Half-Term Newsletter October 2016

In this Newsletter

News - in Brief
On the Website
Important arrangements and dates for the half term ahead

Future Newsletters
In order to reduce costs and to be more environmentally friendly, all newsletters will be posted on the school
website. Newsletters will be published on a half-termly basis.

School Communications
Please do get used to using our forms of online communication, listed here. They are the best way to keep upto-date with the daily life of the school. It is also far more efficient to access information via the website or Twitter
account, rather than by telephone.
Website:
Twitter:
Facebook:
Parent Portal:

www.isleworthsyon.org
twitter.com/IsleworthSyon
facebook.com/IsleworthSyon
https://parent.isleworthsyon.com

Email:
Telephone:
Fax:

school@isleworthsyon.org
020 8568 5791
020 8568 1939

News In Brief
A Message from the Headteacher
The first half-term has flown by and I can hardly believe that we are already seven weeks into
the new academic year. It has been a busy but successful beginning to the school year.
Well done to our new Year 7 students on a really positive induction. The new intake of 180
students is the largest in the schools history and judging by their positive start, I predict that
this year group might go on to be one of our finest.
This half term, the majority of the year group spent time at the PGL Centre in Marchants Hill, Surrey, enjoying a
range of activities designed to test initiative, team-building and social skills and of course giving the new boys a
chance to make new friendships. I spent two days with the students and thoroughly enjoyed observing them
taking part in activities like the giant swing, trapeze, zip wire and a host of other challenges, including orienteering
and archery, all of which gave them the chance demonstrate resilience, initiative and often a lot of skill.

At the end of September, we were delighted to welcome former student and award-winning architect and
designer, John Edwards, back to school to present the prizes at our Senior Awards Evening. A graduate of the
University of Cambridge and of the Royal College of Art, John is currently working for Useful Studio and one of
his current projects is our new teaching block. It was a delight to hear him reflect on him time at school and on
his career to date.
We have already had our Open Evening and Open Mornings for prospective students for the 2017 entry, which
were all very successful events. I commend all the student helpers who did a magnificent job on the tours or by
helping in subject areas. They really are excellent ambassadors for the school.

Examination Results Another Record Year!

We are again hugely proud of our students examination results. At GSCE level, results again matched previous
records. Every single student gained a string of valuable GCSE grades and we are proud of the fact that on every
measurement, boys at Isleworth & Syon School out-perform boys nationally. On the new government measure
for progress (Progress8) our students scored 0.35 better than boys nationally, equating to a third of a grade for
every GCSE taken. In the core subject of English and mathematics, Isleworth boys outscore boys nationally by
14% in each subject.
At A-Level, our student outcomes were excellent. The pass rate was over 99%, 20% of the grades were at A*/A
and over 50% of all A Level grades were at A*-B. Across the whole year over 80% of grades were at C or above,
Page | 1

cementing our position as being one of the best Sixth Form providers in the area. In the vocational courses at
Sixth Form, 88% of all grades were at Distinction* or Distinction (the equivalent to A* or A). These figures are
enormously impressive. Our Sixth Form students are now moving onto universities or going into the world of
work. We wish them all the very best for the future and look forward to hearing of their continued successes.

Annual Review
The 2015-16 Annual Review was published at the beginning of the month and is now available to view online at
www.isleworthsyon.org/review. This 70-page magazine gives a flavour of the last twelve months, including
students earning places at prestigious drama schools such as RADA and LAMDA, continued and sustained
sporting excellence, lots of trips and excursions in the UK and abroad, and so much more!

Borough Cricket Success

In a fixture carried over from last year, our current Year 8 cricket team were
crowned as Year 7 borough cricket champions for 2015-16 on Thursday 6
October. This means that last years Year 7, 8 and 9 cricket teams were all
crowned as borough champions a testament to the hard work on display
from the students.
We regularly have 15-20 students training before school on a Thursday
morning, as the boys prepare for the winter indoor season. We hope the boys
are able to build on these successes early signs are very encouraging!

