Editorial 2022/23

Dear Reader,

I am delighted that you are now reading our annual publication of the Cranford Review for 2022/23, our first fully digital version and also the longest version of this publication to date.

There is so much to celebrate, and this publication captures some of the many opportunities offered to our students, staff, and community during this past year.  Our theme for the publication this year is a ‘World of Education, a World of Possibilities’ reflecting the immense programme provided by Cranford for all of our students both within lessons and beyond.

Cranford remains a hugely popular school with demand for places significantly outstripping supply. The academic achievements and successes of our students clearly demonstrates why this is the case.

Our students have done exceptionally well in public examinations yet again. At A level, Cranford students have once more performed incredibly well across the board with all measures improving against the DFE’s benchmark of 2019 results and those achieving the top grades of A* A B increased by 10%.

This remarkable cohort, who achieved the best GCSE results the academy has seen, have now shown their strength again in the return to full examinations. The students have worked extremely hard and we are very proud of their results, in academic, vocational and technical qualifications. Equally pleasing is that our students are now heading off around the country to some of the most prestigious universities to continue their education with the great depth of skills and experience their time at Cranford has provided.

At GCSE Cranford students have achieved another set of amazing results improving on all key measures from last year.

English and Maths results continue on an astonishing upward trajectory, with 86% of achieving level 4 or above in both in English and Maths, and 64% of students achieving a grade 5 or above.

These ‘terminal examination’ results are comparable to the results under ‘Teacher Assessed Grades’ of the last few years and more importantly show that Cranford students at the academy continue to get better and better results each year regardless of the method of assessment, thanks to their hard work, the very high quality of teaching and support and the constant encouragement from their families. Hence, these results continue the trends of the last 20+ years and are increases on both the DFE benchmark of 2019 and better than last year.

We are absolutely delighted by the brilliant GCSE results our Year 11 students have achieved. Progress is always very positive at Cranford and it is particularly pleasing to see our competitive students keep breaking records and improving on attainment and to see even more students than last year achieving the top grades.

There are so many Cranford students who have done exceptionally well and you can see the details of some of these on the next few pages.

Our commitment to providing a wide range of opportunities outside of the classroom has grown even further this year through the introduction of Enrichment Days across the school, consisting of educational visits as well as on site extra-curricular activities, and the initial experience of these has been extremely positive. We look forward to expanding this offer in the coming year.

The range of international educational experiences for our students has also grown significantly this year with our students having the opportunity to visit Portugal, Poland, and South Korea and you can read more detail about these and other experiences in these pages.

Our teachers and support staff are our greatest resource and we prioritise the training, development and retention of people at Cranford during every stage of their career. This commitment is shown through our 10 dedicated staff training days each year but also through ensuring a wealth of opportunities for the staff who commit to working at Cranford. This summer saw our first large group of staff work in our partner school in Thailand teaching alongside Thai teachers and embarking upon a full programme of cultural activities. This is just one example of the many opportunities we provide.

Our motto ‘Transforming a Community’ continues to drive what we do as we believe that community improvement and transformation is a key to educational success and opportunities. You will see many examples of community provision throughout this Review.

I have served at Cranford for over 25 years now, and I continue to enjoy immensely the great place that this school is and the contribution that it has made and continues to make to the community in this area and beyond. We use this publication to showcase the world class opportunities that Cranford provides.

With my best wishes.

Kevin Prunty
Executive Headteacher &
National Leader of Education.
CEO Designate

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International School Award 2022-2025

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Cranford Community College was invited to attend the official award ceremony for the British Council’s International School Award on Monday 20th March 2023. Held at the Terrace Pavilion Room in the Houses of Parliament, it was a fantastic opportunity to see how many schools were awarded the ISA alongside Cranford Community College. The award was in recognition of the wealth of international activities and international partnerships that schools have cultivated and continue to develop, ensuring that staff and students have the opportunity to experience different cultures and languages.

