Sir William Robertson Academy

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DYSLEXIA OUTREACH Lincolnshire County Council's Inclusion Service are offering free, online workshops to parents of students transitioning to Secondary School in September 2026 who have a diagnosis, or a profile of, dyslexia. These sessions are always incredibly useful and information-packed to help you support your child with their exciting transition to Secondary School.

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STUDENT REPRESENTS TEAM GB We are extremely proud of Jacob (Y13) who has just left for Malaysia to represent Team GB rafting! Good luck, Jacob from all at SWRA!

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SEACOLE DAY 2025 Students at SWRA have been celebrating Seacole Day 2025 with bake sales, a talent show, karaoke and zumba galore! We celebrate the resilience and creativity of Mary Seacole as National Mary Seacole Day approaches on Sunday 23rd November 2025. A sea of yellow entered the school gates as students in Seacole were able to wear their yellow colours with pride! House points were flying left and right and centre as the battle for the House Cup continues. The results for Seacole Day are as follows: 1st Seacole House - 5000 points 2nd Robertsonand Attenborough House - 3250 each 3rd Windrush House - 2500 The overall house totals for 2025/2026 are: 1st Windrush - 42371 2nd Robertson - 37834 3rd Seacole - 37652 4th Attenborough - 36147 Happy Seacole Day everyone!

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IMPORTANT 4435 REDUCED SERVICE Loveden Travels 4435 service have made us aware that they will be running a reduced service today due to hazardous conditions. They will only pick up and drop off at: Claypole Stubton Brandon Lodge Pupils from other stops should make their way to one of those if parents are not able to take them to and from school. Please contact the bus company for further information - 01400 273838.

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SHEFFIELD HALLAM UNIVERSITY TRIP As part of careers week, Sixth Form attended Sheffield Hallam University to learn more about University life and different courses and careers they might like to pursue in the future.

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QUADCOPTER FINAL A massive well done to Harry, Elijah and Jack and coming a very close (one point away!) second in the regional Quadcopter final! We would like to thank Kesteven and Sleaford High School for hosting the event and Raytheon for the competition. The lads did exceptionally well throughout the day. Their presentation to the judges (plus the other 5 teams) was by far the best of all the teams. They were amazingly professional and articulate, they even had another member of staff come and congratulate them afterwards. Harry flew well for the majority of the course, just pipped at the post by the winning team on the overall time. Overall, a great experience, well done again!

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REMEMBRANCE DAY Today, our school community came together to mark Armistice Day with a two-minute silence. We paused to remember the courage, sacrifice, and service of all who have been affected by conflict, both past and present. We were proud to invite students who are members of military and uniformed organisations to wear their uniforms with pride as a symbol of respect and gratitude. A special thank you to the British Army for spending the day with our Year 10 students, delivering engaging workshops which offered insight into teamwork, leadership and military careers. It was an honour for our students to stand alongside our visitors for the Act of Remembrance at 11am. Lest we forget.

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OAP PARTY CHRISTMAS PRESENTS One of the high points in our school year is when we welcome OAP residents from the local community into SWRA to share Christmas celebrations with our pupils and staff. This is a tradition we have tried to maintain since our opening in 1961 and we are delighted to be able to hold our Christmas party once again this year. In order to be able to provide Christmas presents for our local residents, we are asking for donations of small gifts from staff and pupils. Suggestions for suitable items include gloves, scarves, slipper socks, festive food items, crossword/puzzle books, toiletries etc. These can be handed in at school reception and will then be wrapped in readiness for the festivities on Monday 1 st December 2025. We appreciate that everyone's finances may be squeezed at the moment but would be very grateful for anything you are able to contribute. Thank you, as always, for your generosity.

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SIXTH FORM OPEN EVENING Do you have a child who is interested in starting Sixth Form in September 2026? If so, come and join us at our Open Evening on Thursday 6th November 2025, 6pm-8pm!

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SIXTH FORM OPEN EVENING Do you have a child who is interested in starting Sixth Form in September 2026? If so, come and join us at our Open Evening on Thursday 6th November 2025, 6pm-8pm!

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SIXTH FORM OPEN EVENING Here's a message from our Head Students ahead of Sixth Form Open Evening on Thursday!

