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E-NEWSLETTER  •  ISSUE 176

A Message from Principal, Mr Martin

It’s certainly been an eventful term, finishing with a fantastic pantomime last week and the Performing Arts Showcase. I would like to thank Miss Major for all her hard work directing the panto this year. Organising such a big production, including over 60 cast members and tech crew, as well as costumes, staging, lights and sound, is a massive undertaking. The audience certainly seemed to enjoy it - with a standing ovation on the final night. 

On Monday, we had the Performing Arts Christmas Showcase, including drama, our choir, dance, brass and finishing with three songs from the school band. It was a fantastic celebration of the Arts at Samuel Whitbread and I would like to thank our amazing staff and our team of peripatetics who put hours of work into supporting our students to be the best they can be.

Last week, we held the annual Sixth Form World Food Festival, where each tutor group prepared food from a particular country around the world. They sold their creations to the whole school to raise money for charity. The event raised over £780 for Methodist Junior High School in Kwahu-Tafo, Ghana, with 12A raising the most money, £151.55. We have supported the school for over a decade and these funds will be put towards a new computer lab.

This week also saw our first ever Christmas Bake Off take place, organised by two members of our Student Leadership Team, Ella and Megan, along with help from our Food Department. We had entries from all year groups and the winning entry went to Megan W.

Following last week’s debating final for Y12, this time it was the turn of Y9 & Y10 who debated ‘The house believes zoos are unethical‘. It was a tightly fought contest with Sims House being crowned the winners. The debating competition was organised by Rebecca, another member of our student membership team.

We have four members of staff leaving us for pastures new this Christmas, including Mrs Robson and Mrs Lock, who have been with us since September, and Mrs Turner, who joined us last year. They have all done a sterling job supporting our students in Languages, Philosophy, Religion & Ethics and Pastoral, and we thank them for everything they have done for the school. 

We also say goodbye to Mr Rhodes, Director of Rugby, who has been with us for nine years and is moving on to coach a professional rugby team. Mr Rhodes has transformed Rugby at SWA with finals at Twickenham and national success in the Vase at U15 and U18. These memories will stay with us for many years to come and for that, we are deeply thankful. We wish him every success in his new role.

Have a restful festive break and I look forward to seeing you all in 2024. From all of us at SWA, we would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Messages From Heads of Year 

Year 9, Mrs L Turner 

 

On the last week of the winter term, our students should reflect on their first term at Samuel Whitbread. The year group have immersed themselves in a wide range of activities and challenged themselves in a range of subjects. They should be proud of their accomplishments. Please ask your child about their achievements. On Friday we’re excited to celebrate success and achievement in an assembly.

Many of our Year 9 students took part in the amazing Treasure Island pantomime last week. Some were on stage, some were behind the scenes and others were part of the studio production. Well done to all the students and staff involved.

We continue to set high expectations during this last week and upon our return. We expect positive behaviour around the school and within the community and we expect the uniform to be smart and fall in line with our uniform policy. We believe that both behaviour and uniform contribute to a positive school community and we will continue to have these high expectations going into the new term.

Some of you may be aware that from the end of this week, I will be leaving Samuel Whitbread to embark on a new venture. I’ve enjoyed working with the year group and getting to know the students this term and many of them are a credit to their parents and carers.

I am pleased to announce that Mr Hatchell will be interim Head of Year until Mrs Godfrey starts in February. I have every confidence that she will be an asset to the year team. I would like to take this opportunity to wish her luck in this exciting venture.

I would like to wish all Year 9s a peaceful, enjoyable and restful Christmas break. Thank you for all your support and I wish you a happy Christmas and New Year.

 

Year 11, Mr R Nicholl

 

As the term draws to a close, it is a great opportunity to reflect, celebrate and look forward to a new year and term. It has been a busy term and the Year 11 team are proud of how the students have overcome a range of challenges and shown a great deal of resilience in various situations. We have been discussing personal goals during form time and we have been reflecting upon those that were set at the start of the year. It is clear that our students have been able to complete or show progression in pursuing their goals. 

As we discussed in the previous newsletter edition, we are proud of how the year group prepared for and completed their mocks. The results and feedback that they will receive in the new year will enable them to progress in specific areas and fill any gaps in preparation for the next set of mocks. 

