Councillor Tom Bruce Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services

Welcome to a very special Hounslow Matters supplement, showcasing the best of what our borough’s secondary schools have to offer.

As the Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services, and a teacher myself, I passionately believe that each and every child in the borough has the right to high quality education.

Good education is key to tackling inequalities and providing children with the best possible start in life, regardless of their personal circumstances or where in the borough they live.

We’re so lucky to have such great schools in the borough, with almost all of our secondary schools rated good or outstanding. Our exceptional GCSE results place us thirteenth out of the 151 local authorities in England. You can be assured that whichever school you decide to send your child to next September, that they can be guaranteed a great education.

I know choosing which school your child will go to can be a daunting process, but this year, we’re moving all of our applications online to make the process quicker and easier for everyone involved. Please feel free to contact our admissions team with any queries you may have – their details are on the back page of this supplement.

I hope that residents of all ages and stages of life enjoy reading about what our secondary schools have to offer.

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Chiswick School

Brentford School for Girls

Chiswick School is a co-educational, comprehensive school,

catering for students from Year 7 to Year 13. We are fortunate to be situated in a large site with plenty of space for recreation and sport.

Our aim is to build a truly exceptional school that empowers all students to achieve their very best through an emphasis on quality and equity in everything that we do. We know our students and seek to add personally to the journey of each and every one to enable all to achieve successful, aspirational and emotionally fulfilling futures.

We have excellent resources,

coupled with high standards of teaching. We pride ourselves on positive relationships between all members of the school community: students, teachers, support staff and our parents.

In addition to supporting each student to achieve their best academically, we want our students to enjoy school. We organise a wide range of exciting extra-curricular opportunities, breakfast clubs, visiting speakers, school visits and residentials both abroad and in the UK.

Visits to the school can be arranged by contacting the school office.

Leading the way in girls’ education and with outstanding results at both GCSE and

A-Level, we present Brentford School for Girls.

In the top six per cent of all schools nationally for the progress that students make, the attainment of our girls is well above the national average. Academic achievement is particularly strong in English, mathematics, modern foreign languages and science, and we have a rich media, arts and drama curriculum.

Our academic excellence has been recognised nationally, having been awarded a Department for Education High Aspiration Award in March 2015.

Our vision at Brentford is to create ambitious, resilient and courageous young women, who are ready to embrace life and work in the 21st century. We have a vibrant and exciting

extra-curricular/business links programme, which helps to develop confidence in our girls and provide endless opportunities. Activities weeks, foreign visits, university visits and volunteering work, all form part of this programme.

Your daughters’ safety and happiness is important to us. Our pastoral care is outstanding. We are very proud of the fact that we are a small secondary school and we know all of our students and their families very well.

Brentford School has excellent transport links with Richmond, Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith and Fulham. Our girls come from all over London. The community feel is never as strong as that at Brentford School for Girls!

Please visit our website, check us out on Facebook and Twitter or contact us to arrange a visit.

Open evening: Thursday 8 October, 6.30pm to 8.30pm

Open mornings: Tuesday 29 September, Thursday 1, Tuesday 6, Tuesday 13, Thursday 15 and Tuesday 20 October, 9.15am (booking required)

Contacts: enquiries@chiswickschool.org www.chiswickschool.org 020 8747 0031

Open evening: Tuesday 6 October, 6pm to 8.30pm Headteacher’s talk at 7pm

Contacts: general@brentford.hounslow.sch.uk www.brentford.hounslow.sch.uk 020 8847 4281

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Feltham Community College

Our students are courageous and determined, inspired

by others and embrace equality and friendship in the pursuit of excellence. They are polite and very well behaved, and our good old fashioned values underpin the work we do in our forward thinking, vibrant school.

Choose our college for your child and they will benefit from learning that is active, exciting and challenging. Learning is planned by inspiring teachers to develop the key skills that build resilient learners who can progress at the highest levels. A strong system of support builds confidence, creates opportunity and rich learning. We run PREP sessions three times a week to ensure students reinforce their learning.

We have strong links with local primary schools because we want to know our students’ strengths so that our staff are well prepared and our students warmly welcomed. We enjoy working very closely with our parents.

At 14, our students have the opportunity to choose their pathways including Logic Studio School; specialising in ICT and International Business. Our Sixth Form is popular and has the highest expectations of success.

We work with our key local business partners to ensure that every child is fully prepared for their next steps. We make a difference every day to the life chances of our students.

