It has certainly felt like winter over the last few days and I am conscious that some parts of the country have seen the first snowfall of the season.
It seems pertinent to remind you of our arrangements in the unlikely event of snow falling leading to any necessary school closure. We will always make every effort to keep the school open but do have to consider the safety of both pupils and staff, many of whom travel from a distance away.
Should there be a need to close, we will aim to post this on the school website by 7.45am, at the latest (remember to click the ‘refresh’ button to ensure accessing the latest information).
Local radio stations no longer broadcast this information, but this will also be published on the Essex County website: http://www.essex.gov.uk or simply just search for Essex County Council Emergency School Closures.
One of the positive takeaways from COVID is that teachers are used to providing remote learning and so in the event of a snow closure, pupil will still continue to receive their education via either MS Teams, Go4Schools or a combination of the two.
As always, if you do experience any difficulties accessing online platforms, please do contact our IT Team at support@sweynepark.com who will be happy to help.
Choir rehearsals will take place every Monday and Tuesday during form time in MU2 with Mrs. Hutton. These sessions will continue until January.
Please make sure to attend promptly.
The 12-year-old was racing in the National Ministox Racing Championship for the first time at Buxton Raceway in Derbyshire.
And, despite his lack of experience, Oscar was still able to steer himself to success – much to the delight of his father Matt.
“Oscar had only raced the car once before and was required to start at the rear of the field for that meeting which was held at Aldershot raceway the previous weekend as he was a novice,” explained Matt.
“He’s got into it all through me as I race and build and prepare race cars.
“He wasn’t at all interested to begin with and then all of a sudden he was when he was about eight, so it’s all gone from that.”
But the emphasis has always been on enjoyment.
“The main thing was for Oscar to go and have fun and enjoy it,” said Matt.
“There was no real thought about winning or anything like that.
“He only learnt how to change gear the week before and had been struggling with it a little bit to be honest.
“But to see him do as well as he did was brilliant and he definitely did enjoy it.”
Oscar had previously been racing in cadet karting and will be making a step up on a permanent basis in the new year.
“Oscar will be making the transition from cadet karting to cars for 2026,” explained Matt.
“The Buxton meeting was only supposed to be a trial to see if he enjoyed it as much as karting.
“He ended up winning the second heat and the meeting final along with the Buxton Enduro championship, so it was brilliant.”
Oscar will be targeting more success this weekend.
“He plans to race his Ministox at Skegness raceway on Saturday night and then travel across the country to race his cadet kart at Shenington Kart Track on the Sunday,” said Oscar.
It’s the Championship deciding round where he is currently one point behind the leader for his final ever cadet kart race.
Oscar’s long-term aspirations still lie away from motorsport.
“He still wants to be a policeman and not a racing driver,” said Matt.
“But he’s really enjoying it and that’s always the main thing.”
Bookbuzz 2025: meet the authors and the books: video
BookTrust is the UK’s largest children’s reading charity. We are dedicated to getting children reading. Each year we reach 3.9 million children across the UK with books, resources and support to help develop a love of reading.
On 10th December Mitch Jones & Year 13 Pupils; Lila G, Erin H, Kye M, Lewis D, Cohen D, Ben A, Max C& Adam Fwill be completing a 10-hour running challenge around the bridle path.
This challenge in is memory of Tom Wilson, a close friend and teammate who tragically passed away in a hockey training accident, 10 years ago on this date. Whilst the injury was fatal, fortunately, those present were able to perform effective CPR which enabled Tom’s organs to be kept alive long enough to be donated via the Organ Donor Scheme and the loss of Tom’s life meant over 50 people benefitted from his donation.
Tom’s mum, Lisa, was even able to hear via stethoscope Toms heart beating inside a young girl whose life was saved via the scheme.
All funds raised will be donated to the Royal Life Saving Society, who have agreed upon completion, to come into the school and deliver CPR training to as many students as possible with the aim of providing our young people with the confidence to act effectively if they were ever faced with such a situation.
If you have any stories and/or photos that you would like to share, please contact us at pupilservices@sweynepark.com
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