Chiswick School, Burlington Lane, London W4 3UN. Telephone 0208 747 0031

Also available online at www.chiswickschool.org 14th January 2013 - Issue 12Student Services Direct Line 020 8747 6655 to report your child ill or late.

D i a r y D a t e s

The PTA would like to encourage you to attend the monthly Car Boot Sales held on the school site every first Sunday in the month, except in January when there is no sale. You can come either as a seller or a shopper.Entrance – Cars £15Cars - side on £30 Vans £30 Larger Vans and Vehicles £60 Walk in Sellers £10Shoppers 50p Car Parking before 9am (includes occupants)£5Disabled parking (includes occupants) £3Tables can be hired at £5 each with a deposit of £25. Sellers are let in from 7am. The sale hours are from 8am to 1pm.Note: Chiswick students may sell their own possessions at the sale as ‘walkers-in’ and will not be charged but if a student is accompanied by a parent with a car, normal rates apply. They can rent a table at no charge using their School Diary as a deposit, but if the items for sale belong to the parents, the normal hire fee applies. The PTA would also welcome hearing from any parent(s) interested in helping at these sales. Please contact Jay Sordyl jsordyl1@gmail.com

YOUR SCHOOL NEEDS YOU!

JANUARYMon 14th - Fri 25th

Sixth Form Interviews

Mon 14th - Fri 1st FebGCE/GCSE Exam Window

Thu 24thYear 11 Parents Evening

Fri 25thGeography Year 12 Field Trip

Mon 28th - Fri 8th FebYear 9 Pathways Interviews

FEBRUARYTue 5th

Year 12 Economics TripYear 12 Parents Evening

Wed 6thW4 Trip

Thu 7thYear 12 Economics Trip

Tue 12thSchool Play Rehearsal dayEPQ Presentation Evening

Your Weekly Newsletter

Mock Results Event Inspires Year 11 to Improve

CHISWICK SCHOOL

Year 11 students took an important step towards their GCSE examinations on Friday 11th January, as the school gave out the students mock GCSE examina-tion results by running a mock exam results day. 'I was nervous, but also grateful, of the opportunity to experi-ence what August will be like before-hand!' one student told me.

At the end of the day, Year 11 Students were given a short presentation in the hall by Miss Mills, before they received their mock GCSE exam results. The hall was awash with smiling faces as the stu-dents celebrated their results. Many of the leadership team and teaching staff were on hand to offer congratulations, and also support to those students who had not achieved the results that they had expected. However, these students have been given a new focus and deter-mination to improve their grades.

Year 11 students were provided with a taster of that moment in August when they will be opening an envelope of GCSE results for real. Miss Mills, As-

sistant Headteacher, said 'It was good how affecting the experience was for students. We hope students will be in-spired to do even better in the real ex-ams'.

Our Year 11 students are now looking forward to the challenge of the GCSE exams this summer, and the success that is guaranteed to follow if they put the work in in their real exams.

By MaryaM Khalifa

Year 11s with results.

Year 9 Parents Flock To Pathways evening

Korean Teachers Enjoy day at Chiswick

Last Wednesday, our school played host to a group of Korean teachers who had come to visit London and learn more about our education. They are taking part in a winter programme at Kingston University, where they will enhance their English language skills, see UK schools and experience the cul-ture. Their government pays for these trips to learn about how foreign schools are run; when the teachers return they will share new ideas they have noticed in western schools.

The teachers observed a German les-son and said the students were ‘very engaged’ and ‘motivated’. They also visited the library, dining hall and gym; their overall impression being that the school was ‘big’. The fingerprint system in the canteen was also of interest as, in Korea, students’ food is paid for by the government.

In comparison to our school, they said their own schools were also ‘pretty big, with over 1000 students’ however ‘the

A hall full of Year 9 students and their parents listened with interest to a pres-entation given by Mr. Whiting (Deputy Head) about courses available in Year 10 and beyond.

Mr Whiting explained the aims behind the curriculum. ‘We want everyone to achieve their best’, he said, ‘And

buildings are not so big’. Where our school has different rooms for different subjects, their students stay in the same room and the teachers move around the school.

One of the teachers said ‘I felt very comfortable here because of how simi-lar our schools are...it was almost like being in Korea, except for a different language!’ Mr Ryan said of the visit ‘Korea are doing very well in the inter-national school league tables... so I am very interested in Korean schools and would like to know more.’

The trip confirms Chiswick School’s sta-tus as a welcoming and diverse school with a lot to offer its visitors.

By laura reid

we want as many pupils as possible to achieve their 5 GCSEs with English and Maths in Year 11. Achieving this is most important as it leads to study at the next level.’

He also explained that students in Year 9 would face challenges other years have not faced. ‘There will be more pressure on you at the end of Year 11’, he continued, ‘because most exams will take place then. Modular exams will no longer exist.’

Nusi Bello and Otis Denison from Year 13 gave the audience the benefit of their advice. Otis explained the decisions he had taken which has now set him up to study American Studies and History at Sussex University. Nusi on the other hand had studied Health and Social Care and was now in a position to ap-ply to study midwifery at university. ‘Make sure you study a course you en-joy and are interested in’, she advised. ‘It makes it worth dragging yourself to school in the morning.’

The evening concluded with two talks from Ms Jesson and Ms Lawrence. They spoke about careers lessons in PSCHE and how to use the Careers Programme Fast Tomato. Parents went home better informed about their offspring’s future choices and in a better position to help them make the right decisions.

If you are a parent who either could not make it to the evening or who would like to look at the presentation slides again, please go to……

http://www.chiswickschool.org/page/?title=Year+9&pid=425#

Head teacher Causes a StormMr. Ryan, Chiswick’s Head teacher has caused a Twitter storm with his letter to parents available on the website. The letter expressed concerns about current government policy on assessment and marginalisation of the arts in the cur-riculum.

Mr Ryan’s main anxiety though was about the speed of change being im-posed on schools. He assured parents that Chiswick School would ensure any decisions made would be in the best in-terests of students regardless of exter-nal pressures.

On Twitter and other internet sites sev-eral approving comments were made by parents and educationalists. ‘At last a head teacher who is telling it like it is,’ said one. The Chiswick School web-site received 6000 hits soon after the letter was published, many more than normal.