Aspire, Achieve, Enjoy
Newsletter
VALUES l Perseverance l Dedication l Empathy l Integrity l Responsibility
Summer 2018
Ofsted encouraged by school transformation OFSTED has hailed the “significant improvement” made at Twickenham School under the leadership of Headteacher Assal Ruse. The watchdog said Ms Ruse and her enthusiastic and committed team had helped to transform the school since taking the reins in 2016. The report said the school was led with “skill and passion” and praised the attitude and behaviour of pupils. The inspection found the school was Good in the categories of leadership and management as well as behaviour, personal development and welfare. Twickenham School was judged Requires Improvement overall. Inspectors did highlight areas for improvement and the school is driving forward for an even better report in the next inspection. The report said: “The school is led with skill and passion. The headteacher inspires staff at all levels to do the very best for pupils. “Many pupils make good progress because they are increasingly well-taught. Pupils are highly respectful of their teachers and confident that they are supported well. “Leaders have tackled inadequate teaching decisively and improvements are extremely well-led across the school. “Teaching and learning require improvement because developments have not yet had time to impact fully on pupils’ achievements.” Twickenham School is partnered with the Richmond West Schools Trust (RWST), which is supported by the headteacher of Waldegrave School, Philippa Nunn.
COMMITTED: Headteacher Ms Ruse has overseen a remarkable change
Trust CEO: Leadership key to improvement CEO for RWST Philippa Nunn (left) says she is impressed by the amount of progress made by Twickenham School since Ms Ruse took over. She said: “I would like to congratulate Ms Ruse
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on her great leadership of Twickenham School. Dramatic improvements in all areas of the school are evident and have been recognised by Ofsted. These judgements are especially impressive as it is
only 18 months since the previous Trust left the school. “RWST looks forward to continuing to work with Mrs Ruse to further improve Twickenham School.”
Twickenham School newsletter n Summer 2018
2018 OFSTED REPORT COMMENT
Head: We still need to make further progress
HEADTEACHER Ms Ruse says despite praise from Ofsted, there is still work to be done to improve the school even further. She said: “I am so proud of our students. I am pleased that Ofsted has recognised the significant improvements since the last inspection. We were left with an extremely challenging legacy. “Leaders across the school have been instrumental in driving improvement which would not have been possible without our dedicated, committed and hardworking staff and governors. “We have improved the school but we know there is still work to be done and we look forward to parents and staff supporting us to make Twickenham School even better.”
Hard work has paid dividends
Richmond Council’s Member for Children’s Services and Schools Cllr Penny Frost says the school is heading in the right direction. She said: “Over the past 18 months, Twickenham School has worked hard, with the support of Richmond West Schools Trust, to drive improvements. “This report shows that things are heading in the right direction. I look forward to working with the school to drive further improvement over the next few years.”
Communication is excellent
Parent Desiree Edwards, mother of Harmoni in Year 10 and Zenn in Year 11, says she would have no hesitation in recommending the school. She said: “The communication between the school to parents is excellent. Zenn has had consistent revision sessions run by his subject teachers to prepare for GCSEs. “On top of consistent academic support for Harmoni, she’ll also be visiting Belgium in July for history and Paris in December for art. Would I have recommended this school to others four to five years ago? Definitely not. Would I recommend this school today? I would, 100 per cent.”
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CHALLENGE: Twickenham School
Parents give their backing to Twickenham PARENTS SURVEY 88% would recommend Twickenham 92% say their child is happy at school 93% say children are well behaved 87% say they are well taught 89% say they are making good progress
A REMARKABLE 88 per cent of parents would recommend Twickenham School, according to a survey conducted by Ofsted. When asked by the education watchdog, the overwhelming majority said they would advise other parents to pick Twickenham School for their children. The poll also revealed that 92 per cent of parents either agree or strongly agree that their children are happy at the school. A total of 89 per cent of parents said their child is making good progress, 87 per cent said they are well taught while 93 percent said students were well behaved.
Commissioner impressed by tour NATIONAL Schools Commissioner Dominic Herrington praised the school for making “tremendous progress”. Mr Herrington (left) met Headteacher Assal Ruse and was given a tour of the school by students when he visited in July. He later commented on Twitter, praising the school and thanking Ms Ruse and the students for showing him around. His tweet reads: “It was great to meet you all and see what tremendous progress you are making. Thank you for your time.” Ms Ruse said: “There can be no higher praise for a school than from the National Schools Commissioner. “It really is a wonderful indication of just how much this school is improving that we are being praised by such a respected figure.”
