As you will know, we have had the NHS / SAIS in school today delivering Covid vaccinations to students in Years 8 – 11 whose parents had consented for them to be given. The aim of this programme is to try to reduce the disruption to education that students have unfortunately seen over the last two years. This has been brought into focus for schools across Gloucestershire as the number of cases in schools has increased quite significantly this week.

Unsurprisingly at this time of year we are also seeing a lot of students with colds and sniffles. Where these occur, there are obvious concerns about it potentially being Covid. This is leading to a lot of absences. Wherever possible we want to reduce the number of students missing school; these students have missed too much school already as a consequence of the pandemic. This is why the continued LFD testing programme is really helpful as it will hopefully make it easier to distinguish between what is a cold and what is Covid. If you are not currently part of the school’s ongoing testing programme, you can still get free LFD tests from your local chemist. Given the likelihood of more colds and sniffles developing as Autumn turns into winter I would strongly recommend you do this.

We had our second walkround on Thursday with over 120 parents and Year 6 students in attendance. It was a delight to take them on tours and for them to see our school on a normal working day. I am always very proud to take visitors on tours of the school and to show them the calm and purposeful working atmosphere that exists. It was a pleasure to hear the positive feedback from the visitors and we hope that they will choose Severn Vale as their secondary school of choice.

As homework is now in full swing for all years I thought it useful to remind you about our getting ready / getting it done sessions in school. Getting ready takes place every morning from 8.00 – 8.40 am with getting it done running from 3.10 – 4.30pm Monday to Thursday. These sessions provide students with a supervised space to work to get homework completed and to print any work that might be necessary. The sessions take place in the DT block with DT4 the main base.

This week saw the whole cast of We Will Rock You focusing on mastering Bohemian Rhapsody. As this is the signature tune of the musical pronunciation is key, as is getting it word perfect. Mr Khokher is therefore working with the cast over the next few weeks to ensure it is more Bohemian Rhapsody than Bo! He Man, Rap Shoddy!

Inter school sports fixtures are taking place once again with rugby matches this week for Years 8 – 10 against Holmleigh Park. On the sporting front we also had some great news about some of our Year 9 netball players Ava Herbert, Jasmine Blench and Eva Moundene all play for Gloucester Ladies Netball Club. The girls recently played in a tournament where they were spotted and asked to join the U14 South West Regional Team. Ava and Eva have also been asked if they would trial for the Satellite Academy, this is the first step and part of the Performance Pathway for England Netball. In more news to celebrate, Keira Wood (Year 10) and Emily Shorter (Year 11) have got through to the Gloucestershire County Rugby Development Squad! These are incredible achievements, and we are very proud of the girls!

As always, I conclude with 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 you have a great weekend despite the dismal forecast.

Regards

Richard Johnson
Headteacher