RTS Parents' Newsletter

Another packed week at RTS! The whole school sports day is a fantastic event where all staff are involved in ensuring a great day is had by everyone. From office staff on time keeping, welfare duty or photography duties to SLT on data entry and running field events, to teachers on supervision, running field events, time keeping and certificated production - it is all hands on deck to support the PE department in creating an unforgettable experience for the students.

We are looking forward to meeting our new Year 7 students on Monday for their transition day - we have a full programme of lessons and activities lined up to help them get to know their fellow classmates.

As is traditional in the penultimate newsletter I am sharing with you the following staff updates:

• Farewell: This year, we say farewell to staff who move on to pastures new: we salute Mr Parfitt, Ms Razak, Ms Sloman, Ms Di Matteo, Mr Verity, Mr Raj, Ms Smith, Mr Step, Mr Lad, and Ms Vaghela; and wish them all well in their next chapter. We thank them for their contributions to RTS.

• New Chapter: As one chapter ends, another begins, and I am pleased to share the following staffing updates for 2025-2026: Ms Dunningham - Curriculum Leader, Humanities; Mr Boyle - Curriculum Leader, Computer Science; Mr Crampsie - Subject Leader, History; Ms Song -Maths Teacher; Ms Alimmouch - MfL Teacher; Ms Broughton - Art & DT Teacher; Ms Liao - Art & DT Teacher; Mr Peng Fei He - Science Teacher; Mr Hall -PE Teacher; and Ms Nitsche - PE Teacher. We look forward to supporting their transitions and successful careers at RTS.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend - the last one before the Summer break!

~Ms K Dooley | Head Teacher

On a very warm Monday this week, three RTS students headed off to compete at the Middlesex championships. They did exceptionally well with Bella coming 4th in the championships, Finley winning his heat and Theo winning his heat then coming 2nd in middle distance and then also 2nd in the relay.

Well done to them all for demonstrating the RTS Way and believing in the power of effort.

On Friday 20 June, a group of Year 9 students attended Kingston University for an Inter-School Debating competition run by Thames Water and Debate Mate. Back in March, these students participated in three debating workshops onsite at RTS, and they put all these skills to use last Friday where they debated other local schools about water supply issues in London.

Despite being exhausted from their Duke of Edinburgh expedition earlier that week, the students were a credit to both themselves and RTS. There were multiple members of staff from Kingston University; Thames Water; and Debate Mate, who all complimented their polite, respectful and enthusiastic behaviour. In the end, it was a fantastic team from Greycourt who won the competition, but a special shout out to both Krish P. and Ted G. for receiving 'Star Speaker' awards.'

On 19 June Ms Webb took a group of Year 8 girls to London Southbank University for the 'SheCanEngineer' Space Day.

Students began with a mini-lecture followed by a carousel activity where they met some engineers. In the afternoon they designed their own space station!

Staff from other schools commented on how hard working and well behaved our students were. The engineers were impressed by their questions and how mature they were. RTS even won highly commended for their space station design!

Pre-loved uniform: upcoming sales for your dairy

12 July (Saturday):

11am-3pm at Chase Bridge Primary School: Kneller Rd, Twickenham TW2 7DE

All are welcome as this is a local community event.

Please pay by card wherever possible but we will also accept cash.

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Easyfundraising

We extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who has contributed to Friends of RTS through #easyfundraising. Your support is invaluable in helping us achieve our mission.

If you haven't signed up yet, the process is simple and completely free. With over 8,100 brands participating, a percentage of your everyday online purchases will be donated to us—at no additional cost to you. Join us in making a meaningful impact today.

So far we have raised £955.00

Sign up here: Easyfundraising

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FoRTS Volunteering

Join FoRTS by clicking here. It’s as simple as that!

Your FoRTS team,

Carmelle (Chair and Acting Secretary) and Pino (Treasurer)

General: forts@rts.richmond.sch.uk

Parking: fortsparking@rts.richmond.sch.uk

If you have concerns in relation to a student at RTS or indeed with regards to your own child, you may want to contact Single Point of Access (SPA) which acts as a central information hub for all professional agencies in Kingston and Richmond.

Richmond and Kingston SPA

The SPA phone lines are now open as follows:

• Monday-Thursday 08.00-17.15 and Friday 08.00-17.00 - the phone number during these times is 020 8547 5008

• Out of hours: 020 8770 5000

Hounslow Early Help Assessment

• Telephone number: 020 8583 6600

• Out of hours: 020 8583 2222

• Email: earlyhelp@hounslow.gov.uk

NSPCC:

Speak to a counsellor 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

• Telephone number: 0808 800 5000, or text 88858

• Email: help@nspcc.org.uk

• Signvideo using British Sign Language (Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm)

Full-term dates and Inset day information is available on the school's website:

• Summer Term 2: Monday 02 June-Friday 11 July (noon)

Following last year’s successful programme, Richmond Council is continuing to host a series of mega skip days in each area of the borough during 2025, where local residents can get rid of bulky unwanted items for free.

The mega skip next Saturday 5 July will be placed in your community on Egerton Rd, Twickenham, (near Craneford Way), from 9am to 12pm (or until the skips are full – whichever comes first). Residents can bring along up to six items (including furniture or mattresses, electrical appliances, black bags, etc). Items are then recycled. Any furniture that’s brought and still in good condition is taken by local charity Richmond Furniture Scheme, who upcycle second-hand furniture and sell on for a discount.

