RAF Newsletter - Winter Week 6

Dates for your diary

Here are details of important events in the next few weeks.

Year Group	Date	Timings	Event details
Nursery	Monday 2nd February - Friday 6th February	Daytime	Trips to Costa all week
Year 6	Tuesday 3rd February	Daytime	Future Life Presentation with Police
Year 9	Tuesday 3rd February	Daytime	DTP/Meningitis ACWY immunisation
Year 2	Wednesday 4th February	2.30pm - 3.15pm	Parent Celebration Event
Reception	Thursday 5th February	2pm - 3pm	STEM Event/ Family Celebration
Year 8 & Year 13	Friday 6th February	After school	Theatre trip to LEH
Year 4	Monday 9th February	2.30pm - 3.15pm	Parent Celebration Event
Year 3	Thursday 12th February	2.30pm - 3.20pm	Parent Celebration Event
All Year Groups	Friday 13th February	Usual school day timings	Last day of term
All Year Groups	Monday 23rd February	back to school	back to school
Year 5	Tuesday 24th February	Daytime and evening performance	Young Voices concert at the O2
Year 4	Wednesday 25th February	Daytime	Trip to the Lion King
Nursery Open event for families of new children wanting to join	Monday 2nd March at 9am or 1.30pm	9am or 1.30pm	Open Event
Year 5	Tuesday 3rd March	2.30pm - 3.15pm	Parent Celebration Event
Year 2	Wednesday 4th March	Daytime	Trip to Natural History Museum
All Primary Year Groups	Friday 6th March	Daytime	World Book Day
Year 12 and 13	8th March - 9th March	Timings tbc	Trip to Auschwitz
Year 1	Monday 9th March	Daytime	Trip to London Transport Museum
Year 6	Tuesday 10th March	2.30pm - 3.15pm	Parent Celebration Event

Taylor Bellamy

Deputy Headteacher and Acting SENCO (Year 7-Year 13)

I currently oversee support for more than 100 fantastic learners across secondary, ensuring all pupils receive targeted, high-quality provision that enables them to thrive academically and socially.

We focus on ensuring lessons are accessible and ambitious for every learner, enabling pupils with additional needs to flourish. We know every pupil really well, we support and challenge them, while consistently reinforcing the belief that all our learners will succeed!

Angela Melia

Assistant SENDCo and Thrive practitioner

I have been at Reach since September 2012, when we welcomed our first Reception pupils (currently in year 13!) My role during the first few years was mainly in Primary (Teaching Assistant, Nursery Manager, Speech and Language, Assistant SENDCo) but for the last few years I have been more involved with Secondary, supporting our pupils with additional needs and their families.

I have been incredibly lucky to witness the amazing progress our pupils have achieved. Knowing them so well means that all our pupils get the support they need, and their families know we are always here to support them in any possible way. To me this is not a job, this is my passion.

Mental Health Week

The week of 9th–15th February is Children’s Mental Health Week, and this year’s theme
is “This Is My Place.” At school, we will be running a range of activities to help pupils reflect
on where they feel safe, supported and able to be themselves.

Find out more in this letter, which also includes links to the fantastic Wellbeing Hub resource, which we are signed up to. If you are not already registered, please do so, you can scan the QR code or sign up here.

There is a range of tools and expert advice on dealing with a range of issues that young people face.

We begin by thanking you for attending the self regulation and reading workshops. We truly appreciate your support and engagement as you learn about the start of your child’s educational journey. If there are any workshops you would like us to offer in the future, please do not hesitate to share your suggestions with the Nursery team.

Last Friday, we launched our reading scheme. We waited patiently while each of our teammates chose a reading book. We love to choose our own books because it fosters a love for reading by increasing motivation, engagement, and enjoyment, while building essential ownership over our learning.

Please enjoy sharing your books together and remember to return the book packs the following Friday. Don’t forget to write a comment in the yellow reading record. We can’t wait to read what you think!

Writing our names

We are making great progress with writing our names! We are working hard to hold our pencils correctly and are using the “pinch and flip” method. This short video will help you understand what we mean.

Costa Trip Consent forms

Click on this link, if you haven’t already given consent for the Costa Trips next week. We are really looking forward to our visit!

Literacy

We have been learning about 'The Hundred Decker Bus' by Mike Smith. The children have endeavoured to learn the story and have innovated the characters, setting and scenarios within the story.

Maths

We have been continuing to explore numbers beyond six. The children have been using the terms: first, then and now to combine two amounts together to find a whole number.

Addition example: First there were 6 apples and then Cal brought 4 more. Now there are 10 apples.
Subtraction example: First there were 10 apples and then Aisha bought 3. Now there are 7 apples.

Weekly Homework

Weekly homework activities are now being posted for your child on Tapestry. These consist of mathematical skills practice and handwriting practice.

Please complete these every week as this is a great support to your child’s development as they progress throughout Reception.

Please share a photograph or short video of your child completing the homework on Tapestry, we would love to see them in action!

