21 September 2023

"Swan-Bites" is a twice weekly bulletin that includes all general school communications, separated out into either All Pupils or specific Year Groups. If you have any comments/feedback about Swan-Bites please email enquiries@swanmore-sec.hants.sch.uk

21 September 2023

All Pupils

Pupil Absence/Appointments
Please contact us before 8.30 am on each day of absence/appointments. Absence is a safeguarding concern. Lack of notification results in a text alert querying why your child is absent. You can phone on 01489 892256, choosing Option 1, or use the relevant email address below. Please also use these emails to report any early collections / late arrivals due to appointments:

Year7Absence@swanmore-sec.hants.sch.uk

Year8Absence@swanmore-sec.hants.sch.uk

Year9Absence@swanmore-sec.hants.sch.uk

Year10Absence@swanmore-sec.hants.sch.uk

Year11Absence@swanmore-sec.hants.sch.uk

Road Safety

Please remind your children to take care when walking to/from college. The roads around the site are busy and we have received reports of pupils pushing each other off pavements or stepping into the road without looking. We would urge all parents to speak to their children about road safety and not being distracted by friends or phones during their journey.

KS3 GL Tests

During the weeks commencing 25 September and 2 October, Year 7, 8 and 9 will be completing English Assessments. Year 7 will also be completing Maths and Science Assessments. The tests will be completed during English, Maths and Science lessons on Chromebooks. Please see the dates below for when each Year group will be completing the tests. Please do emphasise to your child that these tests are a positive, and absolutely nothing to worry about. They cannot prepare for these assessments: they are purely there to help teaching staff learn more about how to support them. These assessments are flexible and allow pupils as much time as they need to complete them. Some pupils may take longer than others to finish.

Y7 English - Monday 25 September / Monday 2 October

Y8 English - Wednesday 27 September / Wednesday 4 October

Y9 English - Monday 25 September / Monday 2 October

Y7 Maths- Tuesday 26 September / Tuesday 3 October

Y7 Science- Thursday 28 September

Can we please ask that pupils bring their headphones with them for these assessments. The computers have a standard headphone jack and so newer iPhone headphones/wireless headphones will not be suitable. We will have a very small number of headphones available so please make sure your child has them with them on the correct day of the test.

The results of these tests will be shared in due course.

Year 7

Languages Update for Year 7: The expectation for independent learning for the Languages department is to study 30 minutes a week of the vocabulary as follows:

Week 1 - complete the independent learning booklet

Week 2 - complete the independent learning booklet

Week 3 - revise the vocabulary on Quizlet for a vocabulary quiz in class

The sentence builder for the 3 weeks rotation will be based on the topic studied in class. The pupils will receive on google classroom from the class teacher the link to join the class Quizlet. It is a free vocabulary learning website. The most effective way to learn vocabulary is to learn it regularly, 5 minutes a day.

CAT Tests: We have had a number of parents/carers contact us with concerns about their child not having enough time to complete the CAT tests this week. Please be assured that we are looking into this and will update you when we have a solution.

Year 8

There are no specific items for Year 8 only.

Year 9

There are no specific items for Year 9 only.

Year 10

Please see attached details of Barton Peveril College's open events which are taking place on Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 October for pupils currently in Year 10 & 11.

Year 11

UTC Portsmouth have asked us to share details of their open events and application dates, as follows:

Places for open events need to be booked via their website: Open Events - UTC Portsmouth

Year 12 Open Evening - Wednesday 11 October, 4.45-7.30pm

Year 12 Open Morning - Saturday 4 November, 10.30am-12noon

Applications for Year 12 open on 4 Oct and close 12 Jan.

Please see attached details of Barton Peveril College's open events which are taking place on Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 October for pupils currently in Year 10 & 11.

Please note that any external clubs / events that are advertised here are not endorsed by or directly affiliated with Swanmore College in any way.

If you have any comments/feedback about Swan-Bites please email

enquiries@swanmore-sec.hants.sch.uk