Week 45 (1-5 July 2024)

Welcome from the Co-Headteachers

Large-scale events plus high-quality revision and assemblies celebrating success

It has been an incredibly busy week with a hugely successful Year 6 into Year 7 transition event, a mock general election led by our Sixth Form student leaders as well as our annual and utterly amazing Summer Arts Festival. You can read about all below. Interspersed between these three large-scale events have been waves of high-quality revision lessons preparing students for internal assessments. At this point it worth noting that, while the majority of these assessments have now finished, there are still “catch-up” assessments taking place during Wider Learning Week for any students who might have been absent on their original assessment day(s). Congratulations to all those students who have successfully navigated these robust internal assessments, many for the first time. Our high expectations and formal procedures are fantastic training for the “real thing” in Years 10 and 11.

During the week, Year assemblies have also been celebrating success, largely individual academic progress. In addition, in preparation for the summer holidays, we have been reinforcing issues linked to personal safety; in particular, sun safety, safe cycling, open water safety, and healthy hydration.

As a reminder, any Year 10 student who is without a work placement should attend school as normal from Monday 8 July to Friday 19 July. The timings for the Year 10 programme are 8.30am to 1.50pm. Full school uniform is required; students should bring their PE kit and a water bottle every day. Information was sent out about this programme last week.

Please do leave us any feedback you have about the newsletter at this link. All feedback is shared with Senior Staff so that we can make our communications better.

Simon Fisher and Jo Higginbottom

Transition Day

Welcoming our new Year 7s, starting in September

On Tuesday, we enjoyed hosting our Year 7 Transition Day – for families that will be starting Year 7 in September. First, we welcomed the boys – resplendent in their primary uniforms – for a taster day in school. Students took part in a range of lessons, with students enjoying subjects like drama, English, history, maths, science and PE! Students also experienced an Isleworth & Syon assembly to introduce them to our key values and high expectations – and enjoyed watching a Summer Arts Festival rehearsal while eating their packed lunches.

Then, in the evening we welcomed parents/carers for our Transition Evening. This hour-long event gave parents/carers a crash course in life at I&S, and gave more information about important aspects of school life.

We now look forward to welcoming these families to school properly in September, as their six-month induction process continues. That process finishes with the Induction celebration assembly at the end of the Autumn Term.

Work Experience

Bridging the gap between learning and the professional world

Work experience for students at Isleworth & Syon School is crucial as it bridges the gap between academic learning and the professional world. It provides students with practical skills, enhances their employability, and helps them understand workplace place dynamics. Additionally, work experience fosters personal development, boosts confidence, and offers insights into potential career paths. In a diverse and competitive city like London, these opportunities are invaluable in preparing students for future success and making informed career choices.

Coming Soon!

Some more dates for your calendar

• Monday 8 – Friday 19 July – Year 10 Work Experience
• Monday 8 – Friday 12 July – Wider Learning Week (Years 7-9 and 12)
• Wednesday 17 July – End of KS3 Awards Event
• Friday 19 July – End of Summer Term (students dismissed at 12.30pm)
• Thursday 15 August – Level 3 Results Day
• Thursday 22 August – Level 2 Results Day

The full calendar is available at this link.

Free School Meals

Advance notice for families

This is advance notice that all children on Free School Meals (FSM) will receive vouchers over the summer holiday period. Parents/carers can also now claim HAF vouchers for the summer holidays via this link.

Wider Learning Week

Final reminders before our special enrichment week, next week

We can’t wait for Wider Learning Week (WLW), starting on Monday and lasting all the way until Friday. Students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 12 will come off their normal timetable to take part in exciting and enriching activities. Next week’s newsletter will be a complete WLW takeover, so you won’t want to miss that!

This week, we sent reminder letters to Key Stage 3 students. Check them out and make sure students have read key notices on uniform, trips and expectations. They will register in a different room to normal each morning, so make sure that they check the screens around the school for where they have to go.

Mock Election

Our students have spoken

Yesterday (Thursday), the UK went to the polls for the latest General Election. All week, student assemblies have focused on the election, explaining to students how democracy works in this country and what one’s vote means.

We decided to take this a step further, though, and hosted a ‘mock election’ on Wednesday. Beforehand, five Year 12 students stood in for the main party leaders and recorded short videos explaining their party’s policies. Reform UK’s candidate, Areeb, recorded his at the actual Houses of Parliament – during last week’s trip. It was great to see the Sixth Form students giving their all to this community project.

During Wednesday, students were able to go into the ‘polling station’ and cast their vote behind screens – set up to mimic the layout from real life. Results were then announced to students on Thursday. Reform UK finished narrowly top of the student vote, polling at 29.8%. Real-life election victors Labour were close behind, finishing second on 26.5% – beating the Liberal Democrats by just one vote! The table was rounded off by the fourth-placed Green Party (8.7%) and, lastly, the Conservative Party (5.1%). Well done to everyone who voted – it was a fantastic way to bring students’ learning to life and teach them about civic duty. Our election efforts contributed to this nationwide programme, organised by the Hansard Society.

Old Isleworthians Family Fun Day

A great event from one of our partners

If you’re free tomorrow (Saturday 6 July), why not pop down to the Family Fun Day hosted by our partners, Old Isleworthians RFC. The event takes place down at Wood Lane – check out more information in this flyer.

Safeguarding and Personal Development

What does a new Government mean for young people?

