As we approach the end of the school year it would be very easy to reflect on the extreme challenges we have all faced, however, we must remember to celebrate the positives, and there have been plenty at Rutlish. As well as the excellent learning, which we perhaps take slightly for granted, there have been many varied experiences for our students: sporting opportunities; charity fundraising; house competitions; creative arts and many more.
I am forever grateful to the team of staff at Rutlish who have risen to the challenges while providing so many opportunities for the students. I must also thank parents and carers without whose support the last year would have been far more difficult especially during the periods of remote learning.
You have received the annual report from the Governing Body in recent days. I want to thank them for their continued support of the school.
This summer we say goodbye to some members of staff. Firstly, I would like to give special thanks to Mr Curran who has been Deputy Headteacher here since 2000 (along with being the co-headteacher for one year). He has been an integral part of the school leadership team and has brought about many improvements over the years. Mr Curran will be missed by the staff and students; we send him our appreciation and gratitude for all his hard work. I would like to write a special farewell to staff who are moving on to the next stage of their lives: Mr Harrison, Mrs Jackson, Mrs Collyer and Mrs Barrett-Wright; and to the other staff leaving for pastures new.
You will find regular updates about Rutlish life on the website as well as on Twitter. The albums in our gallery are a great opportunity for us to showcase students' work and achievements. Please take some time to explore the content Rutlish School Website. You may have also noticed the new format to our newsletter, this is one of the developments which the new website has enabled us make.
We look forward to welcoming our new Year 7 and Year 12 students in September. It has been a shame not being able to do our usual range of transition activities but we are excited to meet our new students and parents/carers in early September.
Details for the start of term arrangements have been sent in a separate letter. You will also find the information you need in the calendar on the website.
I hope you all have a restful and enjoyable summer break.
Ms L Howarth
Arrangements for the last day of term - Wednesday 21 July
Students will have their celebration assemblies at the start of the day and a late start to Period 1.
Periods 2 and 3 will be as normal.
Students wanting to have lunch must collect this at break time.
Students will return to their tutor groups and there will be a staggered dismissal from 12.15pm.
Messages from our
Key Stage Leaders and Heads of Year
Key Stage 3
Regardless of ongoing and unprecedented challenges, we have had successful KS3 in-class assessments – nearly 200 in total over five weeks. Once marked, these assessments will aid teachers to formulate catch-up plans to ensure your child is given every opportunity to recover lost learning and prepare accordingly for future learning endeavours.
As a school, we are all very proud of your child and would like to congratulate them on their resilience, energy and vigour in completing another successful school year. You can be very proud of your child and how they represent you, their family and their school on a daily basis.
As another school year comes to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to wish our Rutlish students the very best for the summer. May it be a safe, healthy and happy one and, whatever your holiday plans are, may they be most enjoyable!
Happy holidays!!
Mr A Redzepagic
Assistant Headteacher KS3
Year 7
Dear Year 7,
What a year we have had!
I would like to say how incredibly proud your tutors, Miss Casey-McMahon and I are of you, especially with all the challenges you have faced this year; from starting at a new school to learning online for an extended period of time, you have taken it all in your stride.
This year has not been the year we would have wanted in terms of experiencing secondary school life, and there have been times when we have all felt anxious. However, the feedback Miss Casey-McMahon and I have received from your teachers about your time in school and during remote learning has been a testament to your character and how well you have adapted and progressed.
The end of the summer term is always a time to reflect on the past year, and look forward to the next. Some of you are aware that Miss Casey-McMahon will be going on maternity leave in the summer holidays. We wish her luck and send her warm wishes as she spends some time with her new family.
From September, I will be joined by Mr Embling as Co-Head of Year. Mr Embling is familiar with the year group as he teaches several Year 7 classes, and I have spent time sharing with him some of the experiences you have had during your first year at secondary school. We look forward to welcoming Mr Embling into the team from September for an exciting year ahead.
Parents and carers, we would like to thank you for your support and commitment throughout the year. We appreciate the dedication of the families in the wider Rutlish community who work with us to ensure the success of our young people. This year has been a challenge, learning to navigate a new school in a new way, but Year 7 have risen to that challenge. They are prepared for the next step into Year 8 where they will be taking part in the wider school activities and experiencing all that Rutlish has to offer.
Now rest up over the summer and enjoy the beginning of a return to a normal world.
