YEAR IN REVIEW2018-2019

Artwork by Kacper Dzienisik (RCA).

WELCOME

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A M E S S A G E F R O M T H E H E A DWelcome to our Annual Review of 2018-19. This publication records some of the notable events and stories from the academic year.

Our core purpose is to prepare our students for academic success and, when they eventually leave school, to ensure that they will go on to contribute to society in the best way possible. It is pleasing to note that examination results at all levels continue to demonstrate how our boys are out-performing boys locally and nationally. At GCSE level all indicators are significantly above the performance of boys nationally, a pattern that has been the case for many years.

In the Sixth Form, our students also continue to excel. A 97% pass rate and with 36% of all results at the very highest level (A*/A or Distinction*/Distinction), it is clear to see that the great grounding at GCSE leads to continued success in the Sixth Form. Our top-performing students have taken up places at some of the world’s most prestigious universities, including Bristol, The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Warwick and King’s College London. We are equally proud of all our leavers, whatever their pathway, and thank them for their commitment to the school. You can read more about results later in the magazine!

We continue to be part of the Leading Edge network of schools, the only national network for high-performing schools, and we also collaborate through an organisation called Challenge Partners, another network of successful and ambitious schools. In November 2018, we had our annual Challenge Partners review, led by a qualified Ofsted inspector, and for the third successive year were judged outstanding by the team.

After a long building programme, we were delighted to be able to begin teaching in the new £6.5million, twenty-room teaching block which houses the English and mathematics departments. Four new science laboratories also came into use in the school year and refurbishments were also made to the art and design technology block, all reflecting our continued desire to maintain improvement in every aspect of school life.

At our Senior Awards Evening for 2018-19, we continued the recent tradition of inviting former students back to school to present the awards. This time we were delighted to welcome Jamain Graveney former Head Boy (2002-03) back to the school. Jamain spent seven years at Isleworth & Syon before taking up a place at Bristol University to read History. Read more about that towards the back of this magazine.

Our school is about preparation for life as well as about academic success. We are absolutely committed to giving our students a rich and diverse education, which is full of additional and exciting opportunities. We are totally committed to maintaining a high level of provision in the arts and in sport, and also to taking advantage of the multiple cultural opportunities that we can access from our location in West London. I do hope that you enjoy reading about a selection of these activities, ventures and opportunities in this publication.

Euan Ferguson

I am grateful to Michael Kettle, former student and the school’s Communications Officer for compiling the Annual Review.

WELCOME

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AUTUMNWelcome, Year 7

Bravery and Bonding at PGL

“Be Kind to Everyone”

Poetry by Heart Competition

‘Safe Drive, Stay Alive’

Literature Lectures

Silent Cinema Performance

Fieldwork – Canary Wharf

Geography Conferences

BFI Study Day

‘The Tempest’

Students Meet West End Actor

Ypres Trip: A Diary by Matthew Nunan (9F)

Remembrance Commemorations

Students Visit Brompton Bike Factory

Kew Gardens Recording Workshop

Year 7 Induction Assembly

Bridgelink Cookery Class

World Politicians Visit

Challenge Partners External Review

Christmas Concert

Christmas Charity Drive

SPRING‘A Christmas Carol’

Hounslow Teen Read

Community Reading Champions

PruGOALS Cycling Scheme

BT Sport Trip

Hands-On Coastal Learning

Head Boy Visits Auschwitz

WE Day at SSE Arena

New Partnership with French School

Red Nose Day 2019

MFL Study Days

Chocolate Heaven at Cadbury World!

Heathrow Coding Challenge

Natwest Big Idea Challenge

Drama Festival

Workshop with Theatre Director

Students Discover a ‘Curious Incident’...

Ski Trip 2019

SUMMERVerdo Construction Trip

Year 11 Careers Showcase

Careers in Sales

Poetry Live!

Brothers Win Hounslow Poetry Competition

Poetry Slam – Winners!

‘Romeo and Juliet’

Film-Maker Visit

‘Diego Maradona’

Sky Academy Skills Studio

Partridge Conservation

Year 12 Visit Natural History Museum…

… and London Zoo!

Track & Field Championships

Records Tumble!

Year 11 Graduation

Year 13 Say Their Final Farewells

Gifted & Talented Visit Oxford

Holocaust Survivor Visit

Hounslow Battle of the Bands Winners!

Junior Masterchef

Summer Arts Festival

Wider Learning Week - Year 7

Wider Learning Week - Year 8

Wider Learning Week - Year 9

Wider Learning Week - Barcelona

Wider Learning Week - Year 12

SCHOOLMedic Club

World War I Remembrance Project

Design Technology Bright Ideas Challenge

Debate Mate Cup Winners

Students vs Staff Debate

Playwriting Scheme

Sports Teams

Digital Leaders Programme

Grok Learning

iDEA Digital Learning Scheme

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

Supporting School Wellbeing: Partnership with Mind

School Developments

C O N T E N T S

SUCCESS STORIESTop GCSE Results Maintained

Subject Successes

Year 11 Top Performers

Year 13 Students Head to Top Universities

Year 13 Top Performers

KS3 Awards Evening

Senior Awards Evening

Theo-Amari Ochana: Gymnastics

Harry Williams: Badminton

Malek Eldesouky: Water Polo!

Reece James’ Football Career

Mikaeel Shah – Top 8 Mathematician

Taheen Modak – West End & TV Actor

National Youth Theatre

From Boy to Man...

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W E L C O M E , Y E A R 7Wednesday 5 September saw us open our doors to the 2018-19 academic year, with our new Year 7 students beginning their journey on the Isleworth & Syon way – a multi-year programme which will see the Year 7s progress from novices to academics by the time that they leave us. For some, this will be July 2025, heading for universities, apprenticeships, or the world of work.

Much of the boys’ first day, then, was about easing them in to the Isleworth & Syon way, introducing them to many of the concepts which will follow them through their time here, such as behaving in a way which is ready, respectful and safe; being the best that they can be at all times; and upholding fundamental British values such as tolerance and fairness. As each boy crossed the threshold, he was given a warm welcome via a handshake from the Headteacher, Mr Ferguson, and then it was time for their first assembly with Pastoral Leader, Mr Dargan. To help students get used to the new environment – even bigger this year with the opening of our £6.5 million new block (see box right) – they were sent off on a treasure hunt to meet key members of support staff and get a sense of key landmarks. Boys also sampled some lessons, including English, maths and science, and got their first delicious taste of our chef-led canteen, courtesy of a beautiful roast dinner!

It was a busy day, with form tutors on hand all day to help the boys if they felt overwhelmed. At 3.00pm the bell rang, and the day was over, with students rushing off full of enthusiasm after a wonderful day. Tougher challenges were to come during their first year, but it was clear that the boys felt comfortable and happy in their new environment.

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B R A V E R Y A N D B O N D I N G A T P G LThis Year 7 is made up of students from 43 different primary schools, a new record. With that in mind, it is an extremely important part of the transition process for them to forge peer groups that will last for their time at school and, in many cases, beyond that. As per established tradition, then, we organised another PGL trip this year, with over 100 students getting on the coach bound for Wiltshire in the middle of October.

This excursion was residential, with students staying over for two nights. After only a few weeks in school, this was no doubt very daunting, but it gave students a fantastic chance to not just get to know their peers, but also their form tutors and key pastoral staff as well! It was a fantastic trip, with students doing lots of great thrill-seeking activities such as the very fast giant swing, scaling an impressive climbing wall, and braving the cold lake for a spot of canoeing. In the evenings, students took part in team-building activities, as well as enjoying a disco on one of the nights. As always, it was over way too quickly, but the boys left with some cherished memories that they will never forget!

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“ B E K I N D T O E V E R Y O N E ”On Wednesday 14 November, we were delighted to welcome the Revolution theatre troupe for a brilliant, hard-hitting activity with Year 7. The unique hour-long session focused on respect, encouraging students to gain respect not just for themselves but also for each other. The session was structured in a clever way, beginning with a series of funny raps and songs to get the boys engaged before hitting them with the more serious message.

The group wanted to spread the message that lots of people get down and depressed, for a variety of reasons. Therefore, they said, we must learn to be kind to everyone as we do not know what is really happening underneath – a great message. The session ended with the facilitators asking students to stand up if they felt that they could bring about change in their class – and it was a delight to see that everyone did. This was the perfect example of an enrichment activity which really got students motivated to think about how they can make positive change in society.

P O E T R Y B Y H E A R T C O M P E T I T I O NFor many years, it has been a tradition to take part in the national ‘Poetry by Heart’ competition, where students must learn a poem and then recite it for their peers. Previous years have shown that participation causes a marked increase in students’ confidence and written literacy.

This year, we were saddened to learn that the competition was not running due to lack of government funding. However, we decided that we would host our own version anyway, as a sign of our commitment to the power of poetry and public speaking. We created an anthology of World War I poetry – to honour the centenary of the conflict’s end – and ran in-class competitions to get our finalists.

Over thirty students across Key Stage 3 took part. We were delighted to invite parents/carers to watch for the first time, and the support was outstanding. Participation from students was excellent, demonstrating excellent enthusiasm despite their nerves! Well done to our three winners – Kaname Asaki (7Tr, first left), Joe Gilmour (8Am, second left) and Quinn Goodliffe (9F). Each of them gave a fantastic performance - indeed, Kaname went on to perform in the Year 7 Induction Assembly later in December!

Mr Rush (PE) was brought into a dance-off! Delight in the audience!

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‘ S A F E D R I V E , S T A Y A L I V E ’By John Alvaran (RON)

The ‘Safe Drive, Stay Alive’ event was an eye-opening experience that was both informative and compelling. It unfolded the harsh realities of dangerous driving and put into perspective the devastating physical and mental effects it has on the victims and their loved ones. However, the presentation started with a lively atmosphere, as we enjoyed a very interactive introduction with MTV DJ Big Ted as the host. Little did we know that the mood of the entire auditorium was about to shift into something more saddening and heart-breaking.

They started by mentioning how young people between the ages of 17- 24 account for 7% of all full car driving licence holders in Great Britain, of which around 33% are involved in car accidents every year. The statistics showed us that, generally, young drivers are more susceptible to car accidents than older, more experienced drivers. These facts were a big component in making us understand that road accidents are very much real and not a topic to be taken lightly.

After this, several presenters such as first response teams (for example, paramedics, police and firefighters) shared horrifying anecdotes with us, all of which painted frightening pictures of the experiences that each one of them had to witness. What shocked me the most was that these accidents could have all been prevented if the young person was driving safely. It really made me aware of the importance of safety during these car journeys. As well as the stories from the first response teams, what made the whole theatre truly silent was the poignant story of a father losing his daughter in a car accident. It truly saddened the audience because we as teenagers could only imagine the pain of losing a child. I would hate to think about what it would feel like if my parents were to lose me to a terrible accident like this one.

Victims from car accidents never truly recover, whether it is physically, mentally or emotionally. One of the speakers discussed the pain of watching his loved ones go through it with him, while another lost his girlfriend because of his disability from the accident, and another said that he constantly regretted the decision to get into a car with a drunk driver. All these stories had left everyone in that auditorium more aware of the lifelong consequences of not driving safely. It had definitely changed my attitude towards the importance of safe driving. We should be thankful that we are all here today, and I hope that no one would ever have to go through the pain and trauma that comes with not driving safely.

L I T E R A T U R E L E C T U R E SBy Farhad Ahmed (ANO)

On Thursday 22 November, I was fortunate enough to attend a series of lectures on John Webster’s play, ‘The Duchess of Malfi’. It was important for me to understand this play to a high level for my A level English literature examination, so this trip was incredibly useful as it provided an insightful view of the text and its characters.

The five lectures gave me a plethora of extra knowledge which I would not be able to acquire in the classroom. The lectures focused on evaluating certain characters as well as assessing the context of the play. Each individual speaker gave invaluable experience, and I felt that the lectures greatly enhanced my classroom studies. The contextual and perceptive points given by the lecturers helped me immensely in my mock exams.

Seeing the play from the perspective of an expert elevated my own knowledge and increased my confidence in discussing the play’s themes.

S ILENT CINEMA PERFORMANCEFor our film studies students, commenting on live filming projects and silent cinema is a vital part of the assessment criteria. To that end, we arranged for the five students to attend a very special performance.

Over to Aadi Mudhar (ANO)…

In October, we were lucky enough to see a rendition of Shakespeare’s tragedy ‘Macbeth’, performed by the Paper Cinema performance company. This version included no dialogue whatsoever – however, it was accompanied beautifully by a riveting score performed by a live band which complemented the piece’s action and ‘bare bones’ style. The story was portrayed through artistically-crafted cutouts of the set and characters which were captured by the multiple cameras around the performance area. Live sound was also generated by the foley artists in order to create a sense of atmosphere.

There is an air of magic to watching the film onscreen alongside the cast working tirelessly to produce the mechanical workings. It creates an enchanting sense of reality where as spectators we are forced to digest both the film and the physical workings simultaneously.

When I asked my classmates what they thought, Mia explained that “it was very refreshing” and that she “had never seen anything like it.” Kendall complimented how “mesmerisingly put together” the show was, while Ross added that the “technical elements were astonishing to watch unfold”. Ultimately, it was an immensely imaginative experience which we were all glad to have seen.

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G E O G R A P H Y C O N F E R E N C E SPart of our additional opportunities strategy is to offer students access to a wide range of voices throughout their time in school, so that they can hear different perspectives on their topics of study. This is particularly pertinent in the Sixth Form, as our students continue their journey into academics. In October, we organised trips to two important conferences for our Year 12 A level geographers.

The first was just ten minutes down the road at Gumley House Convent School, with a theme of climate change. This topical issue led to a fascinating day of debate, with speakers presenting many different views and asking students to draw their own conclusions from the evidence presented. Speakers included university lecturers and a representative from the Greenpeace environmental organisation, and students reported afterwards that it had certainly opened their eyes to some issues.

A few weeks later, it was time to head into London for a lecture at the Royal Geographical Society. This one focused on approaches to disaster management, specifically volcanoes – a key element of the boys’ course. One student described the event as “extremely useful”, as it was great to get first-hand experience of a disaster from an expert witness. Both of these events will stand the boys in good stead when it comes to both their final examinations and their wider geographical awareness.

F I E L D W O R K – C A N A R Y W H A R FOne key element of geography at key stages 4 and 5 is fieldwork – students going out into the field and conducting investigations. In key stage 3, students conduct such visits in the local area, but GCSE involves a step up. Therefore, in November, 84 students visited Canary Wharf and the surrounding Central London area. It was a great opportunity for students to put their classroom learning into practice.

This time, the boys investigated urban change and regeneration, in order to support their examination paper 3 understanding. Students also visited the Berkeley Group (pictured below left) for an excellent talk, as well as the London Docklands Museum, before coming home. Everyone came back full of notes and ready to discuss their findings in class time.

BFI STUDY DAYAs our film students continue their journey from film students to film scholars, it is key that they take in a wide range of different perspectives. We were pleased, then, to take them to the world-famous British Film Institute (BFI) on London’s Southbank, for a fascinating study day opportunity.

The session was titled ‘Thinking Through Representation - Critical Techniques’ and focused primarily on the representation of black females in cinema. During the day, the group looked at a range of texts from different media - including the Marvel superhero film ‘Black Panther’, music videos by popstar Beyoncé, and modern movie musicals like ‘La La Land’.

Throughout, students were encouraged to get involved and take part in the conversation, and we were thrilled to see that our students did so with gusto. Overall, the study day was extremely helpful for the group in reinforcing the work they were doing in class. Afterwards, they all agreed that the best part was learning about different examples and perspectives in a ‘proper’, world-class cinema setting.

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S T U D E N T S M E E T W E S T E N D A C T O RAt A level, it is a requirement for our drama and theatre studies group to see live performances so that students can write about them in their examinations. Therefore, Year 12 students went to see a performance of Martin Crimp’s play, ‘Dealing with Clair’, at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond. Dealing with Clair’ is a very dark drama about a middle-class couple who are selling their house to a mysterious buyer; the estate agent then disappears. This is a parallel of the real-life story of Suzy Lamplugh, which by coincidence came back into the news on the week of the performance! Students loved the play, which created atmosphere and tension in a fascinating way.

Four days after the performance, we were delighted to welcome one of the play’s actors, Lizzie Watts, into school for a 90-minute question-and-answer session. Having reacted so positively to the play, the Year 12s were full of questions for Lizzie about her craft and how she approached playing her character. The conversation also touched on the themes of the play and how real-world context informs them. It was a fantastic experience for the students to hear first-hand experience of crafting a character, and it will serve them well when it comes to the final examination.

