Week 13 (25-29 November 2024)

Examinations – Final Reminders

A few important note for Years 11 and 13

Whilst students are working hard on their revision, they should also realise that vital improvements can still be made across all subjects. Remember, one extra mark can change a grade! Alongside revision, students should now start thinking about how to approach the examination days. Important points to remember:

• Know exactly when all exams are scheduled (timetables have been emailed and are on this website).
• Ensure you have enough equipment and – for all Year 11 students – a scientific calculator.
• Ensure a calm and steady approach to taking the written papers.

More ways to handle exam stress can be found in the ‘Personal Development and Safeguarding’ section below.

Challenge Partners Review – SEND

Our special education needs and disability provision is commended by the external team

This week, the school was recognised by external auditors (Challenge Partners) as having genuinely high expectations for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These students are strongly supported to learn the same curriculum as other pupils through careful adaptations. Given this, the ambitious culture of achievement is widely promoted and secure. The reviewers were particularly impressed by the authenticity they recognised around the passion that teachers and learning support assistants have for providing the best for students with SEND. They also commented on how a safe and calm environment is created in which all students can thrive.

The report recognises that our Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENDCo) works extremely closely with school leaders and class teachers to offer guidance and communications to support highly effective classroom practice. Students with SEND, and any who need extra support with their English, receive the help they need to achieve well. Promoting a love of reading is a priority. Indeed, literacy is a priority for every teacher and it is clear that reading across all subjects is strongly encouraged; for example, subject-specific vocabulary is explicitly taught and recycled within lessons so it is well understood.

The auditors commented on how the school library offers a wide choice of texts to suit all tastes; the library as a learning resource is highly valued by students with SEND needs and well used pre and post-school as well as at break and lunchtimes. The whole SEND team offer a diverse and effective range of interventions to support students with SEND which includes the use of Sixth Form students to support reading intervention; the Challenge Partners team felt that this is both innovative and highly effective.

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Coming Up!

Dates for the diary, into the new year

You can access the entire calendar via this link.

PPA Day – Monday 2 December

A note about the upcoming closure

An extra reminder that Monday (2 December) is designated as ‘PPA Day’, meaning that school is closed, and students do not attend.

Students return on Tuesday 3 December at 8.25am.

Internet Safety – Snapchat

Keeping children safe in this popular messaging app

Messaging app Snapchat is incredibly popular amongst young people, with over 800 million users worldwide, of which roughly 20% are under 18 (according to Statista). A lot of young people – and their parents/carers – may not potentially be aware of the risks in the platform.

We recommend this National College guide – which is also available in podcast format via the link. It will help families safeguard younger users and explain more about how the app works.

Christmas Community Messages

An upcoming local project led by our students

We will again be asking students to write Christmas messages to the elderly within our local community. This year, we will focus once more on residents of the retirement home as well as members of the Tuesday Club which runs out of the community centre on St John’s Road.

For the last five years, students have had the opportunity to connect with the elderly by writing joyful stories about their own inter-generational experiences. In response, many of the elderly recipients of our heart-glowing letters have written back to individual students; it is such a lovely exchange of views and memories. 

As a general plea to parents/carers, please drive your son/ward to be an active citizen and encourage him to reach out to a member of our community. The festive messages can be in the form of a letter, poem or card; they can include current affairs. We are hoping that some student leaders are able to visit both venues to read their stories first-hand. This is a great example of active participation in action.

School Transport Survey

A chance for parents/carers and students to have their say

The London Borough of Hounslow is currently consulting on its transport strategy and its active travel plans. Parents/carers can click those links to share their views, as the borough aims for a healthier, greener, and safer Hounslow.

Students can also have their say via the dedicated student survey. It is tailored for 11-to-18-year-olds who live and/or study in the borough, so that they can share their travel experiences. Please do encourage your child to complete the survey.

Extra-Curricular Spotlight – Ciné Club

Students can broaden their horizons and experience different cultures

The MFL team are excited to announce the return of the Ciné Club in ML1 on a Thursday lunchtime. Students in Year 8 and above are encouraged to come along and enjoying watching Spanish- and French-language films from across the world. We are excited to get as many students as possible experiencing the joy of foreign-language film; we truly believe that it is an excellent way to open up our minds to new countries and new experiences, as well as improving our listening skills and pronunciation. Bring your lunch and come along to ML1 on a Thursday. Why not bring a friend with you too?

Pride of House

A new set of award winners

A huge well done to the forty Isleworthians who are this week’s Pride of House recipients. Click a house badge below to see the full lists!

Careers Corner

The end of a four-week apprenticeships project for the Sixth Form

The past four weeks have seen a group of 15 Sixth Form students completing an apprenticeship application program. The course was delivered by the educational charity Spark! – as part of the London Borough of Hounslow’s Careers Cluster. It was implemented based on feedback from last Year 13, who felt they needed more apprenticeship support closer to December.

This highly interactive course includes sessions on what apprenticeships are, where to find them, as well as learning about interviews and assessment centres. Each of the four sessions were supported by companies working in the local area including The University of West London, Kier, MWH Treatment, Network Rail, SAP, The Fitch Group, and The Hill Group. Employees gave insights into their job-hunting experiences and feeding back to our students.

