Headteacher's Bulletin
15/03/24 - Edition 21
Highlights of the week
As Twickenham School concludes another bustling yet fulfilling week, I'm thrilled to share preliminary feedback from the Quality of Education review conducted by the Bourne Education Trust. The comprehensive review spanned interviews with Heads of Department and Subject leads, deep dives into our History, English, and Art curriculum, and an in-depth evaluation of our Early Readers and English as an Additional Language (EAL) provisions. With over 20 lesson observations, three student panels, numerous subject interviews, and thorough analysis of student work, the feedback was resoundingly positive. Highlights included the exceptional curriculum quality, outstanding teaching and learning, personalised EAL support, and our nurturing pastoral approach complemented by a dynamic assessment strategy. The exemplary behaviour of our students and the dedication of our staff, who tirelessly nurture and care for our students, were also celebrated. As summarised by the review team, "this school is ready to fly!"
Breaktimes have been given a lift as we welcomed the arrival of a new table tennis table and foosball table, which have quickly become popular sources of entertainment and recreation for our students. These additions to our school's facilities have been met with great enthusiasm, and we are pleased to announce that more playground equipment is expected to arrive soon.
Congratulations for Alex, who triumphed in our World Book Day dressing up competition, delivering an unparalleled portrayal of an Oompa Loompa from Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Alex's commitment and creativity were truly outstanding, making him the best Oompa Loompa impression we've ever seen. For his sterling effort, Alex has been awarded £50 in book tokens. Well done, Alex! Your dedication to bringing literature to life was an inspiration to us all. Congratulations!
Theatre trip
Another brilliant trip for our Year 9 Master Learners in Drama. The students visited the Old Vic Theatre in London to see Just for One Day and loved it. We are sure they will have Phil Collins stuck in their head for the foreseeable future. Our students looked quite at home at the Old Vic and that's incredibly special to see. They also took part in a musical theatre workshop with Old Vic staff to devise their own duke box musical, inspired by Mamma Mia and We Will Rock You!
School Sustainability
Mr Tabron and his team of staff and student helpers have been busy planting spring flowers such as tulips, daffodils and pansies around school. This is to develop our school site, with an aiming to improve bio diversity and increase green space. All students have also taken part in a sustainability assembly to increase their awareness.
German trip to the BFI
Year 10 GCSE German students took a trip to the BFI with their teacher Ms Tonella this week. They practised their knowledge through the study of German films and took part in some activities. Two students even stood up and had a conversation in German to a visiting university professor in front of 250+ people! We are so proud of their bravery.
Inspiring workshops
A group of Year 9 students are working with IYPL (Inspiring Young People to Lead) project around reducing violence against women. This is a 6 week project looking at all aspects of violence against women, including sexual harassment. A recent session was on being a bystander and how you might intervene if you saw someone looking uncomfortable.