This award is especially important for Cranford Community College as internationalism is very much a part of our DNA – with the diverse demographics of our staff and students alongside the language’s college legacy as well as the many international partnerships, there is no doubt that we truly are an international school always seeking to celebrate what makes us unique. This academic year has already seen multiple international activities take place: Erasmus+ Soft Skills project visits to Poland and Portugal with our partners also visiting us in March; our partners from Ocheon High School in Pohang (South Korea) visiting us in January and then our students visiting them in May; staff visiting our Thai partners at Princes Chulaborn Science High School, and of course, the additional cultural trips to Paris, Athens and Barcelona. A huge thank you to all staff and students who make such exciting opportunities happen. We endeavour to ensure that such fantastic opportunities continue to take place moving forward! I was delighted to be asked to collect the award on behalf of the school and to be part of this wonderful event.

Sahrish Shaikh
Senior Teacher

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Fantastic GCSE results again at Cranford Community College

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Cranford students have achieved another set of amazing GCSE results improving on all key measures from last year.

English and Maths results continue on an astonishing upward trajectory, both with greater than 86% of students passing on their first attempt and with 64% of students achieving a grade 5 or above in both English and Maths.

These ‘terminal examination’ results are comparable to the results under ‘Teacher Assessed Grades’ of the last few years and more importantly show that Cranford students at the academy continue to get better and better results each year regardless of the method of assessment, thanks to their hard work, the very high quality of teaching and support and the constant encouragement from their families. Hence, these results continue the trends of the last 20+ years and are increases on both the DFE benchmark of 2019 and better than last year.

Executive Headteacher, Kevin Prunty said: “We are absolutely delighted by the brilliant GCSE results our Year 11 students have achieved today. Progress is always very positive at Cranford and it is particularly pleasing to see our competitive students keep breaking records and improving on attainment and to see even more students than last year achieving the top grades”.

With continued hard work in our thriving sixth form, the future for this year group and every individual is shining bright. 

There are so many Cranford students who have done exceptionally well it is hard to pick just a few. Some particular stars include:

• Aryan Lola who achieved an incredible 7 grade 9s and an attainment 8 score of 8.9, just 0.1 from the maximum! He will be staying at Cranford to study Maths, Chemistry and Biology at A level.
• Zaina Syeda and Omar Rasooli achieved 6 grade 9s each and managed Progress 8 scores which showed them securing on average 3 and half grades better than other students nationally from their starting points. Both intend to pursue A levels at Cranford.
• Muqadas Saleem , Mya Dhaliwal and Kotai Kandeepan achieved an incredible 16 grade 9s, 9 grade 8s and a Distinction in RSL Music between them.
• Other hugely impressive exam achievements include Zain Mir of the Picasso Centre who outperformed all expectations achieving 7 GCSEs from grades 7-9. Ilwaad Sharif, Aamina Ashfaq and Gresha Leitao all achieved a Progress measure well over 2 grades above their national expectation, with Ilwaad picking up 4 grade 9s on the way, a feat equalled by Aleeza Akhtar’s 4 grade 9s and 5 grade 8s.

Congratulations to all our students and staff on a truly phenomenal effort and thank you to our loyal families for their commitment and encouragement.

As the saying goes ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ and as a cohesive community, together, we see how that brings our children the confidence, skills, knowledge and understanding to succeed, even against all their peers nationally.

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Stunning Success at “A Level” for Cranford Students

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Cranford students have once more performed incredibly well across the board with all measures improving against the DFE’s benchmark of 2019 results and 31% of students achieving the top grades of A*-B – an increase of nearly 10%.
This remarkable cohort, who achieved the best GCSE results the academy has seen, have now shown their strength again in the return to full examinations.

Executive Headteacher Kevin Prunty said: “We are delighted with the tremendous performances of our A level students this year. The students have worked extremely hard and we are very proud of their results, in academic, vocational and technical qualifications. Equally pleasing is that our students are now heading off around the country to some of the most prestigious universities to continue their education with the great depth of skills and experience their time at Cranford has provided”.

