It was with regret that I had to write to parents earlier this week regarding my decision to close the school to KS3 students next Wednesday due to Industrial Action. Schools across the city and the county have been similarly affected. Clearly this is a disruption our students could do without. I remain hopeful that some form of resolution can be found that means further disruption can be avoided.  

One point I did want to stress is that there will be no picket line for our KS4 students to cross on 1 February. I have been assured by staff that there are no plans to picket and it is illegal for staff from other institutions to picket our school.

To more positive news….this week has seen the launch of the options process for our Year 9 students. Mr Connor ran a presentation during prep outlining how the process will work this year and Options Booklets and letters were sent home on Thursday. The options process is always an exciting time for me as I see our students really get to take an active part in decisions affecting their education and the subjects they will take. It’s a really important rite of passage for the students and one that is key to a successful Key Stage 4. I’m also glad that the options evening taking place on 9 March will be our first in-person options evening since 2019!

Our DofE students and their parents had a briefing ahead of this weekend’s practice expedition. The expedition is an absolute highlight of the DofE experience and I’m sure they will learn lots through this practice activity. The weather looks slightly milder and crucially dry this weekend. I’m sure they’ll have a great time whatever the weather.

We have had a bumper week of fixtures this week including:

• Year 7 Netball – on Monday our Year 7 netball teams travelled to the Crypt for fixtures. Both the A and B teams were in action and both displayed brilliant sportsmanship, positive attitudes and team spirit in hard fought defeats to strong Crypt teams. Players of the Match were Bianca and Aaliyah.

• Year 8 Netball – Our Year 8s also had games this Monday versus the Crypt. Both A and B teams also demonstrated great fighting spirit and determination right until the final whistle of their matches. Players of the Match were Ava-Rae and Phoebe.

• Year 10 Netball – our Year 10s played a fantastic, fast paced game against Crypt this week. Severn Vale put in a fabulously clinical performance emerging victorious 21 – 9. Player of the Match went to Jasmine B.

• Year 7 Football – the Year 7 boys Football teams played a series of matches against Holmleigh Park on Tuesday. Four games were played in total with Severn Vale winning three of them. Mr Rogers noted that “It was a pleasure to officiate in both games with both sets of players really giving 100% effort” – which is a delight to hear.

• Year 8 Football - the Year 8 boys Football team also played Holmleigh Park on Tuesday evening. Despite going a goal down following a defensive mix-up the boys fought back to win 3 – 1. Goals from Jayden D, and 2 from Reece.

• Year 9 Football – the Year 9 Boys Football team played Holmleigh Park in their opening match of the District League. A top performance all-round saw Severn Vale earn a 5 – 0 victory with a great hat-trick from Luke R.  

• Year 9 Football – the Year 9 Girls Football team played St Peter’s in the group stage of the new County Cup. They drew 2-2 with goals from Lily and Elle. Player of the match went to Grace for making some great saves.

• Year 10 Football – the Year 10 boys Football team completed Tuesday’s fixtures versus Holmleigh Park. An assured performance saw Severn Vale come away with a 4 – 0 victory with goals from Zak Jones, Josh Barclay and a double from Joe Williams

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. 

Have a great weekend. 

Kind regards 
 

Richard Johnson 
Headteacher