What Our Grammar Stream Pupils Say ... | Grammar Stream | Swindon Academy

What Our Grammar Stream Pupils Say...

An opportunity like this does not just come and go, it's a big deal! Kaylem
It has given me the best experience ever! I have learnt a lot of things like Latin and Classics. I have learnt new skills too, like writing in Greek! Emmanuel
Being in the Grammar Stream is a great opportunity for all. We go on great trips, such as to Reading University and weekly trips to Marlborough College. Eaddie
It gives you lots of opportunities that other schools couldn't. You get to learn at higher levels and you are also rewarded with phenomenal trips, like the Marlborough College Residential. Luca
Having the opportunity to do triple science is a bonus. You get to study three subjects in more detail. Toby
It is a very positive experience. There are many fun activities for you, but there are also challenges which you are encouraged to overcome. Niamh
The classes are harder but you develop a greater understanding of what you are learning. It has challenged me and I have improved my grades. Zachary
People come in to talk to us and demonstrate things, such as scientists with experiments. Sophia
It offers a wide variety of opportunities to collaborate with other people to determine what you want to do in the future. Alex

Before I started at the Grammar Stream, I was nervous about failing my exams or getting a detention. I was also worried that other pupils would be smarter than me but now I realise that I didn’t need to worry. I did want to take on a challenge though, I wanted to achieve something great, and so I chose the Grammar Stream.

I get to go to Marlborough College every Monday. I find going to Marlborough College helps me develop my knowledge of Latin and other cultures and I experience things that could help me in my future. The students there are very kind to us and are good role models for us. It is hard work though.

We are constantly pushed to work hard, and you have to be committed but I can see the benefits. I’m achieving my targets which makes me really happy. I’m thinking of a career as a cardio surgeon, so I need to get really good grades in the sciences. My favourite subject is art as I get to creative and wild, but I also really enjoy chemistry.

Shajanu

I visited Swindon Academy to look at the Grammar Stream and decided that I wanted to give it a go and show the school what I could do. I was a bit worried about the exams before I started but I actually enjoy doing them now!

I have a wide group of friends; some of these are in the Grammar Stream but others I’ve met through after-school clubs and in our mixed-age tutor groups. Being with older pupils in tutor group provides support if there is anything that I don’t know. The trips we go on to Marlborough College are unique and I really benefit from having separate sciences.

We get to delve deeper into subjects and as a result we have a much better understanding and greater enjoyment. Grammar Stream isn’t just academic work. I enjoy DT and chemistry, but my favourite subject is PE; we get to do some really great sports and I also go to cricket, rounders and football clubs after school.

Tom

I really enjoy being in the Grammar Stream, I feel that it gives me a sense of purpose in school. I decided that I wanted to join the Grammar Stream because of the opportunities it provided and the benefit it would give to my learning.

The partnership with Marlborough College is a great opportunity; recently we enjoyed an extended visit there where we visited the observatory. I was amazed at how much we could see including Mars, Venus and Ursa Major! I have made lots of friends. Students in the Grammar Stream have been really inviting and friendly and I have made friends in my tutor group, with older pupils, and with students in after-school clubs.

I’d quite like a career as a maths teacher - my favourite subjects are maths and chemistry; I loved them in primary school and I still do! Being in the Grammar Stream has helped me learn so much more in these subjects and has built on the knowledge I already had.

James

I’ve made good friends in the Grammar Stream and really enjoy my learning. I came here because I wanted to experience a good learning journey and work hard, because I don’t like to play all the time.

What I love most about the Grammar Stream is that we get to learn and try new things. We get to do this in the extended sessions at Marlborough College (not least of all because they have amazing hot chocolate) and in chemistry. I also really enjoy RE because it’s so interesting learning about others’ cultures, which can also help with your social life.

Before I started in the Grammar Stream, I was a little worried that I couldn’t keep up with the work but we are taught at our level so we are stretched but I can keep up.

Raghad

I thought that I could handle harder work in school, so I applied to join the Grammar Stream. The work is challenging but really interesting. We have regular exams but that’s good because we know how close to our targets we are performing.