E-flyer with relevant info attached! Residents can also refer to our website for further information about what can and can’t be brought.

Marzamemi Festival is back for its 2nd instalment on 5th and 6th July 2025 on Old Deer Park, Richmond.

2025 will be bigger and better, here is the line up:

• Epic line up of Italian food & drink
• Packed line up of chef live demos
• Lots of fun live music & DJ's all day
• Curated shopping tents with homeware, fashion, artisan brands
• Creative workshops for kids & adults (pasta making, embroidery, ceramic painting)
• Access to FREE kids entertainment (Giggle Company shows, inflatable fun, little beach, cinema, disco, football drills, lawn games, art & craft table, gelato, granita, popcorn & vintage sweet stall)
• Our GIOIA beauty tent (blow drys by Blo Bar, chair massages & festival glam)
• Super! Space with x3 free drinks & nibbles more live music & premium seating

Pools on the Park and Teddington Pools & Fitness Centre are offering Summer Splash crash courses for children in current years 5, 6 and 7 who have not met National Curriculum standards. This is open to children who either live in the borough or attend school in the borough.

The 5 day course costs £5.

Click on the link below or scan the QR (which will take you to the website)

Applications will be accepted from 7th July 2025.

Summer Splash 2025 - London Borough of Richmond upon Thames

I am one of the coaches at London Irish. We are starting up pre-season training for the soon to be under 14 age group (current year 8 boys). We are opening this up to local schools to any players (all abilities) who would like to come down and experience the club or just to play a bit of Rugby with like-minded boys. There is no cost involved for any of the pre-season training across July & August.

My name is Darren Bartlett and I head up the Junior Section at London Scottish and we are actively recruiting for new players from Y7-Y10 (from September). If you or anyone you know would like to come and give rugby a try, or just keep fit over the summer, we would love to see you. Every Wednesday evening, from 02 July, 18:30-20:00 at Kings House School Sports Ground, Riverside Drive, W4 2SP. Please contact me at Juniorsconvenor@londonscottish.com or get in touch on 07939140056 and I would be happy to help.

1. Summer Competition – Design an Activity & Win Big!

We’re inviting children to get creative and design a brand-new summer camp activity for Barracudas!

The winning entry will receive:

• £250 donation to your school
• A FREE WEEK at Barracudas summer camp
• An exclusive Mini Billy toy

Their activity could be a twist on a summer classic, inspired by sunshine and outdoor fun, or an entirely original idea we can bring to life at camp! Entries should be emailed to fun@barracudas.co.uk by 16th June and we’ll announce the winner on 19th June.

A digital flyer and social media graphic are attached—perfect for newsletters or classroom noticeboards! Here are the full details: https://www.barracudas.co.uk/blog/design-your-barracudas-summer-camp-activity-to-win-big/

2. Summer Camp Discounts – Just for Your School Community

With places filling quickly, now’s the perfect time to remind you about our exclusive school discounts. We’ve attached a handy flyer for you to read —spaces won’t last long!

It's that time of year again and we have absolutely loads of stuff to keep your children busy over the summer holidays at both Hampton and Whitton Youth Zones. Our offer is completely free and is part of Achieving for Children's statutory summer offer for young people living and/or educated in Richmond and Kingston.

We are open to all young people and not just those on free school meals, so feel free to circulate far and wide!

Hampton & Whitton Youth Zones: Summer 2025

It’s summertime and it’s set to be a scorcher at both Hampton and Whitton Youth Zones.

This year we are running from July 21st - August 29th. That’s all 6 weeks! That’s right folks, 6 weeks of FREENESS for you to enjoy. There’s the customary weekly trips for attendees to enjoy and of course food is included too. It’s ram packed with things to do so pop down, make some new friends and have some fun!

Daily Activities

Art

Arcade Gaming

Archery

Board games

Climbing

Cooking

Deejaying

Foosball

Gardening

Garden Games

Music Production

Pool

Roller Skating

Sports (football, basketball, tennis, benchball, etc)

Table tennis

Team based group games

Video gaming (PS5 and Xbox Series)

Check out our full timetables below or contact justin johnson via justin.johnson@achievingforchildren.org.uk for more information.

Hampton

Whitton

The CLCH school nursing service in Richmond is offering young people aged 5-19 and their parents and carers a new way to contact and get support from school nurse via a text messaging app ChatHealth.

ChatHealth offers confidential help and advice about a range of health concerns, including emotional health, sexual health, relationships, alcohol and drugs and bullying.

When a message is sent to the ChatHealth number, an automated reply confirms the message has been received. A trained healthcare professional will reply to the message during office hours within 24 working hours of receiving the message.

Winfilda Oyo-Ita, the Clinical Lead for the 0-19 service in Richmond said; “We’re delighted that we’re able to offer ChatHealth to young people, parents and carers in our local community as it provides more flexibility for them to access information and advice directly from our school nursing team that doesn’t rely on an appointment in-person.”

The service is already provided by CLCH in Hertfordshire and has been widely implemented at several NHS Trusts and healthcare organisations across the UK.

Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtSV7g1_fKA for more information.

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