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A Message from Principal, Mr Martin

March has been an exceptional month for our academy, with students demonstrating success across all aspects of school life. It has been a pleasure to see such commitment, enthusiasm, and achievement throughout our community.

Students have engaged fully with a range of opportunities beyond the classroom, including careers and road safety workshops, as well as the Rotary Engineering Challenge, where they secured an impressive victory. We are also incredibly proud of those who represented the academy at the Stand Up Speak Up public speaking competition at Etonbury, with two students achieving first place in their respective categories.

Our Year 11 students have approached their mock examinations with maturity and determination. Their positive attitude has been commendable, and we encourage them to use the Easter break productively as they prepare for their final examinations.

The performing arts have continued to thrive this term. The Spring Concert was a wonderful showcase of the musical talent across the academy and a testament to the dedication of both students and staff. We now look ahead with anticipation to our summer production of The Addams Family.

Sporting achievements this month have been equally impressive. Our U18 football team has once again reached the national finals in Stoke for the fourth time, highlighting sustained excellence within the programme. In addition, our 1st Netball Academy team achieved a top-four national finish at the Sisters n Sport Finals—an outstanding accomplishment.

As we reach the end of term, I would like to thank students, staff, and families for their continued hard work and support. I wish you all a restful and enjoyable Easter break.

Messages From Heads of Year

Year 9, Mr Rich

And with the term at a close, what a poignant moment to reflect. From choosing subject options to finding future pathways, Year 9 are well on their way to their next adventures.

After half-term, our expectations do not change, but students have been given grace and warning, as we focus on developing their responsibility with uniform, classwork, and independence. We will draw more focus to the three R’s of a positive student: Respect, Responsibility, and Resilience.

The options reports will also go home next term, and give students a clear understanding of what comes next, and many classes will begin to step their classwork up a gear, in line with the KS4 pace.

All in all, we hope that Year 9 take this Easter Break as an opportunity to reset, to look back upon all they have overcome and achieved, and look forward to who they want to become moving forward.

Mr Rich and the Year 9 Team

Year 10, Mrs Joy

I want to take a moment to congratulate the whole of year 10 on their fantastic improvements we have seen in both the uniform and behaviour this term. Your effort, responsibility, and pride in our school community have not gone unnoticed.

Your smart presentation each day shows respect for yourselves, for your peers, and for the standards we all share. Equally, the positive choices you have been making around school demonstrate maturity and a real commitment to creating an environment where everyone can learn and succeed. Well done—keep it up!

Thank you for attending our Parents’ Evening. It is fantastic that many of you have engaged with teachers in supporting your child’s progress. Your involvement makes a real difference, and we truly appreciate the time you’ve taken to discuss achievements and next steps.

The Year 10 work experience is on Tuesday 12th & Wednesday 13th May 2026. At this stage, not all placements have been secured, and this is becoming a concern. Every student must have a meaningful placement arranged as soon as possible. If you are still looking, please don’t panic — but you must take action now. We are here to support you. If you’re struggling to find a placement or aren’t sure where to start, we can guide you. We want every student to have a positive experience that opens doors, builds confidence, and helps them understand the world of work.

As we move closer to the upcoming mock exams, we hope students are feeling prepared and beginning to establish positive study routines. These assessments are an important opportunity for them to practise, build confidence, and identify areas for improvement ahead of the final exams.

If you or your child needs any support over the coming weeks, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We are here to help.

Thank you once again for your continued support.

Mrs Joy and the Year 10 team

Year 11, Mrs Godfrey

We’ve officially made it to the Easter break! This is always a big milestone for Year 11, marking that final breather before GCSE season kicks off!

While we’re definitely encouraging students to get stuck into their revision, I want to emphasise that "hard work" doesn't have to mean "burnout." This break is all about finding a healthy balance.

Study Smart: Focused, 30-minute bursts of revision are often way more effective than marathon sessions.
Recharge: Please make sure they’re actually taking time off to see friends, sleep in, and step away from the screens.
Check-in: A little encouragement goes a long way during these high-pressure weeks.

We want our students to arrive back refreshed, confident, and ready to go.
Enjoy the downtime with your family. You've all earned it!

Mrs Godfrey and the Year 11 Team

Year 12, Mr Tonking

Our students handled themselves wonderfully at the UCAS fair in London on Tuesday 24th March. We hope the students found the useful and informative as they look ahead to their next steps. We will continue to provide insights into what these steps look like regarding apprenticeships, university and work. Students should keep an eye on the Google Classroom year posts as we often share opportunities and events through this. We also have online seminars planned into registration sessions to help broaden students' ideas about specific careers.

We are growing extremely concerned with the lack of work experience placements that have been secured. By this point, we would have expected students to have completed this process. We have reiterated this with the students, so any support from home would be welcomed. Those who do not organise a placement will be required to be in school that week to complete some internal tasks related to skills needed for the workforce.

Academy News

Non-Stop Netball, Unstoppable Spirit: £7,000 Raised in 24-Hour Marathon

Students and staff came together on the court day and night, showing resilience, teamwork and true community spirit in support of the South Africa tour.

Click here to read more

Fieldwork in Action: Year 12 in Dorset

Hands-on data collection and independent research bring geography to life.

Click here to read more

World Book Day at SWA!

A day of books, sweet treats and shared stories across the Academy.

Click here to read more

Purchasing your Yearbook

Yearbooks are now available for purchase! Orders can be placed via ParentMail by Friday, 3rd April. Please note that any orders placed after this deadline will incur an additional charge, as a separate print run will need to be arranged with our printers.
We strongly encourage all students and parents to place their orders before the deadline to avoid any extra costs.