‘The Tempest’At the end of November 2018, a Tempest rolled into town! For once, it wasn’t an example of freak winter weather, but instead our latest school production – a performance of Shakespeare’s classic text set on a mysterious island. The production took place over two nights and featured a strong cast of Isleworth & Syon boys as well as students from the local Brentford School for Girls. Rehearsals began in the first week of September and carried on for two months, during which time co-directors Miss Bevis and Mr McDonnell finely honed the production. This year, we invested in a piece of industry-standard theatrical gauze at the back of the stage. We were then able to project on to it, which brought the production to life in a vibrant and interactive way!

The thirty-strong company played to good audiences on both nights, and it was clear to all watching the amount of effort that had gone into bringing this difficult text to life. Particular stand-outs were Sameh Esmailzadah (11A) in the title role of Prospero, as well as Owen Jacob (9E), James Skinner (8Tr) and Sanjo Thapa (Brentford) as the tricky sprite Ariel (seen right causing mischief as Mr McDonnell introduced the performance). The production was beautifully atmospheric throughout, with the use of lighting, shadow and smoke effects to create great ambience. Mr McKeever and Ms Warner worked hard once again with some of our top musicians to create an eerie soundtrack, which was performed live beneath the stage. Well done to everyone involved! We believe it is very important to hold a professional production as it inspires students to pursue their acting passions and acts as motivation for other students who watch it. We already cannot wait for our next production, scheduled for November 2019 - Dickens’ classic ‘A Christmas Carol’.

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Ypres Trip: A Diary by Matthew Nunan (9F)Day 1 - 31 October 2019

Our first destination in Belgium was the Commonwealth Tyne Cot Memorial. Rows of headstones were neatly aligned, most of which didn’t even have a name. This was just a small proportion of the total number of casualties in one battle. Perhaps one of the most surprising things was a concrete German bunker, fully intact yet built around in one of the cemetery’s corners.

After another quick coach ride we arrived at Langemark cemetery. Unlike the Commonwealth graveyard, one marker could have anywhere between one and eight names. In the middle was a small lawn with wreaths laid, naming the number of casualties: 44,061.

After our evening meal, we drove to the Menin Gate, where at 8.00pm every day wreaths are laid and a minute’s silence is held to remember those affected by the war. I, along with three other members of the group, were given the honor of laying two wreaths. It was a privilege to commemorate the solders who were brave enough to fight for us during the war.

Day 2 - 1 November 2018

After a good night’s sleep, we visited the Lochnager Crater - a huge hole in the ground where British troops denoated 60,000 pounds of dynamite 17 metres beneath the German lines. It was astonishing to find out that the column of Earth rose to about 1200m and, incredibly, the noise could be heard in London! The second monument we visited was Thiepval, a stunning structure that housed lots of tall stones with names engraved. Again, there were more rows than the eye could see. In the field behind, we saw 1564 dolls, one for every day of the war, made by someone from Devon. Behind each doll was a sign with the date and the number of people that died that day. Very poignant.

The next monument was the Newfoundland Monument. We were able to walk on a path that had been built straight through what would have been No Man’s Land. There were two main trenches about 30m apart; between them were dozens of craters made by heavy artillery and shelling during the fighting.

At Tyne Cot, we placed crosses in memory of fallen local residents.

Thiepval - a beautiful structure.

A bench honouring soldiers’ sacrifice.

Seeing the dolls really brought home the Battle of the Somme.

Impressive structures at Langemark.

Such an honour.

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Afterwards we moved on to the Vimy Ridge, where we saw more restored trenches - one had a rusted broken piece of an artillery. It was fascinating to know that not only was it used during the Great War, but it had survived to the present day.

The last structure of the day was in the Sanctuary Woods, where we ventured through a pitch-black tunnel! Seeing these trenches really make us think about what it was like to be a soldier during the war - we felt cold and wet like they must have done.

In the evening, we had some respite with fun bowling - very competitive but a good way to blow off steam!

Day 3 - 2 November 2018

Before our final few visits, we drove to the chocolate shop, and almost everyone bought at least one item of delicious confectionary for the journey home (see photo above)!

We then went to our last monument of this trip - the museum at Passchendaele. The restored German and allied trenches and dugouts were incredibly interesting. We learned so much about the soldiers’ living quarters and the disgusting conditions they endured. We were awestruck as our guide explained how unhygienic they were - there were often rats and other pests, as well as dirty water from the muddy battlefield seeping through the roofs. The last thing we were shown was some

wartime equipment, including uniforms, weapons and gas masks.

It was a fantastic learning experience for all of us throughout the three days, as we reflected on the horrors of war as well as the people involved in it.

We visited several museums which helped increase our knowledge.

Here you can see the winding trenches at Vimy Ridge.

A group photo at Langemark.

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STUDENTS VISIT BROMPTON BIKE FACTORYBy Sam Ghanem (JST) and Sam Norman (TBI)

In our first year of A level design engineering, we were learning about materials, production methods and their industry, and manufacturing processes. We had previously discussed in our lessons how they would apply to an industry setting; therefore, in November we visited Brompton Bikes, one of the leading industry companies in the UK.

Once we arrived, we were given a brief talk on Brompton’s history including how the company and their products have evolved. We began a tour by going to the break area where we could view the whole factory from a balcony, from there we could see all the different zones, each completing a different task or part. We then went down to the shop floor and watched closely as each skill was applied; for example, most of the joining methods were done by brazing. Next, we saw another new-to-industry machine, an automated machine that accurately installs spokes into wheels; we were shocked to learn that the machine cost more than £60,000! Finally, we saw the assembly line, made up of eight or so workstations with each station assembling a different part of the bike before passing it onto the next station.

During this trip, it was great to learn about and widen our knowledge of the manufacturing industry, by seeing different manufacturing processes first-hand and experiencing the environment in which products are made.

K E W G A R D E N S R E C O R D I N G W O R K S H O PWe continue to encourage exploration of the creative arts for all our students. Take art, for example. A fantastic way to increase students’ cultural capital - and their “buy-in” to a subject - is by giving them access to fantastic photographic environments. One such trip took place in October, as our three Year 12 art students visited Kew Gardens for a recording workshop. It was specifically focused on photography, recording first-hand imagery for their A level coursework project. Students visited all the houses and then the art gallery, picking up ideas that they could then use back in the classroom.

It was, in all, a very beneficial visit, as students used their photos for six weeks of projects.

R E M E M B R A N C E C O M M E M O R A T I O N SIsleworth & Syon is a school built on traditions, and that is a key element of our values and ethos. To that end, we believe that it is extremely important to commemorate Armistice Day in November so that we can remember those who gave their lives so that we can be free. On Friday 9 November, we held assemblies for all year groups, with a focus on the importance of continued remembrance in this, the 100-year anniversary of World War I’s end. Several Sixth Formers, including Head Boy Kacper Cisowski, told the stories of former Isleworthians and students of the school who died during the Great War, while Bryn Horton talked about the recent trip to Ypres (see previous page). All assemblies ended with students laying a wreath, while David Carter and Matthew Nunan (both 9F) played ‘The Last Post’. The school observed an impeccable minute’s silence at 11.00am.

Mr Ferguson and Mr Fisher then took a small cohort of boys to the local Borough Road memorial service, another important tradition. Students took an active part in the service through a series of readings, before another wreath was laid. We were, as always, honoured to be invited to this service, as well as hosting members of the local community for short lunch afterwards.

Two days later, on Remembrance Sunday, 145 students volunteered to be part of the Isleworth 390 event, now in its fifth year. It involved a procession through the local streets, with each student wearing a sash which bore the name of an Isleworth resident who lost their life during the war. It was great to see lots of Year 12 student ambassadors giving a hand on the day, and all students were a credit to the school. In school, we constantly strive to connect with our local community, and events like this form a big part of that work.

Joe Gilmour lays the wreath.David (left) and Matthew (right). Students at the Borough Road memorial after the service.

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Y E A R 7 I N D U C T I O N A S S E M B L YAfter a transition period that had begun over eight months earlier, Year 7 celebrated their induction into the Isleworth & Syon way on Friday 14 December. As is the tradition, we hosted a big assembly, with all parents/carers invited along too! We were delighted to see so many families attend to congratulate the boys for an outstanding first term at Isleworth & Syon School.

As the crowd filed in, we were pleased to showcase some of the best pieces of PPA (Progress & Preparation Activities, also known as homework) from the term. The challenge for Year 7 has been to adjust quickly to the big step-up from primary school and to show that they are Key Stage 3-ready. We have been thrilled with their progress, so during the assembly every single student was presented with a medal reflecting both their overall contribution to the school and their commitment to our ethos and values. Representatives from each house gave a short speech about their experiences so far, and it was great to see many of the boys thank their form tutors and other members of staff for helping them to settle in.

There were plenty of other awards presented during the hour-long event, including prizes to reward students for great effort in the Accelerated Reader programme. Literacy is a key strand for us in school, and so it is fantastic to see the boys both engaging with the technology we provide and fostering a love of reading even at an early age.

Particularly of note was the fact that over a third of the year group had 100% attendance for the first term. A commitment and enthusiasm for learning is a key component of the Isleworth & Syon way; the challenge for these boys now is to continue their progress so that they can be the best that they can be.

B R I D G E L I N K C O O K E R Y C L A S SThis ‘be the best that you can be’ ethos permeates everything we do at Isleworth & Syon. Be that inside the classroom or out, we always want our students to strive for more. To that end, we were delighted to be involved in a local community project down at the Bridgelink Centre towards the end of the Autumn Term. Professional chef Gregg Brown led a Cookery Workshop for five weeks in the lead-up to Christmas, with the course designed to teach students new techniques and skills to build their confidence in the kitchen.

Each session lasted two hours, with students creating tasty recipes both savoury and sweets, using everyday ingredients to support their health and wellbeing. These included breakfasts, packed lunch and some snacks as well! We had four students on the course - Eleneuio Fernandes (8Am), Adam Sukkar (11A, pictured below with Gregg), Eyas Sukkar (8Bl) and Omar Sukkar (9D) - and they had a wonderful time. All have an interest in cooking, so it was great to see them push themselves and create some amazing dishes too. Well done, boys! Gursharan speaks during the assembly.

We sent postcards to all primary schools, letting them know how their former students were getting on!

Rayhan receives his award from form tutor Mr Jones!

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C H A L L E N G E P A R T N E R S E X T E R N A L R E V I E W“The school celebrates its long history which dates back to 1630, but it is forward-looking with a sharp focus on continuous improvement.”

An important part of being a successful school is continually pushing to improve, develop and innovate. In order to do this, each year we are assessed by the external Challenge Partners programme. While different from Ofsted, the review team is led by a qualified Ofsted inspector, and makes judgements using the Ofsted criteria. Therefore, it acts as an excellent barometer for how well we are doing.

The inspectors assessed several areas over the course of their two-day visit – the school’s improvement strategies; the quality of teaching, learning and assessment; and the outcomes for pupils. We were delighted that we were judged as “outstanding” in all areas – the highest possible score. This is the third year in a row that we have earned such a score from the Challenge Partners team.

We were also thrilled that the team accredited our English department as an area of excellence, specifically relating to maximising Key Stage 4 English language and literature progress. The leadership of the department was described as “outstanding”, with leaders acting as “excellent role models in the classroom”. The department now becomes part of a national network of excellence, with our English team hosting leadership development days for colleagues across the UK. This will allow our specialist subject staff the opportunity to pass on their expertise.

You can see some selected comments below; the full report is available on the school website here. Afterwards, Headteacher Mr Ferguson commented, “The overall judgement of “outstanding” reflects the excellent work that takes place across the school by the students as well as the teaching and support staff. It is also clear proof that Isleworth & Syon boys perform better than their counterparts in mixed environments.”

“There is a culture of high aspiration. Leaders and

teachers are very ambitious for the school and for the students, and work together to ensure that students

have the best possible opportunities.”

“The school’s strong

ethos and values permeates all aspects of

school life.”

“The school aims to give students a broad and rich cultural and educational experience and there are

numerous extra-curricular activities, trips and visits which contribute to the strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the boys.”

“Teachers have very high

expectations of students, and students expect to learn and work hard. Relationships

in the classroom between students and between students and adults are

excellent.”

“Well-established routines help to

ensure that in lessons the students are sharply focused on learning and can make

good progress. Students enjoy learning and take pride in their work.”

“Overall, in 2018 students made

progress which was above average for all students and well above for boys. Students

make very good progress through the key stages thanks to consistently good

teaching.”

W O R L D P O L I T I C I A N S V I S I TOn Friday 30 November, we hosted a working lunch with political figures from across the Commonwealth. Attendees included local MP Ruth Cadbury, as well as MPs representing Canada, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Punjab Pakistan and Sierra Leone. Joining them were students from Years 10 & 13. The purpose of the lunch was to discuss their experience of education in the UK as well as wider world issues such as further education opportunities, climate change, the Windrush scandal, and Brexit. The boys were selected for their unique perspective as they plan their next steps.

Students were given the opportunity to contribute questions and lead the discussion, posing the questions that they wanted answered. There was a fascinating back-and-forth of ideas throughout the session! Visits like this affirm our commitment to constantly look outwards to improve the provision and partnerships for our boys. We are proud of the diverse nature of our community and are actively looking to build bilateral links with other diverse communities across the world.

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C H R I S T M A S C H A R I T Y D R I V EChristmas is often time for reflection – not just about what we are grateful for, but also about those who are less fortunate. With this in mind, we organised a Christmas Charity Drive just before the holidays, taking a three-pronged approach to help as many people as possible.

On a local level, we once again held a collection for the local Ivybridge foodbank, a community project which does incredible work to help those who are unable to afford food and other basic supplies. Across Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9), students were encouraged to donate non-perishable food items and toiletries, and we were amazed at what the students donated. The representatives from the foodbank were delighted with the 260kg total, which would definitely make many people’s lives easier at Christmas.

Our global charity was Unicef, and boys in Years 10 & 11 took part in their ‘Inspired Gifts’ campaign. Students were asked to make monetary donations which would then be converted into ‘gifts’ – life-changing supplies to children across the world, including vaccine packs, storybooks, malaria kits, and much more. You can read more here. We raised £296.50 through this appeal.

Finally, we took part in Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day on Tuesday 18 December. The whole school community, students and staff alike, were encouraged to wear a jumper during the day, donating £1. Students also voted for their favourite staff jumper, which was worn by Miss Qadeer. There were certainly some odd selections from the boys, but all in the spirit of the season! This appeal raised £405.85 in total.

These campaigns continue to be very important to us as we develop students into thoughtful, active and caring citizens.

C H R I S T M A S C O N C E R TWe held our annual Christmas Concert during the same week as the charity drive (see below). This event has been running for over 20 years and is a staple of our calendar – as well as being a fantastic way to celebrate the end of term! Mr McKeever, Ms Warner and the rest of the music department gave a lot of hours to put on a fantastic, 90-minute show down at the local St Mary’s Church.

There were almost too many highlights to count – we recommend you click on the Twitter icon above to check out some of the videos from the evening! Audiences loved the duet featuring Year 7’s Kaname Asaki (7Tr) and Raphael Wreford (7Tu) on the piano – their performance of ‘The Entertainer’, a complex piece of music, was nothing short of spectacular. Our jazz band gave several great performances, including festive classics ‘Jingle Bell Rock’ and ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’, while our haunting chamber choir performed a festive medley that also included a traditional African piece of music called ‘Amen Siakudumisa’. One thing that we are very proud of in our concerts is the inclusion of music from a range of different places, as it is excellent for the boys to be exposed to other cultures!

We also aim with these concerts to give a platform to up-and-coming artists – students who have ambitions within the industry. This helps to give the event a professional feel while also showcasing the sheer talent on display. This year, we were thrilled to hand Muneeb Hussain (10A) his performing debut, showcasing his unique, outstanding vocals with a little help from Joshua Cherian (10F) on the drums. The piece was Muneeb’s original composition, and the audience were amazed!

Another fantastic talent is Sixth Form student Sophie Muringu, who joined us this year. Her voice is nothing short of spectacular, and she gave a performance of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Halleujah’ which was without doubt one of the best we have ever seen. She captivated the crowd with her control of Cohen’s difficult song, and it was a performance that will live long in the memory! It’s clear that Sophie has a bright future.

The evening ended with one final performance – the Isleworth & Syon Voices teaming up with our House Band, featuring Sophie and a selection of school staff. It celebrated each student’s individual identity, encouraging them to embrace who they are and where their talents lie. From the popular film musical ‘The Greatest Showman’, the performance of ‘This is Me’ was a fitting end to another magical evening.