Open evening: Thursday 1 October 6pm to 8pm Headteacher’s talks at 7.30pm

Contacts: info@feltham.hounslow.sch.uk www.feltham.hounslow.sch.uk 020 8831 3000

Visits encouraged any Tuesday or Wednesday 9 to 10.30am – by appointment

Cranford Community College

Cranford Community College is an outstanding academy led by national

leader of education, Kevin Prunty.

The college provides a first-class education for the local community by setting high standards and aspirations for staff and students.

Students who choose Cranford Community College as their secondary school will experience consistently outstanding teaching, resulting in exceptionally high achievement, alongside a challenging, dynamic and personalised curriculum which

energises and inspires students and staff.

There are excellent relationships between staff and students, fantastic attitudes to learning and a commitment by all to be the best we can be.

Students benefit from being taught by highly trained staff who share best practice with our partners from the top-performing education systems across the world. We work with top universities and the Institute of Physics through our leadership of the Science Learning Partnership across eight London boroughs.

Open evening: Thursday 17 September, 6pm to 8pm Headteacher’s talks at 6.40pm and 7.30pm

Open days: Friday 18 September, Monday 21 September and Tuesday 22 September, by appointment only

Contacts: info@cranford.hounslow.sch.uk www.cranford.hounslow.sch.uk 020 8897 2001

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Open evening: Wednesday 7 October, 6pm to 8pm Headteacher’s talks at 6.30pm, 7.15pm and 8pm

Open day tours: Wednesday 30 September, Thursday 1 October, Monday 5 October, Tuesday 6 October

Contacts: enquiries@thegreenschool.net www.thegreenschool.net 020 8831 4914

The Green School aims to provide a stimulating and enriching educational

experience within a supportive, inclusive, multi-faith environment founded on Christian values, where each individual matters and in which all students have the opportunity to excel and fulfil their potential.

In our all-girls school, high achievement is a priority, and each year we are able to celebrate our consistently excellent examination results at the end of Key Stage 4. We offer an extensive range of enrichment activities, including music and sporting opportunities and educational visits both home and

abroad. Students in our sixth form go on to study at a variety of universities including the Russell Group or take up apprenticeships. We pride ourselves on the personal support we give to students and highly value our partnership with parents and carers.

We aim to inspire and nurture a love of learning, creativity, and an enquiring mind; academic excellence, personal development and spiritual awareness; aspirations, knowledge, skills and attributes in preparation for future studies and careers, and a responsibility for self and others, a desire to serve and to make a positive contribution to society.

The Green School

Gumley House School

Open evening: Tuesday 29 September 6pm to 8.30pm Headteacher’s talk at 7pm; Visits by appointment on 13, 15 and 16 October

Open days: Tuesday 29 September and 8 October 9am to 12noon Headteacher’s talk at 10.40am

Contacts: general@gumley.hounslow.sch.uk gumley.hounslow.sch.uk 020 8568 8692

Our school ethos of academic excellence and whole person

development prepares Gumley students to confidently achieve their education and career aspirations in the global world.

Vision and innovation form our central pillar of learning. We embedded Mandarin in our curriculum in 2008, resulting in ‘Confucius Classroom’ accreditation. Only six per cent of state schools to teach this language.

Ofsted recognised that our ‘students benefit from teaching that is challenging’ and praised outstanding examination results in 2014. We are in the top 100 non-selective state-funded schools for students achieving five or more A*- C grade GCSEs including English and mathematics, and the top 100 schools for

students attaining the English Baccalaureate

We are in the top 90 schools for sustained improvement and are recognised as being increasingly effective at educating disadvantaged students. We are also in the top 15 per cent for A-Level teaching of Alps (active learning practice for schools).

Our sixth form students move on to university to read diverse subjects including mechanical engineering, languages, law, English, history, biological sciences and maths.

Gumley is built on the values of gentleness, dignity, justice and companionship. Each young person is nurtured to grow into their best self. Ofsted commented: ‘Student, parents, carers and staff value the excellent family feel, and the respect and courtesy shown throughout the school’.

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Isleworth & Syon School for Boys

Open evening: 6.30pm to 8.30pm Thursday 24 September and Tuesday 6 October.

Contacts: admin@heathland.hounslow.sch.uk www.heathland.hounslow.sch.uk 020 8572 4411

As always, we welcome parents and children to visit the school at any time during the day. Please telephone in advance so we can have a tour guide ready.

