GCSE Updates 2025

As we approach the Year 11 GCSE Examinations, I am writing to inform you of the arrangements we have put in place to support your children at this critical time. I would also like to take the opportunity to share how proud we are of our Year 11 students and how they have risen to the challenges this year.

This email contains information about the rest of the academic year which you may need to refer back to.

Queries

If you have any queries, please contact me via rlang@rts.richmond.sch.uk using the subject heading ‘End of Term Letter’.

As always, we acknowledge and appreciate your support with their studies, particularly during their final year at RTS.

Please refer to the letter sent to all parents/carers on Thursday 03 April for details of this trip to Ninja Warriors.

This is a whole cohort trip and all students will attend. There is no capacity for students to remain in school on this day.

The official GCSE written examinations commence on Thursday 08 May 2025.

From Friday 09 May the school day will end at 15:00 (14:00 on Fridays) for all students (unless they are in an exam). All period 6 teachers will be available for students to speak to, should students have any questions or need support with revision or wish to remain in school. Any students who have a GCSE examination in the afternoon will be dismissed from the school site directly after the exam.

Students will follow their normal timetable periods 1-5 (other than scheduled revision boosters before afternoon exams) up to May half-term.

From Monday 02 June (after half-term) students will only be expected to be in school when they have an exam.

There will be a comprehensive schedule of revision sessions run by subject staff before each morning and afternoon exam and students are strongly advised to attend these. The schedule will be shared with students and parents before the exam season starts in May.

There will also be a timetable of supervised study rooms available for all Year 11 students should they wish to revise in a quiet space on the school site over the examination period.

Breakfast

Fruit, hot chocolate and cereal bars will be available from the canteen for all students prior to their morning exam from 08:00-08:30.

Break/Lunch

Break/Lunch food will be available for all students as usual. Students eligible for free school meals will be able to take their free school meal at school in the usual way throughout the exam period.

Following the recent Parent Forum in March, please find a link to the slides on our website where you will find a wealth of information on revision techniques and how you can support your child best during this period.

The Year 11 Leavers Assembly will take place on Friday 23 May after the whole cohort English Language exam.

After the exam, students will be given an opportunity to sign shirts, collect their purchases of any Leavers Merchandise (leavers hoodie and/or yearbook) and be offered free ice cream from an ice cream van. There will then be a final Leavers’ Assembly until 12.30 after which Year 11 students will leave the school site.

The Leaver's Graduation Ceremony will take place on Tuesday 24 June 2025 from 18.00-20.00.

More details will be sent to parents nearer to the time.

Students must hand in their school iPad on the day of their final exam.

• The final whole cohort exam is Physics on Monday 16 June.

• There is a release fee payable and this payment can be made in Parent Pay

• The iPad will be collected before the start of the exam. The iPad will have all restrictions removed. It will be handed back to keep, as they are leaving the site, as long as the release fee has been paid

• If a student has a Spanish exam, they will hand in their iPad on Tuesday 17 June for all restrictions to be removed.

• If a student has a Design Technology or Further Maths exam, they will hand in their iPad on Wednesday 18 June for all restrictions to be removed.

The GCSE results will be released to students on Thursday 21 August 2025. On this day students can collect their results from school between 10.00-12.00 only. Results will also be released to student school email addresses at 13:00. More details will be available on the website nearer the time.

Students can collect their GCSE certificates during the week beginning 24 November 2025. The Examinations Officer will provide more information just after results have been issued.

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)

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

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