Twickenham School newsletter n Summer 2018
2018 Ofsted Report: Comment 2018 OFSTED REPORT COMMENT
Parents can now look forward with confidence Chair of the PTA Joan Gibson talks about the rapid improvements made by the school in the two years since Ms Ruse took charge. excellent pastoral care, great leadership and rapidly rising standards. We really enjoyed the publication of the Ofsted report. The parent survey by Ofsted is also worth a mention, with positive responses in the 90+% area. Parents and students are clearly so happy with Twickenham School. Our only disagreement with Ofsted is we think they were being rather harsh with their two Requires Improvement judgements. However, every school should look to improve and this team have shown in every way they are capable of doing it. We look forward to the future with complete confidence in our school team.”
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It is so pleasing to see the huge improvements made by the team at Twickenham School recognised by Ofsted. This wonderful team started in Special Measures with just two terms to get Year 11 students ready for their GCSE exams. Not only did they achieve the best GCSE results this school has known in recent years but they have now moved out of Special Measures in record time. In just two years, they have jumped two grades to be rated Good in the areas of leadership and management as well as behaviour, personal development and welfare. This is amazing progress, which we as parents see every day in the way our children are being educated. As parents, we were so pleased Ofsted recognised our children’s good behaviour, the
Cucina in the spotlight after year in operation Year 7 BBC School Reporters Annabel Dorling and Ajmal Amin interviewed Cucina Head Chef Mark Shepherd on the first anniversary of the restaurant at Twickenham School... What changes have you made to turn the canteen into a restaurant? We make fresh food every day, including bread, just like a restaurant. As well as the scheduled menu, we also offer a special every day. Do you think that you kept the promises you made? Yes, we offer a variety of food catering for lots of different needs, including food allergies. We are also open to special requests. Have you tried anything that failed? Yes, everyone makes mistakes and you learn from them. In the first few months we also had to get to know what’s popular. How often is there a change in the menu? We work on a three-week cycle and every academic year we totally re-work the menu. Where do you get your inspiration from? I have worked in a lot of different places and you learn what people like. Are you planning any special treats for your one-year anniversary? Well, we planned to celebrate with a special Willy Wonka Themed Day with lots of chocolate treats. What are your ambitions for the future of the restaurant? We hope that as the school becomes bigger, we can expand and offer even more choices.
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Twickenham School newsletter n Summer 2018
Festival gives dance students a taste for performing TWICKENHAM SCHOOL students performed contemporary dance to an audience of 800 at DanceWest’s Ignition Dance Festival. The students wowed the audience with their In-Contrast dance performance at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, in May. Year 8 Hannah Topping said: “It was really nerve-wracking because that was by far the biggest audience we have performed to.” Fellow Year 8 Arifka Pashaji added: “We had put so much hard work into the performance, so we really did not want to let ourselves down. “Fortunately, it went really well and it has now given us a taste of performing to larger crowds.”
Clarinet opens new horizons for Monique Year 9 clarinet prodigy Monique Smith will travel to Luxembourg this month to participate in a five-day music festival. Monique is one of the youngest members of Hounslow Music Service, with the trip to Luxembourg being her first opportunity to play in a major venue. Performances will mostly feature pop music, just one of the wide array of genres Monique has mastered while learning the clarinet. Monique was offered a four-year scholarship by HMS shortly after first playing the instrument in a primary school music lesson when she was nine. The festival in Luxembourg will only be Monique’s second musical tour after playing in France two years ago. Monique said: “The music we’re playing is feel good and upbeat, so I just hope everyone who comes will enjoy themselves. “Twickenham school has been very understanding and supportive by allowing me to practise in music lessons. “I was initially drawn to the clarinet by its unique look – I’d never seen anything like it before! “The last time I went abroad was for the music festival in France two years ago, so I really can’t wait to explore somewhere new with Hounslow Music Service.” Monique thanked the music teachers at her school for encouraging talent, giving special mention to Mr Martin and Mr Logue.
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Deserved accolade for Lilly’s writing
Talented: Monique with Mr Logue Hounslow Music Service works with schools across the borough to support musical education and has recruited more than 12,000 young instrumentalists and vocalists.
YEAR 7 student Lilly Rose-Hards has received high commendation from Richmond Library Association for a book review. Despite having no prior experience in book reviewing or winning writing awards, Lily (above) picked up the coveted commendation for a very strong piece of work. Lily was tasked, along with her class, to write a review of a book she had recently read for homework. She chose ‘Wolf Brother’ by Michelle Paver, a book set 6,001 years ago during the New Stone Age and telling the story of a young boy who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a wolf cub. Lily said: “I have never won an award for writing before, so this has really boosted my confidence and encouraged me to read and write lots more. “The great thing about reading is it lets you fly off into your own world for as long as you want.”
Twickenham School newsletter n Summer 2018
TWICKENHAM SCHOOL COMMENT
Students continue to amaze us with their talents Headteacher Assal Ruse reflects on a busy yet rewarding final term of the academic year. Our brilliant students continue to surprise and amaze us with their achievements, both inside the school and out. You will read in this newsletter about the brilliant Alfie Jones and his success at motocross; and our team of talented footballers and their achievements; the talented musician Monique Smith and her European tour of Luxembourg; and so much more.