What a performance from Sophie!

Hamish is joined by English teacher Mr Jackson!

Kaname and Raphael!

Fantastic from Muneeb!

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‘ A C H R I S T M A S C A R O L ’The Christmas theme continued in school even after the holidays. We were delighted to welcome Quantum Theatre into school on the afternoon of Wednesday 23 January for a very special performance of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’. Over the course of an hour, the troupe performed an abridged version of the play for Year 11 students. Dickens’ original novel – which the boys study for their GCSE in English literature - is over 175 years old and can therefore be a bit difficult to follow. Seeing the text in performance, though, really brought it to life for the students, and comments afterwards were overwhelmingly positive. This was a great opportunity for us to bring the theatre into school so that everyone has the opportunity to experience it.

COMMUNITY READING CHAMPIONSWe believe that it is very important to maintain links with primary schools in the local area, to give those students a taste of the Isleworth & Syon way. One very successful project from this year was our Reading Programme, featuring seven boys in Years 8-10. During the Spring Term, these keen readers visited Isleworth Town Primary School every week to share their enthusiasm, acting as reading champions for Year 6 reluctant readers. This was a special treat for a few of our boys, as they themselves were former Isleworth Town students!

It was a fantastic project, which lasted for six weeks. The Isleworth & Syon boys listened to the primary pupils reading and chatted with them about their favourite books, as well as why reading is important. We were delighted with the results, which saw the primary pupils show a real interest in reading further! It’s great for us to get into the community in this way, and we look forward to similar projects in 2019-20.

H O U N S L O W T E E N R E A DWe continue to encourage all of our students to read for pleasure, every single night. Our library is stocked with both the latest hot releases as well as classic texts, with something available for everyone. Each lunchtime you can find a core group of keen readers sitting somewhere quiet and engrossing themselves in a piece of fiction.

Within the library we run a number of intiatives through the year to foster this enthusiasm for reading. One is the community reading project (see article right), and another is our involvement in the Hounslow Teen Read competition. Co-ordinated by the Hounslow Library Service in the Treaty Centre, schools from across the borough are invited to read great books from a shortlist and then pick their favourite. Then, students are invited to a special event to announce the winners! In school, the group of 16 met regularly to discuss the books before selecting their favourite.

On Tuesday 19 March, the group headed to the Paul Robeson Theatre for the celebration event. The host was 2018 Teen Read winner Will Hill; he gave a short talk in which he discussed his writing process. This was insightful for the boys, who also had the opportunity to meet Will after the event. It is great for our students to meet published authors as it gives them a behind-the-scenes look at the world of publishing as well as emphasising how important it is to read regularly. Ben reads with a student from Isleworth Town!

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BT SPORT TR IPOur First XV senior rugby boys had a fantastic season on the pitch (see article later in this magazine), and their reward was a trip to the BT Sports studio in Stratford to watch the filming of the live show ‘BT Sport Rugby Tonight’. The boys were specially-invited by BT based on our pedigree and success; indeed, we were the only school group there. It was great for the boys to experience in-depth analysis live, and afterwards they got to meet professional players Freddie and Billy Burns. In all, an enriching trip for these successful students!

P R U G O A L S C Y C L I N G S C H E M EThis year, we were delighted to invite some of our Year 12 students to take part in the PruGOALS scheme, the second year we have been involved in the programme. A joint charity venture between life insurance company Prudential and teacher training providers Teach First, the scheme promotes cycling and exercise as a means of promoting physical wellbeing. It is ultimately designed to provide inspiration and support for young people, enabling them to build a better future for themselves.

15 students signed up to take part, with students receiving a free bicycle, helmet and other assorted equipment. Students would be allowed to keep these items – but only if they completed the 46-mile Prudential RideLondon event at the start of August! The training began, with students lucky enough to visit the Olympic velodrome during the process. Students also took part in a number of sessions centring on nutrition, fitness and personal development; these were delivered by representatives from the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust. The focus was on development – not just physically, but personally – and the effect on the students were profound.

We were delighted to see that all 15 students completed the bike ride in August – certainly no mean feat. Well done to all the boys, who have come away from the experience with a great sense of achievement as well as motivation! Our thanks to Mr West, Mr Jamieson and Mr Sullivan for co-ordinating this exciting programme and encouraging our young people to push themselves to a higher level.

Ghaleb and Alex get a taste of the media spotlight! ... and after!

A group photo before the race....

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H E A D B O Y V I S I T S A U S C H W I T ZBy Kacper Cisowski (ANO)

The trip to Auschwitz was an interesting experience. It is something that people should try and do at least once in their life, as it is a part of history that should never be forgotten.

The core aspect of the trip is a confusing one, as you go to a place where millions of people were cruelly tortured and murdered – not your usual school trip! It was enjoyable but not because it is fun; rather, because it holds such high historical value that it opens your eyes to a part of history that cannot be taught on such level in a classroom.

The atmosphere is daunting. The legend that birds do not sing in Auschwitz has always been interesting to me. When we reached the extermination area of the camp, the silence was the most prominent part of the experience. Not a single noise was being produced at such a large area which only further made this place of tragedy more eerie.

Lessons from Auschwitz, the trip organisers, employed specialists on the matter to broaden our knowledge. Being able to see this alongside people from other schools was a unique experience in itself, as you only had one familiar person with you, so you are taken out of your comfort zone to amplify the experience further.

The Auschwitz experience wasn’t only based on the trip to the camp itself. There were two seminars, one before and one after to prepare us and then to debrief after the trip. These were extremely useful as we got to listen to Holocaust survivors, meet people from other schools going on trip and talking to other experts in order to understand the content of the trip.

The museum is outstanding as it displays accounts of people that lived in the work camp. The personal stories written around the halls are touching because of the gruesome reality of what happened to people. The sheer scale of the tragedy is best shown in the area where all of the belongings of the people killed were stored, such as shoes, glasses and even shaved off hair.

This was an extraordinary trip - walking around old camps is like travelling into the past, perfectly preserved with authentic props left from the war. The experience is like none other, so I recommend it to anyone interested in broadening their historical knowledge.

HANDS-ON COASTAL LEARNINGGeography was one of our most popular GCSE option choices this year once again. As the boys move into Key Stage 4, greater emphasis is placed on hands-on learning; at the end of the course, students must design a full fieldwork exercise. In Year 10, we prepare them by taking them on a day of investigative coastal fieldwork. This time, we headed to Seaford, East Sussex for a fascinating day, with students focusing on how coastal processes can create completely distinctive landscapes. The boys also discussed how human interaction with nature can drastically alter beach shape. Teaching staff were very proud of the boys for their hard work. This is a great way for students to take their learning outside the classroom and bring their studies to life!

W E D A Y A T S S E A R E N AWe believe that that teaching does not just take place within the National Curriculum; our young people should understand all manner of world issues. We were pleased, then, to once again be invited to the annual WE Day in London, and we took our student ambassadors along on Wednesday 6 March. It was a brilliant event, with speeches from influential figures such as YouTuber Nikki Christou, children’s rights campaigner Baruani Ndume, and HRH the Duke of Sussex. The event focused on inspiring young people to bring about real change in their communities, touching on issues such as climate change, mental health and human rights. It quickly got our young activists thinking about community outreach projects and ways that they could help those less fortunate.

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R E D N O S E D A Y 2 0 1 9

Our Spring Term charity drive supported UK-based charity Comic Relief for their latest Red Nose Day appeal. Comic Relief is a famous charity which endeavours to tackle issues such as world poverty and the treatment of refugees, and so we were proud to once again raise money for their cause. Throughout house assemblies, students discussed the issues, while also taking part in form time activities to raise awareness.

On Red Nose Day itself, Friday 15 March, Key Stage 3 students took part in a treasure hunt across school, while Years 10 and 11 were invited to a very special film event!

We were delighted to raise over £700 in total on the day – the top form group was 9D with an outstanding £77.64. Well done to everyone for making a real difference.

M F L S T U D Y D A Y SOver the course of the term, we dispatched students to three languages study days focused on film – Year 8 French, Year 8 Spanish and Year 10 French. A big part of the GCSE course involves describing film and TV, so this day gave the Year 10s an opportunity to practise the skills in a hands-on context. For the Year 8s, who take a GCSE-style approach to their Key Stage 3 curriculum, the day was designed to introduce some of the key concepts.

It was a full day of study down at the British Film Institute (BFI), and it immersed the students in the target language, teaching them complex language and descriptions which went beyond their classroom studies. It showed the students how to approach film as a film studies pupil would, which was very useful for the boys. There was a great response from all three sets of Isleworth & Syon students, who loved the fact that the whole day was conducted in the target language! We were delighted to see our boys participate heavily in the discussion throughout. As they arrived back in school, the students could not wait to put what they had learned into practice!

N E W P A R T N E R S H I P W I T H F R E N C H S C H O O LAs a school, we continually forge partnerships with other institutions, particularly in education. In recent years we have been part of the International Boys’ School Coalition and joined the Leading Edge network of top-performing elite schools, among others. This year, we have created a strong partnership with Lycée Xavier Marmier, a French modern comprehensive school. The partnership came about due to our personal links – the school was Turner House Leader Ms Clerc’s high school!

Isleworth & Syon students in Years 10 and 11 have been exchanging letters with Marmier pupils, in order to build that relationship. Then, in March, Year 11 students from Marmier visited us over two days, to give them a sense of the British education system. Some of their senior leaders met our staff to discuss leadership and how we can build the partnership, while their students spent time with our boys. The letter exchange participants met their pen pal for conversations, before the French students experienced some of our lessons!

They also took part in some sport, impressing our boys with their outstanding basketball skills and being amazed with how good our boys were at badminton. It was a lovely visit and the start of a very positive partnership between two schools that both want to strive for excellence in everything that they do. The next step is for our students to visit their school in early 2020, so that our students can immerse themselves in the French culture and get some language practice as well - which will also serve them well in their studies!

Year 8 students on the Southbank before their study day!

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N A T W E S T B I G I D E A C H A L L E N G EYear 12 business students took on a special challenge during the Spring Term – to create the next ‘Big Idea’. They were visited by representatives from London Metropolitan University, who led sessions focusing on honing skills and how to pitch an idea effectively. Then the boys split into groups and submitted a business idea, including projected costs. One team – Carter Brereton (JST), Danut Minecan (CDO), Remoon Saliba (CDO) and Shaan Tailor (TBI) – were judged as the ‘best in school’ and therefore progressed to the finals. On Thursday 7 March, the boys headed to the Big Idea Challenge bootcamp at Natwest head offices, where they further developed their pitch – a personalised workout app called ‘Spotter’ that matches you with a similar gym user around the world. They created their slogan – “Commit to get fit!” – and filmed their pitch. The idea went to a public vote, and students performed excellently. It was a brilliant activity to help the boys understand business principles and improve their skills in networking and presentation. You can watch their pitch here!

CHOCOLATE HEAVEN AT CADBURY WORLD!If a whole day full of chocolate sounds like a dream come true, you are not the only one – our Year 10 and 12 business students were incredibly excited to visit Cadbury World on Tuesday 19 March! There was an educational reason for the visit however; the group were taken on a fascinating journey through how Cadbury sells its products, to link with their studies of marketing and branding. They took part in several marketing workshops while learning more about the four Ps: product, place, price and promotion. This work directly connected to their classroom studies, bringing the theory to life through the medium of delicious chocolate! Students also loved learning about the manufacturing process and the commercialisation of the products and came away delighted with their day out. Indeed, it was an eye-opener for several students in the group who had never been outside London – this was a great way to build up their cultural capital!

H E A T H R O W C O D I N G C H A L L E N G EIt’s not just our business students that get the opportunity to depart from their usual timetable – on Monday 4 and Tuesday 5 March, Year 8 students had the chance as they took part in a special coding challenge courtest of the Heathrow Airport ‘Learning to Work’ scheme. The programme allows Hathrow to give back to the local community, using a computing/engineering activity to develop students’ teamwork, thinking and problem-solving skills.

The task itself sounds simple on paper – building a Lego robot and then programming it to navigate an obstacle course. It actually required a large degree of skill, with boys working hard together to overcome challenges throughout the day. At the end, students learned how the work they had done could be applied to help driverless vehicles, as well as being given a short introduction into potential careers at Heathrow. The day, then, combined lots of different components – computing and coding, engineering, and careers! Our thanks to the team for running the workshops; students were overwhelmingly positive about the day.

The group makes their pitch!

Making chocolate - as yummy as it looks!

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S T U D E N T S D I S C O V E R A ‘ C U R I O U S I N C I D E N T ’ . . .There is nothing better for a student of drama than to study live theatre – it really is the best way to help understand theory. Mr McDonnell arranged for 45 Year 9 drama students to visit the Piccadilly Theatre in London’s West End on Thursday 7 March. The show was an adaptation of Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel, ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’. For several of these students, it was their first time at the theatre, and they were blown away by the extravagant surroundings in the venue. The show itself was a masterpiece – fantastic staging, jaw-dropping lighting and outstanding performances across the board. The students have been studying the art of physical theatre in class, and so they were amazed by the way that the performers used movement to tell their story. A wonderful experience!

W O R K S H O P W I T H T H E A T R E D I R E C T O RA central component of our teaching and learning philosophy is to do everything we can to bring the curriculum to life, and not always focus on textbooks and worksheets. Within the performing arts department, we love to students access to important people from within the industry. On Wednesday 15 January, we were thrilled to welcome theatre director Sean Holland into school to conduct a three-hour practical workshop with Year 10 GCSE drama students. In the course, students are studying the play ‘DNA’ by Dennis Kelly, and Sean was the last person to direct a production of the text, making him uniquely qualified to discuss it with them. Through the workshop, students explored ideas of status in relation to big group scenes from ‘DNA’, with the director offering special character insight and several different ways of approaching the text. The session – which was very practical and hands-on in nature – was good fun for the students. Afterwards, Sean was full of praise for the boys, but particularly for Cian McHale (10B), Cade Nation (10E) and Stanley Wheeler-Kemp (10F), who he said should “take drama to the next level”. A great morning for these keen drama scholars!

D R A M A F E S T I V A LThis year, we added a new event to our performing arts calendar, in order to promote the outstanding drama work created in class by our talented students. We called it the Drama Festival, and it took place in the school hall on Thursday 4 April. We were delighted to see so many parents/carers in attendance to support the work we do.

The programme for the evening was very varied, taking in a huge range of different styles, and it was a delight to see every age range represented. A small group of Year 7 boys gave their very first performance on the Isleworth & Syon stage; rather than being overawed, they relished the occasion. Year 8 were given the daunting task of interpreting the renowned italian art form of Commedia dell’Arte, but gave an outstanding show of physical comedy that had the whole audience in stitches. For Year 9, their pieces involved adapting existing works and putting their own spin on them; one group performed an excerpt from William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’, while another adapted scenes from ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’. The latter group were clearly inspired by their theatre trip a few weeks earlier (see right).

Key Stage 4 students performed their GCSE scripted pieces, performing elements from classic plays by Pinter, Beckett and the Bard himself, William Shakespeare. All three pieces are notoriously difficult, but the boys performed them with aplomb, ably assisted by outstanding costuming from the department. Finally, our Year 12 A level students performed a work-in-progress version of their assessment piece, using real transcripts to inform the content. In all, it was an amazing evening which once again showcased the incredible work happening at Isleworth & Syon.

Sean takes Ben and Cade through an exercise!

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S K I T R I P 2 0 1 9By Miss Lawler, Ski Trip Co-Ordinator

SATURDAYAfter a very long coach journey we arrived in the beautiful Ziller valley. During the journey, there was lots of singing, movie-watching and general fun-having from the group, which made it pass in a flash!

A very orderly and efficient ski fit had all the students back at the hotel within the hour! The boys wasted no time getting unpacked before they started an immense (and cold!) snowball fight. A battle of attrition definitely proved students the winners but Mr Jamieson and Mr Mullins put up a good defence.

Come dinner, there were some very sleepy students (and staff) ready to meet the Ski Astons instructors. The main purpose of the evening was learning how to navigate the piste map, as well as a kit check to get ready for the next day! The boys were clearly exhausted after a very long journey but were raring to get skiing. For many of these students, it was to be their first-ever time on the slopes, so the excitement was palpable as they headed off to bed.

MONDAYDespite the excitement of the night before, the boys were ready to go early. We made it to the slopes in good time to try out their new moves on an almost empty piste. Great progress was made with the new moving group hitting the harder slopes and the advanced group skiing most of the mountain. Our beginners showed the lift attendant the British way to queue and whilst not everyone made it successfully up (it was hot, and the sun was lovely), it was brilliant watching our students making it down their first full slope on only their second snow day.

