RTS Parents' Newsletter

I hope that you all enjoyed a restful half term and were able to either head off for a holiday or spend time with family and friends closer to home. This last half term is going to absolutely fly by and we have so much to pack in that I'm not quite sure how we are going to manage it!

This week we have seen our Year 10 students sit their spoken language recordings for their GCSE English; Years 7, 8 and 9 have taken their annual Reading assessments and Years 7 & 8 have started their topic checks.

We also held the first of our Year 5 Open Mornings looking ahead to September 2027. We will be holding two more on Tuesday 10 and 17 June. If you know any prospective families in Year 5, please do share the ticket booking link with them: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/the-richmond-upon-thames-school and share your experience of RTS.

Finally, this week has been Volunteers' Week and I wanted to share my heartfelt thanks on behalf of the staff to all the trustees, FoRTS; and our parent trip volunteers for all that they have done, and continue to do for the school. The support of these incredible people - who give up their free time to work tirelessly behind the scenes in a multitude of ways is much appreciated. They are an integral part of school life and for that we thank them.

Have a lovely weekend.

~Ms K Dooley | Head Teacher

RTS is delighted to share the impact that The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) students have made locally through the Volunteering section of their DofE. Our students have proudly supported their local community and learnt new skills for their future.

In May, the DofE announced that a record-breaking 342,000 young people had started a DofE programme in 2024-25 – the highest since the charity was founded almost 70 years ago. During the same period, participants have contributed an astonishing 5.2 million hours of volunteering in communities all over the UK – with an estimated total value of £33.4 million.

What perfect timing to receive this certificate during Volunteers' Week.

Thank you to all RTS students who have volunteered - whether as part of the DofE or in another capacity - and upheld one of the pillars of our RTS Values: 'I am a positive member of my community'.

We know that this is a hot topic among many parents and schools (both primary and secondary); and many of you may have come across the movement: Smart Phone Free Childhood. Although we have always had, and regularly update, the RTS Mobile Phone Policy, we are launching a parent voice survey to find out your thoughts going forwards.

Please do take the time to access this short survey so that we can add your voice to our discussions.

The Survey will close on Wednesday 11 June at 16:00.

Thank you for your contributions.

Today, we send warm wishes to all members of our RTS community celebrating Eid ul-Adha.

The festival is a time of reflection, generosity, and unity - values that align closely with our

school’s commitment to Kindness, Community, Participation, and the power of effort.

To all observing, Eid Mubarak from everyone at RTS!

Your FoRTS team,

Carmelle (Chair and Acting Secretary) and Jason & Somi (Treasurers)

General: forts@rts.richmond.sch.uk

Parking: fortsparking@rts.richmond.sch.uk

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:

• Monday-Thursday 08.00-17.15 and Friday 08.00-17.00 - the phone number during these times is 020 8547 5008

• Out of hours: 020 8770 5000

Hounslow Early Help Assessment

• Telephone number: 020 8583 6600

• Out of hours: 020 8583 2222

• Email: earlyhelp@hounslow.gov.uk

NSPCC:

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

• Telephone number: 0808 800 5000, or text 88858

• Email: help@nspcc.org.uk

• Signvideo using British Sign Language (Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm)

Full-term dates and Inset day information is available on the school's website:

• Summer Term 2: Monday 02 June-Friday 11 July (noon)

Please find the Parent Calendar Summary for 2024-2025. Please check this regularly as some dates and times may be adjusted throughout the year.

Parents are trying to learn about the dangers of the online world in real time, often alongside kids who are more tech savvy than they are. The Netflix series Adolescence has raised awareness of what can go wrong, but what should parents do next?

Natasha Devon, author of Clicks: How to Be Your Best Self Online, has more than fifteen years’ experience working with teenagers in schools and colleges throughout the UK. She will talk through young people’s perceptions of social media and how adults can give them impactful advice on keeping their minds safe in the online world, including teaching scientific literacy to spot fake news and gaming the algorithm away from radical content.

Sam Delaney is a CALM ambassador and author of ‘Sort Your Head Out - Mental Health Without All The Bollocks.’ He will break down the way misogynistic influencers lure boys and young men into an ideology which harms their mental health and self-esteem and how we can give them a healthier blueprint of masculinity to aspire to.

Tickets are £20 and can be purchased using the link below. Places are limited. A percentage of the proceeds raised will go to CALM.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/helping-teenage-boys-navigate-the-online-world-tickets-1331520697249?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

One of our Neighbourhood Policing Inspectors has asked us to share the follow with our families:

One of the areas we are always keen to improve on is how we communicate to local communities and explain the work we are doing to keep them safe. With that in mind I would like to highlight a new service we are launching called Met Engage.