Senior Awards Evening

On Thursday 22 September, we hosted our annual Senior Awards Evening, celebrating students in Years 10-13
who have demonstrated excellence during the previous academic year. In total, 140 students collected awards
on the evening in a large range of categories a phenomenal number! The evening ended with the presentation
of the Headmasters Cup, which Mr Ferguson awarded to Louis Kelly, an affable and reliable student who was
always willing to go the extra mile in school. Congratulations to all of the award winners they are a credit to their
families.

Open Evening
Wednesday 5 October saw our Open Evening, where we open the school to Year 6 students and their
parents/carers. Guests were given the opportunity to take part in the many interactive displays spread around
the school; to see evidence of the fantastic work of our current students; and to talk to the students and members
of staff. The feedback from the visitors has been extremely positive you can view some of the comments and
view an image gallery at www.isleworthsyon.org/open-evening-2016.

Page | 2

Expectations Evenings
Towards the beginning of the term, we hosted Expectations Evenings for Years 7, 10, and 12. These evenings
are a crucial part of each year groups start to the year, as they outline our basic expectations. Pleasingly, the
events were extremely well-attended. If you were not able to make it or you just want to go over what was
covered you can find the PowerPoint presentations from each event at www.isleworthsyon.org/study-skills.

School Development Plan

The three new whole school teaching objectives for development in 2016-17 are as follows:
1. High Quality Assessment for Outstanding Progress
2. Independent Learning
3. Taking Positive Action
There are other priorities for development, but these three areas will be a focus for every member of staff. Each
is geared to improving outcomes for each and every student.

Harvest Challenge Fundraising Appeal

We had an absolutely fantastic response to our Harvest Challenge charity appeal, with a record number of
donations! We received 1195 items in total, with 7E finishing as the top form. All donated food will be given to
local foodbanks to help those in need this Christmas. Our next charity appeal will be in aid of Children in Need
this November.

Communications
One of our aims this year is to decrease the use of paper throughout the school. This is a cost-cutting exercise
but, of course, also has enormous environmental benefits. The vast majority of our home-school communications
are now electronic, predominately via email and text message. If you have not been receiving emails since
September, we do not have a valid email address on record for the priority 1 contact. It is essential that we
receive this information as soon as possible to ensure that you do not miss out on critical information.
Large-group letters will be uploaded to the school website (www.isleworthsyon.org/letters) and be posted on our
social media platforms.
Page | 3

At the time of writing, we currently have nearly 550 likes on Facebook (www.facebook.com/IsleworthSyon) and
over 520 followers on Twitter (www.twitter.com/IsleworthSyon). These networks are an essential component of
the schools communications strategy and serve as a fantastic way to transmit important messages to
parents/carers. We urge you to use one or both of these services if you do not already do so.
Signing up to use these services is quick and easy. For Twitter, head to www.twitter.com, click sign up in the
top-right corner, enter your details, and click sign up. Facebook is even easier; navigate to www.facebook.com,
enter a few details, and click the green sign up button. Once you have signed up, find the Isleworth & Syon
accounts via the links above and like (Facebook) and follow (Twitter) us!

Head Boy and Deputies

Our thanks to Thomas Knox, Ali Eta and Olivia Barnes, who served as Head Boy, Deputy Head Boy and Deputy
Head Girl, respectively, last year. We wish them all the very best for the future.
Our new senior students are Cara Doyle (Deputy Head Girl), Maxwell Omondi (Head Boy) and Diogo Da Silva
(Deputy Head Boy).

Site Developments
After what seems like several years in planning, work has, at last started on the new school building. The new
teaching block is being built on the south side of the site (the side playground) and when completed in early
autumn 2017, will house twenty brand new classrooms. In addition, next summer, the current English rooms
(rooms 124 to 129) will be converted into four brand new science laboratories.
Over the summer we refreshed the Performing Arts corridor. A failing roof had left the corridor in a terrible state
but the new look corridor has really brightened the whole area.

