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raynespark.merton.sch.uk Specialist Technology School @officialRPHS
High Achieving and Highly Skilled (HAHS)
I wanted to share with families the re-launch of our gifted and talented programme. It has
been rebranded as ‘High Achieving, Highly Skilled’ (HAHS) and all students who come to
our school on a level 555 from primary school are placed on the register and supported in
a variety of ways throughout their time at RPHS. This academic year we have taken
students on visits to Oxford and Cambridge Universities, held master classes with the
Royal Shakespeare Company, introduced a bespoke HAHS tutor group led by one of the
advanced skilled teachers Mr Littlewood and registered all HAHS students on the Iggy
https://www.iggy.net/ national platform to support their learning away from school. Finally,
we are running two residential visits this academic year for KS3.
Saturday School Expansion
We have now expanded our Saturday School provision to target students in English,
Maths and Science at KS3 and 4, and attendance to these sessions has been stunning.
We continue to embed the Saturday reflection sessions to give students the opportunity
to reflect on their behaviour if they have got it wrong during the week or accrued negative
points. These reflection sessions run from 10am - 1.00pm in the Sixth Form and students
are expected to wear full school uniform. These sessions are
managed by the senior leadership team and students have
responded well to the sanction.
I thank all families for the support we receive and I hope the
positive relationships that have been built will continue
throughout the rest of this year. I am on twitter and constantly
post pictures of school activities so please feel free to follow
me @paulmundycastle.
What’s On
16th February - 6th March
Monday 16th – Friday 20th: Half-term
Holiday
Monday 16th – Friday 20th: Sports Academy
Boot Camps
Sunday 22nd – Tuesday 24th February :
HAHS Snowdonia Trip
Thursday 26th February: Yr 7 Parent /Carer
evening 5-8pm
Monday 2nd - Friday 6th March: Yr 10 Work
Experience Week
Monday 2nd March: PTSA Meeting 6pm
Thursday 5th March: World Book Day
Thursday 5th March: Yr 8 Parent / Carer
Evening 5-8pm
Investment in new-look library
The re-opening of the school library on 6th February caused great excitement as
students came to see their new reading environment and choose from the fantastic new
selection of books.
Deputy Headteacher - Mr Castle
Quote of the Week - ‘Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.’ Joseph Addison
The Sixth Form continues to be a hub of activity. All Yr 13 Students who applied to Universities have had offers
and many are attending interviews and are getting ready to confirm their first choice Universities by the May
deadline. We will be holding an information session regarding student finance for all students who are starting
University in September.
Yr 12 students are fortunate to have access to a programme enabling them to see University life first hand; last
term they visited London South Bank University and this week they will be attending taster sessions on various
Humanities courses at Roehampton University. We will be visiting the annual UCAS Fair in March where the
majority of Universities are represented along with the armed forces and information about volunteering.
As part of our Enrichment programme, we encourage students to participate in various activities to aid them in
their studies. We were incredibly lucky to have a visit from Sir Simon Robertson via the ‘Speakers for Schools’
campaign who delivered an inspirational talk on his life at Rolls Royce and Goldman Sachs. Students were
afforded an insight into how it is possible to work your way up the ladder in the business world through sheer
determination and hard work. Sir Simon was also extolling the virtues of Apprenticeships
which is an avenue we are keen to explore further with our students. The audience was a
mixture of Yr 12 and Yr 13 students who asked engaging and thought-provoking questions.
Sir Simon was so taken with our students that he is keen to come back to visit and also to
arrange a trip to the Rolls Royce factory in Derby for any students interested in pursuing a
career in engineering.
A group of RPHS students recently went to tour the National Physics Laboratory (NPL) in Teddington. We had
an informative presentation about their facilities and some of their projects. One example was when the BBC
asked them to find out how much space was in a smart car. They filled the car with plastic balls and then
counted how many - it came to 23,441!
Afterwards, they showed us around three labs; chemistry lab, mechanical lab and a measurement lab. The first
lab we went to was the mechanics lab where there were three dead weight machines (these would measure the
stress or strain of an object). One was so big that they had built the lab around it.
In the chemistry lab they were working with nano silver which is highly toxic and they were placing steel in
ovens. In the measures lab they had gas canisters, computers and lots of gas chromatography machines.
NPL base their work on measurement. The first atomic clock was made at the NPL and they recently celebrated
60 years since the first atomic clock was made. They are currently trying to make a precision timing distribution
solution which means that they are trying to make time more precise so that the time in different areas of the
grid are accurate (to use in GPS).
By Kavisha Patel SNZ
Deputy Head of Sixth Form - Ms Hodge
The reading garden display in our newly reopened library creates a tranquil environment to
encourage growth in literacy and learning’
‘
Above: Headteacher Mr Wheatley with KS3
Literacy Coordinator Ms Mistry at the
opening of the library.
