By the time you receive this weekly message you will have had communication from the NHS / School Age Immunisation Service regarding Covid vaccinations for your child. This will be taking place in school next Friday, 1^st October. In the communication from the NHS/SAIS was a guidance document to help you make an informed choice for your child. I would encourage all parents to read this guidance and to discuss the issue with their child. Please remember that all questions about the vaccination process should be directed towards the NHS/SAIS using the following link: GHCCovidMassVaccine@ghc.nhs.uk

We all know that the pandemic has caused disruption to the education of our students over the past 18 months. Fortunately that seems to have reduced massively and it is a real delight that we can now ensure that our central focus as a school can once again be on learning. To ensure that our students can maximise their learning potential we have been running a range of intervention programmes for a number of years. The issues created by the pandemic have made this work even more important and with the extra funding received as part of the Catch-Up premium, we have been able to expand our provision further. Next week sees the launch of a wide range of intervention programmes focused mainly on English, Maths and Science. In terms 1 – 2 these will focus on Years 8 – 11. If you child has been identified to benefit from this support I know you will encourage them to take full advantage of it. Full details of the interventions offered can be found on the school website here.

As well as providing extra support for our students we are keen to provide guidance for parents so that they are better able to support their children. Next week we will be hosting our Supporting Your Child Through KS4 evenings. These take place on Thursday 30^th September and will provide key information and guidance on how best to support your child through the GCSE years. There is one presentation for Year 10 parents from 6.00-7.00pm and a second for Year 11 parents from 7.15pm-8.15pm. To book a place at one of these please use the following links:

Year 10 - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/170465938210

Year 11 - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/171005109887 

Our Science department are also launching their new Science Workshops for Parents. These are for parents of Year 7 students and in the 6 workshops you will be taught by our Science teachers; cover the theory behind a Big Idea in Science; complete an experiment in our Science Labs; discuss ways to support your children when they learn about these ideas for themselves and get the opportunity to find out more about Science at Severn Vale. There are only 20 places available which can be booked using the following link.  Booking closes on Monday 4th October at 4.00pm.

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.

We have had an unseasonably warm period of weather which is set to continue over the weekend. I do hope you enjoy it with your family.

Regards

Richard Johnson
Headteacher