I really enjoy the sciences; we study sciences separately, so we learn much more. I also really like the Latin and Classics lessons at Marlborough College, they’re great; I love learning about ancient Greece and Roman myths. The Latin really helps with my English too as we learn about the similarities between Latin and English words.

But not everything in the Grammar Stream is academic, we also enjoy many creative subjects, so we don’t miss out on anything. Before I joined the Grammar Stream, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with everyone, but we enjoy a fun, healthy level of competition and I find it pushes me to work just that little bit harder.

Everyone in class is a friend; I really like my class; we work really hard but we also have fun together.

Amberly

When I first started, I thought it would be a competition about who is the best and I worried if I would be the worst, but it’s not like that. There is a lot of homework to do but I really enjoy doing it as it’s really interesting and helps you prepare for the next lesson.

The Grammar Stream is a really welcoming place, and everyone is really kind; we are a big group of friends who work hard! I have also made friends with older students in my tutor group. They are mature and kind and always happy to help if I have a problem. I joined the Grammar Stream because I wanted a challenge that would enable me to have a good career in the future.

In the Grammar Stream we have really varied lessons and we have to work hard but I do enjoy it. I want to become an accountant because I enjoy working with numbers so my favourite subjects is maths. I also love writing so English is great too.

I like doing Latin at Marlborough College as well, it really is fun! I also enjoy the extended visits to Marlborough College; they’re unique. We do things we wouldn’t normally get to do in secondary school and these challenge us and give us a wider range of education.

Jonny

Education is my priority and I wanted to boost my learning capability, so I decided that the Grammar Stream was the place for me to do this. I find the lessons really challenging, especially triple science, which is good because I am pushed to learn more.

Maths is my favourite subject, I’ve always liked maths, but it was too easy in primary school, now in the Grammar Stream I am learning much more maths skills and strategies.

Jamal

I applied to attend the Grammar Stream because I wanted to try harder work and wanted to work to the best of my ability. I like to be active so my favourite subject is PE but I also like art because I’m an imaginative person.

In the Grammar Stream we get lots of opportunities that pupils in other schools don’t get; part of this is the visits to Marlborough College and the new things we learn there, such as Latin and the Classics and astronomy.

Before I started, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the homework but now I find that it’s not as hard as I thought it would be and I just need to try my best

Anjali

I applied to attend the Grammar Stream because I wanted a challenge. We learn lots of interesting things, such as Latin when we attend Marlborough College, and we have separate science lessons.

My favourite subject is chemistry; because it is a separate lesson to the other science subject it means we can do more practical work and we really enjoy creating mini explosions. I also really enjoyed studying astronomy at Marlborough College, it isn’t something I have learned before, so it was new and exciting.

Before I came to the Grammar Stream, I was worried that I might struggle to understand some of the lessons, but I have adapted and now understand how to use each subject’s methods.

Jamelia

My cousin was a student at Swindon Academy, and he said that they provide really good opportunities for students, so I decided to visit the school. I heard that the curriculum would challenge me to attain higher, so I wanted to go there. Teachers do work us very hard, but I like that.

The work is challenging but we learn so much that we wouldn’t otherwise know, and the prep work supports our lessons. In the first few days I didn’t really know anyone, but everyone is nice and by the end of the week I had made good friends. As a group, we have good fun together and class discussions are always very interesting.

My favourite subject is maths because our teacher gives us challenging and interesting work to do and asks really great questions. We also have the unique opportunity to go to Marlborough College and learn Latin, I feel really privileged to take part in these sessions.

Everyone in class is very focused and works really hard and the prep work helps me understand things I didn’t know before. I feel very lucky to be able to learn at this brilliant academy and my parents are really pleased with the progress I am making.

Angel

I applied to enter the Grammar Stream so I could fulfil my full learning potential and make new friends. We work hard and learn a lot but the banter in the class is really great too. Before I started, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up in subjects like maths and science, but I can, and I do! I really enjoy it when we go to Marlborough College.

The extended visits are particularly good, it gives us a taste of private school life and the hot chocolate is great! People might think that the Grammar Stream is only about academic subjects, but it isn’t.

I love sport so my favourite subject is PE and I’m creative too, so I love English but other subjects such as chemistry are really exciting, we get to make explosions which makes the lessons lots of fun.

Caroline

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