In PSHE lessons and through our own Mock Elections, we have been trying to enthuse our students about the importance of defying the popular view that young people are not interested in politics and even ‘apathetic’.  

We know that it is within our new UK government’s power to significantly impact young people’s lives, shaping their future through changes in policies and priorities. Education is a key area where new leadership can introduce reforms, potentially affecting school curricula, teacher shortages, university tuition fees, and vocational training opportunities. These changes can influence the quality and accessibility of education for young people. 

Employment prospects are also crucial, as a new government may implement economic policies aimed at job creation, youth employment programs, and apprenticeships, helping young people enter the workforce and build their careers. Additionally, policies on housing can affect young people’s ability to find affordable homes, crucial for their independence and stability. 

Health and social services are other critical areas, with potential changes in funding for mental health services, social care, and youth programs that support well-being and development. 

 Overall, a new UK government brings opportunities and challenges, shaping the environment in which young people grow and thrive. Though our PSHE and Personal Development Curriculum, we will keep our students engaged in this new national picture – Watch this space!  

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.

Pride of House

A new set of award winners

Pastoral staff have once again commended forty students this week as their form’s Pride of House winner. Well done, boys!

House Point Champions

Celebrating student success

As the end of term draws near, another 25 students have reached the top two thresholds for house points. This shows their commitment to being a superb Isleworthian. See the names below!

_{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

A brilliant STEM enrichment opportunity for four Year 12s

This week, four Year 12 students have taken part in a four-day STEM workshop at Brunel University. It has been a fantastic way for students to get a feel for university life and experience what a lecture and a seminar is like. We received this opportunity because we are part of Brunel’s widening access network – students signed up through their Teams page and were subsequently selected by Brunel to take part. Well done to Sam Celestino, Jayden Mal, Ethan Nunes and Nathan Soares.

News

A plethora of outstanding enrichment – plus a prestigious musical opportunity

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Summer Arts Festival

Last night, we had a superb crowd for our annual Summer Arts Festival. This wonderful arts event showcased the work and talent of over 150 students, with the event split into different zones located around the school. On offer included:

• Drama club performances – including a history lesson from Years 7-8, and both Year 9 and Year 10 performing an original piece written by its stars
• Live events organised and hosted by students taking the Arts Award
• Exhibitions for art, DT and film – showcasing work from all ages
• A band stage in the central quad, featuring music of all genres
• Rap and vocal performances in the MFL quad – plus a little bit of card magic!

Then, all visitors gathered together in the central quad for a showpiece featuring all students plus some special alumni guests. It was a truly special event, showcasing everything the school has to offer. One visitor said afterwards, “Thank you to the whole team; pupils, students & ex students for all their time and hard work to give us this great celebration!” If you have any other feedback, please do let us know!

UWL Music Tech Workshop

Last week, we wrote about our Big Band winning the Hounslow Battle of the Bands competition. The day before, we were given the unique opportunity for some of our music students to work alongside university staff and students to help set up a theatre for the event. Students were selected because they had shown an interest and aptitude in developing technical skills around live performance.

This was a brilliant way to give our students first-hand experience of what it is like to install and engineer professional sound and lighting equipment. Students certainly enjoyed themselves, with one describing it as “unique”.

Volleyball – 9th in London!

This year, our volleyball club has been rapidly improving and rebuilding, despite losing half the team because of Year 13s leaving the school Students have been training hard all year and a few weeks ago were delighted to represent Hounslow at the London Youth Games! We played five matches, winning three and losing two – this meant that we finished ninth out of 23 London boroughs. A superb result!

There was much to be proud of in the performance. Special mentions must go to Daniel Celestino – a Year 9 playing in a team of students from Years 11-13 and team captain Bogdan Murea. Now, it is the time for the team to use this as a springboard to future success.

Primary Visit – DT

Over the last few weeks, we have promoted our DT team’s primary school outreach programme – reaching out to three different local schools and inviting pupils to experience a taste of DT at Isleworth & Syon. This week saw the final session, with Year 5 students from Smallberry Green spread across two workshops to build their very own music box. They learned some basics about circuits and transistors before using the soldering iron – ably assisted, of course, by our Sixth Form engineering students. This was another brilliant way for our Sixth Formers to demonstrate our ‘learners as leaders’ philosophy while also opening the primary students’ eyes to our outstanding department.

Primary Visit – Science

Last week, we wrote about the science team hosting a special science workshop with students from Ivybridge primary school. This week, we welcomed The Blue School for some ‘Fun with Fire’! A big part of the session was teaching the Year 5s how to use a bunsen burner safely. They then put different metals into the fire and watched the flame change colour! As you can imagine, students were very excited about this experiment. Later, students put iron filings over the bunsen burner to replicate the science behind fireworks. It was a fantastic session, with the primary students well-assisted by current Year 7 and Year 8 students who used to attend the Blue School.

Sam Gilmour – Royal Academy of Music

Finally for this week – in November, we told you about Year 9 student Sam Gilmour taking part in a special Young Composer programme with the Royal Academy of Music (RAM). We were delighted to learn that he has just been invited to a second opportunity to work directly with the prestigious musical institution. This time, he will be mentored by leading modern composers with a special focus on vocal music. His work will be showcased at an event later this year.

We were delighted to commission Sam to compose an original piece to launch the finale to the Summer Arts Festival. The audience were certainly very impressed that one so young could create something so technically impressive. Well done, Sam!