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HOUSE POINT UPDATE Well done to everyone who took part in a house event last term! We saw wonderful bakes from our Year 7 Bake Off competitors, some fantastic inventions at Dragon's Den, Year 7 created beautiful t-shirts all about themselves, we heard our incredible science spelling bee finalists blow our mind with their skill, and the competition was fierce in the netball and football! At the end of half term 1, the overall house standings are as follows: 4th place – 28,877 - Seacole 3rd place – 29,646 - Attenborough 2nd place – 30,165 - Robertson 1st place – 35,525 – Windrush

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ROTARY SWIMARATHON SUPPORTS NEW KIT The "RotarySwimarathon", organised annually by the Rotary Club of Grantham, has had SWRA support it for many years. Hundreds of staff, students and their families have taken the plunge, with most recently 16 teams from SWRA taking part to help raise funds for local charities and deserving causes. The 2025 Rotary Swimarathon raised £55,033 in total, with SWRA raising £8,500 themselves – an outstanding contribution! Over the last 10 years, SWRA has gone one further and provided sports leaders to help run the three day event, helping it to be the biggest fundraising event in the area. The PE Department have longed to have team kit for the rugby, football and netball teams to ensure they promote the school, look professional at fixtures and give students the confidence and pride to go out there and compete to their very best. The Rotary Club of Grantham were delighted to support this request with a Grant from the Swimarathon. Last term, members of the Rotary Club of Grantham joined students, the PE Department, Swimarathon Queen Mrs Mower and Headteacher Mr Barlow to handover the kit officially to the school. President elect, Roger Blakeman, thanked the school for their outstanding help and contribution to the "RotarySwimarathon" and was delighted to see the branded kit come to fruition. On behalf of all the students at SWRA, we would like to thank the Rotary Club of Grantham for their support, and we have loved wearing the kit and winning in it already!

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GIRLS PE FIXTURE ROUND UP It's been a very busy term for the Girls PE Department, alongside lunch time and after-school clubs, there has been a huge number of fixtures and tournaments. Here's how we have been getting on: Year 8 and Year 10 Sleaford Schools Netball Tournament Our Year 10 team showed real progress throughout the night, growing stronger with each match despite three tough losses. MVP: Ellie for her relentless effort and energy as Centre. The Year 8 team had a strong showing, winning one of their three matches. Year 7 Girls' Rugby Festival For many, this was their first ever taste of rugby! The girls began nervously but soon threw themselves into the action and had an amazing time. A huge thank you to Newark Rugby Club for hosting such a brilliant event in celebration of the Women's Rugby World Cup Final. U16 Football – National Cup What a result! The team stormed to an 11–0 victory over Toothill, dominating from the first whistle. Outstanding play from every single player – good luck in the next round! Year 8 Netball vs St George's, Ruskington Two teams took to the court, with close matches across the board. The A team narrowly lost 12–10, while the B team were defeated 4–2. Fantastic effort from everyone involved and wonderful to see so many students representing the school – keep up the great work at club practice! Year 7 Netball vs St George's, Ruskington Our Year 7s played their first ever competitive fixture! The A team lost 5–2, with MVP: Amelia for her solid defence and excellent leadership. The B team celebrated a 6–1 victory – MVP: Athena for brilliant captaincy and outstanding sportsmanship. Year 8 & 9 Cricket Taster Session Thank you to Kit from Newark Cricket Club for running a fun and engaging session! The girls explored different variations of cricket before finishing with some softball matches on the yard. We hope to see some of you at Newark's Girls Only cricket sessions soon! Year 10 Netball vs St George's, Ruskington It was fantastic to see two teams of Year 10s competing, with many playing their first ever competitive netball fixture. Despite the 12–8 and 7–3 losses, the girls gave their all – and the new netball dresses made their debut in style! Special mention to Year 9 Amelia who played up to help out with numbers and dominated the court. Year 9 & 11 Netball Tournament Always a fiercely competitive event, as the winners progress to the County Finals. Both teams showed great determination, each winning two matches and finishing 5th out of 7 overall. A special mention to our Year 11 team – their final tournament together at SWRA. You've grown so much over the past five years, and we couldn't be prouder! Year 9 Netball vs St George's, Ruskington A fantastic 19–3 win for the Year 9s – our first victory in the new team kit! The team worked brilliantly together. Special mention to Year 7 Jess for taking charge of the scorecard and keeping everything accurate throughout – our lucky mascot! Year 10 & 11 Rugby Festival Congratulations to our Y10/11 girls' rugby team, who were undefeated all evening! Huge thanks to Newark Rugby Club for hosting. Special shoutouts to Ellie, Edith, Millie and Grace for their relentless work across the pitch, and to Lucy for being named Most Improved Player after showing growing confidence and some brilliant tackles. Year 7 Benchball Extravaganza An incredible 43 Year 7 students stayed behind to take part in our six-team benchball tournament! Despite the weather and a late cancellation from our opponents, the students' enthusiasm shone through. They've been developing coordination, agility, and power in lessons – and their hard work showed. A special thank you to Year 9 Molly for her leadership and organisation on the scoreboard and schedule. Fantastic effort from everyone – we hope you'll keep playing through the winter at local clubs!