Week 37 (6-10 May 2024)

Welcome from the Co-Headteachers

Going above and beyond to help prepare our young people for life in modern Britain

We are extremely proud to be a school for boys. We enjoy teaching boys and young men because we believe that the world needs kind fathers as well as caring husbands and partners. On a daily basis, we strive and drive to produce successful students, confident young people and responsible, grown-up citizens who have had the best start in life.

At Isleworth & Syon, we enjoy a proud heritage of excellent examination results, outstanding enrichment opportunities and positive contributions to our local community through student leadership pathways. We work tirelessly to maintain our high standards, both in school and across our community.

One area of real strength over the past few years has been in preparing students for examinations, work experience and their next steps. This is called ‘personal development’ and it involves staff going above and beyond to help prepare our young people for life in modern Britain. Staff are excellent role models for students, modelling good manners including highly valued ‘soft’, emotional skills as well as kindness on a daily basis. Mutual respect, care and warmth are a fact of day-to-day life in school. Crucially, in the lead-up to Mental Health Week 2024, staff direct students to talk openly about their feelings; this is the unseen side of teaching at I&S. It is called the ‘hidden curriculum’ and we are immensely proud of its impact. 

Thank you for reading the Isleworthian this half-term. We would always love any more comments you have about whether this weekly publication is useful. Please leave a comment at this anonymous link.

Simon Fisher and Jo Higginbottom

Goal-Setting

Developing students’ internal motivation skills

Our highly-structured and progressive reward system includes House Points, awards, ties, cups and shields. However, we rigorously strive to develop ‘intrinsic’ (internal) motivation as well. This acknowledges the fact that the most effective students are those able to manage their own learning and are less reliant on teachers and parents/carers. Simply, progress is the greatest motivation. It is only when students recognise this that we see rapid improvements in academic progress. In one of our favourite video clips about career aspirations, Kamal Hyman highlights the importance of goals linked to career pathways. You can view it below.

Remember, our mantra about career aspirations is “pathways, not corridors.” From Year 7 through to Year 13, students are supported in their goal-setting and career aspirations by both independent careers advisors, external mentors, as well as our own Sixth Form Student Leaders.

Year 8 Mini-Options

The choices form has now been emailed to students

Last week, we highlighted the launch of the Mini-Options process, with Year 8 students being given greater choice regarding their timetable for September.

Students have today been emailed the online form so that they can make their choices. A copy was also sent to parents/carers. Please make sure your child puts a different subject for each question and completes the form by the deadline of 9.00am next Friday (17 May).

Coming Soon!

Some more dates for your calendar

The full calendar is available at this link.

Wider Learning Week – Years 7 & 8

Superb activities are planned for this special off-timetable week in July

We were thrilled to launch our exciting Wider Learning Week (WLW) for Years 7 and 8 this week following Year 9 earlier in the term. Taking place from Monday 8 – Friday 12 July, students do not follow their usual timetable. Instead, they take part in a series of enriching learning experiences – designed to challenge students, promote wider understanding, and develop independence.

Every single student in Year 7 will take part in a House trip during their itinerary, where they can learn more about the British figure their house is named after! They will also take part in fascinating science activities; create a ‘play in a day’; stage their own ‘battle’ and learn about the realities of war; and spend a day on a carousel of activities facilitated by the police!

Year 8 activities will stretch and challenge students – pitching ideas in the Dragons Den; developing key film skills; taking part in a cooking challenge led by the Pantry; increasing their art skills through a tricky challenge; and completing a workshop run by the British Army.

It is going to be such a rewarding week – look out for full reports on these activities in a special WLW-themed newsletter on Friday 12 July, featuring contributions by our Year 9 journalism pathway!

Local Health Initiative

Free health checks courtesy of Hounslow borough

We wanted to flag an important local health initiative from the borough. The team from Healthy Hounslow provide free NHS health checks – including measurements of height, weight and blood pressure, as well as a pinprick blood test for sugar and cholesterol. Using the Point of Care machine, the results are analysed, followed by a discussion about the test results, advise and signposting. The process takes about 30 minutes. 

The team are currently offering the health checks to those between the ages of 25 to 74 who have not accessed this service in the last five years and do not have a pre-existing condition (such as diabetes, heart failure, chronic kidney disease.) The cardiovascular (CVD) health coaches work with those having a high risk of CVD by offering them health coaching sessions.

In 2023-2024, the team have attended more than one hundred community events in an ambulance that has been converted into a space that allows them to conduct these checks with confidentiality and privacy. To see where the ambulance is next, have a look at the Healthy Hounslow events calendar.

Personal Hygiene

Building up self-esteem

In our coordinated and evidence-informed approach to safeguarding, we spend a lot of time trying to build up personal pride (self-esteem). Personal pride is crucial to personal development. This approach leads to improved student wellbeing, which, in turn, can improve learning. In the interests of effective partnership working, please monitor the personal hygiene of your son/ward. As we move into the warmer months, we sometimes have to challenge students on their hygiene. Please use this checklist to support your own conversations with your son/ward.