The ‘Heathland experience’ is unique. A focus on traditional values provides

every pupil with an excellent all round education. Generations of former pupils can verify how they were challenged to succeed academically and are now reaping the benefits in a range of careers. From the flourishing Heathland Sixth Form, 200 plus students go on to degree courses every year, many of them at the best Russell Group universities including Oxford and Cambridge. The school has a longstanding tradition of gaining places for the most competitive degree courses in medicine, dentistry, engineering and economics. This is a natural progression from the Heathland’s strength in the teaching of

mathematics and science.

The high standards of teaching and attainment have been recognised by Ofsted: the Heathland was assessed as ‘outstanding’ in its last two inspections. The inspectors’ report in 2013 highlighted the quality of personal development for Heathlanders, saying: ‘The school’s ethos makes a strong contribution to students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school is rightly proud of its comprehensive range of enrichment activities.’

Most important for parents, the inspectors noted that Heathland ‘students display excellent attitudes to learning. They show high levels of respect and courtesy’.

The Heathland School

Over the past 80 years, Gunnersbury Catholic School has provided a

truly outstanding education for Catholic boys in west London and beyond. The same traditions and values upheld by Gunnersbury Catholic School in 1932 are still very apt and remain evident within our school today.

We are a thriving, vibrant and caring learning community, within which pupils are stretched intellectually and foster a love of learning, whilst feeling valued, happy and safe.

Our approach to learning and our knowledge of how boys learn has enabled academic achievement of the highest order. Life at Gunnersbury provides the

platform, challenge and expertise for our young men to grow spiritually, develop morally and socially, enhance their sporting talents and to further their artistic gifts.

Ours is a school within which boys take pride in succeeding, where the pupils strive to achieve the very highest and where there is an unrelenting desire to do even better. Gunnersbury pupils are high achieving and successful; in 2014, 86 per cent of our Year 11s secured five GCSE passes (including English and maths) or more at grades A* to C and, for the tenth year in succession, our A-Level pass rate was 100 per cent, with 40 per cent of all passes at grades A* and A.

Open day: Thursday 24 September 2pm to 3pm and 6 to 8pm Headteacher’s talk at 2.45pm, 6.30pm and 7.30pmOpen afternoons: Wednesday 30 September 2pm to 3pm, Headteacher’s talk at 2.45pm, Wednesday 7 October 9.30 to 10.30am by appointment onlyContacts: office@gunnersbury.hounslow.sch.uk www.gunnersbury.com 020 8568 7281

Gunnersbury Catholic School

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Open evening: Tuesday 29 September 5.45pm to 8pm Headteacher’s talk at 5.45pm and 7pm

Open day: Thursday 1 October, 9am to 9.45am Wednesday 14 and Tuesday 20 October by appointment

Contacts: school@isleworthsyon.hounslow.sch.uk www.isleworthsyon.hounslow.sch.uk 020 8568 5791

We chose to become an academy in 2012 with a mission to, be

‘outstanding in every respect’. Our boys benefit enormously from our single-minded focus on their learning as we strive for all of our students to develop into well-mannered, considerate, ambitious and confident young men, ready to enjoy success in the world.

We are proud of the academic successes of our boys. They consistently out-perform boys in mixed-settings, and our most able students demonstrate the benefit of a comprehensive, rather than selective, education. An extensive and diverse range of additional academic, creative and sporting opportunities, which Ofsted described as ‘exceptional’, helps

to ensure that our boys fulfil their potential, both educationally and personally.

Our sixth form is a major strength. Value-added scores have placed in the top five to ten per cent of schools nationally for over a decade, and we enjoy great success with university applications. This includes a consistent stream of entrants to the Russell Group universities including Oxbridge.

The school was established in 1630 and we are proud of our history. Emphasis is placed on many established traditions and on a range of traditional values, as we inspire another group of successful learners in our happy, safe, challenging and rich learning environment.

Isleworth & Syon School for Boys

Open evening for whole school: Thursday 1 October, 6 to 8pm Headteacher’s talk at 7pm

Open evening for sixth form: Tuesday 8 December, 6 to 7.30pm

Contacts: info@hestoncs.org www.hestoncommunityschool.co.uk 020 8572 1931

Heston Community School is committed to providing its students with the

education they need to become confident, articulate, independent learners and thinkers who are ready to take their place in the demanding world of the 21st century. Through the provision of high quality learning opportunities both in the classroom and outside, the school demonstrates real determination to create active, healthy and informed citizens of tomorrow.

Heston is a strongly inclusive school, believing that all students can achieve well and that everyone has something to contribute – to both the school and the wider community. Heston is committed to meeting the

needs of all students, whether it is providing additional support for learning for some, or adding additional challenge for gifted and talented students.

