It has been another amazing year for Drama across the entire Two Counties Trust.
Click the link below to read all of the exciting stories that have taken place throughout 2024/2025
The TTCT Drama Newsletter is now available to read. Click the link below to read:
Letters
Please see all our letters below. To also find out about all our school news please visit News and Events – Swanwick Hall School
How much money will my child need for lunch?
The standard meal deal price and the free school meal allowance is £2.90. More information about the food options are available here.
How do I top up the money on my child’s account?
Food and drink at Swanwick Hall is purchased using ParentPay. You will receive a letter in September to link up to ParentPay. Cash payments are no longer accepted by our catering partners.
What should we expect on the first day of school and what time should my child arrive?
Our school day starts at 8.50am with students’ first lesson of the day and students must therefore be through the gate by 8.45am. They enter through the pedestrian gate off The Green. Students must never enter the site through the double gates which access the car park. On the first day, our new Year 7s will make their way to the area outside the sports hall ready to greet their tutor at 8.50am (they will know where to go as we will practise this during their transition days and staff will be on hand to guide them) where their tutor will register them. They will then be taken into the dining room for an assembly with a member of the Leadership Team and the Year 7 Team.
During their first day (and first couple of days) with us, Year 7 will:
- Receive their timetable and be talked through where to go and when (this can be a scary thing for students coming from junior/primary but they are well supported!)
- Have their finger print taken so they can use the dining room
- Have their photo taken so we know what they look like
- Be given their login details for the important apps we use in school
- Be settled in to their lessons and meet their subject teachers!
We will take a great deal of care of them!
What uniform and equipment will my child need?
Students must be in full school uniform and have all the required equipment on their first day. The only thing they won’t need is their PE kit (this will be needed for their first PE lesson on their timetable). All of our equipment and uniform requirements can be found on our school website via the following link: https://www.swanwickhall.ttct.co.uk/culture/ready-to-learn/
How can I help my child prepare for the transition to secondary school?
We understand that this can be a worrying time for Year 6 students and their families, however, we work really hard to support you in the process. We have a team of experienced staff who support students from Miss Owen, the Assistant Headteacher for Pastoral, who has now led transition for a number of years to Miss Barnsley, the Head of Year 7, who is employed as a static Head of Year for Year 7 meaning she has a great deal of knowledge of and experience with Year 6 transition. Our current Year 7 have settled in to #TeamSwanwick incredibly well!
A few practical things that families can do to help:
- Ensure your child attends the transition days on Thursday 9th and Friday 10th July 2026
- Ensure you attend our transition coffee evening on Thursday 9th July 2026
- Try to attend events put on by Swanwick Hall School such as the Summer Fayre
- Check the letter section of our website as a parent/carer letter is posted on there every week: https://www.swanwickhall.ttct.co.uk/?s=letter
- Show your child the route to get to school and walk them through it so they are confident on where to go and how long it will take to walk or show them where the bus will pick them up
- Ensure you look out for messages or literature regarding transition – you will receive more of these in the Spring term as we build up to the transition days
Here are a few websites that our families might find useful for Year 6 Transition:
What support is available if my child struggles to adjust to secondary school?
Our transition process is designed to support students in adjusting to and settling in to secondary school. However, where there are concerns, families can liaise with either the Form Tutor, Miss Barnsley who is the Head of Year, the Pastoral Support Officers, the SEND team, the Safeguarding team or the Attendance team. We work with students and families to triangulate our support, all three of us (families, students and school) working together to find a solution. We will always be happy to meet and communicate with families where needed.
Where you do need to make contact with school, please use one of the options on this link and we will direct the correct person to contact you: https://www.swanwickhall.ttct.co.uk/?s=contact
Who should I contact if I’m concerned about my child’s academic progress or wellbeing?
As above, there are a number of staff who are here to support. Please use one of the options on this link and we will direct the correct person to contact you: https://www.swanwickhall.ttct.co.uk/?s=contact
What are the school’s expectations for homework in Year 7?
We set our homework on an app called Class Charts. You and your child will receive a login for this on the first couple of days in September. Please click on this link to find out more information about homework: https://www.swanwickhall.ttct.co.uk/curriculum/homework/
What is the process for signing up for school meals?
