It has been wonderful to welcome all of the students back for the academic year and I would like to thank you, as parents and carers, for the fantastic way you have supported your children to be ready for the new academic year. They have everything they need, have a great attitude and are all dressed really smartly, showing pride in their Mountbatten uniform.
As we are now well into the start of the new academic year, I become increasingly aware of the school cycle of constant renewal. Having said goodbye to our departing Year 11 students over the summer, with their excellent GCSE results, we are now welcoming into school our new Year 7 students who all seem to be settling in really well. I am really enjoying working with Mr. Rice, their Head of Year, to support their smooth start at Mountbatten. The next stage for them is to increasingly get used to creating a good homework routine as we gradually introduce it in the coming weeks.
We are also looking forward and considering the future with Year 6 prospective students and parents from all the local primary schools visiting us, to help them decide if Mountbatten is the right school for them. This week we have had our Open Mornings on Tuesday and Thursday and next week more prospective students will be joining us with their parents on Wednesday and Friday. We very much hope they like what they see and decide to join us in September 2025.
We are proud of our school and love showing it off and it seems many of you are too with comments like ‘My children are thriving here, taking part in everything on offer, and so they are progressing both academically and as people. Thank you, Mountbatten!’, which one parent shared with Ofsted when they visited last February.
Click here to see what's on next week:
Monday 30 September
Nothing advised
Tuesday 1 October
Nothing advised
Wednesday 2 October
Open Morning 9.15am - 11.00am: Halterworth, Rownhams and Wellow
Geography Department - Year 9 Geography Fieldwork in the New Forest, (92Y: LHK & 93Y: COY) 8.40am - 3.10pm
Primary School Gymnastics Festival, Starlight Gymnastics Club - Sports Leaders attending
Thursday 3 October
Nothing advised
Friday 4 October
Open Morning 9.15am - 11.00am: Children with an EHCP only
INSET Days for 2024/25
Wednesday 9 October 2024
Thursday 24 October 2024
Friday 25 October 2024
Monday 24 February 2025
Thursday 3 July 2025
Every effort is made to ensure these dates are accurate. There are occasions when circumstances beyond our control may result in changes.
Year 10 GCSE Information Evening - Thank you
It was lovely to see so many of you on Thursday 26 September for our Year 10 GCSE Information Evening. We hope you found the evening really helpful. For those who were unable to attend the evening, please find below the presentation slides, information booklet and a template for homework and revision schedules below. These provide you with key information and resources that will guide you through what to expect from the core subjects over the next two years.
Huge congratulations to Emme H 11HCS for gaining a place on flute in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. This is a massive achievement, and a wonderful opportunity for Emme to perform with the best young musicians in the country. As a member of the National Youth Orchestra she will work with some of the finest conductors in the world, and will perform in some of the world’s greatest concert halls, including at the 2025 season of the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall. Well done Emme!
Pre-Loved Uniform Shop
To support the school’s sustainability drive, last year we started our pre-loved uniform provision. Parents/carers are invited to send in any uniform that students have outgrown or no longer need. This is then offered to other families at our pre-arranged sales. Items are priced between £1.00 (for trousers and skirts) and £3.00 for blazers, with all profits going towards our hardship fund. To encourage recycling, if an item of clothing is handed in, parents can swap it for a larger or alternative item at no cost! This year, we have seen the biggest increase in donations and swaps. With the cost-of-living crisis continuing, we would encourage anyone with uniform that is surplus to requirements to bring it to Reception, marked 'For the attention of Student Services'. All we ask, is that uniform is in good condition and has been washed.
At the start of the summer holiday, we held our uniform sale. It was incredible to see so many items for sale and the room looked amazing, with hundreds of items on display! We had so many parents/carers through the doors; it was even necessary to implement an entrance system! However, this does reflect the demand for this provision and we’re pleased to say that almost everyone was able to return home with what they needed! This sale raised almost £500, which will support families experiencing significant financial hardship.
Maths Department
Maths Stars
Emma L 7SCD
Samuel C 7EML
Ben S 8KGK
Kacy K 8ERL
Sam H 8JAD
Evie C 9RLR/HMS
Emmie W 9DDY
Chloe C 10RMN
Macy S 11BHT
Sparx Maths Level Up
Congratulations to the following students for levelling up on Sparx Maths!
