Matthew Arnold Newsletter

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to our first newsletter this term. I hope you enjoy reading through and catching a glimpse of what we do and how amazing our students are. We are very proud of our school community, and we celebrate the start of term having achieved another set of great GCSE results ensuring a brighter future for our young people. We are so lucky with having such dedicated staff who work tirelessly to make Matthew Arnold the special school that is.

Thank you for all the kind messages I have received this week. I am immensely proud of our school and I know the school will continue to go from strength to strength under Alex Dixon’s leadership.

Ms Ruse

Tuesday 6th October - Open Evening, 5:30 - 8pm (school closing early at 1.20pm. The 667 school bus will continue to run, but at the earlier time of 1.35pm.)

Friday 16th October - Last day of the half term

Monday 2nd November - First day back; normal 8:25am start

In August, 82 prospective Year 7 students attended Summer School. Over the course of three days, students attended sessions focused on Science, English, Mathematics, Art, PE, Food Technology and the Farm, giving them the opportunity to experience school life, making new friends and build confidence.

The programme was made possible by the enthusiasm and dedication of our staff, who delivered a range of engaging and memorable experiences. Highlights included launching bottle rockets in Science, writing nature-inspired haikus in English, and creating letters to students’ future selves, which Mrs Van Duyn will post to them at the end of the academic year. In Art, students enjoyed making sun-catchers, origami frogs and painted rocks, while Food Technology sessions saw them prepare honey crackles, cinnamon palmiers and French toast. Students were particularly enthusiastic about the PE and Farm sessions, often choosing to spend their break and lunchtime visiting the animals or playing football.

Our Year 11 Prefects, Ben H., Isy G., Jessica C., Liv P., Sam A. and Suhana G. played a key role as group leaders and are continuing to act as familiar faces. We are grateful to all staff and student leaders who contributed to making Summer School such a positive and successful experience for our Year 7 students.

Students have been getting creative in Art as they brought London’s iconic Gherkin building to life through watercolour. Using careful observation, they experimented with line, tone and shape to capture its distinctive curved form and striking architectural details. Students developed their watercolour techniques while exploring how artists can use colour and tone to create depth, shape and a sense of structure. The finished pieces showcase their growing confidence, creativity and attention to detail.

Year 9 students have been putting their precision and practical skills to the test in Design Technology as they took on the challenge of creating the perfect cube. Students have been carefully measuring, cutting and refining their work, developing their accuracy and attention to detail along the way. The project has challenged students to be patient and precise, while giving them the opportunity to see how careful craftsmanship can transform a simple idea into a high-quality finished product.

Year 10 students have made an excellent start to the year in Science, exploring the fascinating world of communicable diseases. Students have been investigating how diseases spread, how quickly they can move through a population, and the symptoms and treatments associated with different infections. Through practical investigations and scientific discussion, they have been developing their understanding of how diseases can be prevented and controlled, while putting their scientific thinking and problem-solving skills to the test.

Meet our two newest arrivals, Pygmy goats Nessa and Bryn! Nessa and Bryn arrived on 21st August, giving them plenty of time to settle into their new home before the children returned to school.Born in South Somerset, they had quite a journey to reach their forever home — and even got to see Stonehenge along the way.

They are settling in beautifully and will have a slow and gentle introduction to Matthew and Arnold. For now, as they are still so small, they are living with the ducks. This also means we can safely lock them away at night to protect them from foxes.

We are absolutely delighted to welcome Nessa and Bryn into our family and can’t wait to watch their personalities grow.

Another warm welcome to Arran and Harris!

They joined our family earlier this summer and have made the transition from house rabbits to outdoor bunnies incredibly well. They are now happily settled into their very own predator-proof enclosure, where they have plenty of space to explore, play and relax.

They have a huge shed, complete with a cosy, warm sleeping area and lots of room to play when the weather is not on their side. The shed was very kindly donated by Andy and Janine Hedges, all the way from Lincolnshire — something we are incredibly grateful for.

The school farm is absolutely buzzing with visitors and volunteers at lunchtime

On Mondays and Thursdays, our Year 7 students can volunteer their time to help with feeding and watering the animals, topping up hay, raking and litter picking to keep the farm clean, tidy and welcoming.

Tuesdays and Fridays are the turn of our Year 8 volunteers, while Wednesdays are dedicated to Year 9. It’s fantastic to see so many students getting involved and taking pride in caring for our animals and their environment.

Excitement is growing as rehearsals for this year's school production of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ have officially begun! Our talented cast and chorus have already been hard at work learning songs, choreography, developing characters, and bringing this much-loved musical to life. The energy, enthusiasm, and commitment shown so far have been fantastic, and we are looking forward to sharing our progress with you over the coming months. Watch this space for more updates as the production continues to grow!

