The E-mentoring project started in October 2007 with twelve Year 7 pupils and three primary schools, Riverside, Downhall and Glebe.
Its aim is to give extra support to pupils to ease the transition between primary and secondary school. Year 6 pupils send us their questions by e-mail and the Year 7 pupils answer them. As a result pupils鈥� natural fears and concerns can be allayed and instead they feel reassured and excited about coming to Sweyne Park.
If you have any questions about the school our list of frequently asked questions and answers listed below may be what you are looking for, and if you have a question our team haven’t encountered before, we would love to hear from you,
please contact us via: ementors@sweynepark.com
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You have individual lessons for lots of different subjects. We do some subjects that you may not know or not have done before at Primary school. They are French, Geography, Religious Education, Swimming in P.E. and more! Do not worry if it seems overwhelming to have lots of different types of lessons as you adjust quickly and it is an opportunity to learn new things and discover your strengths!
In the school day you have 5 lessons, known as Periods 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 as well as Form Time at the start of the day.
These are the timings of the day:
At your time at Sweyne Park you are expected to wear the correct uniform. All pupils are expected to wear a blue shirt, a yellow, black and blue striped tie and a jumper with the school logo on. For the girls, they can wear a kilt skirt, with or without tights. If a kilt is worn, it must be knee length. Girls are also allowed to wear loose fitting non-skinny fit trousers. Boys are supposed to wear black smart trousers as well. Pupils are advised to wear socks that go no higher than your ankles. Long socks are not allowed. Shoes are supposed to be smart and black.
The official kit for PE is black shorts but if you want to you can wear a plain black skort
There is no set percentage. You will be set a mixture of digital and non digital homework for different subjects. Some tasks will need to be completed on computer; these tasks may be something you started in a lesson or something you are starting from scratch at home. Other tasks won’t need a computer to complete them. Your teacher will tell you how to do your homework via Satchel One but if you are unsure, you can always ask them.
Don’t worry if you don’t own a computer as there are many computers in the Library and I.T. rooms to use before school, during break, lunch and after school.
Students will meet many different people at the Year 6 Induction day. Induction day is a day where Year 6 students come into Sweyne before the summer holidays to meet their Form Tutor and other pupils in their Form Group. During this day, there are lots of opputnuties to speak and make friends with other people starting Year 7. You can exchange numbers and arrange to meet up during the holidays to get to know each other better and maybe make arrangements to travel together to school. Once students have started Year 7, there are lots of clubs that they can join to make friends, try new things and share interests. There are many pupils like Prefects who pupils can talk to if they are feeling lonely.
Do not worry about homework, it is easier to manage than you think!听 A top tip to stay on top of your homework is to do it on the day it is set or the day after it is set. If you feel you are struggling with homework at any point, you can always talk to your Form Tutor who will support you. Your subject teachers will be very understanding if you go to them before the homework deadline and speak to them if you are having any trouble, but please don鈥檛 leave it to the lesson it is due!
If it snows you can find information on the school website where it will clearly say whether the school is open or closed due to the weather. It is always best to check the school website for updates in cases of extreme weather.
When you feel unwell during a lesson you should let your teacher know so they can send you to Pupil Services if necessary. If you feel unwell during break or lunch, you are advised to go to Pupil Services and let them know. They will help you to feel better as much possible and if you are too unwell to stay at school, they will call your parents/guardians to get permission and see if you are able to be picked up and taken home.
If you lose something during school, first retrace your steps and go to the places you have been last to check you have not left it there. (e.g. if you realise you have lost something Period 3 go to where you were Period 2). If this does not work, then go to Pupil Services and ask if it has been handed in to them as lost property.
At the lunch breaks, you will only be allowed in the following areas:
You are not allowed on the field, by the media block, on the astro turf or around areas where lessons are taking place.
In Food Technology lessons in Year 7 we have achieved the creation of dishes such as fruit salad, toasted snacks, jacket potatoes with fillings, couscous or pasta dishes and even chicken goujons! You may make different dishes to these when you join Year 7 but it will similar to this. You will also learn the basics of using a kitchen in general. The best bit is you get to take your creations home and try them with your family!
In Sweyne Park, there are 3 music practice rooms which can be used by all pupils who want to play and rehearse music. It is best to ask permission to use them and be prepared they may be full. The times you can use these are before school. Break and lunch but you be aware they already be taken. Lunch is a good time to go as only your year group will be having lunch.
The thumb machine works by scanning your finger print at the beginning of the year and your parents can add money to your account by the SCOPAY website or app. When you want to buy food or drink at school, you will place your thumb or finger on a scanner once you have made your purchase. This is linked to your account and the amount of money will be taken out of your account so you can buy food without risking losing or misplacing money. If your fingerprint does not work, you can access your account by your own personal pin.
There are a lot of clubs to go to after school finishes here at Sweyne Park School. These cater to a wide range of interests. There are variety of sports clubs including football, netball and ruby. There are also I.C.T. clubs, a range of music clubs, Home Learning clubs, Science Study support , Drama club, Chess club, Geography club, Design and Technology clubs, History Hunters and Rights Respecting club.