Take care and keep safe,
Mr Holt, Miss Casey-McMahon and Year 7 tutors
Year 8
Dear all,
Thankfully we have had a relatively ‘normal’ term, almost a term and a half in school with face to face learning.
We are really proud how you have adapted and have demonstrated a thirst not only for learning but also gratitude for being back with your peers.
It has been fantastic to see faces even at 7.45am engaging in the varied extracurricular activities.
We are looking forward to celebrating the many successes of the term and indeed the year as well as seeing your participation in Sports Day events (your first at Rutlish).
Recharge over the summer and come back ready as Year 9 will be an extremely important academic year for you!
Stay safe, look after one another and keep smiling, Mrs Edwards, Mr Ross and Year 8 tutors
Year 9
On behalf of the Year 9 Tutors, Mr Foster and myself I’d like to say how incredibly proud we are of Year 9 in this challenging year. You have taken it all in your stride, acted with maturity and responsibility throughout. Really well done.
I know it’s been far from easy and there have been anxieties about how much school you’ve missed, especially moving into Year 10 but lessons have been learning focussed and positive; staff love working with you.
You should feel very proud of your achievements and look forward to the next chapter ahead as you begin your GCSEs in September.
Rest up this summer, remember to stay safe, look out for each other, be respectful and enjoy beginning to share in some kind of ‘normal’ again.
We are very proud of you Year 9 and look forward to the year ahead.
Parents – thank you so much for your on-going dedication and support.
Take care and enjoy your summer break. Ms Pearce, Mr Foster and Year 9 tutors
Key Stage 4
We now approach the end of what has been an unprecedented year in school. I am so thankful for the hard work, determination and resilience that the students and staff have shown this year - despite all the challenges, and there have been many. In KS4, our Year 11s showed such tenacity and dedication to their learning throughout the year, including the periods of remote learning and assessments. Please take time to celebrate your child’s achievements over the course of this year with them; we are all incredibly proud of what they have achieved and overcome. On behalf of the whole school community, I would like to thank them for their contribution to school life and wish each of them continued happiness and success. We look forward to their next steps in life and the range of opportunities that lie before them.
As with everything, when one thing ends another begins. I know teachers are hard at work in ensuring the current year 10s are well equipped to start Year 11 in September. Furthermore, with support from parents and tutors, we have now completed the Year 9 Options process. This is an exciting time, and please know that myself, the pastoral team and their teachers are here to support the current Year 9 students as they step into KS4 and navigate their new stage in education.
We have learned so much, and we end this academic year with great sense of achievement. In spite of the disruptions, the lockdown, the new processes, we have all worked incredibly hard to adapt and to protect the learning and personal development of our students. Throughout the year, we have received many messages of compliments and helpful suggestions from parents and carers. We truly appreciate your support; our partnership with you has been invaluable and instrumental in ensuring our success this year. Finally, our Rutlish students, in all key stages, have been a true credit to all parents, carers and the community. Your teachers are incredibly proud of you!
I wish you all a wonderful summer!
Best wishes, Mrs Alltraine
Assistant Headteacher, KS4
Year 10
This Summer term has been an extremely challenging term for all Year 10 students. The recent end of year exams have been a quick return to reality that each student has adapted to brilliantly.
Looking forward, I hope everybody has a wonderful and well deserved summer break. I can’t thank the parents, tutors and teachers enough for all the support over the last year, but particularly this term, as we returned to our normal school life.
Hopefully we will finish off the term in style with a great Year 10 Sports Day on Friday period 5!
Have a good summer break Mr Price, Ms Kerr and Year 10 tutors
Head of Year 10
Year 11
Results day soon to be here with the opening of results like any other year, however it has NOT been like any other year!
The journey we have had has tested every student, parent, sibling, teacher and staff member, but the cooperation, dedication and support collectively has pulled us through to the finish line. I am so proud of the boys and what they have achieved and humbled that many have decided to continue their Rutlish Journey at RR6; it is not a complete goodbye.
The hard work they have put into their studies will be reflected on results day and I wish them all luck in their next steps! A celebration of their 5 years at Rutlish will be in September to mark the occasion and will be a fantastic opportunity to congratulate them all.
I personally want to thank all the Parents, Carers and families for the outstanding support and wish you all a safe and lovely summer.