Amongst the many students heading off to Russell group universities, there are some real stand out high fliers:

• Samuel Dickson achieved an A* grade in RE to go with his A grade in Chemistry and B in English Language and Literature and has won a place at Oxford University where he will study Theology and Religion.
• Ayesha Kaur could not have done better than her 3 A* grades and will be studying Medicine at Kings College London.
• Harsimran Bath who achieved 4 A grades will be pursuing Chemical Engineering at University College London and will be joined there by Manav Vivek (A*, A, A) who is reading Electronic and Electrical Engineering.
• Our two superstar ASD Picasso Centre students Shreyas Shikhare and Daniel Ortega have performed brilliantly in their A levels. Shreyas obtained an amazing A, A, A in Maths, Further Maths and Physics and is off to Kings College, London to read Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology; Daniel achieved A*, A, A in RE, English Literature and Economics and will be heading to the south coast to study Politics and Geography at Exeter University.
• Cranford’s close relationship with Warwick University continues this year with Zayd Chaudhry (Accounting and Finance), Heenal Mehra (Economics) and Gurnoor Singh-Kaur (Mechanical Engineering) all joining them this autumn with 3 straight A grades each!
• Oliwia Bartnicka, Nikola Szcawinska and Isra Jadoon are heading even further north, with Isra’s three A grades in Biology, Chemistry and Psychology taking her to Manchester to pursue Dentistry, Oliwia (A, A, A, B) heading to Nottingham to specialise in Cancer Sciences and Nikola going to Edinburgh to read English Literature and Classics with her A grades in English Literature and Fine Art.
• Other high-fliers are staying closer to home in London, including Jasdeep Punyani (A, A, B) and Sanjana Bhola (A, B, B) who are reading Computer Science and Creative Writing respectively at Royal Holloway. Kehan Munir (A, A, B), Shenon Dias (A, A, B) and Zayed Fadhluddin (A, A, B) will all join Ayesha and Shreyas at Kings College, London. Elsewhere in the capital, Shehrose Haddad (A, A, B) will be reading Law at City University and Aja Cundall (A, B, Distinction) enrols in the prestigious Royal Central School of Speech and Drama to study Drama, Applied Theatre and Education.
• Our Education and Childcare T Level students, such as Samia Osman, Jasmine Kaur and Jasanpreet Sidhu have again shown the potential of these new qualifications by successfully obtaining Merits and heading off to study Education, Psychology and Nursing at university. Harmanpreet Singh also achieved a Merit in his Digital Production, Design and Development and will be staying right here at Cranford to begin a Level Apprenticeship in Network Engineering.

A huge thank you and well done to all of our students and their teachers.

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Joan Owen Memorial Tree Planting

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In December 2022 we planted an oak tree in memory of Joan Owen, Roger Owen’s wife of over 50 years who sadly passed away.  Roger Owen was a governor at Cranford for many years and for a number of these years he undertook the key leadership role of Chair of the Academy Trust Board.  Roger and Joan frequently attended events and activities at the school even after moving out of the area.  We are glad that Roger has kept in touch and happy to commemorate the passing of Joan in this small way also in recognition of the significant contribution that they both made to the school over so many years.

Alan Fraser
(Assistant Headteacher – Director of Community Partnerships and Income Generation)

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Community 2022/23

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Cranford Summer Holiday Programme 2023
Summer Multi Sports Camp:

The Sports and Community Team at Cranford Community College takes great pride in being able to provide our students with ongoing opportunities and structure during the summer break. This summer we were delighted to run our Sports Summer Camp for Key Stage 3 children (Year 7-9).
The camps ran for the first 3 weeks of the holiday from Monday to Thursday from 11:00am to 3:00pm.

Sporting activities were organised such as Football, Basketball, Dodgeball, Tennis and many others in a safe, relaxed and fun learning environment. Students enjoyed the time at the camp socializing with friends and playing different sports, with many of them asking to come back the following week if we had space!

The camp was led by Shenon Dias and Friya Clancy, two former students of Cranford which further added to the community feel of our sports camp; ‘’For students in our community led by Leaders created in our Cranford Community College’’. There were no costs involved as this was fully funded by the school through London Sport and we intend to continue to provide our students with opportunities like this throughout the academic year of 2023-2024.

The students also had a chance to participate in taster sessions of a new version of baseball.   International softball player Carisa Reed-Thomas attended one week and offered some coaching and tips on how to play. 
Over the coming year Cranford looks forward to becoming involved with several Major League Baseball activities.

Alan Fraser
(Assistant Headteacher – Director of Community Partnerships and Income Generation)

Creative Spaces:

This year Creative Spaces London and C-Change West London were back at Cranford Community College running a vibrant and inclusive summer program that empowers children and young people, provides support to families, and strengthens the fabric of our community.

Staffed by Cranford Community College students and alumni, our workers and volunteers pour their passion into delivering engaging and impactful activities, whilst also ensuring that each child receives a warm meal and a safe space to flourish.

