Issue 1126: 19th June 2026 – Sweyne Park School

HEADLINES

Social Media Ban for Under 16s

As I am sure you will have seen, the Prime Minister has recently announced plans to introduce a ban on social media access for children under the age of 16, alongside additional protections for older teenagers online. The proposals are intended to address growing concerns about children’s wellbeing, online safety, cyberbullying and exposure to harmful content.

Here at Sweyne Park, we welcome the national focus on supporting young people’s mental health and safeguarding them in an increasingly digital world. Whilst social media can provide opportunities for creativity, communication and learning, it can also expose young people to risks that require careful guidance from both schools and families.

Whatever the final details of the legislation, the role of parents and schools remains vital. I would encourage all families to maintain open conversations about online activity, establish clear expectations around device use, and take an active interest in the apps and platforms their children access.

Please rest assured that via our IT/CPRE and Tutor Time curriculum, we will continue to educate our pupils and students about online safety, digital citizenship and responsible technology use, helping them to develop the knowledge, resilience and good judgement needed to thrive both online and offline.

Achievements Outside of School

We very much enjoy hearing about all the exciting things our pupils and students do outside of school. We know that so many of them are involved in clubs and charities and make a fantastic contribution to our community.

If your son/daughter has something they would like to share, please do contact us on pupilservices@sweynepark.com, so that we can include a short article, and where possible, accompanying photographs in the Sweyne Park Times.

This can relate to a sporting success, charity work, a project they have been involved in or an interesting experience they would like to share. We really do want to celebrate all the fantastic achievements of our pupils and students. Thank you, in advance, for your support.

Warm Weather

The beginning of next week looks to be hotting up again.

In these circumstances we review our uniform requirements on a daily basis, so please do keep an eye on our social media sites as well as your emails as we will communicate any changes.

Water Safety

In light of the warmer weather, I would like to remind all families to speak with their children about staying safe around rivers, lakes, reservoirs, canals and other bodies of water.

While it can be tempting to cool off by swimming outdoors, open water can be extremely dangerous, even on hot days, due to hidden currents, sudden changes in depth and cold-water shock.

We encourage all pupils and students to make sensible choices, stay with friends, and only swim in supervised, designated areas.

And Finally….

Have a great weekend.

Athletics Success at Essex Championships

Congratulations to Jake Boarer, who represented the Castle Point & Rochford District in the 1500m at the Essex Schools Athletics Championships on Saturday.

Competing against some of the county’s strongest athletes, Jake produced an outstanding performance and ran a fantastic race to finish 3rd in Essex, earning a well-deserved bronze medal.

This is a tremendous achievement, and we are incredibly proud of Jake’s success.

Jake and his family would also like to thank Mr Andrews and the PE Department for putting his name forward for the district trials and supporting him on his athletics journey. Well done, Jake!

Barcelona Girls Football Cup Success

Over the weekend, Mollie P travelled to Spain with her team, FC Evolution, to take part in the Barcelona Girls Football Cup.

It was an amazing experience, competing against teams from Norway, France, the USA and many other countries.

FC Evolution performed exceptionally well throughout the tournament and reached the final, which was decided by a penalty shootout. Mollie successfully scored her penalty, helping her team secure the win and become U16 Barcelona Girls Football Cup Champions.

Congratulations to Mollie and all of the FC Evolution players and coaches on this fantastic achievement!