European Day of Languages

Monday 26 September was the European Day of Languages, and the MFL department celebrated the occasion
with a language quiz 15 members of staff wore a French or Spanish sentence, and Year 7 students were given
the English translations. Students had to figure out which teacher had which phrase! It was great to see so many
Year 7s enthusiastically taking part.
Page | 4

Actor Visit Alex Gatehouse

We were delighted to welcome theatre actor Alex Gatehouse into
school on Tuesday 18 October for a masterclass with the Year 13
BTEC Performing Arts cohort. Over the course of the two-hour
session, Alex taught the students more about the grotesque,
encouraging them to embrace their physicality. These skills will
serve them well for their devised piece, which contains grotesque
elements. Our thanks to Alex for giving up the time to come in.
A video clip from the session is available on our Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/IsleworthSyon.

Frantic Assembly Workshops

Two days later, we welcomed in theatre company Frantic Assembly for two separate sessions with drama GCSE
and A-Level students. The session was focused on movement, with students encouraged to throw off the
shackles of story in favour of something a lot subtler. This certainly brought students out of their comfort zone,
but they rose to the challenge and create some powerful and poetic pieces of work. The representatives from
the company were extremely positive afterwards; indeed, they told Diallo Williams (10A) and Gabriel James
(10F) that they should apply for their Ignition youth programme next year!

Macbeth
On Friday 14 October, Ms Squires and Miss Dubell took a small group of students in Years 8 and 9 to the Paul
Robeson Theatre, Hounslow, for a special performance of Macbeth which featured only one actor! The students
were handpicked as a reward for an outstanding year of independent reading and/or helping in the school library.
The boys really enjoyed the trip, with Jack Shiels (9D) stating that the performance was amazing he
particularly enjoyed the opportunity to ask questions to the actor after the performance. Well done to the boys
for their impeccable conduct during the trip, and for their continued support of literacy within the school.

Former Students Visit

We were delighted to welcome former students Brian Stern and Roger Thomas into school in October. They
attended the school from 1958 to 1966 and were very impressed with the quality of the school facilities! They
remarked that much of the school building was exactly as they remembered it! The photograph above shows
them reminiscing over the historical pictures in the main corridor, and trying to find their friends.
If any other former students wish to come and visit, we would love to hear your stories. Please do get in touch!

Page | 5

Sports Report
Its been a busy seven weeks of sport. Here are some of the highlights:

Our Year 9 football team thumped Eastleigh Community School 9-1 in the first round of the National Cup.
The second round was played at Isleworth & Syon the first home fixture to take advantage of our brand
new state-of-the-art goalposts. The boys lost narrowly to Haberdashers 7-5 in round 2 after at one point
being 4-1 down!

200 boys from across Years 7-13 took part in Saturday morning rugby fixtures at Heathlands on Saturday
15 October, demonstrating outstanding levels of commitment. It truly was a great advert for Isleworth &
Syon sport.

We entered 15 students into the London Youth Rowing Championships in October, which took place at
the Green School. Well done to Harry Rumball (11A) who earned a bronze, and Cody McHale (11E) who
got a silver.

On Wednesdays after school, we have had the pleasure to welcome Middlesex cricket coach Karl
Silvester into school. Karl is also a former student of the school, and the Year 7 boys have loved working
with him so far!

In the last week of the half term, we took part in the Key Stage 4 borough table tennis championships at
Heathlands. We entered two teams the B team lost their semi-final while the A team were narrowly
defeated in the final. There were some exceptional performances, however, which bode well for the
future!

Our Gold Duke of Edinburghs undertook their final assessed expedition to the Brecon Beacons at the
end of September. In spite of some tough conditions, the boys did an excellent job. This years DofE
cohorts will be starting soon look out for more information on the website in the near future!