Leila S 7OWS - Level 1
Alfie G 11RAR - Level 10
Harry Y 8JWS - Level 10
Reuben D 8KGK - Level 15
Jess S 8JWS - Level 22
Megan B 11KMN - Level 28
Archie C 10IHS - Level 33
Amber B 10IHS - Level 35
Hazey R 11HCS - Level 35
Harry S 10LJS - Level 38
Jesse L 9PSN - Level 54
Dorina M 9DDY - Level 58
Holly F 9EGY - Level 76
Geography Department
Geography Stars
Henry C 7LAD/AGN
Lydia B 8JAD
Erin G 8GWT
Evangeline C-E 9SDN/GWT
Reuben A 10JGO/DDN
Arabella D 10RLE
Beth T 11HCS
Erin W 11AOR
English Department
English Stars
Emmie R 7TDN
Fern H 7TDN
Eden N 7TDN
Tom C 8ADY
Giulio S 8LHG
Sampson B 9DDY
Amber J 9DDY
Edie-Rose O 10JFR
Clara F 10RLE
Bradley C 11KRL/KMN
Media Department
Media Stars
Amy A 10IHS
Ava M 10JGO/DDN
Phoebe C 10COY
Indie B 10JFR
Kelly Y 10VGN
MFL Department
MFL Stars
Albie D 7TDN
Zach L 8JAD
Noah C 10RMN
Lara W 10LJS
Bea E 10RMN
Rowan S 11AOR
David W 11NWS/AWY
Miles A 11HCS
Mandarin Stars
Maisy M 7VTE
Maria K 8DCR/ESY
Oliver S 8ERL
Matthew H 9RLR/HMS
Lucy W 9DDY
Alastair H 10RMN
Drama Department
Drama Stars
Nila F 8GWT
Jacob U 8JWS
Harvey W 8JAD
Evie C 9RLR
Henry C 9TLS
Charlie M 11HCS
Business Department
Business Stars
Lola B 10COY
Brooke A 10RMN
Layla S 10RGY/SNN
Eve L 10LJS
Year 10 Duke of Edinburgh
Congratulations to the Year 10 students for braving the rain and mud to complete their DofE expedition. Hope you enjoyed the rainbows, great display of determination and resilience.
Click the drop-down menus below to find out more about updates from the Careers Department.
Comprehensive Oxford Physics and Maths Online School
We give Oxbridge-style tutoring to state school pupils with a keen interest in both Physics and Maths, delivering high quality, extended tuition and mentoring to students through regular after-school tutorials, assignments and webinars. COMPOS students outperform matched cohorts at A Level/Highers by 170%.
Who can we help?
Any students expecting a mix of 7s, 8s and 9s in their GCSEs . This year we have a 50% target for pupils from low-income backgrounds and encourage applications from students at schools without specialist physics teachers or who belong to groups under-represented in STEM.
COMPOS runs from late October to July for Years 10 and 12, and until February half-term for Year 11. Admission is via an entrance assignment, and we have about 400 places. We’re not looking for geniuses, keen students who can stick at the programme will benefit the most.
Registration for COMPOS 2024 is now open on our website.
This online event brings together twelve of the world’s leading companies to share their insights and knowledge on how parents and carers can best help their child in taking their next steps following school. There will be a big focus on applying to corporate roles and the application process, commercial awareness and how young people can develop these skills, as well as highlighting degree apprenticeships, what they are and key deadlines to make applications.
This event will provide you with an in-depth understanding of the career and work experience prospects out there for your child across sectors such as Finance, Data, Technology, Law, Engineering, and different Corporate Functions. The whole session will be led by the direct hiring managers at these global firms, so you’ll learn from the very best on how to support your child as they transition from education to the professional world with leading brands.
Timings: Thursday 3 October, 6.00pm - 7.30pm. To sign up, please click here
Year 11 College Assemblies
This week we welcomed Barton Peveril, South Hampshire College Group and Peter Symonds for a Y11 college assembly marathon to inform our students about the amazing opportunities our local colleges offer.
Year 9 & 10 Martin's Rubber Company Trip
Students visited this prominent Southampton company to celebrate National Manufacturing Day and gained a good understanding of how this company operates. From sales to marketing, designing and manufacturing the products, students were able to speak to the various employees and try their hand at producing some of their products.
Hampshire Specialist Music Course at Peter Symonds College
The college is inviting students and parents/carers to their open evening on 30 September. Please see flyer for more details.
College Open Events
Both Year 10 and Year 11 are encouraged to attend the various upcoming college open events to either start the conversation about post-16 options or confirm that students are still happy with their potential choice. Please note that you need to book a place online via the college websites if you intend to attend.
1 & 2 October: Peter Symonds College
4 October: King Edward VI School
5 October: Sparsholt College
9 October: Bitterne Park Sixth Form
Exciting New Reading Challenge in the Library!
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our 2024 Mountbatten Reading Challenge! This year-long event is designed to inspire a love of reading in our students and encourage them to explore new books and genres. Each student will have the opportunity to earn points for every book they read, with the number of points varying based on a range of criteria including a monthly themed book list.
Students can track their progress throughout the year on the reading tracker. At the end of each term, the student with the most points will win a prize! We’ll also be awarding a grand prize to the top reader at the end of the school year.
