Week 36 (29 April – 3 May 2024)

Examinations

Public examinations begin next week

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

We wish all students the best of luck with their examinations.

Subject Focus – Computer Science

“Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes.” – Edsger Dijkstra

The computer science team, led by Ms Stroude, has a highly ambitious and innovative curriculum which covers three main strands: computer science, information technology and digital literacy. All lessons involve modelling and demonstrations which can be teacher- or student-led. Examples and exemplars are used to show concepts such as computer code which would link to similar problems for students to solve. Problem-solving is a key learning tool which students use to develop independent learning skills as well as the ability to support one another in class. Students summarise key terms and vocabulary explained by teachers in their online class notebooks each lesson. 

The in-class focus for each key stage equips our students to use computational thinking and information technology to create content. This theme runs throughout the curriculum all the way up to Year 13. Current topics showcase computational thinking in Scratch (Year 7) programming, Micro:bit (Year 8) and Python (Years 9-13). Extra-Curricular opportunities for Year 7 (Scratch), 8 (Java) and 10 (Python) this term, will extend their knowledge of these concepts with added time to work on extended projects. 

The curriculum offered by the computing department seeks to prepare students for the future workplace and the digital world. This year’s Sixth Form trips to the Data Centre, Sky, and the CyberThreat Conference means that students develop an understanding of career pathways and experience a professional working environment outside of school. Recent successful student stories include a British Airways apprenticeship offer to a Vocational IT student and university offers for many of our students to further their studies in the subject. You can see more past success stories in this document. 

Coming Soon!

Some more dates for your calendar

The full calendar is available at this link.

Year 8 Mini-Options

The opportunity for Year 8 to shape their timetable for September

Today (Friday), we officially launched the Mini-Options process for Year 8 students. The Mini-Options process gives Year 8 the chance to make a series of choices which will affect their Year 9 timetable to help them prepare for the increased demands of GCSEs.

Students will choose two subjects from: computing, geography and history and two subjects from: art, design & technology, drama and music. In Year 9, the four chosen subjects will then have increased lesson time, while the other three subjects will not appear on students’ timetable. The focus on the selected subjects will be to develop the knowledge, application, and skills to be highly successful at GCSE and then at post-16 level, if appropriate. 

Parents/carers and students have been sent the full information booklet – you can also read it on this website.

Safeguarding

The importance of a good breakfast

We often describe breakfast as the most important meal of the day. The school day is demanding in terms of study, being active, sport and social interaction. This is why we provide a free breakfast, available for all our students every day in the Dining Rooms. Here is how eating a good breakfast helps our students have a successful day: 

• Enhanced Cognitive Function: Breakfast provides the necessary nutrients and energy to fuel the brain, improving concentration, memory, and overall cognitive function. For students, this means better performance in classrooms, exams, and daily activities. 

• Improved Mood and Behaviour: Eating breakfast stabilises blood sugar levels, which can positively impact mood and behaviour. A well-balanced breakfast can help students stay focused, alert, and emotionally regulated throughout the day. 

• Better Academic Performance: Research consistently shows a correlation between eating breakfast and academic achievement. Students who eat breakfast tend to have higher test scores, better attendance rates, and fewer behavioural issues compared to those who skip it. 

• Healthy Growth and Development: Breakfast provides essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fibre necessary for proper growth and development, particularly during childhood and adolescence. 

• Establishing Healthy Habits: Encouraging breakfast consumption sets a precedent for lifelong healthy eating habits. Students who eat a regular breakfast are more likely to make healthier food choices throughout their lives, reducing the risk of obesity and related health issues. 

In conclusion, breakfast plays a pivotal role in supporting students’ physical health, mental well-being, academic success, and long-term health outcomes. Please encourage your child to regularly eat breakfast, at home or free in our canteen, in order to set them up for a day of learning, activity and growth. 

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.

House Point Champions

Celebrating student success

Well done to those students who reached the threshold for Diamond or Prestige awards this week – we are proud 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

A new set of award winners

A huge congratulations to this week’s worthy recipients of a Pride of House award. This award is given to a student in each form who has best exemplified the values that make an Isleworthian. Click a house badge to check out each list!

Extra-Curricular Timetable Published

A superb suite of summer opportunities

We are delighted to announce that the Extra-Curricular timetable for the Summer Term has just been published. Once again, there are a huge range of activities available – over 40 across the week! New clubs include the Python Skills Boost for Year 10, as well as clubs for art, business and current affairs, chess, and film. Plus, many favourites from last term continue, like Board Game Club, MFL Karaoke lunchtime sessions, drama and music ensembles, and lots and lots of sport. Do check out the full list. In school, we are so proud to offer an extraordinary range of outstanding opportunities for all our students.

News

Unique opportunities for students to develop themselves and plan their futures

Year 7s Compete in Mini-Marathon

A few weekends ago, several Isleworth & Syon students represented Hounslow in the TCS Mini London Marathon alongside the main marathon. 12,000 school children completed the last 2.6km of the marathon course, along The Mall.

Well done to Year 7 students Miguel Ponchio (pictured above first-left) and Veer Bij (fourth-left), who both took part in the under-13 boys race. Well done boys for your impressive performance.

Royal College of Music Open Day

On Wednesday, Mr McKeever and Mr Wilson took a small group of keen musicians for a special Open Day session at the Royal College of Music (RCM). Based in South Kensington, RCM is one of the world’s leading higher education music institution. After a short journey on the Piccadilly Line, students were able to take part in a range of fascinating sessions, which included meeting with lecturers and students. This visit gave them first-hand experience of what it is like to study at a prestigious college.

Year 11 Watch ‘Romeo and Juliet’

After last week’s successful staging for Year 10, we were very lucky to have The Globe Players back in school yesterday (Thursday) for another performance of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. This time, it was Year 11 who packed the hall for this brilliant and clever production.

The Globe Players are a travelling theatre company who specialise in abridged versions of Shakespeare plays. What makes this so unique is that they stop the play at key points to provide detailed explanations. For Year 11, this was ideal, considering they are just weeks away from writing about the play in their English Literature examination. It was a brilliant way to remind students of key concepts that they will need to remember when they sit those important exams.

Sixth Form Bake Sale

A few weeks ago, a group of Sixth Form students held a special after-school bake sale in the Dining Rooms to raise money for Comic Relief. All Sixth Form students and staff could bring their own baked goods, which were then sold for £1 each – with all proceeds going to Comic Relief to benefit those who need it the most. The carrot cake in particular was a massive hit! It was a fantastic community effort from the students, who raised £62 in total. Well done to them!

Blake Lawrence – Sky Legal

Finally for today, well done to Year 12 student Blake Lawrence, who recently took part in a Legal Insight Day down at Sky. Based in their Osterley campus less than a mile away from school, this fascinating day gave students a brilliant insight into what a career in law looks like, as well as the important role that Sky’s legal team plays in their business. Blake also received a tour of the Sky campus and took part in a series of case study exercises. Blake found out about the opportunity from our librarian Ms Squires, and was full of positive comments about the experience afterwards. He said, “I really enjoyed developing my skills, pushing myself out of my comfort zone, and learning about alternative routes into law, especially at such an incredible local multi-national company like Sky!”