A Happy New Year to you all!  

It has been a pleasure to welcome the students back after the festive break. I have been pleased with the positive start the majority of our students have made in what is always a very busy term.

For our Year 11s, the countdown to the summer exams is well and truly underway; there are only 67 school days until the start of the summer exam season. Two key milestones are upcoming. Firstly, we have our Year 11 parents evening taking place next Thursday, 15 January. This is an incredibly important opportunity to discuss your child’s progress and what they need to be doing to ensure they can realise their potential in the summer exams. To make the most of this, we strongly recommend your child attend with you. I look forward to seeing as many of you there for what will be their last parent evening at Severn Vale!  

The second key milestone for the Year 11s will be the Option subject mocks. These take place in the fortnight beginning 26 January. These mocks provide the students with vital feedback on their progress and, most importantly, let them know what they need to be doing next in their option subjects as they prepare for the summer exams. Thank you in advance for ensuring that your child is preparing properly for these key assessments.  

Last term saw strong levels of attendance across all year groups. I was extremely pleased to see that our school’s attendance was higher than the national level in every week of the term, a fantastic achievement. Strong attendance is the foundation for academic success. It is also important in supporting our students’ emotional and social development. It would be fantastic to see these excellent levels of attendance continue through Term 3.  Thank you for your support with this.

Our Outdoor Education group completed their penultimate challenge this week: caving in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons in old money!) The group travelled to the wilds of Craig y Cilau National Nature Reserve to venture into the Llangattock Escarpment. The nature of the caves provided a range of challenges, including some particularly tight sections which required the students to crawl through them. The students rose to these challenges and were able to tackle a range of terrain, as well as learn about the geology and history of the area. All in all, it was a fantastic experience for the group.

This first week of the new term has brought some proper winter weather, even though the forecast snow did not arrive last night. During the winter, it is important that students have coats. I would like to remind you that a hoodie is not a coat, and we do not allow students to wear hoodies in school. Thank you for your support with this. 

As always, I end with 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 have a great weekend.  

Kind regards,  

Richard Johnson 
Headteacher