RTS Parents' Newsletter 14 July 2023

Head Teacher's Message

Academic Year 2022-2023 is finished!

Thank you for all of your support over this last year. I know that I speak on behalf of every single member of staff - from Teaching, to Facilities, to Support Staff when I say that we could not do this job without you, our community, behind us. Your interaction with phone calls, emails, parents' evenings, parent forums, trips and visits, and information evenings (to name a few) are so important in helping us to provide education and support to your children. We are passionate about what we do and continually strive, like our motto, for 'exellence through endeavour'. Thank you.

I will send out a pre-return to school communication in the last week of August, so please do keep an eye on your inboxes as it will contain important information.

Wishing you all a wonderful summer holiday - whatever you are doing and wherever you will be. I hope that it is a time for reconnecting with family and friends and recharging batteries before we launch into our 7th year - Academic Year 2023-2024!

Ms K Dooley 

Dates for the diary

Contacting the School

If you wish to contact the school, the School Office is open (term time only):

Telephone: 020 8891 2985

Email: info@rts.richmond.sch.uk 

Please use the Parents Communications Summary for guidance on types of query and where advice may be found/who to direct your query to.

You can find us at: @RTS_Twickenham for both Instagram and Twitter for fun updates and photos.

RTS Art Gallery

The Year 8s finished their ceramic tiles from the term, these have been an ongoing project going through various stages.

Meanwhile, Year 9 made collagraphs this term out of found objects and dried spaghetti. These were then printed - however the actual collagraph became an artwork in itself! 

Year 10 Arts & Languages Trip to Paris

During the last week of term (Sunday through to Wednesday) a very excited group of Year 10 Arts & Languages students, accompanied by equally excited staff, head off to Paris for our first ever residential to France. 

The group had a wonderful time visiting the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, climbing up the Eiffel Tower, sightseeing on a river cruise on the Sienne, spending time in the Notre Dame Cathedral, going to a theatre workshop and also going to the theatre; alongside all of the fabulous general sightseeing that there is in Paris. It was an incredible ititenary put together by staff - and a lot of walking!

The RTS Way

An update on the incredible Caitlyn from Year 7 - she has just won her first international medal for Great Britain, at the Scalabis Cup this month!

She brought home a silver medal for tumbling, after earning second place in the final. Caitlyn was one of seven GB tumbling gymnasts to compete in the 13-14 category, against world class gymnasts. Six of the GB gymnasts made it to the top eight for the first final and only two, including Caitlyn, made it to the second final made up of the top four scores.

She pulled out an impressive performance to land a full-in pike and scored 21.2 for her final run.

Well done Caitlyn - what an amazing achievement and impressive routine.

Video.mov

Arbor Update

We've been informed by Arbor that the Arbor App now supports biometric login! 

They have taken onboard your feedback and from now, logging into the Arbor App will be a lot easier for parents and carers.

Updates include:

Attendance/Absence Reminder

A reminder that holidays are not permitted to be taken during term time at any time. Term dates are published two years in advance and are available on the website here. We also request that medical/dental/optician appointments are arranged either first thing in the morning, or towards the end of the school day. If appointments during the school day are unavoidable, students must either attend school before the appointment, even for an an hour, and must return to school after the appointment. 

Encouraging regular school attendance is one of the most powerful ways you can support your child. When you make school attendance a priority, you help your child achieve better grades, develop healthy life habits, feel more connected to their community and develop important social skills and friendships. At RTS we encourage you to send in your child, even if they are not feeling 100%, as we will support and monitor them throughout the day. Should they continue to feel unwell we are able to contact you to collect them from school. 

At RTS we expect our students to maintain an excellent attendance record and will begin intervention if a student’s attendance drops below 97%.

90% attendance is the Government threshold for a student to be classed as a persistent absentee and at that point they will be referred to the Educational Welfare Service. 

Holidays during term time are not authorised and have a detrimental effect on learning. Any savings you make by taking a holiday in school time are offset by the cost to your child’s education. A student who has an attendance record of 90% misses the equivalent of half a school day each week, 4 weeks every year, half a school year over 5 years. 

Summer Support Careers advice helpline

This summer AfC are again running their Summer Support Helpline for those students who may not have achieved the qualifications they were hoping for at their GSCEs that they will need to progress to their next stage of education or apprenticeships/employment.

The Helpline will be manned by their qualified 14-25 Careers Advisers, Gill Higgins and Mumen Tapadar (aka Tap), who will offer information and advice to young people on and after results days - on the phone or in person if required.

Summer Support Helpline flyer 2023 (1).docx.pdf

How to Keep Safe on the Streets

Our Police Liaison Officer, PC Farry, has asked that we share the following guidance that has been issued to residents in Barnes following a spate of street muggings. This advice applies to us all in keeping us, our children, and their friends safe.

TEN TOP TIPS 

Richmond Safe Space

Richmond Council and its partners are reminding residents that the newly opened 'Safe Space' is on hand to support anyone who might be feeling vulnerable while out and about in Richmond Town Centre between 9pm and 1am on Friday and Saturday nights.

