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UTC Swindon
Newsletter – 27th April 2023
Dear all,
Welcome to Term 5. We have started the term with a positive vibe leading up to the external exams for students in Year 11 and Year 13. Students and staff are working hard preparing for those final qualifications and we have a series of booster lessons, revision sessions and interventions planned and being delivered to ensure the best outcomes for our students.
Please see the below graphic which you may find useful to support students ahead of their exams.
Parent Survey
As we did in the Autumn term, we would like to ask again for your feedback about your experiences at UTC Swindon. Please can we request that you complete the survey by Friday 12th May. Your answers will help us to shape the future of UTC Swindon and we appreciate you taking the time to complete this. Please note that only one survey needs to be completed per household.
DNA Day – 25th April
This year saw the 70th anniversary of DNA. The special day is celebrated every year on April 25th to commemorate the first publication of the DNA structure in 1953, as well as the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003.
April is Testicular Cancer Awareness Month
Every April marks testicular cancer awareness month to highlight the challenges and threats that testicular cancer poses, and to celebrate progress toward prevention, diagnosis and breakthroughs in treatment.
Testicular cancer can affect anyone who has testicles, including men, transgender (trans) women and people assigned male at birth.
It’s never too early to talk to your student about testicular cancer: self-examination guide
Employer Engagement – Royal Navy
We were delighted to host two Royal Navy Insight talks this week, to highlight careers in Engineering in the Navy. From aircraft, ships, and submarines to weapons and comms, engineers are essential to global operations.
Powerful UK Project
Just before Easter we launched an exciting project with Powerful UK. Students who would like to be involved are being tasked to plan, design, manufacture and promote a product to fit the Land Rover Defender. The winning product could end up being produced and sold.
Maths interventions - Year 11
Based on PPE results, the maths department have developed some intervention sessions to support our year 11 students. The sessions will focus on exam techniques, how to approach exam questions to minimise misconceptions, and further enhance students' problem-solving thinking.
The maths interventions are after school from 15:40 - 16:10, Year 11 set 1 is on Wednesdays and Year 11 set 2 is now on Thursdays. If you would like your student to have this opportunity, please follow the link to give your parental consent: Maths Intervention Consent form.
Enrichment clubs
The Student Leadership Board is providing a variety of enrichment activities to those in the
school community so that students can socially engage in non-curricular activities and have some fun. The timetable for the clubs is as follows:
Each club has a designated leader and room. Equipment is not provided for some of the clubs, such as music and DnD, so participants need to make sure they bring their own items when needed.
Please ask your student to contact any of the Student Board Leaders or Dani for more information
If your student intends to join the DnD club, please can you give consent for them to stay after school hours: Parental Consent
Ever thought of being a governor?
Becoming a school governor is an invaluable role, contributing to “transforming lives through learning” of all Activate Learning Education Trust (ALET) learners. This is an extremely rewarding opportunity to make a difference and give something back to the local community. Becoming an ALET governor will allow you to use and develop your skills in a board-level environment. You would also be joining the largest volunteer network force in the country, with over a quarter of a million volunteers governing state funded schools in England.
To become a governor, you must be aged over 18 and have the necessary skills, attributes, and time to positively impact our learners. You do not necessarily need an understanding of education systems to be successful in this role as plenty of training and support is available and school governance benefits from a range of backgrounds such as from business, HR, legal, marketing and property. Our schools and University Technical Colleges in Theale, Bicester, Reading, Didcot, Swindon and Hillingdon need the benefit from a wide range of professional knowledge to provide a balanced and diverse range of knowledge, skill, and experience to be effective. As noted by Ofsted – the most effective schools demonstrate effective leadership and management, which includes the governing body.
Should you wish to discuss what this role entails in more detail, please contact Heledd Walker, Head of Governance and Compliance via email Clerk@alet.org.uk.
Social Media
Please do join our Parent Facebook Group, this is a community page, giving you the opportunity to meet, help each other and discuss anything related to UTC Swindon. Please be aware that this should not be used to liaise directly with the school. You can join the group here: UTC Swindon Parents Group
Please also remember to follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook as this helps with our marketing and publicity.
Café Menu
Dates for the diary
- Monday 1st May – Bank Holiday
- Tuesday 2nd May – Industrial Action – please see email correspondence
- Monday 8th May 2023 has been confirmed as a Bank Holiday in celebration of the coronation of King Charles
- Monday 15th May up to and including Wednesday 28th June 2023 - Year 11 and Year 13 Exam Period
- Thursday 17th August – A level results day
- Thursday 24th August - GCSE results day
Term dates for 2022 to 2023
- Summer Term 1: Wednesday 19th April 2023 – Friday 26th May 2023 – Reflects the INSET days planned on 17th and 18th April.
- Summer Term 2: Monday 5 June 2023 – Friday 21 July 2023
Further details can be found on our website: Term Dates
Have a good weekend
With good wishes
Neil