Equally, if you would like to send your child’s handwriting homework into school for us to see, this would be great.

Homework will be posted every Friday.

STEM Event and Book Donation

We are very much looking forward to seeing you at our next family event on Thursday 5th February from 2pm until 3pm.

If you would like to donate some fruit to support the children making fruit salads, please hand it to staff on the gate on the morning of Thursday 5th February. If the fruit is in a carrier bag, your child can take it to their class teacher.

After school collection

We kindly ask you to please not use a mobile phone when you are collecting your child from school. We urge you to please give them your full attention at pick up time. They are very young and if you are on a phone, it is trickier to see them, respond quickly, or ensure they leave safely with you. Giving your full focus to your child(ren) at pick-up helps them to feel safe and valued. Thank you, we very much appreciate your help with this.

This week in Year 1 Ash class enjoyed another Attendance Tea Party celebration!

Let’s get 100% for Year 1 in school every day and on time!

Year 1 have been working so hard to use a project voice in class - celebrating being loud and proud! We have been learning about the four steps to success:

posture
breath
clarity
audience

Ask your child what each of these means and practice projecting!

Shoutouts

These children have been so obviously kind, using a project voice to give shoutouts for their team mates!

Dev (Camellia)
Willow (Camellia)
Aarya (Ash)
Skylor (Ash)

Writing

We are so proud of how hard the children have been working on their stories. Their grammatical knowledge is improving and they are becoming more confident with nouns, verbs, conjunctions and adjectives. Next week, we begin writing a new version of the story… I wonder if you can think of any other animals that can roar, just like Sid?

Maths

The children have been working on addition and subtraction stories. These are simple, real‑life scenarios that help children understand how numbers change when something is added or taken away. This will help them identify whether a situation involves adding or subtracting and support them to explain their thinking clearly and confidently. You can support this learning at home by chatting about number stories during everyday routines. For example:

“You have 3 strawberries and I give you 2 more. How many do you have now?”

Or “There were 5 cars on the floor. You put 1 away. How many are left?”

These small moments help build strong number sense and make maths feel meaningful.

History

In History and Learning Explorers, we have been learning about significant figures and their achievements in changes in transport. This week we have been looking at Amelia Earhart and aviation. We have been using junk modelling to create planes as well as other types of transport.

Science

In Science and Learning Explorers, we have been exploring different materials, objects and all their amazing properties. Children have been investigating different objects within the classroom and thinking about why they have certain properties that make them fit for purpose. Children have really enjoyed exploring through junk modelling and crafting using different materials such as plastic and cardboard.

Family Celebration Event

It was lovely to see so many of you at the Family Celebration Event and sharing in your child’s learning and I know the children were excited to perform their poem for you. If you would like any more information about phonics or the Phonics Screening Check, please let us know and we will be more than happy to help. As promised we will be emailing the sounds QR code for your child, so please watch out for this.

We also hope you have been enjoying the latest gifted book to add to the collection! We are so grateful for these beautiful donations.

It was great meeting with you all over the last two weeks at Parents’ Evening and we thank you so much for coming to those conversations ready to partner with us! We are already seeing such a positive impact from the daily homework, in particular on handwriting and times tables. Thank you for all your support from home.

Coming up this term:

Wednesday 4th February @2:30-3:15pm: Year 2 Mid Year Celebration Event and Family Workshop - more details below!
16th-20th February: Half Term break
Wednesday 5th March: Year 2 Trip to Natural History Museum
27th March: Last day of Spring Term

Mid Year Celebration Event and Family Workshop

Wednesday 4th February: 2:30pm- 3:15pm

Please join us for our Mid Year Celebration Event and Family Workshop!

At this event, we will start with a short workshop to help us align on how we can support the children in Year 2 with reading and maths. After the workshop, the children will join us and we will hand out some certificates to celebrate accomplishments from this year so far. Afterward, the children will guide you through their ‘Learning Showcase’.

All parents and caregivers of Year 2 parents are invited and encouraged to join. Please let us know if you will not be able to attend so we can invite a member of staff to join your child at the event.

Please keep an eye out for a special invite from your child coming soon!

How you can help at home:

Model expressive reading: Read a short paragraph aloud first, showing excitement, suspense or humour.
Echo reading: You read one sentence with expression, then your child “echoes” it back, copying your pace, tone and emphasis.
Talk about punctuation: Ask, “What should my voice do at the exclamation mark?” or “How should this sound if the character is whispering?”
Keep sessions short and positive: even 5 minutes makes a difference.

Writing

We are creating our own stories based on 'Stardust'. Instead of writing from Mabel’s point of view, the children are retelling the story from the sister’s perspective, which is really stretching their thinking.

Our grammar focus is on apostrophes and powerful adjectives:

Apostrophes
- for contraction (don’t, can’t, it’s)
- for possession (the sister’s bag, Mabel’s room)
Powerful adjectives
We are learning that one strong adjective can be more effective than a long list.
For example: “the eerie night” is more powerful than “the dark, cold, mysterious night”

Spot apostrophes in reading books and ask, “Could we swap that list of adjectives for one stronger word?”