Mr Embling, Mr tucker and Year 11 tutors
Head of Year 11
RR6
We are were pleased to have the opportunity to say goodbye to Y13’s at the beginning of July, it was a special event in which staff and students were able to spend time with each other. Our students have to be commended in the highest possible terms for the mature and positive way in which they have dealt with this exceptional school cycle. It has been without doubt the most unusual school years since wartime. The resolute decency and understanding and readiness to adapt will stand them in good stead. We would like to wish success for all our students on whatever their chosen pathway and wish them all the very best for their future.
We are incredibly proud of our students and their achievements. This is testament to the hard work and determination of students, their families and teachers over many years.
Our 12’s have also felt the impact, their sixth form journey has been effected. Again they have shown collegiality and resilience and I have no doubt that they too will learn from these experiences. They have just finished their end of year exams, this should allow them to understand their priorities and determine the area in which they need to focus upon next year.
It is important that our students have a well-earned break over the summer in order to re-charge in anticipation of returning to school in September. However, it is also an opportunity for students to continue their personal and academic development over this period and we encourage Year 12 students to use their time productively by completing a draft of their personal statement and engaging in any training or opportunities available online.
Have a lovely summer, Ms Hyland
Assistant Headteacher, KS5
Year 12
Our Year 12 students have all shown such resilience in the last year; they did not sit exams at the end of Year 11 and they had to adapt to a world with lockdowns and online learning and yet they remained strong and determined. They attended more online open days and master classes than any year group before them; they have supported each other in so many ways and have remained positive and hard working. I have never been so proud of a group of students as I am of my Year 12s!
This final term they have been focused on exams and UCAS applications and they are looking forward to a brighter and busier future. It has been so heart-warming to hear them plan for next year and what they want to achieve. I cannot wait to see it come to fruition.
I want to wish all my students and their families a restful Summer and I can’t wait to see what September 2021 brings for us all.
“You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
A.A. Milne
I look forward to seeing you all at the start of Year 13. Mrs Bremner
Head of Year 12
Year 13
The sixth form experience for our Year 13s has been, to say the least, different to what we expected. After just 6 months of learning, we went into lockdown and the tumultuous nature of the pandemic has meant an ever-changing way of life for these young adults. But I couldn’t be more thankful for having such a fabulous year group. They have shown such resilience, strength and dedication and we are all so proud of what they have achieved.
Academically, they continued to show diligence and intelligence, and their growth in independent learning skills is to be greatly admired.
Even more significantly, their kindness, consistent support for each other and their ability to stand up for what they believe in makes us certain they will go on to be integral members of society. They will have a legacy at Rutlish, Ricards and RR6 and we wish them all the very best in their endeavours.
Winners for this year's Young Writers' Competition have been announced.
Congratulation to Spencer in Year 8 achieving official runner up, Will in Year 7 highly commended and James in Year 11 who achieved commended.
Spencer and Will will have their entries published in the Young Writer's Anthology.
RR6 Induction
On the 5 & 6 July, we were thrilled to welcome our Year 12s-to-be for a two day taster and induction event in RR6.
Students were able to familiarise themselves with their new environment and get to know their new peers and teachers. Each student received a taster lesson for the three or four subjects they plan to study for A level or BTEC Level 3, plus took part in team building and study skills activities.
It was fantastic to see how engaged and excited they were and to start to get to know the young adults embarking on the next stage of their education journey with us.
We look forward to seeing them on Results Day and welcoming them for a full induction in September!
To find out more about RR6 visit our pages on the website:
Staff enjoyed an array of activities after school during wellbeing week rather than the usual scheduled meetings. These included art, rounders, chess and running; all of these were arranged by our teachers Mr Brogan, Ms Guliyeva, Ms Sharma and Mr Embling. Other activities were run by external providers including Pilates, tennis and a gym session, thank you to Cherese Binnedell and Marc Beckles. It was good to try something new!
Special thanks to the PTA for their wellbeing breakfasts.
A final thank you must go to Mrs Slabber for organsing the week of activities.
Rutlish Foundation
The Rutlish Foundation was established to assist former and current students at Rutlish School, and they continue to do that to this day. This might be by funding something in school not covered by the budget or grants for students moving on to higher education.
Most recently they are funding the purchase of a pocket dictionary/thesaurus for every student in the school who does not already have one. The Foundation is keen to support the literacy of students, in the knowledge that this aids progress in all of their studies. Provision of this resource will be of immediate and direct benefit to students who will be able to check spellings, check meanings and, along the way, spot other intriguing words to be explored and applied in their speech and writing.
