Teddington School Newsletter

Dear Families

We have had another busy week at Teddington, and I am delighted to share the highlights with you.

We welcomed over 400 visitors during our Sixth Form Open Evening and Open Mornings this week. The turnout exceeded all expectations, and it was great to see so much interest in our Sixth Form. Thank you to all staff and students who supported the event and those parents who attended.

A big thank you to those parents who took the time to respond to our recent survey on technology use in school. Your feedback has been really valuable, and we are already considering your suggestions to enhance our students' learning experiences. Your input helps shape the future of our school's approach to digital learning as we begin to navigate this somewhat uncharted territory.

On Monday evening, I had the pleasure of meeting with the PTA. I would like to extend a huge thank you to this dedicated group for their ongoing fundraising efforts. Together, we are exploring exciting investments which will benefit our students, and I look forward to seeing these plans take shape.

This week's sports results brought us some wins in:

• U13 Basketball: Surrey Cup Second Round, Teddington 107 vs Wallington 6
• Y10 Boys Football: Surrey Cup Win of 5-3 against Raynes Park
• Year 10/11 Netball: Won 21-10 against Richmond Upon Thames School

We also recently hosted a series of TEDdington Talks featuring speakers from a wide range of industries and professions. Students heard from a senior business analyst in the global music industry, a community lead at the Ministry of Testing, members of the Brentford FC Community Outreach Programme, and a solicitor specialising in product law at a major US law firm, thank you to Miss Steer for coordinating these talks, they are so valuable for our student's wider development.

We have had fifteen Year 13 students take part in round one of the UK Physics Olympiad competition this week, which is a fantastic achievement, well done to all students who participated.

As the winter months approach, I would like to remind everyone of the importance of road safety for our students cycling to and from school. Car drivers, please be vigilant and aware of our young cyclists, especially in dim or wet conditions. Students, please ensure your bikes are equipped with working lights and we strongly recommend wearing reflective clothing for added visibility.

Finally, following the recent letter regarding our attendance process, we will soon be contacting families whose children may be at risk of incurring fines due to low attendance. Please ensure that your child attends school every day and arrives on time. Regular attendance is key to achieving academic success and building positive habits for the future.

Thank you for your continued support. Have a restful weekend ready for an 08:30 start on Monday.

Kind regards

Mr P Grills

Headteacher

Please click on the poster to purchase your tickets to this year's school production of Little Shop of Horrors! Tickets start from £5, and our wonderful PTA will be providing a bar for before the show and during the interval.

We can't wait to see our students' wonderful performance and will see you there! 🎭

Earlier in the year we, along with all other BET schools, took part in BET's Green Week.

Please view this video of some of our Green Week Highlights here which features Teddington staff and 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 Scholastic Book Fair is returning in our school library between 25 - 29 November!

Please come along before school, or at break or lunchtime to browse through our selection of books! Our book fair in June 2024 was a tremendous success, earning our library over 20 free books!

You may wish to preview some of the titles that will be available. You can do that through this link, and this link!

Our book fair will be card payments only please!

Please see the poster for details on an upcoming Drug and Alcohol Awareness Workshop on 27th November 2024. This workshop is to aid with becoming more aware of drug-related issues and what can be done to help your children stay safe.

If you would be interested in joining, please use their QR code or follow this link.

Do you want to work at Teddington School?

We are hiring! Please click on the poster which will take you to our website, you can then see our adverts for a SENDCo, Pastoral Mentor and more.

Dear Families

We want to keep you informed about your child’s progress by providing regular updates on our assessment and reporting process. Below, you will find an overview of recent reports and what to expect in the upcoming half term. For further details about our assessment and reporting framework, please consult our Assessment and Monitoring Guide on the school website. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of our approach to assessment at each stage, the contents of each report, and how these reports contribute to your child’s learning journey.

Autumn Half Term 1:

Last week, families of Year 9, 10, and 12 students received the first reports of the academic year. Year 9 reports included an ATL (Attitude to Learning) grade, while Year 10 and 12 reports featured both an ATL grade and a current Working at Grade. We expect that these Working at Grades will evolve over the two-year GCSE and A-Level course progression.

Autumn Half Term 2:

Year 7 reports will be distributed on Friday, 15 November. These reports will include an ATL grade along with the Teddington School banding. The three attainment bands; Mastering, Securing, and Progressing are set based on students' KS2 SATS scores and CAT test results upon entry to Teddington School. These target bands are aspirational and remain consistent throughout the Key Stage 3 journey. The banding information can be found in the 'comment' column of the report. For a more detailed explanation of the bands and how they connect to our GCSE flight path model, please visit the Student Reports - Teddington School section of our website.

As Year 11 and 13 students have recently completed their mock exams, families of these year groups will soon receive their reports. Year 13 reports will be sent out on Friday, 29 November, ahead of Year 13 Parents’ Evening on Wednesday, 4 December. Year 11 families will receive reports on Friday, 6 December, before Year 11 Parents’ Evening on Wednesday, 11 December. These reports will include Target Grades, ATL grades, the most recent Mock Grade, and an On Track For (OTF) Grade.

If you have any questions regarding the assessment and reporting process, please feel free to contact me at: spickd@teddingtonschool.org.

Please come along to our Festive Marketplace on Sunday 1 December. Come and enjoy a morning of festive food, drinks and live music from the Teddington School Band! 🎄🎵

We will be selling Premium Nordmann Fir Christmas Trees (4ft - 8ft) for a range of prices. We can't wait to see you there!

PTA AGM – Thank you to Nicola Hughes (Chair of Governors) for providing a brief overview of being a governor and where she fits in with the leadership of the school at the meeting. We also at the meeting approved 2023/24 draft accounts, 2024/25 committee structure, trustees and relevant policies, 2024 – 27 funding process for school bids (3-year cycle across all subjects and support areas), and 2024/25 forecast donations allocations.

Last year we raised and received funds of £25,000. Therefore, we hope to be able to give school a similar amount (£25,000) for the following areas for:

• £9,000 – School production and other support costs for Performing Arts and Music
• £9,000 – School bids focussed on Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths (STEM), Business & Computing, and Art & Design Technology, and support areas e.g., After school clubs, and general student services like rewards and experiences
• £6,000 – For the extension of the bike storage & plant project
• £1,000 – Contributions to Yr 11 & Yr 13 Proms and the Staff Christmas party
• We have already received and approved a bid of £2,500 to fund the School Newspaper after school club. We look forward to reading the next edition.

Volunteers wanted – We would like to strengthen our structure by adapting the committee officers to co-positions that will create capacity and instil smooth transition. If you would like to join the Chair, Secretary or Treasurer, please contact Verity Royle (verity.royle@gmail.com).

Also, please add your name to the volunteer rota for the School Production.

Dates for the diary:

• 25 Nov – 29 Nov: School Production Bar
• 1 Dec: Christmas Tree Sale with Preloved Uniform available
• 13 Jan: PTA Meeting (in the Anglers 19:00) to discuss any school bids and events

Volunteers wanted – Please contact Kathryn Rocha (kathryn.rocha@hotmail.com) if you can help out at the School Production Bar, Christmas Tree sale or assisting with preloved uniform.

20 Nov: Years 7, 9 and 10 Flu Immunisations

20 Nov: German Exchange Parents Information Evening

21 Nov: Years 8 and 11 Flu Immunisations

25 - 29 Nov: Little Shop of Horrors Performances

25 - 29 Nov: Scholastic Book Fair