It has been another good week. I continue to be impressed with the overwhelming majority of our students who are meeting our high expectations and making an excellent start to this academic year. The students are looking really smart and that is reflected in their wider attitude to school. Attendance is still above last year’s figures but we did see a slight dip this week. We want every child to be in school to take advantage of the great opportunities school provides. We know those with 96%+ attendance do so much better than their peers with lower attendance. Thank you in advance for your support in encouraging your child to Strive for Five.

This week has been dominated by our Open Evening. It was an absolute pleasure to welcome so many visitors and to show off our school. The stars of the evening were our students. We had more than 350 students supporting the event; that’s over 1 in 4 of our students. Acting as tour guides and supporting departments, they were brilliant and represented the school superbly. The feedback from all the visitors I spoke to mentioned them and how well they spoke about the school. We are now looking forward to welcoming visitors to our two open mornings, the first of which takes place next Tuesday. 

In September, we launched a new intervention programme based around outdoor education. This Wednesday saw the first off-site experience for the group when they went climbing in the sun-blessed Wyndcliff Quarry, near Chepstow. Each climber was given the opportunity to really push the boundaries of their comfort zones, climbing between five and eight routes on perfectly formed limestone. Most also had the opportunity to carry out a self-controlled descent of the rock face by abseiling, possibly the most testing experience of the day. Mr Howard and Mr Dainty were really impressed by the fortitude, perseverance and enthusiasm demonstrated by all the climbers!

A further reminder that our Supporting Your Child Though GCSEs evenings will take place later this term as follows:

• Year 11 - Thursday 10 October 17:00 - 19:00

• Year 10 - Thursday 17 October 17:00 - 19:00

These sessions will provide you with some great advice on how to help your child navigate the GCSE years. More details will be sent outlining the evening, but please do add the date to your calendar.

Our Year 7 Tutor Parent Evening is also rapidly approaching. Full details have been sent to parents about this event which will take place on Thursday 3 October. I look forward to seeing all of our new Year 7s and their parents on this evening.   

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 have enjoyed a late blast of summer this week. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it will extend into the weekend. Despite that, I do hope you enjoy a great weekend. 

Regards 

Richard Johnson   
Headteacher