The end of term has arrived with only a few days now until Christmas. It has been a positive term with many highlights. These highlights continued this week with two fabulous musical events.  

Today saw the culmination of this year’s Big Sing. This is an annual event for our Year 7 students which sees the nine tutor groups put into three choirs and given two songs to learn and then perform on the last day of term. Led by Miss Newport from our Music department, the students have been rehearsing hard over the past term. It has been a delight to see them progress over the past seven weeks and to see them enjoying singing. There was a joyous feeling this morning as the students sang superbly. All the students should be proud of their performances and reflect on the confidence they have gained from the experience. Thank you to the students for their enthusiasm, to the staff for supporting them and to Miss Newport for leading the Big Sing with such gusto.  

Yesterday evening saw a second musical treat with our Annual Winter Showcase. There was an eclectic range of music performed by students from Years 7 – 11. It was a great evening with many fabulous performances. I am always in awe of the talent and dedication of the performers and it was great to share that with many friends and family members last night. A huge thank you to the performers and the Music department who supported them.  

A further highlight for me this week was to celebrate the fantastic achievements of some of our Key Stage 3 students. I had the pleasure of seeing the students who achieved the highest scores and those who made the most progress in their recent order assessments. These students deserve huge credit for their hard work, determination and desire to be their best. I applaud them for their efforts and look forward to seeing them go on from strength to strength.   

Congratulations go to Adam R in 7I. His was the winning entry in our annual Ghost Story competition. The standard was high and Mrs Beard had to draft in additional staff to help decide the final winner. In the opinion of the judges, Adam’s story stood out for giving readers a real 'shiver down the spine' feeling at the end. Well done to all who participated.  

This week also saw the announcement of the winners of our inaugural Gingerbread House decorating competition. The standard was exceptionally high in both the staff and the student competitions with finished designs worthy of a place in the Bake-Off Showstopper round!! The winners in the staff category were in first place, Mrs Ford with Mrs Braithwaite the runner-up. In the student competition the winner was Lily K with joint runners-up Merryn F and Millie H. Huge congratulations to who took part and a massive thanks to the Food department for organising this great event.  

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.   

We will see the students again on Monday 8 January 2024!! It will be a week A. 

All that is left for me to do is to thank you for your ongoing support and to wish you and your family a fabulous Christmas.  

Richard Johnson 
Headteacher