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

Early closure - Thursday, 25 September

Reminder that the school closes at 12:40 pm on Thursday, 25 September ahead of the Open Evening. School transport has been notified. Pupils who use public transport to travel to and from College will use the next timetabled service. Please note that any pupils who travel on the 649 Stagecoach service will need to make alternative arrangements for getting home early as Stagecoach are unable to amend the collection time from 3:00 pm to 12:40 pm.

Attendance

Attendance is a priority both nationally and at Swanmore. We will be posting fortnightly information and tips on everything to do with attendance whilst opening up positive communication on the topic. Our first one is about why Attendance is important and the benefits regular attendance has.  Please click here to read a news item for more information.

Aspiring to Higher Education

Please see the link below containing a presentation by the University of Oxford, which was omitted in last week's Swan Bites. 

Open Evening and Viewing Mornings

We are looking forward to welcoming prospective pupils and their families to the College in September and October. If you have a child in Year 5 or 6, please make a note of these upcoming dates:

Open Evening

Thursday, 25 September 2025, from 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm. Join us to tour the College, meet our staff and pupils, and hear from the Headteacher. No booking is required for this event.

Viewing Mornings

Monday, 6 October to Friday, 10 October 2025, at 9:00 am each day. Our popular Viewing Mornings offer an opportunity to see the College on a normal working day. Places are limited and must be reserved in advance.

To book your place, please visit the Admissions section of our website.

We look forward to seeing you and your family.

English GL Tests

Pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9 will be sitting their English GL tests next week. These will take place in their timetabled English lessons.   

Year 7 and 8 will have 2 tests in their lessons on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Year 9 will sit theirs on Thursday and Friday.

Pupils do not need to be concerned or do any preparation for these tests; they are just used to provide baseline information of their ability in English. Please can you remind your child to bring their headphones to school on these days – these must have a standard jack connection (Apple connectors do not fit in our devices). We have a very limited stock of headphones to lend out, so it is important that pupils bring their own, please.

Hampshire Schools Team Swimming Gala

Some of our pupils participated in the Hampshire Schools Team Swimming Gala at Winchester Leisure Centre last year. We have the same opportunity again this year. If your child swims at club level or higher and is interested in participating in the event, please can they meet Mr Bampton during lunch (2nd break) on Monday, 22 September at the PE office to discuss the event. This is open to Yr7-Yr10 pupils.

PE Fixture Consent Update

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Year 7

There are no specific items for Year 7 only.

Year 8

There are no specific items for Year 8 only.

Year 9

There are no specific items for Year 9 only.

Year 10

There are no specific items for Year 10 only.

Year 11

There are no specific items for Year 11 only.

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Jump to next week's events

Year 10 and Year 11 Further Education

College Open Events

Please find attached below, and here on our website, our latest edition of when each of our local colleges will be hosting their open events this year (more may follow but these are the ones we have been informed of).

To support this in school from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm on Thursday 09 October, we will be hosting our annual Careers & FE Fair with over 25 colleges, training providers and employers for you to visit and talk to about potential options after Year 11. Further details will follow nearer the time but please save this important date to your diary.

Barton Peveril Sixth Form College

Applications 25/26 | Barton Peveril Sixth Form College

Applications for 2026 entry will go live on Monday, 15 September.

Students can access the application directly on our website by clicking the 'Apply now' button located on the top left, which is highlighted in orange. I have also included the application link here for ease. 

It's important that students use a personal email address for their application, rather than their school one. Also, they should be sure to save their password so they can log back into their account later.  

• Applications are open from 15 September 2025 to 13 February 2026.
• Interviews begin in mid-October 2025 and end in mid-March 2026. The date of the interview does not affect the chances of being offered a place. Please note that after an application has been submitted the college will be in contact with the applicant within 4 weeks of submission to arrange a telephone interview.
• After the interview, students will receive an offer via email. Students must accept their offer within two weeks of receiving their conditional digital letter.

Applications after the closing date will be added to a waiting list and reviewed at enrolment. 

Tickets are still available for our September Open Event.

Portsmouth Grammar School

Sixth Form Open Evening on Thursday, 25 September 2025.  Please see the attached flyer or their website for more information.

Sparsholt College Open Event

Registrations are now open for Sparsholt College’s next open event on Saturday 4 October 2025. These are on campus, in person events. To attend, you will need to register for the event, and book tours of the subject areas that you wish to see as soon as possible by visiting Experience Sparsholt - Sparsholt College Hampshire. Timings for the event depend on the tour/tours that the student has booked. Please see the attached flyer or their website for more information.