It has been great to celebrate with those who have received many achievement points and those who meet our expectations daily. We have had the opportunity to celebrate many individuals during our celebration assembly. 

We often discuss the importance of life balance with our students and it has been great to meet with specific students who excel outside of school in the hobbies that they pursue. Many students in Year 11 were part of the pantomime which was amazing, and we have lots of students who are excelling on the sports field – Our U16 Boys A and B football teams are still in their respective national cups, as are the fantastic netball team. This is something to look forward to in the new year. 

Please continue to discuss post-16 options with your child. We will continue to offer careers meetings for our Year 11 students and we will work with them to complete any applications. The Sixth Form application form needs to be completed by Friday 23rd February – please do ask us if you need any support completing the form. The year team, careers team and form tutors are on hand to advise and support when required. 

We are hoping to produce an excellent yearbook for our exceptional cohort and we would like your support to ensure that we have all of the details that will make it great. If you haven’t already, can you please use this link to complete the information that will be used in the yearbook: https://forms.gle/QvwR6abNBgomRtzJ6

We would like to finish our newsletter entry by showing gratitude and thanking you all for the support that you give to your child. This support has helped us to ensure that we are giving our students the best opportunity to succeed in school and ultimately, within society. I would also like to thank the brilliant form tutors and year team – they certainly go above and beyond to support the students. 

We hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas. Spend time with your family and friends. Take the opportunity to recharge and look forward to another great term.

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PANTOMIME & PERFORMING ARTS SHOWCASE 

The Performing Arts Department recently hosted the annual Christmas pantomime, and it was a truly spectacular show. More than 50 students participated, showcasing their incredible talent in dancing, singing, and acting in Treasure Island the Pantomime. 

Not only did they have sell-out shows, but they performed their final dress rehearsal for a morning matinée of 150 lower and middle school students, which proved to be a huge success. The audience's excitement was evident, and the "he's behind you!" screams echoed through the hall, making it a very memorable experience.

Our staff and students worked tirelessly to put on a flawless show, and it was clear in the way they performed. The tech crew and hair/makeup artists also deserve a special mention for their hard work and dedication in ensuring everything went off without a hitch. 

On Monday night the Performing Arts department hosted their final show of 2023, the Christmas showcase. The event featured some incredible performances from Year 9 and 10 drama students, including an amazing monologue from Blair and Kaine, and Ella's hilarious Midsummer Night's Dream duologue. The A Level dancers also performed their exam work, which they had been working on this term, to great acclaim. Additionally, the Year 9 dance group was accompanied by a live choir and pianist, which marked a first for the school. The Wind Band and Chamber Choir were also well-received, and the evening ended with some fantastic Christmas rock from school band Retroplay. 

Overall, it was a great team effort, and we're incredibly proud of all our students and staff who put in their best. The Christmas pantomime was a huge success, as was the Performing Arts Showcase, and we're grateful to everyone who made it possible. We can't wait to see what our talented students have in store for us next!

We would like to thank everyone who came and wish you all a very merry Christmas.

SIXTH FORM WORLD FOOD FESTIVAL 

Sixth Form staff and students organised a fantastic event last week - the World Food Festival. The festival was held to raise funds for our sister school, the Methodist Junior High School in Kwahu-Tafo, Ghana.

The stalls were impressive and had a great variety of cuisines on offer. There was a spectacular atmosphere; the halls were bustling with staff and students across all years, it was uplifting to see our community come together for a good cause. We raised an incredible £783.33 for our sister school, which will help them with a computer lab regeneration. Thank you to all who contributed.

The Sixth Form World Food Festival was a tremendous success, and we are extremely proud of our students for their outstanding efforts. The event was a true reflection of the spirit of our school and community, and we look forward to continuing to support our sister school in Ghana.

YEAR 9 GIRLS STEM WORKSHOP 

The IT & Computer Science department organised a Computer Science STEM workshop for Year 9 girls. The workshop included 3 hours of programming and robotics challenges, which were managed by STEM Point. A total of 62 students participated in this workshop, representing 6 different schools, including 15 students from Samuel Whitbread. The students thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and we are very proud of the way they worked together and the effort they put in. They all produced fantastic solutions. 


We would like to express our gratitude to STEM Point for their excellent organisation of the event. We would also like to thank the ambassadors from JLT Specialty Ltd, University College London, Johnson Matthey plc, Rise UK, The Open University, and Tier 2 Consulting for their valuable contributions.

