Week 34 (15-19 April 2024)

The Pantry

Brand-new offerings from our chef-led canteen service

From next Monday (22 April), our caterers The Pantry will be open every day at 3.05pm for a short after-school service, for staff and students. On sale will be a small selection of sweet bites to eat as well as a range of cold drinks. 

We have also launched the Sixth Form servery this week, giving Year 12 and Year 13s a dedicated area in the Sixth Form Study Room to buy food and drink at break and lunch.

Old Isleworthians Auction

Support a great cause in our local community

Tomorrow (Saturday 18 April), our partners Old Isleworthians RFC (OIRFC) are hosting a special charity match in memory of club legend Tony Hawkes. The annual event, taking place down at Wood Lane, will raise charity for the Doddie Weir MND charity.

There will also be an online auction for four items:

• OIRFC playing shirt signed by Jonny Wilkinson, with a reserve of £200. 
• A pair of VIP tickets in the Sponsors’ Lounge for any Brentford premiership match next season with a reserve of their value £280, donated by former OIRFC player and Brentford CEO, Jon ‘Reg’ Varney.
• Dinner for two at the Railway, Teddington Steak Night with a bottle of house wine with a reserve of £50, donated by the owner OI Gary O’Connel.
• A Bar Experience for two at London’s premier Shard on the 31st floor with panoramic views of the City serving modern British food. You will each receive a glass of champagne, a British icon cocktail and a shared Chef’s selection platter with a reserve of £50.

Whether you are attending the event or not, you can bid for any of these four items by emailing old.isleworthians@btinternet.com before 6.00pm this evening (Friday).

Alternatively, you can make a straight donation via the email above. All funds raised from these auctions and donations will be passed on to the charities.

On the day, there will be a raffle for numerous prizes, so please bring cash. The Vets rugby match kicks off at 2.00pm with players from OIRFC, Teddington and Grasshoppers. Remember, all students are automatically Isleworthians so everyone is welcome.

AIM Drop-In Sessions

A chance for parents/carers to get together and discuss local issues

As a reminder, local community group Action Isleworth Mothers (AIM) has started a weekly drop-in for all Hounslow parent/carers who are concerned for their children’s safety. It is a safe space for parents/carers to discuss all matter of issues including child exploitation, challenging behaviours and other issues.

It takes place every Tuesday (11.30am – 1.30pm) at The Bridgelink Centre Cafe. Find out more information in their flyer.

Safeguarding

Ensuring students have regular digital detoxes

Recently, the national media have been stewing over the Government’s decision to “offer guidance” to schools about banning the active use of mobile phones on school site. As many parents/carers will know, we have banned the use of mobile phones from our classrooms and playgrounds for over a decade.

Simply, phones can not be used, seen or heard. We would like to thank students and parents/carers for supporting this well-embedded, tight school regulation. For clarity, the ban is for a number of important reasons, namely: first, phones are a distraction from learning and; second, crucially, smartphone usage is an addiction with – as growing evidence shows – profound personal, and emotional social consequences. These consequences stretch well beyond the classroom and into every segment of our lives. Its impact is most profound on the youngest addicts – our students – who we strongly urge to have regular digital detoxes.

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.

_{Photo by Arun Thomas on Pexels.com}

Drama & Music Showcase – Feedback

How many students took part in our outstanding opportunities this term?

Before Easter, we held our Drama & Music Showcase. It was a truly wonderful event, as you can see from the small selection of parent/carer feedback below. We have also included a photograph gallery from the event!

Ski Tour 2025

A life-changing opportunity

The Ski Tour for February 2025 is still open for current Years 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12. If you are interested in your child creating lifelong memories in the mountains, please see the email sent on Tuesday 16 April to express your interest!

House Point Champions

Celebrating student success

Even more students have received Diamond or Prestige awards this week – meaning that they have earned 200 or 300 house points respectively. These students are shining example of what all Isleworthians should aim towards – congratulations to them.

