Week 2 is complete and for our Year 11 students the start of their formal assessment period is about to begin. I know you will want to join me in wishing them good luck for these forthcoming assessments. Although many parts of their KS4 have been far from normal, one thing we wanted to do for this year group was to ensure they had access to a Prom. Given the relaxations planned as part of the Government’s Covid roadmap we are cautiously optimistic we can do that. A venue has been booked and a date secured. It’s a case of fingers crossed now that they get the celebration they deserve.

I am really pleased to report that inter-school fixtures have officially restarted. This week saw a number of fixtures take place against Churchdown School including the very first fixtures for our Year 7 students. In the next 3 weeks our girls’ teams in KS3 will have football and rounders tournaments coming up. Our after-school clubs are up and running with a full programme on offer to students in Years 7 – 10 including:

• Athletics, rounders, tennis, and cricket running on a Monday (8) Tuesday (9) and Thursday (7)
• Basketball on a Wednesday (10)
• Rounders on a Friday for Year 10 girls

Please do encourage your child to take advantage of this fabulous offer.

I am writing this piece having just finished my appointments at our Year 10 Parents Evening. This was the first full parents evening using SchoolCloud and my feeling is that the software worked well. I would very much welcome feedback from parents as we are planning on keeping this system next year. Please feel free to email me with your thoughts, good or bad, so we can consider them as we move forward.

This week saw the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme launched to our Year 8 students. I am a huge fan of the DofE scheme and have seen how it has benefitted a significant number of Severn Vale students as well as my own daughter. I would certainly recommend it unreservedly. Following the recent death of the Duke of Edinburgh there has been lots of talk about how to commemorate his life. I think the finest way of doing that would be the widest possible participation in the scheme he launched and was so passionate about. Please do contact Mr Higgs if you have a question about the scheme.  

As always, I include my weekly reminder about Free School Meals eligibility. If your financial circumstances have changed, your child may be eligible for Free School Meals. If you click on this link you will find guidance on the eligibility criteria and the application process. It's a quick process and we are notified of all FSM entitlements by Gloucestershire County Council each Monday. I would urge you to take a look if you think you may benefit from financial assistance.

I hope you have a fabulous bank holiday weekend even though it looks like the weather isn’t going to play ball!

Kind regards

Richard Johnson
Headteacher