To get involved, students can download a copy of the tracker by joining the assigned Google Classroom using the following code: rjj4nr3 or pick up a paper copy of the tracker from the library.
Whether your child enjoys fantasy, mystery, non-fiction, or graphic novels, we encourage them to read as much as they can. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to discover new interests, improve their reading skills, and, of course, have fun!
Happy reading!
Introducing 'The Mountbatten Book Awards'!
Last week we introduced a brand-new tradition to the library—The Mountbatten Book Awards. This award allows students to take the lead in celebrating outstanding new books by nominating their favourites to read over the course of the term, as well as opening their minds to the latest texts in the publishing world.
Last Friday, students enthusiastically selected a shortlist of books spanning various genres, ensuring something for everyone. The following 7 books were chosen:
The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert
The Kill Factor by Ben Oliver
Icarus by K. Ankrum
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Empire Wars by Akana Phenix
The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s by Hanna Alkaf
Those Beyond the Wall by Micaiah Johnson
Throughout the term, students will read these nominated books and discuss them during our weekly Book Club meetings. At the end of the term, each student will have the chance to cast their vote for the book they believe deserves to win the prestigious Mountbatten Book Award. The winning book will be celebrated with a special ceremony, and all participants will receive recognition for their contributions.
We look forward to seeing which book our students choose to honour as the inaugural In-Mountbatten Book Award winner!
RSHE (Relationships, Sex, & Health Education) is taught by Tutors to their Tutor Group once a week. Tutors deliver discussion-based lessons which allow our students to explore a range of topics to effectively prepare our young people for success in the modern world with the knowledge, understanding and desire to keep themselves safe, happy, healthy, respectful and tolerant. Our aim is to empower them with the resilience and confidence to make a difference to their own and others’ future.
Year 7
This half-term, Year 7 will be looking at how to deal with starting secondary school, dealing with change and how to develop more self-confidence. They will also explore how friendships form, may change and develop as well as how communication is a valuable tool to manage friendships. Year 7 will then look at how to show empathy, compassion and care.
Year 8
Year 8 will be starting with identifying their personal strengths and achievements. They will then explore personal safety and move on to looking at the meaning of discrimination and prejudice and what protective characteristics are. After this, they will learn about Black History month and gender identity before discussing attitudes towards mental health.
Year 9
Year 9 will be looking at what a healthy relationship is and how to recognise the features of them. They will explore the meaning of commitment within a range of different relationships and the meaning of consent. Once they understand the meaning of consent they will consider the types of freedom and capacity to consent before moving on to exploring families, marriage and changes within relationships and families.
Year 10
Year 10 will be discussing the values required to secure positive relationships and what choices each individual has within their relationships. This includes intimate and platonic relationships, in-person and online. Negative behaviours such as pressure and coercion is then covered to build on the consent lessons delivered in Year 9. Victim blaming and positive role models are then explored.
Year 11
Year 11 will be exploring stereotypes and individual identities, including gender. They will consider their own ambitions and aspirations before hearing from some colleges in readiness for their post-16 applications. They will then recap the need for good sleep hygiene and how to deal with different emotions ahead, in the context of the exam year ahead.
Should your child wish to seek support related to any of these topics or about anything else that is worrying them, please advise them to speak to their form tutor in the first instance or request some support from our Student Support Team by completing the Student Support form on the student area of the school website.
We have our reporting system 'TootToot', where students can report anonymously or with their name.
Join the Personal Best's fitness suite today from just £14.95 per month and benefit from a 10% discount off our fitness classes and personal training sessions! Start your journey to a healthier you.
For further information and to sign up, click the button below.
To support the school’s sustainability drive, last year we started our pre-loved uniform provision. Parents/carers are invited to send in any uniform that students have outgrown or no longer need. This is then offered to other families at our pre-arranged sales. Items are priced between £1.00 (for trousers and skirts) and £3.00 for blazers, with all profits going towards our hardship fund. To encourage recycling, if an item of clothing is handed in, parents can swap it for a larger or alternative item at no cost! This year, we have seen the biggest increase in donations and swaps. With the cost-of-living crisis continuing, we would encourage anyone with uniform that is surplus to requirements to bring it to Reception, marked 'For the attention of Student Services'. All we ask, is that uniform is in good condition and has been washed.
Emma L 7SCD
Leila S 7OWS - Level 1
Henry C 7LAD/AGN
Emmie R 7TDN
Amy A 10IHS
Albie D 7TDN
Maisy M 7VTE
Nila F 8GWT
Lola B 10COY
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our 2024 Mountbatten Reading Challenge! This year-long event is designed to inspire a love of reading in our students and encourage them to explore new books and genres. Each student will have the opportunity to earn points for every book they read, with the number of points varying based on a range of criteria including a monthly themed book list. 
