2026/27 TWGGS Newsletter 2
Friday 25th September 2026
A message from Mrs Marchant
This week has seen us open the doors ready to greet our new potential intake for 2027. It always feels very strange welcoming new cohorts into Year 7 and Upper Sixth at the same time as thinking forward to next academic year but we are always moving here! So many of you ‘lent’ us your children on Wednesday evening, thank you. They were an absolute credit to you and to the school and I am always amazed at the enthusiasm that they show when demonstrating something in their favourite subject or touring potential Twiglets and parents.
Evolve Clubs has proven to be extremely popular and I thank you for your patience in onboarding the entire school to this. It has been very pleasing to note the number of pupils who have signed up to a range of enrichment activities, from sports to art, music to crafting, chess to intervention groups. What is particularly impressive is that, after just two weeks of clubs running, 589 pupils have already taken part in at least one club. There have already been 1,813 individual pupil attendances across 220 sessions and 79 different clubs. Our younger year groups have embraced the opportunities particularly enthusiastically, with 75% of Year 7, 64% of Year 8 and 61% of Year 9 already participating. A fantastic start to the year!
As many of you know, we have changed our standards and rewards system based on feedback from pupils, parents and staff. Our merit system is streamlined and every single pupil in KS3 and KS4 has now received at least one merit. It is much easier to track and instantly reward now and pupils are responding very well to the changes.
It is the National Year of Reading and we have been awarded a fund from the DfE to further encourage wider reading across the school. Dr Blanch and Mrs Dawson, alongside Mrs Devereaux-Bridge, are working to gather feedback from all pupils as to how we can further our excellent provision of books and materials to encourage reading. It has been really uplifting to see how important reading for pleasure is for so many members of our school community, especially when life in and out of school is busy with clubs, events and social activities. A snapshot of voices from our reading survey shows that books still have an important place at the heart of TWGGS life: ‘Reading is like a portal into another world’ (Year 8); ‘reading clears my mind like an imagination getaway’ (Year 7); ‘the vast majority of my vocabulary and creativity stemmed from reading as a child, and I genuinely believe it helps a developing brain to flourish’ (Sixth Form).
So many of our pupils engage in activities outside of school which we are very proud of; if you wish your child to be featured or celebrated please do let us know by emailing media@twggs.kent.sch.uk, with a photo if you are happy for this to be used for publicity purposes.
I wish you all a very happy weekend.
Mrs Katie Marchant, Headteacher
Latest News
As ever, this week’s newsletter is packed with news and information. Links and buttons will take you outside of this document, such as the ‘View All News’ button which links to News items hosted on our website. Please don’t forget to return to the newsletter to scroll all the way through.
This edition of the newsletter contains:
- CCF Kit Appeal
- ParentPay Canteen Transactions Information
- Policy Spotlight
- Online Safety Bulletins
- EWT Workshops
- Give Your Best
- Link to school calendar
- Attendance
TWGGS Combined Cadet Force Kit Appeal
If you have any CCF kit, which is no longer required, please hand in to Reception, or alternatively bring to the CCF building by the tennis courts, on a Monday or Friday.
We are always short of uniform so please if you can help, it would be appreciated. Thank you.
ParentPay Canteen Transactions
We have received a number of queries from parents that when they log into their ParentPay account, the meal activity section says that no meal has been taken that day even though their child has bought lunch in the canteen. This has been raised with ParentPay and we hope that this will be resolved soon. In the meantime, parents are able to see details of what their child has purchased by clicking on the ‘Transaction History’ button on the left-hand side of the home page, and then selecting ‘Payment History’. A date range can then be selected to see what was purchased during that time.
TWGGS Policy Spotlight
Our featured policy this week is TWGGS’ Wellbeing and Pastoral Care Policy. Wellbeing and pastoral care is concerned with promoting pupils’ personal and social development and fostering positive attitudes. Through our wellbeing arrangements and provision, TWGGS demonstrates its continuing concern for its pupils as individuals, actively encouraging them to be secure, successful and fully participating members of the school and its wider community. Wellbeing and pastoral care is also concerned with preparing pupils for the demands and challenges of adult and working life. Please click on the link below to access the full policy.
All of our policies and key information documents can be found on our website.
Online Safety Bulletins
What You Need to Know about AI Virtual Friends
There has been significant development in artificial intelligence with companies releasing AI-based software or adding an AI element to existing apps like Snapchat. An AI form that has become increasingly popular has been the chatbot, or AI ‘friend’. There are now many virtual friend apps available, and this means greater awareness of potential risks is needed.
Click on the poster for useful information around content and accountability, privacy concerns and lack of sensitivity in chatbot software. There are also tips on how to talk to your child about chatbots, how to create a safe environment for them, how to recognise the risks, take control and establish the right balance in terms of how they might uses AI-powered chatbots.
EWT Workshops
The Emotional Wellbeing Teams (EWT) have another series of workshops taking place for both pupils and also parents/carers throughout the Autumn term:
- Understanding the Teenage Brain: 29th September, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
- Less Stress Guide to Exams: 11th November, 5:00pm – 6:00pm
- Co-Regulation in Conversations and Conflict: 25th November, 5.30pm – 7.30pm
All the workshops take place via Microsoft Teams, and further information, including links to sign up, are shown on the posters below.
Give Your Best
- Lois B-S (Year 10) – For superbly designed revision notes in Computer Science.
Staff Star Nominations
- Miss K Chui – For her brilliant work preparing for and helping during open evening.
Upcoming Events
Attendance
| Year | Attendance % |
|---|---|
| 7 | 94.78 |
| 8 | 97.29 |
| 9 | 97.43 |
| 10 | 98.13 |
| 11 | 96.42 |
| L6 | 95.87 |
| U6 | 86.46 |
| Whole School | 95.30 |
Family Holidays
Holidays must be taken in school holiday time. We do not authorise absence during term time as this clearly has a major impact on pupils’ learning. If it is unavoidable, a letter should be sent to the Headteacher, requesting permission well in advance and the absence will be recorded as unauthorised in all but exceptional circumstances.
Reporting an Absence
The EdulinkOne portal is a quick and simple method for reporting an absence. We ask that you report on each day that your child is absent to avoid any ambiguity. If your child will be off school for a known period of time, for example if they have been signed off by a doctor, then please state this in the notes on the Edulink message, so that our staff can interpret this effectively. You can also attach medical notes to the message that you send. If you are unable to report via Edulink, please contact reception by phone on 01892 520902, or via email, reception@twggs.kent.sch.uk
We would urge parents to avoid making medical or dental appointments for your children during school hours, whenever possible.
For further guidance on using EdulinkOne, please visit our website.