Week 31 (25-28 March 2024)

Welcome from the Co-Headteachers

Preparing students for success, every day

As we approach the Easter break, we continue to see strong teaching and learning which wholly prepares our students to be successful on their next steps. Such an excellent education based on unparalleled pastoral care includes outstanding, extensive enrichment which, only last night, included an absolutely brilliant Drama and Music Showcase.

Such evenings of performing arts go a long way to dispelling the myths about boys’ schools. As one of parent/carer noted, “Such a variety of talents on show. Thank you to the staff for their hard work in helping to identify and nurture these young performers.” Another parent/carer reported, “Yet again, I leave an event full of pride that my boys attend this wonderful school, one that takes the Arts so seriously. Thank you for all that you do.” Read more about the event below.

Finally, we would like to wish everyone a restful and safe Easter holiday break. Endeavour to apply our five well-embedded MIND principles over the next two weeks: keep active, keep learning, connect, take notice, and give (time and compliments).

As a reminder, the Summer Term begins for all students on Tuesday 16 April at 8.25am. Some students have been invited to attend school on Monday 15 April – communications to these families were sent yesterday (Wednesday).

Do you have any comments on this newsletter, good or bad? We are very grateful for any feedback you may give via this link. Please note that all comments are anonymous – if you have specific school queries, please contact us through the usual channels.

Simon Fisher and Jo Higginbottom

Examination Timetables

Important information for Years 11 and 13

This week, we have published the Summer 2024 public examination timetable for Years 11 and 13. The Year 11 document also contains information about compulsory sessions for students during the examinations period.

You can find the timetables on the Examinations page. Revision programmes should be planned with the schedule in mind – our mantra is to revise “little and often”.

Finis Coronat Opus

Do you know what our Latin motto means?

The school’s official motto is Finis Coronat Opus. This Latin phrase has been associated with the school for as long as any of us can remember!

There are multiple different definitions out there, but our preferred one – the most literal translation – is:

“The end crowns the work”

This week’s key theme (see above) is an alternative translation for the motto as well.

This is the message that we always impart to students – that working hard, and thinking hard, will result in exceptional educational outcomes. We are proud of the progress that our students make – but we know that this is only possible if they work hard every single day.

Coming Soon!

Some more dates for your calendar

The full calendar is available at this link.

The Pantry

A few notices about our canteen service

Thank you for your support during the relaunch of The Pantry. We are confident as we go into the Summer Term that The Pantry will deliver as well as we know they can. A few reminders and updates: 

• Students cannot go into debt, above the cost of one meal deal  
• The Sixth Form servery will be open at break and lunch and offer the same service plus an extra ‘live cooking station’. This will add some variety for staff and sixth form, as well as freeing up capacity in the main servery 
• We run free porridge every morning before school and ‘Free Fruit Friday’, which means that all students can pick up a free piece of fruit at the till at break time.

As a reminder, all menus can be found on The Pantry’s page.

Testicular Tortion

An important public health message

Testicular torsion is a time-critical emergency where a testicle twists, cutting off the blood supply and causing sudden scrotal pain. The testicle can die within six hours without emergency surgery. 

With torsion occurring in 1 in 1,000 boys aged 10-20, NHS England, through the Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) programme, is working to raise awareness and improve education among young people, parents/carers and teachers to ensure boys experiencing severe testicular pain and other symptoms of torsion can recognise the signs and understand to act quickly. 

Further information on causes of testicular pain is available on the NHS website.  

Young Urban Arts Foundation

A great arts opportunity in Hounslow

We wanted to signpost that the Young Urban Arts Foundation (YUAF) will provide a Music Bus situated on Bell Square, Hounslow on selected days in March. You can find out specifics in this flyer. The charity is aimed at 11-19-year-olds; the bus will enable young people to practise their music production, lyric writing, podcasting and more. 

Extra-Curricular Summary

How many students took part in our outstanding opportunities this term?

As the Spring Term ends, over 300 students across the school have attended at least one club over the term. It is never too late for your son/ward to sign up to an activity – either before school, at lunch time, or after school. All he needs to do is consult the full list and then speak to the staff member listed.

Planning is already underway for the Summer Term programme, which will begin after the break. Look out for more information soon!

Safeguarding

Making sure students have regular access to exercise to improve their wellbeing

Isleworth & Syon relentlessly promotes the benefits of an active lifestyle to our students. We even encourage our hardworking Year 11 and 13s to stay active in these final weeks before their public exams and remind them of the positive results that exercise can bring. 

Research shows that exercise offers numerous benefits for teenagers – impacting their physical, mental, and social well-being in profound ways. Regular physical activity helps teenagers maintain a healthy weight, build strong bones and muscles, and improve cardiovascular fitness. This reduces the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease, setting the stage for a lifetime of good health.

Beyond the physical benefits, being active positively influences teenagers’ mental health. Exercise releases endorphins, which elevate mood and reduce feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. With the pressures of academic performance during the examination season, taking exercise and maintaining an active lifestyle can provide students with a natural outlet for managing stress and promoting overall well-being.

