It has been another busy week in what is always a very busy term.

On Thursday, we held our Year 10 parent evening. It was a pleasure to see so many parents and students in school. This evening gave parents the chance to discuss the start their child has made to their GCSE courses. I have been very impressed with the attitude and application of Year 10. They have definitely made a positive start and I know that was reflected in lots of the conversations taking place. There will always be areas to work on. This event taking place early in the year, gives the students lots of opportunity to address any of these issues. I hope all who attended found it useful. 

Through our ongoing partnership with Strike a Light, the music department was chosen as one of three Gloucester secondary schools to be involved in a local performance of ‘The Endz’. ‘The Endz’ is a story of two friends torn apart by gang violence depicted through rap, song and spoken word. It is a hugely powerful piece which combines the forces of an orchestra with the energy and honesty of the young performers. It was written and performed in tribute to Malcolm Mide-Madariola who, in 2018 at the age of 17, was murdered outside Clapham South station for innocently trying to defend a friend during an altercation. Our students have been working with a range of professional artists, musicians, coaches and conductors as part of their preparation for the one-off performance on Thursday 27th November at GL1 at 7pm. It really is going to be something unique and special. Tickets can be purchased via this link. Strike a Light operate a ‘Pay What You Can’ policy for tickets and I hope many of you will take the opportunity to see our students perform as part of this powerful performance. Please contact Mr. Khokher if you have any questions.

Our Outdoor Education group continued their programme this week with a visit to the Forest of Dean for a walking adventure around many of the ancient caves and iron ore mines that are scattered around the area. Accompanied by their fantastic guide, the group were able to access a variety of ancient limestone caves and iron ore mine shafts left over from industrial times. The terrain provided a number of challenges and took the students out of their comfort zone, a key element of the course.

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. 

A real highlight this for me week was being invited to the “baby shower” Miss Stead’s 11W Child Development group organised for their Head of Year, Ms Hayward. The students did a tremendous job, showing unbelievable generosity. I know Ms Hayward was absolutely blown away by it. It was a great testament to the fondness the students have for Ms Hayward and a delight to be a small part of it.

The cold weather this week 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. 

Sporting fixtures this week included:

• Year 7 Rugby - on Monday evening our Year 7s hosted St Peter’s. A large number of our boys were playing their first game which was brilliant to see. Both sides were running well, and SV showed some brilliant tackling, with Quinton at the heart of everything! SV ended up winning 7 tries to 4. Special mention to Charlie, Freddie and Brody who were dangerous every time they had the ball and tackled everything!

• Year 7 Netball – there was another set of fixtures for our Year 7 Netball teams on Tuesday, this time against Ribston. Our A team lost by one point, 8-7 to a good Ribston side, Fleur P got player of the match. The B team lost 7-5, with Serenity G named player of the match.
  
  35 Year 7 girls also took part in a mixed team fixture at Denmark Road on Thursday. We had 1 win, 2 draws and 1 loss. Players of the match went to Ella W, Serenity G, Sophia S and Promise A. The girls had a fab time, played some great netball and their singing on the minibus was just as good!

• Year 9 Football – the Year 9 boys’ ESFA cup run unfortunately came to an end this week against tough opposition in South Bromsgrove. The boys recovered well from a 3-1 down at half-time to make the game a lot closer in the second half, playing with a lot more confidence and togetherness. Goals on our end came from Ryan, Toby and a screamer of a free kick from Theo. Players of the day went to Theo and TJ for their work rate and solid defensive work.

• Year 9 Rugby – on Tuesday evening our Year 9s hosted Holmleigh Park in our final home game. Both teams ran hard and defences were solid. Both teams were also looking to move the ball around. SV slowly built a lead through some great support play and better rucking, emerging victorious, 19-5. Special mention to TJ and Koby who were outstanding once again.

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 have a look if you think you may benefit from financial assistance.  

I do hope you have a great weekend.

Regards 

Richard Johnson  
Headteacher