Poetry

Please Keep Practising

Please continue to practise our poem at home. We are focusing on clear voices, confidence and control rather than rushing. The poem is below so you can practise together:

MY VOICE MATTERS

Sometimes my voice is very small,

It hides away behind the wall.

But my ideas live inside me,

Bright and brave, they want to be free.

Feet on the floor, stand tall and true,

My body’s ready, how about you?

In we breathe, then out we say,

My voice can travel far away.

Not a shout, not fast or blurred,

Slow and neat, I shape each word.

I send my voice so all can hear,

To friends, to class, to people near.

I am worth hearing, can’t you see?

My voice matters, listen to me!

Maths

This week we have started work on graphs. We have learned about tally charts, tables, block graphs and pictograms. In particular we have been focusing on interpreting the data from these charts and answering questions such as:

How many more x does person A have than person B?
What is the most popular choice?
What is the most common choice?
What is the least popular choice?
How many x altogether?

Want to continue working on maths at home?

Many of you asked if there are any programmes that we would recommend for continuing learning at home. If you are interested in this, we would recommend the CGP books. They are aligned with the curriculum and promote deeper thinking about the concepts we are teaching at school.

Have a great weekend!

Your Voice Matters Family Event

At the event, we will start with a short workshop to help us align on how we can support the children in Year 3 with expressing their voice through their writing. Afterwards, the children will join us to take you on their own personalised tour of their favourite piece of learning during Year 3. They will also have the opportunity to perform the poem they have been working on this term!

All parents and caregivers of Year 3 parents are invited and encouraged to join. Please let us know if you will be able to attend by scanning the QR code above. We would love to see you there!

Science

This term, Year 3 have been exploring Sound. Pupils have been learning how sounds are made, how they travel and how we hear them. They have enjoyed investigating vibrations, experimenting with different materials to see how they affect sound and thinking about how volume and pitch can change. This hands-on learning has helped them understand the science behind the sounds we hear every day!

Last week, pupils carried out an exciting experiment to explore how pitch can change. They made their own guitars using books, pencils, and rubber bands, experimenting with different tensions and lengths to see how the sound varied. Pupils were engaged and curious, testing ideas, observing the differences, and sharing their findings with the class. It was a fantastic way for them to see science in action and link it directly to the sounds they can create themselves.

Writing

This term, Year 3 have been exploring fairy tales with a twist! They have been focusing on: “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs,” where the wolf is kind, but the three pigs are not quite as friendly. Pupils have been analysing the story structure, identifying the key elements of fairy tales, and using this to plan their own creative stories. They have been thinking carefully about characters, settings, and events, and are also focusing on sentence structure and literacy techniques, including using compound and complex sentences, subordinate clauses, and onomatopoeia to make their writing exciting and engaging.

Pupils are now beginning to draft their own fairy tales, using their detailed plans as a guide. They have been working incredibly hard on their storyboards, plot ideas, and careful use of sentence structures and literary devices. We are all excited to see their first drafts, and it’s wonderful to watch their creativity and effort shine as they bring their imaginative stories to life!

Have a great weekend!

Rachel, Isla and Mehbs.

Young Voices

It has been wonderful to witness Year 5’s music lessons, as we build towards the night of collective joy that is Young Voices 2026 at The O2. Both teams sound magnificent in their song renditions of music ranging broadly from disco classics to traditional Irish folk, and everything in between. Two quick reminders regarding the event:

It will take place on the 24th of February. Here is a letter with more information.
Children can, and should, be practising these songs at home. They are posted on Google Classroom and are, therefore, readily accessible for all in Year 5 who wish to show their parents, carers, and other loved ones their fabulous singing voices!

Writing

Here is some wonderful written work by Hateem, which beautifully articulates the struggles of the homeless and advocates for an empathetic shift in the public’s response to their plight. Bravo to Hateem and to all who have been trying their utmost hardest in writing lessons: we notice you all!

Ready for our 2nd round of mocks!

Over the last two weeks, pupils have been preparing for their next round of mocks which will be taking place across the week beginning Monday, 2nd February. As in the first round, pupils will sit a total of five papers, starting with spelling & grammar, then reading, then arithmetic and two reasoning papers.

All of our wonderful pupils have been setting themselves ambitious targets, aiming to improve on their December scores. We can’t wait for all of the success stories!

Merit/value certificate winners

A massive congratulations to these pupils, our merit and value certificate winners over the last two weeks!

Religious Studies

Pupils have been learning about the diverse nature of the Hindu community. Hinduism is very diverse because it developed over thousands of years among many different groups of people across a large area of India. This long history has led to a wide range of ideas and traditions within the religion today.

The oldest known form of Hinduism is called Vedic Hinduism. Its sacred texts, the four Vedas, are written in an ancient language called Sanskrit. Many Hindus believe these texts were revealed by a god, and they mention many gods and goddesses. Over time, beliefs have changed. Some Hindus today believe in one God in many forms, while others continue to believe in many gods.

