Teddington School Newsletter
Friday 13 December 2024
Dear Families
As we approach the end of term, I would like to thank you all for your support over the past few months. It has been a busy and successful term, and the sense of community across the school has been lovely to witness.
This week has been particularly festive with our Christmas lunches and Christmas Jumper Day bringing cheer to the school. It’s always wonderful to see our students and staff embracing the Christmas spirit together.
We’ve also had an exciting week of TEDdington Talks, with presentations from distinguished guest speakers: Emma Whitney, Chris Preddie OBE, Julian Reading, Juliet Leith, and the Loudmouth Theatre Company. These talks have provided our students with invaluable insights into a variety of professions, helping them to envision their futures and understand the many paths available to them. You can find more details about our guest speakers below. We are proud to provide opportunities like these to ensure our students are truly future-ready.
Congratulations to all our sports teams who competed this week! Our Year 7 Rugby League team went to the London and Southeast Regional's this week. Their results are:
- Drew 0-0 vs Langley Park School
Won 3-2 vs Howard of Effingham School
- Won 2-1 vs Colchester Royal Grammar School
- Won 3-1 vs Hichley Wood
The Boys topped the group and made it through to the final, the final finished as a draw against Castle View School from Essex and it went to Golden Point. Unfortunately, Castle View scored, and they took home the win. A huge well done to you all, you have all represented yourselves and the school with pride and determination.
Congratulations to all the students who have received certificates from their Head of Year this week, your hard work and dedication have not gone unnoticed. Next week, I will be sending out letters of congratulations to students with 100% attendance and those who have accumulated a significant number of merits this term. Keep up the fantastic work!
Today our Year 7 students visited Richmond Theatre to see Beauty and the Beast in pantomime. I hope they enjoyed this fun outing and the performance. Also, best wishes to the 86 students joining Miss Metcalfe on the ski trip to Italy tomorrow. We are looking forward to the updates, please keep an eye on our social media for pictures and videos from the slopes!
In January, we will be amending specific elements of our behaviour system and continuing to raise expectations for our students. I will share more details about these changes in the new year to ensure we are all aligned and ready to start strong.
Regarding 2025-26 term dates, Bourne Education Trust will be making a minor adjustment to the academic year starting next year in 2025-26. The academic year will increase by two days, extending to 37.4 weeks to accommodate two additional INSET days for staff training and development. This change will not affect students’ time in school, as they will still attend for the same duration. The autumn term will still end on 16th December 2025. The additional INSET days are scheduled for 17th and 18th December 2025. We are providing parents with 12 months’ notice of this change. Please see our website for more details of term dates.
As a reminder, school will finish at 15:00 on Tuesday 17th December. Please continue to send your child into school until the end of term so we can finish the year on a high and enjoy the extended break.
Finally, I wish you all a relaxing and joyful Christmas break. We look forward to welcoming students back to school on Monday, 6th January, ready for an 08:30 start.
Kind regards
Mr P Grills
Headteacher
📸 Bake Off Brilliance! 🍰🍳
Last week, our Food Tech students wowed us in the Teddington School Bake Off! 🌟 From creative recipes to beautifully plated dishes, they worked so hard to deliver meals that weren’t just delicious but amazing to look at too! 👩🍳👨🍳
Congratulations to Will Taylor for his success with his Hockey club the Old Cranleighans in a tournament in Barcelona on the first weekend of December. His U14's team played against Spanish, French and Italian teams and came out on top, winning the tournament. Well done Will! 🏑👏
Our Year 8 girls have had some exciting lessons from Harlequins Rugby coaches and developed their confidence to tackle. At the start not many wanted to tackle or be tackled. However, here we have a student who was nervous to start with, but by the end showed great confidence and technique.
Fantastic work girls 👏🏉
🎄 Christmas Jumper Day Success! 🎄
This year’s Christmas Jumper Day was a heartwarming celebration of festive cheer and community spirit! A huge thank you to the Teddington Leadership Team for their amazing efforts in organising the event. From the early morning donation collections, a festive photo booth in the library, and a festive quiz created by our Sixth Form leaders, the day was a great success.