One aspect of our project that fills us with immense pride is our commitment to offering employment opportunities to local young people, equipping them with valuable skills and providing them with practical work experience – a significant milestone for many who secure their first paid employment through this initiative. It is heart-warming to see the positive influence these young workers have on the children in our program, inspiring them to nurture their own dreams and aspirations. None of this would be possible without the help and support of Cranford Community College who continue to affect positive change in the lives of young people all year round. 

Rachel Doherty
(Artistic Director, Creative Spaces London)

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Community Cream Teas to Celebrate King Charles III Coronation

To celebrate the King’s coronation Cranford and Heston West Big Local teamed up in June 2023 to organise a sumptuous afternoon tea with delicious sandwiches and cakes made by the Cranford catering team.  The secret stars of the show were the traditional scones, cream and jam.  For many who attended it was the first time they had experienced a traditional English afternoon tea and it is certainly something we will do again.
Alan Fraser
(Assistant Headteacher- Director of Community Partnerships and Income Generation)

Hounslow’s Promise Summer 2023
Over the past year Hounslow’s Promise, the charity co-founded by Seema Malhotra MP, Kevin Prunty Executive Headteacher and Alan Fraser Director of Community Partnerships and Income generation, has been busy with two main projects.  The Connected Kids at Home programme aims to improve access to the digital world for those struggling to meet the cost.  This year the programme has delivered nearly 100 new computers to young people under the age of 18 across Hounslow.

The Connected Futures mentoring programme targeted 18 -24-year-olds many of whom were unemployed.  The aim of the programme is to develop young people’s confidence and skills to ensure a successful start and continuation of their employment.  Over 30 young people from the local area took part in the nine-month programme.

Alan Fraser
(Assistant Headteacher – Director of Community Partnerships and Income Generation)

Joan Owen Memorial Tree Planting:

In December 2022 we planted an oak tree in memory of Joan Owen, Roger Owen’s wife of over 50 years who sadly passed away.  Roger Owen was a governor at Cranford for many years and for a number of these years he undertook the key leadership role of Chair of the Academy Trust Board.  Roger and Joan frequently attended events and activities at the school even after moving out of the area.  We are glad that Roger has kept in touch and happy to commemorate the passing of Joan in this small way also in recognition of the significant contribution that they both made to the school over so many years.

Alan Fraser
(Assistant Headteacher- Director of Community Partnerships and Income Generation)

Cranford hosts Community Meals at Al’s Diner

Cranford was delighted to celebrate Al’s Diner’s first anniversary in July 2023.  The charitable event, hosted by Cranford Community College, provides hot meals to people in the community in need and has proved a great success.  Staffed by volunteers and the school’s catering staff it has run on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday since July 2022.  50 to 60 people regularly attend with over 100 attending the Christmas dinner.  It has become its own community with people coming together getting to know each other and looking after each other.  It has created an atmosphere of belonging and support combatting the isolation that many people feel at this time. Sadly, in April we lost one of our regular members, Esther.  Esther was a character who entertained everyone with her stories and lived life to the full. Even at 95 Esther was still getting the tube into London to meet friends, go to bingo and choir.  Esther will be sadly missed but never forgotten.
Cranford is delighted to continue hosting Al’s Diner into the next academic year.

Alan Fraser
(Assistant Headteacher – Director of Community Partnerships and Income Generation)

Cranford Students support Berkeley Academy

Since November 2022 Cranford students have been volunteering to run a daily homework club at Berkeley Academy.  The twenty Year 12 and 10 students gave up a couple of hours a week to run this successful homework club.  The students undertook training in preparation for this project and going forward, the current cohort of Year 10 students have now successfully trained up the current Year 9 students who will be taking over in September 2023.  There has been a fantastic response from the Year 9 students with more than 50 volunteering to participate.

Alan Fraser
(Assistant Headteacher- Director of Community Partnerships and Income Generation)

Hounslow Citizens Scheme 2022/23

Once again Cranford hosted the Hounslow Citizens Scheme with 38 primary schools in Hounslow participating in this year’s scheme.  The Hounslow Citizens Scheme is delivered to year 6 children from all the Hounslow Primary Schools by the Police, Fire brigade, Local authority and a tech company called Blue Summit.

