TERM
MESSAGE FROM MS WILSON
Dear Parents, carers and all in the Chessington community
This year has flown by, I can’t believe our new Year 7’s are soon to be Year 8 and our Year 11 & 13’s are off to pastures new. It has been a jam packed year with so many awesome experiences for our students. Many of which will be featured in the articles in this newsletter but I wanted to mention some of my highlights throughout this year.
The numerous House Competitions - many of our students have entered these competitions and have won points for their House by being incredibly creative! Sports Day was awesome at our new venue of Kingsmeadow - well done Griffin for winning that day.
Our production of High School Musical - I was simply blown away by the talent & enthusiasm that we have. The votes have been cast for next year's production and this will be revealed in the new academic year.
The Reward lunches and celebration assembliesseeing all of the successes that our students have achieved and receiving their certificates has made me incredibly proud. I have also met with the top 5 positive points students in each year group to celebrate their success but also to find out what new rewards they would like next year, so watch this space for new and exciting rewards!
The Year 11 Leavers assembly, BBQ & Prom - a cracking group of young people that I have known for 5 years. It was an excellent celebration of their time at Chessington and I miss them all.
Alternative Learning Week - so many wonderful opportunities for all of students, whether it has been camping in the rain, going on the London Eye, perfecting their golf swing, paddling in the Sea in Brighton, being scared to death at the London Bridge Experience, enjoying the Isle of Wight or beating Mr Lucas on the inflatable obstacle course at carnival every student has had the opportunity to enjoy these and the smiles on their faces when they have returned have confirmed this. A huge thank you to Mr Cosgrave, Ms Jacob and Mrs Sapsed for all of their hard work coordinating these trips.
There are so many more, genuinely every day here fills me with joy - our students are incredible and our staff are pretty great too.
We also secured a great Ofsted report, we continue to strive to be even better and this will continue into the next school year.
We are sad to say goodbye to some members of staff who are moving on to either new schools or other exciting new ventures. Two special goodbyes must go to Mr Rommer who has been with us for a number of years and actually trained here at Chessington, he will be a huge loss to Chessington and in particular in the Music department and as an excellent tutor. He is moving to a school nearer to home which will enable him to spend more time with his family. We also say goodbye to Mrs Dale who has been our marketing and web design lead for a number of years but she has done so much more than this for Chessington. As a parent she wanted to support the school in any way she could and initially this was as our Data Manager and Chair of the PTA. Since then she has been pivotal
in refreshing all of our social media, website and branding. She has coordinated so many events for us at Chessington including our open events, options evenings not to mention the PTA events, especially the annual Fireworks. She has been amazing in every possible way and we will miss her dearly. She is now living up in the Lake District and having a far more peaceful life!
We are fortunate to have recruited some excellent new members of staff to our team
Acting Associate Assistant Head & Head of PE - Mr Jay Head of Art - Ms Hudspith
Head of DT - Mr May
Teacher of English - Miss Williams
Teacher of English - Miss Smith
Teacher of English - Mrs Simeonova
Teacher of Spanish - Mr Perez
Teacher of Science - Miss Hanson
Teaching Assistant - Miss Li
Teaching Assistant - Miss Jenkins
We also have some internal promotions to share with you:
Associate Assistant Head (remaining as Director of Science) - Mr West Head of Humanities Faculty (remaining as Head of History) - Mr Forsyth
Head of Performance Faculty (remaining as Head of Year 12/13) - Mr Davey
I have had the pleasure of meeting with many parents over the last 12 months, face to face conversations can really improve communications, so please do meet with staff if you can. Our triangular relationship of school, home & student is so very important to their successes. It has also been a great opportunity for feedback and ways to improve our school. I continue to be very proud of our school and will miss our students and staff over the 6 week holiday and look forward to welcoming them back rested and refreshed on Tuesday 3rd September - Year 7 & 12 at 10.00am and Years 8/9/10/11/13 at 11.00am.
