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Message from the Headteacher, Mr Richards
Thank you to all the families who joined us for year 12 parents’ evening this week. Next week we are looking forward to talking through our vision, values and plans for the future with those joining us for the family forum on Monday at 4.45pm.
Following the Science week assemblies that have taken place this week, the Science team is ready to go with lots of exciting trips, activities and events for next week. It won’t only be exciting Science activities taking place but there will also be art, music & poetry workshops, the modern languages spelling bee final, a trip to see the London Symphony orchestra, a Higher Education Conference and Maths Pi day. Our year 11 GCSE Food pupils will also be taking their non examined assessment contributing to their final grade so good luck to them too.
Following on from the red/blue school wars posts which we all saw on Social media, we have continued to liaise with the police, the local authority and other schools. It is reported to us that none of the advertised fights or criminal activities have taken place so it appears to have been a hoax but we will continue to be vigilant at the beginning and ends of the day as children enter and exit the school site.
New School Uniform Guidelines
Starting Monday, 13th April 2026, we are introducing updates to our school uniform policy. Our goal is to ensure pupils look smart and feel comfortable without imposing a financial burden on families.
Uniform Standards: We have clarified rules on how to wear existing uniform items, and these will be enforced starting Monday, 13th April.
New Shirt Colour (From September 2026): We are transitioning from light blue to white shirts.
Optional Shorts (From May 2026): Pupils may choose to wear shorts during warmer weather; this is entirely optional.
Notice of School Closure: Friday 20 March 2026
Villiers High School will be closed on Friday 20th March 2026. This is because Eid al-Fitr is expected to take place on this date.
The date of Eid is determined by the sighting of the new crescent moon and cannot be fixed far in advance. Once the expected date became clearer and the impact on attendance was reviewed, we were able to confirm this closure.
The reason for this closure is because a significant proportion of both our students and staff observe Eid and will be celebrating with their families. As a result, student attendance and staffing levels are expected to be substantially reduced.
After careful consideration, the school has decided to use one of its allocated occasional days, as significantly reduced staffing levels would present a safety and supervision concern.
What is an Occasional Day?
Students are expected to attend school for 190 days each academic year, while staff are contracted to work 195 days. The Local Authority calendar spans 198 days, which allows schools the flexibility to designate up to 3 occasional days throughout the year.
We are planning to use one of these occasional days to mark Eid al-Fitr.
Pupils will be expected to return to school as normal on Monday 23rd March 2026
If you do have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s Head of Year.
BFI French Study Day Trip
Just before half term, KS4 pupils studying GCSE French went on a trip to the British Film Institute on the South bank. There they spent a whole day immersed in French as part of a French Study day. The day was introduced and had been planned by a French professor from the University of Johannesburg. The theme of the study day was to explore identity & belonging through short film in French. Pupils deepened their cultural awareness and appreciation of the rich heritage of French-speaking countries by watching short film clips in French & completing activities in their booklets. They discovered what life is like in Madagascar through the animated diary of Bastien Dubois. ”Levres Gercées” told the story of a misunderstood teen. ”Gagarine” was an inspirational film. Teenager Youri (Alséni Bathily) has dreams of becoming an astronaut but must first battle to save his housing estate home from demolition. It is a powerful story of class, race, imagination and wonder, that allows audiences to share Youri’s dreams of space and weightlessness. “I enjoyed everything about the day” was one of the comments made by a pupil after the trip.
Y7 French and Spanish Spelling Bee Final
Félicitations! to Hussain R who came first in our Villiers Spelling Bee Final and to Anshdeep K who came second. iEnhorabuena! to Gyaan S who came third. All three will now represent Villiers at the London Regional Spelling Bee, on Tuesday afternoon. Hussain correctly said & spelt 18 words in French in one minute. The French words were randomly chosen out of 150 words which the finalists had to memorise. Bravo! Our runners up were Linsy V, Zul I, Ajuni S and Safia M. Winners & runners-up are now practicing the 200 words they need to know for the next stage of the competition. Good luck everyone! iMucha suerte! Bonne chance! The event was hosted & organised by our Head student, & Languages Ambassador, Rida R. Rida gave a speech about her own languages journey & how participating in the competitions helped her to get a grade 9 in her GCSE languages exam. Rida reminded us that languages are a fundamental part of life, and how learning another language enhances our communication skills and cognitive function, fosters empathy through cultural understanding, develops multi-tasking skills, mental flexibility and confidence. Rida herself came first in the National Spelling Bee Final in 2021, when she was in Y7, and won bronze in the National Translation Bee final, when she was in Y9. Ramadan M in Y9 also got through to the National Finals when he was in Y7. Thank you to Rida and her team, and to the teachers, caretakers, kitchen team, admin team & service desk and everyone else who helped out. Finally well done to all the class winners who took part in the final and were themselves winners out of the 254 school participants.
