My experience at the Sports Leadership celebration was very interesting and fun. When we arrived at Springwest Academy, we participated in basketball and badminton. We also practised our sports leadership skills and put these into practice, organising small-sided games. After that, we had an assembly with all the other schools and listened to a very successful Paralympic athlete, Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson. She told us about her experiences and her toughest moments in sport. I found this extremely motivating as she always had the spirit to continue no matter the hardship.

We then returned to more sports leaders’ activities in their sports hall. We had another assembly with a talk from another important guest speaker, local MP Seema Malhotra, about her past and what she accomplished in sport as well as the importance of youth sport in the local community.

Following that, myself and the other sports leaders spoke to local organisations which create and support new Hounslow youth zones and sport within the Borough. We also spoke to other people in charge of a new boxing organisation, St Mary’s university students and the Youth Development Officer for CB Hounslow Football Club. 

Arvin Bhogal [10B]

Mansour Celab - Apprenticeship Talk

To kick off National Apprenticeship Week, we were honoured to welcome Mansour Celab, a former student who achieved three A-Levels in 2023. He delivered a special assembly, sharing his inspiring journey to securing a Level 6 apprenticeship. Sixth Form students also had the opportunity to participate in a CV-building workshop during periods 1 and 2.

Mansour’s story of resilience was truly motivating. Despite facing rejection from over 30 applications, he persevered and is now securing £15 million contracts while balancing work and study every Friday. 

It was wonderful to hear from Mansour and have the opportunity to ask questions about the best ways to prepare for interviews and assessment centres. He offered valuable advice on my CV and covering letter, which was really helpful. We also had the chance to review how he tailored his covering letter specifically for the apprenticeship, which provided great insight.

Dino Gurjao [13A]

During KS3 Girls Fitness Club, I have had so much fun and have experienced how to keep fit in many different ways, like skipping, running and even just playing fitness games. This club has given me an experience of a lifetime! Our coach helps us keep motivated and even joins in. Our coach makes us laugh too and that is why I really enjoy having a club where I can have fun and be fit at the same time. Each time I go, I make more progress than the last time and this makes me look forward to working out. I now know it doesn’t have to be boring to take part in a fitness club!

Ayla Besic [7B]

During Fitness Club, we exercise, which is great fun and I love it. It has helped me to bring down my stress as I can get my mind on something that helps me. Our coach helps us by giving us demonstrations and keeps us motivated. This club is definitely recommended! I love gym and fitness because you get to play physical fitness games and you don’t get sweaty. So if you are looking for a non-sweaty workout, come along and join us on Wednesday after school.

Ozra Hanif [7Y]

On Tuesday, 26 November, seven of Year 10's most esteemed students took part in the ESU public speaking competition. We had to write a speech based on a certain topic and present it to seven other schools via Microsoft Teams. We all worked together in preparation for the competition, spending Monday registration period practising. Alexandra helped us research our topic, on the impact of social media on shaping the minds of young people. Anneka, Kaia and I wrote the speech, Luna was our Chairperson who questioned the other schools, Azzmina introduced our school to the other teams and Alpi delivered the speech.

Once we had researched and written our speech, the Year 7s acted as our audience where we had to deliver the speech to them, consider their feedback, which aided our progression in writing this speech, perfecting the speech itself and its execution and delivery. It helped all of us with developing our oracy skills and also our confidence in public speaking, not to mention the knowledge we gained whilst researching the topic. I really enjoyed the team work.  I would also like to thank and sincerely share my appreciation of both Mrs Kyriacou and Miss Chana for their devotion in ensuring all of us were ready for the competition.

Diya Khosla [10Y]

" I thoroughly enjoyed organising Cultural Fusion as it gave me a valuable opportunity to showcase my leadership skills while fostering a sense of community that we can all take pride in. Although it was initially challenging to persuade students to participate and perform, the effort was well worth it. Together, we managed to raise over £200 for Hounslow Food Bank, making the experience both fulfilling and impactful."  

Liya Ludhra [12A]

"Joining Heston Community School this year has been a fantastic experience, and taking part in Cultural Fusion gave me a true sense of belonging. During the event, I had the exciting opportunity to be the main MC, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Although standing in front of a packed hall was nerve-wracking at first, I’m so glad I took on the challenge. It was an unforgettable experience, and I’m already looking forward to participating again next year!" 

Aariz Khan [12B]

"Participating in Cultural Fusion for the first time was an unforgettable experience, and although it will be my last before heading off to university, I’m so glad I got to be part of it. Creating these memories with everyone was truly special. I’m sure our Year 13 bhangra dance had everyone laughing, but it was absolutely worth it!" 

Jose De Brum Pereira [13D]

On Friday, 13 December, 58 Year 10 students took part in the ‘Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge’ workshops, spending the day off timetable to focus on crafting and delivering impactful speeches. The event gave students a unique opportunity to develop their public speaking skills, with expert external facilitators coaching them on how to select meaningful topics and deliver emotive speeches with a positive message. They were supported by Miss Ali and Miss Cator-Wanli, who enjoyed seeing the students outside their comfort zones and in an entirely unique context. They both commented on how impressed they were with the genuine passion of the students for their topics and their positive approach to public speaking. 

Each student chose a topic they were passionate about, ranging from environmental issues to mental health awareness, personal experiences to social justice causes. The facilitators helped our students refine their delivery, providing guidance on tone, voice projection, body language, and structuring a compelling argument. As the day progressed, our students grew in confidence and even those who may have been initially hesitant to speak made an effort to present, helped by their peers, the facilitators and teachers. By the end of the day, students were confidently delivering their speeches, engaging their audience with clarity and emotion.

Our students commented that the day was a refreshing break from the usual school routine, offering them a chance to explore a new skill in an interactive, hands-on way. The external facilitators commented on the encouraging atmosphere of the workshops and how engaged our Year 10s were. They found our students to be respectful but full of personality and energy!

Miss Ali and Miss Cator-Wanli selected Triston [10Y], Alpi [10W], Kaia [10Y], Angad [10Y], Alexandra [10R], and Jasmin [10B] as our winners from the workshops. They will face each other in our in-school final during an assembly on 28 January where a school finalist will be chosen to go forward to the regional final on 25 February.