YEAR 10 CERAMICS 

Our Year 10 ceramics students are currently immersed in a project inspired by the theme of 'The Natural World'. To create their works, the students go through a lengthy design process. They begin by researching and studying different artists who specialise in ceramics that fit the theme. From there, they brainstorm and sketch out various designs before settling on a final proposal. Then, the students create a small maquette to test their building techniques before starting on their final outcome.

This process takes a considerable amount of time, about five hours or more. Currently, the students have moved on to creating a collage. They were tasked with creating a biro drawing of an animal for their previous homework. Now, they are incorporating their animal drawings into a textured paper background, using watercolours and pen & ink to create a finished piece of artwork.

It's an exciting and fulfilling project that showcases the students' creativity and talent.

FUNDRAISING AND CHARITY WORK

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CHRISTMAS BAKE-OFF

We had a fantastic time this week, hosting our first-ever Christmas Bake-Off event. The event was a resounding success, with students from all years showcasing their baking talents.

It was a great opportunity for everyone to come together and celebrate the joy of the festive period through delicious treats.

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Congratulations to the winners 

Year 9 - Megan W 

Year 11 - Sarah N 

Year 12 - Harry C

Year 13 - Holly A

Best Decorated - Loren E

Principal's Pick - Megan W

All proceeds will go towards funding for the Performing Arts Department.

 

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RUGBY

The rugby season at Samuel Whitbread Academy so far has been excellent. This year has seen a huge increase in the number of playing opportunities for both A and B teams across all the year groups, with all B teams competing in County Cup competitions and number of friendly games increased as well. Our school's 1st XV currently sit at the top of the AOC Colleges Premier League, whilst our U15s had an excellent National Cup run narrowly losing to Hitchin Boys in the 4th Round.

Our Girls U14 and U16 put in some excellent performances at the Essex Festivals this year, but our most notable result has to be when the U14, in their first ever game together, beat Warwick school becoming the first Whitbread team to ever beat this prestigious rugby playing school. With the end of the 15s season approaching, the 1st XV are targeting success in the league, whilst all age groups will be preparing for the 7s season in the coming term.

 

FOOTBALL 

It’s been a great year for the Football teams so far, with almost all of our teams still in county competitions as we move into the New Year.  In addition to all of our local competitions for the boys and girls, every season we enter the ESFA National Cup competitions with the initial aim of still being part of the competition come January. 

This season we still have 4 teams competing in the National Cup, so well done to our boys U14B, U16A, U16B and U18A teams, and our Girls U15B team who all remain in the competition.  In addition to this, our U18 side have also successfully negotiated the ESFA Super League group stages and are now into the last 32 where they will face Dereham Education Soccer Academy at home in January. Football continues to develop across the school, and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors RARUK, Partnership Education, RGM Truck & Van Hire and Galliford Try for all of their support this season.  Their generous sponsorship has helped to provide additional opportunities for our students on and off the football pitch.

 

PE DEPARTMENT

This term has been a hugely successful one for SWA PE. The successes range from record numbers of students attending extracurricular sessions, national honours for students, excellent progress in all classroom courses as well as new members of staff joining the department. We go into the Christmas period with lots of sporting opportunities to be excited about in the new year, as well as the fast-approaching practical and speaking exams for PE students on their respective courses.

We can’t wait to get going again in January!

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Extra-curricular Timetable

https://www.samuelwhitbread.org.uk/page/?title=Extra%2DCurricular&pid=42&action=saved

 

Sixth Form Admission Arrangements Consultation (for September 2025)

For the consultation on the Sixth Form Admission Arrangements for Samuel Whitbread Academy (for September 2025) please click here for more details.

 

Automated Absence Alert Calls Reminder – All Students

Please be aware that the software used to contact you if your child is absent and we are unaware of the reason, will alert the person who is listed as Contact 1 on your child’s records. The external number that you will be called from is - 0114 303 4042 (Sheffield area code).

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Samuel Whitbread Academy E-Newsletter
 
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Samuel Whitbread Academy
Shefford Road, Clifton, Shefford, Bedfordshire, SG17 5QS
Tel: 01462 629900  •  Fax: 01462 629901
Email: swa-info@bestacademies.org.uk