The sun has finally come out and for the first time it has felt like the summer term. We have been able to get all the students on the field at break and lunchtime which has given them much more space for their social time which has been great for us all.

The arrival of the better weather has, as it often does, coincided with the start of the exam season. All our students have taken their first exam and showed their customary excellent attitude and focus. We wish all our Year 11 students the very best over the next 5 weeks.

This week our Year 9 students have been working on an Enterprise event focused on devising an Anti-Vaping Campaign. The students were really lucky as this year the NHS sponsored the event and brought in doctors, nurses, researchers, marketing managers etc to explain to students:

a) the reasons why vaping is so bad for young people and
b) what an effective NHS campaign consists of.

Our students were then asked to come up with their own anti-vaping campaign to present at the end of the school day. The quality of some of the presentations was superb and we hope to use some of them in our Futures lessons.

On Wednesday, Brass Band England delivered a follow-up to the Brasstastic Workshop they ran earlier this term. This second workshop saw the students further develop the skills they had begun to learn in the initial workshop. The level of playing the students were able to demonstrate after just two workshops was really impressive. I’m sure there is a Brass Ensemble ready to emerge from these talented Year 7s in the coming months.

On the sporting front:

• U16 Football - our girls U16 footballers played the final of the County Cup on Tuesday versus Chosen Hill School. The girls were quite simply brilliant, playing some superb football and outclassing their opponents in all areas of the pitch. The final score was 4-1 with some amazing goals from Grace, Leilani and Elle (2). Well done to all the team and to the staff who supported them.

• Year 8 Cricket - the Y8 cricket team played their second fixture of the season this week in a mass participation event at Crypt. The boys involved batted superbly, particularly Taylor G who hit some fantastic boundaries to earn himself Player of the Day. We managed to come away with a couple of victories and look forward to hosting Gloucester Academy next week.

• Rounders – the Year 10 rounders team played a very competitive game against Holmleigh Park this week, losing by just 2 and a half rounders. Batter of the match was Libby E and fielder of the match was Macey M.

• In the staff vs Year 11 football fixture last Friday everyone was a winner, especially the team that finished second!! In what proved to be a much tighter game than expected, the Year 11 team emerged victorious 4 – 3. It was a lot of fun, played in a superb spirit and raised over £150 for the British Heart Foundation. Special mention has to go to Danny R who scored one of the best goals I have ever seen, a real screamer from 25 yards! I know the staff are already looking to next year’s fixture.

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. 

I do hope you enjoy a great weekend. Let’s hope the sun keeps shining!

Kind regards,

 

Richard Johnson
Headteacher