The first week of the new term is complete. It has been a pleasure to welcome the students back and to see them settling into their usual routines quickly and effectively. It promises to be a busy term. Next week we have our options evening for Year 9 students and their parents. In the week beginning 10 March, our KS3 students have their order assessments and our Year 11s complete their final core mocks. These weeks are sure to fly by!

This week some of our Year 10 and 11 Health and Social Care students were lucky enough to have a visit from Lynsey Innes from Gloucestershire Social Services. She gave the students an insight into the various roles and areas within social work, what social workers do to help people, and routes into the profession. It was useful for the students to use the knowledge they have learnt in lessons and apply it into real life scenarios. In short, it was a fantastic experience. Many thanks to Lynsey for giving her time so generously.

The end of last term saw a group of 26 of our Year 11 Spanish students head to Madrid on a GCSE Spanish trip. They had a busy 4 days with language lessons, a tour of the city, a trip to Reina Sofia art gallery and the Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid. The last day was spent with our exchange school, where our students had an opportunity to practise their Spanish even more and find out about the life of teenagers in Spain. They, of course, also made time to sample plenty of Spanish food such as tapas and churros! The students arrived back at school tired but buzzing with great memories and new friends. 

Next Wednesday we will be holding our annual collection in support of a local foodbank. This year we are supporting a new partner, the Quedgeley Community Pantry, so any food donated will help those in our local community. This annual collection always makes me incredibly proud of our fabulous community with the enormous display of generosity we see, even when times are tight, as they are at the moment. Full details of the collection have been sent separately. Thank you in advance for your support with this.

Fixtures this week included:

• U12 Football - our U12 girls played their most recent fixture at home against Henley Bank this week. The girls were excellent even though some key players missing, coming away with a well-deserved 2 – 0 victory. Player of the match went to captain Bish P for an excellent performance in defence.

• Year 7 Netball – the Year 7s played Henley Bank this week, winning 3 – 2. Bish P and Laila C were voted as players of the match.

• Year 8 Netball - the Year 8s also played Henley Bank this week. After a dominant performance, the girls won 9 – 1. Ellie W got named player of the match for her super defending. 

• Year 8 Football – our Year 8s took on Holmleigh Park in their latest fixture. The boys were dominant from the start, racing ahead to a 3-0 lead within the opening 15 minutes of the game. Changes were made at half-time to trial out a new formation and positions, with the boys continuing to play some excellent football into the second half. The game ended 7-0, with Toby W finishing the match with 5 goals (taking his tally across 3 games to 10 goals), earning himself another player of the match award.

• Year 9 Netball – the Year 9s completed a hat-trick of victories against Henley Bank. They won 11 - 6, with Lotte H getting player of the match for her brilliant link up play.

Also on the sporting front, on 14 March our annual Severn Vale School Charity 5K run will take place. This year we are inviting students across all years to run, walk or jog the 5k to raise money for our chosen charity. Last year over £500 was raised. This year’s charity was chosen by the Year 7 Student Ambassadors. They selected Sunflowers, which supports local Gloucester-based families who have been bereaved by suicide. The work they do is truly inspiring and helps Gloucester-based families to work through an incredibly traumatic time in their lives. Student and staff runners will be asked to donate £1 to run and are encouraged to gain other sponsorship. Run fees can be paid in cash on the day or via parent pay. Thank you in advance for all your support with this event.

As always, 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.   

Kind regards,  

Richard Johnson 
Headteacher