Additionally, regular physical activity improves cognitive function, including memory, concentration, and academic performance. By promoting better sleep patterns and reducing fatigue, being active helps teenagers stay alert and focused in school and in preparation for examinations!

Please encourage your son/ward to stay active over the Easter holiday.  

The school is closed from 12.30pm on Thursday 28 March and reopens on Monday 15 April at 8.25am. During the holidays, if you have a concern about the safety or welfare of your child, please email the safeguarding team at safeguarding@isleworthsyon.org. A member of staff will be monitoring the account. If there is an emergency call 999 or, for non-urgent matters that require police attention, call 101.

_{Photo by Orest Sv on Pexels.com}

House Point Champions

Celebrating student success

As we approach the Easter break, it is wonderful to see so many students achieving their Diamond and Prestige awards. As a reminder, these are given for reaching 200 and 300 house points respectively. These students continue to be outstanding positive role models for their peers in the classroom – well done to all of them.

_{Note: this list is accurate as of 7.00am today (Friday). If your child reached a threshold after 7.00am on Friday, they will appear in the next list.} 

Pride of House

Celebrating student success

Congratulations to this week’s Pride of House award winners. There is one from each form group, reflecting their fantastic contribution to school life this week. Please do click on the house badges below to celebrate these students’ achievement!

News

More than 100 students take advantage of our extensive enrichment

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Drama & Music Showcase

As the Co-Headteachers mentioned above, we ended the Spring Term with a bang last night (Wednesday) via our annual Drama and Music Showcase. With over 75 students taking part, it was a glorious celebration of the performing arts.

The spectacular programme featured exemplar work from across the key stages, with particular highlights including the Year 7 & 8 drama club piece featuring live djembe drum accompaniment (pictured first above) and the Battle of the Bands school final (pictured second). Year 13 A level drama students also performed a superb excerpt of their exam piece (‘Dealer’s Choice’, pictured third) which had been moderated the day before!

The event was brilliantly-compered by Year 10s Jonas Canniere and Ayman Shah; it was very well-attended by our school community. It was particularly lovely to see some Year 6 students who will join us in September.

It truly was a pleasure to see our boys showing off their fantastic talents during this outstanding evening. Check out the full list of students; well done to all of them!

Year 11 Raising Standards Evening

On Tuesday evening, Year 11 students and their families were invited to a special Raising Standards Evening. This 45-minute-long event was designed to support families with the ‘final push’ as students get closer to their examinations.

All guests had access to a short talk which discussed effective revision strategies; the best way to structure the Easter break and the time before and during the examinations; how to support good health and wellbeing to maximise results; and much more. We recommend that all families take a look at the event presentation – as all the strategies listed can apply to other year groups too.

Thank you to everyone who attended. This marks just a small part of a huge effort in school to support Year 11 through this tricky time and ensure they make their best progress.

French School Visit

We are proud to maintain a relationship with French school Lycée Xavier Marmier. The partnership involves sharing ideas, best practice and resources, as well as facilitating short visits. Last week, we were thrilled to welcome a group of Xavier Marmier students to spend a few days in school. They were accompanied by some Year 11 Isleworthians throughout, who were very keen to share their experiences of Isleworth & Syon and discuss the differences between French and English schooling. During the visit, the French students also attended some Sixth Form lessons, visited Turner house assembly and designed a logo for the exchange programme. They also took part in a small football tournament on our astro! It was a fantastic experience for their students and ours – the next step is to send some of our boys to France in the near future!

Sixth Form Go Karting

As part of our extensive enrichment programme, the Sixth Form team is working hard this year to give those students the chance to participate in a wide and varied set of opportunities. So, following on from the successful golf trip last term, we took a group to Acton yesterday (Wednesday) for some high-octane go karting.

Students had a fantastic session, taking part in two 15-minute sessions – trying to both get the fastest lap time and complete as many laps as they could. All students received a comprehensive report at the end! It was an exciting and fun afternoon, with students particularly enjoying the chance to race with staff Mr Mullins and Mr West!

Charity Football Tournament

As we have mentioned previously, the school is very proud to have been awarded Centre of Excellence status by the Leadership Skills Foundation. The award is recognition of the work that goes into providing students with leadership opportunities. One such example took place last week, courtesy of Year 12s taking the Level 3 Sports Leaders qualification. The small group planned, organised and delivered the annual Sixth Form charity tournament, raising money for Comic Relief along the way! There was a fantastic interest in the tournament, with several Sixth Form student teams plus a staff team as well. Congratulations to everyone involved!

End of Term Assemblies

And finally for this term – in the last few days, each year group has enjoyed their own special Celebration Assembly. In total, over 650 certificates have been presented for a huge range of positive contributions to school life. It was fantastic to get students together for a celebration of the term – as well as a reminder of the hard work needed to push even further when the Summer Term arrives. It sent students off to the break with big smiles on their faces!