Summer Half Term Newsletter

May 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
parent.isleworthsyon.com

Email:
Telephone:
Fax:

school@isleworthsyon.org
020 8568 5791
020 8568 1939

News In Brief
Raymond Anum Drama Schools
We were thrilled to hear that another of our former students has gained places at multiple drama schools.
Raymond Anum left the school in the summer of 2014, and has just received offers to study acting at the Royal
Academy of the Dramatic Art (RADA) and the Bristol Old Vic. If he accepts a place at the latter, he will join fellow
alumnus Taheen Modak, who began his course last September.
During his time at Isleworth & Syon, Raymond demonstrated not only a lot of potential but also a thirst and drive
for success. The road to these offers has not been easy, but through perseverance and dedication, he now has
the chance to fulfil his dream of becoming an actor. Having witnessed a series of outstanding performances
during his time at Isleworth & Syon, we all know that Raymond has a bright future ahead of him, and we cannot
wait to see where he ends up.

Raymond gave one of his many excellent performances

during this BTEC Performing Arts piece,
which earned him a Distinction*.

Tom Sherriff - Sky Sports Apprenticeship

We were delighted to receive notice that Tom Sherriff (Year 13) has gained a place on a highlyprestigious internship at Sky Sports following the conclusion of his studies here at Isleworth &
Syon.
The Fast Forward Scheme offers participants the chance to gain valuable working experience for a year in Sky
Sports, working across a variety of shows such as Sky Sports News, Monday Night Football, and other sporting
events. It was highly selective, with only one person picked from thousands of application, and included an
intense four-stage application process. The scheme will offer Tom the chance to experience a number of different
aspects such as sound, script-writing, logging and editing.

Will Millett Royal College of Music

We were delighted to receive notice that Will Millett (9D) has been
accepted into the Royal College of Music junior department,
starting every Saturday in September. This is an extremely
prestigious opportunity, as he will be given the opportunity to study
composition and musical theory, as well as playing in the renowned
Royal College of Music ensemble and having one-to-one tuition
from specialist teachers.
We look forward to hearing more about this next year.
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Brilliant Club
This years Brilliant Club programmes have now concluded, with a large cohort of students taking part in Years
7-10 during the school year. This is the third year that we have run the programme in school, with a group of
Gifted & Talented students receiving tutorials from a PhD student on a certain topic, before writing an essay at
a key stage above their current level.
The standard of work has been extremely high from all the students. The essays are marked using the universitygrading system, with grades ranging from a First to a 2:2. An extremely impressive 17 students achieved a First
for their essays; those students are pictured below.

YEAR 7 AND 8

WALEED
ALDILLAMI
(8B)

NATHANIEL
BUENDIA
(7E)

ELLIOTT
CULLING
(7D)

JUDE
MADDOCKYOUNGS (8A)

SAMUEL
NIXON
(8D)

ARMAAN
SACHDEVA
(7C)

RAUL
SHAH
(7C)

MOHAMMED
SHEIKHNOOR
(8E)

JACK
SHIELS
(8D)

THOMAS
SKINNER
(8F)

JOSIAH
WILSON
KEPPLE (8A)

LARS-LEANDER
VOLLE
(8C)

YEAR 9 AND 10

JOHN
ALVARAN
(9E)

ALEC
BRUNDLE
(9A)

ALI
NASIRI
(9F)

Well done to all of the students who took part.

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RUHUL-AMIN
AHMED
(9C)

DANIEL
VAKILI
(9F)

Holocaust Speaker: George Vulkan

On Wednesday 28 April, we were privilege to welcome George Vulkan into school. Mr Vulkan is a survivor of the
Holocaust, and came to give his testimony to the whole of Year 9 in a poignant hour-and-a-half talk in the school
hall.
The boys were very respectful and attentive throughout, and there were some fantastic questions asked during
the question-and-answer session after his talk. We feel that these events are very important as a means of
contextualising students classroom studies, as well as giving them an insight into the atrocities.