Alfie in the hunt for national title
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Parents’ group growing fast Our Facebook group admin and parent Ellie Sant says parents are using the forum to stay up to date with events at the school this term...
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in motocross but the biggest has to be to race in the Monster Cup, that would be massive.” Alfie also thanked Twickenham School for helping him keep on top of his studies while he races. He added: “I sometimes have to miss school but the teachers here are very good and make sure that I can catch up. “They make me realise how important my studies are alongside my racing.”
Our Facebook page is going from strength to strength. We now have more than 200 members and are steadily growing, with more parents joining up. It has proved to be a hugely beneficial platform for parents to be kept up to date with daily events at school, as well as a place where you can ask specific questions. Secondary schools generally send out the information for the relevant year group but nothing beats a good old-fashioned face-to-face (albeit virtually) plus it is also great to see what other year groups are up to and share their successes. This term has been a busy one. We have been posting about Year 11 GCSEs, Years 7 to 10 year-end exams, the Ofsted inspection, and numerous curriculumbased trips from Greenwich Observatory to Thorpe Park. There have been lots of sports updates including football, cricket and rounders matches – too many to mention here. We have also heard about our new Year 8 Buddies, new Head Boy and Girl and new Deputy Head Boy and Girl, the Summer Concert and Sports Day. To join the group search Friends of Twickenham School on Facebook and click to join.
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MOTOCROSS prodigy Alfie Jones will be hoping it’s third time lucky as he bids for his first national championship. The Year 9 student currently tops the leaderboard of the 85cc under-16s British Youth National Championship, after winning six of the competition’s first 12 races. But the youngster is taking nothing for granted, having led the championship twice in previous years only to miss out due to injury before the final round of races. He said: “I have led the competition twice before but had to pull out because I broke bones racing just before the final round of races. “Yes, it is very disappointing to go so far only to fall at the last bit, but it has made me all the more focused to win this time around. “I won’t be thinking about my injuries when I go into my next round of races. You have to concentrate and be determined if you want to succeed.” Alfie, who started riding aged seven after his dad bought him a bike, travels up and down the country to compete in races. His talent has given him the opportunity to race across the globe, including in America, Australia and Dubai. As one of the top three riders in the country, Alfie will represent the UK at the Junior Motocross World Championship near Sydney in August. His ambition is to one day compete in the Monster Cup in America, where riders can win up to £1 million. He added: “To represent your country is a huge honour. It shows that you have put the practice in and made sure you are the best you can be. I have so many ambitions for my career
Most pleasing of all though, is our survey of parents. The fact that 88 per cent of parents would recommend us makes all the hard work and striving worthwhile. I wish our departing Year 11 students the best of luck and extend a warm welcome to our new Year 7 cohort starting in September. Finally, I would like to take the time to say a big thank-you to our students, staff and mostly to our families for their support this year. The hard work starts again in earnest next September. In the meantime, please enjoy the summer.
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As teachers, students and a community, we continue to strive for improvement every single day. This term has certainly been the busiest and most rewarding I have had as Headteacher of this school. As you will read in this newsletter, we have had a visit from Ofsted. It was extremely pleasing to see the hard work carried out at our committed and dedicated school had been acknowledged by the inspectors. We have the most wonderfully dedicated teachers at this school. As a team, we share the same vision and values which help our students Aspire, Achieve and Enjoy.
Twickenham School newsletter n Summer 2018
Steaua call-up a dream come true for Andrei Josh hits the target to fund Tanzania trip YEAR 10 Joshua Poncia received £2,000 in donations for a trip to Tanzania after beating his personal target in a 10k charity race. Joshua smashed his target of 40 minutes by running the race in a staggering 38 mins and 45 seconds. He expressed gratitude to Golden Grill in particular, whose owner promised to donate £500 if Joshua managed to run it in under 40 minutes. Joshua ran the Turks Head 10k to fund his trip to help build homes and improve conditions in Tanzania, an initiative organised by the Camps International charity. Joshua said: “I’m very happy about breaking 40 minutes and raising £2,000 to help people who haven’t been offered the same opportunities as we get in Twickenham School.”
