Welcome from the Co-Headteachers
Developing 21st-century citizens
Working alongside our dedicated and talented staff team and Trustees, we believe passionately in the importance of strong relationships between home and school; given this, we take every opportunity to work in partnership with our families. Together, we strive to provide the best possible support for our students to become successful learners, confident and connected young people as well as responsible, resilient and caring citizens. In our globally diverse and competitive world, we truly are creating tomorrow’s citizens, today.
As well as driving high academic standards, we are strong advocates for all students to ‘buy in’ to our holistic, broad and balanced opportunities. From an array of student leadership pathways to our extensive enrichment opportunities, our students enjoy shared experiences and benefit from powerful role models on a daily basis. We know that when students are engaged – whether that is in extra-curricular clubs in art, current affairs, drama, music, sport or STEM – they are being supported to thrive both within school and beyond.
Simon Fisher and Jo Higginbottom
Day of the Dead
Some superb cross-curricular learning
During the first week back after half-term, Year 7 students who study Spanish learned more about the tradition of El Dia De Los Muertos (‘Day of the Dead’), a tradition celebrated in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries. This was another amazing opportunity to show students that language learning also includes learning about different cultures. During those lessons, students have had the opportunity to develop their understanding of the Day of the Dead, compare it to Halloween, and create posters showing their understanding of the tradition. A few of posters are pictured below. It was lovely seeing students engage in cross-curricular activities.
Coming Up!
Dates for the diary, for the next two months
- Thursday 21 November – Year 11 Parents/Carers Evening
- Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 November – Senior School Production of ‘Julius Caesar’
- Friday 29 November – INSET Day (students do not attend school)
- Monday 2 December – PPA Day (students do not attend school)
- Thursday 5 – Thursday 19 December – Year 11 & 13 December Examinations
- Friday 6 December – Year 7 Induction Assembly
- Thursday 12 December – Winter Concert
- Monday 16 December – Senior Awards Evening
- Friday 20 December – End of Autumn Term (students dismissed at 12.30pm)
- Tuesday 7 January 2025 – Start of Spring Term
You can access the entire calendar via this link.
December Examinations
Timetables published for Years 11 and 13
The December examinations begin for Years 11 and 13 in just a couple of weeks! The exam timetables are available; students will receive their Individual Candidate Timetables next week. If students haven’t already done so, we recommend making a daily revision timetable – our website has templates to help with this. A ‘little and often’ approach is the best way to success!
Cycling Safety
Some guidance and tips to cycle safely
Cycling UK say that only 2.2% of UK school children currently cycle to school. despite the majority owning a bike. Encouraging young people to get into this hobby can be a great way to keep them active and cut down on their screen time – while potentially providing them with a healthy and convenient way of travelling to and from school or getting around in general.
The National College have created a convenient guide with ten top tips for keeping children safe on their bikes. We recommend all parents/carers take a look and consider the benefits of cycling to school.
Costumes and Props
An appeal to our community!
The drama department are looking for any clothing around your home that you are looking to get rid of to help replenish our costume cupboard! In particular we are on the look out for t-shirts and coats, but would be very grateful to receive any garments. Additionally, if you have any items that might make good props such as sunglasses, bags, small tables, please do bring them in. Any donations can be brought straight to the drama department.
Senior School Production – ‘Julius Caesar’
Tickets now on sale!
We are delighted that tickets are now available for our senior school production of classic tragedy ‘Julius Caesar’. It is going to be a brilliant show on Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 November.
Tickets cost just £5 for adults and £3 for students, children or concessions – an absolute bargain for a fantastic evening of theatre. Please note that the production contains mature themes including assassination, suicide and war that may be unsuitable for younger students.
This year’s poster was designed by cast member Che Jacobs – it does a great job of showcasing the vibe of the piece. Click the poster to get your tickets today – there are a limited number available due to the size of the drama studio performance space.
Extra-Curricular Spotlight – Cycling Club
Pedalling towards fun and fitness!
