Message from the Headteacher, Mr C Richards:
Years 11 and 13 are coming to the end of their mock exams and, by mid-week next week, every exam will have finished. Thank you to all the families who have supported them through this tricky time and to the teachers and professional services staff who have made sure they are thoroughly prepared and that all goes to plan. We eagerly await the results! What is most important however, is not the results, but the learning that has come from the experience: How did your preparations turn out? What routines did you get into to set you up for the day? What surprised you about sitting in the gym? Which bits of your revision for certain subjects went well and what was less successful? Making a note of this while it’s all still fresh in their minds is important.
We are looking forward to the Villiers Festival of Reading and Rewards month which take place from next week (more below) as well as our Rollapuluza challenge celebrating the start of the new school streets initiative on Monday. One important detail that had not been communicated correctly to us by the scheme is that the cameras are active from 8.10am NOT 8.15am which will make a difference to some of you. So to be clear, you can only enter Boyd Avenue and Villiers Road with a permit between the hours of 8.10 and 8.50am and 2.30 and 3.30pm. A reminder that this is to make the roads safer and cleaner for our students and encourage even more of them to walk to school which is important for the environment.
Finally, it would be remiss of me as a Welshman not to wish everyone a happy St David’s Day. Have a good weekend!
March is Rewards Month at Villiers
We are excited to introduce our first Rewards Month at Villiers. This is an opportunity for us to focus on all of the brilliant learning, activities and conduct that we see every day in school. Staff are ready to reward pupils who are using the values of the school, working hard in lessons, are on time to school everyday and for contributing positively to the life of the school.
More rewards news to follow next week!
National Attendance Awards
We were very pleased to receive two National Attendance Awards from the Fisher Family Trust this week. The Fisher Family Trust collects daily attendance data from over 10,000 schools across the country which helps schools to track, monitor and compare their attendance. The National Attendance Awards Villiers received show us as being in the top 10% of similar Secondary Schools in England, and the top 25% of all Secondary Schools in England. The awards are an acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication of staff, pupils, parents, and carers in ensuring excellent achievement for all our students during the autumn term. We would like to say a big thank you to all the students and families who have contributed to these awards by always ensuring they are in school, on-time and ready to learn. Without your never-ending support and your desire for your children to achieve at school, we wouldn’t be recognised with these awards.
Festival of reading
We are delighted to announce the launch of our inaugural Book Fest, a month-long celebration of reading aimed at promoting literacy and a lifelong love of books among students. The Book Fest features a variety of events and activities throughout the month of March to spark students’ interest in reading, including a guest author visit, a book cover design contest, and rewards for students who meet reading goals. The festivities will be underpinned by a school-wide reading month. Our goal is for students to walk away from the Book Fest with a renewed passion for reading and vivid memories of events that will inspire them to pick up books for years to come.
GCSE Transition: Options Selection
Our Year 9s are enjoying a range of taster sessions, workshops and events to support them in choosing their GCSE options for next year. Selection forms will go live on Friday 8th March. Do check our new GCSE Transition page on the website for an overview of the process (shared by Ms Welsford on Parents’ Evening).
Life Skills for University: Villiers MasterChef on a Budget!
We’re thrilled to announce the success of our recent “Villiers MasterChef on a Budget” competition! In this exciting event, students put their culinary skills to the test by creating delicious and nutritious meals, all while staying within a budget.
This competition not only allowed students to explore their creativity in the kitchen, but also provided valuable life skills that will prepare them for university life:
- Budgeting: Students learned to plan their meals, shop wisely, and stretch their resources, essential skills for managing finances independently.
- Resourcefulness: Students learned to adapt to limitations and find creative solutions, a key asset in navigating new environments and challenges.
- Teamwork: Collaborative cooking fostered communication, cooperation, and problem-solving skills, valuable for any future endeavours.
We are incredibly proud of the Year 13 students who participated and supported the competition. These skills will not only benefit them in the kitchen, but also serve them well as they embark on their university journeys and beyond!
Cooking Club
The students have worked really hard this week. They have made Pizza toast and have demonstrated some vegetable preparation skills like peeling, cutting and slicing. They have also been able to learn how to operate the grill and wash up effectively.
Sixth Formers meet Lord Winston
The BTEC Applied Science class had a valuable and inspiring experience whilst at a talk given by Lord Winston called “Follow your heart”. This is an undoubtedly powerful message for students considering their future career paths. It was particularly interesting to hear about his personal journey, starting with his initial interest in Theatre and English and how he eventually chose medicine.