A BUDDING footballer has thanked the school for “keeping his feet on the ground” after signing his first professional contract. Goalkeeper Andrei Stanescu, 16, signed a two-year contract with Steaua Bucharest after impressing during a trial over Easter. Andrei said that his teachers had kept him focused while studying and taking his GCSEs. He had the choice of playing for London sides Fulham or Chelsea but says the pull of his hometown club was too strong. Andrei, who also plays for the Romanian youth national team, will now return to Romania this summer time for the club’s preseason training. He said: “It is an amazing opportunity for me. When they asked me to sign I can’t explain the feeling. It’s like everything you have ever dreamt of and worked for is coming true. “The chance to play for my hometown club was something I could not pass up. I know Chelsea and Fulham are big clubs but think I will have more opportunities to get into the first team at Steaua. “It will be great training with the first team as lots of the players there will be my idols.” He added: “The school has been amazing. When you are wrapped up in football then it is hard to keep yourself focused on studies but teachers here have made me realise how important it is. “They have really taught me to keep my feet on the ground and made sure I am well prepared for all my exams.
“They have been very supportive of my career. I will be sad to leave the school.” Headteacher Assal Ruse said: “It is always a pleasure to hear when young people excel at anything. “Andrei is a delightful student and deserves all the success. He has worked incredibly hard to earn this achievement.”
Megan’s Rotary talk STUDENT Megan Coster (above) gave a presentation to the Twickenham Rotary Club at the end of her sponsored activity week at the Ashurst Activity Centre.
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PRIMARY students joining us next September in Year 7 took part in a range of fun educational activities at our Transition Day in July.
Twickenham School newsletter n Summer 2018
Boys lift the Borough Cup OUR Year 10 boys’ football team won on penalties to reclaim the Richmond Borough Cup. The team emerged victorious over rivals Richard Reynolds following a close-fought final. They had already topped their group following two draws and a victory to reach the final. The team had lost in the final last year, having taken the title in Year 8. Aston Nunn scored the winning penalty to seal victory. He said: “It was great to win because we lost the final last year and it felt good to win back our championship.”
Striker Luke chasing his own ‘World Cup’ dream WHILE the world’s best football players were taking to the main stage at the World Cup, Year 10 Luke Plange was playing for his own trophy against youth teams from across the world. Striker Luke was preparing to line up for We Make Footballers at the world’s largest youth tournament, the Gothia Cup – nicknamed the Youth World Cup. They will be competing against 1,700 teams across the globe to prove that they are the best in youth football Luke, who also plays for Arsenal FC, says he is looking forward to the tournament which is held in Gothenburg, Sweden, every year. He said: “I have played abroad before with Arsenal but not at such a big tournament. “This is the World Cup of youth football so there is no bigger stage for a young footballer. I’m really excited.” Luke said support from the school has helped him stay grounded and focused on his studies. He added: “Football at the level I play at is quite pressured, even at my age, but this school has really helped me stay grounded. “They have kept me focused on my education and shown how important it is to keep on track.”
Observatory visit YEAR 10 students supported their learning in GCSE physics during a trip to the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
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OUR new Head Girl Hannah Palmer and Head Boy Oscar Jansen pose for a picture with Ms Ruse. Also pictured are Deputy Head Girl Sadie BradfordCollier and Deputy Head Boy Alfie Jones.
Twickenham School newsletter n Summer 2018
YEAR 11 students were rewarded for their hard work during the exam season with a school Prom held in July.
Rugby trio make their mark for county side Three Twickenham School students have been selected to play for the Middlesex Year 10 rugby team this term. William Marson, Alfie Jones and Oscar Jansen were chosen to represent the county after impressing at trials held at the beginning of the year. They have since played in matches against teams from the south-east counties, including Sussex, Hampshire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey. It is believed Twickenham School has the highest number of players from any one school in the squad – despite it being largely made up of independent schools. Back row Oscar said: “It makes me so proud to represent my county and my school. The school has really helped me improve my leadership skills. “I have been able to take this out on to the rugby pitch and it has vastly helped to improve my game.” Fly half William, who has also captained the team, said: “I have a real passion for rugby and I think that shows on the pitch. “I have been playing the game for 11 years so it is good to have something to show for it.” Second row Alfie added: “It is fantastic to be
County call: The Middlesex team in action
able to represent your county alongside your school friends. “We all motivate each other to improve and get better. There is also a great camaraderie in the team which makes it special.” Head of PE Mr Bryan said: “We are so proud of these boys. It takes dedication to succeed
in sport and is a real honour to represent your county. “I am sure this will the first of many appearances for these boys who, being great role models in the school, will encourage a host of Twickenham students to earn their county colours in the future.”
Runs are the ideal warm-up EARLY morning runs are helping students get fit and prepare for lessons. That is the verdict of Year 8 Hannah Topping, who takes part in Running Club every Wednesday morning. The group is run by Head of PE Mr Bryan, who leads students and staff on routes across Whitton.
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Hannah said: “I am very athletic so I like to be a part of anything involving running. “Running Club helps you stay fit but it is also very good at getting energy out, so you can concentrate in class. “I have double science on Wednesday morning so it has been really helpful for that.”
Twickenham School newsletter n Summer 2018