raynespark.merton.sch.uk Specialist Technology School @officialRPHS

High Achieving and Highly Skilled (HAHS)

I wanted to share with families the re-launch of our gifted and talented programme. It has

been rebranded as ‘High Achieving, Highly Skilled’ (HAHS) and all students who come to

our school on a level 555 from primary school are placed on the register and supported in

a variety of ways throughout their time at RPHS. This academic year we have taken

students on visits to Oxford and Cambridge Universities, held master classes with the

Royal Shakespeare Company, introduced a bespoke HAHS tutor group led by one of the

advanced skilled teachers Mr Littlewood and registered all HAHS students on the Iggy

https://www.iggy.net/ national platform to support their learning away from school. Finally,

we are running two residential visits this academic year for KS3.

Saturday School Expansion

We have now expanded our Saturday School provision to target students in English,

Maths and Science at KS3 and 4, and attendance to these sessions has been stunning.

We continue to embed the Saturday reflection sessions to give students the opportunity

to reflect on their behaviour if they have got it wrong during the week or accrued negative

points. These reflection sessions run from 10am - 1.00pm in the Sixth Form and students

are expected to wear full school uniform. These sessions are

managed by the senior leadership team and students have

responded well to the sanction.

I thank all families for the support we receive and I hope the

positive relationships that have been built will continue

throughout the rest of this year. I am on twitter and constantly

post pictures of school activities so please feel free to follow

me @paulmundycastle.

What’s On

16th February - 6th March

Monday 16th – Friday 20th: Half-term

Holiday

Monday 16th – Friday 20th: Sports Academy

Boot Camps

Sunday 22nd – Tuesday 24th February :

HAHS Snowdonia Trip

Thursday 26th February: Yr 7 Parent /Carer

evening 5-8pm

Monday 2nd - Friday 6th March: Yr 10 Work

Experience Week

Monday 2nd March: PTSA Meeting 6pm

Thursday 5th March: World Book Day

Thursday 5th March: Yr 8 Parent / Carer

Evening 5-8pm

Investment in new-look library

The re-opening of the school library on 6th February caused great excitement as

students came to see their new reading environment and choose from the fantastic new

selection of books.

Deputy Headteacher - Mr Castle

Quote of the Week - ‘Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.’ Joseph Addison

The Sixth Form continues to be a hub of activity. All Yr 13 Students who applied to Universities have had offers

and many are attending interviews and are getting ready to confirm their first choice Universities by the May

deadline. We will be holding an information session regarding student finance for all students who are starting

University in September.

Yr 12 students are fortunate to have access to a programme enabling them to see University life first hand; last

term they visited London South Bank University and this week they will be attending taster sessions on various

Humanities courses at Roehampton University. We will be visiting the annual UCAS Fair in March where the

majority of Universities are represented along with the armed forces and information about volunteering.

As part of our Enrichment programme, we encourage students to participate in various activities to aid them in

their studies. We were incredibly lucky to have a visit from Sir Simon Robertson via the ‘Speakers for Schools’

campaign who delivered an inspirational talk on his life at Rolls Royce and Goldman Sachs. Students were

afforded an insight into how it is possible to work your way up the ladder in the business world through sheer

determination and hard work. Sir Simon was also extolling the virtues of Apprenticeships

which is an avenue we are keen to explore further with our students. The audience was a

mixture of Yr 12 and Yr 13 students who asked engaging and thought-provoking questions.

Sir Simon was so taken with our students that he is keen to come back to visit and also to

arrange a trip to the Rolls Royce factory in Derby for any students interested in pursuing a

career in engineering.

A group of RPHS students recently went to tour the National Physics Laboratory (NPL) in Teddington. We had

an informative presentation about their facilities and some of their projects. One example was when the BBC

asked them to find out how much space was in a smart car. They filled the car with plastic balls and then

counted how many - it came to 23,441!

Afterwards, they showed us around three labs; chemistry lab, mechanical lab and a measurement lab. The first

lab we went to was the mechanics lab where there were three dead weight machines (these would measure the

stress or strain of an object). One was so big that they had built the lab around it.

In the chemistry lab they were working with nano silver which is highly toxic and they were placing steel in

ovens. In the measures lab they had gas canisters, computers and lots of gas chromatography machines.

NPL base their work on measurement. The first atomic clock was made at the NPL and they recently celebrated

60 years since the first atomic clock was made. They are currently trying to make a precision timing distribution

solution which means that they are trying to make time more precise so that the time in different areas of the

grid are accurate (to use in GPS).

By Kavisha Patel SNZ

Deputy Head of Sixth Form - Ms Hodge

The reading garden display in our newly reopened library creates a tranquil environment to

encourage growth in literacy and learning’

‘

Above: Headteacher Mr Wheatley with KS3

Literacy Coordinator Ms Mistry at the

opening of the library.