Safeguarding

Raising awareness of mental health across the school

The national Mental Health Awareness Week runs from Monday 13 – Sunday 19 May. Throughout, we are raising awareness of the importance of physical movement on our wellbeing and mental health. 

Practical steps to address this include embedding physical activity into our weekly routines: walking to school, cycling, running, individual and team activities. Participation in such physical activities are fundamental to protecting our wellbeing and mental health. We can all play a vital part in this process; therefore, we are wholly supportive of staff-led pre- and after-school activity programmes. 

We will be reminding the whole community of our five long-standing, whole school wellbeing and mental health messages, one of which is CONNECT. Please ask your child about this over the next week; you can read the full presentation.

Please be aware that the incidence of mental health among young people is increasing. Evidence also shows how young men are the least inclined to seek professional support and guidance – a double whammy. Find out where your child can get support through the YoungMinds website.

Finally, good mental health is more than the absence of a mental health problem. As well as asking why so many young people are living with mental health problems, together we can help our young people thrive with excellent mental health. 

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.

Extra-Curricular Posters

Showcasing outstanding opportunities – organised by year group

Last week, we published the Extra-Curricular opportunities timetable for the Summer Term, organised by day. To help students and families navigate the huge range of activities available, we have updated the year group posters. You can view them on the ‘Extra-Curricular Activities’ page, and a preview of some below.

House Point Champions

Celebrating student success

Well done to this week’s 25 Diamond and Prestige award-winners, presented for reaching 200 and 300 house points respectively. These students are fantastic role models for their peers – 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.} 

Careers Corner

Learn more about apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are still a very misunderstood pathway into employment; the drive from the government to improve apprenticeship provision does not seem to be abating. With this in mind, Pathway CTM are hosting an exciting free webinar for parents/carers, students & teachers to talk through all you need to know about apprenticeships!

The one-hour free webinar will take place on Wednesday 29 May from 6.00 – 7.00pm. It will focus on what opportunities are out there, and how students can secure an apprenticeship. Interested parents/carers and students can register through the Pathway CTM website.

Pride of House

A new set of award winners

40 more students have won a Pride of House award this week, meaning that their form tutor has nominated them for a brilliant contribution to the life of Isleworth & Syon. Please join us in congratulating the winners via the badges below!

News

An international bronze medallist plus a new podcast episode

Public Examinations Begin

Yesterday (Thursday), the summer public examinations for Years 11 and 13 officially began. Students have been preparing in class and at home for months, and now they have the opportunity to showcase their abilities. We wish them all the best of luck throughout the examination period! As an extra reminder, they should re-visit the stress management strategies that we posted a few weeks ago, replicated below:

• NHS – Help your child beat exam stress  
• Anna Freud – How to identify the signs of academic stress, and ways to help  
• Student Minds – resources, tips and blogs about exam stress
• Ofqual – Coping with exam pressure, a guide for students

New Podcast Episode

Yesterday, we emailed parents/carers with episode 8 of our very popular Isleworth & Syon podcast. This episode is called ‘Reading and Revision: A Perfect Combination’, and features the reflections of three Year 11s just prior to the start of their exams. It is a fantastic listen – use the player below or this direct link.

As always, we really do love your feedback as we begin to prepare for Season 2 of the podcast during the 2024-25 academic year. You can leave your comment in this form.

Duke of Edinburgh’s Silver Award

Isleworth & Syon is proud to be one of only a handful of local schools to run all three levels of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award – Bronze (Year 9), Silver (Year 10) and Gold (Year 12). We know that the award is a fantastic enrichment experience for so many students, allowing them to develop many ‘soft’ skills like independent and teamwork.

This year’s Silver cohort is made up of 25 students. To complete the Award, students must take part in four sections – Service, Skills, Physical Recreation, and Expeditions. For the latter, the boys have headed off on their practice expedition yesterday (Thursday) and will return tomorrow. They have gone to the Chiltern Hills, and early signs indicate that they are doing very well at putting their weekly training sessions into practice! They had to really consider their campcraft and navigation skills throughout, as well as dealing with the very hot weather! Staff are posting on X (Twitter) throughout the next few days, so do check that out – @IsleworthDofE.

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Tiam Abazari – International Taekwon-do

In school, we have a rich tradition of students taking part in competitive sport not just in school, but outside as well. The latest addition to this glittering history is Sixth Form student Tiam Abazari, who represented England at the European Championships in Taekwon-do in April!

Tiam took part in both team and individual competitions during the week-long competition, which took place in Slovenia. In his individual fights, he took part in the -69kg division of the 16-17-year-old-male category. He was unfortunate to lose both fights but he gained valuable experience. For the team competition, England were unlucky to lose in the semi-finals – although being defeated by the eventual silver medallists made it slightly easier to swallow! In the end, England finished in third place, meaning Tiam finished the competition with a medal!

These achievements are a testament to Tiam’s hard work and dedication, with hours of training sitting alongside his Sixth Form studies. The next step is continuing the hard work to try and get selected for England again in next year’s competition.

Afterwards, Tiam said, “I feel so proud and honoured to represent England on the international stage. Coming away with a bronze medal after my first international competition was a huge bonus too.”