Excellent relationships exist between staff and students. Within the culturally diverse student body, tolerance, respect and understanding are cornerstones for the strong relationships which exist. Parents and governors work in partnership with the school, as critical friends, in order to ensure that students enjoy the highest standard of education.

98 per cent of Heston parents say that their child is happy at Heston, with 95 per cent believing that they make good progress. Parents always comment that we have an amazing teaching team.

Heston Community School

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Open evening: Thursday 8 October, 6pm to 8.30pm Headteacher’s talk is at 6.15pm and 7.15pm.

Open days: Thursday 24 September, 9.30am to 11am Wednesday 30 September and Tuesday 6 October by appointment.

Contacts: info@lampton.hounslow.sch.uk www.lampton.hounslow.sch.uk 020 8572 1936

The fundamental aim for all of our students is for them to achieve their potential

and to prepare them to shine in a rapidly changing world. We are committed to excellence and have an unrelenting determination for everyone to succeed.

We have a proud reputation for challenging our most able pupils and for providing additional support for those that need it. We have a flourishing sixth form, with brand new state-of-the-art facilities, preparing many of our students to lead successful university careers.

At Lampton, we put a strong emphasis on a broad and balanced curriculum, in order for all our

students to follow their interests and excel in the academic, creative and sporting spheres. We offer a wide range of enrichment activities beyond the classroom, where our students participate in many cultural and sporting events. We also encourage and expect all of our pupils to become independent learners, in order to develop their leadership skills.

Our climate for learning is exceptional. We work with our students in a collaborative and orderly atmosphere of mutual respect and trust, promoting a sense of belonging and pride. We are also very proud of the partnerships we foster with parents and our local community.

Lampton School

Open evening: Wednesday 23 September 6pm to 8 pm Headteacher’s talk at 7pm

Open day: Saturday 26 September 10am to 12 pm.

Contacts: contactus@kingsleyacademy.org www.kingsleyacademy.org 020 8572 4461

Kingsley Academy is a thriving secondary school at the heart of Hounslow. We have

students from diverse backgrounds which adds to the unique nature of the academy.

Our motto is ‘Achieving Excellence Together’. This underpins everything we do and our dedicated staff will do everything they can to ensure that your child fulfils their potential. An ever increasing number of our students continue their studies in our flourishing sixth form. Most of these students achieve the entry requirements to enable them to progress to a university of their choice.

English and maths progress is higher than national levels. This is

supported by a range of exciting extra-curricular opportunities including establishing our very own publishing company (Kingsley Academy Books) in which students’ creative writing, photography and art work is showcased in our magazine ‘sic’.

Kingsley Academy will be getting a new build starting in 2015/16 which will provide excellent facilities and education for our community.

Our students were described by Ofsted as ‘polite, courteous and respectful of staff and each other’. This is echoed by the responses from our parent surveys, which state that they are happy with their child’s experiences and agree that we keep their children safe.

Kingsley Academy

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Open evening: Wednesday 23 September, 6 to 8pm Headteacher’s talk at 6.30 and 7.15pm

Tours are available on request

Contacts: Office@aatrivers.org www.riversacademy.org.uk www.spacestudiowestlondon.org 020 8890 0245

Rivers Academy West London is an excellent place to work and learn. We have

tremendous strengths and in March 2015 Ofsted judged the academy to be outstanding.

The levels of exam success in the summer of 2015 were unprecedented.57 per cent of our Year 11 students gained five or more GCSEs at grades A*- C, including English and maths. This places Rivers Academy in the top 19 per cent of schools across all of England and Wales.

Ofsted noted that ‘students behaviour is exemplary’ and ‘students at Rivers Academy make outstanding progress’.

Sharing a campus with Rivers Academy, Space Studio West London is a small school for students in years 10, 11,12 and 13 is a Beacon of Excellence in science and maths education. It offers incredible opportunities for young people to work with leaders from the space, aerospace and engineering world, meaning that they become highly employable in these sectors on leaving the school.

It would be a pleasure to welcome you to our open day if you are considering Rivers Academy as a school for your child or indeed the Space Studio West London once they reach Year 10.

Rivers Academy

Open evening: Monday 22 and Monday 29 September 5pm to 8pm Headteacher’s talk 5.30pm, 6.30pm and 7.30pm

Open day: Wednesday 23 September 5 to 7.30pm Wednesday 30 September 5 to 7pm by appointment

Contacts: admissions@reachacademyfeltham.org www.reachacademyfeltham.com 020 3551 9305

Reach Academy Feltham is an all-through school in Hounslow.

