Head Teacher's Start of Term Letter

Monday 01 September 2025

• School Closed to all Students
• Staff Professional Development - Phones will not be answered

Tuesday 02 September 2025

• Year 7 students ONLY: 08:30-17:00 (Thames Young Mariners Trip)

Wednesday 03 September 2025

• Y7 and Y11: Start at 08:35
• Y8, Y9 and Y10: Start at 08:55
• All students finish at 16:00

Full term dates and Inset day information is available on the school’s website.

The school day begins at 08:35 with a 20-minute academic tutoring, which includes registration. For a prompt start to the school day, students must be in school by 08:30 to enable visits to lockers etc.

All students have individual timetables which will be accessible in Arbor from Monday 01 September 2025. Students in Years 8, 9, 10 and 11 only will be able to access these via the Arbor Student App.

The School Day - All Year Groups

Start

• Monday - Friday: Arrive by 08:30 (Morning academic tutor sessions begin at 08:35)

Equipment

I would like to thank parents and carers for their support in ensuring that students come to school prepared in full uniform with all the correct equipment for their day.

Students have a recommended equipment list (you can review the list in the Parent/Carer Handbook on the school’s website, under each year group heading). Students should have their own equipment which includes a full set of pens, pencils, a reading book; a refillable bottle (non-glass) for water each day, and their iPad - fully charged.

The Student Study Planner

All students will receive their planner at the start of term, which they must bring to school each day. Students will use their study planner to record all homework assignments, due dates, and other useful notes. Teachers will continue to make an electronic record of homework assignments for each subject on Google Classroom. We ask that parents/carers check their child’s planner regularly throughout the week and sign it each week.

Lanyard and Library/ID Card

All students continue to wear lanyards to identify which year group a student is in and a cardholder which will hold key details about the student (student initial and last name, house, safeguarding guidance). The student lanyard is a required school equipment and must be worn around the neck, visible at all times. Y7 will be issued their lanyards on their first full day in school.

Lanyard colours are as follows:

Year 7: Blue

Year 8: Purple

Year 9: Yellow

Year 10: Orange

Year 11: Black

The student lanyard is a required uniform accessory and must be worn at all times.

Technology: RTS-iPad

We will continue to make extensive use of RTS-iPads during lessons. To enable students to work at their own pace we ask that you provide them with a set of wired headphones. The use of wireless earphones are not permitted as they drain the iPad battery and are easy to misplace. Students must come to school each day with their iPad charged to at least 80%.

Year 7 students will receive their new RTS-iPads within the first two weeks of term.

A mobile-free environment at school

As part of our continued journey toward a phone-free school, all students must now store all non-school electronic devices, including any type of mobile phone (smart or non-smart), smartwatch, fitness tracker, or wearable tech, in a Yondr pouch while on the school premises. Pouches are now available to purchase on ParentPay. They will be issued to students on the first day of term. Personal tablets, laptops, or any other electronic devices are not permitted for use anywhere on the school site, including outdoor areas such as the playing fields and while travelling on school minibuses. We have updated our Student Mobile Phone Use Policy to reflect these changes. As well as checks by tutors during morning registration, we also screen for non-school electronic devices. Any devices found on school premises that are not in a pouch will be held for one week and can only be collected by appointment.

If you need to send urgent messages to your child during the school day, please email or telephone the school office at info@rts.richmond.sch.uk or 0208 891 2985, and a message will be passed on.

All students require a full uniform including the RTS games and PE kit. The uniform list is on the school’s website here.

Please also take some time to review our Uniform Policy available on our website.

Students must not only wear the correct uniform, but they should also do so with pride and adopt a professional approach to what they wear to school. Students will be in breach of the uniform policy if they choose to wear PE shorts that resemble knickers or bikini bottoms, rolled-up kilts (i.e. mini-skirts), or fashion-branded tracksuit tops/bottoms, use a non-RTS school bag, or wear makeup; and we respectfully ask parents not to allow students to come to school with nail extensions, shellac manicures or false eye lashes. Students arriving at school wearing these items will be sent home on arrival to remove them. In addition, blazers must be worn unless permission is given for them to be removed. Students may remove blazers during unstructured time; however, these must be worn during and between lessons/changeovers.

Please see an important update regarding wearing Games kit detailed in the Sports section below.