Although Hinduism includes many different beliefs, most Hindus share some core ideas:

Atman (the soul): Every living thing has a soul that is reborn again and again. The goal is to reach moksha, becoming one with the Supreme Spirit (Brahman).

Karma (actions): Good actions bring good outcomes, and bad actions bring difficulties in this life or the next. This encourages people to live kindly and responsibly.

Samsara (reincarnation): The soul moves through many lives, as humans, animals, or plants, until it reaches moksha.

Dharma (duty and moral living): Living in the right way through honesty, caring for others, and fulfilling responsibilities to family and community.

Together, these beliefs guide many Hindus in how they live their daily lives.

Science

Pupils have learnt about unicellular and multicellular organisms.

Unicellular organisms are made of just one cell. That one cell carries out all the life processes — getting energy, growing, and reproducing. Examples include bacteria and some tiny organisms found in water.

Multicellular organisms are made of many cells working together. Different cells have different jobs, such as muscle cells for movement or nerve cells for sending messages. Plants, animals, and humans are all multicellular.

PE

We have continued to develop our netball skills. We have been working incredibly hard on being able to pivot around the foot on which we land after catching the ball, looking to shield the ball before releasing it to a teammate. Attackers have been working on finding space by constantly moving around, whilst defenders have tried to improve their game by marking defenders, constantly looking around to see where they are.

Homework

Please continue to support your child to complete their homework on time, in their homework book. If your child is unable to access the work or is having difficulty completing it, then please do let us know as soon as possible, so that we can provide the necessary support.

Primary Clubs

These have now started for this term! The children have been very excited to be able to take part in a wide range of activities, from basketball to gardening. If you would like to give your child something to eat before their club, it should be a fruit: please don't give them anything and that goes against our healthy eating policy. As a reminder, we are a nut-free school.

Y6 Google Classroom
Class invite link	Class code: raxmo2xd

Permission to go home

If you would like your child to go home by themselves, please make sure you complete this form. Here is the letter containing the relevant information.

Art

In Art this week 6Z2 have been honing their drawing skills using 2B pencils to record tone and texture to make these convincing cactus drawings.

6Z3 have been making transcriptions of a Picasso portrait and have been layering colour pencils to try and recreate Picasso’s palette. Next, they will be making their own cubism inspired self-portraits.

Over the past two weeks, your Year 7 children have brought the Reach Academy Feltham values to life. They have taken time to reflect on their choices and learning, shown endeavour in meeting high expectations, and begun to aspire towards ambitious goals for themselves and others.

They have demonstrated real courage: having a go, speaking up, and doing the right thing even when it feels challenging, while also embracing fun, bringing energy, curiosity, and joy into their classrooms and corridors.

This success is a testament to the strong foundations you provide as parents and carers, reinforcing these values every day. Thank you for your continued support and belief. Together, we are nurturing young people of character, confidence, and purpose.

Shout Outs!

Shoutout to Team Wensum today, perfect 5 on the Reach Score and fantastic endeavour by all pupils in the lesson. TA and EN got head of the river for continued hard work and excellent answers to questions. They are proving to be real geography scholars.

SO to Ethan T for a fantastic return to school today. He was excellent in all lessons with amazing feedback from his teachers.

SO to Year 7 - what a joy to teach them today, their translation was fantastic and I was very impressed with so many of them for their endeavour. Both classes showed so much fantastic hard work and lovely focus, they retrieve fantastic knowledge on modal verbs that are irregular and isn't always to do!

SO to Wensum for zero step sanctions today!

Also, Pharrell was our highest merit earner this week, huge SO to him for such a great turnaround!

SO to Ethan N for getting HOTR in RS, and meeting all 3 of his targets to start the day off strong!

Michael absolutely SMASHED maths - head of the river & golden ticket. Found it difficult and showed great endeavour!

SO to Kavisha for Have Fun - she's always such a ray of sunshine to talk to on the MUGA and was telling me how excited she was for spring!

Michael was also wonderful in Science today and also got head of the river! He was flying through the tasks, sitting wonderfully in STAR, and was getting his independent practice questions all correct! Well done

Teddy was absolutely great in Mersey! He not only finished his recall questions on time but the stretch too! And self marked it in the time others were doing their recall

SO to Theo for reflect! His class work is getting so good

SO to Ethan and Zuhayb for endeavor in History this morning for their fantastic discussion of the Crusades!

And another SO to all of Wensum for #Havefun for their excellent engagement with Andy's 'Make a country' activity and different industries in Geography.

I have a massive SO to Bella who walked in to Mersey today and demanded I let her read for a character. She did the narrator role beautifully and completed all her work without prompting! I am so proud of her! 🎉 also SO to Mersey for being so encouraging towards Bella, she would not have wanted to read if she did not feel so comfortable with her Team mates

SO to Shivam who noticed Zuhaib had left his bag behind and carried it upstairs for him #obvioulykind 🌟

SO to everyone in year 7 who has completed some optional Spanish HW: Biraj, Annabella, Ahad, Mahathi, Javeria, Jaylen, Madi and Kavisha. Kavisha for completing 22 optional Spanish HW activities! This shows how much they are aspiring to become great linguists! 🤩

SO to Wensum who are showing so much endeavour first thing this morning with their weekly HW quiz. All students have completed their homework and it really shows in their high scores! 🧪 Keep being amazing Wensum!

