Good morning Parents/Carers,

I hope you are enjoying the weather and your son is looking forward to the half term break.

The Year 10 pupils received their mock exam results this morning as mentioned in a previous communication. Please could you have a look at your son's results on Bromcom and discuss their successes and what they could do to improve in other areas.

The published grades are based on internal exams and should give an indication of current levels of attainment. Teachers may already have or will be providing in class feedback to hopefully support pupils regarding exam technique.

If you have any questions or concerns please make contact via the school office.

Yours faithfully

Mr M Cox

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you and your family are looking forward to the upcoming half-term break, and that your son is ready for a well-deserved opportunity to recharge before the final weeks of Year 10.

Recently, we held an assembly with the year group to discuss personal hygiene, which is particularly timely as we move into the warmer summer months. As part of this session, we covered shaving and shared an informational video offering advice on good skincare routines.

While many of our Year 10 students have already started shaving, others who may need to haven't quite started yet. During the assembly, I highlighted a school rule that now applies to them as senior students: the expectation to be clean-shaven. This is a routine your son will need to maintain moving forward. If applicable, please use the half-term break to have a gentle conversation with your son about managing his facial hair.

Additionally, with our Year 11 students currently undertaking exams, I reminded the year group that there are times where they are now the oldest students on site. With this status comes a greater responsibility to set an excellent example around the school.

Although the Year 10 mock exams concluded a few weeks ago—with results being released tomorrow—we have stressed to the students just how vital the next six weeks are. They are still covering crucial GCSE content and approaching the midway point of their courses, so it is vital that they maintain their hard work and focus. I would be incredibly grateful if you could reinforce this message at home.

Finally, I have reminded students about securing their work experience placements, which will run from Tuesday 1st September to Thursday 3rd September (please note that Friday 4th September will be a normal school day, and further information regarding this will follow next half-term). When I spoke to form groups, a number of students had not yet begun making inquiries, sending initial emails, or reaching out to employers. I would ask that you please discuss this with your son over the half-term break and help him get organized with his placement. The deadline for having placements is Friday 3rd July.

Thank you for your continued support, and I wish you a restful half-term.

Kind regards

Mr Stansbridge

Year 10 Leader

Dear Parent/Carer,

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Year 11 Work Experience programme, which will take place as your son moves from Year 10 into Year 11. This is a pivotal moment in your child’s journey at Richard Challoner, offering a unique opportunity to bridge the gap between the classroom and the professional world.

The placement will take place over three full working days: Tuesday 1st September to Thursday 3rd September 2026.

The Value of the Experience

In line with our school motto, "Doing ordinary things extraordinarily well," we expect our students to use this time to build their "professional skills." Whether they are interested in medicine, trade, or the arts, these three days are designed to develop communication, punctuality, and a realistic understanding of the modern labour market.

Finding a Placement: Student Responsibility

We encourage students to take the lead in finding their own placements. This process itself is a valuable lesson in research and professional outreach. While we provide support through the Careers Office, the most successful placements are often those where the student has personally contacted an employer of interest. There is a showbie group set up to support students with this.

Mandatory Insurance Requirements

For a placement to be legally approved by the school, the employer must hold valid Employer’s Liability Insurance (ELI).

• Public Liability Insurance alone is not sufficient. * Without ELI, your child is not legally covered for injury or accident on-site, and the school cannot authorize the placement.

• Please ensure your child asks this question at the very start of their inquiry to avoid disappointment later.

Key Deadlines and Documentation

To ensure all health, safety, and safeguarding checks are completed before the summer break, we require all paperwork to be returned by Friday 3rd July 2026.

Included with this letter is the links to the consent forms and a guide to what is in the Work Experience Handbook on showbie, which contains:

1. The Student Guide: Advice on how to approach employers.

2. The Employer Consent Form and placement confirmation: To be completed and signed by the workplace supervisor. Click Here

3. The Parent/Carer Agreement: Including travel and medical consent. Click Here

4. Medical form: Click Here

We thank you for your support in helping our students take this significant step toward their future careers.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs. Stansbridge

Careers Lead,

Richard Challoner School

Dear Parent/Carer,

I am writing to inform you about an exciting event that students will be participating in during their Games lessons. As part of our commitment to promoting physical activity and well-being, we will be taking part in the London Mini Marathon—a city-wide event where students will run, jog, or walk a 4km course. Our goal is to encourage an active lifestyle and highlight the positive mental and physical benefits of exercise.