Mr Vulkan with all of the students who asked questions during the talk.

Year 13 Leavers Assembly

On Thursday 26 May, we said goodbye to our Year 13 students with their Leavers Assembly in the Study Room.
It was a poignant send-off, mostly led by the students. One of the highlights was a very memorable speech by
Kieran Jaswal, which recalled many hilarious incidents from over the years. Deputy Head Boy Ali Eta produced
a video montage full to the brim with memories students particularly enjoyed seeing how far theyve come since
Year 7. The assembly ended with Mr Doyle telling the students to make sure they have no regrets in the very
short time they have left at Isleworth & Syon.
Its been an absolute pleasure watching the students develop into mature, considerate and confident young men
and women, and we are sure that each and every one of them has a bright future. We look forward to hearing
what theyve been up to in the years to come!

Year 11 Leavers Assembly

The following day Friday 27 May saw the final formal assembly of compulsory education for our Year 11
students. Over the course of their five years, there have certainly been some bumps in the road, but it was truly
lovely to hear their memories courtesy of representatives from each form, as well as staff. Following the pastoral
and academic awards, Mr Lightfoot concluded with a speech entitled Life from the Point of View of a Gamer,
which gave Year 11 some meaningful advice through the prism of video games. We wish all of our Year 11 the
very best in whatever comes next, be that our own Sixth form, college, or the world of work.

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Duke of Edinburghs Award Scheme

The school has operated the Duke of Edinburghs Award scheme for many years now; indeed, we are the only
state school in the borough to offer the full Gold award. On Tuesday 10 May, a number of Isleworth & Syon
students visited the Civic Centre for their Presentation Evening, picking up their Bronze and Silver awards. We
were delighted to also see Joe Formby (Year 13) pick up his Gold award at the event, a testament to his hard
work. Almost a week later, on Monday 16 May, Mr Ferguson was invited to a very special Duke of Edinburghs
Award ceremony at Buckingham Palace, which commemorated the 60th anniversary of the scheme.
Last weekend, our Bronze group (53 Year 9 students) went out to Boxhill for their practice expedition, which was
a great success. The boys will use what they have learned when it comes to the assessed expedition during
Wider Learning Week. Their training continues next half-term. Thank you to the staff for their support, including
Mr West, Mr Adams, Mr Matthews, and Steve Turner.

Junior Maths Challenge (CLA)

On Thursday 28 April, 60 students in Years 7 and 8 took part in the UKMT Maths Challenge. This challenge is
organised annually by the UK Maths Trust and is designed to stimulate student interest in mathematics through
multiple-choice papers.
It was a pleasure to see 24 students achieve a medal 40% of the cohort! This is a testament to the boys hard
work. The full list of Gold, Silver and Bronze medal winners is included below:
GOLD

BRONZE

Anass EL ALWANI (8C) [Best in Year]

Jack SHIELS (8D)

Waleed ALDILLAMI (8B)

Thomas BEAGLEY (8D)
Benjamin FRYE (8C)
Myles HARRIS (8C)
Joshua JULLADO (8D)
Ahmed KALAIR (8E)
Archie MCGLYNN (8F)
Mohamad SHEIKHNOOR (8E)
Taran SYAN (8F)
Harry WELLS (8E)

SILVER
Mohamed ABUGHRIS (8E)
Zohaib CHAUDHRI (8F)
Lazar DEKIC (8B)
Mustafa ELHASSAN (8E)
Theodore GOODMAN (8E)
Max JENKINS (8C)
Laxman JEYARAJASINGAM (8F)
Samuel NIXON (8D)
Jakub POSKROP (8A)
Hussain QURASHI (8D)
Charlie RYAN-EDWARDS (8A)
Joseph WHITTAKER (8F)

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Geography Field Trip (CLA)

From Monday 16 Wednesday 18 May, Miss Lawler and the geography department took 74 Year 10 students to
Studland Bay for a field trip that forms part of their GCSE coursework. On the first day, students walked from
Studland Beach to Old Harry's Rocks, a five-and-a-half mile round trip. At the top of the rock, the boys looked at
landmarks, focusing on coastal landforms and arrangements. Tuesday was a particularly long day, as students
surveyed three beaches, discussing the conflicts between management and stakeholders. Students were
responsible for surveying local residents for their opinions too.

