Week 39 (20-24 May 2024)

Welcome from the Co-Headteachers

Helping students cope with a challenging time in school

During the “business-end” of the school academic year, students go through a whole array of daily emotions, some of which they are experiencing for the first time. Tackling a mountain of subject revision and the loom of examinations would be tough on anyone. Then add hormonal changes, social pressures and new experiences to the mix. It truly is everything, everywhere all at once.

Especially during exams, with the focus on plans for the future, the life of a teenage student can be pretty daunting. To support students on this journey, we are driving the vital importance of attendance, punctuality and personal organisation in ALL year groups. Every student from Year 7 to Year 13 is taught how to take part in active revision; no stone is left unturned: designing revision timetables, accessing personalised learning checklists (PLCs), constructing knowledge organisers, and performing retrieval practice. Our mantras for active revision is “practice makes permanent” as well as “little and often”. Our advice to parents/carers is to: 

• Check in with your son/ward every day.
• Take notice and praise.  
• Do things together.
• Work on a family-wide “digital detox” (turn off notifications).
• Encourage them to physically exercise.

A reminder that half-term is next week (Monday 27 – Friday 31 May). Students return to school at 8.25am on Monday 3 June. Thank you for your support this half-term – we wish you a good break.

Simon Fisher and Jo Higginbottom

Examinations

Internal examinations for Years 7-10 and 12 are coming up soon

This week, we have sent letters regarding examinations. Students in Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12 have had more details about internal end-of-year examinations.

You can read all the letters on the Letters page, and view the exact dates of each examination, internal and public, in the Examinations section.

Student Council – “You Said, We Did”

Shaping their school through meaningful student voice

In previous newsletters, we have discussed the importance of the Student Council – giving our students the chance to have their voices heard and affect real change in school. We have just published a “You Said, We Did” document, showcasing tangible changes in school based on student feedback. This includes consulting on new Pride of House rewards, re-organising the library, and ways in which we can have more digital learning in lessons.

Our thanks to our Sixth Form student leaders for running the meetings and arranging for student ambassadors to vote on the key proposals. Those with 66% support or more went to SLT for discussion, which led to the above document. We will never stop giving our students the chance to shape their school.

Consistency

Linking to our theme of the week

The power of consistency is profound and much underrated. It can help students overcome a lack of natural talent but, more important, it also allows young people to focus on the process rather than the prize. If students can learn to do something consistently, they can tap into a much greater superpower than the habit itself: the belief that they’re completely capable of changing their behaviour.

In school, we need to keep emphasising the importance of routines in cultivating these habits – because otherwise, this Mason Ramsey quote can manifest: “I’m not so good during the summer, because that’s when all my superpowers go away.”

Coming Soon!

Some more dates for your calendar

• Monday 27 – Friday 31 May – Half-Term
• Tuesday 18 June – Friday 5 July – Internal Examinations (Years 7-10 and 12)
• Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 June – Year 9 immunisations (for those who given consent)
• Friday 28 June – Track & Field Championships
• Tuesday 2 July – Transition Day (Year 6 students) and Transition Evening (Year 6 parents/carers)
• Thursday 4 July – Summer Arts Festival
• 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 – KS3 Awards Assembly
• Friday 19 July – End of Summer Term (students dismissed at 12.30pm)

The full calendar is available at this link.

Hounslow Health in the Park

A great community event in June!

Hounslow Health in the Park takes place at Lampton Park, Hounslow on Saturday 15 June. The free event is a partnership between local NHS Services and voluntary and community groups and will run from 11.00am to 3.00pm.

All activities are FREE and have been designed by health and community partners. Families can enjoy:

• Hop on a smoothie bike and make a refreshing drink while you cycle.
• Test your skills on the court with tennis taster sessions.
• Jump on the inflatable 5-a-side football pitch with Brentford Community Trust.
• Get involved in a nature treasure hunt.
• Immerse yourself in African culture.
• Centre your mind with Baduanjin qigong (a mind and body exercise using meditation), 12-minute sessions on offer throughout the day.
• Test your knowledge with health quizzes.
• Join an outdoor yoga or Tai Chi session.
• Enjoy live cooking demonstrations.
• Share your voice in a dementia-friendly 20-minute Singing for the Brain session.
• Relax in the sunshine and participate in a painting and sketching session.

You can get more details at https://healthyhounslow.co.uk/health-in-the-park/.

