This short term draws to a close today. This week, like the others this term, has been really busy with lots of great activities for the students and some amazing results to share.

Earlier in the school year half of Year 8 participated in a competition organised by the V&A museum. The competition challenged students to use design to breathe new life into materials, objects and buildings, encourage more play and playfulness, and support themselves and others with the senses and universal accessibility in mind. 226 schools entered the competition and from these schools 10 finalists have been invited to the V&A in South Kensington to pitch their ideas to the judges, including Jay Blades of the Repair Shop fame. We are delighted that 1 of these 10 teams is from Severn Vale School. The team will be travelling to London on 19 March for what will be an amazing experience. We wish them well.

In other fantastic news, our Year 7 students took part in a national Times Table Rock Stars tournament last Friday. I was delighted to hear that they finished 8th out of 161 secondary schools nationally, coming 1st in the South-West.  Many congratulations to all who took part.

Further good news…. I was delighted to hear that Sophie Evans, one of our fabulous Year 11 students from last year, has just been appointed as Head Girl at Marling School. We always knew Sophie was destined for great things, so it comes as no surprise to us. We are all proud of her an know she will be an ideal representative and role model for Marling School.

On Monday, our Year 11 students had an assembly from the National Citizenship Service (NCS). The NCS run a programme that many of our students have taken part in over the years. It aims are to boost confidence; nurture new skills; grow resilience; and enable participants to be a force for good. Full details are available on the NCS website. It’s a great programme and one that is well-worth participating in. 

On Tuesday, students in Year 7 had the opportunity to take part in a poetry workshop with professional poet Giovanni "Spoz" Esposito.  Students spent the whole day writing and performing their own pieces of poetry and learning the art of spoken word poetry from an expert! In the final session of the day, every student performed their poem on the theme of "refuge" in a Year 7 poetry slam. All the students felt confident enough to "hit the mic" and perform their mature and powerful words in front of the crowd. The esteemed judges (Mrs. Box, Mrs. Beard and Miss Harper) went on to select the three final teams who will represent the school at the county finals, at The Cheltenham Playhouse in March. The winning teams were:

• The Punctuation Powerpuff Girls

• The Punctuation Punches

• The Bullet Point Bros

The entire English department is extremely proud of how enthusiastic and engaged the students were!

Last night we had our Year 9 Parents Evening. It was a pleasure to see so many parents and to hear so many productive conversations. The new arrangements in place seemed to work well and once again, the feedback was positive. We will welcome the Year 9 parents back again on Thursday 7 March for the 2024 Options Evening.

In the early hours of this morning, staff and students from the language department departed for a trip to Paris. This will be an excellent opportunity for the students to practise and develop their language skills as they prepare for the forthcoming GCSE oral exam.

This evening, I am looking forward to attending our new KS3 Drama group’s first production, Jack and the Beanstalk. Having had a sneak preview during rehearsals today it promises to be a great show.

It’s been another busy week of fixtures, including:

• Year 7 Football – our Year 7s travelled to The Crypt for another participation game. The boys played six ten-minute games, winning four and drawing two. Special mention to Callum, Theo and TJ for their excellent performances and Tawana for the goal of the evening,

• Year 8 Football – the Year 8 boys played a home fixture against Crypt this week in tough conditions. As with St Peters last week, the boys had a slow start but grew into it more as the game went on. Unfortunately, Crypt came away with a 7 – 1 win, but the boys' effort and commitment to keep going couldn't be faulted. Tyler W scored a brilliant penalty, but Player of the Match went to Rhys L for his fantastic leadership skills and defending. 

• Year 8 Netball – on Monday both the Year 8 A and B teams travelled to Denmark Road for their latest fixtures. The A team put in a great performance to earn a well-deserved win, 11 – 5. Player of the Match was Kacie. The B team also put in a superb performance but were narrowly defeated, 7 – 6. Players of the Match were Teanna and Dolly.

• Year 9 Football- there was a great start to the season for the Year 9 football team against Gloucester Academy on Wednesday night. The boys played with real maturity and showed great attitudes during the match. Hat tricks from Kieran M and Sammy W were real treats, but all the boys played their part in this win. They came away 12 - 1 winners. Well done boys!

• Year 10 Football- there was a great performance from the year 10 boys against Crypt on Tuesday night. They were down 2-0 after 10 minutes but came back to win 4-2! All the boys dug in and battled hard for the win. The second half saw strong performances from Kaelen V, Deshay T and Andre BA, who scored 2 cracking goals.

• Year 11 Football – On Wednesday, our Year 11s hosted Tommies in their latest fixture. The team was mixed-up to give some different players a chance. A composed and confident performance saw them earn another good win, 6 – 0 which included an 11 minute hat-trick by Joe W. Kieran W playing out of goal put in a tireless display in midfield earning him the Player of the Match.

• Under 16 Football - we hosted the 3rd and last of the 7 aside District Football tournaments this week. With 6 schools entered, the tournament was played in a round robin format. The conditions were horrendous, but our girls were not deterred. They drew 0-0 with Ribston, beat Churchdown 1-0, beat Crypt 2-1, beat Denmark Road, 1-0 and beat Kings 4-0. This resulted in them being crowned District Champions. They now progress to the county finals at Cirencester Town at the end of the month. Kayleigh T earned herself Player of the Tournament with a great goal and sheer persistence and determination throughout every game.

• A group of our KS3 students took part in the first Secondary Panathlon Challenge in Gloucestershire. This involved schools from across the county competing at Ten Pin Bowling. The students who competed have been a pleasure to work with and have gained a huge amount from the experience. Even better news was that the Year 8 team emerged as overall winners. Congratulations to all who took part.

Finally, a reminder that the next round of Order Exams is fast approaching for Maths and Science for our KS3 students. The students will also be completing assessment tasks in their English lessons. Work has been set on Satchel One by their Maths and Science teachers to help them prepare for these exams which will take place as follows:

• Year 7 - Tuesday 27 February;

• Year 8 – Wednesday 28 February;

• Year 9 -Thursday 29 February.  

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 do hope the students have a great half-term. We will see them again on Monday 19 February. This will be a week B.

Kind regards,

Richard Johnson
Headteacher