Week 3 (16-20 September 2024)

Welcome from the Co-Headteachers

Helping students make rapid progress using evidence-based teaching

As a school which only uses evidence-based teaching strategies, we place a huge emphasis on oracy within the classroom (structured talk), reading aloud, active and rich questioning, the modelling of work before independent practice as well as the presentation of work. When all these essential teaching ingredients are all successfully mixed together, students make rapid progress. Over the past three weeks, some of the student work being produced has been outstanding. Please ask your son/ward about his own work; in future weeks, we will be publishing examples of high-quality student work from a range of subjects. 

Our extensive extra-curricular programme – offering an array of outstanding opportunities to learn, develop, achieve and grow – has wholehearted begun. Please continue to encourage your son/ward to buy into this extensive enrichment programme as it will significantly strengthen his bond and belonging to our school. On Wednesday, there were 38 students at Year 8 football practice and another 25 at Year 7 rugby.

As ever, this newsletter contains important information about our other traditions and values as so please read the full newsletter. This newsletter will be released every Friday afternoon during term-time. We would love to know your thoughts about what you love to read and what you feel this publication could feature more. Let us know via this anonymous form.

Student Leadership

Ways to enhance your son/ward’s personal development

This week, within four really outstanding House assemblies, our young people have been learning about opportunities to significantly enhance their personal development, namely through an array of dynamic student leadership opportunities. All students have been encouraged to apply for these positions by writing a short written, formal statement in Microsoft Forms by Friday 27 September; full details are on their Teams page. Students can apply to one of four Ambassador roles within their form group:

• Digital & Online
• House & Citizenship
• Reading & Literacy
• Sport & Extra-Curricular

You can read the job description. Sixth Form students can also apply to be a Senior House Ambassador.

Please encourage your son/ward to buy in to these roles; they help build individual self-esteem and team-building as well as public speaking skills. These are some of the ‘soft skills’ which employers really value and encourage.

Progress & Preparation Activities (PPA)

Another way that students can make more academic progress

When students complete their Progress and Preparation Activities (PPA, also known as homework), research shows that they make, on average, six months more academic progress. Given this, it is imperative that parents/carers monitor INSIGHT as well as check in on the PPA completion rates of their son/ward.

Our early advice is for students to complete PPA in a public place – not in their bedroom. Do this for 2-3 weeks; get students to earn your trust. Students can never say that they do not have PPA because, of course, 20 minutes of reading every day also counts!

Coming Up!

Key upcoming events

You can access the entire calendar via this link.

CAMHS Wellbeing Fair

A community event, tomorrow, to spotlight mental health support

The West London NHS Trust Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) team and youth ambassadors are hosting the Mental Health and Wellbeing Fair tomorrow, Saturday 21 September. The aim of the event is to spotlight the mental health and wellbeing support available to children, young people and their families across West London. Please see more details in this two-page flyer and then book a place via the Eventbrite page link.

Open Evening Arrangements

Changes to the school day next week

A final reminder that there are some changes to the school day next week due to our Open Evening. This means that:

• On Wednesday 25 September, school will finish early at 1.10pm.
• On Thursday 26 September, school will start late at 10.45am.

Some students have been invited to help on the evening – they have now received separate communications. Thank you for your support.

Free School Meals

Have a check – your child could be entitled

Across the UK, the cost of living crisis continues to bite. Given this, we recognise that the personal circumstances of children and families may have changed over the summer. Be aware, currently, nearly one in three of students at our school are on Free School Meals (FSM) and we suspect that more could apply. As well as a free, nutritious lunch, students on FSM can also access free revision resources, laptops and subsidised trips.

Your children are entitled to FSM if you receive one of the below benefits:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Universal Credit and have an annual income of no more than £7,400
• Child Tax Credit, but not entitled to a Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as assessed by the Inland Revenue) of no more than £16,190
• Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit
• or are being supported by the National Asylum Support Service (NASS)

If your circumstances have changed or you think you qualify, check the criteria and then apply for FSM support.

_{Photo by Viktoria Slowikowska on Pexels.com}

Partnership Working

The importance on being an outwardly looking school

We pride ourselves on being an outwardly looking school, always willing to connect with external partners locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. Being an outwardly-looking school is essential since any citizenship, entreprenurial work or political activity is located in a real life context. Students really value this work because it is relevant to their own real world.