The evening passed very comically with the instructors leading us in a true Ski Astons ski tour quiz. Never ones to sit still for long, they had the boys up acting out winter sports, bursting balloons and building Michelin men. The staff team were adamant that they won; the instructors and students disagreed!

TUESDAYHaving spent two days on the slopes of beautiful Westendorf, the instructors deemed our team ready for a greater challenge. Moving slightly higher up the valley, we travelled to Soll, and all of our students met this challenge head on. The green slopes made perfect learning zones and had everyone practicing their button lift technique. Tuesday saw our first en-masse ski descent of the slopes down to the coach, and we all made it in one piece!

Tuesday evening was another fun filled event of Austrian bowling – how is it so different you might ask? The pins are held up by string, the bowling ball is about the size of a melon and has no holes (see the Twitter videos). In six teams, we played an intense game of highest pins from 50 bowls. The instructors showed their prowess (or maybe their regular visits to the bowling alley) and narrowly managed to claim victory. By this point the music was up, the disco ball was out and the Isleworth boys had turned the bowling alley into a party. The spirit of the Tyrolean evening was definitely still with them!

SUNDAYAn early start had the boys down to breakfast by 7.15am and ready to hit the slopes. In the first day of ski school, boys were split into two groups – the ‘moving group’ (students who had skiied before) and beginner groups. Straight away the moving group were off up the ‘hill’ and warming up their parallel turns, while our beginner groups tackled the double challenge of managing your poles and skiing on one ski. It can be done! By the end of the day, all our students were on two skis and heading downhill. Brilliant progress and all in glorious sunshine.

The evening entertainment saw everyone off to represent the school at the famous Tyrolean evening. We say ISLEWORTH, you say SYON! What a performance, with our boys excelling at log-sawing, Bavarian dancing, yodelling, milking a (fake) cow, ski walking and much more. They were mere points away from taking the crown but all from the 200-strong crowd would agree that we definitely won the Clubman Award for participation – totally unrivalled!

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S K I T R I P 2 0 1 9 ( C O N T . )

WEDNESDAYThe boys had really got their morning routine sorted by Wednesday; a super-speedy coach loading and equipment check yet again had us arriving to quiet slopes.

Wednesday saw the majority of the groups tackle the mountain, using the gondolas and ski lifts to visit the beautiful views and forest-lined slopes higher up the valley. Some even started learning tricks on the lower slopes – fancy skiing backwards? Easy!

Wednesday evening was the main event, starting with a team meeting and anecdotes from the instructors about their groups. There were many!

Prize giving, congratulations and thanks to all, leading to a night of dancing (and only a few Bavarian songs) back in the après party at Soll. With four other schools, it was a busy and lively club. We definitely brought our dancing shoes (and a few heartbreakers) with us to the Disko!

THURSDAYAs they had been all week, the boys were brilliant getting up early again to make the most of the last ski day, visiting Soll for the final time. For the boys, this was their testing day with the instructors grading and marking their skiing technique, style and confidence. It was absolutely fantastic to find out at lunch that all students achieved BASA ski awards.

After lunch, all students went to the very top of the mountain to see the stunning views and experience what it feels like to be ‘on top of the world’. Absolutely breath-taking and the perfect place for team photos.

The evening was a quick turn around and final meal before getting back on the coach and heading for home.

IN SUMMARY...It was a truly amazing trip, and we couldn’t have had better snow or sun (a combination not often found in February on the slopes). The students were absolutely brilliant - myself and the staffing team were so proud of them. They were a credit to the school and themselves. The final awards on the coach home summed up the week up with a range of funny achievements to recognition of outstanding progress.

I hope the boys enjoyed themselves as much as we did, and we look forward to seeing them on the next Ski Trip in April 2020! Our wonderful staff team!

A group photo to finish the trip!

Students on the ferry home!

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V E R D O C O N S T R U C T I O N T R I PCEAIG is not just limited to our senior students. In the Summer Term, Mr Adams circulated a survey to Year 9 students where they could indicate careers in which they had an interest. Nine students demonstrated a desire

to know more about construction, so a trip to Verdo Construction in Kew was organised. Here’s Mr Scanlon’s report.

We went to the site office of Ecoworld - owner of Verdo - located in Brentford. The pouring rain prohibited a tour around the main site, so we were taken on a mini-tour of the new build’s interior. We were taken to a showroom where a number of guest speakers arrived to deliver a series of mini talks. There was a representative from the sales team; an interior designer; the coordinator of on-site construction; a representative from the technical office; a quantity surveyor in charge of procurement; and a contractor. As each spoke in turn, it became apparent to the boys that the construction industry offers a vast array of jobs and careers to cater for many skills and abilities; from technical designers, to lawyers in compliance, through to on-site electricians and labourers. All students were impeccably behaved and showed real interest, and all of them were sincere in their thanks and appreciation for the trip.

C A R E E R S I N S A L E SResearch from the Education and Employers Task Force suggests that students who have four or more meaningful encounters with employers can earn up to 22% more in their career. A big drive for us, then, is to give students access to these opportunities. Ms Lee in the business studies department organised a visit from Eoin Kearney, former sales director at luxury brands Molton Brown and Elizabeth Arden. Mr Kearney spoke for an hour to Year 12 A level and BTEC business students about careers in sales, particularly how you can rise up the ranks with hard work and commitment. Students commented afterwards that they had been “enlightened” by the experience, which had transformed their negative perceptions about the sales industry. Who knows – perhaps some of this group will make a name for themselves in the field some day?

Y E A R 1 1 C A R E E R S S H O W C A S E“Students are very well prepared for their next steps in education or employment thanks to a developmental focus in careers education.” – Challenge Partners 2019

Careers Education, Advice, Information and Guidance (or CEAIG for short) is an important part of life at Isleworth & Syon School. We have a dedicated Careers Leader, Mr Adams, committed to giving students access to a range of opportunities during their time here.

One such visit took place at the St Giles Hotel in Feltham, with a group of Year 11 students invited to take part in a careers showcase event. Different pathways into further and higher education were shown, with students speaking to apprentices from the London Borough of Hounslow as well as undergraduates from the University of West London. There were also a number of employers present, including Brentford Community Sports Trust, Hounslow Homes and Harlequins Rugby, as well as some training providers like Outsource and Green Corridor. Our boys were also able to take advantage of free one-to-one careers advice from the Connexions organisation. Year 11 can be a confusing time for our young people as they begin to figure out their next steps, so events like this are both helpful and enjoyable.

A fantastic talk!

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B R O T H E R S W I N H O U N S L O W P O E T R Y C O M P E T I T I O NPushing our students outside their comfort zones in order to achieve something great is the Isleworth & Syon way. We were delighted to hear the story of two brothers, Orion Timperley (7Sn) and Kaleb Joseph (9C) who entered a borough Key Stage 3 poetry contest. Their joint submission won first prize and was praised for the content, the skilful use of poetic devices and the powerful use of language. The boys were suitably delighted with their achievement, and with good reason! A huge well done to them.

P O E T R Y S L A M – W I N N E R S !

The study of poetry is a fantastic way for students to understand the power of language and how it can be utilised to great effect. Many of our boys have a real talent for deploying words effectively, and we do everything we can to nurture these talents. One such activity is the Poetry Slam event, organised by the Hounslow Library Service. This year, it took place at the local Paul Robeson Theatre.

Slam poetry is a specialist type of poetry that combines elements of performance, writing and audience participation. It encourages students to be bold, creative and imaginative – great transferable skills! The event consisted of a workshop where students in Years 8 & 9 were taught about the principles and then tasked with creating their own. Our group produced two fantastic poems and then performed them to perfection! We were delighted that they won the competition, beating several other Hounslow schools in the process and coming back to school with the shiny silver cup. A special well done to the students: Devon Bird (7Am), Samuel Brace (8Tr), Joe Gilmour (8Am), Vincent Heath Nicholls (8Tu), Frankie Macis (8Br) and Raphael Wreford (7Tu)!

P O E T R Y L I V E !It’s not just the English department that give students the opportunity to perform – one of our favourite annual activities in recent years has been entrance into the MFL Poetry Live competition. Organised and hosted by St Mary’s University, the competition has three main aims:

• Celebrate language learning for pleasure and challenge

• Develop memorisation and pronunciation skills

• Explore literature and culture.

All Year 8 MFL students were given the chance to take part in the school round, reciting a poem in either French or Spanish in front of their peers. Not an easy task, but students loved getting stuck in. After a tight competition, the winners were Joe Gilmour (8Am) and Harshdeep Matharu (8Bl, pictured third above) (French) and Zayd Kapadi (8Br) and Chris Kolev (8Ad) (Spanish).

They progressed to the finals at St Mary’s on Tuesday 18 June, where parents/carers were invited too! Students were required to perform their prepared poem from memory as well as recite something unseen. The criteria were set and judged by MFL tutors from the university, as well as other invited guests from the Association for Language Learning. It’s fair to say that there were nerves beforehand, but the boys did admirably! Afterwards, all four boys agreed that taking part in the competition had not only been great fun, but also improved their ability to retain and express language.

... and Kaleb!Well done Orion...

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‘ R O M E O A N D J U L I E T ’By Ben Rawsthorne (10A)

Towards the end of the year, we were treated to a performance of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by the Globe Players. They are a group of actors who go into schools and perform various Shakespeare plays – but with a twist! Instead of just performing the play, they stopped at different points to explain some of Shakespeare’s quotations. It was useful because sometimes when just reading the play, a certain quote may not seem to make sense; however, by seeing the quote broken down in the context of a play, it helps give us a greater understanding of why Shakespeare uses certain word choices.

During the performance, the group also explained and translated some key bits of Shakespearian language. This was very important because Shakespeare uses lots of literary techniques in his writing such as imagery, for example. However, if you do not understand the old language used by Shakespeare it is hard to pick up on these language devices. Overall, this performance was very helpful for our GCSE exams in 2020 because it has given us a greater understanding of quotes and language, meaning that we are better able to pick up on literary techniques when writing our essays. As well as it being educational, I also really enjoyed the play. The actors were very engaging, and it was interesting to see how they told the whole story of Romeo and Juliet using only 4 actors. Overall, it was a very entertaining and educational experience!

‘ D I E G O M A R A D O N A ’Where possible, we like to open our students’ eyes to what is available in their local environment. One such example is the Watermans Theatre in Brentford, a lovely independent cinema. For our Year 12 film students, this was an excellent opportunity to build up their cultural capital as they went to a showing of ‘Diego Maradona’, a documentary by Asif Kapadia. There was also an important curriculum connection – as part of their study of Documentary Film, students look at ‘Amy’, an earlier piece of work by the same director. This was, then, a unique opportunity to study another text with the same style. Kapadia’s way of shooting and editing is unusual, in that he uses digital technology to bring his subjects to life and splice together past and present footage. The visit was hugely helpful for these five students as it gave them insight into Kapadia’s way of working – knowledge that would prove invaluable back in the classroom! Afterwards, it was clear that the showing had given the students food for thought, as it gave them some much-needed context.

F I L M - M A K E R V I S I TOne important component of film studies is the practical side – making films. Studying the theory is one thing, but what really brings it to life is having the opportunity to speak to film-makers. With that in mind, we were fortunate to welcome film director Adam Wells into school in May to chat to the GCSE and A level cohort for three hours! Adam was very generous with him time and resources, talking to the students at length about the process of making his short film ‘Shemira’, from the initial idea to the planning and then to the execution. He brought along storyboards, script extracts and excerpts from his research portfolio, which really made it clear to the students the extraordinary amount of work that goes into taking a project from script to screen. After his talk, students created their own storyboards for their short films, as well as asking him a series of interesting questions. Do check out the Twitter bird above to hear Andrew Wakefield’s (10D) video summary of what he learned! Our thanks to Adam for taking the time to give students a peek behind the film-making curtain.

“O Romeo, O Romeo!”

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YEAR 12 BIOLOGY VISIT NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM…By Adam Kial (RON)

During our studies of the A level biology module ‘Classification and Species Diversity’, our Year 12 class visited the Natural History Museum on Monday 1 April. Once we arrived, we took a quick tour around the main sections and established a meeting point. We were briefly reminded of the courteous behaviour we were expected to display throughout our day and we split into smaller groups of three to four students before making our separate ways. As we made our way through the museum, we were expected to fill out a booklet with information gathered from the museum itself, whilst mainly studying and understanding how organisms are classified based on morphology and genetics. The trip was extremely useful as it provided us students with relevant case studies that linked to our education in school.

… A N D L O N D O N Z O O !By Hassan Khan (CDO)

In June, I had the opportunity to go to London Zoo on a biology trip. First, we went for a talk about conservation of animals which was very interesting as it linked with the main reason for our visit – the fact that we are learning about classification and conservation in our biology course. The ranger from the zoo spoke about all their projects around the world with other zoos across the world. We learned about how they keep the diversity of the animal populations and how many steps and factors were involved in transporting animals to mate together and produce healthy offspring. Throughout, we learned of different species that the zoo had to protect and how the majority of species living in the zoo were endangered. After the talk, we grabbed a sweet ice cream and we explored everything from the penguins to the giraffes. Overall, it was an exhausting but enjoyable day.

S K Y A C A D E M Y S K I L L S S T U D I OSky is another organisation located only a few miles away, and we are delighted to work with them several times per year for special trips and events. In June, 16 Year 10 students across BTEC creative media production and GCSE computer science visited the Sky Academy Skills Studio for a fun morning. First, they took a tour around the entire Sky campus and studios, and the boys were amazed at the sheer scale of the site! They visited Sky News and Sky Sports News, making a news report at both. They utilised the state-of-the-art green screen and cutting-edge editing technology, all the while learning about future innovations at Sky. During their work in groups, they were able to learn some secrets about how the news it made, as well as how the studio works on a daily basis. It was a fascinating trip which gave the boys plenty to discuss back in class!

P A R T R I D G E C O N S E R V A T I O NOver in science, we were involved in life-changing work this June, as we took part in an important conservation project. Miss Stead, our Curriculum Leader for science, led on the scheme, which saw the school host ten eggs in an attempt to save the once-common bird from extinction! We incubated the eggs for just under a week, and it was a thrill to watch them hatch one at a time! Click the Twitter bird above to see some

videos of birds hatching; it truly is a wonderful sight. This work was then incorporated into lessons, with Year 8s studying the partridges and completing a workbook based on their investigations. Two weeks later, the partridges were introduced into their new wildlife habitat, where they can integrate and then increase their numbers! It truly was an honour to be involved in the project, which may well have saved a whole species.

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R E C O R D S T U M B L E !EVENT TYPE NAME TIME PREVIOUS

Year 7 70m Hurdles Interform Ben Ingram 12.69s 12.99s - 2000

Year 8 150m School Rahama Eltayar 19.41s 19.57s - 2015

Year 8 800m Interform James Skinner 2m 16s 2m 25s - 2003

Year 9 200m Interform Zack Clarke-Green 24.50s 24.80s - 1988

Year 9 800m Interform Zakaria Kahboub 2m 21s 2m 23s - 2013

TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPSThis event, also known as Sports Day, is the pinnacle of our sporting calendar, with all students in Years 7-10 taking part in a full programme of track and field events. It was another baking day on Friday 21 June as we headed over to the Osterley track just over the road. It is a professional-standard track and was therefore the perfect setting for some competitive athletics!

The event took place on Friday 21 June in the baking-hot sunshine, so students were warned that sun cream and plenty of water would be necessary! These championships are run as a house event, with student participation earning points for their house. It was a fantastic day, with events bringing out the very best in our boys. It was lovely to see such team spirit on display, as well as competitive rivalry between the houses. There were a number of extraordinary individual performances, with several records broken (see right). One record had stood for over 30 years! The scores were calculated live throughout, with different houses leading throughout the day. The overall winners for Years 7 & 8 – featuring all four houses – were Turner, while the Years 7-10 competition (not featuring Adam as they only have two years groups) saw Shackleton as victors. Well done to everyone for a wonderful day! Our thanks to the PE staff and Sixth Form Sports Leaders for their incredible organisation work in the lead-up to, and during, the day.

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G I F T E D & T A L E N T E D V I S I T O X F O R DAs part of our Gifted & Talented programme, we endeavour to give our high-ability students experience of the top universities. Here’s Mr Jones’ report of one such trip this June.

