Teddington School Newsletter
Friday 13 February 2026
Dear Families
As we reach the end of half term, I would like to thank everyone for their support during what has been a fantastic and busy few weeks at school. Our students have taken part in a wide range of enrichment opportunities, including writing competitions, Year 12–11 peer tutoring, TEDdington Talks, trips to universities, dance workshops and theatre outings.
We have also welcomed international visitors keen to see how our students and staff are using technology to enhance learning. Alongside this, there have been many sporting successes, with numerous victories and titles achieved across a range of competitions. It has been wonderful to see such high levels of engagement and enthusiasm across the school community.
Well done to our Year 11 and Year 13 students on completing the first week of mock examinations. These will continue after the half-term break, and we wish all students the very best as they continue their preparations.
It has been another strong week for school sport:
- Year 9 Netball – Borough Plate League Champions after victories over Hampton High and Richmond Upon Thames School in a three-way final.
- Cross Country – Three students represented the school at the Middlesex Cross Country Championships.
- U14 Basketball – Salesian School 58 – Teddington 65 (Surrey Cup semi-final).
- Sixth Form Girls’ 5-a-side Football – second place at Christ's School Richmond.
- Year 7 Basketball – Orleans Park School 23 – Teddington 35 (Borough League play-off).
Congratulations to all students involved for representing the school so positively.
Thank you to parents who have shared their views as part of our ongoing consultation regarding mobile phones. There is a wide range of opinions among both current and prospective parents. We will continue to approach this carefully and thoughtfully, ensuring that any policy we adopt is workable, clearly communicated, and genuinely supports our students.
At this stage, I would like to make parents aware that for every group of parents who support a “brick phone only” approach, there is a larger group who oppose it. Our role is to support families and run an effective school provision, and this must be at the root of all our decisions. Further details will be shared after half term.
Students return to school on Monday 23rd February. Please ensure your child is in full school uniform. Any students who have been wearing trainers must return in appropriate school shoes from the first day back.
Thank you again for your ongoing support. I hope you all have a restful and enjoyable half-term break.
Kind regards
Mr P Grills
Headteacher
🎉 Year 9 Netball Champions! 🏆
Our Year 9 team are officially Borough Plate League winners, after fantastic wins against Hampton High and RTS in a competitive three‑way final.
Well done for all of your hard work!
Science in action! 🌡️
Year 10 enjoyed hands‑on experiments investigating neutralisation reactions with great teamwork and brilliant curiosity all round!
👩🍳 Year 10 GCSE Food Tech students have been practising their baking and presentation skills by making their own Yule Logs. Fantastic technique and teamwork shown throughout!
Proud of our Year 12s who completed their ASDAN Leadership training this week! 🌟 They’re all set to lead the Year 8 trip to Bushy Park after half term, amazing teamwork and leadership in action. 👏🌿
🌟 Congratulations to our incredible Teddington School athletes! 🌟
A huge well‑done to all students who represented us at the Middlesex Cross Country Championships. Your determination, resilience, and team spirit shone through every step of the way. We’re so proud of the effort you put in and the way you supported one another throughout the event 👏
Brilliant teamwork, great spirit, and a performance to be proud of!
A huge well done to five of our Sports Ambassadors, who represented the school as young leaders at the RISE Primary School Swimming Gala in Richmond this week. 🏊♂️✨
Their encouragement, leadership and professionalism made us incredibly proud!
What a fantastic performance from our Year 7 team in their Borough League play-off match!
Teddington secured a strong 35–23 win against Orleans Park, showing great teamwork, determination and skill throughout. Well done, everyone!
Brentford FC Community Sports Trust is inviting female students in Years 10 and 11 who have an interest in football to attend upcoming Girls’ Football Trials taking place during the February half-term.
This programme is designed for girls who are passionate about football and would like to develop their playing ability within a structured development pathway alongside their education. The trial session will give players the opportunity to experience the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust coaching environment and be assessed by the coaching staff.
Trial Details:
📅 Date: Friday 20th February 2026
⏰ Time: 10:00am – 12:00 noon
📍 Venue: Gunnersbury Park Sports Hub, Popes Lane, London, W3 8LQ
To take part, students must register in advance using the link below.