Last week, the first cycling club of the Autumn Term got underway. The club offers students an exciting opportunity to explore the world of cycling while developing essential riding skills and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Open to all abilities, the club encourages both beginners and more experienced cyclists to come together, enjoy outdoors, and take on new challenges.
The club meets weekly after school, with sessions designed to improve cycling technique, safety, and confidence. Students learn how to maintain their bikes, master essential riding skills, and build teamwork through fun challenges and friendly competition.
Extra-Curricular Timetable – Autumn Term 2
Full schedule now published
We have just published the Extra-Curricular Activities timetable for Autumn Term 2. This half-term, there are even more outstanding opportunities for students to enjoy – before school, at lunchtimes, and after school. We encourage every student to “buy in” and attend at least one of these extra-curricular offerings. Who knows – it may inspire a brand-new passion!
You can view the timetable organised either by day or by year group.
Success Stories – Will Hemmings
A politics enthusiast pursues his passion
Will Hemmings (2017-2024)
Isleworth Town Primary School
Isleworth & Syon School
University of York
Having always had a profound interest in History, Will’s most memorable trip while at school was the residential battlefields visit to Ypres in 2019. Teachers remember Will as being well read and having strong debating skills. He was an avid reader. He would read historical biographies for pleasure, particularly of figures he admired. Some examples of this include Francis Beckett’s biography of Clement Attlee or Edmund Morris’ three-part series on Theodore Roosevelt. He also read fiction taking a particular interest in the works of George Orwell. His favourite novel is ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ by Hunter S Thompson; he enjoyed this so much that he completed his English coursework on it.
Will has a long-term ambition to contribute and be involved with national politics, either through avenues such as trade unions or by some other means. His love of politics and history will no doubt support him with this personal ambition.
With grades of A*AB, Will left us to study politics and history at the University of York.
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.
Careers Corner
Introducing a new tool for Years 7-9
After a several successful years of use at key stages 4 and 5, we are excited to introduce UNIFROG to our Key Stage 3 students. UNIFROG is a comprehensive online platform designed to support students in making informed decisions about their future. The website brings together a wealth of resources to help students explore career options, find the best university courses, and access valuable guidance on apprenticeships and vocational training.
With UNIFROG, students can:
- Explore Careers: Discover a wide range of career paths and what they entail.
- Find Courses: Access detailed information on university courses worldwide.
- Get Guidance: Receive expert advice on applications, personal statements, and interviews.
- Track Progress: Keep track of their achievements and goals in one place.
UNIFROG is an invaluable tool for students and parents/carers, ensuring that everyone has the information they need to make the best choices for their future. We encourage all students to take advantage of this fantastic resource! All students should be able to access UNIFROG via an email in their inbox.
Safeguarding and Personal Development
A focus on the Theme of the Week
What is bullying? Bullying and cyberbullying can mean lots of different things. It can happen anywhere, including online, at school or at home. Bullying involves repetitive patterns of prejudicial and/or discriminatory behaviour; it can include:
- being repeatedly called names, teased or humiliated
- posting, commenting on or liking nasty photos, video-clips or malicious posts about you online
- being physically pushed, hit or hurt
- having money and other personal items stolen
- spreading rumours or starting group chats about you
- being ignored or being left out or made to feel like you’re not wanted
- being threatened, intimidated or sent nasty messages
- trolling you or commenting on your posts or pictures saying nasty things
- someone revealing personal details without your permission
- targeting you over and over again in an online game.
Bullying is not tolerated in school because all relationships in school are meant to be positive and mutually respectful. This includes “peer-to-peer” (student-to-student) and student-to-staff. When things go wrong, which they sometimes do, staff work hard to identify individuals who repeatedly display bias and prejudice, as well as to iron-out injustice. Victims are always supported so that they feel safe in school. Restorative action supports our drive that all young people are taught to respect individual differences as well as stay safe and make safe choices in the community. Our Pastoral Support Managers (PSMs) are the single point of contact, but students can talk to any member of staff. It goes without
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.
