It has been another busy few weeks for Year 10. It’s been great to see our students continue with their content in all subjects and be inspired by various new topics. They’ve had an opportunity to reflect on the mock exams and discuss different preparation strategies to use next time. Mock results will be shared with students after the half-term break. We’re sure that the whole mock exam process will enable the students to develop in specific areas and help them to prepare for future assessments and other situations outside of school in terms of dealing with stress.

It has been nice to visit various classrooms during the last few weeks, the cheesecakes looked delicious in food technology, the sports leaders’ lessons look great and it has been nice to see some future leaders, the history students have been enjoying learning about medicine throughout the ages.

We have been focussing on the value of empathy and the beauty of a fresh start (in preparation for when we return after the break). Our school values continue to be displayed throughout the school community and the weekly activities enable us to reinforce what we believe is important to ensure a positive environment at SWA.

Last week was mental health awareness week and this year’s focus being anxiety. Students have learnt about anxiety and strategies to overcome anxious situations. It’s important to remind the students that feeling anxious is normal, we all have times when we need to use strategies to overcome an anxious situation. Hopefully, some of the activities have helped to equip students with a range of strategies. The Year 10 students were reminded that the pastoral team are also on hand to support students should they need to discuss their feelings.

As you are aware, our uniform expectations remain the same throughout the year and we expect our students to wear the correct uniform and look smart throughout the day. We’re starting to see lots of black trainers, this is not allowed and we expect all students to be wearing school shoes. Lots of students are wearing hoodies which are not allowed, instead a V-neck jumper should be worn but is optional although we insist on a blazer being worn. The year team have been asking and will continue to ask students to remove their hoodies and hand them into the year team where we can keep them safe until the end of the day.

Please continue to encourage our students to attend the extra-curricular activities that we offer. Activities will continue after the break and it is a great opportunity to utilise some of the expertise that we have, particularly with the Year 11 students leaving.

We hope that they all have a wonderful break. We look forward to coming back refreshed and ready for the final half term where we will continue to inspire our students and encourage them to aim high!

It has been a busy yet wonderful last week for Year 11.

Students have been fantastic in their exams so far and on Wednesday we had our Year 11 Leavers’ Celebration. It was wonderful to see all the students in their signed shirts and to congratulate them on their achievements from the last three years. It was a lovely afternoon on the field and a big well done to 11B for winning the Tug of War competition!

Just a reminder that whilst students are sitting their exams, they must attend school in full school uniform. Please see the letter regarding study leave for more information. Students who wish to remain on the school site between exams are welcome to do so, however, they need to remain in the canteen during lesson time.

Finally, we want to wish our Year 11s all the best for their remaining exams. We are incredibly proud of you all and how far you have come from being young, shy Year 9s to a group of bright, enthusiastic and mature young adults on your last day. We look forward to celebrating the end of your exams at Prom and your results in August.

The Year 11 Team

Last week myself, Mrs Bonham and Mr Martin interviewed a group of Year 12 students for positions on the Student Leadership Team. We were incredibly impressed with both the professionalism and enthusiasm of our students. Congratulations to Max and Maddie who will be our Head Students next academic year, supported by Lydia as Deputy Head Student and a brilliant team including Bella, Harriet, Izzy, and Rebecca. We’re still recruiting for three more positions and would like to encourage students who participate in Sports or the Arts (visual, creative, or performing arts) to apply to the team.

A collection of our Year 12 students have been busy with external exams and we wish them luck with those. IPEs (Internal Progression Exams) are rapidly approaching in June, as is their work experience week in July. We do still have students who have not organised work placements and we urge them to seek assistance with this asap via form tutors or Miss Freeman (room 902).