The event will take place on the following dates:
Year 7 – 12/05/2025
Year 8 – 11/05/2025
Year 9 – 14/05/2024
Year 10 – 14/05/2024

We hope all students will take part and make the most of this fantastic opportunity.

Additionally, we are using this event as a fundraiser to support both our Sports Department and an important charity; Testicular Cancer UK, which focuses on combating and supporting men with testicular cancer.
To support this, we are asking each student to contribute by fundraising , which can be paid via your MCAS account.

 The student who raises the most money in each year group will win a prize whilst the overall top fundraiser will win a special prize, and all funds collected will be split between improving our sports facilities and supporting our chosen charity. Recent investments in our Sports Department include new aerobic machines for the school gym, sub coats, kits for our sporting teams and a new minibus, which benefits not only sports but many aspects of school life.

We hope this event will inspire students to stay active beyond school and also raise awareness of the importance of mental health and well-being. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at school.

Thank you for your support.

Best regards,
Mr. Manley
Director of Sport

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we approach the upcoming exams next week, please find some useful information that has been shared with your son in assembly.

Daily Routine and Arrival

• Students should arrive by 8:30 AM at the latest. This is to ensure students are prepared, calm and ready for any prompt starts to examinations.

• Sign in at the Crush Hall, students will meet in the canteen with their tutor groups.

• Study Time: Between exams, independent study will take place in timetabled classrooms to maintain a quiet, productive atmosphere.

• Timings: Please check individual timetables carefully, as some exams may finish slightly after the standard school day.

Organisation and Equipment

Developing organisational skills is a key part of exam success. We encourage students to check their equipment each evening to ensure they are ready for the following day.

• Please note that the school is unable to lend out equipment.

• If a student does realise on the day that they have forgotten an item, the Finance Office may have items available for purchase (subject to availability).

• Stationery must be in a clear pencil case or bag. Water bottles (500ml) are encouraged but must have labels removed.

To protect the integrity of the exams, we must strictly follow national regulations.

• Prohibited Items: Mobile phones, watches, and calculator cases must not be taken into exams. We also ask that students ensure they have no writing on their hands (or doodling)

• Conduct: The exam starts the moment students enter the room. To maintain a focused environment for everyone, there should be no communication (including non-verbal cues like smirking, glancing around leaning back stretching etc).

• Consequences: Please be aware that any breach of regulations will result in a mark of 0 for that paper and a Saturday Detention. We share this clearly now to help students avoid any preventable issues.

As you may have noted, Friday 24th in the afternoon students have the privilege to manage their own revision time effectively at home. Please note that students who are not meeting these standards will not be permitted to go home and will be required to remain in school for supervised study until 3:20 PM.

Lastly I have uploaded the points raised in assembly to Showbie, so your son is clear on expectations.

Thank you for your continued support in helping your son manage this important period successfully.

Kind regards

Mr Stansbridge

Year 10 Leader

Dear Parent/Carer,

I am writing to share the upcoming schedule for the Year 10 mock examinations, which will take place from Monday 20th April to Tuesday 28th April.

Your son will be in school every day, either for examinations or to study in lessons. The only exception is Friday afternoon where there is home study after registration.

While your son already has a digital copy of the timetable on Showbie, I have also attached a copy here for your convenience.

In school, we have been working with the students to help them build effective revision timetables and have shared a variety of proven study techniques. Your son has further guidance and resources on Showbie to help support his learning at home.

To help the days run smoothly, please ensure your son has all the necessary stationery (pens, pencils, rulers, calculators, etc.) ready before we return. Please note we are unable to lend out equipment during the exams.

We hope you and your family have a restful and productive Easter break.

Click Here 

Yours sincerely,

Mr. Stansbridge

Year 10 Leader 

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.

________________________________________

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:

________________________________________

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.

________________________________________

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.

________________________________________

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)