Wishing you a lovely & safe summer,
Ms S Wilson Headteacher
MESSAGE FROM THE GOVERNORS
It’s the end of another fantastic year, the first of (hopefully many) under our new Head Teacher Miss Wilson.
This term we attended various celebration events - a highlight of our role. The Sports Award Evening not only celebrated the efforts of students, but also recognised amazing high sporting achievements. These students really are putting Chessington School on the sporting map.
We attended the Leavers' BBQ meeting with everyone in a lovely informal atmosphere. It's great to hear about the destinations and aspirations of our leavers and to also witness first-hand the amazing warm relationships between staff and students.
We will also be at the school on results day to help hand out results – which we hope will be an equally positive and joyful day for all.
One of our governors, Jo Kilby, is standing down this term. She has been a regular visitor in school, seeing evidence of all the great work that is going on and reporting back to the Board. She will be missed and the Board thanks her for all her work.
We have two new Governors, Lousie Grant & Jo Elgarf, joining the Board. Louise brings her education experience to the Quality of Education Committee and Jo brings her marketing, NHS and SEN experience to the Behaviour, Attendance and Personal Development Committee. We look forward to working
However, there is still room for more governors. If you feel that you have what it takes to be a 'critical friend' - holding the school to account on the information we
are given, giving support when needed and sharing the joy of the high points, then you’re the one for us.
You DON'T have to have previous school or board experience to become a governor; essential skills are: the ability not to take everything at face value and to dig deeper; being able to step back and see the bigger picture; a willingness to learn (full training is given, much of which is now online).
At the moment we are particularly keen to recruit governors who either understand finance, have health & safety knowledge, have HR skills, or who have a general interest in education and wish to support the school in driving forwards.
If this sounds like you and you can spare 2-4 hours per month then please drop me an email on kcarman@chessington.kingston.sch.uk to arrange an informal chat.
On behalf of the Governing Board, have a marvellous summer (hopefully with some sunshine) and we look forward to seeing you all back bright-eyed and bushy tailed in September.
Karen Carmen Chair of Governors
Jo Elgarf
Louise Grant
HEAD
OF
YEAR UPDATES
MRS GORNO Head of Year 7
MR LUCAS Head of Year 8
MRS SHERIFF Head of Year 9
MISS SWAYSLAND Head of Year 10
MISS RUTLEDGE Head of Year 11
MR DAVEY Head of Year 12 and 13
YEAR 7 Ms Gorno
Wow! I can’t believe we have arrived at the end of your first year, Year 7. Congratulations and very well done to you all! As I told you in my very first assembly, transition runs from when you first receive your offer letter, right up until your very last day of Year 7 in July and with your end of year exams over, there is now lots to look forward to as we approach alternative learning week.
As you embark on your summer holidays, please take some time to reflect on your year. Consider where you have thrived and acknowledge your challenges. Think about what your focus and goal for Year 8 will be and how you’re going to get there.
It’s certainly been an action-packed year and some of my highlights from the summer term include:
Diversity Week - Thank you to Poppy, Dylan and Ollie for giving up your social time voluntarily to help man the stall during Diversity Week. With those hard sell tactics out in the playground, I expect to see you on The Apprentice in a few years time!
Sports Day - An awesome day all around, it was fantastic to see so many Year 7 students involved, particularly those who stepped in at the last minute to fill spaces in events that weren’t necessarily their strongest. You embody the Chessington GREAT values!
Year 7 Induction Day 2024 - Thank you to our lovely group of students who supported our new intake during their break and lunchtime. You really made them feel welcome and at ease.
As you know, I will be moving on to a new role when I return from maternity leave next year, however it has been a privilege to get to know and support you during your first year at Chessington School. I’m very much looking forward to seeing you all when I return, please drop into F7 and say hello!
Mrs Gorno Head of Year
7
YEAR 8 Mr Lucas
Year 8 have had a fantastic term. We began the term with 8JDK (amongst other nominated students) enjoying their well deserved bowling reward trip after having received the highest number of ‘Trustworthy’ points during the previous term.