It was a great trip, with students really throwing themselves into the fieldwork. Hopefully this will bear dividends
when their coursework marks are released!

Debate Mate Cup (VCO)

Our Debate Mate students have had another very successful year; as mentioned in the previous newsletter, they
placed in the top 40 of secondary school in the country. The final competition of the year was the Debate Mate
Cup, which took place on Wednesday 20 April at the University of Westminster. The boys performed very well,
with each of the three teams winning at least one debate. The boys were also given an award for the top
attendance in London schools a fantastic achievement. We hope that the boys push on next year and continue
to develop their skills.

Ridgeway Road Toucan Crossing

Works installing a new toucan crossing on the A4 Great West Road junction with Ridgeway Road began in the
middle of April, and are scheduled to take nine weeks. During this time, we recommend that students cross the
A4 safely by using the existing crossing points located at either Wood Lane or Thornbury Road.

Michael Jarra Jack Petchey

We were delighted to receive notice that Michael Jarra (Year 11, right) received a
Jack Petchey Award on Thursday 24 May at Watermans Theatre, Brentford.
The award was presented for his coaching work with the Feltham Warriors basketball
team. Well done to him it is truly outstanding to see students making an impact in
the wider community.

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Sports Report
The P.E. department have been involved in numerous successes this term. These include:

Our Indoor Athletics team finished as county champions and progressed to compete in the London Youth
Games the very first school team to ever do this. After a fantastic performance, they finished sixth overall
a phenomenal achievement!

The Year 8 Athletics team took part in the Borough Super 8s a competition which brings together all the
borough schools for eight athletic events. The boys gave it everything they had and finished off as the
winners, meaning that they were borough champions.

Our Year 8 Cricket boys continue to go from strength-to-strength, progressing to the Middlesex Indoor
Borough final, where they narrowly finished runners-up.

At Key Stage 4, our Year 10 Cricketers (pictured below) competed in the McKinsey Cup borough round
eight-a-side. Having beaten Feltham school twice and Hammersmith once, the boys had to have a bowloff with Hammersmith to see who would progress. Arslaan Ahmed was the Isleworth & Syon hero, taking
the only wicket! We now progress to the county final, taking place at North London Cricket Club on
Wednesday 6 July.

The extra-curricular participation this term has been an excellent 65% higher than last term. The full
timetable of PE enrichment activities is available through the website.

Our Year 12 BTEC Sport, in association with Sport Impact, have been going into multiple local primary
schools, running sport and physical activity sessions during curriculum time. These sessions have
allowed the boys to develop skills they have picked up in their own lessons.

The new state-of-the-art pendulum swinging goalposts were installed this half term. Along with the new
floodlights, the 3G astro is now an excellent facility, which will be available for letting. The boys have
taken to the new goals very well.

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On The Website
Home Learning
One of our continuing academic priorities for this year is Independent Learning, encouraging students to go that
extra mile through their home learning and other independent tasks. We strongly believe that it is important for
parents/carers to be continually aware of the work being set for your children; to that end, throughout this school
year we have been uploading home learning sheets for Years 7-9 to the school website. These sheets are
intended as a guideline for your childs work at home. At the time of writing, Home Learning sheets for most
subject areas have been completed and uploaded for Summer Term 1, with Summer Term 2 due to be uploaded
during next half term. If you find a subject missing some half-terms, do not worry these will be uploaded in due
course.

