From the Co-Headteachers
Are soft skills such as leadership and resilience worth more than academic ability?
This week, our outstanding House assemblies have been driving the importance of student leadership within the classroom, our local community and, indeed, globally. In school, we facilitate a range of literacy ambassadors as well as digital, sports and citizenship leaders. Such leadership pathways are to be highly applauded and, within House assemblies, our current Senior House Ambassadors have been speaking for the first time about their valuable position. They introduced themselves and informed KS3-4 students about their role (supporting House/charity events) and their place sitting on the Student Council. More importantly, they also discussed what leadership looks like in the classroom, something which we are trying to make more explicit, namely:
- strong collaboration
- successfully dividing up tasks
- always sharing resources
- managing group discussion with ease
- finding solutions to disagreements, and
- identifying their own strengths and weaknesses as well as those in the team.
Every student should aspire to develop these leadership traits as they are highly valued employability skills.
We hope that you enjoy this weekly newsletter, and find it useful. If you have any comments, positive or negative, about this newsletter, we’d be grateful if you could complete this form.
Simon Fisher and Jo Higginbottom
Strike Action
Parents/carers should be aware that the school will be affected by the projected strike action taken by the teachers of the NEU.
We are working hard to minimise disruption for students, in particular, examination groups.
Read more in this letter.
Cost of Living Crisis
We are noticing that an increasing number of students are struggling to replace black shoes and sports trainers when they no longer fit or become damaged through wear and tear. Given this, we are asking parents/carers to recycle any suitable black shoes and/or trainers by bringing them in a plastic bag to the main entrance. Thank you for this charitable work in advance.
Work Experience
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. We know that the the best type of networking is word-of-mouth. If any parents/carers know of any opportunities for one-day, five-day or ten-day work placement opportunities, contact Jayne Spink.
Club of the Week – Year 7 Football
Staff: AKE/DWE
Location: Astro
When: Friday, 3.05 – 4.05pm
This is one of the highest-attended clubs across the whole school with over 50 Year 7s taking part so far this year! It is fantastic that many of our students are willing to stay even on a Friday to develop their skills and try to work their way into one of the teams to play against other schools.
Check out the full list of outstanding opportunities; students can sign up with the staff member listed.
Pride of House
Congratulations to the 40 impressive Isleworthians in Years 7-11 who have won this week’s Pride of House award for their form. Each student has made a fantastic positive contribution to the life of the school this week. See the full lists via the house badges below.
Careers Corner – Twitter
This week, we have launched a brand new Twitter account for our careers department. It will signpost inspiring pathways for all students.
You can find it @IsleworthCEAIG.
But what does CEIAG mean? It stands for Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance. It refers to the journey taken by students throughout their education towards a successful career. Our mantra is “pathways, not corridors”. Isleworth & Syon’s CEIAG programme is designed to prepare students for modern life by giving them the information, knowledge, understanding, skills and confidence to make informed decisions and plans throughout their lives and future careers.
Please do give the Twitter account a follow!
Sixth Form Vocational Examinations
Well done to students taking vocational courses in Years 12 and 13 – they completed their public examinations for those courses this week. These exams will form part of their final grade. We hope that they went well.
Our vocational offer continues to be a strength within school, offering students an alternative to the A level pathway. Our vocational results continue to excel, with nearly three-quarters of students achieving either a Distinction* or Distinction (A*/A equivalent).
Safeguarding – Andrew Tate and Misogny
Andrew Tate is a social influencer. He is a highly successful entrepreneur (a millionaire with an array of fast cars and huge cigars) who promotes an interesting business model (pyramid-like) aligned with a highly toxic blend of misogyny.
Despite recent negative press – involving allegations of human trafficking in Romania and Twitter attacks on Greta Thunberg – Tate has, unfortunately, grown in popularity among young teenage boys. This is because Tate is selling himself as a role model for young men. He is selling his rich and colourful lifestyle. He is selling the idea that women only want physically strong and successful men. He is selling the old-fashioned notion of men being superior to women.
Given this, at school, we are challenging these perceptions within lessons and through assemblies. We ask that all parents/carers do the same because Tate is a profoundly ordinary person who is recycling comments from centuries long gone. He is part of a much bigger conversation about social media exposure and misogyny that we constantly engage with in school.
If you have a concern about the safety or welfare of your child, please email the safeguarding team at safeguarding@isleworthsyon.org. If there is an emergency call 999 or, for non-urgent matters that require police attention, call 101.
Coming Up!
- Thursday 26 January – Year 11 Photographs
- Thursday 26 January – KS5 Parents/Carers Evening
- Thursday 9 and Friday 10 February – School Production of ‘The Odyssey’
- Monday 13 – Friday 17 February – Half-Term
Word of the Week
The word of the week is facilitate.
Sixth Form Applications
Now that Year 11 students have received their December examinations results (see below), they should be carefully considering their next steps for post-16 education. Our mixed Sixth Form has a proven track record for exceptional educational outcomes and outstanding opportunities for all students. We are proud to offer tailored one-to-one mentoring and extensive leadership experiences so that students can maximise their potential.
Applications for September 2023 entry into the Sixth Form ‘close’ one week today, Friday 27 January. Applications received after this date will be accepted but be considered ‘late’, meaning that it is not possible for us to guarantee course places.
You can learn more about the application process and then apply.
News
Music Industry In-School Workshop
As part of the Sixth Form vocational music course, students study ‘Planning for a Career in Music’. To complement this unit, we have planned a number of masterclasses, Q&As and workshops with industry professionals.
On Thursday, we welcomed Jay Mistry, the CEO of JMC Music Services. Jay’s company focuses on business and creative solutions for music within media. This fascinating hour-long session focused on music publishing and production, as well as composer management and music contracts.
Jay is the father of one of our Year 11 boys – we thank him for giving up his time. Students found it extremely useful!
Cyber-Security Conference
Offering outstanding opportunities to all students continues to be a pillar of life here at I&S. This week, the computing department organised a fascinating trip to a cyber-security conference, for Sixth Form students studying the CTEC vocational course.
The conference was called CyberThreat22 and took place at the Novotel hotel in Hammersmith on Monday afternoon. It was a fantastic day, with students learning more about the cyber-security industry from trained practitioners. There was also a series of hands-on workshops, events and talks during the afternoon. All the students were full of praise for the trip afterwards.
Wider Learning Week 2023
Plans for July’s Wider Learning Week (WLW) are in full swing. Taking place from Monday 10 July to Friday 14 July, this memorable week will give students in Years 7-9 a chance to try enriching experiences in new contexts.
More information for Years 7 and 8 will follow soon. For Year 9, emails have gone out this morning to confirm students’ pathways for the whole five days. The pathways are:
- Computing
- Codebreaking
- DofE Bronze
- Investigating the Human Body
- Journalism
- Life Skills
- Music Production
- Photography
- Sports
We know that students are going to have an amazing experience on these engaging and inspiring pathways!
December Examinations Results
Following the December examinations, students received their results today. We hosted a special ‘Results Afternoon’ to mimic the procedure for the Results Day in August. Students collected their results and, as always, there were a range of emotions on display!
These examinations were an important benchmark for students as they approach those summer public exams. It gives them a sense of their progress so far as well as areas they should focus on to achieve the best possible outcomes.