World Book Day Celebration
📚✨ World Book Day Celebration at the School Library! ✨📚
Our school library was full of excitement as pupils celebrated World Book Day with a Word Search Challenge and a creative activity where they drew their favourite book covers.
It was wonderful to see the enthusiastic pupils from Year 7 to Year 10 taking part. Their skills, creativity, and love for books were clearly on display. Pupils showed great enthusiasm while solving the word search and created some amazing and imaginative book cover drawings.
Their passion for reading and creativity was truly impressive and very much appreciated. 📖🎨
The best book cover designs will be selected, and the winners will receive exciting prizes! 🏆
Thank you to all the students who participated and helped make this World Book Day celebration in the library so special.
Alumni
Are you a former student of Villiers, or do you know someone who is? We have partnered with leading social mobility charity Future First to set up our Alumni. We would like as many of our former students to join the Alumni and the National Network of Alumni to, if possible, give something back to the current and future students of Villiers High School. Please click here to register.
Attendance
We believe every day in school matters. Regular attendance is one of the most important factors in your child’s success, both academically and socially. When students attend every day, they keep up with their learning and don’t fall behind, they build strong relationships and feel part of the school community, develop important life skills like resilience and routine, and have access to support from staff who know them well.
We know that there may sometimes be a genuine reason for why your child finds it difficult to attend school. Whether it is anxiety, health concerns, family circumstances, or other barriers, we have a range of strategies and fully trained members of staff who can help and support your child. Every child’s situation is different, and we’re committed to finding solutions that work for your family. To ensure every child gets the most out of their time at Villiers, we work closely with pupils and their families to understand the reasons behind attendance difficulties and create tailored plans to help. If you have any concerns or would like to discuss your child’s attendance further, please contact your child’s Head of Year or Mr Williams, Assistant Headteacher in charge of Attendance.
Punctuality expectations
It is our expectation that all students arrive by 8:25am, ready for a prompt 8:30am start. If students would like to arrive earlier, we offer a free breakfast to all students from 7:45am.
Any student who arrives after 8:30am will be classed as ‘late’ and will receive a break time detention. Students who arrive after registers close (9:20am) and where there is no acceptable reason, such as a medical appointment, will be marked as a missed session with a ‘U’ code, which is an unauthorised absence. This is in line with DfE guidance.
Arriving on time each day not only helps students settle in smoothly and start learning promptly but also teaches them valuable habits of responsibility and time management. Being punctual reduces classroom disruptions and ensures your child doesn’t miss out on important instructions or activities.
Penalty notice for Unauthorised Attendance
Parent/carers are reminded that if they take their children out of school for 5 days or more (which do not have to be consecutive) in a 10-week period, they will be liable for a penalty notice from Ealing. Currently the amount payable for the 1st penalty notice is £160 per parent/carer per child which reduces to £80 if paid within 21 days.
If a further 5 days of absence without a reasonable explanation occurs, then a 2nd penalty notice of £160 per parent/carer per child will be issued, with no reduction. If the penalty notice remains unpaid after 28 days, Ealing will consider a prosecution in the Magistrates Court. Further absences after this stage could also result in prosecution.
Please note that penalty notices are issued per parent/carer per child, so a family of two parents and two children will receive 4 penalty notices. Please check our term dates on our website to help you avoid taking your child out of school during term time.
Is my child well enough to go to school?
If your child is feeling unwell and you’re not sure whether to send them in, please read this NHS guidance which will support you in making a decision: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
School Dinner Menu
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