Year 8 have had a very successful term within the classroom. As a year group they have now gained 31,510 achievement points which is the highest total of achievements ever amassed by a year 8 cohort. I am so very proud of them.
I am also proud of the way they approached the end of year exams. The vast majority of year 8’s prepared properly for these exams, focusing within lessons and dedicating time to their revision at home. The behaviour in the examinations was excellent and we are now really looking forward to seeing the fruits of the labour in the end of year reports.
I was really pleased with the behaviour and effort of all the year 8 students at the first off-site sports day. We wore smiles all day whilst representing the houses and everyone bought into the healthy competitive spirit of the day.
A particular highlight was the group of students who rallied around a student who was clearly struggling towards the end of their race and helped him across the finishing line. Well done guys!
Mr Lucas Head of Year 8
YEAR 9
Mrs Sheriff
Last week was exam week for year 9. They worked hard in lessons to prepare in the weeks leading up to exams and were taught some key skills to revise, which will be helpful as they move into key stage 4.
This term the year group found out about the options they had chosen and they all seem very excited for the new subjects they will be studying over the next two years.
I’ve had a lot of opportunities to do learning walks and visit the year group in their various lessons. This has been wonderful as I’ve been able to see some amazing work in English and some lovely poems written in one particular lesson.
Over the course of the year they have managed to gain over 21,544 GREAT positive points! Which is amazing! Well done!!
Next year I will be moving into a new role as head of religious studies and Mr Power will be taking the year group onto the next part of their school journey. I’ve had a wonderful year with year 9 and cannot wait to see all that they achieve moving forward. Have a wonderful summer holiday!
Mrs Sheriff Head of Year 9
YEAR 10 Miss Swaysland
It’s been a busy term for year 10! We had the mock exams just after the Easter holidays. I was so impressed with how well the pupils handled these and it was so nice to see so many of them using their free time to get some extra revision in!
We have had prefect interviews and I am delighted to announce that our team for next year is as follows: Lilly, Flo, Tommy, Summer, Noah, Yasir, George, Oliver, Evie, Tristan, Theo, Elli, Mikey, Tia and Mimi.
Each Prefect was carefully selected subject to a rigorous application process, including a written application, staff references, and a thorough interview. Well done to you all for being successful in your applications - I know you are going to be brilliant!
I would like to extend a further congratulations to Lilly and Theo, our Lead Prefects! Both students displayed excellent leadership qualities, exceptional behaviour and a strong dedication to the school’s ethos and values. I know that they will both do a wonderful job!
We have finished the year with over 13000 positive points which demonstrates the hard work the students have put in this year.
I would like to finish by saying how impressed I am at how much the students have matured over the last year- I am confident that they are going into year 11 with a great mindset ready to smash their GCSE’s. Have a lovely summer holiday!
Miss Swaysland Head of Year 10
YEAR 11 Miss Rutledge
Exams are now over and each student tried their very best. I hope that the grades received show all of their hard work, Roll on results day to see the end result.
The year 11 prom was Friday 28th June, it was our highest attended prom for over 10 years. The new venue was beautiful and the evening was a dancing showdown. They danced the night away for over 3 and half hours. I was particularly impressed with the dapper boys and beautiful girls that attended who had spent a long time getting ready. They all looked amazing. A lot of effort went into each outfit. I am extremely proud of the year group and I can't wait to see more photos and videos.
Miss Rutledge Head of Year 11
SIXTH FORM
Mr Davey
Earlier this term we said goodbye to our Year 13 students. They worked hard in the final few weeks, to ensure all work was completed and excellent grades achieved. We held a leavers BBQ for them (thanks to Mrs Ford for cooking), which included speeches from the Head of Year, and the Sports Coaches, a staff v students game of football and dodgeball! We also gave out an award to Sam S for Year 13 Student of the Year. Sam has epitomised all of the key principles of our GREAT values throughout the last year. We wish all of them the best for their futures. Some of them are heading to University, some into employment, one onto an apprenticeship and one going travelling on a Gap year .
The Year 12 Sport students have been busy completing coursework. They continue to assist in lower school PE lessons and were also an integral part of school Sports Day, helping to officiate events and record timings for races.
