending the 1st anniversary of ‘Hounslow’s Promise’ about their own endeavours and the benefits of such an initiative being implemented in schools. We heard great speeches from both John Bercow (Speaker of the House) and MP Seema Malhotra at the celebration event and met many influential people who were MPs, Lords and business leaders. The opportunity to give a speech in the company of these influential people was an unforgettable experience and I was able to give a personal example of how much this initiative has helped me through its mentoring scheme. It was a great evening which I’m glad I was able to be a part of”.

Carmen Gaur (year 13)

at the Palace of Westminster

To celebrate the end of the first cohort of mentor’s mentees and welcome the next cohort, Hounslow’s Promise organised a celebration networking event at the Speakers House at the Palace of Westminster on Thursday 22nd February 2018. The Speakers House is the official residence of the Speaker of the House and Hounslow’s Promise was delighted to be given permission to use it by the current holder of office the Rt Hon. John Bercow. The event was an opportunity for business leaders such as John Holland Kaye CEO Heathrow Airport and politicians such as John Bercow Speaker of the House, Seema Malhotra MP for Feltham and Heston and Tracy Brabin, MP for Batley and Spen, to mix and network with Cranford staff and students. Our students displayed some high level networking skills and made some great contacts both personally and on behalf of the school.

Speeches were made by John Bercow, Seema Malhotra and a mentor Amina Khayyam but the star of the show was undoubtable Carmen Gaur who made a stunning and inspiring speech about her year being mentored.

Alan Fraser (Assistant Headteacher – Director of Community Development)

Good evening, I am Carmen Gaur, a year 13 student at Cranford Community College.

I would like to start by saying that I am grateful, grateful to have been a part of the Community Mentoring programme created by Hounslow’s Promise. The opportunity that Hounslow’s Promise has given students within the community has been very beneficial for all; personally it has allowed me to develop a better version of myself. The decision to have mentors, who are normal people just like us, and who have volunteered their spare time for us is what makes this so special, because we have people involved who care and want to become mentors and offer guidance to help young people develop.

This initiative has allowed me to be paired with someone who is currently working in a field similar to the one I aspire to enter. She is a dancer whilst I aspire to go into writing. Although it may seem difficult to see the similarity between dancing and writing, both are merely different modes of telling beautiful

and creative stories. Each fortnight for the past year I have been able to meet with my mentor and have sessions ranging from just talking to each other, pen and paper in hand, to doing physical activities such as focusing on breathing techniques.

I believe that the best part was just being able to talk to someone who could give me advice. Even though it cannot be expected that our issues can be solved in a single sitting, over the months, with the help of my mentor, I have been able to break down that brick wall holding me back from doing what I want to do.

As I mentioned earlier, one of the elements we focused on was breathing. Breathing is seen as such a mundane thing that we all do, if we didn’t then we probably wouldn’t be seated in this room right now. But it was one of the things that actually helped with my confidence. My mentor taught me that the function of the body allows for the positivity of the mind. Just taking a few deep breaths and controlling your breathing can have such a significant effect on your well-being, especially

before an exam or at events such as this one involving public speaking.

The young adults within our community have the potential to do amazing things, be whatever they want to be, and opportunities like this are what will aid them in finding their path to reaching these goals. For me, it has helped me work towards the development of skills I listed almost a year ago when this scheme started.

I would like to end my speech by again thanking the creators of Hounslow’s Promise for providing such an opportunity for young people like me and thanking Ms Khayyum for agreeing to mentor me this past year. Having access to programmes such as this can help both the student mentees and mentors to grow and learn from each other, changing their perceptions and making it known what they are capable of.

Even relatively simple programmes like this can make a big difference in the minds of our young people. Thank you.

Speech by Carmen Gaur (year 13)

Students in year 9 have been making recipes of food that have cultural meaning to them in their creative arts lessons in preparation for the forthcoming Cranbury Festival in July 2018. The recipes originate from special occasions, festivals or memories of childhood. In addition, they have been drawing the food and illustrating the stories that go with them to create a recipe book.

To support their work, we were delighted to welcome Tom Hovey, illustrator for “The Great British Bake Off” who shared his tips and techniques for creating delicious looking drawings.

My day with Tom Hovey:

Tom helped all of us one at a time asking about our food stories. My one is about a Portuguese custard tart called Pastel de Nata. Whenever I eat it I’m reminded of Portugal. He told us about his story of becoming an artist. He showed us some of the pictures he drew like the delicious ice cream and the rose cake and the giant burger. He also showed us some of his techniques, for example sketching. He bought some of his cake designs and they all were sketched. He said sometimes he would draw on the computer. Then we started to draw food from our food stories and some of us copied his drawings too. It was a pleasure having him with us and it was a great opportunity. Maybe I could be a great artist like him.