A group of Year 9 boys travelled to Oxford University, where they enjoyed a great experience at one of the world’s top academic institutions. During the morning, the boys took part in a university lecture and received support on the university application process. In the afternoon, the boys walked off a terrific lunch with a guided tour of Somerville College campus and a visit to Oxford University Museum of Natural History. The boys were an absolute credit to the school in the way they interacted with Oxford. Afterwards, students were buzzing with excitement, keenly aware of how lucky they were to experience one of the top universities not just in the UK, but the world. It was a great trip to get these students starting to think about what their next steps could be in a few years’ time. A great day all round!

Y E A R 1 1 G R A D U A T I O NIt was an emotional afternoon on Friday 10 May as we celebrated our Year 11 students before they began their final GCSE examinations. For most of the students, it was the culmination of five years at Isleworth & Syon, so there was much to celebrate over the course of the hour-long graduation ceremony. Led by their Pastoral Leader, Mr Gaskell, the celebration focused on the amazing memories that they had made during their time with us, and it was great to see representatives from each form group reflect on their journey from boy to man.

Scattered throughout were a series of performances. Theo-Amari Ochana (11A) showed off his superb skills in gymnastics (more on that later), while a collection of musicians teamed up with Mr McKeever for a virtuoso performance, including an incredible singalong! Mr Gaskell presented some awards, too, recognising the boys’ outstanding contribution to the Isleworth & Syon way. Misters McDonnell and Mullins presented reviews from performing arts and sport respectively, and it was great to see how far this group had come since September 2014. Before long, the graduation was over – we wish the boys well with their next steps and hope that they stay in touch!

Y E A R 1 3 S A Y T H E I R F I N A L F A R E W E L L SFriday 17 May felt like a momentous day, as over 60 students in Year 13 said goodbye for the final time before heading off on study leave. As is tradition, we organised a fitting send-off for this group, many of whom began their Isleworth & Syon journey way back in 2012! Mr Ferguson began the celebration by echoing his own words from the students’ very first assembly – “be the best that you can be” – and encouraging them to continue this ethos all the way to the end. During the assembly there were several student speeches which attempted to summarise years of memories. Head Boy Kacper Cisowski (ANO) and his deputy, Zahra Munir (TBI), gave lovely talks which discussed the lasting friendships they had forged as well as the staff who had influenced them so much. It was genuinely touching – as was the student speeches, with members of each form saying a few words about the impact of their form tutor as well as the genuine affection they had towards the school.

After some student awards – selected and nominated by the students themselves, leading to categories like ‘Class Clown’ and ‘Most Likely to be a Millionaire’ – it was time for the best part in all these events: the photo montage! Cue howling laughter, blushing faces and so much cringing, as students looked back on themselves throughout their school career. Mr Doyle ended proceedings reflecting on his own favourite memories as well as his pride that the group has matured so much. It was a fitting end to a poignant celebration!

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JUNIOR MASTERCHEFIn school, we do everything we can to inspire our students to pursue outside interests.

One such example is Kamal Locke (9A), who for a long time had dreamt of learning how to cook properly, and ultimately follow it as a career pathway. Following conversations with our chief librarian, Ms Squires, Kamal was recommended for the Junior Masterchef Academy at the University of West London. He took part in two three-hour courses – one for general cookery, the other for bakery – over a ten-week period, and his skills blossomed during that time. As part of a team he created and prepared a three-course dinner in a professionally-equipped kitchen, guided by some elite chefs. The results were truly outstanding, with Kamal proving himself quite the expert. Well done!

H O L O C A U S T S U R V I V O R V I S I TIn May, Year 9 were given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – to speak to a survivor of the Holocaust. We were honoured to welcome Mr Harry Olmer into school to give his testimony to the students, who had been studying the tragedy in their history lessons. It is one thing to read about the Holocaust in a textbook, but another to hear a first-hand account of one man’s suffering, and the testimony was poignant and, at times, hard-hitting.

Harry talked openly for an hour about his experiences, painting a vivid tale of escaping the Nazis. Students sat in stunned silence as they took in what he was saying, and it was clear that the experience was an eye-opener for the boys. At the end, they were able to ask questions. We had a record number of questioners, with the best one being ‘how did the use of concentration camps affect the world’ – an excellent example of students thinking beyond the topic. Harry was very generous with his time, and we thank him for coming into school to share his unique experiences with our boys. Thanks as well to the Holocaust Educational Trust, who helped organise the event and do incredible work.

HOUNSLOW BATTLE OF THE BANDS WINNERS!On Tuesday 18 June, we hosted the final of the inaugural Hounslow Borough Battle of the Bands. All Hounslow secondary schools were invited to take part, with eight schools sending representatives: Chiswick, Gunnersbury, The Green School for Girls, The Heathland, Isleworth & Syon, Gumley House, Lampton and Reach Academy. The event, organised by our head of music Mr McKeever, featured a judging panel that included representatives from the music industry like Oonagh Barry, head of the Hounslow Music Service, as well as local MP Ruth Cadbury. During the competition, each band performed a song of their choosing, and everyone present agreed that the standard was extremely high.

After much deliberation, the winner was announced as our band, ‘New Eyes’, featuring Joshua Cherian (10F, drums), Dexter Dobel (8Am, bass), James Ellard (9B, piano), Zaki Osahn (9B, saxophone), and Hamish Sharp-McClymont (11F, vocals and guitar). This was a great achievement, and we were very proud of the boys! The win was a testament to the work done in the music department to help the boys. We will continue to give students the chance to experience the power of music to help boys develop into mature and confident young men.

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At Isleworth & Syon, we have a strong belief in the power of the arts to enrich our students’ lives. Through art, drama, design technology and music, students harness their creativity to improve their confidence and their wellbeing. No event epitomises this more than our Summer Arts Festival, an annual event in the school calendar and always one of the most-attended! This year’s event took place at the start of July and had over 200 students across Years 7-12 taking part – our most ambitious ever! Following a successful pilot the year before, the event had a looser festival-style theme where attendees could make their own schedule from a series of rotating performances, shows, exhibitions and displays. Audience comments reflected that they loved having the freedom to pick and choose exactly what they wanted to see!

The school was split into several different zones. In the library, audience members were treated to art and technology exhibitions, with outstanding student work on display across the age range. At the other end, we hosted rotating band sets. First up were Ms Warner’s jazz band, and it was like being transported back in time when you listened to them! They were followed by the junior band, representing the cream of the Key Stage 3 crop, and the Chamber Choir, whose beautiful performance left audience members with goosebumps. Over in the music department, there were several simultaneous performances. In the canteen, Mr McKeever’s InSpire Crew put their own twist on modern pop songs, while Room 103 hosted a showcase for GCSE composition work. Next door in Room 104 was rocking with three band performances which showed off students’ unique talents. Musical masterpieces all around!

As audience members travelled between the zones, they were treated to some beautiful piano recitals. A particular treat came courtesy of two Isleworth & Syon alumni, as Sammy Standing (bottom left) and Charlie Mills returned for a very special performance that was without doubt one of the highlights of the evening. Special mention as well to the other pianists, who gave lovely performances.

The school hall was the setting for some superb drama performances from students in Key Stage 3. The Year 7 film was in the style of a silent movie – excellent reaction acting! – while Year 8 boys performed a spooky piece called ‘Under the Skin’. A particular highlight was the Year 9 Drama Club, and their devised piece titled ‘Year 9 Are Very Good at Drama’. The piece is particularly difficult to explain, so we recommend clicking the Twitter bird above and checking out the video, but suffice it to say that the title was not just a boast but fully-deserved based on the talent displayed. A bright future ahead!

There was time for one final, very special performance, with all 200 performers coming together for a Rugby World Cup-themed extravaganza in the school hall. The show was electric, and received a massive standing ovation from everyone in attendance. It was a fitting end to a very special event, showcasing the best of what Isleworth & Syon has to offer. We can’t wait for next year!

Summer ArtsFESTIVAL 2019

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W I D E R L E A R N I N G W E E K - Y E A R 72018-19 saw the fifth year of Wider Learning Week - a very special week where normal lessons are cancelled and students in Years 7-9 and 12 take part in a specially-designed enrichment programme. The main purpose of the week is to offer learning experiences in both familiar and new contexts, challenging the boys and promoting wider understanding, self-discipline and independence. The week also rewards students for their hard work throughout the demanding school year! Check out what each group got up to in the next couple of pages, and don’t forget to hit that Twitter bird above for day-by-day video and photo content.

For our youngest students, Wider Learning Week was an opportunity to try something completely new – and the boys threw themselves into it with due gusto!

Throughout the week, no two days were ever the same, meaning an enriching and exciting week was had by all. Students were split into house groups for all their activities, with a particular favourite being the House-themed days (see photos below).

These trips were full of hands-on activities and a great way for students to connect with their house’s ethos and founders.

The practical learning did not end there, though. During the rotation, students took part in an interesting health day - a carousel of activities focused on physical and mental health. In one activity, students had to work out the calorie content of a fast-food meal and then burn it off with exercise, which taught the boys all about the relationship between fat-burning and physical activity. In another, students met with our Mind Wellbeing Advisor and took part in a mental health focus group. All the activities centred around one theme, nourishing students’ wellbeing, and it was great to see the boys engaging with this important issue facing young men today.

There were several other activities, too. Over in science, students rotated around exciting activities on the theme of ‘Exploration’. One minute, they were designing and then creating energy drinks, adding their own ingredients to change the taste. The next, they were examining water-fleas in the microscope, testing how it reacted to different stimuli. Then, they took part in the thrilling Iodine Clock experiment, watching how different substances interact chemically. That was not the only activity in which they picked up a new skill – over in design technology, students learned about computer-aided design and put that work into practice during the day!

There is still more! Wednesday saw all students come together for a Dragons-Den style day where students investigated current challenges in the UK and presented a solution. Finally, on Thursday, a group of 50 students went on a day trip to Boulogne, France, where they took in an aquarium and snail farm, as well as having the chance to practise their French speaking skills. What a week, full of exciting opportunities for boys to develop new interests. One Year 7 commented afterwards that the skill they developed was “communicat[ing] with others” while another said they learned that “part of learning is being resilient and being a role model of the school”.

Using nature to make a reconstruction of Robert

Adam’s house!

Examining Shackleton at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich!

Great fun at the Brunel museum in Southwark -

practical activities!

Volleyball is a great way to burn calories!

Working in teams on the Iodine Clock!

Trying snails for the first time - a cultural experience!Designing in the CAD activity.

Exploring William Turner’s house in

Richmond!

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WIDER LEARNING WEEK - YEAR 8

What a week for Year 8. With one Wider Learning Week already under their belt in 2018, it was time for these students to develop their skills even more with a mix of on- and off-site activities. The week began with a business-themed activity, led by Ms Lee. She organised a wonderful ‘Dragon’s Den’ activity which was focused on the environment – the boys had to identify a key environmental issue and then plan a product to solve it. This involved assigning team roles, creating a prototype, working out the budget, and then designing a marketing plan.

They were judged by our Dragons, which included Headteacher Mr Ferguson and Wider Learning Week co-ordinators Ms Lawler and Mr Barry, and everyone was impressed at the standard on display. Climate change is such a huge world issue and it was great to see the boys approach it so thoughtfully and maturely.

The rest of the activities took place on house rotation throughout the rest of the week. As always, a particular favourite was Thorpe Park, with a record number of students visiting over the course of the week. It wasn’t all rollercoasters and screaming, with Miss Hannon and staff connecting the theme park experience with their studies of physics and geography as well! The history department took Year 8 to the Natural History Museum in London, and the boys loved getting stuck in via series of hands-on workshops. Students particularly enjoyed using the microscope to examine the fossils and other artefacts – many had never seen anything like this before, and they were amazed!

During the week, students took part in the same Health Day as Year 7. Both year groups enjoyed playing team sports such as touch rugby and ultimate frisbee on their way to burning those calories, while part of each day was taken up with a screening of BBC mental health documentary, ‘A Royal Team Talk’. Featuring Prince William, England men’s football manager Gareth Southgate, and footballers Peter Crouch and Danny Rose, it was a fascinating look at famous figures’ struggles with their mental health, and certainly provoked some interesting discussion amongst the students as they examined their own wellbeing.

We wanted to give students the opportunity to develop Life Skills, which they can use in the real world once they leave us. First, students took part in a fun game of Career Top Trumps, in which they compared different industries and what jobs you could get within them. A great way to get students thinking about their futures! Mr Jones organised a unique game focused on trade, with students split into teams representing different countries and dealing with variables like natural disasters and economy crashes. The activity was popular as it got students thinking about scarcity of resources and how to manage what you have.

One of the absolute favourite activities took place in the canteen, as our chefs from CucinA led a bread-making session. Gorgeous smells filled the corridors as the boys got to work, kneading the dough with gusto! A great activity which taught the boys a great deal about baking – plus they got to eat their delicious creations.

This activity was a great example of what makes Wider Learning Week so special – broadening the boys’ horizons and, for some, sparking a new passion. We hope that these boys are inspired to continue with their cookery, as it is a necessary skill later on!

Year 8 winners!

Yum!

Ziad hard at work!Our (fairly) fearsome Dragons!

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WIDER LEARNING WEEK - YEAR 9

ART & PHOTOGRAPHYOur budding photographers had a fantastic week building up their portfolios. There was a big focus on nature, with visits to Kew Gardens, Richmond and Osterley Park giving them ample opportunity to practise their composition. The end result was a ‘visual record’ – a collage of some of their best photographs.

MEDIA TEAMA great opportunity for students to learn about the art of journalism. Each day they filmed a report summarising the day’s events, which was then posted on Twitter. Students also went around the on-site activities interviewing Years 7 & 8 about their activities. Several students suggested they could see it as a career option!

BEING AN ARCHITECT Many of these students had limited or no knowledge about architecture, so this was a great crash course featuring professionals from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Students took part in a series of architectural walks to learn about design and textures, before applying these skills to the design of their own pavilion.

MUSIC PRODUCTIONMr McKeever led a great hands-on activity where students learned about the process of creating a piece of music. Students used cutting-edge technology on the Apple iMacs to layer their tracks, adding in spoken word elements from excerpts of poetry. The best composition would make it on to the next school album!

CODE-BREAKINGA brand-new activity from the maths department, focused around ‘escape rooms’. Students visited one in Shepherd’s Bush to get inspiration for their own creation, which they ran for junior students on Friday morning. Students also visited Bletchley Park, the historical home of Britain’s code-breakers during the Second World War.

SPORTS WEEKAnother week full of off-site visits, including Olympic-standard beach volleyball facilities and a stadium tour at Twickenham with exclusive behind-the-scenes access. A particular favourite was the competitive go-karting and top golf down at Addlestone. Great for the boys to have access to sports they do no normally play!

COMPUTINGOur IT enthusiasts had a busy week of off-site activities. They took part in workshops at two theme parks – Chessington World of Adventures and Thorpe Park, as well as exploring app development at the Apple Store. Students also loved going behind-the-scenes at Sky and exploring the Science Museum in London.

SURVIVAL SKILLSA variety of activities during this week all focused on the theme of survival. It included orienteering at Richmond Park and rock-climbing in Chelsea, as well as a tranquil day fishing at the lake in Maidenhead. Students also took part in team-building activities on the school site, including a tug of war and a tyre flip!

Year 9 students were given the opportunity to choose an activity which they would stay with for the whole five days. The activities were designed to cater for a wide range of interests - and to perhaps spark some new ones. Check out our summaries below!

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W I D E R L E A R N I N G W E E K - Y E A R 1 2

The week began on Monday with a trip to the local Ealing campus of the University of West London, who put on a day of fascinating workshops, talks and activities for our first-year Sixth Form students. Of particular interest was the student budgeting talk, where it became apparent that many of our students needed to develop this skill! The students also enjoyed the campus tour; for several, this was their first experience of a university, and it inspired them to want to visit some more as they consider their next steps.

The next few days were taken up by volunteering, with Year 12s assigned to some of the activities from the previous pages. It was great to see these students step up into a leadership role, mentoring some of the younger students and passing on their wisdom. On the Wednesday, most of the group took part in Mr West’s Cultural Capital Challenge! This required students to take part in a scavenger hunt around local historic and cultural landmarks. A fantastic opportunity for students to get out into the sunshine and experience some of our local attractions.

The rest of the week was devoted to UCAS applications and personal statements, with our subject specialist staff on hand to provide expert guidance and advice. We do everything we can to support students through this process, ensuring that they apply to the institutions that suit both their personalities and their interests. It was a productive week with students making great progress! As the cohort heads into Year 13, there will be challenges ahead, but we will support them every step of the way.

