Welcome from the Co-Headteachers
Making sure students take pride in their work
It has been a hugely busy week in school as we approach the end of the first half-term. A key focus has been on preparing for, completing and re-drafting written assessments in the lead up to Progress and Partnership Day (PPD). Our expectations for written work are extremely high and, from our regular learning walks across lessons, we notice how students are striving to take greater pride in their work. For example, there should be no gaps in exercise books with student using pens for writing and pencils for sketching or drawing. On this note, it would be beneficial if parents/carers could check the basic equipment of their son/ward before the start of the new half-term. On another positive note, over 2700 reading books have been borrowed from the school library over the past six weeks. This far exceeds last year’s incredible figure of 1800. It clearly demonstrates how so many of our students are hooked on reading. It goes without saying that reading is a fundamental to success in all subjects.
Over the forthcoming half-term break, please check-in on what book your son/ward is reading. Ask him to read aloud, read to siblings/cousins, and read to you. Finally, ensure that he reads little and often. Good readers become good speakers and, essentially, good speakers become good writers; when this happens, students make rapid progress.
We hope you enjoy reading this newsletter – please do leave us any feedback. Enjoy your weekend.
Simon Fisher and Jo Higginbottom
Coming Up!
Dates for the diary, for the next two months
- Monday 28 October – Friday 1 November – Half-Term
- Thursday 7 November – Sixth Form Open Evening
- Monday 11 November – Remembrance Day
- Thursday 21 November – Year 11 Parents/Carers Evening
- Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 November – Senior School Production
- Friday 29 November – INSET Day (students do not attend school)
- Monday 2 December – PPA Day (students do not attend school)
- Friday 6 December – Year 7 Induction Assembly
You can access the entire calendar via this link.
Senior School Production – Casting
The full cast list is announced!
Rehearsals are in full swing for our senior school production, scheduled for Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 November. We are very much looking forward to our talented senior students putting their own spin on the Shakespeare tragedy, ‘Julius Caesar’. Full ticket information will be released soon, but, for now, you can find the full cast list below.
Discipline Drives Success
A bit more about our theme of the week
Learning is about thinking hard and working hard. That involves bucketloads of discipline. Self-discipline is about learning to control yourself so that you can work towards certain goals, even when no-one is forcing you to do so. The “controlling yourself” aspect is the big challenge for most learners. Students too often know what they need to do to achieve a goal but, despite knowing what is needed, they use diversionary tactics to avoid the hard work. This means that students:
- procrastinate;
- become distracted; and/or
- decide to go down an unproductive pathway; switch off, display laziness, and make up excuses such as “I’ll complete it at home” which they inevitably do not.
It is vitally important that teachers as well as parent/carers are aware of these strategies; they are real barriers to students achieving their full potential. Instead, call out poor self-discipline for what is it and, crucially, celebrate positive learning habits – namely, resilience, persistence and determination.
Extra-Curricular Spotlight – Current Affairs Club
Lively debate about real-world issues
Current Affairs Club is for GCSE and A level pupils who are interested in politics, law, and any issues that are in the news. Every meeting of our club involves a pupil presentation and a debate. In the next few weeks, we will have presentations from several A level pupils on the forthcoming Budget, the American election, and recent legal cases. We have also talked about the war in Middle East, football hooliganism and how it is regulated, and Britain’s approach to illegal migration. We welcome anyone who is curious and wants to think more deeply about current affairs! The club takes place at lunchtime on Fridays; see Mrs Messer for more information.
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 and are a credit to their families.
Success Stories – Oliver Hone
Celebrating last year’s Co-Head Student
Oliver Hone (2017-2024)
Lionel Road Primary School
Isleworth & Syon School
Exeter University
Oliver reports knowing straight away that the decision to join I&S would be one that he would be proud of throughout his life. When asked for his favourite memory from school, Oliver enjoyed reminiscing about how he thrived in school sport—having represented the school in football, rugby, athletics, rowing and cross country. He loved competing at the highest level and enjoyed great success alongside his friends; this includes completing the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award. Second, he recognises the importance and intrinsic value of having made so many friends along the way—lasting friendships which will last into adulthood.
Despite the impact of the global Covid pandemic, Oliver achieved top GCSE grades and then two As and a B at A level. His dedication to self-regulated revision, reading and ambassadorial work in the lower school saw him become Co-Head Student in 2023-24, a highly prestigious role within the school. Memorably, Oliver spoke to school trustees in Spring 2024 about his experiences at the school; afterwards, they were rapturous about not only the content but also the style of his delivery.
We are immensely proud that Oliver bought into the school’s vision of academic learning paired with extensive enrichment. He has developed into a well-rounded, mature, level-headed, responsible and multi-skilled young man. He is a true Isleworthian. Upon leaving I&S, he enrolled at Exeter to read politics & international relations.
Safeguarding and Personal Development
Making sure students are ‘ready’
Staff regularly remind students of the importance of being ‘Ready’ as a key component of success in school and life. We hope you will be familiar with our ‘Ready, Respectful, Safe’ approach to behaviour and school life. This year, in addition, we have chosen ensuring students are ‘ready to learn’ as a whole school target.
