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A Message from Principal, Mr Martin

Welcome back! It’s been wonderful to see our students return with such energy and enthusiasm. January has already been a busy and exciting month, with so much to celebrate across the Academy.

This month I was delighted to join our Year 9 HPQ students on a visit to Southill Estate, where Charles Whitbread and his dog Freddie gave us a tour of the house as we explored Black British History and the Whitbread family’s remarkable abolitionist legacy. The Academy also had the pleasure of hosting a Model UN event this week, which was a tremendous success. Our students demonstrated exceptional skills in diplomacy, negotiation, and collaboration, as they welcomed students from all over the county - a real highlight of the term so far.

In Performing Arts, students have been taking part in some incredible dance workshops. We are especially proud of Year 12 student Harley, who has successfully auditioned for Blue Boy Youth dance group. This is a fantastic achievement, and we wish Harley every success as he begins this exciting journey.

Our sports teams have also achieved some outstanding results across all disciplines this month, with several teams in the last 32, 16 or even the last 8 in the National Cups. You can read more about our January sporting successes here.

Looking ahead, our Year 11 students will soon sit their final mock exams. I encourage them to take full advantage of our after-school English, Maths, and Science revision sessions, held every Tuesday and Thursday, and the numerous other subject revision classes taking place during lunch. I advise both Year 11 and Year 13 to use the half-term break wisely to rest, reflect, and prepare.

Let’s continue to build on this momentum as we head into the final two weeks of term – there is so much to be proud of already.

Messages From Heads of Year

Year 9, Mr Rich

In the infamous words of Tolkien, "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us," and our Year 9s have been making the most of every second.

What a treat the Christmas festivities were, from the wonderful charity stalls our Year 9s planned and collaborated on, to wonderful performances throughout the week!
It is not only the talent on show that impresses, but the collaboration and teamwork for a great cause. This partnered with such success across the board in our sports, especially our Girls Rugby team!

A key focus for students in the coming weeks will be one of our key areas: responsibility, resilience, and respect.

Students have now completed some reflection tasks on choosing their options, and making the best decision for themselves. No one expects a student in their position to have the next ten years mapped out, but together we can piece the puzzle together.
Shortly, our suitability reports will be available for students and those at home to discuss where certain academic strengths may lie in each subject. Paired with their options booklet, we can start setting a course ahead of the options opening at the start of February.

Here’s to brighter days and even brighter futures!

Mr Rich

Year 10, Mrs Joy

Our Year 10s have started the term off with excellent focus and positivity. Keep up to date with all the amazing opportunities happening in Year 10 and beyond at Samuel Whitbread via our socials.

Please take the time to consider your work experience placement coming up in May. Speak to your parents/carers/ tutors and teachers for support. You will also have unifrog as an excellent online tool.

The dates are Tuesday 19th and Wednesday 20th May 2026. All details were sent out last week, including a video presentation.

Keep up the good work Year 10!

Mrs Joy

Year 11, Mrs Godfrey

Our Year 11s are heading into an important stretch with their final mock exams approaching! It’s a busy time, but starting a bit of regular revision at home now can work wonders, not just for their grades, but for their confidence, too. You can support them by helping them find a quiet corner to focus and making sure they’re still taking plenty of time to rest and recharge.

Don’t forget…
Our P6 sessions run every Tuesday and Thursday! We’ve had a fantastic turnout so far, and we’d love to see even more students there to get that extra bit of support before the exams.

Keep up the amazing work, Year 11!

Year 12, Mr Tonking

Our Year 12s are in the process of organising work experience and should now be contacting companies to get their placements processed. If your sons/daughters have not reached this stage, we would suggest that this is done over half-term to make sure everything is in place. We want to congratulate those students who have already secured their placements and completed the process on Unifrog.

Year 12 Predict 1 report is due out on Thursday, 26th February, which will give parents/carers the first indication of students' working grade, predicted grade, attitude to learning and independent learning. Teachers of all subjects will be inputting this data over the next two weeks and will provide some clarity on the progress our students are making.

An online Parents Review meeting will follow on Thursday, 12th March. Instructions on booking these appointments will be shared in the coming weeks.

Year 13, Mrs Hoad

As January draws to a close, we start our preparations for our Year 13 Leavers’ items and events – including Prom, hoodies and our SWA Yearbook. As promised, costs have been kept as low as possible – keep an eye on your email communications for payment schedules and deadlines.

The prom will be on Friday, 3rd July at The Marquee, near Bedford and promises to be a wonderful celebration of the students' time at SWA Sixth Form. Students are busy confirming university offers, applying for apprenticeships and attending interviews, alongside all their coursework and revision. Those who need support seeking their next steps are reminded that they can seek help from their form tutor or our Careers coordinator. Visit 902 or email Miss Freeman for help with this.

The next few months promise to be both busy and challenging for Year 13 – and we remind students and parents that pastoral advice, help and support can be accessed via their form tutor or Mrs Bonham our Pastoral Support Officer.

Academy News

Samuel Whitbread Academy Hosts Successful Model United Nations Event

Students from seven local schools unite to discuss and debate pressing global issues.

Click here to read more

Lunchbox Lectures are Back!

Our Lunchbox Lectures have got off to a fantastic start this term.

Click here to read more

Fundraising Success!

Year 9’s Christmas Fair raises £833.46 for the East Anglian Air Ambulance

Click here to read more

Sixth Form Application Deadline 2026

Our Sixth Form application deadline is fast approaching on Monday, 2nd February 2026. Access internal & external application forms, the open evening presentation, handbook & subject prospectus here.

For any queries, email here.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Year 9 Options 2026

On Monday, 2nd February 2026, the online Options form will be available. This process will close on Friday, 7th March 2025.

To access the Options booklet for 2025-27 and the online presentation, click here .

Bringing History to Life at Southill Estate

As part of their Higher Project Qualification (HPQ) studies, our Year 9 students enjoyed a fascinating and enriching visit to Southill Estate, the historic home of Samuel Whitbread I.

Click here to read more