They had a visit to the Emirates Stadium for a University and Apprenticeship Fair, which was very useful in helping the students shape decisions for progression after year 13.
There was also a visit to St Mary’s University to look at Sport Science courses and the resources available for University students to use. They also had a chance to speak to current students on what Uni life was like. Students also began to write their UCAS applications, which we will continue to work on after the summer.
The Year 12 Child Development students finished the year with two weeks work experience at a local primary school. This gives the students experience of working with 4-5 year olds, on top of all their work experience in our onsite nursery.
All year 12 students will be busy during the summer holidays ensuring work is finished before they start the new academic year.
Mr Davey Head of Year
12 and 13
DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT History History
Summer Term at Chessington has been focused on fully preparing students for the end of year exams across each year group. For Year 11, there has been an outstanding level of effort from staff to deliver 14 lessons of revision before the GCSEs, and a great level of effort from students to prepare themselves for each paper. I’m very proud of these efforts and wish the Year 11 students the best of luck.
Year 10 have worked tirelessly to prepare for their first full GCSE mock, with amazing efforts in Paper 1; Medicine Through Time & The Western Front. Congratulations to Year 10 on making it through their first mock series and coming out of it in positive spirits. We as a department are very excited to take you through to Year 11.
Years 7 to 9 have recently been preparing for their end of year exams and have worked fantastically to create revision resources that will no doubt help them in their upcoming exams. Once these exams are finished we will be moving onto the final topics for the year with Year 7 studying the ‘Power of The Church’ in the Medieval Period; Year 8 studying ‘Power in the UK’ in the Industrial Period; and Year 9 studying ‘Were enslaved Africans really free after slavery was abolished?’.
There will be an exciting trip opportunity coming up in the new academic year for our new Year 10 historians. A visit to see the wonders of World War One in Belgium and France will be one you won't want to miss.
Keep an eye out for further information in September.
We are thankful for your on-going support with History and hope to continue to inspire students into 2024/25.
Mr Forsyth Head of History
DRAMA
DEPARTMENT
The students in year 9 have been led by Miss Brown in creating some devising performances this half term. They have been working with the stimulus of empathy & sympathy, the students have created a performance aimed at year 7 students joining secondary school. The students decided to explore how they would deal with conflict and bullying. Their still image shows the extreme and over dramatic fears that the students might have about bullying. Thankfully the performance goes on to explain that this is not something they would encounter at school and explains all the ways that students can make sure that they settle into their secondary school well and have the best experience.
Miss Twomey
This half term in D&T the students have been designing and creating their own acrylic clocks. The students have had to consider who they are designing their clocks for and how they would market the finished product.
This week they have been cutting out the acrylic, filing and sanding down their work ready to apply the vinyl numbers to the work next week. The students have found sawing their clocks challenging but have enjoyed seeing their design for their clocks come to life.
Miss Twomey
Catering
English
The English department is ending the year celebrating our 25 newly published poets! We will be receiving the Young Writers anthology in the Autumn term and can't wait to showcase their work. We will be entering a short story writing competition in the first time which we hope you will encourage your child to participate in an we can grow our own community of authors.
Our Keystage 4 students have worked exceptionally hard in the last half term, sitting a full GCSE paper last week and completing their speaking and listening component. Their attitudes and energy have been brilliant throughout and they are setting themselves up for great success in year 11.
We hope by this point in the year every child is familiar with our library and embracing the wide selection of reading materials we have on offer. We would love I hear recommendations for other students in September!
It is with sadness we say goodbye to some of our English team and we wish them all the best in their future endeavours. We are also excited to welcome new colleagues into the faculty and knowledge they will support your child in developing a love of reading and their writing skills.
I will be leading on all things English next year so please do not hesitate to get in touch!