Our dining room runs a cashless service and we use a system called ParentPay. Your child will have their fingerprint scanned on their first day and will be issued with login details to enable you to create and credit their account. If your child is eligible for Free School Meals, this information will be transferred over from their primary school so we will already have this on record. The FSM allocation is currently £2.90; your child will be able to use the dining room at lunchtime and this amount will be credited to their account each day. If your child wishes to purchase food at breaktime then you will need to ensure that their account does have credit.
Who do I talk to if my child has additional needs?
The transition team will work closely with the junior and primary schools to ensure that we have all of the information we need about each child. Included in this will be any SEND concerns or provision. For any student with SEND or suspected SEND, our SEND team will work with the student and the families during the transition process and into Year 7. There is some further information in the SEND section on our website: https://www.swanwickhall.ttct.co.uk/?s=send#1728467611793-9b1e4e1d-bda4
Alternatively, you can contact us by clicking on this link and choosing one of the options: https://www.swanwickhall.ttct.co.uk/?s=contact
When will my child find out which form group or house they are in?
During the transition days, your child will spend all day with their form groups in order to build strong relationships prior to starting with us in September. Our families will receive a letter before the Transition days to inform them of their child’s form and house.
To ensure that we have as much information as possible before your child starts with us in September, we ask that you complete our admission form
Transition Admission Form – Fill in form
If you do not have the facility to complete this online, please download a hard copy to complete. This can either be posted back to us or emailed on enquiries@swanwickhall.ttct.co.uk.
Aspens, our catering company, also request details of any dietary requirements or food allergens. If your child has either, please complete and submit the online form below.
What we enjoy about secondary school?
What was I worried about before starting secondary school?
#TeamSwanwick Year 6 Transition Family Video 1
#TeamSwanwick Year 6 Transition Family Video 2
Please see below our second Year 6 Transition Family video. This video provides more information on how we support SEND students.
#TeamSwanwick Year 6 Transition – Family Video 3
#TeamSwanwick Year 6 Transition – Family Video 4
What a gorgeous day we had yesterday! So gorgeous that it has inspired us to create a virtual tour of the school! This video will go through where certain classrooms are, where key areas are like the toilets, where students should go on the Transition Days and when they start with us and more! Enjoy!
Year 6 Transition – Family Video 4
#TeamSwanwick Year 6 Transition – Family Video 5
Here is Video 5 of our Year 6 Transition Family Videos. Enjoy!
Year 6 Transition – Family Video 5
#TeamSwanwick Year 6 Transition – Family Video 6
Here is our Year 6 Transition Family Video number 6 which gives you more information about our uniform and equipment expectations.
Year 6 Transition – Family Video 6
#TeamSwanwick Year 6 Transition – Family Video 7
Here is our seventh Family Video for you to enjoy which runs through what a Year 7’s day is like at Swanwick Hall School.
Year 6 Transition – Family Video 7
#TeamSwanwick Year 6 Transition – Family Video 8
Here is our next video which gives you more information on who our new Year 7s can speak to if they need any support when they join #TeamSwanwick
Year 6 Transition – Family Video 8
#TeamSwanwick Year 6 Transition – Family Video 9
Here is our next video which shares a little bit of information around safeguarding at #TeamSwanwick. Enjoy!
#TeamSwanwick Year 6 Transition – Family Video 10
Here is our next Transition family video which focuses on homework at secondary school – something we know Year 6 students can feel quite anxious about!
#TeamSwanwick Year 6 Transition – Family Video 11
Here is our next Transition video which focuses on our culture of appreciation. Enjoy!
#TeamSwanwick Year 6 Transition – Family Video 12
Here is our next Year 6 Transition Family Video on the topic of attendance at Swanwick Hall School. Enjoy!
Year 6 Transition – Family Video 12
#TeamSwanwick Year 6 Transition – Family Video 13
We recently sent you a video about uniform and equipment expectations. Today’s video is to inform you of a slight amendment to our PE kit requirements
Options at Swanwick Hall School
Your child will soon be starting the exciting process of selecting options for key stage 4. Here are some key dates to be aware of:
Wednesday 4th February – Year 9 will have an options assembly explaining the process.
Monday 2nd March – Students will bring home the options handbook and letter explaining what decisions they need to make and information about each subject. This will also contain information about who to contact should you have any queries.
Friday 6th March – Options form goes live. This will be sent to their school email.
Friday 13th March – deadline for option choices.
We also encourage students to speak to their teachers with any questions once they have read the handbook.