At only three years old, we’ve already been awarded an outstanding grade by Ofsted in all categories.

Our school is small with only 60 children per year group. We admit children from two years old and they will be with us until they are 18. That means we form excellent relationships with whole families and get to know what is really important to you and your child.

We employ excellent teaching staff who have a proven track record of success. We have extremely high expectations and believe that excellent behaviour leads to

excellent learning. We consistently go above and beyond to ensure that your child gets the very best education.

Our school is non-denominational, mixed-gender and non-fee-paying. Ofsted described the ‘sense of excitement generated by the pupils’ learning’ and acknowledged the academy’s ‘exceptionally calm and purposeful environment in which every pupil is able to learn and flourish socially, personally and academically’.

Come and visit us and see all of this in action in our brand new, state-of-the-art, purpose-built site right in the centre of Feltham High Street. We even have a sports pitch on the roof!

Reach Academy Feltham

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Open evening: Wednesday 7 October 5pm to 9pm Headteacher’s talks at 5.10pm, 6.40pm and 8.10pm.

Open days: Thursday 1 October and Wednesday 7 October 9am to 10.30am. Headteacher’s talk at 10.10 am.

Contacts: staffroom@st-marks.hounslow.sch.uk www.st-marks.hounslow.sch.uk 020 8577 3600

St Mark’s is an outstanding Catholic school, with the most recent Ofsted and

diocesan inspections judging the school to be ‘outstanding’ in every category.

The day-to-day commitment by all members of our community to God-given potential underpins this success. Our community is bound together by gospel values. These values determine everything we do at the school. We are a practising Catholic community in which every individual is valued and cared for.

A key aspect of fulfilling potential is academic progress and achievement. The examination results achieved by St Mark’s students stand against comparison with any comprehensive school in

west London – indeed the Sunday Times ranked St Mark’s as the 15th best comprehensive school in the country last year.

In spring 2015, government ministers wrote to congratulate St Mark’s on being one of the top performing schools in the country at GCSE level. At A-Level, education resource company Alps ranked St Mark’s in the top two per cent of schools. These accolades reflect the expertise of our staff, the hard work and excellent behaviour of our students and the tremendous support provided by our parents. We encourage you to visit the school, see our new facilities including the sports hall and theatre and, most importantly, meet our students and staff.

St Mark’s School

Online applications Why are you moving all applications online?

Is it easy to use?

Moving away from paper applications has many benefits, including being better for the environment, reducing administration costs and the added bonus that there is no risk of the application getting lost in the post.

As a council, we’re moving towards providing more of our services digitally. Our most recent resident’s survey shows that nine of out ten of our residents have access to the internet.

The system is very easy to use and it helps you to complete the form correctly by prompting you to fill in all necessary information.

Online pages provide you with up-to-date information on schools to assist you in making your

application.

You are able to review and make changes up to midnight on the closing date, and will receive an electronic acknowledgement of submission with a reference number.

11What are the key benefits of applying online?

➲ Information submitted is secure and confidential.

➲ You can get text reminders from eAdmissions about key dates and application results.

➲ You do not need to submit your proof of address with the online application.

➲ You will be told if any of your schools also need a Supplementary Information Form (SIF).

➲ You can upload and attach supporting documents at the time of application.

➲ The system helps check for errors on application forms, which means there is no need for an application to be sent back in the post for correction.

➲ You can get links to education and school websites and access our brochure on the Hounslow Council website.

➲ The information you add to your online application is automatically saved so that you can work on it at a time that suits you and make changes before you submit your application by the deadline.

➲ Online applicants will be sent an email during the evening before National Offer Day with the outcome of their application.

➲ You can accept your child’s school place online and receive an electronic acknowledgement of this acceptance.

“The online application for secondary schools was much easier than the paper application. Once the form was completed, I had peace of mind as I didn’t need to worry about posting the application form and worry about whether Hounslow admissions had received it.

Plus with the online application, we received an email once we knew our child’s school place, which was reassuring for us, rather than waiting for a letter to be sent at a later date.

Online applications are a quicker and more reliable way of applying for school places.”

Mrs Grewal

“I found the online application process so easy and quick to use. I received a text message along with an email to confirm my application number. I was then able to log in to my account and make any changes before the cut-off date. Also I did not have to wait for a letter from the local authority to find out the outcome, I just logged in to my account the evening before to see the result.”

Alison Downs

The online system will become available from 1 September 2015 at www.hounslow.gov.uk/admissions

If you have any questions please contact the school admissions team on 020 8583 2721 or admissions@hounslow.gov.uk