If students choose to wear non-compulsory items as part of their Games/PE kit, including, tracksuit bottoms, leggings, or a mid-layer, these must be RTS-branded items only. Students must not bring or wear non-RTS clothing (e.g. hoodies) or non-RTS bags (e.g. shoulder/hand bags or sports-branded rucksacks) at any time whilst onsite, including before/after school and during break and lunch.

To support a positive start to the academic year and to ensure your children are representing themselves and the school with pride, please ensure they are wearing their uniform correctly.

School Uniform Grant

Students starting Year 7 and Year 9 this September 2024 can apply for a grant to support school uniform costs. More information, and how to apply, is available on our website here. If you are having difficulty obtaining any aspects of the school uniform, please contact your child’s Head of Year.

Preloved Uniform

FoRTS hold regular preloved uniform sales. We will write to you to let you know when these are taking place. Please do keep an eye on the weekly RTS Parents’ Newsletter for updates and details. You can also contact info@rts.richmond.sch.uk for more information.

Lockers

All students are issued a locker when they begin at RTS. Lockers are essential for helping students stay organised in school and should be used to store outdoor coats and other equipment not in use. Lockers must also be used to store school bags and other items prior to Games lessons, as well as by students in Years 10 and 11 during mock and public examinations. Locker keys for Year 7 students will be issued by their Tutor during the first week of school. If your child requires a replacement key, you can order one via ParentPay. Once your order has been placed, it will be processed by the RTS Office Team.

All food is prepared daily on site by the school’s catering team. The school operates a cashless payment system, so please ensure your child’s account is topped up using ParentPay. Students can purchase hot and cold snacks and meals at break and lunchtimes daily. Menus are shared on the school website and in the bi-weekly RTS Parents’ Newsletter.

Free School Meals

I am delighted that, after some years, all of our play and sports facilities are now complete. This means our play space has doubled, giving students much-needed and valued additional space during unstructured time, as well as expanding the range of sports we can offer within the curriculum. With our four astro-court Multi-Use Games Areas, tarmac court, sports hall, and activity studio, each year group can now enjoy more dedicated play space during unstructured time.

Important uniform/kit update

From the start of the Autumn Term, on days when students have Games lessons they should arrive into school in FULL SCHOOL UNIFORM and they will be required to change into their Games kit (quarters top) using the facilities provided. On days when students in Years 7, 8 and 9 have PE lessons they may continue to wear their PE kit (white polo shirt) into school.

Games days are as follows:

Monday: Year 7

Tuesday: Year 11

Wednesday: Year 10

Thursday: Year 9

Friday: Year 8

School Playing fields on Craneford Way

We are delighted to have state-of-the-art facilities at RTS. However, please remind your child that they are not allowed to use the playing fields unless they are supervised by a member of school staff. In addition, any attempts to enter or use the fields outside of school hours, or unauthorised entry is not permitted and will be addressed through the school’s behaviour policy.

Behaviour Policy

We have updated our Behaviour for Learning Policy, which is accessible on our website.

Updates to the policy include: the treatment of personal digital devices (including mobile phones, smart watches, fitness trackers, laptops, and tablets) as prohibited items if they are not stored in line with the Mobile Phones in School Policy. Any such item will be automatically confiscated and retained securely for one week, with collection by appointment only.

Mobile Phones In School

We have updated our Mobile Phones in School Policy to reflect the introduction of Yondr pouches, revised Department for Education guidance, and London Grid for Learning recommendations.

These policies are accessible on our website here.

Communication

You will continue to receive the bi-weekly RTS Parents’ Newsletter on Fridays and the first for this school year will be shared with you on 05 September. Please ensure you keep your contact details up to date (in Arbor) so you do not miss any important information.

If you have any queries in the meantime, please contact your child’s Academic Tutor in the first instance. Our full staff list is available on our website here.

Dates for your diary

You can find a summary of all the notable dates for the school year here. This will also be accessible from the newsletter. You can also add the parents/carers calendar to your electronic diary.

To add the calendar to your digital calendar, follow these steps:

1. Click on the link provided to access the calendar.

2. Once the calendar opens, look for an option to ‘Add to Calendar’ or ‘Subscribe to Calendar.’ This option is usually at the bottom or top of the page.

3. Select this option, and you may be prompted to choose your calendar application (such as Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, etc.).

4. Follow the prompts to add the school calendar to your preferred digital calendar.

The school events will now appear in your digital calendar, allowing you to keep track of important dates alongside your own schedule.

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