The Safe Space is for anyone who might need help or advice. The police are present at the gazebo to intervene if required. Visitors to the Safe Space will also be able to find information on White Ribbon, domestic abuse services and the Railway Guardian app.

The initiative is a joint venture between Richmond Council's Community Safety service, Richmond Safer Neighbourhood Teams, British Transport Police, South Western Railway Rail Community Officers and Street Pastors.

FORTS Information

Pre-loved uniform

We will be at RTS school selling pre-loved uniform on Wednesday 23 August 10am-12pm if you would like to purchase anything before school recommences.

We are alsolooking for donations of good condition uniform to sell onto our current and new parents. If you have any uniform you can donate, please send it in with your child to hand into Reception.

Thank you to all our volunteers

This academic year has flown by and I’m sure you are all looking forward to some relaxing time with your family and friends over the summer break.

Throughout the year we have raised money by selling pre-loved uniform, school car park marshalling, the community quiz and curry night along with selling refreshments at the two school productions. 

We are still to add up all the amounts but believe we have once again met our fundraising target of £15,000 for the year - which is a huge sum.

All the above is only achieved with the help of our teams of volunteers. If you are interested in helping out at any events, please contact me on fortssecretary@rts.richmond.sch.uk

AGM

Just advance notice that we will be planning an AGM in late September / early October - look out for the date to be sent in early September.  At that meeting we will provide a more thorough update of the last academic year from a FoRTS perspective.  We will also vote in the Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and committee member positions and so please come along to hear more and get involved. 

We wish you all a fabulous summer!

Your FoRTS team,

Carmelle (Chair and Secretary) and Mark (Treasurer)

General: forts@rts.richmond.sch.uk Parking: fortsparking@rts.richmond.sch.uk

Uniform: fortsuniform@rts.richmond.sch.uk Voluntary donations: Peoples Fundraising

Safeguarding

If you have concerns in relation to a student at RTS or indeed with regards to your own child, you may want to contact Single Point of Access (SPA) which acts as a central information hub for all professional agencies in Kingston and Richmond.

Richmond and Kingston SPA

The SPA phone lines are now open as follows: 

Hounslow Early Help Assessment

NSPCC:

Speak to a counsellor 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Local News - Please note RTS does not endorse items included as Local News

School Uniform Suppliers - Summer Appointments 

SchoolDays - Whitton High St

From 1st June, SchoolDays will again be operating an appointment system during the summer months.

Book your slot early to avoid disappointment at : https://schooldaysllp.co.uk/index.php/booking-form/ 

Stevensons

Stevensons have released this year's appointment booking information. 

01_164_RICHMOND UPON THAMES_TWICK(22).pdf

They are also looking for young people to work in their Twickenham branch over the summer months. 

01_164_03_Summer_Temps_V2.pdf

FUEL: Holiday Activity and Food programme - Summer 2023 - bookings open!

Bookings have opened for the Summer 2023 FUEL Holiday Activity and Food programme!

FUEL provides free activities and food for children whose parents are eligible for benefits- related Free School Meals during the Easter, Summer and Winter school holidays. 

If your child is eligible, you should have been given a 17 digit FUEL code either from your child’s school or us. If you think your child may be eligible but you haven’t got a code, email the FUEL team at: fuel@achievingforchildren.org.uk. 

If you have your code, you can book on to sessions now: https://kr.afcinfo.org.uk/pages/community-information/information-and-advice/fuel-holiday-activities-and-food-programme 

Marble Hill Playcentres

The Adventure Playground and One O'Clock Club will be open during the Summer Holidays for all.

They will also be running their FUEL sessions again this Summer at the Adventure Playground for children aged 5-15 years. If your child is in receipt of benefits related free school meals, please book on via www.brilliantplay.co.uk.

£1 Entrance to Kew Gardens

A new low-cost entry is being introduced for a visit to Kew Gardens for people in receipt of Universal Credit.

The offer is part of a suite of new pricing aimed to make both gardens more accessible to people of all ages and all incomes to enjoy a great day out in nature. The new ticket will allow anyone who is in receipt of Universal credit to pre book online at www.kew.org or to walk up and pay their £1 on the gate.

13959 Universal credit DL V3.pdf

The Lighthouse Project

We are delighted to be able to let you know that The Lighthouse Project, our youth club provision for young people with additional needs, has an extended offer over the summer holidays where we will be running our session for 4 hours rather than just 2!! Every Thursday 4:30-8:30pm we will be providing a safe, quiet, supportive environment for young people to socialise during summer and lead them onto other opportunities to access guidance and positive activities.

Throughout the summer we will be offering various different activities along with food and lots of fun!!!! 

Please see the flyer attached and if you would like to ask any questions feel free! Booking is done via our eventbrite link in the flyer and parents are asked to contact us to discuss the young person and their needs before attendance so we can ensure it is the right session for all! 

