Headteacher's Bulletin
13/10/2023 - Edition 5
Highlights of the Week
We've had another brilliant week at Twickenham School! Our Open Mornings and Super Saturday Event have been resounding successes, attracting three times the record number of inquisitive and enthusiastic prospective families. We're delighted that so many people came to visit. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, reflecting both our ongoing work and the outcomes we're achieving for our students. In addition to these events, we marked World Mental Health Day, celebrated a fantastic Year 8 football win against Teddington School, and continued our engaging activities for Black History Month. To cap it all off, we had a delightful visit to Nelson Primary School's Harvest Festival this morning—what a treat!
Year 11 Countdown to Exams
It's hard to believe, but the first half-term has almost ended with one week to go, leaving us with just 23 school weeks until the GCSE exams commence. Our students are demonstrating remarkable dedication in their studies. We recently submitted our GCSE Physics papers for independent marking by actual GCSE examiners, and an impressive 78% returned with grades between 7 and 9! This is highly encouraging at this early stage in the academic year. Congratulations to both our Physics students and the Science department for this achievement.
While this shows amazing promise, it's crucial that we avoid complacency. It's now time for all students to focus on effective revision strategies, such as summarising notes, engaging in retrieval practice of core facts and key questions, and sharpening exam techniques through exam question practice. Achieving exam success is a marathon not a sprint; consistent preparation is key. Please find the revision guides that students will need for their subjects here: Revision Guides
We are looking forward to meeting all Year 11 parents at next week's Parents' Evening on the 19th October to discuss this further.
Notices
Lunch: No student should go hungry at lunchtime. If a student does not have sufficient funds in their account to purchase lunch, they should collect a lunch ticket from the inclusion office. Students can use this to go ‘overdrawn’ on their account. The ticket will be logged, and parents will be contacted accordingly.
Attendance: It's crucial that we continue to maintain our excellent attendance record; every day in school is a stepping stone to long-term achievement. National statistics underscore the importance of good attendance: a rate below 94% significantly diminishes a student's likelihood of attaining grades between 9 and 4 in their GCSEs. And we expect every student to aim for 97% attendance Department for Education statistics.
Lateness: Report student lateness or absence to TS-StudentAbsence@twickenhamschool.org.uk or by calling the school and leaving a voice mail message on the student absence line. If you require a call back, please let us know in the message.
Perseverance: Students are not permitted to leave the classroom during lessons unless they have a medical note explicitly authorising this. Students should manage their need to visit the toilet between lessons, as well as during lunchtime and breaks. Teachers are expected to use their professional judgement when handling such requests and will typically deny them unless there are extenuating circumstances.
Social Media Incidents: We have recently experienced a surge in incidents related to social media. I strongly encourage all parents to take an active interest in the apps that their children have on their phones and to monitor usage. For further information on this critical issue, please refer to our 'Spotlight on Safeguarding' bulletin. Essentially parents must:
1. Know the Apps: Understand what group chat apps your child is using and the associated risks, including exposure to inappropriate content and online grooming.
2. Teach Etiquette: Instruct your child on safe online behaviour, such as not sharing personal information and only posting content they'd be comfortable with you seeing.
3. Use Safety Settings: Familiarise yourself with and activate the safety and privacy settings on your child's social media accounts, such as TikTok's Family Pairing feature.
