Week 21 (20-24 January 2025)

Being Resilient

More about our theme of the week

Resilience comes once we stop waiting for someone else to save us. This is why, in our newsletter last week, we promoted practical strategies as to how parents/carers can develop resilience in their child. Crucially, resilience doesn’t mean we can’t accept help – we can and should! – but it does mean that we stay in charge of the process. Only then can we choose how we will rebound and who we will become in the process. At school, this ties in beautifully with another school mantra – ‘the best discipline is self-discipline’.

_{Image from NIH News in Health.}

Outstanding Attitude to Learning Rewards

Recognising students who go above and beyond

During this school year, the Co-Headteachers have been rewarding students who have demonstrated top Attitude to Learning scores. Their prize has been two tickets to a Brentford FC football match. Congratulations to the students who have won so far: Syon Chatterjee (Year 11), Sam Gilmour (Year 10), Isaac Hanna (Year 12) and Ayman Shah (Year 11). These rewards are an important means of recognising students who “buy in” to the school’s values. These boys go above and beyond – day in, day out.

Coming Up!

Dates for the diary from now until the end of term

You can access the entire calendar via this link.

Work Experience

Help us with our work-related learning programme

We continue to explore every opportunity to support students in Year 10 and 12 who are aiming to find a work placement in the Summer Term. From past experience, we know that the best type of networking is word-of-mouth. If any parents/carers know of any opportunities for one-day or five-day work placements, please complete this form. Given that our mantra towards employability is “pathways not corridors”, we also recognise that talent is everywhere, yet opportunities are not. This means that we consciously and proactively look for work placements with a PLUS ONE opportunity which allows some of our more disadvantaged students to access more favourable employment placements. Such an ardent and ethical approach will hopefully, over time, increase social mobility.

Sixth Form Applications

The ‘closing date’ is coming up

A final reminder that Sixth Form applications ‘close’ next Friday, 31 January. We will still accept applications after this date, but they will be considered ‘late’ – meaning we cannot guarantee course places.

We know that our mixed Sixth Form is the best place for our students to continue their studies, with a proven track record of exceptional outcomes over many decades. Further, our unique blend of outstanding opportunities, aspirational next steps and leadership pathways help our students maximise their potential.

If your son/ward is in Year 11 and has not yet applied, please encourage them to learn more about the process and read the Course Guide this weekend.

Online Safety – Health & Fitness Apps

Keeping children safe online

A study called ‘The Digital Health Generation’ has shown that more than 70% of young people in the UK are using apps and other online technology to track their health. These apps are useful to help young people stick to a routine and plan meals and exercise. However, sometimes these apps are not as safe as they seem. We recommend this National College guide which gives some helpful advice.

Community Partnerships – Sport Impact

Promoting high-quality physical activity

We have effective relationships with many organisations across London and the UK. One of these is Sport Impact, a team of specialist PE teachers based out of our school. Sport Impact work across the majority of Hounslow schools. They actively support the delivery of high-quality PE, competitive and recreational sport, as well as physical activity in schools. They also support community programmes such as the visionary Model City Project. More recently, as part of their drive to initiate and develop only sustainable projects, Sport Impact has worked to promote leadership skills among Hounslow’s young people.

As a school, we are proud to fund and support Sport Impact. They help improve levels of physical literacy and fitness among young people across our area. Sport Impact is holding a Sports Leaders event on Thursday 30 January at Springwest Academy; see more details in this flyer. If you want to attend, please email Alan Watkinson.

School Production – Two Weeks to Go!

Revealing the student-designed poster

There are less than two weeks to go until our whole school production of Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. Performances take place on Thursday 6 and Friday 7 February in the school hall. Over 60 Isleworthians are involved in the production as actors, musicians and tech crew.

Below you can see the poster for the production, which has been designed by Year 11’s Axle Moldero. We recommend buying tickets in advance as you won’t want to miss it; click the poster to view it full size, and then visit our Tickets page to get yours. This vibrant production promises to be a treat for the whole family – we can’t wait!

Club Spotlight – Year 11 Revision Club

Helping Year 11 prep for their exams

This week’s Extra-Curricular Spotlight focuses on Year 11. Students are very busy preparing for their March pre-public examinations (PPEs), leading to their crucial public examinations in the Summer Term. The school is running an after-school Revision Club for Year 11 from Tuesday-Friday in the library. To achieve the best possible outcomes, it is recommended that students revise for a minimum of three hours each day. This club, supported by members of staff, will be for independent revision in a calm environment with access to computers, some refreshments and additional resources. Everyone in Year 11 is welcome to attend.