The Met Engage platform will allow members of the public to subscribe to receive updates about what my officers are doing in their streets. These emails will be a mixture of updates on how we are tackling issues in the area, crime prevention advice and invitations to engagement events. People who sign up to the platform will be encouraged to let us know what matters most to them. Not only will this help us identify and address the crimes that matter most to residents, it will also influence the messages that users receive, so that they receive the most relevant information possible.

The Met Engage platform has just launched in Richmond as part of a trial period, before going live across London at the end of June and can be accessed by visiting the website: www.metengage.co.uk

My officers will be promoting Met Engage and encouraging people to sign up over the coming weeks and months. I hope you will see the benefit of what we are attempting to achieve with this tool. One of the great privileges of being a police officer in the UK is the Peelian principles of policing by consent. Unlike in other places, we are part of the public and the public are part of us, and I hope that Met Engage will allow us to connect more fully with our communities to explain what we are doing and why.

The platform will continue to evolve as we investigate more features we can add to the system, but one of the main factors to ensure its success is to ensure as many people participate with it as possible.

Marzamemi Festival is back for its 2nd instalment on 5th and 6th July 2025 on Old Deer Park, Richmond.

2025 will be bigger and better, here is the line up:

• Epic line up of Italian food & drink
• Packed line up of chef live demos
• Lots of fun live music & DJ's all day
• Curated shopping tents with homeware, fashion, artisan brands
• Creative workshops for kids & adults (pasta making, embroidery, ceramic painting)
• Access to FREE kids entertainment (Giggle Company shows, inflatable fun, little beach, cinema, disco, football drills, lawn games, art & craft table, gelato, granita, popcorn & vintage sweet stall)
• Our GIOIA beauty tent (blow drys by Blo Bar, chair massages & festival glam)
• Super! Space with x3 free drinks & nibbles more live music & premium seating

I'm Nathan from Sparks Film School, where we teach young people the art of filmmaking and animation! We're now enrolling for our Summer Holiday Camps in Ealing, Richmond, Teddington and Wimbledon. These are hands-on, creative workshops where students direct, film and edit their own movies with guidance from professional filmmakers.

If you're sharing summer activity ideas with families (newsletter, bulletin board or PTA), I’d love to include our flyer.

As a thank you for sharing, I’d also love to donate a raffle prize for your summer fair -
One free term at our Saturday filmmaking classes (worth £325) in Ealing, Richmond, Teddington or Wimbledon, for one lucky student.

You can find more at www.sparksarts.co.uk, and I’m happy to answer any questions via email at nathan@sparksarts.co.uk or phone 07857 254036.

The Pre and Post Diagnosis SEND Support Team would like to share their current timetable and an invitation to a coffee morning to those parents with children that have a SEND diagnosis or are waiting for an assessment. Full details on the Support Service can be found here.

The CLCH school nursing service in Richmond is offering young people aged 5-19 and their parents and carers a new way to contact and get support from school nurse via a text messaging app ChatHealth.

ChatHealth offers confidential help and advice about a range of health concerns, including emotional health, sexual health, relationships, alcohol and drugs and bullying.

When a message is sent to the ChatHealth number, an automated reply confirms the message has been received. A trained healthcare professional will reply to the message during office hours within 24 working hours of receiving the message.

Winfilda Oyo-Ita, the Clinical Lead for the 0-19 service in Richmond said; “We’re delighted that we’re able to offer ChatHealth to young people, parents and carers in our local community as it provides more flexibility for them to access information and advice directly from our school nursing team that doesn’t rely on an appointment in-person.”

The service is already provided by CLCH in Hertfordshire and has been widely implemented at several NHS Trusts and healthcare organisations across the UK.

Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtSV7g1_fKA for more information.

The early booking offer for your local Barracudas Summer Camps is now live – helping families save up to £74 on their bookings! This limited-time offer is available until midnight on 5th June, subject to availability.

Families can also enjoy an exclusive additional £20 discount using the unique partner code SCHOOL20. This is a fantastic opportunity for parents to secure summer childcare and entertainment at the best possible price – and enjoy peace of mind with the holidays sorted.

Why Barracudas?

• Full day of fun: 8.30am – 5.30pm, with optional Early & Late Clubs (8am – 6pm) – ideal for working parents
• Over 30 years’ experience delivering trusted, safe and active school holiday camps
• Ofsted registered
• 1,700+ independent Trustpilot reviews, rated Excellent
• Responsible staffing: All staff are enhanced DBS-checked, fully trained, with dedicated Early Years Managers for younger age groups
• Unrivalled choice of activities: Over 80 to choose from – with a choice every session!

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