The school was a sea of festive jumpers, with both staff and students getting into the holiday spirit. Together, we raised an incredible £540 for Save the Children! A fantastic achievement that will help make a difference in children’s lives around the world.
Thank you to everyone who donated, participated, and made the day so special. Let’s keep spreading the holiday joy! 🎅✨
Emma Whitney
Our Year 11s heard from Emma Whitney, an expert embryologist who delivered an inspiring TEDdington talk on IVF and fertility!
Emma took us behind the scenes of the fascinating world of embryology, explaining how IVF works, the science behind it, and the ethical considerations involved. Her insights into fertility and the breakthroughs in reproductive science were truly eye-opening!
Julian Reading
We were thrilled to welcome Julian Reading to Teddington School for an inspiring series of TEDdington Talks. Julian, an experienced business leader and founder of Sales Journey, shared insights drawn from his extensive career transforming sales models for multinational companies. Specialising in practical strategies for professional growth, Julian’s expertise spans sales methodologies, communication skills, and personal development.
His sessions, tailored to empower individuals with actionable advice, left students motivated and eager to unlock their potential. A huge thank you to Julian for delivering such dynamic and engaging sessions, helping our students gain tools for future success!
Juliet Leith
We were thrilled to welcome Juliet Leith to Teddington School’s Sixth Form, where she delivered an insightful talk on behalf of Investment 2020. With a wealth of experience in the finance and investment sectors, Juliet shed light on the diverse career pathways within the industry and the opportunities available for young people starting out.
Investment 2020 offers a unique route into the world of finance, providing traineeships and entry-level positions at some of the UK’s leading investment companies. Juliet’s talk emphasized the importance of gaining practical experience and highlighted the skills that can help students thrive in the financial sector.
Loudmouth Theatre Company
Earlier this week, Loudmouth Theatre Company visited Teddington School to deliver their powerful programme, ‘Working for Marcus,’ to our Year 9 students. The performance and workshops addressed crucial topics such as child exploitation, county lines, and knife crime. Through engaging drama and interactive sessions, students gained a deeper understanding of these serious issues, learned to identify risks, and discovered strategies to stay safe.
This immersive experience empowered our students with knowledge and encouraged open discussions, equipping them to make informed choices in challenging situations. We are grateful to Loudmouth Theatre Company for bringing such an impactful programme to our school and for supporting the personal development and safety education of our students.
We are consulting to amend our admissions arrangements with effect from the 2026/27 academic year to include more detail under the 'Admission of children outside their normal age group' section. Our consultation process began on Wednesday 13 November, and will conclude on Monday 13 January.
Please have a read via the button below. If you have any comments on this amendment, please contact our Admissions Officer, Mrs N Howarth, via howarthn@teddingtonschool.org.
The term break is a great time for reading. Here are some holiday-themed titles from the Teddington School Library.
- A Wayne in a Manger by Gervase Phinn: A Wayne in a Manger is the hilarious compilation of nativity stories by Gervase Phinn. Discover some wonderfully funny and touching nativity play anecdotes, including children forgetting their lines, ad-libbing, falling of the stage, picking their noses and showing their knickers.
- The Christmas Truce by Carol Ann Duffy: A new tale celebrating the magic of Christmas from the Poet Laureate, illustrated by David Roberts. Down at the front, on a cold winter’s night in 1914, amidst the worst war the world had ever seen, an inexplicable silence spread from man to man. Belief was in the air. Then the soldiers ceased fire and the magic of Christmas took hold.
- The Girl Who Saved Christmas by Matt Haig: If magic has a beginning, can it also have an end? When Amelia wants a wish to come true she knows just the man to ask - Father Christmas. But the magic she wants to believe in is starting to fade, and Father Christmas has more than impossible wishes to worry about.
- Stay Another Day by Juno Dawson: When three very different siblings, Fern, Rowan and Willow, go home for a Christmas reunion at their family home in Edinburgh, it's not long before some VERY BIG SECRETS threaten their cosy holiday ... This Christmas, there will be some BIG surprises under the tree.