From the Headteacher
Welcome to the weekly newsletter and I do hope that you find it to be both informative and interesting.
Our Year 11 and Year 13 students continue to sit examinations and I hope that the remaining papers go well after half term.
On Friday 27 May, we had a celebration assembly for our Year 13 students and colleagues took the opportunity to say a formal farewell to them. I wish them all the very best for the future and my staff and I will look forward to celebrating the results in August and hearing of their successes in the years to come.
To provide opportunities for learning and for reflection, we have a published ‘theme of the week’ and each day a ‘thought for the day’. These are planned a year in advance, but it seems especially appropriate that this week the theme has been “The Rule of Law”. Our staff have taken the opportunity to remind students that there is a difference between doing right and doing wrong and that telling the truth is still to be celebrated in a civilised community.
Euan Ferguson
Face Coverings
We ask students to consider not wearing face coverings in classrooms after half-term. The prevalence of COVID-19 is now minimal and face coverings do not allow for the very best learning interactions to take place in class. From September, students will not be permitted to wear them in classrooms unless, of course, we see high case rates returning.
Examinations
This week, we have sent letters to all year groups regarding examinations. Students in Years 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12 have had more details about internal end-of-year examinations, while Years 11 and 13 have been sent some reminders about their public 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.
Safeguarding Updates
The school is closed from Monday 30 May and reopens on Monday 6 June. We hope that all members of the school community have a peaceful and safe holiday.
Members of the senior leadership team will be on duty over the half term break to pick up any urgent safeguarding referrals. If you have a concern about the safety or welfare of your or another child, please email the safeguarding team at safeguarding@isleworthsyon.org
Should there be an emergency call 999 or, for non-urgent matters that require police attention, call 101.
Staffing
Teacher Training
We take part in a number of initial teacher training programmes in conjunction with a range of local partners, including schools, charities and universities. Our staff act as mentors to the trainees as they start out in their careers and we are grateful to them for their commitment to the profession. If you are interested in a career in teaching, you can read more about how to Get Into Teaching.
Charity Bike Ride
Good luck to Mr Moore, who is taking part in Ride London, raising funds for Kingston Hospital. If you feel that you can support the charity, you can sponsor him on his JustGiving page.
Free School Meals
The Local Authority has agreed to provide a £15 voucher for students on free school meals for the half-term break. This voucher will be issued on Saturday 28 May. Look out for the usual email. Should there be an issue please make contact with support@evouchers.com.
Word of the Week
The word of the week for next week is “reside“.
News
Year 13 Leavers Assembly
Friday 26 May was a momentous day for Year 13, who said their farewells to Isleworth & Syon during their Leavers Assembly. It was a fitting tribute to their school journey, which began in 2015! There were speeches and video presentations, and it was a poignant occasion punctured with a good amount of humour too! Look out for the full write-up next week.
Isleworth & Syon Maths Day
On Tuesday, we celebrated Maths Day in school with some activities. Students in KS3 had an interactive scavenger hunt, where they had to match numbers on their scorecard to numbers being worn by maths staff! There was also a quiz during registration. We were delighted to see excellent participation from our junior students during this celebration of all things mathematical.
Food Collection
This week, we have run our latest charity drive. Students and families have been asked for donations to support a local community project called ‘The Community Food Pantry’ at the Bridgelink. House Leaders have been very impressed with donations so far – we’ll be able to confirm final totals when after half-term. Thank you to our school community for helping those in need.
Cricket Update
The cricket season has started well, with all teams seeing competitive action. Year 7 students are training well and have enjoyed their first school cricket match and Mr Adams is confident that there is much promise in the squad. The Year 8 team lost a close game to The Heathland School and now progress to the Middlesex plate competition and the Year 9 team battled hard in a loss to St. Paul’s in Hammersmith. The Year 10 team and the First XI, however, have won through to the quarter-finals of their County Cup competitions and we look forward to those matches after half-term.
Sports Leaders
We provide a number of opportunities, through our ambassador programme, for students to take up leadership roles in school and in the local community. Our sports leadership programme is very well established and on Wednesday 25 May, leaders from Years 9, 10 and the Sixth Form supported a primary school tennis festival at the Dukes Meadow tennis complex in Chiswick. With 500 students from 50 schools, there were plenty of chances to display leadership and well done to all!
Drama Lights
In September 2021 we opened our new drama suite, two teaching studios which can also be quickly transformed into one large performance space. To complete the project, we have just installed new digital lighting rigs which will enhance the atmosphere during productions and which also allow our students to learn more about the technical side of theatre lighting.