Dear Parents and Carers,

At Richard Challoner, we are committed to ensuring our students are not only academically successful but also well-prepared for the world beyond the classroom. With that in mind, I am delighted to announce the launch of our new 3-day Work Experience programme, scheduled to take place at the very start of Year 11.

Why Work Experience Matters

In line with the latest Department for Education (DfE) guidelines and the Gatsby Benchmarks for world-class careers guidance, we have evolved our curriculum to prioritize "meaningful employer encounters."

By adding this placement to the start of Year 11, we aim to:

• Fuel Motivation: Provide a clear "real-world" context for their GCSE studies.

• Inform Post-16 Choices: Help students decide between A-Levels, T-Levels, or Apprenticeships before college application deadlines.

• Build Professionalism: Develop essential soft skills—communication, punctuality, and problem-solving—that cannot be taught solely in a classroom.

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Key Details & Logistics

The placement will take place during the first week of the autumn term. This timing allows students to return to school with a refreshed focus as they begin their final GCSE push.

Duration: 3 Consecutive Days

Timing: September 2-4th 2026

Student Responsibility: Students are encouraged to self-source placements to build networking skills.

Support: The school will provide health and safety vetting and digital logbooks.

How This Fits Our Programme

This 3-day intensive window is a cornerstone of our broader careers strategy. It bridges the gap between the career exploration done in Year 10 and the formal 1-to-1 careers interviews scheduled for the winter term of Year 11. By observing a professional environment first-hand, students can bring concrete questions and goals to their guidance sessions. This also builds on Sons to Work day from year 8 and for those students who continue into the 6th form, a one-week placement in the workplace.

Next Steps for Parents

We understand that securing a placement can feel daunting. We will be holding a Student Launch Assembly after Easter, followed by a digital pack sent to you containing:

1. Placement Approval Forms

2. Tips for contacting employers

We ask for your support in discussing potential industries of interest with your child over the coming weeks. Early Birds often catch the best placements, especially in competitive fields like Law, Medicine, or Engineering. Students are able to go to workplaces with family and extended links so please do reach out to all you know. Some organisations may require students to be supervised at all times due to them being under 16.

All placements will need to be checked before the summer holidays so the deadline for finding placements will be Monday 1st June 2026.

Thank you for your continued partnership in helping our students become ready for the professional world.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs Stansbridge

Careers Lead

Dear Parent/Guardian,


At Richard Challoner we are blessed with excellent sports facilities. We hope your son is looking forward to utilising all of them during the rest of this year.

During each year group pupils are offered a range of sports activities including – Rugby Union, Football, Basketball, Cricket, Volleyball, Table-Tennis, Athletics, Fitness Training, Cross-Country and Gymnastics.

We do ask for a £30.00 contribution to support the running of the comprehensive sports programme and extra-curricular activities offered throughout the academic year. Please could this payment should be made via MCAS as soon as possible.

If you are eligible for free school meals and would like to request assistance with the cost, please click the link below and a member of the finance staff will confirm the support available to you.

https://forms.gle/FgxEekRfFUcLqpsc8

            

We participate in many different sports and achieve high levels of success performing in Rugby, Football, Basketball, Cross Country and Table Tennis competitions already this year.

This success is down to the dedication and commitment of the boys, their parents and school staff who give up their time and this is highlighted by the hundreds of sports fixtures and clubs pupils have attended during this past academic year.

A previous Ofsted Report (Going the Extra Mile) highlighted the positive impact that extracurricular sport has not only on the development of young people but how it can aid academic achievement. It is my intention that Richard Challoner School continues to provide a diverse and engaging extracurricular programme in 2025/26 and beyond.

We aim to offer both recreational and competitive sport to all pupils. Fixtures generally take place after school and on Saturday Mornings and have continued through the current difficulties. As outlined in the school prospectus ‘pupils are expected to represent the school when selected’.

After Saturday morning fixtures refreshments are available after all home matches in the school pavillion. We encourage all parents to come along and support.