“Raynes Park High School is committed to raising

attainment in reading and we hope our new library will

promote a love of literature for all our students.” Ms Mistry,

Literacy and KS3 Media Coordinator.

Accelerated Reading Programme

The last term and a half has been very busy for the English

and Literacy department, as we have been working hard to

re-launch the library. We welcomed Ms Smith, our new

English Faculty Support Assistant who will manage our new

learning space within the English department. With her

help, we have been able to introduce the Accelerated

Reader Programme for Yr 7 and Yr 8 students. With a

fantastic selection of brand new books the Accelerated

Reader Programme will improve the reading skills of our

students.

The library is now an inviting space which students can use

for reading and independent study. We have also improved

the choice within our non-fiction section. Even reluctant

readers will find something to interest them. Our ‘High

Achieving Highly Skilled’ students are encouraged to come

and look at our Contemporary Classics section to further

their reading experience and support them in their learning

across all subjects, not just in English.

The library was officially opened on Friday 6th February

and students flocked to make their selection from all the

wonderful new books.

English Faculty Support Assistant Ms Smith

Our garden themed library was the excellent work of

RPHS Graphic Designer Mr Malone.

On 5th February, Yr 12 and Yr 13 Performing Arts students visited the

disused tunnel underneath Waterloo Station for an exciting and

unconventional piece of live theatre. 'The Dog and The Elephant' explored

the story of Bare Knuckle Boxer Bendigo Barlow, and his friendship with

an elephant. The play charted his struggles with OCD and Tourette's

syndrome at a time before these were understood, alongside exploring his

tempestuous relationship with the Romany Gypsies.

It was a hard-hitting account of the ugliness of isolation and the need for acceptance and, as such, was a

hugely relevant and rewarding experience. 'The Dog and the Elephant' demonstrated to our

aspiring young actors the power and impact that a one man performance can have on an

audience.

Feeding in to the method acting processes explored in their lessons, students recognised the

influence of widely studied practitioners such as Berkoff, Brecht, Frantic Assembly and

Kneehigh. Head of Drama - Ms Valmarana

The trip began at London Paddington early Monday morning.

A long train ride awaited us to Port Talbot, Wales. Once we

arrived, we had a brief introduction on what was ahead of us,

and a tour of Margam Discovery Centre, where we would be

spending the next four days. For the rest of the afternoon, we

investigated and compared different methods of coastal

management by walking from Treacco Bay to Porthcawl. We

then spent our evening session reviewing the fieldwork

techniques we used.

Tuesday was based around coastal development. We revisited

the town of Porthcawl to perform a clone town survey and fill in

a GOAD map. Later that afternoon, Mr Saunders took us on an

exploration of the surrounding area. We walked through a farm; saw Margam Castle, then began our hike up

the hill. Eventually we reached the top, where we took many photos. Mr Saunders led some of us the

challenging way down, while Miss Maxwell led the rest the easy way down. That evening Mr Saunders

eventually created “the greatest campfire ever seen since 1666”!

The next day, we visited the town of Swansea, where we looked at urban rebranding. We completed many

surveys to observe the changes in the town. We finished the afternoon off with some shopping, and a walk

along the beach. Our final day started off with a trip to Glyncorrwg, a rural village in

the Welsh valleys, known for its mountain bike trails. We looked at other methods of

rebranding here, before sitting and listening to a stakeholder interview, in Joe’s Bar

and Cabana Club. Unfortunately, after this we had to head back to the station, as it

was time to go home. The trip ended as we arrived back to Paddington on Thursday

evening, where we travelled home, tired from a fun week in Wales.

Priyanka Shrestha SMX and

Katharine Walker SMZ

The RPHS Robot finished First Equal in Vex Robotics Regional Finals

and just missed out on a place in the National finals.

Despite being pipped at the post, the Year 7 boys had a great time

beating 32 teams from 20 other schools. Well done boys.

I have been playing Ultimate Frisbee for around 8 years now and yes, it is a real sport! It is a game that is

played on a pitch similar to a football pitch and on grass; there are 7 players on each team. Games last for 90

minutes and at a weekend tournament you play around 7 games. It is high intensity and involves a lot of

running, jumping, throwing, catching and diving. I represented Great Britain in 2011 winning a Silver Medal at

the European Championships and I am off to Dubai to represent GB again at the start of March. My other

successes include 3 National Titles and 3 European Titles with my club team Iceni. Ultimate has taken me all

over Europe and also to the US and I hope to see many other parts of the world this

way in the future.

The STEM club (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) takes place on Wednesdays after school in F2

and new members are very welcome.

We do a wide range of activities and so far this year we have:

Designed rockets; built a bridge; made compasses and electromagnets and

undertaken flame and food tests.