The emphasis on not being afraid to make mistakes and the importance of perseverance and determination are crucial lessons for students navigating their academic and professional journeys. Learning from mistakes is indeed a fundamental part of personal and professional growth. The opportunity for students to ask questions, especially about the ethical considerations of fertility treatment, added a thought-provoking dimension to the session. It is essential for students to engage in discussions about the ethical aspects of scientific and medical advancements, helping them develop a broader understanding of the implications of their work. Lord Winston’s regret about not publishing more of his work for the benefit of humanity is a poignant reflection. It underscores the importance of sharing knowledge and discoveries to contribute to the greater good. This served as a valuable lesson for students to consider the broader impact of their future work and the importance of contributing to the advancement of their respective fields.
The visit has provided students with valuable insights, encouragement, and a real-world perspective on the diverse paths that a career in science can take.
Year 12 Parents evening 7th March 2024
Please note that Year 12 Parents’ Evening takes place Thursday, 7th March 2024. This event serves as a crucial opportunity for you and your child to engage with subject teachers fostering discussions about their recent assessment results, classwork, homework, attitude to learning, and overall academic progress. The Parents’ Evening is scheduled to commence at 4:00 pm and conclude at 6:30 pm. Your child will note the allocated appointment times with their subject teachers on the appointment sheet they will have been provided with. This gathering is designed to empower you to actively support your child in their educational journey. Attendance is compulsory. In the event that parents or carers have prior commitments, we would be grateful if other family members could be present to accompany your child.
Your child will be given a letter with a reply slip this week. To confirm your attendance at the Year 12 Parents’ Evening, kindly complete and return the enclosed reply slip to your child’s Form Tutor by Friday, 1st March 2024. If you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to reach out to Mr D Sekhon [Head of Year 12] at dsekhon@villiers.ealing.sch.uk or call 020 8813 8001 [1276].
Year 8 revision booklets
In preparation for the upcoming March assessments, Year 8 students are provided with a comprehensive revision booklet. This resource offers detailed subject-specific guidance empowering students to approach their assessments with confidence and self-assurance. Additionally, it facilitates the identification of individual strengths, enabling students to strategically focus their efforts. Recognising the potential for stress during assessment periods, we remain committed to providing support to our Year 8 pupils. We are confident that their dedication and diligent efforts will be reflected in exceptional outcomes.
Top tips for staying secure online from the National Cyber Security Centre
Combine three random words to create a password that’s ‘long enough and strong enough’.
Weak passwords can be cracked in seconds. The longer and more unusual your password is, the harder it is for a cyber criminal to crack. A good way to make your password difficult to crack is by combining three random words to create a password (for example applenemobiro). Or you could use a password manager, which can create strong passwords for you (and remember them). Avoid the most common passwords that criminals can easily guess (like ‘password’). You should also avoid creating passwords from significant dates (like your birthday, or a loved one’s), or from your favourite sports team, or by using family and pet names. Most of these details can be found within your social media profile. If you’re thinking of changing certain characters in your password (so swapping the letter ‘o’ with a zero, for example), you should know that cyber criminals know these tricks as well. So your password won’t be significantly stronger, but it will be harder for you to remember.
Why does the NCSC recommend using ‘three random words’ as a way to create passwords?By using a password that’s made up of three random words, you’re creating a password that will be ‘strong enough’ to keep the criminals out, but easy enough for you to remember. Longstanding advice around making your passwords very complex (which suggests we should create passwords full of random characters, symbols and numbers) is not helpful. This is because most of us have lots of passwords, and memorising lots of complex passwords is almost impossible. Passwords generated from three random words is a good way to create unique passwords that are ‘long enough’ and ‘strong enough’ for most purposes, but which can also be remembered much more easily. If you want to write your password down, that’s also OK, provided you keep it somewhere safe.
If you want to find out more about why the ‘three random words’ technique works, you can read this blog by one of the NCSC’s technical experts that further explains our thinking.
https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/top-tips-for-staying-secure-online/three-random-words
Ealing Junior Chess Tournament
Calling all young poets: Poetry Competition
Ealing Book Festival 2024 is running a young people’s poetry competition on the topic of ‘Where Do I Live?’