Mrs Cooper
GEOGRAPHY
It’s been another busy term for the geography department. Firstly, we welcomed Miss Stafford-Jones to the team, as Head of Department. Miss has wasted no time and is already planning on introducing some exciting new topics, including global issues and geopolitics, which you will be able to enjoy from September onwards. We waved goodbye to Year 11 after they sat their final exam of three on June 14th. The students worked hard to prepare themselves - well done everyone! We look forward to seeing you on results day in August.
Year 10 have recently finished the physical landscapes topic and sat their end of year assessment. Next year, you have two fieldwork days to look forward to. The first, a river study, which links to your physical component, and the second, will include a study of deprivation and urban regeneration in Stratford, London. We will explain all of the details when you return in September, however if you don’t own any wellies, it might be time to invest in some
Year 9 have made a cracking start of their GCSE content and have been exploring the Living World topic. This year group will also have fieldwork to look forward to as they move into Year 10.
Years 7 and 8 continue to show lots of enthusiasm in lessons and, in addition to the new topics, we will also be implementing fieldwork in the lower years to increase geographical skills as well as knowledge and understanding. These will incorporate studies of the local area to embed the notion that geography really is ‘all around us.’
Mrs Gorno
PPHYSICAL HYSICAL EEDUCATION DUCATION aathletics thletics
We took 50 students to represent the school at the Kingston Schools Athletics Championships. The team came back with 20 medals, tripling last year's total. A huge well done to the following students who placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd in their athletic events.
Year 7 Boys
Leon Apelogun-Gabriels (200m) 3rd
Laurynas Baranskas (100m) 3rd
Elliott Hubbard (Discus) 3rd
Jack Carmody (Shot put) 3rd
Year 7 Girls
Filijay Touray (200m) 1st
Nahla Gonzalez-Cooke (100m) 3rd
Jessica Marcham (Shot put) 2nd
Tea Contini (800m) 3rd
Lucy Adey (Discus) 3rd
Scarlett Adams, Naledi Mlambo,
Isabella De Franca
& Filijay Touray (Relay) 3rd
Year 8/9 Boys
Ollie Claringbold (100m) 3rd
Dexter Ballard (300m) 3rd
Billy Baker (Shot put) 2nd
Year 8/9 Girls
Tilly Smith (Triple jump) 3rd
Skye Curtis (Discus) 2nd
Year 10 Boys
Archie Elliott (100m) 3rd
Lukas Naumenko (High jump) 3rd
Luiz Rodrigues Teixeira (Discus) 3rd
Morgan Gallimore (Triple jump) 3rd
Year 10 Girls
Lilli Jones (Javelin) 3rd
ffootball ootball
Both Y7 Girls and Y8 Girls have been playing in a summer league. The teams have had some challenging and competitive games but have come away with some brilliant results. This puts them in a great position ahead of the new season. Thank you to Miss Williams and Coach Morgan for providing these opportunities and for driving to and from the various fixtures in the minibus.
bbasketball asketball
Both our Year 7 & 8 Co-Ed teams qualified for the Junior NBA finals and competed at the K2 Centre in Crawley. Both squads collected silver medals after a day of competitive games. We’re incredibly proud of this group of students. Thank you to Coach Addy and Coach Kai who have worked tirelessly to develop our pupils. Bright futures ahead!
sports day sports day
Sports day at the Weir Archer Athletics Stadium was a great success. Griffin house were the overall winners. We look forward to returning for sports day next year.
ddiversity iversity
wweek eek
During diversity week, students explored how adaptations can be made to different sports to suit the needs and abilities of all our students. Pupils have been thoroughly engaged in lessons and have come up with some lovely ideas on how to make sport and games more inclusive for all.
SPORTS AWARDS 2024
We held the annual sports awards in the theatre on Thursday 4th July. Students came dressed smartly to collect their certificates and medals whilst we celebrated the many sporting achievements Chessington School have had this year.
Students were awarded for their improvements, dedication, best performance and player of the season. Additionally, there were awards for academic achievement in PE and for students that have demonstrated the school’s GREAT values.
Mrs Rowden
Science DEPARTMENT
This term the team have been focusing on preparing Year 11 students for their final GCSE exams. For Science, students sat six papers and therefore had a vast amount of year 11 intervention sessions to attend to ensure that they were ready for their final exams. Well done for getting through these sessions.
