This week has been dominated for me by news of the potential industrial action starting on 2 February. This clearly has the potential to cause some disruption which is extremely unfortunate. I am in discussions with colleagues and Governors and will write to parents early next week with our plans once we have been able to gauge the potential impact.

On a more positive note, we have a seen a further increase in attendance this week. Whilst we would like to see it even higher it is pleasing to see the trend continuing to move in the right direction. Thank you very much for your support on this front.

There have also been a wide range of activities for the students taking place this week. We had the University of Gloucestershire in school this week to run a Business Breakfast for Year 10 students who were interested in attending their Summer Residential Programme in July 2023. Having filled up on pain au chocolate / doughnuts and fruit juice, nearly 30 Year 10s found out more information on what the summer residential entails and how to apply. This is a great opportunity for the students and we hope that as many as possible are able to attend this programme.

On Monday students from our Year 7 and 8 science club attended the Flying Start Challenge workshop with staff from Safran Landing Systems. In this session students learnt about the physics of flying and how an aeroplane can travel as fast and smooth as possible. To see this in action they built paper aeroplanes and competed to see whose would go the furthest! Students also began to design their team entry to the Flying Start Challenge final, in which they will be building model gliders and competing against other local schools. We saw some fantastic work from students and are very excited to see what they create in the upcoming build session!

I know there are concerns both locally and nationally regarding youth violence and specifically knife crime. At Severn Vale we are working closely with a range of agencies to tackle these issues both in school and in our local communities. This week we hosted a brand-new hard-hitting theatre production “Breaking the Chain” that aims to raise awareness, kick-start conversations and build resilience around youth violence - with a real focus on knife crime.  The production was shown to students in both Years 7 and 10. I would like to praise both year groups for their excellent attitude and engagement in viewing these performances and hope that in offering such interactive educational experiences, we can raise awareness and prevent future incidents linked to knife crime occurring, both in school and out in our wider community.

On Thursday we had our Year 11 Parents Evening. It was great to hear about so many positive conversations. I hope you found it informative and that you feel you have a better idea of how to support your son / daughter over the coming months.

A further reminder that a recent analysis showed that approximately 10% of those who are entitled to Free School Meals are not currently taking advantage of this scheme. If you think your child may be eligible for Free School Meals you can click on this link to 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. 

Finally, a reminder that next Friday, 27 January, is an Inset day and the school will be closed to students.

Have a great weekend. 

Kind regards 

Richard Johnson 
Headteacher