This week has clearly been dominated by the industrial action that has seen the school have to limit provision on both Wednesday and Thursday. These were the last of the 4 days of action initially planned by the NEU. In Scotland and Wales deals have now been struck between the unions and the devolved administrations. It is extremely pleasing to see that the unions and the Government have announced that talks have begun and will continue over the weekend. We need this issue resolved speedily so that further disruption for our students can be avoided. I have my fingers crossed that these talks prove fruitful and a settlement can be reached.

In school the highlight was seeing the results of the foodbank collection in support of the Gloucester Foodbank. This collection was organised and promoted by our Year 11 student leaders. They have taken on the responsibility for each stage of the process and have done a tremendous job. I am enormously proud of them. I am also proud of our school community for their outstanding display of generosity. Thank you to the student leaders for their great work and to you for giving so generously. I know it will have real impact and will be appreciated by the many recipients.

Our Year 11 have been completing their spoken language assessments as part of their English Language GCSE. It is been a pleasure to see them taking real pride in the work and carefully and thoughtfully delivering their speeches on a range of really interesting topics. Some students have been nervous but seeing them rise to the challenge has been a real joy.

A combination of the industrial action and the weather has severely limited fixtures this week. The surviving fixtures included:

• Year 8 Netball – the Year 8 girls played in the District netball tournament at DRHS. They played showing great sportsmanship and enthusiasm. Lily-Ann Carr was nominated as player of the tournament.

• Year 11 Netball – the Year 11 girls played against Sir Thomas Rich's 6^th form team in an enthusiastic and very friendly affair. The girls lost 12-6 but had a lot of fun and played some fab netball against girls 2 years older than them! Players went to 3 students: Chanelle Wood, Liv Hudman and Sophie Evans!

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 GCC each Monday. I would urge you to take a look if you think you may benefit from financial assistance. 

I hope you have a great weekend.

Regards 

Richard Johnson 
Headteacher