RTS Parents' Newsletter

Thank you to all of our Year 9 families who were able to attend the Y9 Options Event this week. This is one of our highlights of the year and staff love showcasing their departments - enthusiastically supported by Y10 & 11 GCSE students. This year had the added interest of a treasure hunt and it was fantastic to see so many crowns being worn around school - and not just by students! The Options Programme continues in school as we guide Y9 towards their next steps.

We were also delighted recently to celebrate the achievements of our 'Zero Heroes' - those students across the school who consistently represent the RTS Values and have not received a single demerit in the last term. They were rewarded with some extra downtime with music, card/board games and brunch.

Elsewhere rehearsals for the school production of Oliver are gathering pace and it's very hard not to sing along when you hear the classic songs echoing around school!

As always, wishing you all a restful weekend and a relaxing half-term break when it comes. Don't forget that Monday 23 February is an INSET day when school is closed to students. They should return on Tuesday 24 February, normal timings.

Ms Dooley | Head Teacher

Over the past two months Summer, Year 10, has taken part and excelled in the Spirit of Dance competition and then also at the most recent Grand Finals which took part in Blackpool at the end of January.

The results were as follows:-

Spirit Of Dance Competition

Lyrical Solo - 1st Place

Jazz Solo - 1st Place

Jazz Ensemble - 1st Place

Group Contemporary - 1st Place (Highest recorded score ever)

Group Lyrical - 2nd Place

Group Street Dance - 3rd Place

Summer was also awarded the Judges choice award for stand out dancer.

Dance Inspiration Finals

Chosen to be part of the showcase team representing England

Jazz Ensemble - 3rd Place

Group Lyrical - 1st Place

Such incredible achievements by Summer - the photograph catching her mid-flight is stunning - and we wish her continued success in her future competitions.

Congratulations to students across the school who enjoyed some extended downtime in celebration of their achievement.

Over the last two weeks we have had the pleasure of 10 Taiwanese students and their group leader visit us for a cultural programme via the Kingston Study Centre. Alongside a packed schedule of excursions and time with their host families, the students are experiencing what it is like to go to school in England. Despite the language barrier and differences, our Year 10 prefects have warmly welcomed the students into their lessons and also have spent time with them playing basketball and teaching each other card games. There is a universal language in joy and laughter! They have also shared what it is that 15 year olds like to do and the similarities are remarkable.

Last week, 70 students across Years 9 and 10 took part in the UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge, tackling a range of challenging problems designed to test logical thinking, mathematical reasoning, and problem-solving skills. Well done to everyone who took part!

Towards the end of January, the entire Year 10 cohort were taken off timetable to engage with Jack Petchey's Speak Out Challenge. Students receive a full day of public speaking training with one of Jack Petchey's expert trainers. The impact on students is profound, from increasing their empathy with the views of others to improving their ability to work under pressure. The students were in their form groups and the speakers were incredibly energetic, engaging and are experienced in getting the absolute best from every student - even those that think they cannot possibly speak in front of the group:

• "The activities were engaging and gave helpful tips for overcoming social anxiety"
• "I was pleased to find out more about my classmates from their speeches"
• "The workshop was very beneficial and I am excited to do more oral work in the future"

The programme culminates in the Grand Final event, usually held at a West End theatre. Students share inspiring, thought-provoking and uplifting speeches to an audience of a thousand people and a prestigious panel of judges, and stand a chance to win a significant cash prize for themselves and their school.

Our RTS winners for this round were:

• 10 AN: Patrick O.; Stephanie B.
• 10BL: Karmen; Ben O.
• 10MA: Edward; Anurag; Soila
• 10 SE: Eric, Devraj, Jemima
• 10 SP: Sophia Si; Hamdan

We are incredibly fortunate and appreciative that the Speak Out Challenge was funded by FoRTS. Year on year their support of this programme is beneficial to our students - your children.

Over the past few weeks there have been a range of activities and sessions across the school, raising awareness and educating students about the holocaust. Holocaust Memorial Day was on 27 January and leading up to this date, Ms Carrick-Steele led age-appropriate assemblies with a focus on the children of the holocaust and 'Bridging Generations': the responsibility of remembrance doesn't end with surviours - it lives on through all of us.

This week, Ms Tania arranged for members of the Richmond Synagogue to come and speak to Year 9 students. David movingly shared his own personal family experience and afterwards students asked him sensitive, enquiring and emotionally intelligent questions. Small group workshops took place exploring the Jewish laws that the Nazis put in place over a 9 year period, for example: Jewish people cannot buy magazines or newspapers, Jewish children not allowed to go to school with non-Jewish children, and Jewish people cannot keep pets. Students were shocked by these restrictions and couldn't comprehend having to live like that.