News
Poignant reminders about the importance of remembrance – plus a borough sporting success
Auschwitz Trip
Two Year 12 history students have been lucky enough to join the Lessons from Auschwitz (LFA) project. This unique opportunity is run by the Holocaust Educational Trust and gave students the chance to visit Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz last week.
Lakshmi Moran and Hayden Vidot made their own way to and from Gatwick Airport and then toured authentic sites and museum exhibits with a local guide as well as a trained LFA educator. Students found the experience to be both eye-opening and, at times, difficult. You can see some of Hayden’s photographs above.
Remembrance – In School
On Monday (Armistice Day), we held our annual Remembrance assemblies. These important events commemorate those who have given their lives in the world wars and conflicts since.
Mr Judge led poignant assemblies with all year groups, and several students spoke eloquently, either about their own experiences or reading famous war poetry. Then, a student laid a wreath in the school hall – to directly remember the Isleworth & Syon students who lost their lives in war. These poignant events were a difficult yet necessary reminder of the importance of continued remembrance.
Remembrance – Local Community
As well as the in-school assemblies, students have been involved in several local community events. On Remembrance Sunday, a small group of I&S ambassadors represented us at the Isleworth 390 event (pictured first above). Boys took part in a parade through the local streets, each wearing a sash with the name of an Isleworth resident who died during the First World War. It was a poignant day, remembering those who sacrificed their lives. Our thanks go to the students involved as well as the Sixth Form student leaders who ably supported.
On Monday, another small group of students went to the local Borough Road memorial service (pictured third above). Michael Aina (Year 10) has taken up the mantle of school bugler and did a brilliant job playing ‘The Last Post’. Asim Mehmetaj (Year 8) laid a wreath at the base of the memorial (pictured first above) while several students contributed readings to the service. Afterwards, we hosted local guests – including the mayor – back at school. All students behaved impeccably during this important series of events and were a credit to the school.
Russell Finex Trip
Today (Friday), Mr Elliston led a trip for A level engineering students to the local Russell Finex Engineering Company in Feltham. This industrial visit enabled the boys to get a fuller grasp of the complexity of a modern engineering business. During their two-hour visit, they developed a deeper understanding of how a wide variety of products are made, including CAD/CAM in practice. They also saw a “robotic” polishing machine, which is a state-of-the-art piece of CNC machinery. This was a great example of how our extra-curricular offer brings classroom learning to life.
Annual Review 2023-24
Each year, the school produces a full Annual Review, summarising everything that has happened inside and outside the classroom. It is the best way to learn more about our range of outstanding opportunities and our exceptional educational outcomes!
Parents/carers were given the 2023-24 edition on PPD, and it has now been uploaded to this website. Across its 85 pages, you can witness the school’s drive to ensure that all students be the best that they can be.
We also highly recommend reviewing the archive, which goes back over 10 years and functions as a neat time capsule of life in school. Take, for example, the unprecedented 2019-20 academic year, where the school closed its doors for the first time in its history due to the Covid pandemic. The archive goes back to the 2014-15 academic year; please do dig in to the archive if you have some spare time.
Badminton – KS4 Borough Champions!
And finally for today – a huge congratulations to our Key Stage 4 badminton team, who have won the borough championships once again. Unbelievably, that marks fifteen years in a row that Isleworth & Syon have been the best in the borough at this age range. A truly incredible achievement!
We took four teams to the competition, battling against other local schools. It had taken weeks of training to get to this point, led by coach Miss George. The students performed absolutely brilliantly throughout the competition, with three of the four semi-finalists being I&S teams! The ‘A’ team reached the final, where they faced Hounslow Manor. Our win was confident and deserved, meaning we brought the trophy back to school once again.
Special mention must go as well to our 12 young leaders from Key Stage 3, who supported throughout the event including impressive umpiring.
Well done to the whole squad but particularly the winning four (pictured above): William Ferguson-Newlove, Kai Joshi, Jayden Kwok and Ayaan Memon.