Iman El Fartas (year 8)

Angee Ayres (Creative Arts)

Tom Hovey “BakeOFF” Illustrator comes to Cranford

The Tale Of The Unknown Island

On

Wednesday 21 March 2018, Cranford Community College students performed The Tale of the Unknown Island to an eagerly-awaiting audience.

Set in the round, actors brought to life the adapted novella by José Saramago, taking the audience on one man’s journey to discover an unknown island. The “Man”, played by nearly all the actors onstage at one point or another, comes up against various challenges on his journey, from needing a boat to having to find a crew, and even the challenge of not knowing how to sail. In life we often learn that it is not the end result which matters, but the journey we go on to get there; this is reflected in Saramago’s tale as we see the “Man” realise that his unknown is not an island, but love, and this love was in front of him as soon as he started his quest.

The young actors, from years 7-9, worked tirelessly on this piece to imbue it with a sense of storytelling akin to how we heard stories when we were younger – excitement, mystery and intrigue were all conjured throughout the event. Engendering a sense of intimacy and relaxation on stage is one of the most challenging tasks for any performer, as Helen Mirren describes in her MasterClasses in Acting, however, this is exactly the skill demonstrated by our actors during the play.

The result of the students’ work was not only a play in which the audience were treated with samosas and juice half way through, but a real plunge into the unknown as well as the creation of Orbit Productions, Cranford Community College’s very own theatre company. Orbit Productions is in its infancy, but we will strive to champion inclusivity, raise diversity in the arts and push the boundaries of what we understand theatre to be. Our next project will explore storytelling, with tales from our own lives and cultures and will be performed at the Cranbury Festival in July. Watch this space.

Katie Turner (Creative Arts –Director in Residence)

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

Kevin Biggs (Assistant Headteacher - W Factor)

Cranford Science Week 2018

National Science Week was celebrated in style by Cranford students, who turned out in record numbers to attend sessions hosted by the Science Department. The week began with a special session hosted by Danielle, a presenter from ZooLab, who brought with her a bag full of insects and animals for a workshop called ‘Discover the Rainforest’. Students from years 7 – 10 were able to touch and hold animals such as a Madagascan hissing cockroach, a corn snake and a Chilean rose tarantula – animals that up to this point they may have just seen on television. Everyone was amazed by the session (although they were less willing to test whether giant snail slime actually makes a very good face moisturiser…) and upon leaving Danielle commented on how enthusiastic and willing to learn our students were.

Period 0 workshops continued this year with sessions focusing on space, food and magic. Students took part in activities such as making their own satellites, magically giving life to gummy worms and finding out how much sugar is in ‘healthy’ drinks (the results may surprise you). These sessions were hugely popular and our students were exemplary, with many arranging to come back during break times to finish their activities.

Year 7 and 8 students all took part in our STEM Challenge, where they looked at and tackled the problem of ocean plastic waste. They were pitched a challenge; should we be able to collect plastic from the oceans, what could we do with it? Students marketed their ideas back to their classes in true Dragons Den style, with winning ideas and models ranging from a workable fishing rod, water filtering system and mini lifeboat. It was inspiring to see how hard our students worked at tackling such an important world issue and who knows –one of them could be the scientist who develops the solution one day.

To finish Science Week, we ran two school-wide competitions. Firstly, we held a poster competition where students could show off their creativity, artistic talents and inquisitive minds to produce a poster on any topic that comes under the theme of ‘Exploration and Discovery’. We had over 40 entries, all of such a high standard that narrowing it down to just five winners was a near impossibility. However, the eventual winners were Dua Abbas, Safiyya Ansa (both 7T), Shreyas Shikhare, Harsimran Bath (8U) and Ayesha Kaur (8Y). All their posters have been submitted into the national finals and they won an Amazon gift voucher.

The final activity of the week was the Elemental Hunt. On Thursday and Friday teachers became elements for the day and with form groups, working in small teams, hunting around the school to discover the teachers’ elements and then answer questions such as ‘What do you bond two Ms Jenkins to one Mr Dhokia?’ and ‘Why would you find Ms Atwal near volcanoes?’. It was great to see every form in the school participating in the challenge – 10Y were the winners, impressively beating off competition from two Year 13 forms to win. What an amazing way to end a superb Science Week at Cranford. We will be back next year for an even bigger and better week. Thanks to all students and staff who all worked hard in participating.