Students then had the opportunity to a light a candle in remembrance of a loved one.

This is being held REMOTELY on Wednesday 25 February, 15:30-19:30. Please check your email for details on how to book (sent 05 February).

If anyone has been decluttering, or is planning to - we would be very grateful to receive any donations of board games (in good condition with all pieces!) for our enrichment sessions and lunch time clubs. Thank you in advance for thinking of us! Please drop your donations off at Reception (or ask your child to!).

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 £1,300.21

Sign up here: Easyfundraising

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:

• Spring Term 1: Monday 05 January 2026-Friday 13 February 2026

• Spring Term 2: Monday 23 February 2026 (INSET DAY, school closed to students)-Friday 27 March

Please find the Parent Calendar Summary for 2025-2026. Please check this regularly as some dates and times may be adjusted throughout the year.

Did you know?

Up to one in four (25%) children leave primary school unable to swim the minimum 25 meters unaided, a figure that is often higher in disadvantaged areas. This creates a significant safety vulnerability because drowning is sadly one of the leading causes of accidental death in children in the UK. This failure means pupils do not meet the UK National Curriculum mandate (25m competently and confidently by Year 6) and miss out on a vital, lifelong safety skill and the associated health benefits. This tragic lack of basic swimming ability is entirely preventable.

TW2 Gym want to help combat this in the local community.

During the February half term we will be running intensive swimming courses which is open to non-members and members of the club.

Whitton Waves Junior Netball Club are running a Netball Camp in Half term at their usual training ground, The Richmond Upon Thames School. The camp is open to both current Whitton Junior players and other players from the local area interested in improving their netball and having some active holiday days.

The sessions will be led by experienced coaches and will involve a mixture of skills training, game-based learning, team building games and tournament game-play. Our aim is to make these as fun and engaging days of netball, supporting a range of skill sets and abilities.

Event Details

Dates: 17th & 18th February 2026

Venue: Richmond Upon Thames School (RUTS)

Time: 10am-3pm

Open to: U10-U14 Age Groups (although we expect attendees to be mainly between U10-U13)

Cost: £45 per day (2 days = £80)

Places per Day: Max 25

Looking to join a local football club? Take a look at the flyers below for more detail!

Turtle Key Arts produces and devices original ground-breaking art to entertain and inspire. We believe that access to the arts helps to improve quality of life by bringing people together, offering creative opportunities, social interaction, confidence and self-esteem.

We have an upcoming Turtle Opera workshop project - the project will run at the V&A Museum, South Kensington from Tuesday 17th – Friday 20th February 2026, 11am – 3:30pm.

The four days of workshops will involve participants creating their own stories and music for an informal performance, with a professional composer and director. A specialist team from Turtle Key Arts and the V&A will support the group, to help enable fun and friendships.

Please find attached our flyer which we would appreciate if you could share or forward to any young people or families you think would be suitable and may be interested. Please ask anyone interested to sign-up via the application form on Turtle Key Arts' website where you can also find more information as well as a video about the project.

It takes courage to ask for help. But for many young people who do, the support they need just isn’t there. Hundreds of thousands of young people are struggling with their mental health, but too many are being told to wait, struggling to cope and hitting a crisis point before they get help.

But things can get better. And Young Minds are leading the movement for change.

We provide young people with the tools to look after their mental health. We empower adults to be the best support they can be to the young people in their lives. And we give young people the space and confidence to get their voices heard and change the world we live in.

Together, we can create a world where no young person feels alone with their mental health.

The Helpline is a lifeline for parents, carers and children/young people who don’t know where to turn, or don’t feel listened to when their child is, or they are, struggling.

Parents in Conflict for separated or divorced parents or carers, a 3 week course being held in Ham - afternoon (12.30pm-2.30pm) or evening group available (6pm-8pm). 2 groups are being offered on the same day so separated parents can attend different groups.

Professionals can refer a parent/carer or parents/carers can self refer by completing an online registration form, please see the link below:

https://forms.gle/WsBeMXDAZ2z8N8eUA

For more information and details please contact: karen.williams@achievingforchildren.org.uk

These groups are arranged by Achieving for Children - Providing children's services for Kingston and Richmond

Please find details on MHST Workshops being held over the course of the next academic year:

• "Helping Children with"
• "Helping Teens with"

For advice and resources about mental health and wellbeing, please scan the QR code.

At Grays Lawn & Landscaping we pride ourselves on our adaptability and commitment to excellence in every aspect of our gardening service in South West London & Surrey. Explore what we have to offer and how we can contribute to your outdoor space.

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