From the Co-Headteachers
At Isleworth & Syon, we enjoy a proud 390-year heritage of outstanding examination outcomes, extensive enrichment opportunities and positive contributions to our local community through student leadership.
We work tirelessly to maintain our high standards and, this week – despite the heat – Year 11 and Year 13 students have displayed great resilience and commitment in attending and completing almost all of their external examinations. They have been an immense credit to themselves, their families and, indeed, their teachers.
Another aspect of these high standards includes our students being tolerant and wholly respectful of difference. This week, our outstanding House assemblies and Study Support sessions have promoted the importance of diversity, broadmindedness and liberalism; in particular, we having been reinforcing the importance of PRIDE. As ever, we regularly remind our students of how lucky they are to have access to an excellent, broad and balanced education which prepares them for a successful life in modern Britain.
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
Examinations – The Final Push!
As we enter the final week of public examinations, we want to urge students to keep working right up to the final minute of their final exam. It is really important to finish strongly and not to relax until after the end of the last exam.
To Year 11 students, we would be very grateful for donations of serviceable school uniform and sports kit, as well as revision books that could be used by students still at school, once you have finished with the items. These will be resold as part of our ‘New to You’ scheme. Please also make sure that you return all school library books.
Club of the Week – Inspire Vocal Crew
Day: Thursday, 1.15 – 1.40pm
Staff: Mr McKeever
Location: School Hall
As we head towards The Summer Arts Festival on Thursday 6 July, we want to include as many of our lower school community as possible. Come and join our near 100 strong vocal group and sing a range of upbeat, inspiring songs including “What’s Up Danger” from ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’. If you want to participate in this event, you need to ensure you are in all rehearsals from now until Summer Arts; speak to Mr McKeever if you need to know more.
Our whole school community is invited to the Summer Arts Festival – full details were sent to parents/carers via email yesterday (Thursday).
Pride of House
Well done to the forty students who have received Pride of House awards this week. They are shining examples of what an Isleworth & Syon student should aim towards.
Careers Corner – Giving Time
Over the past couple of years, the Sixth Form have been working with a charity called Giving Time. The premise is quite simple. Students are expected to volunteer at least six hours of their time to their local community or the school and in return they receive six hours of high-quality coaching from a trained professional. These coaches, who would often charge hundreds of pounds an hour, freely give up their time to coach our students.
This coaching can focus on next steps, university, course choices, or study skills. To date, feedback from the students has been overwhelmingly positive – with one describing his coaching journey as “life-changing” and another as “really powerful”.
House Point Champions
Another 15 students have won either Diamond or Prestige house points awards this week – the top two honours available. House points are awarded for positive contributions to school life.
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.
Prestige (300 points)
Eddie COVILL (7Ad)
Aldrich FERNANDES (8Br)
James NEVISON-COLLAR (7Am)
Cassius ROOHI (7Sn)
Abdullah SABRI (8Am)
Harvey SANDHU (7Tr)
Fred SIMPSON (8Ad)
Diamond (200 points)
Mohamed AHMED (8Bl)
Lewi BEREKET (9Ad)
Omar MOHAMMADI (10Sh)
George NEWMAN (7Sn)
Iaroslav SHNUROV (8Am)
Airen SIDHU (9Tr)
Xavier SIDHU (9Sn)
Yusuf URIA (7Br)
Holiday and Food Programme
Spurred on by the social justice campaign of Marcus Rashford, the Government is again offering activity programmes over the school summer holidays. In the coming weeks, parents/carers of children on Free School Meals (FSM) will have the opportunity to sign up to four weeks of sports camps in August; these camps will take place on school site. Each multi-sports camp will include workshops about food and nutrition as well as the importance of exercise for their general wellbeing. A nutritious free lunch will also be provided. Look out for further information over the next few weeks.
Revision
While the public exams may nearly be at an end, the internal exams begin next week. Students should make sure they are revising ‘little and often’, using the resources provided on the ‘Study and Revision Skills‘ page. Every student should create a personalised revision timetable; pin it to the fridge so that everyone in the house can see it.
Coming Up!
- Tuesday 20 June – Year 11 Celebration Assembly and Barbecue
- Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 June – Year 9 Immunisations for those with consent (DTP and Men ACWY)
- Friday 30 June – Track & Field Championships
- Tuesday 4 July – Transition Day (Year 6 students) and Transition Evening (Year 6 parents/carers)
- Thursday 6 July – Summer Arts Festival
- Monday 10 – Friday 21 July – Work Experience for Year 10 students
- Monday 10 – Friday 14 July – Wider Learning Week for Years 7, 8, 9 and 12
- Wednesday 19 July – End of Summer Term (students depart 12.30pm)
- Thursday 17 August – Level 3 Results Day
- Thursday 24 August – Level 2 Results Day
Book Fair
Earlier this week, we sent parents/carers a letter about the Scholastic Book Fair. Please do support the school by encouraging your son/ward to buy books – if we reach last year’s target of £400 of books sales, the school will receive 40% of this in free books!
