Message from the Headteacher, Mr C Richards:
This week, our pupils have been settling into routines and getting to know their teachers. Uniforms have been excellent in general, even outside school. I’ve told many pupils asking why they still need to look smart outside school that they are still representatives of the school and if they look scruffy, that is the impression the general public will have of the school.
We welcomed parents of year 13 and year 12 last Thursday evening to hear about how to prepare for exams and their journey through sixth form. This Thursday, it was the turn of year 10 families to find out all about Key Stage 4. To keep abreast of all forthcoming parental events, please do check our website.
Villiers is still following the governmental advice on Covid which is to “stay at home and avoid contact with other people for three days. This is because children and young people tend to be infectious to other people for less time than adults.” If your child doesn’t test positive for Covid but is still unwell and you’re not sure whether to send them in, please consult this NHS guidance. If families have concerns for their child’s wellbeing beyond this, please send a message to safeguarding@villiers.ealing.sch.uk
Open Evening and Late Start 22/09/23
Every year we have an open evening for families thinking of sending their children to Villiers for High School in year 7. A lot of time and effort goes into the event making sure we are putting our best foot forward. Expect to receive permission letters for your child who may be asked to help at this event which goes on until 7.30pm. As a result of the late finish on Thursday evening (21st September) and the tidying up that ensues, we will be starting at 9.20am the next day (22nd September). This means that free breakfast club starts at 8.45 (the earliest pupils will be allowed into school through gate 6 on Villiers Road). All pupils will be expected to be through gate 6 by 9.17am and in tutor rooms by 9.20am. If they arrive at the gate after 9.17am, they are late. There will be a late start the following Friday 29th September too given we have our “Into 6th form evening” Thursday 28th September which also has a late finish.
Catering at Villiers
Late Breakfast club
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day supporting good concentration and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
We provide a free breakfast for all students to help them have the best start to the day. Our menu options contain porridge, brown toast, flapjacks, scrambled eggs, beans, hot chocolate, juice and water.
Next Friday (22nd September) we will host a late breakfast for students from 8:45am until 9:15am.
Lunch service
Our aim is to ensure that all aspects of food and nutrition in the canteen promote healthy choices for the school community. We achieve this by:
1. Providing a welcoming environment.
2. Providing great value.
3. Providing a variety of food options.
4. Providing mealtime supervision.
5. Providing a cashless service to remove any stigma from free school meal users.
6. Promoting social responsibility by encouraging all dining hall users to use recycling and food waste bins.
7. We hold a 5* rating from the Environmental Health Agency for food safety, and all catering staff are fully trained in food preparation, food safety, safety at work and allergy awareness.
8. We have a Catering School Council to provide valuable feedback so we can keep improving and innovating.
9. And because VHS Catering is wholly operated by VHS, our primary focus is always the health and wellbeing of our young people.
ParentPay
We have included video guidance for families to view which gives details on how to set up a ParentPay account. You can find further information on the ParentPay help page. For further queries or if you are unable to set up your account, please contact the school office via email on info@villiers.ealing.sch.uk
How do I pay for my items? (Video)
ParentPay guide (Video)
Any ID cards, holders, lanyards, blazer badges or school planners purchased via ParentPay must be collected from the school office (not the canteen).
Mobile phones and headphones: “Not seen, not taken”
Last week, we only confiscated 12 phones which is a very small number given the number of pupils at school. As I mentioned in the lead up to the Summer holidays, as of September 2023 smart phones and headphones (including in-ear and AirPods) will not be allowed to be used on the school site by students from Year 7 – 11. Sixth formers will be allowed to use these items only in their dedicated areas (6D1 and 6D2) if given permission by the staff in there and not elsewhere on the school site.
This is to support students with concentration, increasing opportunities to develop social skills, high quality play and oracy, as a method of avoiding cyber-bullying and to prevent loss or theft. If you wish your child to have a mobile phone with them on the way to or from school, this is fine. Non smart phones are often cheaper and more durable e.g. this example from Tesco.
These phones should be switched off during the day and kept in bags. AirPods or headphones may be used on the way to and from school, but need to be put away before reaching the school gate. Should these items be seen (NB not necessarily in use) within the school gates, they will be confiscated and parents (not pupils) are welcome to collect them at the end of the week from 3.45pm. If the incident happens on a Friday, then the items may be collected the following Friday. If you wish to discuss this or have any further feedback, please get in touch.
Parent Governor Vacancy
There is currently one vacancy for a parent governor to join the Governing Board at Villiers High School. Our parent governors are valuable members of the Governing Board which supports the school and also holds school leaders to account. Parent governors provide a vital link between the school and the wider community and help us to decide what is best for all our pupils. Governors play a key role in continuing to drive improvement.