To enter you need to compose a poem in response to the question: ‘Where do I live?’ The poem can take any form you like so long as it is no longer than one side of A4. Please click on the link below for further information.
https://www.egfl.org.uk/news/2024/02/calling-all-young-poets
Villiers Homework Review
We would like your feedback on homework. Your responses will help to shape the new policy for the next academic year. Please complete this survey by Monday 4th March 2024.
https://forms.gle/Xf6yA8Cncy5YGi6m8
Free data SIM cards available from Ealing libraries for students
These SIM cards are provided by the Good Things Foundation. The cards are to help those who do not have online access or are struggling to pay for mobile data.
They are available to collect from the Acton Library, Ealing Central Library, Northolt Library and the Southall Library.
For more information, please click the link below. https://www.egfl.org.uk/news/2024/02/free-data-sim-cards-available-ealing-libraries-students
Help with the Cost of Living
Behaviour Systems
Our behaviour systems have been further developed so that they are clear and transparent for everyone. Please see our new behaviour pyramid below. The pastoral team has explained this to all the children. Since Monday 19th February, there have been posters up in classrooms and other areas of the school as a visual reminder. As always, we appreciate your support and any feedback is welcome.
Recovering a hacked account
A step by step guide to recovering online accounts.
Whether it’s your email, a social media account, or your online bank, losing access to a digital account can be stressful. This guidance explains what you can do to minimize the damage, and how you can regain access to your accounts.
Online gaming for families and Individuals advice
Read the guidance from the NCSC to learn how to enjoy online gaming securely by following just a few tips.
Year 10: Non-A level progression to Sixth form
The Ealing Learning Partnership are running a “Progressions to level 2” careers event targeted at families of current year 10 students who may not want to or be able to choose to study A-Levels at sixth form level. Please read the attached for more information.
Medical needs & allergies
We would like to ensure that our school records accurately reflect your child’s medical needs including information on any allergies. Please keep us informed of any changes to your child’s medical allergies to ensure information is accurate and up to date on our school system. In the case that a student has been prescribed an Epi-Pen by the doctor, they should bring two Epi-Pens to school, one to carry on their person and the other to be provided to the Welfare Office, as a spare in case of an emergency. Please encourage your child to check with the canteen staff for any food allergies and to read the food labels before making purchases. If you have any questions, you can contact the welfare officer directly via email- welfare@villiers.ealing.sch.uk or call reception. For food related questions, you can contact the canteen directly via email- cparameswaran@villiers.ealing.sch.uk
Backing up your data
Please download and read the attached poster for more information regarding the importance of backing up your data.
Rise in measles
In the last month, there has been an increase in the number of cases of measles in north-west London, including a few among Ealing children. Please take the time to read the attached letter. The following weblink regarding information about measles can be translated: https://www.ealingfamiliesdirectory.org.uk/kb5/ealing/directory/site.page?id=4945pIGmcs4
School Streets
We are delighted to announce that, following the consultation, the council has approved our school for a school street which will be launched 4th March. Further details in the attached document.
Year 11 & 13 intervention schedule: spring 2024
Please find attached the new Year 11 and Year 13 intervention schedule for the Spring term. It is imperative that students attend the sessions they have been invited to as this will allow teachers to provide them with targeted support in preparation for the mock exams which will take place in February/ March 2024.
Cash payments
We are a cashless school and families can pay for school meals, stationery, trips and clubs via ParentPay. You can top up your ParentPay account from a bank account or by using a debit/credit card. If you do not have a valid bank account or debit/credit card, please email info@villiers.ealing.sch.uk. We will set up a PayPoint account, so you can make payments using cash.
National Sleep Helpline
Beware of Parcel Scams
Villiers Diner
Please click through each slide to view this week’s canteen menu.
Spring enrichment timetable
Safeguarding and well-being spotlight
There is a lot of advice and guidance available to help and support parents and carers when you have any worries or concerns about your child. Please click this link for the NSPCC website which offers advice on some different issues.
Key forthcoming dates
For our major events, please check here
| 04/03/24 | NEW SCHOOL STREET TAKES EFFECT Entrance by vehicle to Villiers Road and Boyd Avenue between the hours of 8.10am and 8.50am as well as between 2.30pm and 3.30pm will be restricted to permit holders only. If you enter these areas between these times without a permit, you will receive a fine. Rollapaluza Cycling Challenge |
| 06/03/24 | Year 11 and 13 Mock Exams end |
| 07/03/24 | Year 12 Parents’ Evening 1600 – 1830 Year 12 Reports sent home |
| 13/03/24 | National Theatre Home PerformanceGCSE Music Ensemble Recordings |
| 14/03/24 | National Theatre Home PerformanceGCSE Music Ensemble Recordings School Council meeting 2.30 – 3.30pm |
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