Please find below taster information for all of our KS4 options subjects. These provide a bit more information about what the courses will cover and what lessons will be like. Students should watch these to help them make their choices; they can also speak to the subject teachers.
Attendance at Swanwick Hall School
Going to school regularly is important to your child’s future. By arriving on time for school it gives children a positive start to the day, ensuring they are ready to learn and miss no learning. Good attendance and punctuality are important life-skills that are highly valued by employers, colleges and universities and teaching students about the importance of good attendance is an important part of our curriculum. We want all children to be happy and at school.
In September 2013 the government introduced new regulations making it clear that Headteachers must not give approval for any leave of absence during term time, including holidays, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Any requests for term time leave should be made on a Request for Absence available from the school office and handed in 28 days before the first date of the requested absence whenever possible. You must have received written authorisation before your child can be absent from school.
Parent/carers may be issued with a penalty notice fine or prosecution should leave of 5 days or more be taken which is not authorised by the Headteacher, or where repeated incidents of leave in term time for less than 5 days occur or where the unauthorised absence contributes to wider poor attendance that meets the legal threshold. Absence deemed for the reason of unauthorised leave in term time will be marked in the register with the Attendance code G.
You may be issued with a Penalty Notice should leave be taken which is not authorised. If unpaid this could lead to prosecution under section 444(1) of The Education Act 1996.
If you would like to speak to someone about your child’s attendance, please complete the contact form via the website. Alternatively, Mrs Kate Parkin (Attendance Officer) is available on 01773 602106 option 2 or attendance@swanwickhall.ttct.co.uk.
Please click here for our policies
Guidance For Parents & Carers Request For Time Off During Term Time
If your child needs collecting from school for any reason, including medical appointments or illness, you will be required to sign out your child from main reception where they will meet you. We will not allow students to leave site without an adult and if they do not have parental responsibility, we must get verbal consent from a parent/carer.
To report your child being absent due to illness please contact school using one of the following methods, giving your child’s name, year and reason for absence. To ensure safeguarding, you must ring daily if your child is absent.
- Telephone 01773 602106 x 5035, follow the links to the absence line and leave a message if necessary on the 24hr answerphone – please contact us before 8.30am where possible.
- Email attendance@swanwickhall.ttct.co.uk
All late students should report to the top car park off Derby Road. Students should buzz to speak to Reception who will take their name and reason for absence. The student will then go straight to their current lesson.
Where possible all appointments should be made out of school hours but in the event of this not being possible, students should attend school before and after the appointment. Please telephone school to advise of the time you need to collect your child. Students are to be collected from the top gate, Derby Road entrance. Please buzz to speak to reception who can organise your child being handed over to you. Where possible please email attendance@swanwickhall.ttct.co.uk with a copy of the appointment card/letter.
Families must obtain permission from the Headteacher to take their child out of college during term time. This should be done by completing a Request for Absence Form.
In addition to Mrs Kate Parkin (Attendance Officer), we have two Community Attendance Officers, Mrs Maureen Robinson and Mr Kevin Hughes. The Community Attendance Officers carry out home welfare visits to students who have had time off ill. They also visit households daily when school have not been informed for the reason for the absence.
Catering at Swanwick Hall School
The catering at Swanwick Hall is provided by Aspens, a highly experienced catering provider for the education sector. They provide a wide range of tasty meals, refreshments, and snacks for our students whilst raising awareness around nutrition and mindful eating.
Deli Kitchen
The Deli Kitchen brand is for the popular standard Aspens hot and cold offers. This can range from Authentic Italian pizza and pasta, Hacienda Mexicana’s burritos, rice pots and sides and Voulez Poulet’s house rub chicken, dogs and sides through to our range of healthy sandwiches, paninis, wraps, jacket potatoes, salads, fruit and cold dessert pots.
Streateries
Streateries is the secondary meal offer where every day has a theme. Featuring Global cuisines, customised offers and food on the move, they are bang up to date with the current trends whilst still ensuring that there is a place on the menu for the comfort of our familiar school dining hall favourites. Each day the menu includes as standard a street food dish, a hand held version, vegetarian/vegan choices along with a selection of sides.
Breakfast Club
Open daily 8.00am to 8.20am to all students, with a range of hot and cold food and drink items available for purchase
Breaktimes
From September 2023, all students now have access to tuckshop at breaktimes
Tariffs
Menu
Aspens, our catering provider, have requested details of students who have food allergies to enable them to comply with regulations and to ensure that all students are catered for. A letter from Aspens is below which contains more information. If you child has a food allergy, please complete the form below and return to school, for the attention of Kate Parkin, and this will be passed onto the dining room.
