RTS Parents' Newsletter

I hope that you have had the opportunity to read my email of Wednesday evening and I encourage you to make use of the support that is available for students and families. Being a 'positive member of my community' is one of the strands of the RTS Haka and, for us this week, has a real resonance and meaning. The RTS Community has come together and we have seen some incredibly generous and kind acts around school to support one another.

Please do take care of yourselves and each other.

~Ms K Dooley | Head Teacher

We wanted to share some good news on Jack, a former student of RTS having left this year following his GCSE’s.

Jack competed at the Aquatics GB and Go Cardless Summer Nationals in Sheffield this summer, in a total of 8 events. His 200 freestyle relay team picked up a silver medal, coming a close second in GB only to Millfield. Individually he won 2 silvers in the 800m freestyle and 200m freestyle and also became English National champion winning gold in the 400m Individual Medley.

Following the success of the competition, Jack has now been selected for the Swim Wales National Elite Transition 1 squad and will join other aged 16/17 swimmers on their 2025/2026 programme.

As a school community it has been a privilege to support Jack and his family and to to enable him to pass all of his GCSE’s whilst maintaining his performance swimming. We wish him all the very best for the future and hope to see more success come his way.

It is now a tradition that the first day of Year 7 for our students is spent off site at the fantastic local outdoor activity centre based on the River Thames - Thames Young Mariners. The weather just about held out for them and students enjoyed taking part in raft building, kayaking, and team building activities.

Our Year 10/11 Rugby team have started the term strong with two back to back wins.

On 11 September they beat Claremont Fan Court School 24-10; and on Thursday evening they faced tough opponents with a strong St Richard Reynolds team - but the team played really well and came away with a fantastic 39-21 score line.

Well done boys!

Imago, School Photographers, will be on site on Tuesday 23 September to take photographs of Year 7, 9 and 11 students only. Students should be in full smart RTS school uniform (except Year 11 who should attend in RTS Games Kit as per their normal timetable). Please check your email for details.

Our next large scale open event for prospective families takes place on Wednesday 24 September, 18:00-20:00. If you have younger children in years 5 or 6, please do come along and support your school and let them see where their older siblings spend their dayl! Spread the word amongst your primary schools and book your tickets here.

Due to various large scale evening events taking place, please note the following school day timing adjustments:

• Thursday 25 September: Late start for all students, line up at 09:55 (p.2)
• Wednesday 01 October: Early finish for all students at 15:00
• Wednesday 08 October: Early finish for all students at 15:00

We cannot stress enough to please label every item of clothing that children wear or bring into school. We have only been back 2 and 1/2 weeks and have already accumulated approximately £500 of unnamed uniform/water bottles/equipment etc. If your child thinks they have lost something, please send them to Reception.

International Food Evening & FoRTS AGM Update

Last Wednesday, FoRTS teamed up with the MFL Department to host a delightful International Food Evening. Year 7 parents brought dishes from their home countries, creating a vibrant and delicious celebration of global flavours. FoRTS also provided refreshments for purchase, adding to the community spirit.

That same evening, FoRTS held its Annual General Meeting. We’re pleased to announce that Carmelle was re-nominated as Chair and Acting Secretary, and Pino as Treasurer. Congratulations to both!

Special thanks to Rupi and Ruby (Y9 parents) and Olive (Y9 student) for helping on the night.

FoRTS is a small but vital part of our community—and there are many ways to get involved. Click the link below or message Carmelle directly to find out more.

If you would like to donate an hour or two of your time at events, uniform sales or parking please click here to join our WhatsApp group

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Pre-loved uniform: upcoming sales for your dairy

FoRTS volunteers run bi-monthly pre-loved uniform sales on Fridays, 14:30-16:00. Dates for this academic year as below:

• Friday 03 October
• Friday 05 December
• Friday 06 February
• Friday 17 April
• Friday 05 June

Entrance is via the school’s main entrance into the Atrium.

Please pay by card wherever possible but we do 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 £1,080.00

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:

• Autumn Term 1: Wednesday 03 September-Friday 24 October

• INSET Day: Friday 10 October - School Closed to Students

• Autumn Half-Term: Monday 27 October-Friday 07 November

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

Teen Life for parents and carers of children aged 10-16 years with a diagnosis of ASD, is being held at the Moor Lane Centre in Chessington on Mondays from 4.30pm-7pm for 6 weeks term time only starting on Monday 6th October.

Triple P Teen for parents and carers of adolescents, 11+ with mild to moderate challenging behaviour, will be held on 2 consecutive Saturdays from 10am-2pm at the Star Centre in Surbiton on 8th and 15th November.

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

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.

If you or anyone you know would like to come and give rugby a try, we would love to see you. Every Wednesday evening, 1830 : 2000 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.

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.

October Half-Term Kids Camp for children aged 7-13.

If you would like to stay up to date with events as they happen, click the links to follow us on:

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