Bradley King (Science Department)

Design Museum Trip

On Wednesday 27th March 20 A-level students embarked on a journey to the Design Museum in London. The Design Museum showcases the best of design and how it influences the world. Design is about innovation, technology, creativity and ideas. It was a great opportunity to allow our students to look at design in a different way and also to see how design affects and is integrated into our daily lives. The students really benefitted from looking at how design has changed and also it forged a basis for inspiration for their work. We were especially lucky to have visited the ‘Ferrari Under the Skin’ exhibition where we are able to see designs spanning 7O years. Students were in awe of how initial design sketches were transformed into models, before the final product was made. Sculpturelike models and engines made the experience of Ferrari more dynamic for students with an interest in engineering.

We had a trip to the Design Museum to view the exhibits of the Ferrari Collection and the actual products displayed. These products were displayed as innovations along a timeline of human knowledge. We were first presented with beautiful architecture in a building that had already set our standards. As we walked in we were welcomed by one of the staff members. On arrival we were all in awe looking at the design features in the museum, such as the architecture of the stairs that had fitted seating and a full sized Ferrari in the middle of it all. We began our tour with the timeline of products. We were first introduced to a bright flip board probably used for advertising. We then walked into the transition of products going from shoes to chairs to vehicles, showing us the evolution of each and every major product. This section really influenced our mind maps to inspire our possible project. We then moved on to the Ferrari exhibit where we were greeted with a dim red light leading to old isometric drawings of cars that Ferrari had produced. We were shown the step-by-step production to making one of their iconic cars which helped us understand what we may have to do and what aspects we had to consider in our project. Overall this trip really improved my knowledge and broadened the thinking for my own project and what I would have to do to achieve a product of the highest standard. As well as the knowledge gained the experience was also amazing.

Simranjeet Arora (year 12)

The

visit to the design museum was an inspiring and pleasurable experience for many of us were able to get ideas and further develop our projects. Aa a graphics student I took a lot of inspiration to challenge my work. It has prompted me to take the designs they have created to produce amazing initial ideas. I was moved by the process of the designs that huge well-known companies have created to produce the product that we all buy and adore today. In addition, we were lucky enough to go to the Ferrari exhibit that enabled us to see not only the famous cars but to be able to take design ideas and adapt them into our work. This was a great opportunity that the school was able to provide us to further our passion for art and design

Rebecca Alfred (year 12)

This year we have had an exciting opportunity for 5 students to attend a 4-day course at London College of Fashion as part of UAL insights spring school. Ausra Andr, Harpreet Kaur, Amrita Tar, Zaina Nooradin and Rehmaan Naeem (year 12) were successful applicants and were all offered a place on the course. It was such an amazing opportunity for them to gain a place at such a prestigious Arts University and I am very proud of them. They really enjoyed the experience and came back energised and full of inspiration. It has been an invaluable experience for them.

“On

26th March 2018, I and a couple of my peers attended a textiles insights workshop at the University of Arts London. I really enjoyed this experience as I learnt many textiles-based techniques varying from making an outfit out of paper to knitting or even making a pocket using an industrial sewing machine - quite the challenge this was. Nevertheless, I had the opportunity to make new friends, and spend a week like a university art student; I’m also glad I got to share this experience with a few of my friends. I hope to go back for the summer workshop as I’m just eager to learn new things”.

Amrita Tar (year 12)

Pam Hunt (Creative Arts- Art and Design)

Darkness and a chill filled the Library. It got colder little by little every minute. On a snowy and gloomy morning students were excited that horror author Leo Hunt was visiting. He was bringing along the chilling tales in his books and the eight ghosts his character, Luke Manchett inherits from his father upon his death. This year, every year 7 and year 8 student was invited to meet Leo in a specially-arranged assembly. Students really enjoyed meeting the author. Leo said ‘My visit to Cranford Community College was a pleasure and I’ve rarely encountered such enthusiastic and engaged students. They knew my books inside out and it was a joy to speak to them.’

Students nationally were celebrating World Book Day. This year during Book Week 2018 we very fortunate to have secured popular teenage fiction author Leo Hunt. A week packed full of activities was organised and seeing from the students’ enthusiasm there was going to be a tough battle for the prizes. The week kicked off with a Spoken Word Poetry Workshop which was led by a talented and enthusiastic 6th former – Huzayma Khamis. Students dove into the workshop by creating their performance poetry pieces using the skills and techniques Huzayma had taught them. After the huge success of the Manga Workshop last year, students were very lucky that year 11 student Zahra Sadiq came back again. She impressed the students with tips on ‘How to do Manga Drawings’ and showcased some of her amazing drawings. All the students thoroughly enjoyed this oversubscribed event.

The Book Shop was very popular with students, they had the opportunity to purchase Leo’s books for signing, other new books, book marks and stationery too. During the week we also had several competitions: three writing competitions, a creative book cover competition and a fact-finding treasure hunt. Students entered in their hoards. Students particularly found the fact-finding treasure hunt a challenge, it involved students following a series in the Library to complete all questions. All the students were invited to the Leo Hunt event after-school where the prizes winners were announced and prizes awarded: DVDs, books, vouchers, chocolate and lots more to award. It was a memorable week; now I need to start making plans for next year.

