The penultimate week of term is complete. It has been a busy one with lots going on for the students.

On Monday, our Year 8 students saw a performance of Chelsea’s Story. This is a powerful drama production which aims to raise the students’ awareness of the issues surrounding the sexual exploitation of children. We know that the best protection we can give to young people is knowledge of the dangers so that they are aware and can protect themselves, as well as letting them know where they can go for help and support if they are worried. This production will be complemented by our Futures curriculum during KS3.

The English department has run a number of trips this week. These trips are an essential part of our enrichment offer and are valued by students and their families. A group of Year 11 students went to Bristol on Wednesday evening to watch a production of ‘An Inspector Calls’. Feedback from students and staff suggests that the evening was both enjoyable and useful, and I was unsurprised to be told that the conduct of our students far surpassed that of many others in the theatre. Yesterday and today have seen our annual trips to the Cheltenham Literature Festival take place, with more than 70 students benefiting from the close relationship we retain with the festival. These visits cannot happen without lots of help and support from numerous colleagues, so a huge thank you to all concerned.

We have a variety of mental health and wellbeing provision in school. On Tuesday evening, part of the team delivered a session on supporting parents of KS3 students to help manage when their child has anxious thoughts. Despite the atrocious weather, the event was well attended and the feedback from the parents present was really positive. It is likely that there will be a further event in the spring. Of course, if you need support with any mental health or wellbeing issue, please contact your child’s Head of Year for the year, who can make a referral to our Mental Health and Wellbeing Team.

A highlight of the week for me was visiting students in our Year 11 Health and Social Care classes. They have been producing health campaigns as part of their coursework. The campaigns focused on dental health in children and on heart disease. The quality of the work was really impressive and demonstrated a high commitment to the subject. It also suggests the students are in a good place as they progress through the course and shows they have the potential to deliver some fabulous grades.

This week also saw term 1 performance platforms which featured a full capacity of students sign-up from Year 8-11 to the point we needed a reserve list!  The week featured soloists, ensembles, a trio and a duet with a great range of singers, guitarists, various drummers, our Y9 flautist, a new to performing Year 8 pianist and a newly discovered bassist (they are rare but so important to ensemble playing!) As always, a broad range of musical tastes were showcased and it is fair to say all students were organised, practised and prepared themselves well with all performances going and being received very well. Thank you to all our performers for a brilliant week which very much showcased musical passion, maturity and artistry too. Their practice paid off, they all achieved well and were appreciated by all students and staff that were able to join us and enjoy the week's musical culture and encouraging creative community. 

Yesterday evening we held our Supporting Your Child Though GCSEs evening for Year 11 students. This gave parents key information to help them support their child as they navigate the challenges of Year 11. The feedback from the attendees was positive and all were able to take away useful advice for the year ahead. A similar event for Year 10 parents will take place next Thursday.

We had a series of good news about students past and present this week:

• On the sporting front, congratulations to Kaelan V and Seb B who have been selected to represent Gloucestershire in the U16 football team.

• Also on the sporting front, Oliver M, Josh M and Luke R have been selected to play in the District U16 Rugby Team. Congratulations to them.

• Ex SV student Tim Veremieienko won the award for Best Documentary: Short at the recent Gloucester Independent Film Festival.  Tim, who left Severn Vale in 2023, attends a Film College in Bristol and is hoping to go to University next academic year and become a cinematographer. We are proud of the part we have played in Tim’s fantastic progress.

As ever, I include my 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, a reminder about road safety. Nothing is more important than the safety and welfare of our students. We will be speaking to them in line-ups next week about the importance of basic road safety and awareness. Some are displaying a disregard that has the potential to result in a serious accident. I would request that you also take the time to have similar conversations. Thanks in advance for your support with this.

I do hope you have a great weekend. 

Regards 

Richard Johnson   
Headteacher