Students need to understand the systemic nature of interactions and connections beyond the physical borders of the school classroom. With this in mind, we wish to signpost students as well as parents/carers to the local Area Forum on Thursday 26 September at West Thames College. One of the Co-Headteachers will be present to tune in and feedback on issues which most affect our young people: street crime, local traffic congestion, Lime bikes, and youth unemployment. Full details are in this flyer – please join us and touch base.

Pride of House

A new set of award winners

40 more students have been presented with the Pride of House award by pastoral staff this week. They have received an electronic certificate via email. The prize is given for a sustained, outstanding contribution to the day-to-day life of the school – well done, everyone. Click a house badge to celebrate the full list of winners.

Success Stories – Hamza Ahmed

Celebrating another former student

Hamza Ahmed (2016-2024)
Isleworth Town Primary School
Isleworth & Syon School
Kingston University

Hamza transferred into Year 7 from Isleworth Town. He worked extremely hard over eight years in school, completing Level 2 courses in our Sixth Form before embarking on a two-year Level 3 vocational pathway. Hamza is a really good example of “if at first you don’t scceed, try and try again”. By his own admission, Hamza did not have any strong motivation or vision during Key Stage 4, which led to an inconsistent academic performance. Yet, this all changed in the Sixth Form (Key Stage 5), when Hamza thrived on the flexible vocational pathways which showcased his workplace ‘soft skills’.

Teaching staff remember Hamza as having a positive mindset and being highly resilient; they strongly attribute Hamza’s rapid progress in Sixth Form to him both listening and heeding their professional advice.

Hamza graduated the school to pursue his passion to join the construction employment sector. This led to Kingston University and a project management course. The intention is to switch on to a degree pathway in civil engineering later on. Such fluidity supports our employment mantra: pathways, not corridors.

Safeguarding and Personal Development

Advice to keep students safe

Although our school is situated in a relatively safe area, sadly the risk of street robbery is something we need to talk about to keep our students safe. As a parent/carer, there are some simple messages you can reinforce to your son/ward to help prevent them from becoming a victim of robbery.

Firstly, they should stay aware of their surroundings, avoiding distractions like phones and having earphones in when walking in public spaces. Travelling in small groups is safer and it is wise to choose well-lit and populated routes, especially at night. Valuables should be kept out of sight and avoid displaying expensive items. Establishing a safety plan, such as knowing emergency contacts, safe locations and their best route home, can be crucial. Advise your son/ward not to confront a thief – it is not worth them risking their own safety for possessions that can be replaced. Lastly, trusting their instincts is vital; if a situation feels unsafe, they should seek help immediately. 

More information can be found in the poster (right; click to view full size) and in this letter from the Hounslow Safer Schools police team.

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

More outstanding opportunities for students

KS5-Ready Evening

On Tuesday, we hosted our first parent/carer event of the year – our KS5-Ready Evening for new Year 12 parents/carers. This important event, hosted by the Sixth Form team, introduced families to our Sixth Form expectations and explained how we help students adjust to the complexities of Key Stage 5. There was strong messaging on the importance of profile-building using our excellent UNIFROG careers programme, as well as skill development using Cornell note-taking. These are all important employability skills! The event will provide a great platform for sustained success. Parents/carers can view the whole presentation online.

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Extra-Curricular Timetable

We were pleased to fully launch our extra-curricular programme this week, led by its dedicated staff coordinator, Ms Clerc. We have over 50 clubs, workshops, masterclasses and study sessions for students to enjoy. These enrichment activities are a key component of school life and a fantastic way for students to develop their ‘soft skills’ – vital for later life. Pictured above are photographs from the KS3 Art Club – featuring students making slime!

We really do encourage every student to ‘buy in’ to at least one lunchtime or after-school club this half-term – take a look at the schedule and have a chat with your son/ward about which activity they may have an affinity for! They may just develop a brand new passion for life.

Senior School Production

And finally for this week… we are delighted to announce that this year’s senior school production will be William Shakespeare’s tragedy, ‘Julius Caesar’. The production will take place on Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 November in the drama suite (pictured above is a shot from last year).

‘Julius Caesar’ is a play about the fragile nature of power and democracy. It asks questions like, who gets to govern? What is the right way to govern? How much power is too much power? Can an act of violence be justified if it saves lives? How quickly can alliances change? 

This senior school production will feature actors from Years 11-13 only. Casting only senior actors means we can delve into some deeper and darker themes than our traditional February production. Auditions took place on Tuesday this week and were very well-attended! We will reveal the full cast list very soon.