Y10 students have now moved onto paper two content in Science. One of topics they have been learning about is how different factors affect the rate of a chemical reaction.
The team also celebrated diversity week. Students in all year groups were shown a demonstration of rainbow colours forming in a beaker and this was linked with the content being delivered in lessons during diversity week. Students also explored the contributions that different scientists have made to STEM.
Some of our scientific stars are working hard on their Crest awards - amazing projects such as developing new ways to reuse materials and investigating how medicines enter the blood stream.
In science club our practical scientists have been making crystals, firing rockets, designing parachutes and setting off fire alarms..."
This half term year 5 students from different feeder primary schools have been attending lessons within the department. They have been looking at how rockets work and exploring the science of fireworks by carrying out flame tests. Students engaged very well with lessons and had a great time
Mrs Andrew
It has been another great term for our linguists at Chessington School. Students have consolidated their knowledge of key verbs and vocabulary and have demonstrated their ability to manipulate and transfer the language learnt through their sentence builders in their end of year exams Year 7 have been learning to talk about their life in school in Spanish; Year 8 have been learning to use up to three tenses (present, past and future) to talk about what they like doing in their free time and about their food preferences, including how to order food in a restaurant (so get them talking if you are travelling to a Spanish speaking country this summer!); Year 9 have been learning to talk about global issues, all while combining present, past and future tenses; Year 10 have continued their GCSE Spanish journey preparing for their first ever speaking mock exam, which will help feel confident about this paper ahead of Year 11
All MFL students have put a lot of effort into their recent end of year exams, for which they deserve to be congratulated Following exam feedback lessons, KS3 students continued their linguistic journey learning about the history, culture and traditions of a series of Spanish speaking countries, so do ask them about interesting facts they learnt! Year 9 have discussed inclusion, diversity and visibility through a very touching, inspiring and award-winning Spanish film, Campeones
As always, please encourage your children to continue to put their language skills into practice during the holidays with examples of real language use, especially if you are lucky enough to be travelling to Spain or a Spanish speaking country this summer! Why not try watching your favourite festive films or series in the target language or tune into an international radio station online for a few minutes a day listening for gist?
Mr Murray
maths
This Summer term we have seen all year groups take their exams.
Year 11s did their GCSE exams, and a great level of effort and preparation from students and staff took place during April to June. We are proud of our teachers and students and expect a lot of their hard work will reflect in their grades in August.
Year 10s had their first experience of full GCSE papers. They sat two papers - a noncalculator and a calculator paper. This was an invaluable experience for them to do this so they can see what to expect when they face the real GCSEs in the Summer of 2025. Despite being a year out from their exams, some students performed really well relative to their Chessington Target Grade and we expect they will do even better next year.
Years 7 to 9 have been doing their end of year exams in the Sports Hall. Year 7 and 8 did a 90 minute non-calculator paper and Year 9 did a mixture of non-calculator and calculator papers (45 mins each). We were very impressed by the effort many of our students put into their maths exams and it is clear that many students revised using our online platform Sparx based on how they have performed. The papers are currently being marked and grades will come in due course.
Mr Smith
>Computer
The focus of this term has been to prepare all students for their end of year assessments.
Early in the term the focus was on year 11 and their GCSE exams. The levels of engagement and effort shown by them were exemplary and a real credit to themselves and the support they have been getting at home. I'm sure they will get the results they deserve for all the hard work they have put in.
Year 10 have completed their mock exams based on component 1 and have now begun component 2 which includes a lot of practical programming and this has been our focus for this term so far.
In the lower school. Students have been revising for their exams and are now ready for the final push that will see us through to the summer holidays.
Have a lovely break and we look forward to seeing you in September.