SO to Javeria, Amara, Anabella and Aniyah who listen to instructions first time every single time😁

I had the absolute privilege of getting to see so many amazing and creative shape-drawing programs in team Mersey! From Macie’s amazing spirograph, Virat’s fabulous star, and Theo’s crazy squiggle shapes!! #havefun

Just had SUCH an enjoyable lesson with team Mersey, so impressed by them. ALL fantastic but SO to Habeeb, Madi and Aari for fantastic extended writing answers. To Biraj for a very convincing debate point, confidently projected. To Kavisha and Theo for active progress on their writing. And to Bella for HOTR for fantastic endeavour throughout!!! 🤩🥳

SO to 7B in drama this morning - they are endeavouring so hard to devise their own performances and have been so unbelievably focused all lesson. Special mention to Vihaan, Jaylen, Ethan T, Roman, Habeeb and Anas who, unprompted, decided to show each other their performances in rehearsal to get feedback so they could improve before showing everyone else. They are being so encouraging and kind to each other

SO to Wensum in Spanish - they are buzzing about conjugating verbs in Spanish and they are so successful with it! I love to see them being happy to learn grammar!!

Shoutout to Teddy who is great at projecting his voice loud and proud when sharing an answer in TR ⭐️

Exciting trip to theatre

We are delighted to offer Year 8 pupils an exciting opportunity to watch a live performance of DNA by Dennis Kelly on Friday 6th February at Lady Eleanor Holles School, Hampton. This performance will allow them to experience the play as it is intended to be seen on stage and support their understanding of drama ahead of studying the text in the summer term.

The performance will begin at 6:00pm and will finish at 7:00pm.

As the performance takes place after the school day, pupils will need to remain on site after school and travel by bus to the theatre. The trip is free of charge.

At the end of the performance, your child will be dismissed directly from Lady Eleanor Holles School in Hampton.

Parents and carers must complete the consent form to confirm whether their child has permission to be dismissed independently from LEH, or whether they will be collected by a parent or carer.

Equipment

Please ensure your child has all the necessary equipment to be set up for a really successful day of school. The equipment list is:

Blue/ black pen, green pen, pencil, ruler, gluestick, mini whiteboard, mini whiteboard pen, DEAR book, planner, LASACAWAC book, KIPP booklet.

Thank you so much for your ongoing support with this.

Shoutouts

Navjot: SO to Rayen who built on so many answers in Science today and was thinking so hard!

Chloé V: Cherwell were absolutely fantastic in French today, showing so much endeavour and resilience with conjugation in the present tense. I was particularly impressed with Rediet and Aarya for reflect but mostly Saman, Saher, Avni and Rhea for completing the stretch at every opportunity they had 🎉

Megan T: SO to 8C in drama this morning - so much endeavour on their performances, they have grown in confidence so much. Special mention to Grahmaan, Ruby, and Olive who are standing out as directors as well as actors and kindly guiding their groups to the best decisions!

Chelsea: SO to Ouse for their focus today studying migration in the British Empire. So much endeavour from this team, they start straight away as soon as I say go!

Kit: SO to team Cherwell. Had such a delightful lesson about photosynthesis and plants #myfave. Zion was HOTR for his astounding answers and endeavour. I also was impressed by Zaynab's high-quality answers, as well as Rhea/Grahmaan/Saman who moved onto the stretch every time!

Megan: SO to Ouse this afternoon, they were working SO hard and just being all around fabulous, special mention to Iden for the most perfect STAR all lesson!

Sophie: SO to Agamya and Rediet for HOTR in geography. Both wrote excellent paragraphs analysing trends from population pyramids.

Art

As part of their ‘Surrealism and Imaginary Creatures’ cycle, Year 9 have been busy producing some wonderful transcriptions of Dali’s ‘Lobster Telephone’. They showcased some really impressive observational drawing skills and used biro cross-hatching to record the form of the telephone. They then layered fiery yellow and orange analinki paints to record the body of the lobster.

They are then starting to create personal responses to ‘Lobster Telephone’ by combining creatures with inanimate objects and then recording form and texture with mixed media.

Auspicious Artists!

As the Year 10’s prepared for their first Art mock exam, the artists were busy colour planning and honing their aquatic designs ready to create their final aquatic pieces. They have studied the ceramic work of Courtney Mattison and have developed intricate symmetry designs inspired by Ernst Haeckel.

They have been relentless in producing some incredibly beautiful art. Please see some photos of their planning and pieces of clay work produced on the day of the exam! Well done everyone.