Mentorverse - Conference

We're here to support you, and your children interested in medicine, dentistry, or allied healthcare.

As it’s the new academic year, let me reintroduce myself. I'm Dr. Siva, a Chief Mentor at Mentorverse. Our goal at Mentorverse (also known as Medic Mentor, Dental Mentor, and Allied Healthcare Mentor) is to help students secure a spot in medical or dental school and provide ongoing support through university through a merit-based scholarship.

Our range of programmes and events are designed to help you and your children successfully navigate through the medical or dental UCAS application process and build those key skills that admission committees love. We offer a variety of free programmes to assist you and your children, whilst widening access to medical and dental careers in the UK.

The first step is to send your children in Years 10/S3/NI11 - Years 12/S5/NI13 who may have an interest in medicine or dentistry, to sign up for a Get Into Conference.

Students can register for the upcoming Get into conference here:
Medicine: https://airtable.com/appgXnyzN5ZD9Iwk6/shry7MZYtt3MGPjvO
Dentistry: https://airtable.com/appgXnyzN5ZD9Iwk6/shrBuiR7SBAcC19kE

Our upcoming Get Into Medicine conferences are:
- Saturday 20th September from 9am - 1:30pm
- Sunday 21st September from 9am - 1:30pm

Our upcoming Get Into Dentistry conference is:
- Saturday 27th September from 9am - 1:30pm

The Get into Medicine or Get Into Dentistry Conference is a complete guide to the medical or dental application journey. Students get essential insights into the medical/dental UCAS application process, connect with professionals, fellow students, and gain a deeper understanding of a future career in medicine or dentistry.

Our conferences will provide tailored advice, covering essential topics such as:
- Application Timelines
- How to Tactically Choose Medical/Dental Schools
- Personal Statement
- Medical/Dental School Interviews
- UCAT Entrance Exam to Medical/Dental School
- Medical Leadership and Awards Programmes
- Accessing Work Experience
- Accessing Scholarships

Students will be awarded a certificate of attendance which can be listed on their UCAS applications for ‘activities that support higher education’.

Students and their parents can register for free here:
Medicine: https://airtable.com/appgXnyzN5ZD9Iwk6/shry7MZYtt3MGPjvO
Dentistry: https://airtable.com/appgXnyzN5ZD9Iwk6/shrBuiR7SBAcC19kE

Please ensure your child has a functioning camera and microphone for the session. It's also important that your child has a parent or guardian present at these conferences to gain insight and guidance to support students effectively.

Our doctors and medical students look forward to welcoming your child at the conference and they will join our network of successful students who attended these programmes over the last ten years: https://medicmentor.org/successful-student-journeys-reviews/

From Secondary School Student to Medical Scholarship Student: a step-by-step guide on getting into medical school successfully: https://medicmentor.org/become-a-medic-mentor-student-2/

Website: medicmentor.org
Enquiry Form: https://airtable.com/shrM6UPT8Z2uxx7OL

Next Week’s Events

• Monday, 22 September 2025

  • Year 7 Boys' football vs. Perins (H)
  • Year 11 Boys' football vs. Mountbatten (A)

• Tuesday, 23 September 2025

  • Year 7 and Year 8 English GL tests in English lessons
  • U13 Girls' netball vs. TPS (A)
  • Year 7 Girls' football vs. Perins (H)

• Wednesday, 24 September 2025

  • Year 7 and Year 8 English GL tests in English lessons
  • Year 9 Boys' football vs. Toynbee (H)

• Thursday, 25 September 2025

  • School closes at 12:40 pm
  • Open Evening from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm
  • Year 9 English GL tests in English lessons
  • Mathematical Olympiad

• Friday, 26 September 2025

  • Year 9 English GL tests in English lessons

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Community Notices

Pre-Loved Prom Dress Sale

The Annual Bishop Luffa Pre-Loved Prom Dress sale is taking place on Saturday,18 October 2025 with gown prices from £20.00 to around £400.00 in a variety of sizes. Please see the attached flyer.

Hedge End Rangers Vixens - Under 16's Girls Football

Blessed with the fantastic facilities on offer at Deer Park School and trained by a high qualified female coach, we are keen to add players to build on our squad.  

All outfield positions considered.  Competitive playing experience is required please. We train on Tuesday evenings from 7-8:30pm right through the school breaks and summer holidays.  

If you would like to come and join the girls for a training session/trial, then please call or message Richard Higgs, Manager on 07976 307887

 

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