News

 

Dear Parents, Carers and Students,

Welcome to our newsletter for the sixth week of the Autumn Term 2023. It’s Week B with year assemblies taking place. October is Black History month with the focus this year being ‘celebrating our sisters’ - an opportunity to celebrate the achievements and contributions of black women throughout history.  As well as diversity being celebrated through the curriculum, there will also be special activities taking place throughout the month. 

I am pleased to report that our whole school attendance figures remain strong - above the national average at 94%. Congratulations to Y12 whose attendance last week was 96.7%, followed by Y7 with 95.5%. At Lampton our target for all students is attendance of 96% or better. Time taken off through absence has a direct impact on how successful your child will be at school. Being on time to school is crucially important too as is punctuality to lessons throughout the day. At Lampton we have a very large site with buildings spread out - it’s important that students move with purpose and pace between lessons to make sure that not a minute of learning time is lost.

Our enrichment programme is going from strength to strength and this week sees the following trips taking place: Y10 to Kew Gardens and EAL to Hounslow Library. Further afield, Y10 and Y11 linguists will be visiting Berlin from 10th - 13th October.

This week sees the deadline for UCAS early entry applications - this is for students who are aspiring to study at Oxford or Cambridge universities or to study medicine, dentistry or veterinary science. My thanks to staff who are supporting these students and good luck to those who are applying to these highly competitive and prestigious courses.

As we approach the Autumn half-term break, it’s an opportune time to remind you of the requirements for school uniform as the weather becomes colder.

Coats:

BLACK ONLY. No coloured jackets. Outside jackets should be at least of blazer length (i.e ‘Bomber’, ‘Puffer’ jackets or ‘Hoodies’ are not suitable.) Motifs on jackets are not allowed.

Scarves:  

Neck scarves may be worn in cold weather. They should be black in colour and plain. Very large scarves are not permitted and will be confiscated.

Thank you for your support in this matter. Clothing which does not conform to these expectations will be confiscated and returned to the student at the end of the day. Persistent breaches will lead to further school sanctions such as community service and Reflection Room.

With best wishes for the week ahead.

Stephen Davis

 

Safeguarding briefing - Mental Health and Wellbeing 

World Mental Health Day is about raising awareness of mental health and driving positive change for everyone’s mental health. Good mental health allows us to cope with challenges, connect with others and thrive throughout our lives. It’s vital and deserves to be recognised and respected. Talking is good for your mental health but starting a conversation isn’t always easy. 

Here are some top tips on talking to someone about their mental health:

• Find a good place to talk without distractions

• Listen & ask questions

• Ask how you can help

Chat Health offers support for young people and is a Hounslow initiative:

07507333176 - 9am - 4pm 

Also, try the following websites for advice and guidance: 

Kooth - www.kooth.com

Childline 0800 1111

Anna Freud for Children and Young People: For children and young people | Anna Freud

 

Attendance and Punctuality 

It is vitally important for your child’s academic success and personal development that they attend school on time and on a full time basis. The school target is for 96% attendance or better. At 96%, this would still result in 37.5 hours of lost learning across the school year. 90% in a test would be a very good result however, in terms of attendance, this is regarded as persistently absent and will be followed up by the school. 90% attendance results in 95 hours of lost learning and 19 days of whole absence. 

 We do appreciate that there are times your child is ill - please provide evidence from a medical professional of this illness and here is the NHS guide to support families: 

Is my child too ill for school? - NHS

Furthermore, arriving persistently late to school is regarded as an unauthorised absence and will impact your child’s attendance figure. This could result in a referral to the Student Support Attendance Service. 

Please find below documents which may help: 

School attendance and absence: Overview - GOV.UK

School attendance and absence - childlawadvice.org.uk

If you are worried about your child/children’s attendance the first step is to discuss your concerns with the school directly. The school has specialist staff who may be able to help. 

Thank you to all parents and carers who support their child’s attendance and punctuality.