Pupils will require full kit for all Games/PE lessons, this includes –

Outdoor Lessons
Long sleeved Hooped Games Shirt
Black Shorts
Hooped Black and Green Socks
Studded Boots
Gum Shield for Rugby
Shin Pads for Football

Indoor Lessons
Black Crested Tee Shirt
Black Shorts
White Socks
Clean trainers (non- marking sole)

Please could you also ensure all equipment is clearly labelled.
Kit can be purchased through Village Sports in Raynes Park

The Friends of Challoner also have a selection of pre-loved kit which is often available at school functions.

We also run a kit exchange within the PE department in which students can swap boots for boots of another size, if you have any spare boots please do drop them into school so that they can be used by another student, this has proven particularly helpful over the years.

If your son is unable to participate in any PE or Games lessons please could you provide a note, addressed to his teacher, explaining the reason. Your son will still take part in some of the lessons; maybe as an official or coach and should bring a tracksuit and suitable footwear in order to do so.

If you have any queries in relation to this letter please feel free to contact me via the school office and thank you for your continued support for school sport.

Yours Faithfully,

Mr. P Manley
Director of Sport
Richard Challoner School

Dear Parents/Carers

I hope your son is enjoying the start of his GCSE courses. This morning I have spoken to all the Year 10 students regarding the Minimum Expected Grades (MEGs) that have been published alongside their current AtL Judgements.

Since 2017 GCSE subjects have been graded 1-9, with 9 signifying the highest level of achievement. A ‘U’ grade is still possible which signifies the students work as ungraded (below a grade 1).

The number scale is not directly equivalent to the old letter one. But if you are still used to thinking about the old A* to G grading scale, the old and current grading scales are comparable at the following points:

• the bottom of a grade 7 is comparable to the bottom of the old grade A

• the bottom of grade 4 is comparable to the bottom of the old grade C

• the bottom of grade 1 is comparable to the bottom of the old grade G

The MEG grades are based on a national database using prior attainment to predict likely outcomes. It is certainly not a ceiling and many students will exceed their MEGs. Please do discuss the MEGs with your son with a particular focus on the word ‘minimum’.

It is worth noting that the statistical model used does not take into account specific pupil’s talents but is based on prior academic attainment. For example, if a child had an aptitude for music and had undertaken piano lessons weekly for the past five years their MEG for GCSE music may appear lower than expected.

Last academic year our year 11 students, on average in all subjects sat, achieved at least 1 grade higher than their MEG (some students significantly exceeded their MEG in some subjects where as other may have failed to meet their MEG).

At this stage in their GCSE courses all pupils should focus on their attitude to learning; if their effort is appropriate, they should make substantial progress.

If you require any further information, please do make contact via the school office.

Yours sincerely

Mr M Cox

Assistant Headteacher

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I am writing to you to follow up on an important assembly about Artificial Intelligence (AI) that was delivered to year 10, connected to their PSE sessions on Study Skills.

As technologies like Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT and Gemini become more prevalent , our goal is to ensure students understand how to use these tools

effectively, responsibly, and ethically in their education.

Here is a brief summary of the key messages from the assembly, designed to guide your son's use of AI:

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Effective Student Use of AI (The 'Do's'):

• Study Planning: Ask AI to help create a personalised study schedule.

• Instant Support: Request explanations to help understand difficult concepts for homework.

• Practice and Review: Generate quizzes or practice questions to test knowledge.

• Essay Assistance: Use AI to brainstorm ideas, create an outline, or get feedback on a draft you have written.

• Prompt Engineering: If you are going to ask AI for help, be specific by telling the AI exactly what you want it to do, including the exam board and specification you are studying for.

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Poor Student Use of AI (The 'Don'ts'):

• Doing the Work For You: Do not use AI to complete entire assignments, as copying out answers involves no thinking and prevents the development of necessary skills. Remember, learning happens when we have to think hard.

• Plagiarism: Do not submit AI-generated content and pretend the work is your own. This is considered cheating.