WIDER LEARNING WEEK - BARCELONAAs part of Wider Learning Week, 27 lucky students spent four days in sunny Barcelona, Spain. This was a fantastic way for students to accrue some more ‘cultural capital’, as many had never travelled outside of England before! Here’s Parees Singh’s (8Ad) report on some of his favourite parts.

The trip to Barcelona in Year 8 was fun packed! To start with, we took the coach to Luton Airport and once we got there, we went past security and explored the airport for a bit. After that, we went to our gate and off we went to Barcelona. There was a storm so we had to stop somewhere for fuel… although it does sound bad, we all had a laugh about it in the end!

On our first full day, we woke up early, had breakfast and headed out for Spanish lessons, so that we could practise our language skills! Then, we had lunch at Plaça dels Àngels, before going to Port Vell and riding on a boat. It was a lot of fun! After this, we walked back to FrescCo, where we had a delicious dinner. The next day was just as busy! After breakfast and more Spanish practice, we had lunch near Las Ramblas. We then went to Camp Nou (the Barcelona football stadium) by coach and we got to see FC Barcelona’s trophies and the pitch. It was really interesting. We then went back by coach and went for a walk, where we saw street performers do some crazy flips.

On the last day, we went to the beach, played volleyball and swam around in the water. We then went to buy some food at La Boqueria market, with a challenge to order our food and drinks in Spanish. We then took the coach to Sagrada Familia and explored the exterior. It is honestly one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen in my entire life! We then went to Park Güell a park made in memory of Antoni Gaudí – it was wonderful. We then unfortunately had to go to the airport and come back to England. In all, Barcelona was so fun, beautiful and interesting that I had no intentions of going back to England, but of course, we had to. Overall, the trip was amazing and I would love to go back!

After the trip, Mrs Lane commented on its success: “The aim of the trip was to improve students’ language skills and to develop cultural awareness of Spanish-speaking countries. We had a brilliant time in the city; a highlight for many students was the tour of the Barcelona football stadium! For the teachers, it was great to hear the students speaking in Spanish in shops, in restaurants, at the market and in their daily Spanish lessons in a small, private language school. We can’t wait to go again next year!”

Uvindu Gunatilaka (RON) takes on the Cultural Capital Challenge!

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M E D I C C L U BA key component of life at Isleworth & Syon students is access to a plethora of after-school clubs which cater to a huge range of interests. One of our most popular is the Medic Club, open to Year 12 scientists with an interest in a career in medicine or veterinary science. Miss Stead, the science curriculum leader and organiser of the group, is a subject specialist who designs a timetable full of fascinating activities throughout the year. It would take too long to summarise each activity, so here is a small taste!

OPHTHALMOLOGYThis is an activity we have run for many years, and it is always one of the most popular! Students visited a Hounslow branch of Specsavers for a fascinating two-hour session where students were guided through the eye test by store staff. The boys focused particularly on the medical side, and how the eye examinations can help to diagnose conditions such as tumours of diabetes. The staff were so impressed with Adam Kial and Uvindu Gunatilaka (both RON) that they offered them part-time employment afterwards!

When the boys got back to school they attempted some dissections to give them a sense of the eye’s anatomy – the students were fascinated during this hands-on learning to discover how the eye actually works physiologically.

A brilliant afternoon for these students!

PHLEBOTOMYThis is the medical terminology for drawing blood – a very important skill for any budding doctor. This session was not for the squeamish; Miss Stead had found a prosthetic arm which had blood flowing through it and therefore acted like a real arm would. Students were led through the specific technique for drawing blood in the most pain-free and efficient way.

The other important aspect, though, was the patient care, with students advised on what to say to calm their patient down during the procedure. Boys performed excellently in this task, and it was clear that many in the group were naturals!

This was another great way to get boys thinking about important medical skills – and then put those skills into practice in an engaging way! It has been fantastic to see the boys so involved with these activities.

CANNABIS & PSYCHOSISOne of the most interesting activities was a lecture from a professional doctor. We were delighted to welcome Dr Love from the local West Middlesex Hospital for a great hour-long talk about how cannabis alters the function of the brain to increase the chance of developing psychosis if you have certain vulnerability factors.

The doctor discussed how cannabis and psychosis are interlinked on a neurological level. She brought with her some case studies as well as brain scans to show the boys how the drug interacts with the brain in unusual ways. It was a real eye-opener for these students, and the post-lecture discussion was very lively and engaging. The activity was another example of how this club really enriches the boys’ lives, provoking an interest in new areas which they can explore at university level and beyond once they leave us next year!

SAMPLINGThe group had the opportunity to delve into some urology as they examined a range of different urine samples.

Students looked for glucose (diastix) and protein (albastik) as well as doing tests for biuret and benedicts. While testing, students kept a record of their findings, encouraged to include as much detail as possible. Another important part of sampling is a visual examination, and students were taught common defects and what they could mean. The final test was pH level, and Miss Stead showed the students the indicators for a series of common diseases.

This deep delve into medical science went far beyond their classroom studies and was a great example of students experiencing something completely new which would equip them with vital skills for academic learning.

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W O R L D W A R I R E M E M B R A N C E P R O J E C TIsleworth & Syon School was formed in circa 1630, nearly 400 years ago. The school has gone through many changes over that time, including the move to the current Ridgeway Road site in 1939. One of our proudest achievements in school is maintaining traditions which have been going for hundreds of years. Our history is something that we are keen to recognise at every opportunity, so in 2015, we began our World War I Remembrance Project, which lasted for four years.

In school, we have a memorial board to commemorate the eighty former Isleworthians who tragically gave their lives over the course of the First World War (1914-1918). Mr Ferguson decided that we should recognise each of these individuals on the one-hundred-year anniversary of their passing. After painstaking research, we unearthed lots of fascinating information, which we posted at www.isleworthsyon.org/ww1. This project, then, represents a wonderful slice of history. In Summer 2019, the final student was commemorated and the project came to an end. We will keep the project on the school website as a permanent record of the brave young men who gave their lives so that we could be free.

DESIGN TECHNOLOGY BRIGHT IDEAS CHALLENGEDesign & technology are always a very active department in terms of the extra opportunities offered to our students. This year was no exception, with a particular highlight being the Bright Ideas Challenge. The competition was run by oil company Shell, with the brief being to imagine the world as it may be in 2050. The task was to build a ‘city of the future’, focusing on one specific section like food, transport, or buildings. Max Barker (9B) and Josh Barnett (10D) worked as a fantastic team to design a futuristic building, using hand-drawn sketches in combination with three-dimensional computer modelling. The boys also took it upon themselves to conduct scientific and engineering research. Both boys brought their own specific knowledge to the table - Josh utilised skills developed in his GCSE engineering course, while Max used his art skills and general creativity. The boys just missed out on South England’s top three but the feedback from the judges was very positive indeed!

Mr Elliston plans to expand this activity to the whole of Year 9 next year – we cannot wait to see what those students create.

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P L A Y W R I T I N G S C H E M EA big part of school life is introducing to students to experiences outside of their usual activities. This year we were thrilled to be a part of the National Theatre New Views programme, a playwriting scheme featuring twelve of our best creative writers in Years 10 and 12. The task was simple – by March, students had to produce their own play on a subject of their own choosing. To help them, we invited playwright Alex Wood into school on Monday 12 November to discuss the art form with the students. They took part in a number of writing activities, with Alex showing students different techniques to create character and build a story through all the component parts. Everyone agreed that the after-session was immensely helpful when it came to the daunting task of writing a play. Student submissions were varied, including topics such as pressure to meet adult expectations, growing up, making it in the film industry, the different treatment of BAME footballers who play for the national football team, and the very nature of being. Both Aadi Mudhar (ANO) and Albert Campling (10F) were shortlisted, with Albert invited to a prestigious playwriting session at the National Theatre at the end of this month with his play, ‘The Lens of Perception’. Well done, everyone!

D E B A T E M A T E C U P W I N N E R SAt Isleworth & Syon, we have a long history of encouraging students to take part in the debating group, as it enhances students’ public speaking skills as well as their confidence. The class of 2019 reached never-before-seen heights, as our ‘A’ team won the London Debate Mate Cup on Wednesday 24 April!

The competition was held at London Metropolitan University, with 51 other schools taking part in a series of unseen debates. Motions were only revealed to the students mere minutes before the debates, so the boys had to think quickly as well as working well as a team. This group, consisting of Dexter Dobel (8Am), Joe Gilmour (8Am), Bashir Joaque (10F), Lorenzo Piola (9D) and captain Ben Rawsthorne (10A) are highly-practiced and very skilled, so they progressed through the rounds with consummate ease. Topics included climate change and a three-day weekend for workplaces.

In the final, students came up against St George’s Catholic School. The team debated in favour of the government having access to digital communication records – a complex and nuanced topics for which they only had twenty minutes to prepare! The boys stepped up their game and were rewarded with the win – a culmination of months of hard work from the team attending practice every Tuesday after school.

The reward for winning the cup was a place in the national competition, which took places at the Houses of Parliament on Thursday 11 July. The boys took part in two debates, winning one and losing the other – this loss was, in fact, their only loss of this entire academic year. Although the boys did not quite make the final two, it was a performance for which they could be very proud. They will come back even stronger next year!

S T U D E N T S V S S T A F F D E B A T EJust before our debating team headed to the Houses of Parliament, it was time for a grudge match in the form of a students vs staff debate. The school hall was packed on Thursday 13 June for the debate, with both teams debating the benefits of a three-day weekend. The students were ‘for’, while the staff were ‘against’. The staff selected a team with considerable promise – Mr Mullins (PE), Mr McDonnell (drama), Mr Jackson (English) and Mr Jones (geography) – and they clearly fancied their chances. Both teams showed excellent research, using facts and figures to great effect.

The staff in particular were very passionate with their points, leading to some great interjections! At the end of the debate, questions were taken from the floor, and it was clear that those present were engaging with the issues at hand. Once this had concluded, it was time to hear from the panel, who gave constructive comments before awarding a narrow win to the staff! However, we also held an audience vote, in which students emerged as victors. Therefore, Mr Jamieson adjudicated that the debate was a TIE – a fitting result considering the quality of the debate.

The champions!

Mr McDonnell makes his point!

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S P O R T S T E A M SIsleworth & Syon has long had a reputation for sporting success. Top-quality sportsmen are attracted to the school because of our top-class facilities, outstanding extra-curricular provision and the hard work of our subject staff. Before and after school plus at break and lunchtime, training takes place across the range of sports to make our students better. The results speak for themselves.

Under the tutelage of Mr Mullins, rugby continues to be a consistent source of strength across the school. We had record participation at Year 7 and 9 trials this year; these groups have rapidly improved over nine months and will soon be competing for major honours. Our other key stage 3 team, Year 8, had a successful year in both 15- and 8-a-side formats, remaining unbeaten in their group at the national 7s tournament. At Key Stage 4, Year 10 have continued to come on leaps and bounds, while the First XV had an excellent year, surpassing expectations to beat elite rugby schools like Claremont and Enfield Grammar on their way to the county plate semi-final. Five boys were selected to represent Middlesex – well done to Ben Lumm (10A), Joseph Whittaker (11F), Archie Horton (11E) and Sam Pal-Byrne (11E).

For the twelfth year in a row, our badminton teams were borough winners at key stages 3 and 4 - a truly remarkable achievement. Both teams also won the county round, qualifying them for the West London finals. The KS4 team won the bronze, while the KS3s were a mere point away from the top 3. Brilliant performances all round! We have also had great individual success, with five students representing Hounslow at the London Youth Games and a number of students part of a team in the Junior Club London League. The clubs run on Mondays and Tuesdays after school and remain extremely popular, as does the satellite club on Wednesdays, open to students from any school.

The athletics year has seen consistent achievement and development. Year 8 boys entered the borough Super 8s, a team event where eight students took part across eight events, and won comfortably. Both Abinson Dixon (7Tr) and James Skinner (8Tr) won the Middlesex Schools Athletics Championships, at shot put and 800m respectively, smashing championship records in the process. Year 10’s Oliver Marti continued his remarkable record in the 1500m, defending his borough title; he has now won it every year he has been in school. Staff have worked hard with Oliver to develop and push himself to greater heights; he is now reaping the rewards. Finally, we had five representatives at the Middlesex Cross-Country Championships; well done to Elvio Gomes (10E), Oliver Marti (10B), Ben Lumm (10A), Jonah Shaw (7Ad) and James Skinner (8Tr) for creditable performances in that competition.

Basketball is a sport that continues to grow at Isleworth & Syon, with the department running before-school training once a week which has been remarkably well-attended considering it starts at 7.30am! Our Year 7 team won their borough tournament while their Year 9 compatriots were narrowly beaten in the borough final. The Sixth Form team only lost one game all year and set all kinds of records in the process! We look forward to nurturing these talented groups over the coming years.

The key stage 3 success continued over on the cricket field during the summer, with the Year 7 and Year 9 teams both comfortably winning their borough tournaments. Year 7 also reached the county cup final which they lost – a disappointing outcome which will no doubt be channelled into positives next year! Similarly, Year 8 reached the county plate final and were defeated in a close-run innings. However, across Year 8 we had enough talent to fill two whole teams, so the future is bright for this young group. In all, there was excellent attendance to training this year!

It was not just cricket which had excellent participation, though; we were delighted with the commitment to football on display this year. Training sessions pushed the boys to their limits, working hard on the tactical and technical aspects which could ensure success. The hard work absolutely paid off, with a KS3 borough clean sweep – Years 7, 8 and 9 are all borough champions this season. What an achievement, and richly-deserved for a group of footballers who can achieve so much more! The football season concluded with a fantastic Staff vs Year 13 Leavers match - it was impossible to separate the teams, with the final score at 2-2.

Other sports also saw success this year. Table tennis continues to be a strength at borough level for key stages 3 and 4, while several students earned rowing success – Bryn Horton (9E) and Ben Lumm (10A) won their regional competitions. This article is clear evidence that sporting provision at Isleworth & Syon remains at an incredibly high level, and this is primarily down to the level of commitment and hard work on display from students and staff alike. The challenge for these boys, now, is to push on next time to do even better; we are in no doubt that this will be the case, and the I&S tradition of sporting success will continue. Keep track over on Twitter: @IsleworthSyonPE.

Year 8 rugby 7s!victors!

Well done, Abinson!

Year 7 cricket!

Ready to serve!

A basketball pep talk!

Staff vs Leavers - brilliant!

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G R O K L E A R N I N GFor the second year, the computing department ran the Grok club for students in Years 7 & 8. The club took the online Grok Learning course throughout the Spring and Summer Terms, with staff on hand to provide guidance when needed. The main focus of the course was on programming using Python – this is the most common computer language so served as a useful introduction to programming concept. Most of the student had zero knowledge before they started, and it was great to watch them develop over the course of a few months. Taking the course and being part of the club will give these gifted students a platform for further study in Year and beyond at GCSE. Perhaps we have already unearthed one of the programmers of the future!

Following last year’s successful launch, we once again ran the Inspiring Digital Enterprise (iDEA) Award for our Year 9s during the Summer Term. Aimed at Year 9 students with a key interest in the digital world, the scheme is essentially a digital version of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The course was extensive and required a large amount of hours from the 10 students who took part. The scheme was run online and designed to help students develop key digital, enterprise and employability skills. Students completed challenges in order to earn badges and, ultimately, the Silver award. Each badge was a scenario-based challenge at an intermediate level, split into five categories: citizen, worker, maker, entrepreneur and gamer. Students did wonderfully at completing the challenges, which were at times very difficult indeed. This was an excellent way to encourage our computer-literature Year 9s to develop into digital all-rounders and take their computing learning to a deeper level, in preparation for their GCSEs.

D I G I T A L L E A D E R S P R O G R A M M EOne of our key drives in school is to inspire our students to be leaders inside and outside of the classroom. This has become a reality this year through our creation of the Digital Leaders programme, launched for boys interested in leading IT within the school. Twenty students across Years 7-10 took part in the programme over the course of the 2018-19 academic year, and were involved in a number of projects.

Abdurrahman Choglay and Mansoor Ismail (both 10C) tested and participated in the Cyber-Discovery Programme, tackling everything from the Linux operating system to programming. It introduced them to the day-to-day life of a cyber-security professional, and was fascinating; the programme will now be rolled out to Years 9 & 10 next year. Several Digital Leaders helped in the library during the year – helping students maximise the technology available, while several others stayed at Year 10 Parents’ Evening to demonstrate our new Insight app to parents/carers.

We were very impressed with the level of commitment displayed by the students, who relished the responsibility they were afforded. We look forward to expanding the scheme next year to continue developing the digital leaders of the future.