Literacy points will be awarded throughout the academic year for students observed using their dictionaries in lessons.
Our gratitude to the Rutlish Foundation.
Website
We were excited to introduce our new website to you in January and hope that you have found it informative and easy to navigate.
As well as introducing new content, there are regular news articles of activities taking in school and albums of students work. Visit our website at:
Rutlish students are our best ambassadors and this is shown in the videos of students talking about life at Rutlish. Please visit their page on the website:
Our new school prospectus is available in our Admissions page on the website.
Student Wellbeing
We know the last year and a half has been a difficult time for everyone and some may want support to help us to move forward. Please visit out wellbeing pages on the website which include contact details of organisations who may be able to help.
Congratulations to all the students who have taken music exams this year including:
Joshua, Year 7 - Grade 3, guitar
Finn, Year 8 - Grade 4, piano
Caleb, Year 8 - Grade 1, drums
Jamie, Year 8 - Grade 4, guitar
Careers
We have some great news to share! During what has undoubtedly been a challenge for us all, Rutlish has fostered a working partnership with The Skills Builder Partnership.
Following an internal assessment and review process, I am delighted to share with the school community that Rutlish have achieved a Skills Builder Bronze Award.
This significant achievement puts Rutlish in a select group of schools and colleges who have demonstrated their effectiveness in building the essential skills of their students.
However, such achievements can only come with team work. Firstly, I would like to thank our Year 10 Business Studies students and others who worked tirelessly to build these skills via the Skills Builder program and secondly, the remarkable staff and SLT at Rutlish who supported the new partnership.
You will find details of a Year 10 virtual trip to the London Stock Exchange in a news article on our website, a link is included in later in this newsletter.
Rutlish looks forward to working with Skills Builder in the future.
Wishing you a great summer.
Kind regards Mrs Graham
Careers Leader
Memorial Garden
The development of the memorial garden has continued this term and the planting has established.
We received generous donations for benches from past students and staff of the school which have enabled us to purchase seven benches and two tree benches.
The space will be used as a wellbeing space for small student groups and staff.
Latest new on the Rutlish website
For regular updates on life at Rutlish please visit our website, a selection of the news articles can be seen below.
The RR6 Enrichment programme is varied with a wide range of activities to meet all interests. Alongside the Rutlish Bike Club, debate, mandarin, equalities and diversity, sport, pure fit, Duke of Edinburgh scheme, dance, politics and cultural affairs, students will also be involved in...
In Careers Week during the 2021 lockdown Rutlish Year 10 Business Studies class took part in a virtual trip to the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) with our partners The Skills Builder Parnetship. The assignment set for the Year 10 team was to “come up with inventions to...
With the promise of life returning to ‘normal’ and the reopening of galleries and museums, the Art department would like to encourage students to make the most of the fantastic Art opportunities available for them to get involve in over the summer holidays. For more information on how to take part in the brilliant Art opportunities listed below please look on the school website: Get Creative
Victoria and Albert Museum: The Platinum Jubilee Emblem Competition 2021
Design an RSPB T-Shirt 2021
Kids Wildlife 2021 Competition- The RSBP
RHS Photographic Competition
The Flemming Collection Young People’s Art competition 2021
In the spirit of taking part and showing our creativity, Ms Sharma along with Bertie (Year 10), George (Year 8), Elyas (Year 11) and Jaewoo (Year11) will be joining Mr Rainsfords (Head of Art at Richards) along with Ricards staff and students during the summer holidays to help paint a large scale mural project in Garfield Park, Wimbledon. The wall itself is 62m long and is situated in the children’s playground in the park. The boys are all really excited to have been offered the opportunity to be involved in creating a community mural that highlight environmental challenges we face. All involved are looking forward to working collaboratively with staff and students at Ricards.
Special shout out goes to Bertie who, despite lockdown and the challenges posed by online learning in Art, worked with resilience and showed A level maturity beyond his years to continue to independently build up his GCSE Art portfolio. His practice explores the theme ‘Toxic Masculinity’ and his Superman piece that he is currently working on in class and on display in the art room is a talking point with younger KS3 students.
"Creativity takes courage"
Henri Matisse
You will find more examples of our students work in the albums in our gallery on the website.