Blue Summit delivered a fun interactive session designed to make children aware of the potential dangers of gaming.  Other scenarios included cyber-crime, dangers of Lithium batteries, violence against women and girls, and knife crime.
Cranford year 7 ambassadors were superb in their role of supporting the children going around the scenarios.  The police and several members of the primary school staff commented on how helpful and polite the Ambassadors had been so well done to all the year 7 Ambassadors.

Alan Fraser
(Assistant Headteacher – Director of Community Partnerships and Income Generation)

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Jamie’s Farm – June 2023

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The Jamie’s Farm Trip in June 2023 was a fantastic experience for all staff and students who went. They were able to learn not only about themselves but also about each other and further develop the positive relationships that they had prior to going. We all have some lovely anecdotes to share from the week. It was a pleasure to go on this mini adventure of growth and development with the students and see them engage with each other and put themselves in challenging situations. Here are some of the comments that were shared by the students upon our return along with some pictures.

Sahrish Shaikh
Trip Leader

I enjoyed the sheep herding. That was really fun and was a new experience. I loved the woodcutting as it was a nice stress reliever. Staying with all the girls in 1 room was nice because we found a spider and killed it with teamwork! I loved everyone there and would love to go back.
Jasleen Bains (year 10)

My experience at the farm has been really exciting and new to me. The animals have got to be my favourite aspect of the farm. I loved speaking to new people and making special bonds and memories I’ll never forget.
Uzma Tawane (year 10)

From going from a whole week of school to cleaning poo in a farm for a week was amazing I was with many animals and all of them were lovely to be around. I would definitely go again!
Balveen Sodi (year 10)

It’s a refreshing experience being in the countryside and having a chance to meet new people and just generally doing something new and beneficial for your health.
Joshua Paul Emmanuel (year 10)

I enjoyed playing with all the dogs: Mud, who bit my nose; Tiggy, who played football; Bella, who enjoyed running circles around me and Lola, who was just very chilled.
Blazej Romanowicz (year 9)

We went to a cave and took lots of pictures. We made cookies, we went on long walks. We went into two rivers and went sheep herding. We did lots of cooking and I would love to go back if I could.
Gyulia Grosz (year 9)

I liked the cave and walks and the forest because it was fun and relaxing. The farm taught me to spend less time on my phone and eat healthier foods which impact my behaviour.
Jeshroop Kapoor (year 9)

I enjoyed the vibe because it was peaceful and not overwhelming.
Jose Afonso Ferreira De Sousa (year 8)

The farm was great. It smelt good and I enjoyed jumping in the lake the most.
Lexi-Lea Dhillon-Rowe (year 7)

We went in a cave and went for a walk. The view was amazing and the teachers were awesome.
Rowan Jhawer (year 7)

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Jamie’s Farm – November 2022

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November 2022 saw students pack their bags for a week of personal growth and lifelong memories at Jamie’s Farm. Each student had their own stories and vulnerabilities for their selection, but all students challenged their mindsets and fears which ranged from fear of dogs, waking up early and to preparing meals. It became quickly apparent to students that the farm staff, the Cranford family and the animals relied on them to be on time, be efficient and be present.

Due to the students forming such a strong bond and showing teamwork throughout the week, the farm staff entrusted our students to relocate over 100 sheep from one field to another via main roads, where we were given one clear mission “do not lose the sheep” – this relied on focus, following instructions fast and showing initiative. The students will tell you this was no easy feat because sheep have a flocking instinct so if one sheep left the group, they all followed, I say this was touch and go when a few started running across a nearby golf course but the mission was a huge success and Jamie was very pleased. Alongside group successes the students had many of their own individual accomplishments including Jagga 8Y showing his caring side and volunteering for all available opportunities – self proclaiming himself as the Indian Jamie Oliver. Harib 8V formed positive relationships by sharing laughs and stories with all staff and students on the trip during evening walks. Abdul 8T overcome his fear of pigs and going into the pen to feed them but also discovered a passion for cooking. Alfie 8U stopped saying “I’m not doing that” instead embracing all roles and responsibilities on the farm, including log chopping. Diya 9T got stuck into all tasks with no complaints, a positive attitude and growth mindset, even when chicken mucking and gardening. Seeing her smile and enjoy the experience was wonderful. Jackson 9Z a born farmer used his strength to help with all heavy lifting tasks, it was particularly impressive seeing him unroll a hay bale.

