Well that is term 3 complete. I think I speak for everyone when I say that the last 6 weeks have not been easy. Lockdown in the depths of winter has been a very different experience when compared to the first lockdown. The poor weather and the dark mornings and early evenings have made the experience more challenging and more isolating.

Chinks of light are definitely appearing now though. The rate of vaccinations continues to astound. The aim of ensuring the first 4 groups have all received their first dose by the middle of February looks likely to be achieved and as I write the proportion of the population having received at least one dose now exceeds 20%. Other data are pointing in the right direction. Combined with the first flowers of spring I think we can all be hopeful that a corner has been turned.

Next week we will get the outline of the plan for schools returning to face to face teaching for all students. We know the Government are suggesting a starting date of 8^th March for this process. Whether that is a return for all or a staggered return is the key question. The Government do have a really difficult decision to make. Clearly, we all want our students back and to be together again as a school. We also want to make sure this is the last occasion that students have to work from home. That suggests a more cautious approach may be beneficial. Balancing those competing demands will not make for an easy decision. Whatever is decided, I know that our staff will do everything in their power to ensure that we make it work regardless.

In the short term at least, remote learning will continue. Our aim throughout with our remote learning offer has been to try to keep education a constant in what are uncertain times. Despite the many challenges, I believe we have provided a really effective programme for our students. I know a significant proportion of our students have been able to take advantage of the remote learning provided. They have enjoyed the daily contact with their teachers and peers and overwhelmingly they have made the most of the varied learning opportunities.

Maintaining motivation throughout a 6 week term has been difficult and I am indebted to the support and encouragement you are offering your children to ensure they are making the most of the live lessons. I know that hasn’t been easy. You have had to balance your own jobs and lives with the added challenge of your children being at home, needing the Wi-Fi and the laptop and lunch and snacks and motivation and encouragement and exercise and help with which year was the Treaty of Versailles and what’s the Quadratic Formula? So, to our families: thank you. You have done an amazing job.

I am also enormously grateful to the teaching and support staff who have stepped up so amazingly over the past term. In addition to the challenge of delivering a remote curriculum for our students, our teachers and support staff are on the front line as schools address a rise in domestic abuse and child protection issues, and try to support families affected by the pandemic. Our staff have created a testing operation and further developed our Covid procedures, all while keeping the financial, administrative and resource functions of the school operating smoothly. To our staff: thank you. You have done an amazing job.

Finally, it is worth noting that in the darkness of the pandemic it is our students who are the beacon of light. From the chorus of “thank you”s at the end of each remote lesson, to the fantastic work that they are producing, to the kindness they are showing to others in helping them with technical problems, resources and understanding the work…our students have done themselves proud. They have been there, turning up for the Zooms, engaging in the chat and introducing us to their pets. It has been tough being separated from friends and classmates, tough to maintain motivation in the face of uncertainty, but they have stayed strong and kept going throughout it all. To our students: thank you. You have done an amazing job.

Half-term will provide us all the opportunity to draw breath, relax and recharge our batteries in advance of the whatever challenges the new term presents.

As well as delivering online learning, we are also ensuring that other key parts of our provision for students is maintained. On Wednesday 10^th February our Independent Careers Adviser, Georgie Blackburn, delivered two webinars aimed at helping our Year 10 and Year 11 parents and carers to better support their child with their post-16 options. Topics covered included: the options available and local provision in Gloucestershire; the differences between types of courses and qualifications and learning environments; how to learn more about sixth forms / colleges / apprenticeships and the application process and positive ways to support your child with career and education choices. The sessions finished with a chance for questions and answers about any concerns. Both webinars were very well attended with over 75 families benefiting from Georgie Blackburn’s experience.  

During both sessions a poll was taken asking parents and carers to comment on “Did they know at the age of 15 what career they wanted to do AND if so are they still doing it now”. Only 5 parents were able to answer yes to this question with the vast majority answering “I thought I knew what I wanted to do, but I’m doing something different now.” Current young people are unlikely to stay in one field for the whole of their career and so there is greater emphasis now on transferable skills and Georgie’s webinar focused on how best to prepare today’s 15 year olds on how to make informed decisions, post-16 and beyond. A copy of the webinar will be posted on the careers page of the school website. 

Our options process continues for our Year 9 students. This week the subject information videos went live on the school’s website. They can be accessed by clicking here. Students now have a full range of information to help them make their GCSS option choices.

I have enjoyed following the achievements of the students who have signed up to the school’s PE Strava Club. At the time of writing the students have amassed over 500km of running and walking. For any students seeking some additional motivation to keep active through running, walking or cycling this is a great tool.

By 8^th March our students will have been out of school for over 9 weeks. I know that for some this is proving a challenge.  Please remember that our staff remain available to support the students. The best points of contact are always the Tutors or the Heads of Year. There is also a wealth of well-being material and links on the school website here.

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.

