It has been the penultimate week of exams for our Year 11s in what has been an unusually long exam season. They have continued to demonstrate stamina and resilience as they have tackled up to 8 exams in 4 days. Fortunately, only one student has an exam today so the rest have been spared the prospect of an exam in sweltering conditions. That leaves just two science exams for most students next week and they will all be complete and can look forward to their leavers’ assembly and Prom next Friday evening. I’m sure they can’t wait!

As we prepare to bid farewell to one group of students we are beginning preparations to welcome the next cohort of Severn Vale students, the class of 2027!!!! The first of our primary transition visits took place this week with the others taking place in the next two weeks. We will then welcome the new Year 7 students to visit Severn Vale in July. I am very much looking forward to meeting the new students and am sure they will be as much of a credit to the school as the departing class of 2022. 

A request for your support; we are very proud of our uniform and of the fact that the vast majority of our students look smart and school ready every single day.  It is something we have improved over the past few years, and have been able to do so because of your support. It has become clear that the high standards we aspire to have slipped recently. Whilst returning to ‘normal’ after the past two years, we have been focusing on other priorities and keeping this one in reserve.  It is now time to return to this and have it correct for September. As we say in our uniform section of the website – “We think it is important to be proud of our school and to reflect that in the way we are presented.  We know that when students get the ‘small things’ right, such as uniform, they are better placed to focus on their learning”. Thank you in advance for your support with this. 

On Thursday 40 pupils and 5 staff took part in a Maths/Computer Science trip to the fascinating Bletchley Park. During the course of the day they learnt about the work of the code breakers during WWII, took a tour of the site to learn about the work at Bletchley, visited the Intelligence Factory with interactive exhibits where they could dress as the staff and complete tasks like radio operators, took part in a codes and ciphers workshop where they were shown the inner mechanism of the real Enigma machine ( worth £250,000!!) and visited Alan Turing's office. All followed by ice cream by the lake! The students were a pleasure to take and a repeat visit is already being planned for next year.

On the sporting front it was great to hear of the success achieved by Year 10 student, Dylan Bhatti. Last weekend he won the county 100m championship in a blistering time of 11.4 seconds. He now goes on to represent Gloucestershire at the South-West championships in Exeter. I’m sure you will want to join me in wishing Dylan the best of luck.

On the fixture front:

• Year 7 cricket - the Year 7s went to Churchdown to play two fixtures. All the students got to experience batting, bowling, and fielding. It was another great experience for them, and we look forward to the next. It's also great to see some of the boys have gone onto play local club cricket.
• Year 7 Rounders – the girls went to Holmleigh Park and were defeated in a game played in excellent spirits. Players of the Match went to Gabby Gomes and Millie Snell.
• Year 8 Cricket - the boys competed in the Crypt Cricket festival and had a wonderful experience. They won 3 out of their 4 games and played some exciting cricket, with Mason Fawlk leading by example. Josh Moroney played extremely well so too did Dylan Barnes and Sam Pritchard. However, the top bowler of the evening was Corben Merrett who took 4 wickets from 5 balls!!
• Year 8 Rounders – the girls took part in the District tournament on Tuesday. The girls were amazing, demonstrating brilliant decision making and tactical awareness. They beat Ribston and GA, lost against Denmark Road so finished second in their group. Players of the day went to Amy Northmore and Rebecca Clay.
• Year 9 Rounders – the girls travelled to the Crpyt to for their game on Thursday. The game ended in a defeat but their were strong performances throughout with Players of the Match going to Izzy Brotherston and Ava Herbert.
• Year 10 Rounders – the Year 10 girls also went down to a strong Crypt team. Player of the Match went to Ellie Lines.

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.

And finally…..we bid a fond farewell to the wonderful Ms Cooksley today as she departs for pastures new. She has been at Severn Vale for 19 years and has had a really profound impact both on the students she has taught and the school more widely. She is leaving Severn Vale to take up an exciting position at the Cheltenham Festivals; our loss is very much their gain. I know she will ensure that our students at are the forefront of her planning when it comes to learning opportunities with the Festivals over the coming years. She leaves with our deepest gratitude, respect and best wishes.

Unfortunately, the beautiful weather doesn’t look as if it is going to last. Despite that, I hope you have a great weekend.

Kind regards

Richard Johnson
Headteacher