The Sweyne Park School Pupil Prospectus
WELCOME TO THE SWEYNE PARK SCHOOL THE SCHOOL ETHOS One simple rule: This means: Respect yourself Respect others Respect our school environment
Finding your way Senior school is different to primary school as there are more pupils and different subjects so there are going to be many more classrooms! Don t worry though, you ll find your way. It s easy when you have got used to it. Everyone gets lost at first! Even the teachers! At first the Year 8 Induction Assistants and Senior Prefects are assigned to your tutor group and will help you find your way. The school map is in your planner which you will be given on your first day, and also there is an interactive map near the canteen and this map shows you how to get to where you need to go. On your way to classrooms there will be many friendly people who you can ask who will be willing to help you to find your way around. Mia and Amy (Year 8)
School Subjects Try and crack this crossword complete with the school subjects you will be studying Across 3. A great subject for staying healthy, having fun, working on team skills whilst doing exercise. 4. You carry out fun experiments to help learn about the world around you. 6. Learn how to communicate with people around the world. 8. Express yourself with a variety of instruments and singing and study how the experts do it too! 9. The chance to study RE, History and Geography whilst using a range of techniques and whilst playing at being a detective. Down 1. You find out new strategies on how to work out hard sums easily, while having a fun time solving puzzles. 2. Try your hand at textiles, resistant materials and creating fabulous food recipes. These are great lessons for getting hands on! 5. Show off your acting skills whilst making your own productions with your friends. 7. It is not all about Shakespeare! You will cover many topics, read books, write your own stories, articles and poems.
Friendships and Settling-in. Starting secondary school can be a daunting experience but really there is nothing to worry about at all! Everyone will be in exactly the same position; I can assure you, you will make so many friends very quickly. As you participate in the many group activities you will meet new people and make life-long friends who share the same interests as you. Just pluck up the courage to speak to someone new and you never know they could be your best friend throughout your life at Sweyne Park and after. Chloe (Year 8) Clubs are a great way to meet new friends. What will you join? Clubs Clubs are a great way to make friends with new people and meet people that share the same interests as you. At Sweyne Park there are lots of different types of club you can join. Here are some examples below: IT club Eco-warriors Book club Pottery club Chess club Music clubs Sports clubs British Sign Language club Rights Respecting club History Hunters And many more!
The Library The library at Sweyne Park is unlike any other! From countless incredible books of all genres to the book club, everyone can enjoy it! The library stocks many books on different topics which can help you with home learning and it is a great place to work before or after school if you need some quiet time or to use one of the computers. Mrs. Waghorn, the librarian, is very friendly and can always recommend a good book! The library often hosts visits from famous authors and there are always competitions and activities going on. Maisie (Year 8) Year 7 Good Reads We enjoyed reading some of these books The library and IT rooms are open before and after school so pupils can complete homework there too!
The Teachers The teachers at Sweyne Park are really friendly. At the beginning of Year 7 you will meet your form tutor, who you will then see nearly every day, they will always be there to talk to and Miss Taylor who is the Head of Year 7 always makes time for you as well. Your subject teachers will try and make the lessons fun so you do not feel like it s hard work even though you are being challenged. It s important you follow that one rule, RESPECT. The teachers will always expect you to follow this rule which means respecting yourself, respecting other people and respecting our school environment. Teachers may ask you to re-do work or improve on what you have done, but that is because they care and want you to do well. Some people may be anxious and think the teachers may be mean, but they are nothing like you may see in films. They will be available at break times, lunch and after school if you want to talk to them or need help with your home learning. There is also the PFS team and LD support in lessons too! Callum (Year 8)
The School Trips I m really excited about the trips we can go on. We have already had lots of reward trips in Year 7 for achieving good effort grades in our lessons such as a bowling trip and a Christmas quiz. You also have the opportunity to go on residential trips as well where you stay overnight and experience lots of activities during the day. Last year the trips included: French Trip to Château de la Baudonnière German Christmas Markets Large Hadron Collider, Cern, Switzerland Skiing, Stubai Valley, Austria History trip to Auschwitz, Poland. Languages trip, Berlin Languages trip, China Drama Trip New York White water rafting, Aosta Valley, Italy Plus many more!! Going on trips will give you fantastic opportunities and you will make many new friends whilst having lots of fun! Sam (Year 8)
Sport at Sweyne Park PE is important for keeping fit and healthy. It s also lots of fun! Even if you don t usually enjoy it the PE teachers are really nice and very encouraging. You will learn the basics sports as well as trying out new activities you may have never done before. The facilities are amazing! We have a swimming pool, a large field, a gym, an AstroTurf and a large sports hall. I love playing rugby and they have really good teachers to train you to reach a high standard. There are opportunities to have Essex trials. I had trails and I successfully got in. We have many students in the school that compete on a county and national level. A few have even competed internationally! Sport will help your confidence, enhance your team work skills and aid health. It is important that you continue to work hard in your other lessons though as you might not make the team if your behaviour is not good enough! Connor, Ethan and Shay (Year 8) Girls take part in: Netball Hockey Football Basketball Badminton Athletics Rounders Dance Gymnastics Fitness Swimming Badminton Sports club train after school and play fixtures against other schools. So teams even compete internationally! Boys take part in: Rugby Football Cricket Basketball Athletics Swimming Badminton Fitness Hockey
The Food There is a wide selection of food available. Breakfast wraps, fresh salad, fruit and homemade cakes. The ladies on the till are lovely. There is a main cafeteria which serves main meals. There is a different menu each day. Wednesday is roast dinner day which is delicious. Friday is fish and chip day which is very popular! Before school it is open for breakfast and serves bacon, sausages, hash browns, croissants and toast. YUM! The Pod is outside, beside the main entrance to the school. The Pod serves milkshakes and fast food items such as slices of pizza, nachos, and the waffles are very popular. All the food is good value for money and there are lots of healthy options. There is also a counter where you can choose from a wrap, baguette, roll or sandwich and you have a selection of fillings to choose from. Many teachers eat in the canteen with us so it s nice to get to know them there as well. Biometric Scanners There is a thumb scanner that you use to pay for the food. It is very easy to use. It means you do not have to bring money to school as it can be topped up by Parent Pay. You can use the machine to bring money in and top up the thumb print too. Elliot (Year 8) Mason and Ella-Rose (Year 8)
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