Mahavir Ladva (Library and Study Centres Manager)

Hounslow Teen Read Award

Iwas chosen along with a few others to enter the Hounslow Teen Read Award which gives young readers 6 newly published books to read and review. We then vote and find out who everyone voted for in the borough. My group and I got kindles which was really cool and made it so much easier to reach the deadline. We read books like: After The Fire- Will Hill, We Come ApartSarah Crossan, Margot and Me Juno Dawson Superpowerless – Chris Priestley Contagion –Teri Terry and Cuckoo- Keren David.

When we went on the trip, we went into a theatre and learnt all about the Teen Read Awards and we got to meet an author, Marcus Alexander, and we got to buy his books and get them signed. After the launch event, we had two months to read all the books. We then cast our votes collectively and then went to the theatre to find out who the winner was. At the event we met last year’s winner- author Richard Kurti. His book “Monkey Wars” was voted favourite last year. He spoke to us about his writing career and revealed this year’s winner of the award. We were so excited to hear who had won this year. Richard announced third place ‘Margot and Me’ second place was ‘Contagion’ and first place was ‘After the Fire’.

People were happy that ‘After the Fire’ won because at the end the tension in the book was amazing, my heart would skip a beat when I turned every page. The pain, anger and fear would all blend together to make an uncontrollable ocean of words.

Sabrin Saeed (year 9)

Leo Hunt’s visit to Cranford Community College

Leo Hunt,

a horror author who wrote “13 Days of Midnight”, “8 Rivers of Shadow” and “7 Trees of Stone” came to Cranford Community College on Wednesday 7th March 2018 during Book Week. I have read his books and I like them because they are funny and interesting. The books have twists with every turn of the page. For example, Luke Manchett’s dad’s lawyer - Mr Berkley turned out to be the devil. This surprised me as when he first appeared in the books he seemed like an innocent person. Leo Hunt’s series is unique and unlike most of the things I have ever read. He creates an image in the mind when he describes the ghosts in the book from “13 Days of Midnight”and also when he describes the other characters from his other two books.

We met Leo in a specially-arranged assembly, he read an extract from “13 Days of Midnight”. He also showed us images of the ghosts in the book drawn by the illustrator who had drawn the front covers of the Leo Hunt books. Then he talked to us about his life as an author and the experiences he had in the past. He also gave time to ask him any questions we wanted to ask. We were asked if we knew any of the images displayed on the board and if we knew anything about ghosts in general. During the assembly, he told us about the books and authors that had inspired him to pursue the role of an author. After the assembly had finished, anyone who owned a book from the Leo Hunt series had the opportunity to get them signed by Leo Hunt. I own the 2nd book in the Leo Hunt series (“8 Rivers of Shadow”). It was a thrill to get one of the books I own signed by the author who had brilliantly written it. Soon after, I had finished the whole of the Leo Hunt series.

Visit to the

On

Wednesday 28th March 2018

thirty year 7 students were chosen to go to the Science Museum. We travelled by bus and tube. Mr. Ladva, Ms Ghazi and Ms Giga chose us to go with them as we have been good ambassadors in the Library. When we got there we saw an amazing IMAX 3D movie about some people who built a robot and then won; the film was about engineering. It was a jaw-dropping experience. Even though I’ve been there before I got to take my mind a bit further and learn a bit more about science. When we went to the ‘Wonderlab’ I was excited and ready to build, estimate and more. There were so many activities and things to learn from. We learnt about friction on various slides, on each slide the base was made from a different material. There was a plastic grass slide, a wood slide and a plastic slide; after trying them all I could see the wood slide had the least friction as it went the fastest. We had a walk around and took some pictures. One of the things I saw was a black cart and horses, I think that was how they travelled in the Victorian times.

Avneet Sandu (year 7)

Spoken Word Poetry

I was asked to run a workshop for Book Week, I am passionate about creative writing so I jumped at the opportunity. The spoken word has inspired me to express myself through words through performance. It has provided me with a platform to discuss social and political issues of the time. We had over 30 students attend, they were all enthusiastic in learning a new skill and it was fantastic to see them perform their pieces.

Huzayma Khamis (year 12)

Workshop

Manga is a Japanese art style similar to the American comic. All manga is drawn by hand but can be drawn digitally now too. Some famous Manga series are Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, Deathnote and My Hero Academia. To draw manga, you need to draw the anatomy but you need a lot of time and patience too. I was asked to do a Manga workshop again, there were so many students excited to see my skills. I really enjoyed teaching everyone the different techniques.

Zahra Sadiq (year 11)