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D U K E O F E D I N B U R G H ’ S A W A R DIt has been another very successful year of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE). We are still the only school in the local area running the full programme and offering senior students the chance to take the Gold award. We are keen to promote DofE as a fantastic way to enrich students’ lives; this year, record numbers took part across three levels: Bronze (Year 9), Silver (Year 10) and Gold (Year 11). The award is split into several sections, with all except the last one completed independently:

1. Volunteering (six months for Bronze and Silver, twelve months for Gold);

2. Learning and demonstrating a new skill

3. Physical recreation (such as a sports or gym activity)

4. A week’s residential experience away from home (Gold only)

5. Expedition.

Mr Adams led the bronze group with fantastic help from PE colleague Mr Gaskell as well as DT teacher and keen explorer Mr Elliston. We were faced with overwhelming demand this year, with 35 students eventually taking part. Each week, we held training exercises in the school hall, with students working in groups. Students were given a base £1.50 per person per day, and could earn more if they ‘won’ activities. The practice expedition took place around the Boxhill area, giving students a great experience ahead of the assessed during Wider Learnhing Week. Students travelled from the Newlands Corner to the Bentley Copse campsite in Dorking, and coped admirably with the task at hand. We were thrilled that all students passed during this successful expedition.

The Silver award consisted of 32 participants from Year 10, up from last year. Their practice took place in Chiltern Hills, while the assessed saw them heading to Corfe Castle in Swanage (in September). The weather was on the boys’ sides, with fantastic conditions and lots of sunshine, particularly in Swanage! This allowed for good walking and views. Most of the students’ goals were linked to coastal erosion, creating a great cross-curricular link with the geography field trip to Seaford from earlier in the year. Mr West complimented the boys on their brilliant campcraft, as well as their expertise in preparing quickly.

12 Year 12s took the Gold award, again higher than the year before. Half the group had done bronze and silver previously, while the rest had limited experience. Indeed, two students had never done an expedition before! The practice took place in the Lake District over five days and four nights, and was far more challenging than expected. Students found the step up difficult, but persevered and achieved great results with only a few navigational errors. This practice built up their levels of resilience – one student even needed a specialist blister doctor! Their assessed takes place at the Brecon Beacons in the autumn of 2019.

Difficult conditions for gold!

Successful silver students!

An amazing bonfire on bronze!

Incredible views for Gold students!

Silver students after setting up their tents.Bronze students getting ready for dinner!

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SUPPORTING SCHOOL WELLBEING: P A R T N E R S H I P W I T H We have worked in partnership with mental health charity Mind for a number of years. We were delighted this year to be one of only 17 secondary schools in England and Wales as part of the ‘Whole School Approach Project’, piloting a new way of looking after the mental health and wellbeing of the entire school community: students, staff, and parents/carers. The project took place over the whole school year to great success.

It began in September with a confidential survey for everyone in the school community to offer their views on mental health. The response was excellent, and fed into a series of focus groups which helped identify whole school priorities and create a plan of actions for the school and the charity – all in order to promote good mental health and wellbeing for everyone in school.

For the rest of the year, a number of initiatives were put in place. Mind sent a dedicated Wellbeing Advisor to provide one-to-one specialist support to students experiencing mental health and wellbeing difficulties, focusing on giving them practical ways to manage their experiences. Mind also ran a series of workshops and assemblies for students, as well as attending Parents’ Evenings to share information resources. We also developed a Wellbeing Hub on the school website: www.isleworthsyon.org/wellbeing. This contained a number of fantastic resources for students and parents/carers on a huge range of topics. These resources are still available at that link.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Mind for their support over the course of the school year. Ultimately, everyone has mental health, in the same way that we have physical health, so it is incredibly important to have the tools which can help us look after it. As a school, our students’ welfare is paramount, and we will continue innovating in order to offer the very best pastoral care to all our boys in the Isleworth & Syon family.

S C H O O L D E V E L O P M E N T SWe were delighted in September to open our brand-new teaching block, located on the Crown Court side of the school site. This project was funded via grant and cost £6.5million. It consists of 20 state-of-the-art teaching rooms to house our English and mathematics department. All rooms are equipped with innovative technology, including a 65-inch screen to show presentations, videos and other teaching content. These facilities give our excellent teachers the best possible tools to pass on their expertise to our boys, allowing students to maximise their potential every period of every day.

a number of other improvements have taken place to the school site. Work was completed on the £530,000 project to refurbish our art and design technology block early in the year. A new roof along with roof-lights and a new façade have improved the thermal performance of the building and, aesthetically, the installation is far more pleasing to the eye. The final element of the works, new LED lighting, was completed in October 2018.

The six old English rooms (rooms 124 to 129) were converted into four brand new science laboratories which opened in October 2018. The new facilities will help us to maintain our reputation as the top-performing science department in the area.

Planning is underway for a refurbishment and extension of our catering and dining facilities. A bid for the funding will be made in December 2019. In preparation for this bid, our Learning Support Department was moved to a new suite of rooms on the first floor of the school. At the same time, room 223 (science) was refurbished and we also took the opportunity to redecorate the adjacent corridor and stairwell. We will carry on innovating across the school site as we continue to make Isleworth & Syon School the best place for local boys.Our fantastic new block!

New science labs!

An outstanding learning support facility!

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Y E A R 1 1 T O P P E R F O R M E R SA huge well done to our top performers, who earned an outstanding 97 grades at 9-7 (A*-A equivalent).

NAME GRADES 9-7 BREAKDOWN

Josiah Wilson Kepple 10 8 9s, 1 8, 1 7

Hussain Qurashi 9 6 9s, 2 8s, 2 7s

Jack Shiels 10 3 9s, 6 8s, 1 7

Joseph Whittaker 9 1 9, 5 8s, 3 7s, 1 6

Morgan Lawrence 9 3 9s, 1 8, 5 7s

Ranveer Padda 8 3 9s, 2 8s, 3 7s

Lars-Leander Volle 10 3 9s, 2 8s, 3 7s, 1 6

Philip Lisiewicz 9 2 9s, 2 8s, 5 7s, 1 6

Jakub Poskrop 6 3 9s, 2 8s, 1 7, 1 6

Thomas Skinner 8 1 9, 4 8s, 3 7s, 2 6s

Ahmed Kalair 9 6 8s, 3 7s, 2 6s

Josiah with Mr Ferguson!

T O P G C S E R E S U L T S M A I N T A I N E DAs the educational landscape gets considerably tougher and the new grading system of 9-1 continues to embed, we were thrilled with our GCSE results. As you can see from the table to the right, our top performers excelled, and we are very happy that most have entered our successful Sixth Form. There were good attainment levels across the core subjects of English, maths and science, showing how our boy-focused curriculum creates a learning environment in which boys can thrive. We recommend clicking the Twitter bird above to view more details about the results and our top-performing students.

Although the national picture is not completely confirmed, it is clear that we will once again best boys nationally by a significant margin. After the results were published, Mr Ferguson commented, “While students across the country struggle with demanding specifications, our boys continue to perform at the highest level. With nearly 400 years’ experience teaching boys, Isleworth & Syon School will always be the best option for those who want their son/ward to succeed and achieve. We wish Year 11 well as they head towards their next steps, be that in our Sixth Form or into the world of work via apprenticeship or another route. We are proud of their achievements.”

S U B J E C T S U C C E S S E SOnce again, the school’s focus on employing specialist subject teachers reaped the rewards this year, with a series of excellent results. Take English for example – 35% of English language students earned grades in the 9-6 band, compared with just 21% of boys nationally, while in literature the 9-6 score was even higher (over 40% compared to just 29% nationally). Our maths results were similarly impressive, as over three-quarters of our students earned grades 9-4 compared with 60% of boys nationally.

It was another year of outstanding grades for our science department, with each of the single sciences besting boys’ scores by a considerable margin. In biology, two-thirds of students earned an A*-A equivalent (40% national boys), while in chemistry it was 71% (43% for boys nationally). Physics was the highest, with an enormous 86% of students achieving the top grades, nearly double the boys’ national figure of 46%.

Across other subjects there were similar stories. Our modern foreign languages department were thrilled with French scores, coming in at 64% 9-6; for national boys, this figure stood at a very low 29%. Over in drama, 40% of students achieved a 9-7 grade, with 12 students earning either 100% or one mark away from full marks. The national boys’ 9-7 figure for drama is just 15%. On the musical side, Thomas Skinner earned full mark in his piano practical, too!

With our biggest-ever Year 12 cohort this September, we look forward to celebrating their continued success on Advanced level and vocational courses.

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Y E A R 1 3 T O P P E R F O R M E R SNAME RESULTS DESINATION

Theo Mitchell-Smith A*A*A* University of Bristol - Veterinary Medicine

Ali Al-Skafi A*AA LSE - Accounting & Finance

Tim-Frederic Volle A*AA Royal Veterinary College - Veterinary Medicine

Yuvraj Assi AAA University of Warwick - Accounting & Finance

Varun Alvakonda A*BB Bath University - Computer Science

Farhad Ahmed AABC LSE - Accounting & Finance

Joshua Hudnott AAB University of Exeter - History and Ancient History

Qaiser Khan AAB King's College London - Physics and Astrophysics

Razi Makame ABB Queen Mary's - Finance and Economics

Kareem Zeido ABB Bath University - Aerospace Engineering

Jordan Edmund D*D*D* Southampton Solent University - Football Studies

Kyle Williams D*D*D* Southampton Solent University - Football Studies

Caitlin Doyle D*D*D Bournemouth University - Sports Therapy

Bartosz Wieloch D*D*D Milton Keynes - IT Apprenticeship

Sophie Moore D*DD St Mary’s - Sports Science

Klejvins Vlladi DDD Royal Holloway - Business and Management

Bartosz Hryp DDD Kent University - International Business

Sidhant Shori DDD Royal Holloway - Management with Marketing

Y E A R 1 3 S T U D E N T S H E A D T O T O P U N I V E R S I T I E SIt has been another excellent year for our Sixth Form, which continues to show how we offer the best local post-16 education. Small class sizes and specialist subject teachers allow students to thrive in a personalised learning environment and maximise their potential. As you can see from the results table below, there were a string of top grades which will lead those students to pursue a variety of different paths including medicine, sports science and business.

Once again, our vocational performance was extremely strong, reflecting the depth of staff expertise and support in this area. A string of Distinction*s and Distinctions are fitting rewards for the students’ commitment through their two years of study, and we look forward to hearing where these students go next. It was revealed on results day that every single student who applied to university gained a place, reflecting the amount of support given by the Sixth Form staff team to support UCAS applications beforehand as well as assisting with clearing on the day itself. On Results Day, Mr Ferguson remarked, “It’s been another fantastic year for our young people who continue to thrive in a supportive school environment under the tutelage of specialist subject staff. Many are heading off to some of the best universities in the country, while others will enter the world of work via apprenticeships or other pathway. Whatever their next steps, we are proud of their achievements and wish them well for the future.”

Top vocational performers (L-R): Bartosz Wieloch, Sophie Moore, Bartosz Hyrp, Caitlin Doyle and Kyle Williams.

(L-R): Tim-Frederic Volle, Kareem Zeido, Theo Mitchell-Smith, Varun Alvakonda, Ali Ali-Skafi, Farhad Ahmed and Yuvraj Assi.

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KS3 AWARDS EVENINGOne of our finest traditions in school is the presentation of awards at the end of the year, to those students who have consistently excelled in a variety of different fields. First up were Years 8 & 9 at our KS3 Awards Evening at the end of June. The ceremony began with the academic and pastoral awards, where curriculum areas and the pastoral team nominated the student(s) who had demonstrated the greatest commitment. A stunning 81 students were honoured across the four houses! The top academic and pastoral performer was Daniel Caffoor (8Bl) with a stunning five awards, for computing, English, music, RE, and the Year 8 pastoral award. Daniel was also the top performer in his year group twelve months earlier, during Year 7, and he continues to go from strength to strength.

After these awards, we had a small musical interlude, courtesy of the Antarctic Fire Department, one of our in-school bands made up of students in Year 8. They brought the house down with their rocking performance of an original composition! Continuing with the awards, we recognised 23 students with school colours (ties and flashes), marking these Year 9s’ brilliant journey through KS3. A host of other trophies were awarded, recognising contributions to sport, debating, the arts and the school community amongst many others! The final trophy was the Headteacher’s Cup, presented to the KS3 student who has made the greatest contribution to school life during their time in school. The recipient was Matthew Nunan (9F), a truly worthy winner! For a full award roll, please click the Twitter bird and view our live-tweets from the event.

S E N I O R A W A R D S E V E N I N GA few months after KS3 Awards Evening, it was the turn of our senior students in Years 10-13. The event took place in September, so we were delighted that many of our Year 13 leavers were able to come back and celebrate this unique occasion with us before they begin the next step in their journeys. Like the KS3 ceremony, parents/carers were invited to the evening, and as always it was great to see so many in attendance to support their children and the work the school is doing.

We had two special guests for the evening. First, we welcomed back former student and 2002 Head Boy Jamain Graveney to present the awards. A consummate student, Jamain left us in 2003 to read history at University of Bristol, and since graduating with honours has made his name in the financial industry. He currently works as the Business Manager for the Barclays UK digital team, and is also an investor and entrepreneur. Towards the end of proceedings, Jamain spoke eloquently about the lessons he learned during his seven years in school and how they can be applied to adult life. It was a pleasure to welcome him back. The second guest was Dr Iris Turner, who recently retired from the school’s governing body following 40 years of service. Iris has been a fierce advocate of the school and worked very hard behind-the-scenes to get the school to where it is today. We were thrilled to award the Dr Iris Turner Prize for the very first time, to a student who has demonstrated excellent in enterprise.

130 boys were honoured throughout the ceremony across a huge range of awards. Special mention must go to our subject and pastoral award top performers – Tinashe Chituku (10C), Adam Dawoud (10C), Philip Lisiewicz (11A), Lars-Leander Volle (11C) and Josiah Wilson Kepple (11A) – who each earned four separate awards. Josiah would later win the Paul McLoughlin Poetry Prize, named after a former English teacher. During the enterprise section of proceedings, we were delighted to present the EcoWorld trophy for the first time, sponsored by the local company of the same name.

The final award was the Headmaster’s Cup, the most prestigious trophy in school which has been awarded for the last thirty years. Traditionally, the cup is presented to the Year 13 student who has displayed sustained commitment to the school’s values during their seven years in school. However, this year saw a different outcome, with Mr Ferguson presenting the award to surprised Year 11 student Daniel Ashton (11B) – a great reward for a young man who is one of the most popular in school for his always-polite demeanour and his extraordinary hard work. Well done!

Events like this are extremely important to us as they reflect not just the abilities of the award winners but also the hard work that got them to this point – something that is important to remember and celebrate come the end of the year!

Headteacher’s Cup winner - Matthew Nunan!

Headmaster’s Cup winner - Daniel Ashton!

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THEO-AMARI OCHANA: GYMNASTICS CHAMPIONWe first wrote about Theo-Amari in September 2014, when he’d only been at school for a few weeks. Back then, we heralded his outstanding gymnastics performance in the form of qualification for a national competition. Fast-forward four-and-a-half-years, and we once again report a phenomenal performance from a young man who keeps getting better.

In March of this year, Theo-Amari (now 11A) won the Welsh Gymnastics Championships in Cardiff. This victory was a testament to the hours and hours of hard graft that he has put in to constantly improve and develop. If you click the Twitter bird at the top of this article, you will see Theo-Amari’s final performance on the rings – truly an example of gymnastic mastery, and the work of someone at the top of his game. But this is not enough for this ambitious young man – next he will attempt to break into the Wales national squad and, eventually, team GB. We cannot wait to see what he comes up with next!

M A L E K E L D E S O U K Y : WATER POLO CHAMPION!Another sporting champion, as Malek Eldesouky (9F) won two water polo championships in as many months during the Summer Term. First, his team (West London Penguin) beat the City of Manchester in a close-run final of the u-17 Swim England Water Polo National Age Group Championships, coming from behind several times to win 9-8. Then, a month later, Malek’s under-16 team won the Swim England National Inter-Regional Championship in Blackpool – the first London team to win a national championship in 19 years!

These achievements were particularly impressive as Malek is only 14 years old, meaning that he plays alongside team-mates that are two or three years older than him. His commitment and dedication in training has led him to this success, and we are very proud of his success. The next step is to press on now and continue with this progress to maximise his potential. He clearly has a bright future ahead of him, and we look forward to tracking his achievements!