Extra-Curricular Activities List

The Brilliant Club is one of many enrichment activities offered to students.

We continue to offer a wide range of enrichment programmes (catch-up sessions, clubs, and societies) to expand
students horizons outside of the classroom. A full list of these activities is available to parents/carers and
students via the school website. This document will be updated on a termly basis, and is designed to provide a
rough outline of activities available. There is also a separate document for sports training and clubs; head to
www.isleworthsyon.org/?page_id=2533 to view them both. Please note that this data is accurate as of the start
of the Summer Term 2016, and is subject to change dependent on individual circumstances.

Revision Resources
With students in Years 11-13 currently in the midst of public examinations, students in Years 7-10 should now
be revising for their own examinations, which take place over the course of the next half term. Full timetables
are available for all year groups on the school website, while students also receive an Individual Candidate
Timetable.
Revision is obviously a key component to examination success, and the school has a wide variety of resources
available online to maximise potential. Students and parents/carers can access a wide range of resources
through the Study Skills and Support page (www.isleworthsyon.org/?page_id=915). This includes blank
timetables and revision guides, as well as a subject-by-subject guide for what resources can help with the
revision process. You can also view a document titled Revision Strategies: Working under Pressure, which
details ways that students can cope with the stresses of the examination period.

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Reminders
Communications
We are endeavouring to increasingly use email as a means of school-to-home communications. Apart from the
environmental and cost benefits, there are clear benefits in ensuring that information gets home in a timely
manner. We would, therefore, ask that all parents/carers ensure that we have an up-to-date email address. If
your email address has changed since the last data collection sweep (Target Setting Day, November 2015),
please complete the short form located on the schools website to let us know.

Social Media
Make sure that you stay up-to-date with the latest developments coming out of the school as they
happen by following on the Twitter social media platform: www.twitter.com/IsleworthSyon. If you
dont already have an account, it is very easy to sign up. Twitter is one of the primary ways that we
circulate messages, news, notices and information about all aspects of school life.

Basic Equipment No Excuses

It is a simple and clear expectation that students bring basic school equipment to school on a daily basis, thus
enabling them to be ready for learning. Equipment includes pens, pencil, ruler, a scientific calculator, specialist
mathematics equipment and a water bottle. All of 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 therefore ready to learn. There are no excuses for students not being
prepared for school.

Independent Learning
One of our key priorities for 2015-16 is a focus on greater independent learning
from students. This is not solely about home learning, however, and
parents/carers can help the school to promote independent learning by
encouraging their child to:
1. Make decisions (accept that effort is required in order to be successful;
self-check their work, accept advice without perceiving it as criticism and
work without always seeking approval; respond to the teachers written
feedback)
2. Learn how to think (question the teacher about topics as well as their
peers, take risks with their learning, use initiative, be open-minded and
offer solutions, re-visit activities or topics without pressure)
3. Work in a systematic and organised manner (they possess school basic
equipment; they are resourceful and manage their time effectively)
4. Read for 20 minutes every evening.

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.

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Appearance Policy Holiday Reminders

Please remember the requirements of the school with regards to appearance, in particular to hair. This is
especially pertinent over the holiday period, when students can be tempted to go for a style that does not conform
to school requirements. Our 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 step/lines/patterns/fashion trims
are not acceptable.
Examples of inappropriate hairstyles can be seen below

FADED SKIN TO 2

SHAVEN STEP FADE

PRODUCT

FADE

SKIN FADE - AFRO

RELATED TO MUSICAL,
SPORTING OR FASHION TRENDS

SHAVEN PARTING

PATTERNS

If, on return after the holiday

period, students are not
appropriately attired for school,
they will be sent home and told
that they cannot return until their
appearance is appropriate.
Please also remember that the
Senior Leadership Team of the
school are the final arbiters of the
Appearance Code.