Mr Cosgrave
LIBRARY The ~ Library Photos
It's been a busy term in the school library this term. We have welcomed six enthusiastic new Student Librarians to our team. Congratulations to Tomas Loreto-Nunes, Dylan Pavett, Poppy Pavett, Matej Dolnik, Alexander Coy and Drayke Grove. These students have been doing a fantastic job so far in helping to stack the shelves, maintain the library's welcoming atmosphere, and assist their fellow students with finding the right books. Their contributions have been invaluable, and they have also provided us with insightful feedback that is shaping how we meet the needs of our student body.
During Diversity Week, we hosted a selection of puzzles and games, which offered our students a creative way to celebrate and learn about different cultures and perspectives. It was heartening to see our regular visitors to the library taking an interest and enjoying the spirit of inclusion and understanding.
In other exciting news, our guided reading groups have been a highlight of the Accelerated Reader lessons this term. A small group of students in evert Accelerated Reader class has been reading ‘Holes’ by Louis Sachar, a young fiction classic. These sessions have not only helped to foster a love for reading but have also supported students in developing their reading skills in a collaborative and supportive environment, and encouraged them to discuss what they have read and listened to. It's been wonderful to see the progress and enthusiasm in our young readers over the past year, and we look forward to continuing this positive trend when we return in September.
Mr Murray
RELIGIOUS RELIGIOUS STUDIES STUDIES
Firstly I would like to introduce myself as the new head of department for religious studies. I am really excited for this new role and cannot wait to be teaching almost all of you at key stage 3.
I am really hoping to make RS a subject that all students enjoy. Through religious education, students will learn about different religions and their traditions, practices and beliefs. Religious education also promotes children's tolerance and mutual respect in a diverse society.
My hope for next year is that pupils enter into discussions about the religious and non-religious traditions that have shaped Great Britain and the world. RS enables pupils to take their place within a diverse multi-religious and multisecular society. It is intellectually challenging and personally enriching. It affords pupils both the opportunity to see the religion and non-religion in the world, and the opportunity to make sense of their own place in that world.
During this summer term the year 10’s have been truly amazing and really engaged in the topics we have covered. The focus has been on the theme's paper. We have looked at crime and punishment, social justice and views on religious and life. It has been really insightful to hear opinions on these different themes. Next year as they start year 11 we will be learning topics from the religion paper. We will be looking at Islam/Christianity beliefs and practices.
For our key stage 4 cohort I am hoping to organise trip to see a mosque, to allow the students to visualise what they will be learning.
Mrs Sheriff
We are thrilled to showcase the incredible talent and creativity of some of our Year 10 GCSE students. Over the past year, these young artists have explored various mediums, themes, and techniques, resulting in a
Mrs Chapman
MUSIC
The year 8 band are putting the finishing touches (including recording the guitar solo) to the song that they wrote together in the recording studio. Cyle, William, Tyler and Harrison have been rehearsing every lunchtime for most of the year working on covers and their own songs. They are entering their song into "The School Song UK" competition, which is a nationwide songwriting contest, but what makes them stand out is that they will be recording and producing the song themselves with help from their recording engineer Innocent Mupfumira also in year 8. We will keep you posted for the results and perhaps even release a snippet of the entry! They are also rehearsing for a break and lunchtime concert during alternative learning week.
The year 9 band have had a few changes to their lineup and now seem to have settled with Jasper, Edmund, Ollie as core members adding Aleks and Charlie. They are excited and rehearsing to play in their end of year celebration assembly. Unfortunately due to the trips and staffing commitments we have not been able to secure a similar slot for the year 9 band for alternative learning week but watch this space for open evening in September and the Winter concert in December!
The main focus of this term was to start the new coursework module for the Year 10 R069 assignment.
This piece of coursework focuses on Branding and the students have looked at the different strategies that they can adopt for Ali’s Ice-cream.
Early in the term the Year 11 sat their GCSE exams, and they prepared tirelessly for weeks prior to the exam. The students' engagement and preparation for the exams was brilliant and they are a credit to the school.
The commitment shown by both Year 10 and Year 11 to the subject this term has been exceptional, and they have built a strong foundation for their development in the subject next year.