Paper Version Alternative Menu Form (Allergy & Lifestyle Notification And Medical Diet Request)
Guidance regarding Free School Meals is set out by the Local Authority. More information can be found by visiting Derbyshire County Council using the button below:
ParentPay information and lunch account debt
All new students will receive a letter with a unique code to be used with the ParentPay website – this will be issued shortly before or after they start at Swanwick Hall. Lunch accounts can also be topped up using cash by students using the revaluation machine in the hall.
Lunch money can also be topped up through a local PayPoint store – please contact our finance team to request a PayPoint barcode letter.
To ensure that the School’s budget is not adversely affected by the cost of school meal debt, we will seek prompt corrective action to recover the debt and inform parents as soon as possible to prevent the debt balance growing.
We encourage all families to familiarise themselves with our school meal debt policy. If you are struggling to afford the cost of school meals, please contact the school so we are able to support you.
For guides and information on using ParentPay, please click here.
Click here to review our policies.
Getting to Swanwick Hall School
Information correct as of 6th October 2025
| Service 201 | E Coaches (01773 541222) | ||||
| Ironville, Cinder Bank | 0825 | Returns from School at | 1530 | Bottom layby | |
| Swanwick Hall School | 0845 | ||||
| Route Description: Ironville, Cinder Bank, Bullock Lane, High Street, South Street, Riddings Hil | |||||
| Greenhill Lane, Swanwick Road, Cray’s Hill, B6016 to Swanwick | |||||
| Service 319 (Local Bus) | High Peak Buses | Bottom layby | |||
| Oakerthorpe, Four Lane Ends | 0755 | Returns from School at | 1530 | ||
| South Wingfield, Market Place | 0800 | ||||
| Crich, Market Place | 0807 | ||||
| Bullbridge, Canal Inn | 0812 | ||||
| Nether Heage, Gunn Lane | 0818 | ||||
| Heage, Eagle Tavern | 0821 | ||||
| Upper Hartshay, Charity Farm | 0823 | ||||
| Swanwick Hall School | 0835 | ||||
| Service 439 (commercial) | E Coaches (01773 541222) | Bottom layby | |||
| Pye Bridge, Dog & Double | 0830 | Returns from School at | 1530 | ||
| Black Horse | 0835 | ||||
| Hillside Club | 0838 | (£1.00 each way) | |||
| Somercotes, Co-op | 0841 | ||||
| Swanwick Hall School | 0845 | ||||
| Service 317 | E Coaches (01773 541222) | Top gate | |||
| Ripley Road, Heage | 0800 | ||||
| Brook Street, Heage | 0801 | ||||
| Windmill PH, Park Road | 0804 | ||||
| Black Boy PH | 0807 | ||||
| Lower Hartshay (if required) | 0814 | ||||
| Swanwick Hall School | 0824 | Returns from School at | 1530 | ||
Students living in Ironville and Heage will automatically have been assessed in line with statutory regulations. Parents/carers should have received a letter informing them of their entitlement and will receive a bus pass around the middle of August.
For any parent/carer who is wishing to apply for a bus pas this can be done on line at www.derbyshire.gov.uk/get2school – applications home to school transport assistance.
For any parent/carer wishing to contact school transport the telephone number is 01629 536739
Careers
At Swanwick Hall School we provide our students with opportunities and experiences to enhance their life choices, helping them to make a positive contribution to the world we share. Everything we do is underpinned by our three values of inclusivity, respect and resilience. We aim to provide students with a vision for their achievements further into the future, beyond school, through a comprehensive and cohesive, high-quality careers education programme. In a highly competitive employment market, the choices our students need to make are becoming more complex. As such, our curriculum ensures that our students can develop skills for employability and guides students into making well-informed, realistic decisions to make a positive careers choice. Our aim is that their choices allow them to be happy with the way that they spend their time, being able to make a positive contribution to their community and to sustain a decent standard of living. In addition, we want to ensure that our young people are prepared to make successful transitions into their next steps.
Students are entitled to Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) which meets professional standards of practice and is both personalised to the individual and impartial. Our programme is designed to meet the CDI learning outcomes, raise aspirations, challenge stereotyping and promoting equality and diversity.
