From the Co-Headteachers
It has been yet another really busy week in school, with an array of vibrant, hands-on daily lessons and a host of outstanding enrichment opportunities in the arts, science and sport. Worthy of a headline notice is the Year 10 DofE Bronze group who arrived back to school last Saturday after a rain-drenched Friday evening in the Surrey Hills. Check-out our club of the week section for more information. You can read all the news below.
House assemblies have dominated a lot of our pastoral care this week. There have been huge drives on maximising individual potential, promoting learners as leaders within the classroom, form groups working as effective teams and, in particular, the sum of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. All these values highlight the importance of the form group; our House system – a school within a school – embodies these values. Indeed, such values are deeply embedded in our traditions and school history and, as such, we encourage everyone to reinforce them at every opportunity.
Simon Fisher and Jo Higginbottom
Progress & Partnership Day
Progress & Partnership Day (PPD) takes place next Friday, 14 October. Please note that normal lessons for all year groups are cancelled on this day; remote learning will be set.
Below are key points to note for your appointment:
- Parking is very limited on-site – via the Church Road gate – please try to walk/cycle or use public transport.
- Please arrive for your appointment at least ten minutes before the time stated above.
- Please make your way to the Hall to register; do not go straight to your appointment.
After registering, you will be given the first 2022-23 data sheet and additional information for some year groups.
Students should attend the appointment in full school uniform.
Thank you.
National Headlines Around School Cultures
Ongoing national press accounts of sexual harassment against women and girls are deeply alarming, especially as it appears young people around the country do not feel they are able to come forward and speak to school staff. Schools should be safe places and we are wholly committed to this as an institution.
Any such behaviour or language is unacceptable in our school. We are encouraging anyone in our school community to speak to a member of staff (or a trusted adult outside of school) if they have witnessed or experienced abuse or have experienced sexual language and behaviours that have caused them distress. Speaking to a member of staff means we can provide support and escalate cases to our colleagues in social care as well as the police where required. Parents/carers are strongly encouraged to talk about these issues at home with their children to supplement the work going on in school. Many of these sensitive issues are a much wider problem than schools can address. Indeed, a recent Ofsted report says that while schools can play a part, it is not their sole responsibility to solve it.
PPA
Progress and Preparation Activities (PPA) equates to homework. Parents/carers can check the successful submission of PPA on either the Parent Portal website or by downloading the Insight app from your app store. Be aware that after half-term, we will be tracking PPA submissions more closely in order to introduce pre- and post-school interventions to ensure that students stay on track.
Coming Up!
- Friday 14 October – Progress & Partnership Day (PPD)
- Monday 24 – Friday 28 October – Half-Term
- Tuesday 8 November – Sixth Form Open Evening
- Friday 11 November – Remembrance Commemorations
Vacancy – Bridgelink Centre
The Bridgelink Centre, based in Isleworth, is looking for a part-time community support worker. If you or your child is interested in applying, check out the advert for more details.
Word of the Week
The word of the week is hypothesis.
News
Sport Report
In a busy week for PE and sport, we have seen high levels of participation in our sports teams, starting on Monday with the Badminton squad earned an impressive victory over KCS Wimbledon. On Wednesday afternoon, we had four fixtures taking place simultaneously against other schools. This reinforces our position as a school with an extensive extra-curricular sporting programme.
Mini-Marathon
A few weekends ago, several Isleworth & Syon students took part in the TCS Mini London Marathon alongside the main marathon. 7,000 school children completed the last 2.6km of the marathon course, along The Mall.
Sixth Former Elliot Heath (pictured above first-left) took part in the under-17 boys race, which involved 152 runners. He finished in 14th place, an impressive performance! Other competitors were Kai Joshi (under-13s) and the Shaw brothers, Isaac (under-13s) and Jonah (under-17s, pictured above fourth-left). Well done boys for your impressive performance.
DofE Bronze
Our Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Award programme continued this week with Bronze participants undertaking their assessed expedition.
For those who don’t know what DofE is – it is a national award programme designed to promote curiosity, teamwork and leadership. Students take part in six months of volunteering as well as showing that they have learned a new skill and taken part in regular physical activity. They take part in weekly training exercises where they learn the basics of setting up camp and navigating terrain – then, they go on an expedition to pull it all together.
The Bronze expedition saw a large group of Year 10 students spending two days in the Surrey Hills. Students had to demonstrate their campcraft and navigation skills, and did brilliantly in some difficult circumstances!
School Production Rehearsals Begin
Our school production is always a highlight of the school year – a full drama and music production taking place on our full-size stage in the school hall. Casting has taken place at the start of term and auditions began this week for our performances of
‘The Odyssey’
This is an incredible tale of one man’s 10-year struggle to reunite with his family. On his way home he encounters a bloodthirsty cyclops, travels to the land of the dead, and must travel through the seas inhabited by deadly sirens.
Performances will take place on the evenings of Thursday 9 and Friday 10 February, with everyone welcome. Tickets will be released in January.
60 students will take part in the production, with the boys also being given the opportunity to undertake technical roles like stage management, costuming, lighting and sound. We can’t wait to see this epic production!
KS3-Ready Evening
We know that it is not just students that have to cope with the transition from primary school to secondary school. We know that this huge change has an impact on families as well. With this in mind, we organised a special parent/carer evening on Thursday.
The main aim of this Key Stage 3-Ready Evening was to help parents/carers understand how they can help children be ready for the challenges of Key Stage 3. We explained how students would become an Isleworthian during their time in school, particularly how we would focus on their development from boyhood to manhood. It was a successful evening, well-attended by parents/carers.