Parent Bulletin 07/11/2025
(W/C 10/11/2025 will be Week A, Cycle 1, Week 9)
Dates for this term
Half Term
How to contact The Swan School
Email is the best way to contact the school. We aim to respond to all emails within 48 hours of receipt. All staff email addresses have the same format - firstname.surname@theswanschool.org.uk. If you are unsure who to contact, please email office@theswanschool.org.uk who can pass your message to the right person.
The weekly Parent Bulletin is sent to all parents/carers every Friday. This includes important information and reminders of upcoming events. All Parent Bulletins for the year are linked on the Parent Letters page of the website.
Who to contact:
Heads of Year
Assistant HOYs/Pastoral Support - Ms O’Keefe, Ms Readle-Vargas, Ms Masterman, Mr Sobratty, Ms Houlihan (6th Form)
Contents - please click on the links to view each section
Dear Parents and Carers,
We started the week with the first ever RLT Trust-wide INSET. All staff, both teaching and support staff, were provided with training and a chance to connect with colleagues in similar roles in the other secondary schools in RLT. This was a really useful and stimulating day for colleagues and will have a direct impact on our work in school. We were very proud that Swan was one of the host schools and were delighted to welcome so many colleagues to our beautiful school.
Thank you to all parents who attended one of our regular Family Dining and Q&A sessions on Thursday, it's great to get parents in to see the school in action!
The purpose of these sessions is to help parents in understanding what happens during family dining and its huge value, but also to take feedback on what is working and where change is sought. We will provide more information on what was discussed, what recent developments there have been and what is planned for the future early next week.
Once again, we want to thank those who attended on Thursday for their valuable input.
Emily Harris and Matthew Larminie
Message from the Headteachers
House Points
Value of the Week - Dedication
Bannister (B) | 2633 |
Hawking (H) | 2755 |
Berners-Lee (L) | 2634 |
Yousefzai (Y) | 2500 |
Assembly Topic - Anti- Bullying
Library News
Books for Remembrance
The student librarians and Mr Baker have created two beautiful displays in the Main Library. The first focuses on World War One, and supports the Year 9 curriculum in English and History in particular. The second showcases books related to all those affected by conflicts across the globe. Fatima in Year 8 has also written her own poems about World Wars One and Two to accompany the displays.
Short Stories for Senior Students
The latest display in the Research Library highlights our many short story anthologies for older readers, including The Story: 100 Great Short Stories Written by Women; The Heinemann Book of Contemporary African Short Stories, The Oxford Book of Ghost Stories and many more ...
Book of The Week:
KS3 Book of the Week
Mr Baker has chosen The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
He writes, 'This short novel, a psychological fantasy concerned with the idea of the split personality, is considered a Robert Louis Stevenson's masterpiece. We have an accessible version and a graphic novel version too'.
Senior Book of the Week
I have chosen Half of A Yellow Sun. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's exploration of the Biafran War is, in my opinion, one of the best historical novels there is.
Attendance and Punctuality Matters
⏰ Students must be in the building by 8:28am. Arrival after this time will be marked as late, as students will have missed the morning line-up.
⚠️ Late arrivals = a 15-minute lunchtime detention (LTD).
LTD is not meant to be punitive. They will still have adequate time to eat and socialise.
🕒 Repeated Lateness AFTER 09:00 (10 x) may be subjected to a penalty by the local authority (OCC)
👨👩👧 Parents/Carers
• No term-time holidays: Blanket Holiday Warning Letter
• Report lateness / absences before 8am. Use absence forms/email.
Unreported absences may be recorded as unauthorised.
Click here for more information
Know when to keep your child home - this would be for a contagious high fever or diarrhoea/vomiting. They don’t need to miss school for a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough.
Odd Socks Day - Monday 10th November
To mark the start of Anti-Bullying Week, on Monday 10th November we will be celebrating what makes us all unique and remind everyone that being different is something to be proud of - no two socks are the same!
Students are encouraged to come to school wearing odd socks - as colourful and creative as they like!
We kindly invite students/parents to make a £1 donation to support the Anti-Bullying Alliance. Donations can be made via ParentMail.
Parent Forum - Wednesday 12th November
We will be running a Parent Forum on KS3 Homework on Wednesday 12th November, 17:30 - 18:30. This in-person event is an opportunity to find out more about our homework offer and the thinking behind it, as well as finding out more about supporting your child with their homework and asking any questions you may have. You can read more on the KS3 Homework update via this letter.
Year 11 & 13 Mock Exams - Monday 17th-Friday 21st November
As you are aware, Year 11 and 13 Mock Exams will start on Monday 17th November. These will take place in the Sports Building. The time tables for these can be found here for year 11 and here for year 13.
We are really pleased with the way that Year 11 and 13 have been working in lessons and completing their homework and are sure that they will do themselves justice in these assessments.
As a reminder, this is the equipment students need to have in school every day:
In addition to having the correct equipment, students must ensure that they have:
permitted.
Assessments for Cycle 1
For most students (Years 7-10 and 12), assessments this cycle will take place within their normal lessons. Students have been provided with a timetable during tutor time showing when the assessments for each subject will be. The most important ways that students can prepare are through being on-time to school, trying hard in their lessons, and completing all homework set. However to further support, subject teachers will share their guidance for each assessment through Google Classroom with any suggested ways to prepare.
Years 11 and 13 will complete their mock assessments in the sports hall during the week commencing 17th November.
Parent Food Committee Update
Thank you to all parents who attended one of our regular Family Dining and Q&A sessions on Thursday, it's great to get parents in to see the school in action!
The purpose of these sessions is to help parents in understanding what happens during family dining and its huge value, but also to take feedback on what is working and where change is sought. We will provide more information on what was discussed, what recent developments there have been and what is planned for the future early next week.
Once again, we want to thank those who attended on Thursday for their valuable input.
Enrichment
All of our enrichment information can be found on these slides.
Email swancraftfair@gmail.com if you would like to book a stall! Family £15 single 6ft table, £20 double; Students £10 single, £15 double.
Also seeking cafe volunteers and raffle prizes - Sign up via Classlist or email swancraftfair.co.uk
Pics from previous Craft Fairs