Pride of House

The latest award winners

Below, you will find the most recent winners of our Pride of House awards. It is richly deserved for a fantastic contribution to school life – these students are everything an Isleworthian should be! 

House Point Champions

Another student reaches 250 house points!

Today, we have our first Year 8 Diamond winner. Congratulations to Finn Barnes (8Tr) for achieving the 250 house points. He has received an online certificate today after becoming the first non-Year 7 to reach Diamond status. Next up, he aims for Platinum – 350 house points!

Will your son/ward appear on this list next week? You can check his progress via 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.

Safeguarding and Personal Development

Teaching students about healthy relationships via our RSE curriculum

Following consultation in the Autumn Term, Relationship & Sex Education has started in Years 10 and 11. We use a ‘spiral’ approach, which means that students revisit topics in more detail as they get older.

The lessons start with key relationship skills like communication, empathy, and resolving conflicts. This helps students understand the dynamics of various types of relationships – personal and professional – including friendships, family ties, and romantic partnerships. We directly address topics like consent, respect, and emotional intelligence to promote a culture of respect and understanding. 

Through these lessons, students should feel empowered to make informed choices as well as build a strong sense of self-worth. Our relationship education supports students’ overall wellbeing, preparing them for a future of positive interactions and emotional resilience. Thank you for your support as we teach this important part of the I&S curriculum.  

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.

_{Photo by Valentin Antonucci on Pexels.com}

News

The latest stories from across the school

Holocaust Memorial Webcast

On Wednesday, we were honoured to take part in a live webcast event with Holocaust survivor Mala Tribich MBE. This special online event was organised by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust in the lead-up to Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday 27 January. 

To mark 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the theme this year was ‘For a Better Future’. Students were privileged to learn about Mala’s story and, in the process, enrich their classroom studies of the Holocaust. It was a hard-hitting but important event for our Year 9 High-Potential Learners.

‘You Said, We Did’ – Student Voice

In November, we held our first Student Council of the year – led by the Sixth Formers in the Head Student team as well as the Senior House Ambassadors. House & Citizenship Ambassadors from each form aired their views on a range of topics. Several proposals from the meeting were passed to the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) for consideration.

In House assembles this week, the Senior House Ambassadors have gone in to House assemblies to present the ‘You Said, We Did’ document, summarising the students’ ideas and what the school has put in place to implement them. Pictured above is Pasquale Vollaro in the Adam assembly. You can find read the document for yourself via this link. This superb display of student voice is a fantastic way for students to feel invested in their school.

‘Embrace the Case’ House Competition

This year, our second Whole School Objective (WSO) is ‘Students, staff and parent/carers ensure all students are ready to learn.’ With this in mind, the House team have run a competition called ‘Embrace the Case’. This asks all students to make sure they have a pencil case containing two pens, a pencil, a ruler, a sharpener, a rubber, and a scientific calculator. 

Please support us with this drive and check your son/ward is coming to school each day fully equipped. Last week’s top form was 10Bl – with over 90% of students fully equipped. They will all receive ‘golden tickets’, which entitle them to a queue skip in The Pantry at a breaktime or lunchtime of their choice.

Embed from Getty Images

Alumni – Myles Peart-Harris, Professional Footballer

And finally for this week – former student Myles Peart-Harris (pictured right above) has continued his development as a professional footballer. Myles left us at the end of Year 9 to pursue his football dreams, moving to Cobham to join the Chelsea FC academy. He experienced great success at junior level, before signing a senior contract with Brentford FC in 2021. This month, Brentford have confirmed that they have renewed Myles’ option for another twelve months.

They are very happy with his development over a series of loan spells, with League One sides Forest Green Rovers (2022-23) and Portsmouth (2023-24). He is currently on loan at Swansea City in the Championship (the English second tier). A lively attacking midfielder, Myles has thus far made 26 appearances this season, contributing two goals and three assists. His manager, Luke Williams, commented, “I think he’s a young player who didn’t play at the level before and is very quickly adapting… he is looking like he’s feeling more and more comfortable.” It is always such a thrill to see our former students succeeding – well done, Myles.