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15 January 2026

Swan Bites is our weekly college bulletin for parents/carers – it is published every Thursday.
We welcome any feedback or comments via: enquiries@swanmore-sec.hants.sch.uk

College Notices

Modern Foreign Languages: Parent Workshops

Our MFL department regularly host parent workshops designed to help parents and carers support our pupils with their language learning. Their latest session covered supporting your child's independent learning. Click here for a video recap of the session. 

GCSE Opportunities for Multilingual Pupils

For Year 10 and Year 11 pupils who can already speak, read and write in an additional language that is not catered for by the College’s MFL department, we would like to inform you that there is an opportunity to take GCSEs in the following languages:

Arabic Greek Persian Russian
Cantonese Italian Polish Turkish
German Mandarin Portuguese Urdu

Whilst we cannot teach these languages, we can support pupils who speak them at home in taking a GCSE with 3 sessions from the Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS).  Two sessions will include preparation for the contents of the exam and the third would be for the spoken element of the exam in April or early May. 

We already have two pupils hoping to take Polish and one wanting to take Urdu.  If you would like some past papers in your language so you can have a look, or you think your child would benefit from this opportunity, please contact Mrs Benton on concessions-help@swanmore-sec.hants.sch.uk as soon as possible so we can get the sessions in place by the end of January

Introducing Wednesday, our calm and caring Reading Room companion

Meet Wednesday! This very special addition to our Reading Room staff joins us at the College every Tuesday and Wednesday, and she has already become a much-loved member of our community. We are also hopeful that her friend, Sammy, might be able to visit on the remaining days of the week very soon.

During Year 7 and 8 Reading Enrichment lessons, our pupils have been invited to take turns sitting on the cushions and reading alongside Wednesday. When asked if they would like to read with her, the response has been overwhelmingly positive, with most saying a big "yes!".

Wednesday’s calm, supportive presence helps create a welcoming environment where reading feels relaxed, enjoyable, and accessible for everyone – an inclusive environment where we hope everyone can thrive.

A calm brown-and-white dog rests its paws on an open book on a desk, appearing to read, with a sign on the front that says, “Please knock, I’m busy reading.”

Click below for more information on the benefits of this initiative:
Sit, Stay, Read: The Science Behind Reading with Dogs

GCSEPod - Supporting English learning and revision for Year 10 and Year 11

The English Department at Swanmore College is delighted to share that we have invested in GCSEPod, a digital learning and revision platform designed to support your child throughout their GCSE English studies.

Access GCSEPod | Support for teachers, students and parents

GCSE Pod provides access to over 7,500 short Pods (3–5 minute videos), helping to make learning and revision manageable and effective. All content is mapped directly to the AQA GCSE specifications and can be accessed on mobile devices, tablets or computers. Alongside the videos, your child has access to self-marking quizzes, instant feedback, advice on how to improve their scores, and downloadable workbooks. GCSE Pod is used regularly in English lessons, and teachers may also set homework tasks using the platform. We strongly recommend GCSE Pod for independent revision at home.

English content your child should access:

  • English Language: reading, writing, spelling, punctuation and grammar
  • English Literature, including:
    • The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
    • Macbeth
    • Animal Farm
    • Power and Conflict Poetry
    • Unseen Poetry

How you can support your child:

  • Talk to your child about GCSE Pod and check they can log in using their school email address (see attachments)
  • Encourage regular, short revision using the Pods
  • Ask your child what they have learned from the videos and quizzes
  • Support them in using the downloadable workbooks

GCSEPod also provides a Parent Page and Parent Toolkit, as well as regular parent and pupil webinars. These offer further guidance on how the platform supports GCSE learning and can be found here as PDFs: 
GCSEPod Parent/Carer resources

Alternatively, you can access parent resource information directly on our dedicated GCSEPod Hub by clicking the links below:

🏫 Year 10 and 11 Pupils – Spring & Summer College Open Events

We are pleased to share the upcoming open events for local 6th Form and Further Education colleges.

Year 10 pupils are encouraged to visit any colleges they are considering to find the environment that best suits them.

For Year 11 pupils, if you haven’t yet attended any college open events, we recommend visiting any colleges you have applied to. However, please do not wait until after an open event to submit your application, as many courses may close once they reach capacity.

Most events require booking and tickets at some colleges are limited, so we recommend securing your free place as soon as possible.

Year 7

There are no specific items for Year 7 only.

Year 8

There are no specific items for Year 8 only.

Year 9

Y9 GCSE Options Evening

If your child is in Year 9, our Options Evening is coming up soon and it’s an important one to attend.