SHAVEN SIDES
NEEDS BLENDING

HIGH TOP

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Page | 10

Key Stage 3 Homework Pilot

The KS3 homework pilot is being extended until the remainder of the school year.
Evidence shows that the regular and effective completion of homework contributes
to an additional six months of student progress every year. Given this, students in
Years 7-9 will continue to be rewarded with Homework Positives every time a homelearning activity is submitted which is of an "acceptable quality".
An "acceptable quality" relates to both content and presentation, and is solely at the
discretion of the class teacher. Students who produce outstanding pieces of
homework will receive Homework Commendations. Many of these outstanding
pieces can be viewed on Twitter marked with the hashtag #IsleworthHomework.
Please continue to check the study diary of your son/ward for their home-learning activities; these are also posted
on the school website. Detentions for failing to submit homework have been phased out; instead, parents/carers
will be contacted by letter when students regularly fail to submit work.

Car Parking Before and After School

We would be grateful if parents/carers would carefully consider whether or not their children require picking up
from school each day. The roads around school can get congested; dropping off or collecting students, at either
end of the day, does add to this congestion. It can be frustrating for our neighbours to cope with the added traffic
and sometimes the way cars are parked is illegal. The zig-zag lines outside the school gates are in place for the
safety of our students, and double yellow lines also exist to ensure better traffic flow. The Local Authority has an
Enforcement Officer who attends the school to issue fixed-penalties where required, and this has our full support.
In addition, parents/carers must not drive onto the school grounds to pick up their children, unless there are
exceptional circumstances. Walking or cycling to school is a far healthier option for your children, so please give
this option serious consideration.

Healthy Behaviours
SAFE CYCLING
A small number of boys have required a reminder
about safe cycling, especially on the way home from
school in the afternoon. All students should have a
cycle helmet as part of their cycle wear and they
must also ensure that some care is taken when
cycling down the hill to the London Road. Again, we
would ask you to discuss these matters if your
son/ward cycles to school. Thank you for your
support.

FIZZY DRINKS
We ask all parents/carers to ensure that packed
lunches do not include fizzy drinks. Such drinks are
not allowed on the school site. In addition, we have
noticed some boys purchasing unhealthy drinks and
snacks (including packets of biscuits and large
packs of crisps) on the way to school. We would ask
you to discuss this with your son/ward in an attempt
to prevent such unhealthy behaviour.

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
Page | 11

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.

Coming Soon
Year 11 Prom Friday 24 June
The Year 11 Prom takes place next half term, on Friday 24 June. Tickets are now on sale from the school shop
each lunchtime (1.00 1.30pm) and cost just 15. The event will take place at Harlequins RFC and promises to
be a fitting culmination to students compulsory education.

Dates for the Diary

Summer Term 2016
JUNE
Wednesday 15
Friday 17
Mon 20 Fri 1 July
Tuesday 21
Wednesday 22
Thursday 23
Friday 24
Tuesday 28

Cricket: 1st XI v MCC (Isleworthians)

Sports Day (Osterley Athletics Track)
Year 10 Examinations
Isleworth Association (PTA) Meeting (7.15pm Library)
Cricket: Staff v Year 13 Leavers
School Council Meeting (11.00am)
Year 11 Prom
Summer Arts & Technology Evening (7.00pm)

JULY
Mon 4 Fri 8
Mon 4 Fri 15
Tuesday 12
Friday 15

Wider Learning Week (Years 7-9 & 12)

Year 10 Work Related Learning
Key Stage 3 Awards Evening (5.30-7.00pm)
Last Day of Term (students depart - 12.30pm)

AUGUST
Thursday 18

Thursday 25

Advanced Level Results Issued Year 13 (9.00am)

Advanced Level Results Issued Year 12 (10.30am)
Year 13 Enrolment (11.00am)
GCSE Results Issued Year 11 (9.00am)
GCSE Results Issued for all other years (10.30am)
Year 12 Enrolment (from 9.00am)

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