Rail Safety

Learn more about keeping children safe around the railways

We wanted to draw your attention again to an issue we told you about a few weeks ago. There have been recent incidents in our local area connected to rail services at Isleworth (National Rail). It is vitally important that all students stay safe in these areas, which includes staying clear of ‘live’ rail lines and behaving responsibly at level crossings.

We recommend all parents/carers spend 15 minutes watching this video – it is free (registration required). Over 21 million students and parents/carers from across the UK have already watched the video-clip, which have led to a significant decrease in fatalities and injuries in their area.

Safeguarding

Helping students stay safe when swimming in open water

As we approach the half-term break and the weather gets warmer, we recommend that parents/carers echo the important messages we have shared in school regarding swimming in open water.  Swimming in rivers poses significant dangers for teenagers due to several factors. Natural water bodies like rivers can have strong currents, which may not be visible on the surface, posing a risk of drowning even for strong swimmers. Uneven riverbeds with sudden drop-offs can catch swimmers off guard, leading to unexpected deep water. 

Rivers often contain hidden debris such as rocks, branches, or man-made objects, which can cause injuries, especially when falling or jumping in. Water quality is another concern, as rivers can be polluted with bacteria from sewage or chemicals, leading to health issues. Additionally, the temperature of river water can be much colder than it appears, potentially causing cold water shock, which impairs physical abilities and increases the risk of drowning.

Finally, the absence of lifeguards and safety equipment in most natural river settings means that immediate help may not be available in case of an emergency, increasing the severity of any accidents. Due to these risks, it is crucial for teenagers to be aware of the dangers and to avoid swimming in rivers without proper supervision and safety measures. Below are a couple of videos that we recommend watching. You can also see learn more about local swim schools.

it is important that parents/carers are vigilant over the holiday period. If you have a concern about the safety or welfare of your child during the holidays, 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

Our rewards system continues to bear fruit as another 24 students have received either Prestige or Diamond awards this week. You can check your child’s house points on INSIGHT.

_{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

Congratulations to the students who have won this week’s Pride of House award – one for each form group. Nominated by a house representative, these boys have made a great contribution to school life.

News

Borough winners and an emotional goodbye

Athletics Borough Championships

Last Thursday, our top athletes in Years 9 and 10 took part in the borough championships at the Osterley track just over the road. During the event, 11 students were crowned borough champions, receiving 15 gold medals in total! The whole team is pictured above.

Special mention must go to Alex Leanca, who earned two golds (discus and 4x100m relay) and one silver (100m), as well as Paulo Pacheco who won three gold medals in 200m, 4x100m relay and long jump. There were also superb performances from Shylen Thaw and Ted East, amongst others.

Several students have progressed to the county finals, taking place on Saturday 8 June in London. We wish them the best of luck!

London Zoo Biology Trip

Wednesday saw our group of keen Year 12 biologists visiting London Zoo as part of their ‘Biodiversity and Conservation’ module. In the classroom, students learn how broadly diverse species in a habitat are adapted to their niche – as well as the consequences if they fail to adapt. This trip, then, provided live examples as case studies, helping to bring learning to life.

After half-term, conservation is coming to Isleworth & Syon, as our Grey Partridge eggs will arrive to hatch as part of the national breeding and release programme. This once common native bird is now on the Birds of Conservation Concern ‘red list’. Red is the highest conservation priority, with species needing urgent action. Government policy now encourages farmers to make changes to their practices and provide areas for wildlife and birds such as the grey partridge to survive and thrive. 

We will be streaming the hatching of the ‘cheepers’; more details will follow. Once the partridges have hatched, Years 7-9 will receive a series of conservation lessons and see the ‘cheepers’ before they are taken to release sites away from any shooting game sites.

National Numeracy Day

This Wednesday, Key Stage 3 students celebrated National Numeracy Day – a chance for them to build their confidence and skills with maths. Students had a question card to complete during the day as well as a quiz during Study Support in the afternoon. It was great to see our younger students getting so enthused about maths – and practicing their skills!

Year 13 Say Their Goodbyes

And finally for today – emotions were high this afternoon (Friday) as we said goodbye to Year 13 at the end of their last full day before study leave. Their half-hour Leavers’ Assembly was a fitting tribute to their school journey, which began for many back in September 2017!

The event was led by the Sixth Form Student Voice team and featured speeches and video presentations. A particular favourite was the montage of student photos from Year 7 to Year 13 – it was lovely to see how much they have grown over the years! In all, it was a poignant occasion punctured with good humour. We wish the students well with their next steps, whatever they may be.