It has been a pleasure to welcome the students back for the beginning of the academic year and also to welcome our new Year 7s.  The students have returned with an excellent mindset and I am confident this will be another successful year for our students and our school.

That was certainly the case for the class of 2024 who delivered an excellent set of exam results this summer. Those results saw over 67% of our students achieve the key benchmark of a 9 - 4 grade in English and Maths with 44% achieving a grade 5 or above in English and Maths. On the key indicator that the Government uses to measure progress, our students achieved a score which means that on average they achieved nearly 1/3 of a grade higher in all their subjects than students with the same starting points nationally. This will put the school in the top 30% of schools in England and is the best performance in the school’s history.

I am really pleased to report that, for the first time ever, two Severn Vale students (Phoebe A and Sam T) achieved a clean sweep of grade 9s in each of their 9 GCSE subjects. To put this into context, out of over 650,000 students nationally, only 1000 students will have achieved this feat. That two of these were Severn Vale students is something I am hugely proud of. It certainly shows our students that they really can aspire to achieve the very best.

In assemblies this week we have challenged all our students to “Be Your Best”. We know that to support our students to be their best, we have to have high expectations of them. It is why we will have high expectations of their uniform, their punctuality, their attendance, their behaviour and most importantly their learning. When those high expectations are combined with the excellent quality of our teaching and support staff, it means that our students can and do achieve great things. Thank you for your support in enabling our students to meet those high expectations.

The area that continues to act as a barrier to achievement for too many students is attendance. The gap in achievement between those with good attendance (95% and above) and those with attendance below 90% was huge. On average, those with good attendance achieved nearly a grade higher than expected in all their subjects. On average, those with below 90% attendance achieved over half a grade lower than expected in all their subjects.

It was heart-breaking to see students miss out on sixth form places, on college courses and on apprenticeships as a consequence of the negative impact of their poor attendance. It’s why we want to do everything we can to support and encourage attendance. As part of this, we are challenging every student to Strive for Five – 5 days a week in school, on time, working to the best of their ability in 5 lessons a day. We have extensive resources to support students with their attendance as part of our expanded attendance team. Please do contact them if you feel your child would benefit from support. Thank you in advance for ensuring your child is in school every day possible.  

This weekend nearly 180 students and 20 staff will be at Skern Lodge in Bideford enjoying a weekend of outdoor activities. It was an absolute delight to see the excited students off during period 4 on Friday. I know the students will have a great trip and that many memories will be made. A huge thank you to the staff who will be giving up their weekend to support the students.  

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. 

Regards 

Richard Johnson   
Headteacher