H A R R Y W I L L I A M S : BADMINTON CHAMPIONIt has been a landmark year for Year 11’s Harry Williams (11E), as he continues to develop his extraordinary badminton skills by playing on the national circuit. He captained the Middlesex team at the under-18s inter-county championships and has reached the semi-finals in three tournaments this year. He was the runner-up in the Kent under-19 doubles and won the Middlesex under-19s, again in doubles. He has been the number 1 player in Middlesex for the last two years, not just at under-17 level but also at under-19! His national ranking at under-17 level peaked at 65 last year.

Harry’s success has been so great that he was selected for the men’s Middlesex county teams – alongside adults in their 20s – visiting Cambridge University amongst others. The final achievement of the year was his selection to train with the top youth elite team at Wimbledon, led by former Team GB coach Stuart Wardell.

His coaches describe that his devotion to badminton is superb and he trains exceptionally hard both inside and outside of school. He is an inspiration to our younger students in school, captaining the KS4 team and regularly training the next generation of badminton stars. A thoroughly pleasant young man, we have been delighted with Harry’s progress, and we know that he could reach the very top if he continues to show the same drive. We wish him well!

Malek holding the shield (middle of photo)

Harry after one of his many triumphs!

Theo thrilled with his win!

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R E E C E J A M E S ’ F O O T B A L L C A R E E R H I T S N E W H E I G H T SWhat a year it has been for former student and now professional footballer Reece James.

Having signed a professional contract with Chelsea Football Club in the summer of 2018, Reece was sent out on loan to Wigan Athletic for the 2018-19, in order to continue his development. Nobody could have expected the impact that the 19-year-old would have during his time in the north.

Reece was a regular for Wigan, showcasing his versatility by playing at right back, centre back and central midfield throughout the season, during which he was the only player to feature in all 42 Championship games. His performances earned critical acclaim from supporters and journalists, and he was a very popular figure at the club. Indeed, for his last game, he was made captain – quite a feat for someone so young! At the end of season awards, Reece as awarded the fans’ Player of the Year with an astonishing 96% of the votes, as well as picking up the players’ Player of the Year prize. He completed a hat-trick of awards with the Goal of the Season trophy for a stunning strike against Bristol City.

In the summer of 2019, Reece was selected to represent the England under-20s in the Toulon Tournament. Unfortunately, he sustained a very serious injury and was stretchered off. Not deterred by this setback, Reece has worked very hard on his rehabilitation over the summer prior to the start of the new season. New manager Frank Lampard is clearly impressed with Reece’s progress, saying he will be a “big player” for the team and on multiple occasions suggested that he will be in strong first-team contention on his return from injury.

This marked the end of an incredible year for this talented young man, who left us in 2014 to join Chelsea’s academy full-time. During 2018-19, he will look to displace Cesar Azpilicueta as Chelsea’s first-choice right back – based on his career progress so far, you would not bet against him. Indeed, just before publication of this magazine, Reece made his first-team debut in a Carabao Cup match against Grimsby Town. The team won 7-1, and Reece picked up two assists and a goal. An incredible start to his Chelsea career!

M I K A E E L S H A H – T O P 8 M A T H E M A T I C I A N I N C O U N T R YRight at the end of the school year, we were celebrating the achievement of Year 8’s Mikaeel Shah after a truly extraordinary performance in the Junior Maths Olympiad (JMO) – finishing as the eighth-best student in the whole country. The competition is organised by the UK Mathematics Trust and represents the final stage of the Junior Maths Challenge. Only the top 1000 mathematicians qualify for this prestigious competition, making Mikaeel’s success even more impressive.

When you look at the results, it gets even better. Mikaeel earned a score of 65/70, only dropping five points in the competition, and this earned him the Gold award, only achieved by the top 30 students. The Gold qualifying mark was 59, so Mikaeel exceeded all expectations – and then some! Typically modest after his win, this talented young man is clearly going to go far – and we will do everything we can to help him on his way.

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T W O S T U D E N T S A C C E P T E D T O N A T I O N A L Y O U T H T H E A T R EWhile Taheen makes waves in the acting world, two of our current students took their first steps this year. Both Louie Sinclair (Year 10) and Benjamin Frye (Year 11) were accepted into the most prestigious youth acting programme in the UK, the National Youth Theare (NYT). Alumni include Daniel Craig, Idris Elba and Helen Mirren; nine Isleworth & Syon students in the last five years have taken part in the programme.

Louie and Benjamin earned their places with impressive performances during the Saturday in-school audition in February, taking part in a three-hour workshop and then performing a monologue. This summer, students took part in the junior acting course which earned them entry to the company in September 2019. Now, they can audition for the company’s productions.

With the help of our specialist teaching staff, these boys have developed into fine young actors who have bright careers ahead of them if they so choose. This news continues to showcase the school’s commitment to the arts as a way to enrich our young people.

T A H E E N M O D A K – W E S T E N D A N D T E L E V I S I O N A C T O RIt has been quite the upwards trajectory for former student Taheen Modak since he left us in 2014.

He spent three years at the Bristol Old Vic drama school – one of the most prestigious drama institutions not just in the UK, but the world – learning his trade and working with some of the best acting coaches around. Soonly after graduating, he was picked up by talent agency Troika, who represent some of the country’s top actors like Peter Capaldi, Michael Fassbender, Karen Gillan and Daniel Kaluuya. Soon after, he landed a fantastic part in West End play ‘The American Clock’, at the Old Vic theatre.

This was a fantastic opportunity for Taheen to showcase his talent to 1000 people a night for five weeks, and he relished the chance. Taking on the dual roles of Lee 2 and Joe was a challenge, but it allowed him to expand his repertoire and continue to develop his considerable acting skill. We took a group of Year 10 students to see a performance in the Summer Term, and the students were incredibly impressed with Taheen’s ability, as well as the play itself.

The following day, Taheen very graciously came in to school and held two one-hour workshops with GCSE and A level students, talking about his experiences with drama school, tough auditions and the acting process in general. He spoke eloquently and in-depth about his past experiences and how they have informed who he is today, as well as offering the students some words of caution about the choices that they make.

For all of us who knew Taheen when he was a young man, it was a genuine privilege to see one of our own credit the school for getting him to this point, in terms of encouragement from the performing arts team. At the end of his workshop, Taheen introduced a trailer for his latest project, which had been released earlier that day: a lead role in ITV drama ‘The Bay’. Starring opposite Morven Christie and Jonas Armstrong, ‘The Bay’ ran for six weeks in March, and gave Taheen his biggest role yet – a series regular appearing in every episode. Series 2 has just been commissioned to air in 2020, and from the synopses it seems that Taheen’s role will be even larger! He is currently planning his next film and television project, making sure that he picks the right material to hone his talents further still.

Mr McDonnell has just received word that Taheen will be back in the West End at the end of 2019, and it is clear that he has a big future ahead of him. We wish him well with these endeavours, and know that he will continue to show the same work rate that he did in his performing arts BTEC just five years ago. Back to school!

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FROM BOY TO MAN. . .

BARTOSZ WIELOCH (2012-2019)Strand-on-the-Green Junior School

Isleworth & Syon School

Apprenticeship - Digital and Technology Solutions

Bartosz came to Isleworth & Syon School from Strand-on-the Green in September 2012. Throughout his time at Isleworth & Syon School, he always displayed a strong character and was always a student determined to live up to the school mantra of “being the best that he could be”.

Bartosz was successful at GCSEs, surpassing his target grades and gaining a string of high passes. It was in the Sixth Form, however, that he excelled. He followed a double award Level 3 vocational course in IT and a single award in Sport and gained a double starred distinction and a distinction, respectively.

Whilst in the Sixth Form, he was also passionate about his own personal fitness and made sure that he kept to a strict routine of training. He also worked on a part-time basis for two local small businesses, managing their social media output and webpages.

It was no surprise that for his outstanding performance in the Sixth Form, Bartosz received an Academic Excellence Award at the Senior Awards Evening. He was also the recipient of the subject prize and a Governors’ Award for BTEC ICT.

Bartosz is pursuing a four-year apprenticeship in Digital and Technology Solutions, taking a degree at the University of Bedfordshire while working for a local company as a Service Support Rep.

A key emphasis in school is to give boys the tools to develop into mature, considerate and confident young men. The six boys shown in the next two pages have left school in July 2019 and now head off into the world. Working with staff and the school, they have become shining examples of the Isleworth & Syon boy - resilient, ambitious, hard-working, respectful and compassionate.

MILES CLARK (2011-2018)St. Paul’s CofE Primary School

Isleworth & Syon School

Hertford College, University of Oxford

Miles joined the school in Year 7 from St. Paul’s Church of England Primary School in Brentford. He was already showing signs of success, especially in his swimming, which remained a commitment and a passion throughout his time at school.

He always displayed a high degree of self-discipline in school and demonstrated excellent manners and conduct. His behaviour record was exemplary and he was certainly a good role model both for his peers and younger students alike.

After gaining a string of high grades at GCSE, it was in the Sixth Form where he really flourished academically. Miles always showed a talent for mathematics and science so it was no surprise that he studied mathematics, further mathematics and physics at A level, gaining 2 A*s and 1 A grade in his final examinations.

Impressively, he also maintained his focus on swimming and continued to compete regularly in national championships, enjoying some significant success.

In his final year at school he was awarded a number of prizes, including the Jack Chapman Cup, which is presented to the student displaying all-round attributes.

Miles took up a place at Oxford to study for a degree in engineering, where he is now in his second year.

GHEORGHE ROTARU (2013-2018)Educated in Moldova

Isleworth & Syon School

Christ’s College, University of Oxford

Gheorghe joined the school at the start of Year 9 when he arrived with his family from Moldova. Instantly the teaching staff realised that a young student of great promise had joined the school, even though his spoken and written English still required greater fluency.

It was clear that Gheorghe was a very hard worker and gaining 6 A*s, 5 As and 1 B grade at GCSE level was an impressive achievement after only two years in the UK. Greater success was to follow at A level, where Gheorghe gained 2 A*s and 1 A in chemistry, mathematics and biology respectively.

A talented musician, Gheorghe also maintained his piano studies, completing his Grade 8 exam whilst studying for his A levels. Gheorghe would frequently use the school’s grand piano for practice and it was common to be walking down the main corridor and hear Bach or Debussy being played in the late afternoon.

In his final year at school, he was awarded a number of prizes, including the prestigious Headmaster’s Cup, which is given to the year’s outstanding student.

Gheorghe headed to Oxford to study for a degree in biochemistry (molecular and cellular) and, of course, to continue his piano playing as well. He is now in his second year.

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F R O M B O Y T O M A N ( C O N T . ) . . .

THEO MITCHELL-SMITH (2012-2019)St Mary’s Catholic Primary School

Isleworth & Syon School

Bristol

Theo joined the school in Year 7 from St. Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Isleworth, where he had successfully undertaken his entire primary schooling.

Throughout his time at Isleworth & Syon, he always demonstrated an ability to perform at the highest level academically. Staff would often comment on his ability to write, perform calculations and debate and discuss issues and concepts. He was an excellent role model to those around him and to the younger students.

Following a string of high grades at GCSE, including three of the new grade 9s and six other A*/A grades, he continued to excel in the Sixth Form. Theo always demonstrated a capacity for the sciences and a deep desire to succeed, and he gained 3 A* grades in his A levels in biology, chemistry and mathematics.

In his final year at school he was awarded a number of prizes, including a subject prize for biology, an Academic Excellence Award, the Governors Prize for mathematics and the award of The Caldecott Lake Scholarship, a financial award for the outstanding student in engineering or science.

Theo now takes up a place at Bristol to study for veterinary science.

KYLE WILLIAMS (2012-2019)Marlborough Primary School

Isleworth & Syon School

Southampton Solent University

Kyle joined us from Marlborough Primary School in 2012 at normal transition from primary school.

Always a keen sportsman, Kyle was a consistent performer in school, and a regular in some very successful school football teams. He was, in many ways, a model student - always polite and courteous, and always endeavouring to do his best right across the school.

Following GCSEs, Kyle enrolled on the PE BTEC course at Level 3 and whilst on this course he truly flourished academically. His module results throughout his time in the Sixth Form were simply stunning and he completed his studies with a triple starred distinction, the highest possible outcome for the course.

For his outstanding performance in the Sixth Form, Kyle received a subject prize for PE, and an Academic Excellence Award at the Senior Awards Evening. He was also the recipient of the ‘Isleworthians (1947) Trophy – Sixth Form’ for his work in the community and in particular for coaching sport in a variety of arenas.

Kyle has taken up a place at university to study football studies.

FARHAD AHMED (2012-2019)Springwell Junior School

Isleworth & Syon School

The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)

Farhad spent four years at Springwell Junior School before transferring to Isleworth & Syon School at the start of Year 7.

Farhad’s journey through the school has certainly been a story of many successes. He gained a string of top GCSE grades, demonstrating in the process an ability to succeed across a wide range of subjects.

At A level he took four qualifications, quite rare with the new and more challenging examinations, but another reflection of his total commitment to push himself, to work independently and to always do his very best.

With high A level passes in economics, English literature, geography and history, Farhad had always set himself on a career in accountancy.

In his final year at school, he was awarded a number of prizes, including subject awards in English and history, an Academic Excellence Award, the Governors Prize for geography, and finally the overall winner of the ‘The Isleworthians (1947) Trophy’ for his commitment to the student leadership in the Sixth Form.

Farhad now takes up a place at LSE to pursue a degree in accountancy.

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F R O M B O Y T O M A N ( C O N T . ) . . .

QAISER KHAN (2013-2019)Elmgrove Primary School / Park High School (Harrow)

Isleworth & Syon School

King’s College London (KCL), University of London

Qaiser joined Isleworth & Syon School halfway through Year 7, following a family move into the area. He immediately made his mark here as it was clear that he was a keen and enthusiastic student. He settled quickly and made new friends and his time was been well spent at Isleworth & Syon School as he developed into an exemplary student.

Throughout his time with us, Qaiser has enjoyed a number of successes, including multiple prizes and awards over the years. His awards have been spread across many subject areas and he also gained a number of pastoral prizes. One of his strongest subjects at GCSE was music where he again gained multiple commendations.

Having attained ten top GCSE grades, Qaiser went on to study design technology, mathematics and physics at A level, gaining a further three high passes.

In his last year at school he was awarded a number of prizes, including subject prizes in design engineering and physics, as well as an Academic Excellence Award.

Qaiser now takes up a place at KCL to read physics with astrophysics & cosmology.

MATTHEW GREBOT (2011-2018)Chatsworth Primary School

Isleworth & Syon School

University of Lincoln

Matthew joined the school from Chatsworth Primary School and was an excellent student throughout his time at Isleworth & Syon. Always a thoroughly pleasant young man, Matthew was a model Isleworthian.

He worked exceedingly hard throughout his time with us, and following his GCSEs, he decided to join our Sixth Form and pursue a Level 3 vocational course in sport. This pathway has always produced outstanding outcomes for students and Matthew has added to the legacy of high performance. He excelled on the course and completed his studies with a triple Distinction*, equivalent to three A* grades.

Matthew has also made a tremendous contribution on the school’s Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, completing his Bronze and Silver awards at school. He is nearing the end of the Gold award following the successful completion of the Gold Level expedition, again undertaken through the school’s scheme. At the Senior Awards Evening, he was presented with the Spirit of Duke of Edinburgh’s Award – presented to the student that has shown the greatest dedication to the scheme over the year. We look forward to hearing the news of the completion of the award and of a trip to one of the royal palaces for the award ceremony.

The Tranter Cup for Endeavour was also awarded to Matthew in his final year, recognising his resilience and great determination following a family bereavement. Matthew went to study a course in sports business management at the University of Lincoln; he is now in his second year/

MANAHAR KUMAR (2013-2018)St Augustine’s High School

Isleworth & Syon School

University of Reading

Manahar joined the school, along with his twin brother Mohan, halfway through Year 8 when the family moved into the area. Manahar adapted quickly to the new environment and immediately made his mark at school. Manahar was always an energetic and reliable presence in the school community.

A positive and proactive student, he gained 11 A*/A grades at GCSE and followed this with three A grades at A level in biology, chemistry and mathematics. He also undertook an Extended Project whilst in the Sixth Form, again gaining an A grade in the process.

In his final year, Manahar became Deputy Head Boy after impressing staff with his conscientious attitude to life in the Sixth Form. He was awarded an Academic Excellence award, a Governors’ Award for Science and the Pastoral Award, conferred by the Head of Sixth Form for his all-round contribution to the Sixth Form team.

He progressed to the University of Reading where he is currently in his second year reading law.

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