Page | 6

Reminders
Appearance Policy
The schools policy is clear with regard to hair, and all of our students are aware of the requirements through
repeated reminders in assemblies and in tutor time. The extract from our Appearance Policy is included below
as a reminder:

Hair should be conventional in style and in length (above the collar and no shorter than a blade 2) and
should not be artificially coloured, spiked or contain styling products. Excessively shaven hair (below a
blade 2/where skin on head is visible), shaved eyebrows or any shaven fade/step/lines/patterns/fashion
trims/high tops/low tops/shape ups are not acceptable.
The hairstyles shown below are not acceptable at school under any circumstances. Please note that this list is
not exhaustive. If students are not appropriately attired for school, they will be sent home and told that they
cannot return until their appearance is appropriate. The Senior Leadership Team of the school are the final
arbiters of the Appearance Code in all cases.

FADED SKIN TO 2

SHAVEN STEP FADE / TWISTS /

PATTERNS

PRODUCT

FADE

SKIN FADE - AFRO

RELATED TO MUSICAL,
SPORTING OR FASHION TRENDS

SHAVEN PARTING

PATTERNS

SHAPE-UP / LINE-UP / EDGE-UP /

SHADOW FADE

Page | 7

SHAVEN SIDES - NEEDS

BLENDING

HIGH TOP

ARTIFICIALLY-COLOURED

Basic Equipment
It is a simple and clear expectation that students bring basic school equipment
on a daily basis thus enabling them to be ready for learning. Equipment includes
pens, pencil, ruler, a scientific calculator, specialist maths equipment and a water
bottle. All these items should be organised within a suitably sized school bag
which should also contain a reading book.
Please ensure that your son / ward organises his school bag the evening before
a school day and is ready to learn.

Attendance
Please remember that all appointments must be made outside of school hours where possible. Holiday leave
must not be taken during term time unless with the explicit permission of the Headteacher; all requests must be
made to Mr Ferguson in writing.

Lost Property
Please note that all lost property will only be kept for a half term; after this point, it will be taken to a local charity
shop or disposed of. It is a good idea to put clear labels in your son/wards uniform and sports kit, outlining his
full name and form group. This will ensure that any Lost Property can make its way back to its rightful owner. If
you have any second-hand uniform in good condition, we appreciate any donations.

Epipens
If your son/ward has been prescibed an auto-injector (epipen) to be used in the event of a severe allergic
reaction, he will need to have two epipens in school - one to be kept in his bag at all times and one to be handed
in to the medical room which will be kept in the school office.
The school health and safety policy states that unless a student has two epipens in school they will not be allowed
to stay in school.

Parent/Carer Access to School Site and Parking

We ask parents/carers to please encourage students to travel to school independently. This will often be a
healthier option and is also better for the environment! We appreciate that it is occasionally necessary to drop
students off, but we request that this happens outside the school grounds. This is a health and safety due to the
volume of students in the front car park in the mornings. If your son/ward has a disability, please contact reception
to make proper drop-off arrangements.

Page | 8

Please note also that there are a number of double yellow lines around the school site. These are sited here for
the safety of students, so please do not, under any circumstances park on them. Officers from the Local Authority
frequently tour the local roads and issue tickets to offenders. We fully support this approach.

Free School Meals

If you are in receipt of certain benefits, you may be able to claim for free school meals. Your children are entitled
to free school meals if you are any of the following:

in receipt of Income Support

in receipt of Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
in receipt of an Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance
in receipt of a Child Tax Credit, but not entitled to a Working Tax Credit and have an annual income (as
assessed by the Inland Revenue) of no more than 16,190 (from 6 April 2015)
being supported by the National Asylum Support Service (NASS)
in receipt of Guaranteed Element of State Pension Credit.

Online applications to the London Borough of Hounslow can be made via the London Borough of Hounslow
website; click here to access it. Our administrative staff are happy to help you process your application.