At a recent meeting we even got down to the serious business of dissecting

animal hearts to learn about the circulatory system and the different parts of a

heart! Physics Teacher - Mr Small

Are you intelligent enough to design your own brain?

Come and find out !

3.30pm 25th February in F2

Neuroscientist, Dr Paul Winter will run a workshop on:

‘Designing your own Brain’.

What is Ultimate Frisbee?

It is a fast-paced, non contact

teamsport where two teams of seven

players compete to score goals by

catching the disc in the end zone. It is

one of the fastest-growing sports in

the UK and around the world with

over 3500 competing players in the

UK alone.

Teacher of Law - Ms Ford

GOVERNORS’ STRATEGIC VISIT

The Governors carried out their half-termly Strategic Visit to the school on 28 January. They had presentations

from Mr Tombs, Head of Mathematics and Mrs Lawner, Director of Sixth Form, who were both able to speak of

the exciting new initiatives they were undertaking.

Governors visited Maths intervention classes for Years 9, 10 and 11 and were very pleased to see the quiet

commitment of students in improving their attainment. They also enjoyed meeting a group of Year 12 and Year

13 students and discussing with them their aspirations for university.

As ever, Governors were impressed with the dedication of our teachers and their

commitment to helping our students achieve their very best. Going beyond the extra mile

is something our staff and students do brilliantly.

Finally, Governors visited the school’s finance team to look at our financial progress.

In all, a very enjoyable and encouraging day. We will soon be back for more!

Chair of Governors - Michael Ross

Yr 11 enjoying their post exam Pizza Party!

Mr Boyton and students during the Yr 7

Deep Learning Day visit to a local

Synagogue

Sixty-five Yr7 students enjoyed their

sleepover party in the Sixth Form common

room on 6th February. Once again the term

‘sleep’ is perhaps not the most appropriate

word to describe the evening, but great fun

was had by our ‘onesie’ clad students. A

huge thank you once again to Ms Finan and

the PSTA who organised the event.

Nail-biting finish but Raiders win the day!

Raiders 71 Kingston Wildcats 70

The Raiders v Kingston basketball game on Sunday 8th

February was a very tough game. The teams matched

each other score for score and the end of 1st Quarter

the score was even at 15 points. The 2nd Quarter was

more of the same, Raiders scored and Wildcats

responded, each team made their fair share of mistakes

but it was the Kingston Wildcats who went one point up

at half-time 38-39. In the 3rd Quarter the Raiders made

a strong push catching Wildcats off balance to take a 23

-18 point lead. Game over so you would think. The 4th

Quarter started with both teams giving all they could,

Kingston made their strongest push of the game and

out scored Raiders 13 -10. At the buzzer the Raiders

held on to 1 point lead in a nail-

biting finish. Great win boys!

Photo top left -Yr7 Girls

basketball Team getting tactical

advice in their first match. Well

done girls, great team effort.

Head basketball Coach - Mr Martin

Yr7 Girls Basketball Team

Yr7 Boys

enjoying a

quick time -

out during

the

Borough

Basketball

tournament

hosted by

RPHS last

week.

Yr 7 Football Team won 4-0

against Harris Morden

Scorers: Nick Pettengell 2, Gerrell

Richards, Ethan Kaloudau Taylor

Raynes Park were the better team

from start to finish!

Special mention to Louis Jack

and Man of the Match Ethan

Kaloudau Taylor.

Football Mash- up Fun

Every Thursday after school we have Football Mash-up

on the Astroturf. We are extremely lucky to have three

FA qualified coaches from Real Dundonald FC come

to help you develop your football skills.

Yr7s - Yr10s come and join the fun, it is completely free

and you can wear any kit you want. The session runs

from 3.45 - 4.45pm.

Rugby Boys

learning skills

from the

professionals!

Yr 7 – Yr 11

getting down to

training with

the Harlequins!

Newsoms Scoop More Silverware in House Music Competition

Staff, students, families and friends enjoyed a musical evening to decide the winners of the annual RPHS

House Music Competition. With excellent performances from each house, the judges were unanimous and

announced Newsoms as the overall winner. Individual winners were Joshua on drums, the trio of Stephanie,

Emily and Angelique singing a Beyoncé song and first place went to Naseema who sang 'No-one' by Alicia

Keys. When the judges were deliberating the results, the audience was entertained by a number of the RPHS

dancers who never fail to impress.

Contact Us…

Main Switchboard: 020 8946 4112

To report your child’s absence email: absence@raynespark.merton.sch.uk

Music Teacher - Mr White

The House Music Competition organising committee

Artwork of the Week

9HX student Lucy Dorman's shoe design.

The Year 9s looked at Henri Rousseau's painting 'The Surprise' and were given the task

to design a shoe inspired by his work.