“Raynes Park High School is committed to raising
attainment in reading and we hope our new library will
promote a love of literature for all our students.” Ms Mistry,
Literacy and KS3 Media Coordinator.
Accelerated Reading Programme
The last term and a half has been very busy for the English
and Literacy department, as we have been working hard to
re-launch the library. We welcomed Ms Smith, our new
English Faculty Support Assistant who will manage our new
learning space within the English department. With her
help, we have been able to introduce the Accelerated
Reader Programme for Yr 7 and Yr 8 students. With a
fantastic selection of brand new books the Accelerated
Reader Programme will improve the reading skills of our
students.
The library is now an inviting space which students can use
for reading and independent study. We have also improved
the choice within our non-fiction section. Even reluctant
readers will find something to interest them. Our ‘High
Achieving Highly Skilled’ students are encouraged to come
and look at our Contemporary Classics section to further
their reading experience and support them in their learning
across all subjects, not just in English.
The library was officially opened on Friday 6th February
and students flocked to make their selection from all the
wonderful new books.
English Faculty Support Assistant Ms Smith
Our garden themed library was the excellent work of
RPHS Graphic Designer Mr Malone.
On 5th February, Yr 12 and Yr 13 Performing Arts students visited the
disused tunnel underneath Waterloo Station for an exciting and
unconventional piece of live theatre. 'The Dog and The Elephant' explored
the story of Bare Knuckle Boxer Bendigo Barlow, and his friendship with
an elephant. The play charted his struggles with OCD and Tourette's
syndrome at a time before these were understood, alongside exploring his
tempestuous relationship with the Romany Gypsies.
It was a hard-hitting account of the ugliness of isolation and the need for acceptance and, as such, was a
hugely relevant and rewarding experience. 'The Dog and the Elephant' demonstrated to our
aspiring young actors the power and impact that a one man performance can have on an
audience.
Feeding in to the method acting processes explored in their lessons, students recognised the
influence of widely studied practitioners such as Berkoff, Brecht, Frantic Assembly and
Kneehigh. Head of Drama - Ms Valmarana
The trip began at London Paddington early Monday morning.
A long train ride awaited us to Port Talbot, Wales. Once we
arrived, we had a brief introduction on what was ahead of us,
and a tour of Margam Discovery Centre, where we would be
spending the next four days. For the rest of the afternoon, we
investigated and compared different methods of coastal
management by walking from Treacco Bay to Porthcawl. We
then spent our evening session reviewing the fieldwork
techniques we used.
Tuesday was based around coastal development. We revisited
the town of Porthcawl to perform a clone town survey and fill in
a GOAD map. Later that afternoon, Mr Saunders took us on an
exploration of the surrounding area. We walked through a farm; saw Margam Castle, then began our hike up
the hill. Eventually we reached the top, where we took many photos. Mr Saunders led some of us the
challenging way down, while Miss Maxwell led the rest the easy way down. That evening Mr Saunders
eventually created “the greatest campfire ever seen since 1666”!
The next day, we visited the town of Swansea, where we looked at urban rebranding. We completed many
surveys to observe the changes in the town. We finished the afternoon off with some shopping, and a walk
along the beach. Our final day started off with a trip to Glyncorrwg, a rural village in
the Welsh valleys, known for its mountain bike trails. We looked at other methods of
rebranding here, before sitting and listening to a stakeholder interview, in Joe’s Bar
and Cabana Club. Unfortunately, after this we had to head back to the station, as it
was time to go home. The trip ended as we arrived back to Paddington on Thursday
evening, where we travelled home, tired from a fun week in Wales.
Priyanka Shrestha SMX and
Katharine Walker SMZ
The RPHS Robot finished First Equal in Vex Robotics Regional Finals
and just missed out on a place in the National finals.
Despite being pipped at the post, the Year 7 boys had a great time
beating 32 teams from 20 other schools. Well done boys.
I have been playing Ultimate Frisbee for around 8 years now and yes, it is a real sport! It is a game that is
played on a pitch similar to a football pitch and on grass; there are 7 players on each team. Games last for 90
minutes and at a weekend tournament you play around 7 games. It is high intensity and involves a lot of
running, jumping, throwing, catching and diving. I represented Great Britain in 2011 winning a Silver Medal at
the European Championships and I am off to Dubai to represent GB again at the start of March. My other
successes include 3 National Titles and 3 European Titles with my club team Iceni. Ultimate has taken me all
over Europe and also to the US and I hope to see many other parts of the world this
way in the future.
The STEM club (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) takes place on Wednesdays after school in F2
and new members are very welcome.
We do a wide range of activities and so far this year we have:
Designed rockets; built a bridge; made compasses and electromagnets and
undertaken flame and food tests.