Our programme of study follows the Career Development Institute (CDI) Framework which aims to ensure students make positive career choices. There are six key areas:
- Growth throughout life- to enable students to reflect on themselves and their strengths
- Explore possibilities- to enable students to investigate a range of options and workplaces
- Manage career- to allow students to make the most of opportunities
- Create opportunities- to enable students be proactive about their future and build positive relationships with others
- Balance life and work- to enable student to understand life as a worker and how to maintain well-being and other interests, alongside family and community commitments
- See the big picture- to help students to understand how the economy, politics and society connect with their lives.
Alongside the CDI framework we assess ourselves on how well we are meeting the Gatsby Benchmarks. Whilst the students are in our care, they will:
- have had meaningful encounters with a range of employers and educational providers. We hold monthly virtual careers talks
- have had tailored support and advice.
- linked curriculum learning to career opportunities. We have monthly career starter sessions within subjects so that students understand how their subjects link to their future
- have been provided with information about different career pathways, including apprenticeships, entry requirements and costs
- have had personal careers advice from a qualified careers advisor who works with us two days a week
- experienced a workplace visit in year 10 and year 12
- We also plan a variety of events linked to careers throughout the year including mock interview days and workshops
- The school aims to review our careers provision and information on an annual basis.
The Two Counties Trust provides each school with a qualified careers advisor so that students can have access to advice and guidance when they need it. It is essential that students have clear plans for the future. Having a long term career goal provides a real purpose for current learning and education.
Rebecca Porritt (Careers Lead), rebecca.porritt@swanwickhall.ttct.co.uk, Swanwick Hall School, 01773 602106
Nicola Stevens (Careers Advisor), Nicola.Stevens@ttct.co.uk
Please click here for our policies and here for The Two Counties Trust policies.
All staff have a contribution to make to the careers, employability and enterprise curriculum through their role as employees at Swanwick Hall School. Subject teachers are passionate about the links to their subjects of expertise and the transferable employability skills that our students aim to develop. Students are encouraged to practise and develop these skills throughout the subject curriculums, as well as during specifically targeted activities such as our subject ‘career starter days’ which take place monthly. Support staff also help to play a critical role in delivering activities to students. Our careers programme is planned, monitored and evaluated by the career’s leader and coordinator. The training and support needs of staff involved in co-ordinating, delivering and supporting careers education and IAG are identified and met through a continuing professional development programme, as well as being identified via the monitoring, review and evaluation of the programme.
At Swanwick Hall, we believe that our young people and parents/carers will need advice, guidance and support in order to effectively plan for the future to ensure positive career choices after leaving us. Parental engagement is an essential part of careers, employability and enterprise education. As such, parents are kept informed and up to date about careers at parents’ evenings, open evenings, throughout the options process as well as any events which take place throughout the school year. Parents are also directed to the careers section of our school website as well as via our communication channels. At the end of each career’s unit, students will complete an evaluation to help inform future planning. Evaluations are also undertaken after any specific career events. The first point of contact for parents/carers and students is their tutors. Tutors are able to support students and signpost appropriate information advice and guidance. Throughout the academic year, there are several opportunities for reflection following release of student reports to allow students to review their strengths and implement next steps.
Open Days – Sixth Forms, Colleges and Training Providers
2025-2026 Career Opportunities for staff, students and parents
2025-2026 Career Opportunities for staff, students and parents
Apprenticeship Opportunities
Careers in the curriculum
Swanwick Hall Careers
Welcome to the Two Counties Trust first careers newsletter. Following the recent years of the Covid 19 pandemic we are pleased to say we have completed a full year in school delivering a wide range of Career Guidance across the 9 schools.
To read more about what each school has achieved so far, please download the newsletter below.
Careers Newsletter December 2023
Year 10 Work Experience Week – Monday 22nd to Friday 26th June 2026
All students in Year 10 will undertake one week of Work Experience as part of their entitlement to Work Related Learning which will consist of a mock interview day in school and then a week at their off-site placement with employers. Even though students do not take up their placement until the summer term, we need to secure placements and carry out the necessary checks in advance. Students are responsible for finding and negotiating their own placement.
We have launched the programme and all students have received an assembly to kick start this process. Please see the video below.
Should you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact Andrea Hollingsworth,
WEX Coordinator, andrea.hollingsworth@swanwickhall.ttct.co.uk or Mrs Grimmer, Non-teaching Head of Year, lorraine.grimmer@swanwickhall.ttct.co.uk