• Ignoring Concerns: Be aware that AI can be affected by bias, can confidently generate incorrect information (known as a "hallucination"), and raises privacy issues.

• Using AI unnecessarily: Every use of AI has an environmental impact. Use it only when you are looking to get something specific that you can’t get elsewhere.

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JCQ (the Joint Council for Qualifications) Message on AI Misuse in Assessments:

• Malpractice Warning: If a student misuses AI by submitting AI-generated work as their own, they run the risk of losing marks for that assessment or even being disqualified from the subject completely.

• Assessment Rules: Students are not allowed to use AI tools in an exam. For Non-Examined Assessments (NEA/ controlled assessment/ coursework), teachers will state the specific rules, but marks cannot be given for content just produced by AI.

• Reference and Declaration: If AI tools are permitted for a task, students must reference them clearly (including the tool, date, and how it was used) and ensure they have added all references before signing the declaration that the work is their own. Class teachers will provide guidance on this at an appropriate time.

We believe that by setting clear expectations, we can help our students harness the benefits of AI while upholding the highest standards of academic integrity. We encourage you to discuss these important points with your son.

Thank you for your continued support in reinforcing these vital messages at home.

Yours sincerely,

Matt Webber | Deputy Headteacher 

Dear Parents/Carers of Year 10,

Richard Challoner School is committed to ensuring students have the best resources available to plan ahead for their future and as part of that students are provided with impartial Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance.

This can be in lessons, through school events, the careers library and also through the Careers Lead and CEIAG Advisor, Mrs Stansbridge.

Throughout the year Mrs Stansbridge will focus on seeing students either in small groups or individually beginning with students in year 11 to help them think about important choices for post 16 education. Students in years 7-13 will also be offered opportunities as the year progresses and at key points in their decision making.

For year 10,

• Careers appointments will begin in the summer term and are made with students through their student email. Please join us in encouraging students to check their emails and to think ahead about any questions they may have, or areas to explore. Students may be seen in pairs or small groups or as requested through pastoral staff.

• If, as a parent, you have questions or would like to speak to me please make contact through the email address below.

• Year 10 will also complete their careers unit in tutorial at the same time and this will focus on getting ready for making choices in year 11 about their next steps. They will reflect on their first year of GCSE’s and think ahead to end of year papers and revision.

• virtual work experience which will take place during February where we encourage students to sign up via springpod to engage in a placement activity.

• National Apprenticeship Week in February and National Careers Week in March are celebrated in school with activities taking place during tutorial time and materials are placed on the website in advance.

Introducing the concept of careers and future planning at an early stage does allow students to explore their strengths and help to make informed choices. Each year group will also have time in their pastoral programme to explore these themes in more detail. Students are also welcome to drop into the careers office.

There will also be support for school activities and arranging for professionals from varying careers backgrounds to come in and work with students to inspire and bring the working world further into education.

This year we are continuing to use our careers platform called Xello. More information is available on the careers pages linked above and we hope to roll out a parent side later in the academic year to allow you to see your sons progress and career ideas. Students have access to this platform via their ipads and can use independently and during guided time in careers units

Please also visit the careers pages on the school website https://www.richardchalloner.com/careers where there will regularly be information regarding events or opportunities as well as some useful information for parents around career planning. I will write to you again with an update once I have completed the appointments.

I am also excited to introduce a weekly newsletter in association with The Careers People, which will be published on the careers pages of the school website and circulated to students which will give information on national and local events as well as spotlights on varying careers.

If you are able to support in these activities through giving a talk, representing your company or industry or sharing stories with students please complete the following short google form- https://forms.gle/5NQCtPLRzyEhPUiu5

Please take this opportunity to talk at home about future plans and if you have any queries, questions or would like to support these activities in anyway please contact the school or email careersiag@challoner.kingston.sch.uk

Yours sincerely

Mrs LJ Stansbridge

CEIAG Lead (Careers Education and Information Advice and Guidance)