At the end, the deliverers picked the two students who had performed best across the four sessions. Well done to Arjun Ruprah and Junaid Hussein, whose performance would have earned them the job if there was one on offer.

Extended Project – Joe Gilmour

A new mini-series to highlight some outstanding Sixth Form work

In Year 13, students can take the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). This is equivalent to a full A level and offers opportunities for learners to:

• Have a significant input into the choice and design of an extended project.
• Develop their own learning and performance as critical, reflective and independent learners.
• Develop and apply decision-making and, where appropriate, problem-solving skills.
• Extend their planning, research, critical thinking, analysis, synthesis, evaluation and presentation skills.
• Use their learning experiences to support their personal aspirations for higher education and career development.

The EPQ is highly regarded by many universities as it gives students their first experience of working on a thesis and develops skills needed to complete undergraduate courses. It also helps them develop an area of personal interest.

Between now and Christmas, we are going to share some of the exemplar pieces from last year’s cohort. First up is Joe Gilmour, who earned an A* for his superb essay about the concept of universal basic income (UBI). His EPQ discusses how:

• UBI could be beneficial across multiple areas of life – including health and quality of life.
• However, it could harm the labour market or exacerbate inequality.
• There are questions about how it would be funded.
• The long-term effects are difficult to quantify.

We do recommend reading the essay in full. Click the title below to do so!

Would a Universal Basic Income be a viable policy in the UK?

Safeguarding and Personal Development

Some strategies for dealing with examination stress

With the December examinations beginning very soon, we remind students that perspective and self-care are crucial during this period of heightened stress. Making time for self-care is important. This means eating well, getting enough sleep, and taking time to relax and unwind. This is so important for overall wellbeing and being the best that they can be.  

The best way to manage exam stress, is to get organised and get a study plan. ‘Little and often’ works best, breaking revision down into small chunks to prioritise your learning for each exam. This will help students stay focused and avoid feeling overwhelmed. 

Students should also make sure they:

• Organise a comfortable and quiet study space.
• Eat nutritious snacks to keep energy up.
• Get regular exercise to stay focused and energetic.
• Take regular breaks while studying.
• Do something physical or fun to relax their mind during these breaks.

Most importantly, students should not be afraid to ask for help if they need it. Students should remember to keep things in perspective – examination scores do not define a person. Employers are interested in more than your results – they also care about your character and ‘soft skills’. With the right strategies and mindset, students can navigate through the exam period with less stress and more confidence. We wish all students well.

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.

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News

Students perform in the Royal Albert Hall – plus our successful senior school production and more outstanding enrichment

Senior School Production

On Wednesday and Thursday evening this week, we held our second-ever Senior School Production, as students in Years 11-13 adapted William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy ‘Julius Caesar’. This gripping piece catalogued a tantalising assassination plot featuring murder and betrayal. Pictured is a sculpture of Caesar, made for the school by former student Keane Fernandes.

The acting was superb across the board, translating Shakespeare’s (at times) tricky dialogue into a piece of drama that was both heartbreaking and enthralling. Held in the drama studio, the production used lighting and music to great effect, utilising the skills of the students in the Performing Arts Tech Crew. We will have more photographs next week.

One audience member summed it up best, “I am so impressed by the ambition of this production. The school encourages students to aim high – and the students performing and behind the scenes deliver. Well done to all.”

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Quantum Theatre – ‘A Christmas Carol’

On Monday afternoon, we welcomed Quantum Theatre into school for a special performance of ‘A Christmas Carol’ for Year 11. Consisting of just three performers and a limited set, the company broke Dickens’ novel down to its bare essentials, giving students all the information that they need about one of their GCSE English literature set texts. Indeed, the performance brought the text’s key themes to life in a way that will no doubt make it easier for students to write about in the summer! A few student comments are included below.

• “It was really helpful and helped me to get a better understanding of the play.”
• “Helped with key scenes of the novella to consolidate knowledge.”
• “It was very educational.”

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Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge

All day today (Friday), some of our Year 10 High Potential Learners (HPL) have taken part in a workshop preparing for the Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge. This challenge is a UK-wide youth speaking competition; today’s session was led by a specialist external trainer and focused on honing public speaking skills ahead of the regional final in February 2025. By the end of the day, students each spoke out on a topic of their choice – delivering a message with a positive impact. It was a fantastic session!

Computer Science Masterclass

On Monday, Ms Stroude took vocational IT students to St Mary’s University, Twickenham for a Computer Science Masterclass Day. This fascinating day of activities saw students experience a carousel of different lectures, including sessions on cyber security and data science. They were also given unique hands-on experience in the university’s brand-new e-sports arena which cost £625,000! They also spoke to academic staff about career pathways and technology-based courses. This was a brilliant learning experience for everyone involved!

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Students Perform at Royal Albert Hall

Last night (Thursday), twelve I&S musicians performed at the Royal Albert Hall, one of the most prestigious music venues in the world! Their performance formed part of the Music for Young Proms, with students performing ‘Earth’ by Hans Zimmer as part of the BBC Ten Pieces programme. They were joined by other musicians from across the UK for the superb performance.

We were so proud of our students, who did an incredible job in front of a sold-out crowd of 5,000 people! We hope that this opportunity has inspired them to continue their musical journeys, both as part of our in-school ensembles as well as outside of school.

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