This is a great opportunity to find out more about the subjects on offer, ask questions, and feel confident about the choices ahead.

Date: Monday, 19 January 2026

Time: 5 pm – 7 pm

We really encourage parents and carers to come along with their child so you can explore the options together and get the information you need to support their next steps.

For more information on Year 9 Options, please follow the link below:

https://www.swanmore-school.co.uk/pupils/year-9-options

Year 10

Work Experience – Placement Update – Bishops Waltham Infants School

Please note that Bishops Waltham Infants School is unable to offer work experience placements during the July dates (13 – 22 July). If you were planning to contact or attend this setting, you will need to choose an alternative placement and update this on Unifrog.

If you’re unsure what to do next or need support finding another option, please speak to your tutor or contact the Careers team.

Year 11

Zurich Apprenticeship opportunities:

Zurich apprenticeship applications open on Monday, 09 February 2026. They recommend pupils apply early, as some vacancies may close sooner if they receive a high number of applications. Areas in which Zurich are likely to have level 3 apprenticeships are:

  • Risk and Compliance
  • Data and Technology
  • Accounting
  • Human Resources
  • Insurance
  • Marketing
  • Risk Engineering.

Apprenticeships do not run every year in these areas, so please check their website.

Find out more about their apprenticeship programmes and the application process here:
Apprenticeships | Careers | Zurich Insurance UK.
(Please note, pupils can only apply for one opportunity.)
Pupils can only apply for level 3 apprenticeships and must be on track to get 5 GCSE levels 4-9 including English and Maths.

Pupils can also sign up for job alerts via Zurich Careers.

Next Week’s Events

Monday, 19 January 2026

  • Y11 Mock GCSE exams
  • Y9 Options Evening

Tuesday, 20 January 2026

  • Y11 Mock GCSE exams
  • Y8 Knife Crime Awareness Talk
  • U16 Basketball vs. Upper Shirley High (A)

Wednesday, 21 January 2026

  • Y11 Mock GCSE exams
  • Y10 Swanmore Primary Science Show 13:15–14:45
  • Ski Fit 15:15–16:15
  • U16 Basketball vs. Bitterne Park (A)
  • Y7 Boys Football: Hants Cup Quarter Final vs. Purbrook Park (H)

Thursday, 22 January 2026

  • Y11 Mock GCSE exams
  • Y10/11 Girls Football vs. Thornden (H)
  • Y7/8 Girls Netball vs. Romsey (A)

Friday, 23 January 2026

  • Y11 Mock GCSE exams
  • Y10 Reports Issued

Community Notices

Parent Information Portal Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust: Parent Information Portal (PIP) Your Health Visiting and School Nursing records all in one place...at your finger tips. With the PIP you can: View and manage your appointments with Health Visitors View your child's vaccination history and newborn blood spot screening results Search a wide range of resources about children's health View growth charts and add measurements The Ages and Stages questionnaires are available for you to complete electronically before your child’s 1 year/2 year health reviews National Childhood Measurement Programme. Receive results of your child's height and weight measurements (Year R and Year 6). Sign up today! Email parent.portal@nhs.net

Sign up today! Email parent.portal@nhs.net

Parent Information Portal

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust: Parent Information Portal (PIP)

Your Health Visiting and School Nursing records all in one place...at your finger tips. With the PIP you can:

  • View and manage your appointments with Health Visitors
  • View your child's vaccination history and newborn blood spot screening results
  • Search a wide range of resources about children's health
  • View growth charts and add measurements
  • The Ages and Stages questionnaires are available for you to complete electronically before your child’s 1 year/2 year health reviews
  • National Childhood Measurement Programme. Receive results of your child's height and weight measurements (Year R and Year 6).

 

Meon Valley Food Bank Donations

Thank you for your continued support.
We will be open next Monday, 19 January, between 10am and 12pm to receive food donations.

Food can also be dropped off at the following places: 

Meon Valley Food Bank logo featuring a stylised loaf of bread icon in gold on the left, with the words “MEON VALLEY FOOD BANK” in dark blue capital letters on a white background.

Bishops Waltham - Sainsbury's, Coop,  St Peters Church and the Jubilee Hall in Little Shore Lane
Curdridge – St Peter's Church
Upham – Blessed Mary Church
Wickham – the Coop and the Community Centre.
Park Gate – Robinson Reade Estate Agents

The items we require for the coming week are:

Tinned Meat Meals
Tinned Potatoes
Instant Pasta
Cuppa Soups
Tinned Vegetables

 

Please note that any external clubs / events that are advertised here are not endorsed by or directly affiliated with Swanmore College in any way.

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