_{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.} 

Pride of House

Celebrating student success

The first Pride of House awards of the Summer Term have been presented. As a reminder, a student from each of our 40 form groups are nominated for outstanding contribution to school life this week. All recipients receive a digital certificates as well as appear on our internal signage screens all week – so that their peers can share in their achievement. Click a house badge below to congratulation the winners.

Careers Corner

Unique career-based opportunities

Our students are constantly exposed to unique career-based opportunities. ASK London, in association with the four London Careers Hubs, are launching a new ‘Apprenticeship Careers and Curriculum’ webinar series. Young people are often attracted to apprenticeships but are not always sure which apprenticeships their favourite school subjects prepare them for. Therefore, they are aiming to link school subjects with apprenticeships more explicitly. They will be joined by a range of apprentices and employers, who will discuss their roles and opportunities, explain what qualifications were required for the vacancy, and explore what skills acquired in school study have supported them in their apprenticeship employment. Over the course of the week, they will focus on different subjects, English/Humanities (Monday), Maths (Tuesday), Science (Wednesday), Digital and ICT (Thursday), and Art and Creative (Friday). There will be sessions at 4.00pm on each day. Students are encouraged to attend, but they are also tailoring the sessions to parents/carers so that they discuss apprenticeships with young people more effectively and can support their journeys.

British Airways have opened enrolment for their Speedbird Pilot Academy. This programme aims to remove the financial barriers of becoming a pilot and offer candidates the opportunity to earn a place at a flight school and subsequently a job at British Airways. Aimed at students in Year 13, this programme is hugely popular and often closes early due to the number of applications. Students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.

News

Awards and rewards aplenty!

Max Manson – Local Award

On our return after Easter, we would like to congratulate Year 11 student Max Manson. As well as being an exemplary Isleworthian who consistently make a positive contribution to school life, Max is very active in the school community. It is this work which has led him to the Worshipful Company of Tylers and Bricklayers presenting him with a Crafts Award on 19 March.

This award was given to Max to reward his entrepreneurial work in making wooden rifles for Army Cadets to use in their drill practice. When reporting this honour, Max’s parent/carer specifically named DT staff Mr Scanlon and Mr Elliston for their key role in inspiring Max. Well done to him for going above and beyond!

Alan Watkinson – Influencer Award

One of our key partners in school is Sport Impact, a team of specialist PE teachers based out of our school. Sport Impact work across the majority of Hounslow schools to develop and support the delivery of high-quality PE, competitive and recreational sport as well as physical activity in schools.

We were delighted to learn that Sport Impact’s chair, Alan Watkinson (pictured above left), recently received a Campbell Award in the ‘Network Leader/Local Influencer’ category. It was presented as a result of Alan’s tireless work to ensure all children are happier, healthier and more active. Find out more about the award on the Youth Sport Trust’s website.

Co-Head Rewards

Just before Easter, the Co-Headteachers hosted a small group of Isleworthians for a celebration meeting. Students were selected as a reward for their outstanding commitment to student leadership during the Spring Term. During their twenty-minute discussion, the Co-Heads got student views about the school, asking for ways that we can make it even better. Ideas included extending student leadership pathways into first aid as well as mental health. We thank the boys for their time and congratulate them for being brilliant Student Ambassadors so far this school year.

Transition Meetings

We have been delighted to welcome a large cohort of Year 6 families into the school community during the Spring Term, ahead of their starting in school this September. An important part of the process is our Transition Meetings, the first round of which took place yesterday (Thursday). Over 100 families had individual sit-downs with a member of teaching staff – giving school the chance to get to know the families, and the families the chance to get to know school! There will be further meetings scheduled for the next few weeks; it really is a fantastic way to introduce new families to life at I&S!

Podcast Episode 7

And finally for today – our school podcast is back! We have just published episode 7, titled ‘Never Judge a Book By Its Cover’. This week, Ayman (Year 10), Rafi (Year 8) and Ms Squires join the podcast to share their thoughts about the Hounslow Teen Read competition which took place from November to March. They give us their insights on the six books and what they thought of the eventual winner. 

You can listen via the embedded player below:

A direct link is also available if the player does not work.

Once again, we would love your feedback once you’ve had a listen – please leave any comments in this form.