Week 34 (17-21 April 2023)

Strike Action

We would like to take this opportunity to remind parents/carers of the forthcoming teacher strike day by the National Education Union: Thursday 27 April. 

Please check your emails as well as the school website for updates about which year groups are being invited into school. Currently these year groups will be Year 10, 11, 12 and 13.

Sustainability Week

Next week (Monday 24 – Friday 28 April) is Sustainability Week in school. The event will be run by the school’s Eco-Committee; it is the second time we have organised this series of environment-focused events.

Over the course of the week, students will learn and share strategies to help all of us invest in our planet as well as be more eco-conscious in our day to day lives. We’ll give you a full summary in next week’s newsletter.

Safeguarding

Recent research by Ofcom reveals the new challenges young people face in identifying misleading online content, at a time when being online is more important than ever. Ofcom found that:

• 77% of young people say being online is a more important part of their life than ever before, with 65% enjoying online lessons during lockdown amidst school closures.

• 48% of young people are seeing misleading content every day, with more than one in 10 seeing it more than six times a day – often leaving them feeling annoyed, upset, sad, angry, attacked or scared.

• 43% of young people have noticed their friends and peers sharing misleading content (such as fake news) online.

• 62% of young people have had friend requests from people they don’t know

• 59% of young people are aware they have a responsibility to report potentially damaging, harmful or misleading content online, but overall are more likely to block misleading content (21%) than report it (16%)

We encourage all parents/carers to monitor the use of the internet by their son/ward.

If you have a concern about the safety or welfare of your child, please email safeguarding@isleworthsyon.org. If there is an emergency call 999 or, for non-urgent matters that require police attention, call 101. 

Pride of House

This week, another 40 outstanding Isleworthians have been rewarded with a digital Pride of House award. These students have brilliant school ambassadors. Check out the full list by clicking a house badge below!

Careers Corner

Careers Leader Mr Adams would like to thank the over 100 respondents to the recently-emailed careers survey. He is working through the data that has been collected. He would also particularly like to thank the nearly 50 parents/carers who would be willing to attend a focus group and further support the school in meeting the needs of parents/carers as well as our students. Full details of the school’s careers programme can be found at this link.

Public Examinations

We recommend all students taking exams this summer familiarise themselves with the exam timetables for the coming season. Revision programmes should be planned with the schedule in mind – our mantra is to revise “little and often”.

Coming Up!

• Thursday 27 April – NEU Strike scheduled
• Thursday 27 April – Year 8 Parents/Carers Evening
• Monday 1 May – Bank Holiday
• Tuesday 2 May – NEU Strike scheduled
• Monday 8 May – Bank Holiday
• Tuesday 9 May – Monday timetable
• Monday 15 May – Public Examinations Begin
• Monday 29 May – Friday 2 June – Half-Term

Invigilators Wanted!

Final call for anyone interested in becoming an exam invigilator! You will be employed on a casual basis to supervise students in mock and external examinations throughout the school year.

The hours are variable; morning sessions begin at 8.00am and afternoon sessions typically finish at around 3.30pm. You will need to be:

• reliable
• punctual
• have good communication skills both verbal and written
• have good spoken fluency and accuracy in English.

If you’re interested – or know someone who might be! – read the full Job Description and how to apply on the ‘Vacancies’ page.