Time has flown by this term and September feels like a long time ago. Year 9 have very nearly completed their first full term as Samuel Whitbread students! To celebrate, we are inviting every Year 9 student to take part in our Whitbread Winter Challenge - a fantastic way to have fun this December and compete for a chance to win some prizes. Students can access the full challenge via their SatchelOne account. Good luck, Year 9!

Year 10 students’ first progress report of the academic year will be sent out next Thursday (9^th December). This is an excellent opportunity for constructive conversations with your children about their progress in their GCSE subjects. Tutors will be having individual discussions with students about their reports and what they can do to both improve their overall attitude to learning score, and their working and predicted grades. If you have any questions or concerns about your child following reports, please contact their form tutor in the first instance.

It has been fantastic to see some of our Year 10s diving into extra-curricular activities including the pantomime, Christmas Concert and sports teams – a wider involvement in school life definitely helps to create a positive environment and attitude across school.

It was fantastic to see our Year 10 football and rugby boys teams this afternoon in action on the field, the quality of sport on display was excellent, and really demonstrated our school values of teamwork and determination. Special mentions for Callum Carolan with two incredible saves in goal for the football team in their National Cup match, and some blistering runs by Danny Scorah in the rugby, in his last match for Whitbread before he moves away from the area

As we draw towards the end of the first mock season of Year 11, we would just like to take the opportunity to commend the Year 11 students on their impeccable behaviour and maturity when approaching the mock examinations. We hope that the students have had the opportunity to learn what works for them in terms of revision and preparation for their exams and that they can utilise this going forward. Well done and keep up the great work.

Our students have now received their first report, and we have been really pleased with the start Year 12 has made to their studies. We had 111 students receive an ‘excellent’ attitude to learning for at least two of their subjects, which is impressive. Students will now be working in form time to construct targets for each subject that will help them improve further. We want our Year 12s to understand the emphasis on independent learning, and the need to take ownership of their own progress. We hope these activities will help them become even better learners.

The Youth Ambassador Programme opportunity for students still has places left. I cannot stress how useful and rewarding this will be for students. It is a unique and exciting programme that will see students learning more about the world around them through workshops. But also being shown how to deliver workshops to younger students for an event later in the school year. This will set students apart when it comes to applications for university, apprenticeships or jobs; in an ever increasing competitive market. Although the deadline for declaring their interest has gone, if any more students are still interested they should let myself, their tutor or Dr Haynes know.

At the time of writing this message our Year 13 students are in the middle of their IPE (Internal Progression Exams). These will form an important part of their next predict grades as we move into the last two terms of their time at SWA. We have sent over 50 UCAS applications, and many of our students have taken advantage of the independent careers adviser on site during the last few weeks. If they are unsure about next steps or need some advice on how to apply for apprenticeships please do encourage them to talk through options with their form tutor, and make use of our careers staff. Careers appointments can be booked via email: jmcmillan@bestacademies.org.uk.

If they are planning on going to university they must finish their application soon – and book a final check and send appointment through emailing sbutler@bestacademies.org.uk. It is essential that they communicate well with their form tutor, who writes their tutor reference.

In the last week of term we will be celebrating their academic achievements in our Christmas achievement assembly. I would also like to celebrate out of school achievements such as passing driving tests, sporting excellence and volunteering – please do let their form tutor or myself know so we can include them in our praise shoad@bestacademies.org.uk