Welcome from the Co-Headteachers

Remembering the sacrifices of others

It has been a very busy week in school, but it has been one of our favourite weeks. Events cumulated on Friday when, during three profoundly powerful and poignant remembrance assemblies, students were resolutely reflective and commemorative.

As a reminder, 81 ex-students of the school died in World War I and another 71 in World War II. These immensely striking assemblies have been taking place for almost 80 years; such traditions are of historical importance – this is what students are exposed to when parents/carers buy into our school.

Within our other outstanding weekly Year assemblies a number of other key focus points have included messaging about:

  • men’s health, in particular on mental health and testicular cancer within the month of Movember.
    • personal safety – with the dark nights now clearly upon us, we have been responding to the annual and wholly unfortunate rise in local crime, especially street robbery as well as bike and phone theft. Important messages from our Safer Schools (police) Officer (SSO) include reporting all emergencies immediately via 999 and non-emergencies via 101 or the Met’s online reporting system. After-the-event reporting can also take place through face-to-face interactions with our highly effective Pastoral Support Managers (PSMs).

    Thank you to those parents/carers who have given us helpful feedback about this newsletter. We constantly aim to improve, so do leave a comment if you have any ideas about how this weekly publication can be even better.

    Simon Fisher and Jo Higginbottom

    Revision

    Revise “little and often” for success

    The December exams begin for Years 11 and 13 in just a couple of weeks! The exam timetables are available; students will receive their Individual Candidate Timetables next week.

    If students haven’t already done so, we recommend making a daily revision timetable – this website has templates to help with this. A ‘little and often’ approach is the best way to success!

    Coming Soon!

    Put these in your calendar

    • Thursday 16 November – Year 11 Parents/Carers Evening
    • Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 November – Senior School Production
    • Thursday 30 November – Friday timetable
    • Friday 1 December – INSET Day
    • Monday 4 December – PPA Day
    • Thursday 7 December – Tuesday 19 December – Written December Exams (Years 11-13)
    • Friday 8 December – Year 7 Induction Assembly
    • Friday 15 December – Flu immunisations for those with consent
    • Monday 18 December – Senior Awards Evening
    • Thursday 21 December – End of Autumn Term (students dismissed at 12.30pm)
    • Monday 8 January 2024 – Start of Spring Term

    The full calendar is available at this link.

    Senior School Production – ‘Lord of the Flies’

    Tickets are on sale now!

    Tickets are now on sale for our senior school production of ‘Lord of the Flies’. We cannot wait to host members of our school community on Wednesday 22 and Thursday 23 November.

    Tickets cost just £5 for adults and £3 for students, children or concessions – an absolute bargain for a fantastic evening of theatre.

    Take a look at the poster below (click for full size) and then get your tickets!

    Diwali

    Some celebratory events in London

    Diwali 2023 begins this Sunday, 12 November. TimeOut magazine have produced a fantastic list of some Diwali-themed events in London – check out their article and stay safe if you are celebrating.

    I&S Inspires – Dr Jamie Frost

    Coming next Tuesday!

    There are just days to go until our eagerly-awaited next I&S Inspires talk. If you missed it, we will welcome Dr Jamie Frost – creator of Dr Frost Maths – into school on Tuesday 14 November. The talk will take place from 3.20pm and last no more than an hour. Check out the full information letter and please do encourage your child to attend this inspirational talk – they may discover a whole new career pathway not previously considered!

    Safeguarding

    Together we learn, achieve and succeed – Ready, Respectful, Safe

    At this time of global conflict, the I&S values of ‘Togetherness’ and ‘Respect’ are more important than ever. Our skilled teachers are able to cultivate a safe and supportive environment where students can learn, think and safely express their views and develop their understanding of global and other controversial issues closer to home. 

    In doing this, our student also develop important skills in emotional regulation as well as values of tolerance and empathy for others. The principles our teachers apply in managing controversial issues include:  

    • Knowing our students and understanding the community – Over time, through developing clear expectations and a culture of trust and respect, students feel safe to be present and participate while controversial issues are discussed.  
    • Guide the discussion using appropriate strategies – The teacher’s strategies help provide structure so conversations do not go too far off the rails, or become too emotional. Teachers ensure students talk one at a time, in turn and listen to one another. They also challenge them to use reliable sources, and consider different perspectives and ideas.  
    • Model tolerance and impartiality, taking care not to share personal views – Teachers insist on respect, balance, age appropriateness positive attitudes, in keeping with the school’s ethos and British. This underpins a safe and appropriate classroom when discussing controversial issues.  

    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.

    Pride of House

    Celebrating student success

    The House system is a pillar of life at Isleworth & Syon, offering a “school within a school” and another community for students. The Pride of House awards are a great way for tutors and staff to reward students for a great contribution to school life. These awards are displayed on our signage screens across school, and you can often find students huddled around them celebrating the latest winners!

    Click a house badge below to view their winners.

    News

    Celebrating the school’s past and looking to the future

    Remembrance Assemblies

    Today (Friday) we held our annual Remembrance assemblies. These important events commemorate those who have given their lives in the world wars and conflicts since. 

    Mr Judge led poignant assemblies with all year groups, and several students spoke eloquently, either about their own experiences or reading famous war poetry. Then, a student laid a wreath in the school hall – to directly remember the Isleworth & Syon students who lost their lives in war.

    Well done to our resident bugler Max Manson (Year 11), who flawlessly recited ‘The Last Post’ during each assembly. All students behaved impeccably during these important events and were a credit to the school.

    Sixth Form Open Evening

    On Tuesday evening, we held our Sixth Form Open Evening, with all young people in Year 11 welcome to visit the school. We were delighted with a healthy attendance from our Year 11s as well as students from other local schools.

    During the evening, the Co-Headteachers and the Sixth Form team discussed how we are uniquely placed to offer students the platform to succeed, with exceptional educational outcomes and extensive leadership experiences – as well as offering aspirational next steps and outstanding opportunities.

    Applications for the Sixth Form are open now. The closing date is Friday 26 January 2024. Check out the application page to read the course guide and learn more.

    Seaford Fieldwork

    Our second Seaford group headed to the coast on Wednesday. These intrepid Year 11 geographers battled tricky weather to conduct fieldwork on the beaches. This means examining coastal processes as well as management and land use. It was a great way to put their class studies into practice and help them plan their own independent fieldwork later this year.

    Annual Review 2022-23

    And finally for today – each year, the school produces a full Annual Review, summarising everything that has happened inside and outside the classroom. It is the best way to learn more about our range of outstanding opportunities and our exceptional educational outcomes! 

    Parents/carers were given the 2022-23 edition on PPD, and it has now been uploaded to this website. Across its 81 pages, you can witness the school’s drive to ensure that all students be the best that they can be.

    This website has an archive going back nearly 10 years, meaning these Reviews are also a meaningful record of what was happening at the time. Take, for example, the 2019-20 academic year, where the school closed its doors for the first time in its history due to the Covid pandemic. Or the 2014-15 publication, featuring the school’s launch of a special four-year project to commemorate each of the former students who died in WW1, on the anniversary of their deaths. 

    If you have some spare time, please do dig in to the archive. It is a wonderful historical record of life at school.