"Don't feed the plants!"

We are delighted to celebrate another fantastic achievement from our students, who have won the Surrey Arts Bookmark Competition for the second year running! This year’s theme was ‘Creative Careers’, and we are incredibly proud that three of our Year 8 students were selected as winners.

Congratulations to Methuki Kanumuldeniye, Dinuri Pattiya and Ariana Varghese, whose creative bookmark designs impressed the judges. Their winning designs have now been professionally printed and will be included in goodie bags for visitors to the annual Spelthorne Cultural Fair. We will also have hundreds of copies available in our school library for students to enjoy.

As part of the celebration, the winners have received Waterstones vouchers from Surrey Arts. Surrey Arts will also be visiting the school next week to deliver assemblies to our students.

A huge congratulations to Methuki, Dinuri and Ariana on this fantastic achievement. We are incredibly proud to see their creativity celebrated beyond our school and shared with the wider community!

We are incredibly proud to celebrate the fantastic footballing achievements of two of our students.

Harry Grace-Lampard, Year 9, has secured a place at Reading Football Club Academy for the 2026/27 season. As part of the programme, Harry will train at the Bearwood Training Ground and The Forest Academy Air Dome alongside his studies.

We are also delighted to celebrate Jacob Watson, Year 7, who currently plays for the AFC Wimbledon Football Club Academy.

Both students are demonstrating an impressive commitment to developing their skills alongside their education. We wish Harry and Jacob every success as they continue their footballing journeys!

Huge congratulations to our Year 11 Boys Football Team, who secured an impressive 9–2 victory in their latest fixture! The team showed fantastic determination, teamwork and skill throughout the game, producing an excellent performance from start to finish. Well done to all the players for this fantastic result!

We are incredibly proud to celebrate the achievements of our fantastic staff at The Matthew Arnold School!

Our staff have been taking on some incredible challenges and achieving fantastic results. Mr Flynn, our Head of PE, recently competed in the global CrossFit Community Cup, achieving an impressive second place. Meanwhile, Miss Watson, our Head of Year 7, completed the gruelling IRONMAN Wales, and Mr Dixon, our Deputy Headteacher, completed IRONMAN 70.3 Weymouth.

These achievements demonstrate an incredible level of dedication, determination and perseverance. It is fantastic to see members of our school community setting themselves ambitious goals and challenging themselves to achieve them.

Huge congratulations to Mr Flynn, Miss Watson and Mr Dixon!

Just to remind parents/carers that if they take their children out of school without authority for 5 or more days (which do not have to be consecutive), then the following will apply:

1. If you have not incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children in a rolling 3 year period since 19 August 2024, then the penalty notice will be charged at the rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. This will be reduced to £80.00 if paid within 21 days of receipt of the notice. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.

2. If you have incurred a penalty notice relating to this child/children since 19 August 2024, the rolling 3 year period will be activated from the date of the first penalty notice and the second penalty notice will be charged at the flat rate of £160.00, per parent/carer per child, if paid within 28 days. There will be no reduction for payment within 21 days. Failure to pay the Penalty Notice will result in Surrey County Council considering legal proceedings against you in the Magistrates Court.

3. If you have incurred 2 penalty notices relating to this child/children in the rolling 3 year period since the first penalty notice was issued, then you will NOT receive a third penalty notice – Surrey County Council will have no option but to consider a prosecution, per parent/carer per child, in the Magistrates Court under s 444 Education Act 1996.

Surrey County Council is not responsible for authorising pupil absence and therefore cannot withdraw any Penalty Notice requests without the written permission of the Headteacher.

A young carer is a child or young person under the age of 18 who helps to look after a family member who has a disability, special educational need, long-term illness, mental health condition, addiction, or additional care needs. Many young carers do not realise that what they do is different from the responsibilities of other children, and families often see it simply as part of everyday life.

Young carers may help with a range of tasks, including practical jobs around the home, looking after younger or older siblings, providing emotional support, helping with communication, collecting prescriptions, or assisting a parent or sibling with personal care. While many young carers take pride in supporting their loved ones, caring responsibilities can sometimes affect their wellbeing, attendance, friendships, homework, and opportunities to relax and enjoy being a child.

At The Matthew Arnold School, we recognise the important role young carers play and are committed to supporting them. If you believe your child may be a young carer, please log in to your Arbor Parent Portal account and select ‘YES’ in the Young Carer section of your child’s profile. We will be in touch to discuss the circumstances and the young carer support that we can put in place.