Have a safe, creative and restful summer break. Ms Sharma, Mrs Subhani and Mrs Narbutt
Drama
During the summer term, students have taken part in a series of dynamic and interactive theatrical workshops, led by professionals from the famous Attic Theatre Company. Students were taught the skills of devising, characterisation and role-play in order to support their mental health, build communication skills, and promote self-confidence. This has been a hugely successful project with RR6 students interacting with KS3 students in role as facilitators.
The Year 7 cohort have enjoyed reading and performing extracts from the play "The 39 Steps" by Patrick Barlow. Additionally, some of our Year 7 students have been working on their Bugsy Malone production. The cast have been chosen and lines are being learnt.
Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party" has been the text for Year 8, who have shown a real depth of understanding of the social and historical context of the play leading to some excellent group work and creative exploration of key scenes.
Not to be outdone, the Year 9’s immersed themselves in ‘’Too Much Punch for Judy’’ by Mark Wheeler. Students delivered their lines with clarity and empathy for the lead character Judy and her family. A truly poignant theatrical play which elicited excellent verbal, practical and written responses!
Our Year 10 students have completed their first year studying either Drama GCSE or Performing Arts BTEC where teachers have tried to minimise the disruption from Covid19 and final grades have been submitted for Year 11. We look forward to result day in August.
Bugsy Malone, our next School production will be epic! Interest in the production has been enormous and students will be learning lines over the summer in preparation for the formal audition process. The Music, Art, Drama and Media departments will join forces to make this our most successful whole school production to date! More details to follow.
This term has been wonderfully busy for the PE Department, after the lack of sport due to lockdown last term.
Tennis
We've seen some great successes this season with both the Under 13 and Under 15 teams enjoying victories over Alleyns, Trinity and KCS Wimbledon.
Cricket
Teams from Year 7, 8, 9 and 10 took part in fixtures against local schools seeing some successes, including the Year 7B team beating Wimbledon College by 30 runs.
Sports Leaders
Twenty-one Year 9 students have completed the Community Sports Leaders Award course. As part of the course they organised 2 inter-house football competitions for Years 7 & 8.
Ball boys
Nine students from Year 10, 11 & 13 trained hard over the last few months and were selected as ballboys. They have done a great job representing Rutlish at the Wimbledon Championships. You will find photos in our album: click here
We were especially proud to see Rutlish student, Videl, selected as the referee's medal carrier for the Men's Single final. He also escorted the players onto Centre Court and carried the bag of Matteo Berrettini off court.
Rutlish student, Videl, on Centre Court
Indoor Rowing
We had sixty-eight students from years 7 -10 compete in the Indoor Rowing Virtual National championships; double our usual entires. We are fortunate to be able to use our indoor rowing facilities in our pavilion.
Keep active over the summer! We look forward to the football and rugby seasons in September. PE Department
HOUSE COMPETITION
It’s been another great year for our House Competition. We have managed to run 15 house competitions over the year across all year groups. A huge thank you to the house co-ordinators, form tutors, staff members and students who have taken part in the competition this year.
The house competition has been able to provide a huge variety of competition and activities for the students to part take in. From the Haiku competition that ran in conjuncture with Mental Health Awareness Week (some of the entries can be found in the News section on our website) to our Careers Quiz where students guessed the previous professions of current members of staff.
It has been great news that the PE department has managed to run sports day for the different year groups.
Competition this year has been an incredibly close competition, in both the individual year group competitions and the overall House Shield. The winners will be announced in this year Celebration of Achievement assemblies at the end of term where awards will be presented to individual students and staff who have help contribute to this year house competition.
"Taste the relish to be found in competition -- in having put forth the best within you"
Mr Foster House Leader
League Table
The final results will be announced after the Sports Day results have been included.
Congratulations to all our 2020-21 Teach Wimbledon trainees, who graduated with us yesterday. We look forward to seeing you develop as Early Career Teachers and beyond. https://t.co/KQZMLQ6LOZ
RR6 
Special shout out goes to Bertie who, despite lockdown and the challenges posed by online learning in Art, worked with resilience and showed A level maturity beyond his years to continue to independently build up his GCSE Art portfolio. His practice explores the theme ‘Toxic Masculinity’ and his Superman piece that he is currently working on in class and on display in the art room is a talking point with younger KS3 students.