We encourage any students in Years 10 and 11 with an interest in football to sign up and take advantage of this exciting opportunity.
Welcome to this week’s digital parenting update, part of our series designed to help you support your child’s online world. Each week, we share advice from Internet Matters with practical tips and resources. This week’s resource is titled 'Parent Control - YouTube'. You can see a snippet of the resource pictured, please click on the image to view the whole document.
As your child develops digital independence, smartphones and social media can support connection but also bring risks to wellbeing, sleep, and self-esteem. Open conversations, clear expectations, and family agreements are powerful tools to create balance. Download templates here.
Key points for parents/carers:
- Mobile phones are banned at Teddington School.
- Smartphones can affect sleep, wellbeing, and expose children to bullying, harmful content, and peer pressure.
- Most social media platforms are not age-appropriate: WhatsApp (16+), Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok (all 13+). These limits help protect against unsuitable content and privacy risks.
At Teddington School, Year 7 and 12 students receive school-managed iPads to support learning. Devices include safety settings and educational apps, with clear guidance for use. Please see our iPad Parent Guide for more information.
We have also produced a Parent EdTech Guide, which provides a simple overview of the online platforms we use, with links and login support.
Thank you for your continued partnership in promoting safe and healthy digital habits.
World Book Day is Thursday, 5 March 2026! As part of our celebrations at Teddington School, we are having a mystery book sale, with proceeds used to buy library books. Students will be able to purchase wrapped books, making their choices based on the first sentence of the story. Last year the sale was a great success, and all available books sold out within minutes.
To make this sale even better, we are seeking donations of gently used books. Donations should be in generally good condition and appeal to students between the ages of 11 and 16. Books may be sent in with students or left at reception. Please message Mrs Ricker (rickers@teddingtonschool.org) with questions.
If Valentine’s Day is your favourite holiday, here are four books to consider:
- An Abundance of Katherines by John Green: When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun - but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl.
- The Boy You Always Wanted by Michelle Quach: The girl: Francine. Model teenager, dutiful granddaughter, absolutely no chill. The grandfather: Francine's beloved a gung. He has one final wish, a male heir to carry on the family traditions. It's an outdated idea, but Francine loves him, and she has a plan to bring him the boy he always wanted. The boy: Ollie. Family friend, former crush, no idea how Francine has convinced him to get mixed up in her off-the-wall, and totally sexist, honorary grandson plan. The plan: might work. But as Ollie and Francine's worlds collide, their secrets get tangled, and so do their feelings. Sometimes what you really want, isn't at all what you expected.
- Crush by Svetlana Chmakova: Jorge seems to have it all together. He's big enough that nobody really messes with him, but he's also a genuinely sweet guy with a solid, reliable group of friends. The only time he ever really feels off his game is when he crosses paths with a certain girl... But when the group dynamic among the boys starts to shift, will Jorge be able to balance what his friends expect of him versus what he actually wants?
- I Hope This Doesn’t Find You by Ann Liang: Sadie Wen is perfect on paper: school captain, valedictorian, and a "pleasure to have in class." It’s not easy, but she has a trick to keep her model-student smile plastered on her face at all times: she channels all her frustrations into her email drafts. She'd never send them of course -- she'd rather die than hurt anyone's feelings -- but it's a relief to let loose on her power-hungry English teacher or a freeloading classmate taking credit for Sadie's work. All her most vehemently worded emails are directed at her infuriating co-captain, Julius Gong, whose arrogance and competitive streak have irked Sadie since they were kids. "You're attention starved and self-obsessed and unbearably vain . . . I really hope your comb breaks and you run out of whatever expensive hair products you've been using to make your hair appear deceptively soft..." Sadie doesn't have to hold back in her emails, because nobody will ever read them... that is, until they're accidentally sent out. Overnight, Sadie’s carefully crafted, conflict-free life is turned upside down. It's her worst nightmare -- now everyone at school knows what she really thinks of them, and they're not afraid to tell her what they really think of her either. But amidst the chaos, there's one person growing to appreciate the "real" Sadie -- Julius, the only boy she's sworn to hate...