Year 10 Parent Event

Thank you to all the parents, carers and pupils who joined us on Thursday for our first GCSE mini-mock results, the first time this cohort has received a brown paper envelope with results!

We hope it was an informative evening, that you were able to get subject specific feedback from teachers and that you are in a better position to understand what your child needs to do from now until the next mocks in June. This will all help them to achieve the grades they are so capable of achieving.

We are so grateful for the endless support and love you provide as parents and carers, day in and day out, (over the last 11 years!), We are so proud of the persistence, resilience and determination our pupils show in every single lesson and through all the revision they do in their own time. It is because of these embedded routines, high-quality endeavour and aspirations and, of course, the commitment and time from teachers and form tutors that we have no doubt that there will be some outstanding GCSE results next year!

Shout Outs!

Anastasia: Massive SO to 10Che.3 chemists George B, Miley, Fatima A and Fatima Y today! We have started the hardest topic of chemistry (according to current Y11s)! and they have absolutely smashed their calculations this morning! They have endeavoured so much practice to embed their equations it was inspiring to see mid-week! Well done!🧪
Chloe.V: SO to 10Baguette, the focus this morning for their French AP1 is amazing, a lot of happy faces with smiles nodding at me during the listening showed me they were prepared for it and I am looking forward to seeing what they have achieved!
Izzy: SO to Esther, Willow, Lena, Nihanya and Sharun, their first full attempt at a 16-mark history essay in assessment conditions, and they are some of the best I have seen. Well done!!!!
Megan.T: SO to team Thames and Leam this afternoon for their attention and engagement with the solutions not sides team. It was such an interesting afternoon and they asked such great questions. They were super impressed with how engaged they were, especially for an afternoon session, and commented on how fun they were to be with this afternoon!
Suprina: SO to 10Chem.2 we had such an amazing lesson and they have all jumped straight back into focus after a very hard 2 weeks of assessments. Their partner talk is always so supportive and MWB's were super speedy. SO in particular to Nardos who completed the stretch everytime!! 🌟
Chloe.V: SO to Y10 for smashing it over the last 2 weeks, they have shown such amazing organisation, motivation and resilience during their first ever mocks and I look forward to parents evening to see how well they have done and how proud of themselves they will be!
Sarah.R: SO to Y10 artists, such a strong start to the exam - 100% focus and some stunning ceramic pieces beginning to take shape…
Megan.P: SO to year 10 linguists Iqra, Susam and Lorenzo who are sitting their assessments today! They are working so hard to get the best grades possible. Also SO to Iqra for doing two language assessments on the same day. Switching between languages is such a difficult skill, but she is smashing it! 🇫🇷🇪🇸🌟
Leah: SO to Logan - every interaction I have had with him this academic year has been a delight. He has become such a kind and thoughtful young man!
Izzy: Fantastic lesson with Y10 historians today. Such a high level of endeavour throughout the double. SO impressed with Bertie and Ezaan, Sharun, Ishaan, Gabi. But the biggest SO goes to Yara who was showing an incredible level of endeavour!
Kit: SO to 10Megabytes, every single student reflected on feedback and redrafted their answers to get 100% on exam questions. Bonus shoutout to Avneet for coming up with the best 5-word summary of compression! #AWOPR
Chloe.S: SO to Year 10 Spanish who were so great today (as always). Super impressed with Tharuni who produced some great Spanish & Andra who did her catch up assessment and then got stuck straight into work. Her understanding of grammar has developed so much and she is 100% correct 100% of the time on her MWB tasks ️ I can't wait to see what they will achieve in Y11 and beyond!

Mock Examinations: Two Weeks to Go

The next round of mock examinations will begin in two weeks’ time. These mocks are a vital opportunity for students to practise exam conditions, identify areas for improvement, and build confidence ahead of the summer exams.

At this stage, it is essential that pupils are revising regularly and effectively. We strongly encourage students to use a range of proven revision techniques, including:

Retrieval practice: testing themselves using past exam questions, knowledge organisers, or flashcards
Spaced revision: revisiting topics a little and often, rather than cramming
Exam practice: completing timed exam questions and full papers where possible
Self-quizzing: using low stakes quizzes to identify strengths and gaps
Teaching someone else: explaining answers or topics aloud to reinforce understanding
Planning extended answers: particularly for subjects with longer written responses

How Parents and Carers Can Support Revision

You can play a key role in supporting your child’s revision by:

Asking them to explain what they have revised, rather than just how long they revised
Checking that revision includes active techniques, not just reading notes
Asking them to answer a question from memory or talk through an exam response
Encouraging short, focused revision sessions with regular breaks
Helping them stick to a realistic revision timetable

If a pupil can confidently explain a topic or answer questions without notes, this is usually a good indicator that revision is effective.

Celebrating Success in Art Mock Examinations

We are also delighted to share how excellent the Art mock examinations were. The quality of work the pupils produced was outstanding, demonstrating creativity, technical skill, and genuine commitment.

