The new academic year has begun, and I am pleased that the students have returned with a very positive attitude.  In particular, it has been a pleasure to welcome our new Year 7 students who have made a brilliant impression on all the staff.  I know that the ingredients are in place for another successful year for our students and our school.

I am pleased to report that the Class of 2025 had a successful year, delivering a strong set of exam results. Over 64% of our students achieve the key benchmark of a 9 - 4 grade in English and Maths with 47% achieving a grade 5 or above in English and Maths. This is the highest figure the school has achieved on this measure. There was also a pleasing increase in the number of top grades achieved. We wish the Class of 2025 all the best for the next steps in their education and training.

In assemblies this week, we challenged all our students to “Be Your Best”. We know that to support our students to be their best, we have to have high expectations of them. It is why we will have high expectations of their uniform, their punctuality, their attendance, their behaviour and, most importantly, their learning. You will know that we have also made clearer our expectations around equipment.

When those high expectations are combined with the excellent quality of our teaching and support staff, it means that our students can and do achieve great things. Thank you for your support in enabling our students to meet those high expectations.

The area that continues to act as a barrier to achievement for too many students is attendance. The gap in achievement between those with good attendance and those with attendance below 90% was huge. On average, those with good attendance were 4 times more likely to achieve the benchmark a  9 - 5 grade in English and Maths and more than twice as likely to achieve a grade 4 or above in English and Maths.

I know that some students missed out on sixth form places, on college courses and on apprenticeships as a consequence of the negative impact of their poor attendance. That was heart-breaking. It’s why we want to do everything we can to support and encourage attendance. We have extensive resources to support students with their attendance as part of our expanded attendance team. Please do contact them if you feel your child would benefit from support. Thank you in advance for ensuring your child is in school every day possible.  

As part of our provision, we have been running a gardening intervention over the past few years. I am delighted to report that the school has been awarded the Level One and Level Two RHS School Gardening Awards. This is testament to the hard work of Laura Ashton with the support of Ben Gamston and the students that have taken part. They have received some lovely gardening goodies and a £50 voucher. This will enable the team to kick-start the garden this academic year.

At the end of each school day we have to manage the exit of over 1350 students. That isn’t easy, but thanks to the amazing support of our staff, we do have great systems in place to ensure the safety of our students. The AA released an analysis that showed that more than 6,000 children under 16 were injured while walking or cycling on UK roads in 2023. The AA is reminding drivers to stay alert to protect young people, advising them to reduce speed in school zones, and to park away from school gates and zigzag lines. This is great advice that I wholeheartedly agree with.

This week we hosted an event run by the Gloucestershire Initial Teacher Education Partnership (GITEP). All 75 of their trainees attended the event as part of their training programme. I am proud to support GITEP and do all I can to encourage people to consider teaching as a career. If you are interested, please do see what GITEP can offer via this link.

I include my weekly reminder about Free School Meals eligibility. If your financial circumstancees 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 enjoy a great weekend. 

Regards 

Richard Johnson  
Headteacher