Hope you all enjoy the Summer holidays,
Sixth form students are currently on work experience as part of their course. Students are doing really well and enjoying placements at their respective primary settings.
The new intake induction was well received and an exciting time for Chessington as our numbers increased. Part of their induction day was a visit to piglets preschool. All students expressed how much they enjoyed the visit.
Miss Rutledge
Mr Cox
CAREERS
YEAR 11
Following on from Careers Day at the end of year 10, the year 11s had further talks from Kingston College, NESCOT, Way to Work Apprenticeships and Hollyfield School. Students were then supported making their post 16 applications. Each student had a one-to-one interview with our Careers Adviser Mr Poole, who helped guide students on to their planned next steps, looking at all available options. In the first term, there was a Careers fair at Hollyfield school which many of the students attended, and some students went to an Apprenticeship Fair. By the time they started their GCSE exams, all students had a firm offer in place for post 16 and Mr Davey will be in school on results day to help advise students if necessary.
YEAR 10
The year 10 students have also had presentations from Kingston College, NESCOT, Way to Work Apprenticeships, Hollyfield School and also Esher College. They are aware of all the different types of pathways post 16, e.g A levels, BTEC, Apprenticeships, T levels and the various local providers. On the Careers Day during Alternative Learning week, the students benefited from a speed networking event, where they had the opportunity to meet a range of employers from various sectors, from Banking to Engineering, and Professional Sports clubs to Beauty Therapy. Our students are now aware of various jobs in the local area, and the career path they need to take to get there. As well as this, students also completed Virtual Work Experience with Springpod, and can now build on this whenever they like now they are registered to this platform.
YEAR 9
The year 9 students also benefited from Careers day during Alternative Learning Week and the speed networking event. They also completed a research task that has ensured they are familiar with all of our local further education providers. This was on top of presentations in assembly from NESCOT and Way to Work Apprenticeships. A small group of year 9s also enjoyed a trip to Gatwick Airport, to visit the newly opened STEM Centre. The students enjoyed making an electric vehicle and racing it, a water filtration exercise and the runway reflection challenge, amongst other activities. They also had an excellent talk from a British Airways Engineer regarding the work that a BA employee does worldwide. Year 9’s have also had their options evening that gave information regarding local labour markets, and advice and guidance regarding key stage 4 subjects and their influence over future career choices.
YEAR 8
The year 8 students benefited from a visit from 10 staff from Gatwick Airport from a range of STEM careers, who helped all students in the year group build electric vehicles, after a presentation on their development over recent years. Once again, the students enjoyed racing the cars that they built.
Also, in assembly the year 8 students had a talk from Kingston College, where key terminology like BTEC, ALevel, Vocational, Apprenticeships, and University were discussed. The presentation focussed on various skills needed for jobs in the future and how these could be developed.
YEAR 7
In PDW, the year 7 students had a half term focussed on Careers. The students have considered various jobs, the skills and qualities needed to successfully carry out these roles, assessing their own skills profile. They have been introduced to post 16 options and the key terminology.
YEAR 12 AND 13
Year 13 students were supported with their UCAS/Apprenticeship applications and all received firm offers for their next steps. The students also had a careers meeting with Mr Poole who gave the students ideas for consideration. Both year 12 and 13 students visited the Careers fair at Hollyfield school, attended the National Apprenticeship fair and had engaging careers talks from Chelsea Football Club, and the Owner of the Rig Gym. Year 12 Sport students also benefited from trips to Kingston University, St Mary’s University and Kingston College. There was also a visit to the Emirates Stadium for the University and Apprenticeship fair which had over 100 exhibitors. The students have also benefited from the onsite work experience, with our child development students working in our onsite nursery and the sport students assisting in lower school clubs and PE lessons. Finally, our child development students also benefited from two weeks work experience in a local primary school, and enjoyed visiting the Childcare and Education Expo at Olympia.
Mr Davey
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Ms Jacob has reviewed our current PDW and RSHE curriculum this year and is excited to announce some changes for September. These changes align with the DfE latest guidance, as well responding to the needs of our students. Please find more information in the following link
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