SPRING TERM 2025 - LETTER TO PARENTS

We are very pleased that the road improvement work along the High Street is now finished.

The road improvements will mean that there is a better flow of traffic, more safe places to cross the busy roads and a wider pavement for pedestrians and cyclists.

It is important for students and parents to understand that the pavement is a shared pavement for pedestrians and for cyclists and therefore as soon as your child steps out of the school gates they must be aware of other users in that space.

Students must also use the new zebra crossings to cross safely.

Whilst it is tempting to cross the road between the traffic, this is very dangerous. We urge all parents to speak to their children about road safety and model the behaviours they would want from their child.

Parents are also reminded that we encourage students to walk to school, use public transport or cycle. Bicycles can be stored on the academy site by reception in the bicycle stand.

The road outside the academy has double yellow lines now and therefore it is not legal or safe to stop in the road or pull onto the pavement/cycle path.

We were really excited to hold our Environment, Climate Change, Efficiency and Workload conference in November 2024. During the conference staff and students committed to:

• Significantly reduce the consumption of resources
• Significantly reduce waste
• Develop a strategy to achieve net-zero
• Build a deeper understanding of what needs to be achieved to have a positive impact on the environment
• Embed core themes of positive activism and sustainability.

Walking, cycling or using public transport to get to school supports the academy’s commitment to achieve net-zero. It will also reduce the amount of air pollution in our local area.

At the conference we identified single use plastic water bottles as a priority area that we want to target and make improvements in. Therefore, in order to have a positive impact on the environment, from January 2025 we will no longer purchase single use plastic water bottles for the academy.

This means these will not be available for staff or visitors and that we will not be selling water in plastic bottles in any of our eating areas. Students are encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottle and use the water refill stations around the academy.

It is helpful if students bring their bottle already filled with water in the morning. In December 2024 students were asked if they would like the academy to provide them with a reusable bottle and those that said yes will be given one in January 2025.

This is the first of many measures we will take to achieve our conference aims related to the environment, climate change, efficiency and workload.

Another very important focus for January 2025 is punctuality to school and to lessons.

Punctuality is a really valuable life skill and one that all students must continue to prioritise.

At Cranford Community College the expectation is that all students are on time for school every day and for every lesson during the day. The vast majority of students achieve this expectation consistently every single day.

Benefits of good punctuality for students.

Punctuality and academic performance are closely related. Punctual students are more likely to attend school regularly, engage actively, and submit assignments on time, resulting in higher academic success.

Being punctual minimises stress levels for students. Your child will be able to escape the last-minute rush, stress, and anxiety that comes with being late or unprepared. Punctuality fosters a sense of calm and control, which leads to increased well-being.

Punctuality assists students to develop effective time management skills. By being punctual, your child will learn how to prioritise tasks, set reasonable objectives, and allocate time efficiently.

Punctuality encourages students to begin their learning activities on time, allowing them to fully participate in the lesson, resulting in a more in-depth comprehension of the things being taught.

Punctuality cultivates professionalism in students. It prepares your child for future roles where punctuality is highly valued. Students who are on time in their academic lives are more likely to transfer this attribute into their professional lives.

The following strategies have been shared with all students to help them ensure that they are always punctual to lessons:

• Check your timetable before the start of every half term as sometimes teachers and rooms change. Students are encouraged to check this over the Christmas holidays. The timetable is sent to your personal school email and your parents’ email.
• Have a copy of your timetable in your diary. Know where you are going.
• Pay attention to the room change starter during morning form time and make a note in your school diary of any changes so you know where you are going.
• Take the most direct route to your lesson. No ‘dropping off’ friends.
• Use break, before school, after school, for socialising – not lesson changeover.
• Listen for the warning buzzer or instructions from the duty staff. The warning buzzer tells you it is 5 minutes until the start of form time, lesson 3 or lesson 5 and you need to start walking directly to your classroom.
• Keep walking at lesson transition time. Don’t stand still.
• If you have a Study Centre lesson go straight to the correct one.
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The following changes to managing and responding to poor punctuality will be introduced from 6 January 2025:

• In order to help students arrive to school on time, all students can use the closest gate for them in the morning. If your child lives towards the A4 Bath Road we encourage you to use the footbridge over the A312 Parkway to safely cross the road.

• All students must be in school for 9.20am. The buzzer sounds at 9.25am and all students must move towards their form room or assembly meeting point. At 9.30am all students must be in form time or assembly.

• Any student that arrives after 9.30am will go to the Remote Access Provision room (RAP) for the day and access their lessons remotely. If a student has an appointment in the morning they must notify the school in advance.

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CATEGORY 1

IN THIRTEENTH POSITION, CRANFORD IS NOW RANKED TO BE ONE OF THE VERY BEST OF ALL 4,000 COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOLS IN THE U.K. FOR 2024.

CATEGORY 2

CRANFORD IS ALSO  RANKED AS THE THIRD BEST FULLY COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL IN THE U.K., making it also the best fully comprehensive school in London.

CATEGORY 3

SIMPLY THE BEST IN THE U.K. OF SCHOOLS WITH THE MOST OPEN AND INCLUSIVE INTAKE.

Even better still, Cranford is proud of its commitment to full inclusion so is particularly delighted that Cranford is judged as the best fully comprehensive school with a completely open admissions policy and which does not give preference priority students from priority areas or partner schools, and treats every applicant equally.

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