This week we had the first blast of winter, with cold days most of the week and even the odd flurry of snow; very unusual for November.

It has also seen worryingly low levels of attendance across most year groups, in particular Year 11.  All the evidence makes clear that attendance is one of the very biggest factors in determining the academic success a student achieves. For students at Severn Vale, the data has always confirmed this. For example, last year those with good attendance on average 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. Attendance matters that much.

I am confident that our fantastic teaching and support staff can help our students make great progress. Our results show that to be the case. However, our staff cannot help and support when students are not in school. Thank you in advance for your support in ensuring your child attends every day they can.

Our annual Severn Vale Christmas Gift Drive was launched this week with the students. Full details were also shared with parents as well. The Christmas Gift Drive is a truly heart-warming example of our school community coming together to support others. Each year we get around 700 gifts which are collected in the Main Hall. These are then distributed by the Salvation Army to families that have been referred to them as being in need. We know times are hard for many and understand that some will not be able to contribute. If you can, do know that your gift will make a real difference to the lives of those in receipt. Thank you in advance for your support with this great initiative.

I’m delighted that the Friends of Severn Vale have launched a new student event for later this term. It’s a Santa Fun Run which will take place on Friday 6 December at 3.30pm. The run will be 2km and all students and staff are invited to join in. There is a £2 entry (cash on the day) which will include a Santa hat to wear for the run. All the proceeds will go to the Friends of Severn Vale who will use it to fund projects for the benefit of students in school.

On Thursday we held our Year 10 Parents Evening. It was great to see so many parents in school to talk to their child’s teachers. We moved this parents evening earlier in the school year so that parents and teachers could discuss the start students have made to their GCSE courses. The aim being to address key concerns before they become bigger issues and ensure as many as possible are on track to realise their potential. I hope all who attended found it useful. 

Sporting fixtures this week were limited by the weather but did include:

• Year 7 Rugby – on Monday the Year 7 boys travelled to Newent for their latest fixture. On a freezing evening with ice-cold rain, both teams absolutely flew into each other. SV tried to throw the ball around, but the conditions were not on our side, whilst Newent went for the route 1 option. We lost 4 tries to 2 but the game really could have gone either way. MOM goes to Brooklyn King for his tackle count and yards made with ball in hand.

• Year 7 Football – our Year 7 Girls had a friendly against Gloucester Academy this week. This was an opportunity for all the girls to represent the school for the first time in a fixture. The score ended 4 - 0 to GA, but the girls never gave up and represented the school superbly. The player of the match went to Awana P who had a brilliant performance in goal. 

The cold weather does flag up the need for students ideally to bring a coat with them to school. We have had a few students wearing hoodies this week in place of a coat. We, like most schools, do not allow hoodies. This has been explained to students in line-up and is clearly explained in our uniform policy. Thank you for your support with this.

As ever, I include my 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.  

A reminder that next Friday, 29 November, is an Inset Day. The students will only be in school from Monday to Thursday.

I hope you have a great weekend.

Regards 

Richard Johnson   
Headteacher