At a recent meeting we even got down to the serious business of dissecting
animal hearts to learn about the circulatory system and the different parts of a
heart! Physics Teacher - Mr Small
Are you intelligent enough to design your own brain?
Come and find out !
3.30pm 25th February in F2
Neuroscientist, Dr Paul Winter will run a workshop on:
‘Designing your own Brain’.
What is Ultimate Frisbee?
It is a fast-paced, non contact
teamsport where two teams of seven
players compete to score goals by
catching the disc in the end zone. It is
one of the fastest-growing sports in
the UK and around the world with
over 3500 competing players in the
UK alone.
Teacher of Law - Ms Ford
GOVERNORS’ STRATEGIC VISIT
The Governors carried out their half-termly Strategic Visit to the school on 28 January. They had presentations
from Mr Tombs, Head of Mathematics and Mrs Lawner, Director of Sixth Form, who were both able to speak of
the exciting new initiatives they were undertaking.
Governors visited Maths intervention classes for Years 9, 10 and 11 and were very pleased to see the quiet
commitment of students in improving their attainment. They also enjoyed meeting a group of Year 12 and Year
13 students and discussing with them their aspirations for university.
As ever, Governors were impressed with the dedication of our teachers and their
commitment to helping our students achieve their very best. Going beyond the extra mile
is something our staff and students do brilliantly.
Finally, Governors visited the school’s finance team to look at our financial progress.
In all, a very enjoyable and encouraging day. We will soon be back for more!
Chair of Governors - Michael Ross
Yr 11 enjoying their post exam Pizza Party!
Mr Boyton and students during the Yr 7
Deep Learning Day visit to a local
Synagogue
Sixty-five Yr7 students enjoyed their
sleepover party in the Sixth Form common
room on 6th February. Once again the term
‘sleep’ is perhaps not the most appropriate
word to describe the evening, but great fun
was had by our ‘onesie’ clad students. A
huge thank you once again to Ms Finan and
the PSTA who organised the event.
Nail-biting finish but Raiders win the day!
Raiders 71 Kingston Wildcats 70
The Raiders v Kingston basketball game on Sunday 8th
February was a very tough game. The teams matched
each other score for score and the end of 1st Quarter
the score was even at 15 points. The 2nd Quarter was
more of the same, Raiders scored and Wildcats
responded, each team made their fair share of mistakes
but it was the Kingston Wildcats who went one point up
at half-time 38-39. In the 3rd Quarter the Raiders made
a strong push catching Wildcats off balance to take a 23
-18 point lead. Game over so you would think. The 4th
Quarter started with both teams giving all they could,
Kingston made their strongest push of the game and
out scored Raiders 13 -10. At the buzzer the Raiders
held on to 1 point lead in a nail-
biting finish. Great win boys!
Photo top left -Yr7 Girls
basketball Team getting tactical
advice in their first match. Well
done girls, great team effort.
Head basketball Coach - Mr Martin
Yr7 Girls Basketball Team
Yr7 Boys
enjoying a
quick time -
out during
the
Borough
Basketball
tournament
hosted by
RPHS last
week.
Yr 7 Football Team won 4-0
against Harris Morden
Scorers: Nick Pettengell 2, Gerrell
Richards, Ethan Kaloudau Taylor
Raynes Park were the better team
from start to finish!
Special mention to Louis Jack
and Man of the Match Ethan
Kaloudau Taylor.
Football Mash- up Fun
Every Thursday after school we have Football Mash-up
on the Astroturf. We are extremely lucky to have three
FA qualified coaches from Real Dundonald FC come
to help you develop your football skills.
Yr7s - Yr10s come and join the fun, it is completely free
and you can wear any kit you want. The session runs
from 3.45 - 4.45pm.
Rugby Boys
learning skills
from the
professionals!
Yr 7 – Yr 11
getting down to
training with
the Harlequins!
Newsoms Scoop More Silverware in House Music Competition
Staff, students, families and friends enjoyed a musical evening to decide the winners of the annual RPHS
House Music Competition. With excellent performances from each house, the judges were unanimous and
announced Newsoms as the overall winner. Individual winners were Joshua on drums, the trio of Stephanie,
Emily and Angelique singing a Beyoncé song and first place went to Naseema who sang 'No-one' by Alicia
Keys. When the judges were deliberating the results, the audience was entertained by a number of the RPHS
dancers who never fail to impress.
Contact Us…
Main Switchboard: 020 8946 4112
To report your child’s absence email: [email protected]
Music Teacher - Mr White
The House Music Competition organising committee
Artwork of the Week
9HX student Lucy Dorman's shoe design.
The Year 9s looked at Henri Rousseau's painting 'The Surprise' and were given the task
to design a shoe inspired by his work.