We are incredibly proud of the effort they put into their artwork and the progress they have made. Their work reflects both their talent and the dedication they have shown throughout the course. I have attached some examples of their work, and we hope you enjoy seeing the results of their hard work as much as we do.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support during this crucial stage of Year 11. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Shout Outs

Sarah: SO to Miriam who completed the equivalent of a grade 9 practice paper for homework. It was full of so much specific historical knowledge and the exam technique was on point - well done!

Suprina: SO to Elias for his obvious kindness! He has been working so hard and took the initiative to ask if I could help him in IS cover content he was going to miss due to his BA placement. During this 2 hours he worked so hard and finished it by expressing how grateful he was that I was able to help. Such a polite and kind young man! 🌟 SO to all of 11Chem.2!! They had such an amazing lesson learning about organic chemistry with everyone feeling successful and being to name super difficult esters by the end! SO to Moses for a perfect definition of a catalyst which would deffo earn him full marks in his GCSEs! 💯👨‍🔬

Kit: SO to Duriel, he is such a polite and thoughtful young man. He always asks me how I am without fail and conducts himself with professionalism!

Anastacia: SO to Y11 Biologists today on working so hard on their lesson on cloning. Special SO to Soraya and Benigno who finished all of their independent practice exam-style questions, with Benigno asking if next time I can print more! and SO to Elias and Malik for getting 6 marks in a tough 6 marker on how to clone a zorse! #woohoo🧪

Sophie: SO to Ruby, Nicole, Akshaya, Steven, Reason and Eshaan for consistent endeavour in geography. SO to Abdul for endeavouring on his extended writing. Malik for aspire, asking without prompted for work he has missed and wants to catch up on.

Sarah C: SO to MoD for reflect. He's been taking in all the advice from masterclasses to improve his exam technique and knowledge and it's a joy to read his HW each week.

Jonny: SO to Sofiyah who got 74/80 on a past paper last week! And Moses who got his first Grade 5 on the same paper #gains

PE Update

The spring term has kicked off with fantastic energy in the PE department. We’ve been delighted to see a huge number of pupils signing up for our secondary clubs. This term, we also introduced lunchtime clubs, and they’ve been a real success, with enthusiastic groups getting active and trying new sports every day.

RAF vs RAHP

On Friday 22nd January, we hosted our first intra‑school fixtures with Reach Academy Hanworth Park. The Year 7s took part in football and netball fixtures, which were a brilliant showcase of effort, teamwork, and competitive spirit from both schools.

Girls' Netball

The girls opened the afternoon with a fast‑paced and very closely contested netball match. RAHP came away with an 11–7 win, but the game was tight from start to finish. Both teams showed real determination, communicating well and working hard for each other.

RAHP’s quick counter‑attacking play made the difference in the final quarter, but every player involved should feel proud of the way they represented their school. The level of focus and resilience on display was fantastic to see.

Boys' Football

The football fixture that followed was just as exciting. It was one of those matches that could have gone either way, with both teams creating chances and scoring some brilliant goals. In the end, RAF secured a 6–3 victory after a strong second‑half performance.

A special mention goes to David, who produced several standout moments and showed great individual skill throughout the game. The whole team worked hard, supported each other, and kept the energy high right to the final whistle.

We are delighted to share the latest updates from across our Sixth Form, celebrating both academic progress and wider enrichment successes.

Year 12 Updates

Year 12 students received their reports following the recent assessment window on Tuesday afternoon. These reports provide a valuable snapshot of current attainment and progress, and are also available to view on MCAS.

We strongly encourage you to take some time to sit down with your child to look through the report together and discuss their achievements and next steps. Please ensure the signed slip is returned to us by Friday 7th February.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss the report in more detail, please do not hesitate to get in touch, we are always happy to support.

Year 13 Updates

University offers are continuing to arrive, and we are absolutely thrilled with the outcomes so far. Students have secured outstanding offers from a wide range of highly competitive universities, including Oxford, Durham, King’s College London, Nottingham, Exeter, and many more. These offers are a real testament to the hard work, ambition, and resilience our students have shown throughout their Sixth Form journey.

With mock examinations just two weeks away, preparation is now key. Please refer back to last week’s update for the full mock timetable. At this stage, students should be completing at least two hours of independent study after school each weekday, and four to five hours over the weekend.

Mocks inevitably bring a level of pressure, which can be healthy and motivating when managed well. However, we are mindful that too much pressure can become stress and impact wellbeing. Please do reach out if you have any concerns or would like to talk about how your child is coping, supporting both academic success and student wellbeing remains a priority for us.

Model United Nations (MUN) Conference

We are incredibly proud of our Year 12 Scholars, who attended a Model United Nations conference at LEH over the weekend. Representing South Korea, our students engaged confidently and thoughtfully with over 200 delegates from other schools.

They demonstrated exceptional preparation, diplomacy, and teamwork throughout the conference, representing Feltham College with maturity and distinction. A special congratulations goes to Rawan, who was awarded Most Commendable Delegate, a fantastic achievement and thoroughly deserved recognition.

Well done to all students involved - we are immensely proud of you.