To end, a bumper list of Zoom stars identified by our staff. These are a selection of the students who have absolutely excelled in terms of their engagement and work produced. They are:

Year 7	Year 8	Year 9	Year 10	Year 11
Aaron Thompson	Charlie Partridge	Alex Ip	Adele Smith	Aaron Ashmore
Abbie Nicholls	Chase Codlin	Alicia Adams	Aiden Webb	Abby Davies
Aidan Sangster-Rice	Daniel Middlecote	Amber Rowles	Candice Townsend-Jones	Abi Palmer
Amy Northmore	Daniel Thomas	Amy Wilkinson	Charlotte Bodenham	Adam Ianetta
Cameron Merrick	Ellie Stevens	Ben Brockbank	Chloe Boulton	Afreen Master
Charlie Ward	Ethan Garwood-Wyatt	Ben Lusty	Cody Barley	Aleashia Gilbert
Chloe Webb	Eva Moundene	Ben Sachs	Conor Preece	Aleksandra Czamara
Christopher Moroney	Francis Minett	Cerys Jones	Daisy Lord	Alex Dunne
Ethan Redding	Georgia Ashby	Dilawar Oryakhil	Denecia Blake	Amelia Ward
Grace Dyer	Grace Wintle	Edie Dowdeswell	Ellie Cockings	Amy Hobbs
Gracie Smith	Gracie Wintle	Evan Green	Ellis Brayshaw	Ashleigh Barclay
Harvey Davies	Jasmine Blench	Izabela Stec	Emily Wadley	Asia Codlin
Jack Greene	Julia Telesinska	Josh Loveys	Eve Rasdell	Ayesha Diallo
Jack Sidorowicz	Kaitlin Cave	Leah Ives	Faith Dance	Ben Haines
Jayden Hatton	Kayleigh Taylor	Lewis Chisholm	Finley Williams	Ben Sweetman
Kara Parry	Kimi Gittins	Lily Meikle	Finn Holland	Calum Preece
Kenny Khedira	Lauren Keyse	Logan Evans	Gurninder Kaur	Cassie Biggs
Leila Etheridge	Lila-Mae Barnes	Marley Johnson	Henry Kondji	Chloe Quick
Liam Jones	Luize Rubene	Michael Merrett	Hollie Ludlow	Chloe Sharpe
Lily Symonds	Maddie Woodger	Millie Waktins	Holly Stokes	Connor Good
Lucas Prewer	Maisie Loxley	Pippa Anderson,	Honey Arthur-Pugh	Dylan Tyack
Martha Parry	Maja Burkacka	Riley Rhodes	Imogen Williams	Edgar Kadnikovs,
Max Withers	Oliver Leonard	Ryan Burge	Jack Osborne	Ella Mansfield
Michal Kowalczuk	Oliver Rea	Sophie Evans	Jacob Thorpe	Ellie Bundy
Nicola Majernik	Owen Middleton-Smith	Tayla Hill	Jacob Wintle	Ellis Wilding
Noah Scourfield	Phoebe Adshead	Thomas Bingham	Jake Thompson	Emily Napthine
Oliver McDade	Ryan Trigg	Tom Greenaway	James Reynolds	Eve Hitchings
Ophelyah McLean	Samuel Turner	Tori Smith	Jay Miller	Faye Chisholm
Riley Weston	Sophie Lee	Wiktoria Wisniewska	Josh Clarke	Harriet Moore
Rosie Baldwin	Thomas Adams		Katy May Watson	Harvey Fawlk
Sam Bardwaj	William Fitzgerald		Keira Penrith	Harvey Perris
Sam Rod			Laksh Virk	Holly Evans
Sophia Meadows			Leona Greene	Iliana Tsipi
Sydney Folley			Louis White	Isabel Harrison
			Luke Roberts	Jacob Cromwell
			Mailie Gladwin	Jarod Grimmett
			Mariska Jukes	Jess Ireland
			Millie Maycock	Josh Leonard
			MJ Salah	Joshua Hirst
			Molly-May Newman	Kallie Porter
			Nikol Kalfova	Lauren Chambers
			Robbie Farr	Leaha Meredith
			Ruby Cole	Lee Parry
			Ruby Thurston Booth	Leia S Churcher
			Ryan McQuillan	Leo Page
			Ryan Mcquillian	Lily Anderton
			Shana Walsh	Lucy Clark
			Shanai Mitchell	Lydia Matumba
			Sitranan Pulong	Max Wheeler
			Skye Clarke	Megan Gibbs
			Summer Evans	Megan Voyce
			Taylor Eadie	Naurimantas Martisius
			Toby Hoskins	Olivia Long
			Will Todd	Rasool Jabarkhiel
				Ruquaya Zayd
				Sam Dean
				Sam Seville
				Sienna Ryder
				Sophie Newman
				Summer Link
				Tom Anderson

 

Please do take care and stay safe.

Richard Johnson
Headteacher