Awards
This year, we are trialling a new format for our KS3 Awards event. Rather than the traditional evening presentation, we will distribute the awards during students’ end of year assemblies in July. A variety of cups, awards, trophies, ties and flashes will be presented to students who have been shining examples of Isleworthians during this academic year.
The Year 9 awards assembly will be particularly special as it will commemorate their end of Key Stage 3. Parents/carers will be invited, during the day, to share in student and staff reflections on three years of secondary schooling, as well as a look-ahead to Key Stage 4.
Word of the Week
The word of the week is immigrate.
Safeguarding – Summer Safety
It’s summer! Temperatures are, at least for now, very pleasant and we are getting to the end of the school year. Soon, our students will be going on their six-week holidays. But with their new freedom will come new challenges for students. Their idea of fun while out of school might not be that of others; it is important that they understand what society expects of them during the long break.
Before they leave on their summer break, we will remind students and parents/carers about issues linked to personal safety and anti-social behaviour. Our tip this week about is about healthy hydration – check out this poster.
Look out for further information on open-water safety, sun safety and beach safety.
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.
News
Cricket vs MCC
It was a story of “nearlys” for our first XI cricketers as they took part in our annual match versus the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). The club, based at Lord’s, are one of the most prestigious cricket clubs in the world – so it was another fantastic opportunity for our boys.
The very hot weather saw challenging conditions down at Wood Lane, which led to a quick pitch. MCC batted first, but a strong bowling and fielding performance from Isleworth & Syon restricted them to just 169 runs off 45 overs. This included two wickets from captain Ali Khan. When it was our turn to bat, we were led by an inspired half-century from Varun Thakur. Unfortunately, we could not beat the MCC’s run total, but survived to earn a draw in the end. Everyone was rightly proud of their performance in the sunshine!
More Borough Athletics Success!
Our senior students took part in the athletics county championships last weekend, with students from Years 9-13 competing well. The standout performance came from Year 13 Zack Clarke-Green, who ran the 100m in 10.89s and therefore qualified to represent Middlesex in the English Schools championships later this month.
Following this, our top Year 7 and Year 8 athletes competed in the Hounslow borough tournament on Monday. Seven students were crowned borough champions, earning 11 gold medals between them! The standout performers were Keanno Bubb, Ted East and Alex Leanca, who all earned a double gold! Three more students – Lachie Macintyre, Alfie Gibbs Johnson and Oscar Astley won both a silver medal on top of their won gold. Elsewhere, Shylen Thaw won one gold and Oskar Blazevicius and Sonny Farnell-Warren earned a silver each. Well done to everyone – the gold medallists will compete in the county tournament later this month!
I&S Inspires – Dr Nick Bourne
Before the Covid pandemic, we launched a series of motivational talks called ‘I&S Inspires’, to peel back the curtain behind some of the top career pathways.
This week, we relaunched the programme with a special talk from Dr Nick Bourne. A physiotherapist, sports coach and lecturer, he has worked and studied across the world, including a lot of time spent in the USA.
During the 45-minute session, Dr Bourne spoke at length about his career, giving great insight into what it is like to work with elite sportspeople – including working with David Beckham. He gave students words of wisdom that he has learned along the way, including the importance of maintaining healthy relationships and not taking life too seriously! It was a fantastic session, with students asking lots of great questions at the end.
This was a great example of a key pillar of our careers programme – the concept of “pathways not corridors”. This means that students in 21st century Britain have a multitude of exciting employment opportunities (“pathways”) – they do not have to be restricted to a single “corridor”.
Engineering Factory Visit
This week, our Year 12 design engineers headed to the Burgess Furniture factory in Feltham for a fascinating morning visit.
Our boys were lucky enough to be shown around the factory by the production manager, Craig. Students were shown how Burgess uses both traditional engineering methods as well as advanced robotic manufacturing. Students loved the robot welder!
Throughout, students were given the opportunity to ask questions, and they were extremely engaged. The company commented afterwards, “It was very pleasing to see the enthusiasm and engagement during the tour and questions afterwards.”
MFL Poetry Live Competition
Four students headed to St Mary’s University (Twickenham) for the MFL Poetry Live competition on Wednesday.
Affan Ahmed, Horatiu Cojocaru, Harshdip Singh Jassal and Iaroslav Shnurov were our school champions, after reciting a poem in French or Spanish in front of their classmates. This meant they qualified for the final along with 15 other London schools.
Students performed two poems in their chosen language, one of which they had never seen before! The students did brilliantly; we were very proud of their performance. Well done, boys!
Primary Dissection Workshop
Our exciting primary school outreach programme continues throughout this term. This gives local students in Years 5 & 6 the opportunity to experience a taste of school life.
Earlier this week,, we were delighted to welcome a class from Ivybridge Primary. Ms Stead led a practical hands-on session in one of our laboratories, assisted by some Sixth Form biologists.
During the hour-and-a-half session, the primary students discovered the inner workings of the heart. They then dissected one – once they had been shown the proper safety precautions, of course! It was a fantastic morning for everyone involved.