Frank 9Y overcame his fear of horses and successfully took Millie on a walk. Nasir 10V even though the last to wake up, role modelled positive behaviour to younger students and took on an older brother role, he particularly impressed Anton with his log chopping skills. Hope 10T developed confidence throughout the trip and showed the other students that animals shouldn’t be feared but loved, even when the piglets were nibbling on her leg.

Renu 10V was the positive force that bonded the group together. Her natural ability to find commonalities with others was admirable and she gave the most uplifting check ins and shout outs. Abid 10Y developed self-confidence throughout the trip and embraced all roles on the farm, I particularly enjoyed him showing us how to successfully run onto a hay bale.

Mr Grammaticas, Mr Hickey, the farm staff and I are immensely proud of this group and we hope they use their experience on the farm and the skills of kindness, growth mindset, resilience, embracing opportunities and overcoming challenges, in the world of work and in life.

Seema Mehmi
(Head of Year 8 -Trip Leader)

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PE & SPORTS – 2022/23

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This academic year the PE and Sports Department have been through a transition period with many notable exciting changes.

As the year began not only was there a new PE uniform implemented throughout the whole school but there were also three new members of the department as well as new flooring in all of the indoor facilities and tennis courts. Subsequently there was a real buzz for Physical Education, one that we managed to maintain through the various events and initiatives that students engaged with.

One of these was the reintroduction of Break 2 sports clubs. Whilst we already offered an extensive extracurricular program, we looked to expand our offer and provide additional access and variety of sports for students to engage with at break time each day. Many took this opportunity to hone their craft in activities such as table tennis, volleyball and badminton.

Students at the school have worked extremely hard and put in countless amounts of hours to develop their ability which led to some great sporting achievements at the school. Both year 7 and year 9 cricket teams finished top of their respective leagues even though they didn’t compete last year. There were also many 2nd place finishes across the various sports in which we competed however one of the standout performances were the U14’s girls basketball team as many of them were playing a competitive match for the first time.

The success and advancement of the Cranford Sports Leaders program continued as students excelled in a range of Hounslow borough wide competitions. They earned great praise from the school games organisers for their efforts all year round but most notably during a borough wide primary school tag rugby event. As the year progressed, we provided opportunities for over 40 students across year 9 – year 13 to demonstrate their leadership in sport. This resulted in both Friya Colaco and Shenon Dias deservedly being offered jobs as community sports coaches with Heston West and achieving the Cranford Sports Leadership Gold Award along with Robert Keeley, Sanjana Bhola and Aymen Goudari.

This year we have taken big steps forward with providing inclusive opportunities for all students at the school whether that be playing or watching sport. This included taking a group of students to a professional sporting fixture showcasing the best male and female basketball players in the UK, to working with organisations such as the NFL and Southall Athletic to provide more opportunities for students.
We are looking forward to building on these relationships and successes in subsequent years and providing further opportunities locally and nationally for all of our students to enhance their physical literacy.

Basheak Bussue
(Head of Physical Education and Sports)

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Hounslow Borough Sports Tournaments 2023

Key Stage 3 Basketball tournament at West Thames College:
On Thursday 26th January 2023 five boys from year 9 competed against several other Hounslow schools in a short-formatted basketball tournament. The five boys representing Cranford were two years younger than the competition age range and with only five students participating, there would be no capacity for substitutions. Each game was a gruelling 24 minute match of high intensity and high-quality basketball, with end-to-end action, buzzer beating finishers and isolation plays. The year 9 boys from Cranford, Alex Virgo, Nasib Nyika, Zubeyr Mudhir, Franciszek Jozwicki and Sartaj Goraya all competed extremely well throughout the tournament, gaining admiration from staff and students from the other schools. It was an incredible experience to play at West Thames College.

Key Stage 3 Badminton Competition:

On Thursday 23rd February 2023 eight students from key stage 3 were selected to take part in a Hounslow Borough Badminton competition. None of the students selected played badminton outside of school and their only experience of badminton came from a few PE lessons spread throughout their years in Cranford. Immediately as we stepped foot in the sports hall the level of talent on display while other schools were warming up was astounding. As the competition got underway the raw natural talent of a few students became abundantly clear. Qais Bhaisaheb (year 9), Wahidur Rahman (year 8), Parv Mathur (year 9) and Zayyan Sameer (year 7) all battled extremely well and showed great sportsmanship throughout the day to face some very tough competition. They fought through each round winning against multiple schools before making it to the final against Isleworth and Syon A team. A massive congratulations to those who competed.