Attendance

A huge well done to Reception, who have caught up with Year 4 as the Primary year group with the highest attendance in the school. Year 8 continue to be our Secondary attendance champions.

Did you know?

At primary school, children who attend nearly every day in Year 6 (95–100% attendance) have 30% higher odds of reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths compared to similar pupils who attend 90–95% of the time.
The link is even stronger at secondary school. Year 11 pupils with near-perfect attendance have almost double the odds of achieving grade 5 in English and Maths GCSE compared to similar pupils attending 90–95% of the time. In other words, missing just 10 extra days is associated with half the odds of achieving these grades.

Domestic Abuse Support App

Domestic abuse, whether towards a female or male partner, can significantly affect the children who live in that environment. Exposure to violence, coercion or ongoing emotional manipulation disrupts a child’s sense of safety and can influence their behaviour, relationships and engagement in learning.

These situations are often hard to spot. Many victims work to hide what is happening, particularly from official agencies, due to fear of consequences for the abusive partner or worries about major upheaval for the family.

Hestia is a London-based charity that supports adults and children in crisis, delivering frontline services and campaigning nationally on issues such as domestic abuse, modern slavery and mental health. They have created the Bright Sky app, a free and discreet tool that helps people recognise signs of abuse, access specialist support and record concerns safely.

The Bright Sky app provides:

A simple tool to help someone recognise signs of abuse and understand whether a relationship feels unsafe.
A secure, optional journal for recording incidents or concerns that can later be shared with a trusted person or agency.
A directory of national and local support services, making it easier to find the right help quickly.

To find out more, please follow the link: www.hestia.org/brightsky

Beezee Healthy Lifestyle Programmes

We offer FREE community-based 12 week healthy lifestyle programmes for children above the healthy weight (both face to face and online), informed by behavioral science, which aim to help children and families achieve and maintain a healthy weight and healthy habits.

Delivered as an after-school club in various schools across the borough, these programmes promote lifelong healthy habits through nutritional improvements (e.g., reducing sugary drinks, increasing fruits and wholegrains), physical activity (sports, walking, cycling) and better shopping choices. See more on the fliers below.

Overall, these programs empower families to make sustainable healthy choices and improve overall health and well-being. Here is the link to our website - Weight Management - Beezee Families - Healthy Hounslow

Turning visitors into lead

Hounslow Repair Café - youth repair workshop

Hounslow Repair Café is running a programme of events, including the community repair café and new youth repair workshops focusing on developing electrical, bike and sewing repair skills.

The workshops offer free electrical repair courses for 12-24 year olds. These take place one Sunday a month throughout January and February at St. Leonard’s Church Hall, Heston Road, Heston, TW5 0RD. Run by Team Repair, participants earn a certificate and develop Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mechanics (STEM) skills, problem-solving, resilience, and sustainability awareness to reduce waste and promote a circular economy. Book now at https://e-voice.org.uk/hrc/book

Community repair cafés also run every third Sunday of the month from 1:30pm-4:30pm at St. Leonard’s Church Hall (address above), where people can bring bikes, small appliances, clothing and digital equipment to be fixed. Book your visit here: http://bit.ly/46njvd4

For any questions, feel free to email hestonrepaircafe@gmail.com

Wellbeing Hub

We encourage all of our families to join the Wellbeing Hub. Our school is signed up to this fantastic resource which gives families and their children free access to great content on everything including starting school for the first time, puberty, smartphones and anxiety. There are really helpful resources for all ages.

If you haven’t joined the Hub yet, we urge you to do so through using the QR code opposite.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Kay Stone. kay.stone@reachacademy.org.uk

NEWSLETTER

WINTER 2026

Dates for your diary

Here are details of important events in the next few weeks.

Spotlight on... our AEN Team

Taylor Bellamy

Scarlett Cowell

Natalie Smith

Angela Melia

Mental Health Week

Find your way around

Primary

Well done to our certificate winners!

New Multisports Club Years 1- 6

Nursery

Writing our names

Costa Trip Consent forms

Reception

Literacy

Maths

Weekly Homework

STEM Event and Book Donation

After school collection

Year 1

Shoutouts

Writing

Maths

History

Science

Family Celebration Event

Trip to London Transport Museum

Year 2

Coming up this term:

Mid Year Celebration Event and Family Workshop

Reading

How you can help at home:

Writing

Poetry

Please Keep Practising

Maths

Want to continue working on maths at home?

Year 3

Your Voice Matters Family Event

Science

Writing

Year 4

Book Club

Maths

Humanities

Lion King Trip

Year 5

New Sports Club

Young Voices

Writing

Humanities

Year 6

Ready for our 2nd round of mocks!

Merit/value certificate winners

Team Reach Prize

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Trip

Book Club

Maths

Religious Studies

Science

PE

Homework

Primary Clubs

Permission to go home

Art

Secondary

Year 7

Shout Outs!

Art

Year 8

Exciting trip to theatre

Equipment

Shoutouts

Year 9

Art

Year 10