We know that a key component of being ready is students having the correct equipment to start their learning immediately on arrival. Having the correct equipment can help students feel confident in the classroom, knowing that they can handle any task set. Being organised, with all the correct equipment, instils a sense of pride – looking after their possession shows that they value their education.
As parents/carers, please regularly check that your child has a full set of equipment for school, including a school bag and a pencil case containing: 2 x black/blue pens, pencil, rubber, ruler and scientific calculator. In addition, your son/ward may benefit from: colouring pencils, mini-dictionary and mini–thesaurus, protractor and pair of compasses, an art pack, or a French and Spanish dictionary. Finally, students always need their full PE or games kit for those lessons! We thank you for your support in ensuring your son/ward is ‘ready to learn’.
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
Another former student to perform on stage internationally – plus unique enrichment opportunities for students
Jeremy Lemmon Project
In June, we wrote about two Sixth Form students pursuing their passion for drama via an external project. Now in Year 13, Stevan Nenezic (pictured second left) and Gursharan Singh (back row, second from the right) have been taking part in the Jeremy Lemmon Project, organised by Shakespeare’s Globe. After passing their June audition, Stevan and Gursharan have taken part in three day-long workshops this autumn to continue honing their acting craft.
The Project culminated in October with a special day at The Globe, where students performed monologues and duologues on the famous stage. It is fantastic to see students pursuing projects independent of school – this one was introduced to them by Miss Thomson.
Afterwards, Gursharan said, “Performing at the Globe was the best experience I’ve had with performing. Being able to perform some best pieces on a stage I’d seen professional actors and actresses performing felt surreal. [This project] taught me how to make good connections with people in the industry.”
ACS STEAM Event – Thorpe Park
Organised collaboratively by the Careers Leader and the design technology team, we took a small group of engineering students to the ACS STEAM event at Thorpe Park during Tuesday. STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.
The event was a unique way to expose students to a multitude of different employers, including Williams and McLaren Formula 1, The Armed Forces, Gravity Industries (Jet Packs) and Brunel School of Art and Design. For the day, the entire theme park was ‘gamified’ – meaning that students had to complete STEAM-based tasks to get on rides. The more tasks completed, the more rides the students could enjoy! The boys completed all the tasks set, which included a Formula 1 simulator, experiments with liquid carbon dioxide, an opportunity to use hand tools, and an exploration of miniature steam engines. It was a brilliant experience for these boys; when asked to describe the most valuable part of the experience, one said, “Opportunities are made, not found.”
National Museum of Computing Trip
Outstanding opportunities are part of the culture at Isleworth & Syon, with students exposed to unique enrichment experiences. Ms Stroude took a group of computing students – from A level and vocational pathways – to the National Museum of Computing on Wednesday.
Located at Bletchley Park, this fascinating day saw students taking part in an Encryption and Cyber Security Workshop – providing a direct link to their classroom studies of the same subject. They were also able to meet and connect with industry professionals and experience history in action through an exhibition of working historic machines. One example was students using a radio receiver to receive a morse code printout; another asked the boys to use virtual reality to decode instructions to diffuse a bomb (pictured first above). Students particularly loved the latter task!
It was a fantastic and unique session for this group of computing enthusiasts; feedback was overwhelming positive on the minibus home.
Progress & Partnership Day
Today (Friday) we held our annual Progress & Partnership Day (PPD), one of the most important days of the school calendar. All students in Years 7-12, along with their parents/carers, were invited into school to discuss their progress so far this year with a member of staff. Students were asked to think about how they could do even better in the months ahead. Thank you to those parents/carers who were able to come in – your support is invaluable to ensure that all students can be the best that they can be.
Raymond Anum – Off-Broadway
Last week, we wrote about former student Taheen Modak, currently performing on Broadway in ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Now, we have news about his vocational performing arts classmate, Raymond Anum. Fresh from performing in Kenneth Branagh’s ‘King Lear’ in the West End last year, Raymond will be part of the show’s off-Broadway transfer, starting at the end of October.
Raymond plays Burgundy in the adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy; he received high praise for his performance in London. We are delighted that he will join Taheen in the United States for the next few months! It is such a pleasure to see our students flourishing on the international stage.
Yousef Abdul Ghani – Work Experience
By Yousef Abdul Ghani (Year 13)
Completing the three-hour Flying Scholarship with Flight Training London has been an unforgettable experience. During the training, I practiced manoeuvres, procedures, and even had the opportunity to land the aircraft twice! This hands-on experience taught me skills that no simulator could—real-world physics, handling, and the obstacles pilots face in everyday flying.
What I enjoyed most was the challenge of emergency scenarios, like engine failures and deciding what to do in case of any technical failures, which tested my ability to remain calm and make quick decisions. These are essential skills for any pilot, and this experience has only strengthened my desire to continue pursuing this career.