Year 7 Indoor Borough Athletics:

In early March 2023 Cranford Community College was invited to take part in the Borough Indoor Sports hall Athletics competition for year 7, held at Osterley Sports facility in Hounslow. The level of competition was fierce and the excitement around each race was palpable. The competition saw some standout performances from Rowan Jhawer, Kirtvir Sidhu, Evanz Cardozo, Iasmina Cocos, Eva Zeary and Zahra Da Silva Hussain. The event culminated in a 4x50m race; the atmosphere was incredible with all schools present cheering for their team, a truly deafening environment. Cranford looked slow out the blocks and were placed 4th out of the 5 schools. Each leg saw a place dragged back until the final leg, run by Rowan Jhawer who clinched victory and Cranford became champions of that event.

Outdoor Borough Athletics:

On Thursday 18th May 2023 a spirit of healthy competition was in the air as Cranford students from year 9 and 10 prepared themselves for the annual Hounslow Borough Outdoor Athletics competition, hosted at Osterley Athletics Sports facility. Many students from Cranford were about to experience an athletics competition for the first time but this did not deter them from taking on the challenge. The Outdoor Athletics Competition witnessed an impressive range of track and field events, where students exhibited their skills, determination, and a true passion for athletics. Some notable athletic performances from our students included Elisha De Souza (year 10) – Discus gold and 800m Silver, Miske Ahmed (year 9)- Hurdles gold, Ayaan Islam (year 9) -Javalin silver, Ameenuddin Mohammed (year 9) – Shotput silver, Shubheksha Singh (year 10 ) – 200m silver and Arjan Ghorta (year 10 ) – High jump silver. Congratulations to all our worthy winners. We are very proud of your achievements.

On Monday 12th June 2023 students from year 7 & 8 were chosen to represent Cranford Community College in the Hounslow Borough Athletics Event. They were excellent competitors. The students showcased their talents in disciplines such as sprinting, long jump, shot put, discus throw, and relay races. Each event pushed the boundaries of athleticism, and the performances were met with enthusiastic cheers from their peers. Congratulations to all who took part, with special mention for Harvin Jagpal (year 8) who threw his Javelin a huge 26 metres and Yana Hnus Vdovychynwho (year 7) won first place with her throw. They have been selected to represent the borough in Javelin. We look forward to attending Osterley Sports & Athletics Centre next year and bringing back some more medals.

Tom Bell
(PE Department)

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Cranford Sports Leaders 2022/23

Another year of sporting events and our Cranford Sports leaders continue to shine not only as individuals but as a collective representing the school in various events and schools. There has been nothing but praise from whoever has had the pleasure of working with our leaders including Iuri Baptise our Hounslow School Games Organiser and teachers from Hillingdon Borough as we are the host site for one of Hillingdon School Games Organisers.
Below is a list of all the events we have sent leaders out within the Borough this year.
• Hillingdon Inclusive sports festival hosted by Hillingdon SGO at Cranford
• Hounslow Year 4 Primary Athletics hosted by Hounslow SGO at Cranford
• Year 5 Tag- Rugby tournament hosted by Hounslow SGO at Cranford
• Year 5 Tag Rugby tournament hosted Hillingdon SGO at Cranford
• Year 5 Hillingdon football finals hosted by Hillingdon SGO at Cranford
Alongside this we continued our leadership programme at Berkley Academy following on from last year’s success. Key Stage 4 students with 6th former leaders delivered afterschool clubs. All leaders involved have been fantastic and have not only gained further skills, knowledge and experience but provided a valuable club for children which has been appreciated by both the school and parents. Sports delivered have been football, multi-sports, gymnastics, dance and basketball.
Well done!