Home-Learning
The quality of home-learning or homework is ever increasing (see picture below). National research suggests
that, on average, an extra eight months of progress each year can be gained when students successfully
complete homework. Given this, please check your sons study diary for homework every week and, if a quiet
learning space is not available at home, encourage your son/ward to use the school library which is open before
school as well as until 5.30pm every day.

Feedback and Marking

Parents/carers should be aware that high quality oral feedback and writing marking is a priority within all lessons,
across all subjects. On a daily basis, this means a number of things. First, your childs books should be marked
by the class teacher on a regular basis. Parents/carers should see evidence within exercise books that some of
the marking by the teacher allows students to either re-draft work and/or feedback to the comments provided by
the teacher. This process of feedback after feedback is crucial to students making faster than expected progress.
Second, questioning is a vital element within all lessons. Hence, teachers have been asked to increasingly vary
how they correct, clarify, connect, and extract information from students. With this in mind, please challenge your
Page | 9

child as to whether he is answering sufficient questions or, better still, asking questions as well as building on
the answers of others. Third, and finally, we are striving to make all students completers or finishers. With this
in mind, all classwork within your childs book should be complete. Work should be tidy and organised; there
should be no gaps, no unfinished work, no loose paper. Please make every effort to reinforce this with your child
and, where necessary, ask them to complete their work.

Page | 10

Page | 11

Dates for the Diary

Please be aware that you can access a full calendar for the 2016-17 academic year via the school website
(www.isleworthsyon.org/calendar).

Autumn Term 2016

OCTOBER
Mon 24 Fri 28

Half Term

NOVEMBER
Thursday 3
Thursday 10
Friday 11
Friday 18
Friday 22
Friday 25
Monday 28

Sixth Form Open Evening (6.30pm)

Year 11 Parents Evening (4.30 7.00pm)
Remembrance Day Assemblies
Isleworth Association Quiz Night (6.30pm)
School Council Meeting (11.00am)
INSET Day 3 (students do not attend)
PPA Day for Staff (students do not attend)

DECEMBER
Thurs 1 Fri 2
Fri 2 Weds 21
Thursday 8
Friday 16
Monday 19
Weds 21
Thursday 22

School Production Macbeth

Year 11 Mock Examinations
Key Stage 5 Parents Evening (4.30 7.00pm)
Year 7 Induction Assembly (9.00am) parents/carers welcome
Carol Concert (7.00pm St. Marys Church)
Rugby: 1st XV vs Isleworthians/Staff (2.00pm Wood Lane)
Last Day of Term (students depart 12.30pm)

Coming Soon
Sixth Form Open Evening
Sixth Form Open Evening is scheduled for Thursday 3 November. Year 11 parents/carers have been emailed
with an online response form to confirm whether you will or will not be attending we request that you complete
this form even if you do not plan on attending the evening. For more details, visit the website.

Quiz & Curry Night

This years Isleworth Association Quiz & Curry Night takes place on Friday 18 November (6.30pm). Tickets cost
8 for adults and 5 for children/students, and include a curry! It is always a fantastic event, and this year
promises to be no exception!
Parents/carers have been sent an email containing more information about how to purchase your ticket through
our Tucasi payment system. It is also available on the website: www.isleworthsyon.org/quiz-2016

Page | 12

PPA and Inset

Please note that Friday 25 November and Monday 28 November are marked as an INSET and a PPA Day
respectively. Students are not expected in school on either day.

School Production
Rehearsals continue for this years school production of Macbeth, with only six weeks until opening night. It
promises to be a very special performance that you simply cannot miss! Tickets go on sale after half term look
out for electronic communications during the first week back.

Carol Concert
The annual Carol Concert takes place on Monday 19 December. This festive extravaganza will get you in the
mood for Christmas, with our musical ensembles taking to the stage in the nearby St. Marys Church. Admission
is free more details to follow in the next few weeks.

Page | 13