Further details can be found in the letter above, for your information.
How to apply
Below is a link to download the nomination form. You can nominate yourself or another parent using this form. If you require further forms, these can be collected from the school office. Please return the nomination form by Friday 29 September, 2023 to info@villiers.ealing.sch.uk with “Parent Governor Vacancy” as the subject title.
Year 10 (and Year 11) Science books
Y10s are directed to purchase CGP GCSE Science revision guides by the end of September. Students are expected to bring the revision guides to every science lesson. Students are advised to speak to their science teacher regarding which guide and tier to purchase if they are unsure. Payments are to be made via ParentPay.
Any Year 11 students who have misplaced their revision guides are also required to purchase a revision guide.
If you need support to purchase these guides, please contact your child’s Head of Year.
Guidebook
We have compiled a helpful guidebook for parents and students at Villiers, containing valuable information about external organisations that offer support and guidance.
Should you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out:
Mr. Silva or
Mr. M Abdulrahman (Parent Ambassadors )
Telephone: 020 8813 8001, ext. 1016.
Off Beat Sari exhibition
As part of our study of Graphic and Textiles Design GCE & GCSE, students were lucky enough to have visited The Design Museum in Holland Park. The purpose of the trip was to allow the students to take primary sourced images for their coursework.
At the Design Museum students enjoyed the sights of the Off Beat Sari exhibition, curated by Priya Khanchandani. This exhibition unravels the Sari’s numerous forms, demonstrating it to be a metaphor for the layered and complex definitions of India today. It brings together dozens of the finest saris of our time from designers, wearers and craftspeople in India.
Gardener
We are pleased to inform the school community we have recruited our replacement gardener. Amanda is an award-winning professional gardener and designer with experience in both teaching and horticultural practice.
Having trained to become a gardener and later gaining a degree in garden design she has experience working in a diverse range of gardens and outdoor spaces, both private and public. From working with private clients and school communities developing outdoor learning spaces, most notably she was instrumental in setting up and developing the Teaching Garden within the gardens of Hampton Court Palace. Amanda is involved in developing and supporting horticulturally related community projects.
She is looking forward to playing a key role in the development of the school’s journey towards greater sustainability. Amanda will work two days per week and one day during the winter season. Her focus will be on planting rather than grounds maintenance, so the school has a variation of seasonal interest around the grounds.
Autumn Term extra curricular clubs timetable (lunchtime)
At Villiers we are very proud of our enrichment offer. This Friday we held an exciting Enrichment Fair where your child signed up for extracurricular clubs. Please see the timetable for all activities taking place this term. The sessions start from Monday, September 18th.
Summer renovations on school site
The school opened in 1907 and was designed by Architect Harry George Crothall (1865-1929), with an emphasis on natural daylight, wellness and ventilation. Over several years the area became tied, uninspiring and lacked creativity. We have respectfully tried to restore many original features but notably introduced our sustainability and inclusivity values. Technological upgrades have allowed for any type of meeting to take place, effortlessly. We believe the projects have been beautifully welcomed by the school community. We wanted to take this opportunity to officially share this with our wider stakeholders and the progress we have made in six weeks. We hope you enjoy using these areas and it inspires you all to bring nature-based values in your life and see the calming impact it can potentially have. Special thanks to our sustainability architect Clare Bowman who has been instrumental to the success of this at RCZM Architects.
“It has been a privilege to bring the schools sustainable and nature-based values to life and restore the original school for pupils, staff and school community to flourish” Clare Bowman RHS Chelsea 2021 Designer Gold Medal Winner
Key Forthcoming Dates
For our major events, please check here.
| 20/09/23 | Year 13 Science and Engineering research trip to Imperial College. |
| 21/09/23 | NB School finishes at 1420 on a Thursday each week. School Photo Day. Open Evening for incoming year 6s (1700 – 1930). |
| 22/09/23 | Late start for all: 0920 in tutor rooms. Breakfast club begins at 8.45am and pupils must be through the gate by 0917. |
| 26/09/23 | Year 11 and 13 DT Trip to the Victoria and Albert Museum. |
| 28/09/23 | NB School finishes at 1420 on a Thursday each week. Year 11 Preparation for Exam Success and into 6th form evening (1700 – 1930). |
| 29/09/23 | Late start for all: 0920 in tutor rooms. Breakfast club begins at 8.45am and pupils must be through the gate by 0917. Year 10 Art Trip to Kew Gardens. Deadline for Assistant Deputy Head Student applications to Ms Qadri. |
Get in Touch
If you have any suggestions on how to improve the school further or any concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch via email: info@villiers.ealing.sch.uk