Hamesh Rattu & Basheak Bussue
(Sport and Community Wellbeing Team)

Sixth Form Sports – Cranford Sports Leadership Award:

The extra-curricular timetable on offer from the Sports department is always supported by our amazing 6th formers at Cranford Community College from the Sports Committee and those with a passion for sport. They are a tremendous asset to the Sports Department and represent the school positively within the community. This year we introduced our very own sports award, providing students something to add to their CV’s and UCAS. Each award came with a criteria, alongside a potential pathway into paid work summer school and holiday programmes or with C-Change our local charity as a sports coach.

This year 14 students were inducted into our Sports Leaders Alumni. Well done to all those who have achieved awards and been actively involved in sports throughout their journey at Cranford. We wish you the best of luck.

Hamesh Rattu
(Director of Sport and Community Wellbeing)

British Basketball League Trip at the O2

On the 14th May 2023 the PE department organised Cranford’s first trip to the British Basketball League finals at the O2 arena. This was a spectacular event for all of the students as for many it was their first experience at a major professional sporting event. Twenty students across year 7 to sixth form attended the trip to watch both women’s and men’s finals alongside some other exciting events such as the ‘dunk’ competition and performances from ‘Young T and Bugsy’. This was an amazing experience for all but especially for the girls who attended the trip as it highlighted the possibilities of women being successful in sport beyond school level.

Basheak Bussue
(Head of PE and Sports)

Southall Athletic & Cranford Community College

This year we started our partnership with Southall Athletic Football Club. Southall Athletic, is an all-inclusive grassroots football club offering weekly sessions outside of school for both boys and girls aged 5 to 16.

In September we hosted our first open football session for the Under 12’s (Year 7) age group, this session was attended by over 50 boys. The coaches were so impressed by our students’ attitude, enthusiasm and maturity that what was meant to be one session became a weekly session lasting two terms.

The success of this led to nine students signing up for the team and having a very successful first season in which they won their league, later going on to a league final.
Overall, the boys have had a positive experience, have built friendships inside school and further cemented those relationship outside with a common interest. They have healthy training routines and are in pre-season training for the next season.

In September 2023, we are excited to work with SAFC again not just with our boys, and the walking football sessions run by their coaches, but also being a part of their FA backed girls football programme.

Hamesh Rattu
(Director of Sport & Community Wellbeing)

National Football League Girls Flag League

This International Women’s Day, the New York Jets and Chicago Bears, launched the Jets and Bears National Football League Girls Flag league, the first UK all girls’ competition of its kind, to overcome barriers in activity and to increase access to sport for young girls. Cranford was one of 12 teams who competed over a total of 7 weeks at Ealing Trailfinders.
Cranford entered both Jets and Bears teams into the competition representing the school from years 7, 8 and 9. Considering NFL being a brand-new sport being introduced to the school, the girls showed huge determination and good spirit every week. They showed confidence and eagerness to learn more by attending a training session held by the PE department before matches.

NFL may be a new sport to Cranford however we hope to continue having an NFL Flag girls football team. A huge well done to every single girl who showed resilience and commitment over the 7 weeks for NFL, who represented Cranford in an exemplary manner, we are proud of you all.

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Cranford partner “Teach First” celebrates 20 years

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Teach First, the education charity who recruit and train teachers, celebrated its 20th birthday this summer and Cranford Community College have been with them throughout this journey.

Cranford has been a key partner with Teach First since its first year in 2003, which saw three Teach First trainees start their careers at Cranford. Since then Cranford have trained over 100 Teach First teachers and currently 20 Cranford staff are Teach First trainees or Ambassadors.

To support in their special anniversary events, on Friday 30 June 2023 Cranford hosted perhaps our most international group of visitors ever from Teach First partner schools across the globe.

16 teachers and trainee teachers joined us to tour the school and learn more about the UK education system and Cranford’s curriculum and values from places as far and wide as Belgium, Israel, Mexico, Portugal, Peru, China, Pakistan, Germany, Spain and the Philippines. One of the UK delegates was even an ex-student and the visitors were wowed by the lessons they saw and the ‘unique and special’ atmosphere of the school.

One Spanish teacher has requested further visits for her and other staff from her “escuela” as they were so “impressed with the students’ level of engagement in the classroom, extensive community partnerships, the enrichment opportunities and commitment to teachers’ professional development”.

Congratulations and Happy 20th Birthday to Teach First and thank you to all the Cranford staff and students who helped contribute to our ever-growing international reputation!

Rob Ind (Joint Head of School)

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