Lighthouse Project.pdf

ADHD Embrace

ADHD Embrace will be piloting a course in September for teenagers in year 11 or year 13. It will be run by Susana Gonzales. Susana is a specialist teacher and coach who draws from her professional and personal experience as a parent and teacher of neurodivergent young people, she understands the challenges faced by these children in educational settings and beyond. Over the last two years, she ran "Brain School" to empower neurodivergent students through self-understanding and self-care. Susana has championed neurodiversity as a focus area within her department, implementing inclusive teaching practices such as online resource sharing, exam review sheets, and video-exam walk-throughs.

Brain School

The aim of Brain School is to support senior school age children with ADHD with their learning. The course aims to support young people to improve their Executive Function skills by providing them with education on their neurodivergent brains, helping them to build their own learning profile and preferences and to provide them with tools to support their learning styles and improve study skills

Brain School seeks to deliver on four key elements: 

1.  Psycho education
2.  Academic learning
3.  Development of executive function skills
4.  Mental wellbeing and development of self esteem 

Who is the course for?

The course is specifically targeted towards young people in their GCSE or A-level journey. We will be running two sessions on Saturday mornings split by year group.

Group 1 - GCSE level
Group 2 - A-level

 When will the course be held?

The course will be held over six sessions from Saturday 16th September through to Saturday 21st October.

Session 1 - Saturday 16th September
Parent and Young Person Introductory session
This session will be held from 11am to 12.30am.  The purpose is to give an overview of: 

·        Necessary form filling related to the pupil

·        Consent forms/ Safe guarding etc.

 

Sessions 2 - 6 - Saturday 23 September to Saturday 21st October.
Young person sessions

Group 1 - GCSE level - 11.00am - 12.15pm
Group 2 - A level - 12.30pm - 13.45pm

 Cost £175 for the 6 sessions.

Location – Kingston Upon Thames

 Booking information below.

Brain School - A Young Person's Course - ADHD Embrace

 If you have any questions please contact us on info@adhdembrace.org

Twickenham Cygnets (Girls') Football

The club is very supportive of girls of all abilities developing their love of the game and is looking for new players in the U13 age group (year 8 students in the academic year 23/24).

Recruitment Poster Twickenham Cygnets.pdf
Richmond School Boys Poster 2023.pdf
Richmond School Girls Sept 2023.pdf

Dramacube  Holiday Activities

Calling all young performers, aspiring film-makers and creative writers....we have a spectacular summer lined up for you!

Dramacube's team of Artistic Directors, Choreographers, Drama Teachers and Film Crews will be a running a series of movie and musical theatre inspired events & workshops across the summer.

Fill your child's summer school holidays with our popular 2 or 3 day Musical Theatre and Movie-Makers Workshops.

Sing, perform and get creative in our full day workshops in Esher, Walton or Hampton Hill.

BOOK NOW

****************************

Watch and enjoy the Alice in Wonderland films our budding movie-makers created as part of Love Walton's Film Festival.

WATCH THE FILMS

***************************

Like to step behind - or in front - of the camera?

Come join our Movie Makers Summer Workshops!

BOOK A WORKSHOP

*****************************

We look forward to seeing you this Summer!

The Dramacube Team

Summer Flyer 2023 - Richmond - Print.pdf

School Holiday Solutions for Parents of Older Children

We know parents are often looking for activities for their older children to take part in to break up the long school holidays and our BX+ programme provides a great solution for 12-14 year olds.

The BX+ course gives young people the chance to gain key skills and insight into what it's like to work as a member of staff at a summer camp. This is a great way to engage the older kids at camp as they reach the next developmental stage. They'll get to do all the fun activities on offer whilst also gaining key life skills and work experience. They’ll also receive a booklet about their time with us and a certificate, both of which are a superb addition to their record of achievement.

We’re pleased to be able to offer parents an exclusive discount code:

Parents will receive £20 off a booking at their local camp with the code SCHOOL20.

Full details can be found here https://www.barracudas.co.uk/activities/bxplus-13-14-years/

And that's not all - we also accept ALL Childcare Vouchers and Tax-Free childcare. 

MET in the park

Monday 21 August 2023, Old Deer Park, Richmond, 12:00-18:00

Come along to meet:

PosterA407 (1).pdf

Access All Areas: Transition and Local Offer fair

Achieving for Children and TAG Youth Club are organising a transitions event on 10 October aimed at young people aged 14 - 25. 

There will be school groups attending and families, parents, carers and young people are invited.

This is an event for young people and their families to come together with professionals and service providers to help piece together futures.

If you are, or you care for, a young person aged up to 25, come and find out more about what’s available locally.

The event has a focus on transitions into adulthood.

Support and services attending include:

AAA 2023 flyer - FAMILIES - FINAL 05_23 (2).pdf

You will have opportunities to speak to the stall holders about their offers and take part in hands-on activities.

For more information about the event, please contact:

14-25@achievingforchildren.org.uk

For more information about TAG Youth Club, please contact:

giles@tagyouthclub.org 

Parent_and_Carers_Infographic.pdf

Term Dates 2022-2023

Full term dates and Inset day information is  available on the website:

Parents' Calendar