From the Co-Headteachers
We would like to extend a very warm welcome to readers of this newsletter on behalf of all the staff, students and trustees from Isleworth & Syon School.
This week, the school is well and truly in full flow with vibrancy and energy within classrooms and around the corridors. On top of this, our extensive extra-curricular programme – offering an array of outstanding opportunities to learn, develop, achieve and grow – has also wholeheartedly begun.
In addition, as well as the aspiration for students to be successful in a range of subjects and extra-curricular clubs, school Year assemblies have been driving the importance of personal and social development, in particular ensuring that students are empathetic towards each other. In our daily tutorials, we have continued to drive the promotion of positive wellbeing and mental health alongside issues linked to personal safety in our local community.
Speaking of which, we have had some reports of parents/carers parking on the zig-zags at the front of the school. This endangers students – indeed, we have had some near-misses already this term. Please do not park on these yellow markings.
This newsletter contains important information about our other traditions and values so please read all the items.
Simon Fisher and Jo Higginbottom
Free School Meals
We are increasingly aware that a growing number of families are struggling with the cost of living crisis. If this applies to you, it is possible that you may qualify for Free School Meals, meaning that your son/ward would receive one nutritious meal a day for free. Please contact the school for more information.
Progress & Partnership Day – Timeslots
Our Progress & Partnership Day takes place on Friday 14 October. Parents/carers in Years 7-11 received their specific timeslot via email yesterday, so please ensure you received it. Thank you.
Coming Up!
- Thursday 6 October – KS3-Ready Evening (Year 7)
- Friday 14 October – Progress & Partnership Day (PPD)
- Monday 24 – Friday 28 October – Half-Term
PPA
Parents/carers should be aware that teachers are setting weekly Progress & Preparation Activities (PPA) – also known as homework. Please use the Insight app or the Parent Portal website to check whether your son/ward has completed these crucial tasks which are largely related to revision, re-drafting, reading and research.
Club of the Week
The first of a regular feature, our ‘Club of the Week’ will highlight just one of our outstanding opportunities.
This week, it’s the InSpire Vocal Crew.
Staff: Mr McKeever and Mr Davie
Room: 129
When: Thursdays, 1.00 – 1.30pm
Who: All year groups
Calling all singers, rappers and beatboxers. The music department would like to invite students in every year group to come and prepare fun arrangements of cool, popular music. Later in the year, the InSpire Crew will perform in assemblies, as well as whole school community events.
All are welcome – come with a friend and sing and perform in large groups. A great way to make new friends across years and to feel part of a big musical group.
Check out our full range of opportunities.
Achievement
We enjoy a proud heritage of exceptional education and outstanding opportunities. We work tirelessly to maintain these high standards. The reasons students achieve at this school are many, but particularly because we encourage adults to reinforce how they can achieve; we show them how to achieve, we let them achieve and we praise them when they achieve. Keep an eye on this website and our Twitter account for the latest achievements!
Safeguarding Updates
Students must follow good and safe practice when working online. This includes the effective completion of PPA and the use of Microsoft Teams: protect your passwords, only use your school email account, and use standard English when corresponding on Teams to support your teams or peers.
Learn more in this blog from the NSPCC.
Word of the Week
The word of the week is philosophy.
News
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
It is a life-changing experience. A fun time with friends. An opportunity to discover new interests and talents. A tool to develop essential soft skills for life and work. A recognised mark of achievement; respected by employers. The DofE is many things to many people, and has been supporting generations of young people to successfully navigate adult life.
We are proud to be the only state school in west London to run the Gold award programme for Sixth Form students. This week, they returned from their five-night residential in the Brecon Beacons, where they battled difficult weather conditions throughout. Do check out the DofE Twitter account for some photos of their trip!
Today, students in Year 10 have departed on their Bronze award expedition, where they will spend one night in the Surrey Hills! Good luck to those boys as they take on their first-ever assessed expedition.
KS4-Ready Evening
We know that one of the toughest changes for students is the transition up a key stage, so we do everything we can to support them with this journey. The move from Key Stage 3 (Year 9) to Key Stage 4 (Year 10) is a great example, with GCSE courses offering a more challenging curriculum and way of working for students.
So, we held a KS4-Ready Evening on Thursday, with all Year 10 parents/carers invited to an hour-long presentation in the hall. Led by Mr Dargan, it gave parents/carers a number of tips to help them maximise students’ progress ahead of their examinations in Summer 2024.
European Day of Languages
Monday was the European Day of Languages – a celebration of all things linguistic! The MFL department organised quizzes for Study Support sessions on Monday, with students asked 21 questions to test their knowledge of languages. The task was a great way to engage students with how learning languages can benefit them later in life!
The winning forms for each house were 11Am, 7Br, 7Sh and 9Tr.
Student Librarians
Our school library is a key part of our whole-school commitment to reading – encouraging students to read for pleasure. This year, our librarians Ms Squires and Mrs Matthews have the help of a fantastic core of student librarians in Years 8-10.
This is a great example of our ‘learners as leaders’ philosophy, giving students responsibility within school. They help to run the library as well as having responsibility for the displays. They have also been trained in how to use the library catalogue so that they can lend books to other students.
We are already so impressed with the boys’ commitment this year – well done and keep it up!
Queen’s Coffin Bearer
We learned this week that one of the Grenadier Guards who carried the Queen’s coffin was a former Isleworth & Syon student. Jake Orlowski (pictured on the left with the three sergeant’s stripes on his sleeve) attended the school between September 2004 and July 2009, before heading to Richmond College. He then joined the London Regiment before becoming a Grenadier Guard. His current rank is Lance Sergeant. Well done to Jake for doing a superb job in the most difficult of circumstances.
House Competition
The House system is the beating heart of Isleworth & Syon, giving students feelings of belonging and family within our wider community.
Our new Year 7s, now in their fourth week with us, have settled really well. Last week, they were involved in their first House competition of the academic year. Students were given a reflective and creative task to complete, closely related to their House. See below for the winner from each Form group – well done!