In Science lessons you do a variety of experiments, such as working out the velocity (speed) of things, seeing how different chemicals react together and one of the most exciting ones is where you make your own parachute and drop it from a window. All the experiments are very fun here and include many exciting aspects.
The school bell sounds to signal the start of the day at 8.35 am, rings at 11.30am and 2.00pm to signal the start of Period 3 and Period 5 and, finally, rings again at 3.05 pm to mark the end of the day.
Mobile phones are not allowed during the school day and must be stored in bags or lockers from 8.35 am to 3.05 pm
All pupils have the opportunity to be rewarded at Sweyne Park, they can receive positive points from all staff members, this is logged on Go4Schools.听 Positive points range from pupils consistently displaying expected conduct through to excellent classwork.听 All positive points generate certificates and badges that have been selected by previous pupils.
The timetables can change for some people throughout the year. There are certain reasons why your timetable may change. It may be changed if you move sets, have a room change for your lesson or change rotation for Design and Technology lessons. You will be given a new printed timetable if there are any changes made to your timetable so you know where you need to be.
Go4schools is an online school data system which gives parents and students access to an overview of听information about their school experience. This includes听real-time attainment information and current progress grades听for听all subjects throughout the year, your听child鈥檚 daily and weekly timetable, as well as records of attendance and behaviour听from the start of the academic year. In lessons, teachers use Go4Schools to award students with positive points that can be monitored by students and parents as they accumulate.
It is an app that you can download onto any device (phone, tablet and computer) and you have your own personal login to check your Home Learning and deadlines. You can set reminders to show you when your homework is due and to remind you when to do it.
You will get a letter in the first couple of weeks of the school year with your parents鈥� login so they can also access Satchel One to help you with your Home Learning and to check your deadlines. The letter will also contain your login.
During Tutor Time pupils will spend time on reading and literacy, follow our safeguarding curriculum and enjoy “Wellbeing Wednesday”.听 Once a week pupils will have a year group assembly during Tutor Form Time.
You should expect there to be more homework than there was a primary school, however it is very manageable. You will be set different types of tasks for different subjects.
Assemblies are once a week for each year group in the morning during Form Time. It will either be held in the Sports Hall or Main Hall. In some assemblies, students perform music or dance, teachers give talks on different relevant topics and awards are given for student鈥檚 achievements.
At the start of the day, you go to the hall for a greeting assembly, where your Form Tutors will be waiting for you. Also, you will have extended Tutor Time to spend time with your Tutor Group and Form Tutor. Additionally, you will experience your first few lessons.
Most of the food is reasonably priced and very tasty. They have a wide range of food from salad to sandwiches, to baguettes and toasties. There is also a selection of hot meals including pasta, pizza and jacket potatoes. On your first day you will get to try the delicious meals the school has to offer. There is a 拢5 spending limit per day so you don鈥檛 get carried away!
The school is a lot bigger on the floor plan and in photos than in reality! After settling in, you realise how easy it is to learn your way around. There is a map to help you in your planner and teachers are understanding in the first couple of weeks if you do get lost! Additionally, there are lots of prefects on hand to help you find your way to where you need to go.
Everyone gets allocated a locker. Most of the time the locker is placed close to your Form Room, but this is not always the case. There are 2 different types of lockers. There are two types of locker, one type uses a padlock with a key and one uses a dial lock. For the dial lockers, you get given a code that you have to remember. If you have any trouble with your locker, the staff in Pupil Services are on hand to help. You get taken by prefects to show you how to open your lockers on your first day of school.
You will receive homework daily, and each homework task should take you about 15 – 20 minutes to complete.
In Year 7, we do a mixture of practical and theory in lessons. For example, we learn how to play the keyboard, acoustic guitar, drums and the ukulele.
You have 2 different weeks of lessons, known as Week A and Week B. You will be given your timetable for Week A and Week B on your first day of school.
Your SATs levels are a guidance and all information from primary school is taken into consideration for what sets you will be put into. To also help determine your sets, you will take the MidYIS tests at the start of Year 7 to see what sets would be best for you.
The staff members are friendly and understanding. They are approachable and helpful but at the same time they are firm yet fair.
School starts with Period 1 at 8.35 am and it is recommended that you arrive at 8.30 am.听 Registration takes place from 9.35 an to 10.00 am.听 The school is open in the morning before Period 1, with the Library and ICT rooms open for use from 7.45 am. Breakfast is also available to purchase from 8.00 am in the canteen if you require this.
All lessons are one hour long and you have 5 lessons per day.
Break time begins at 10.00 am and ends at 10.30 am. During this time, you can eat and drink snacks bought from home or buy refreshments from the canteen.
Your lunch break is half an hour. Year 7s have lunch from 1.00 pm until 1.30 pm. Year 7 are the only year group to have lunch at this time.
The school day ends at 3.05 pm except on special occasions when the school finishes at 12:30 pm.
