It has been a positive and productive start to term 4. The students have shown an excellent attitude on their return and have certainly hit the ground running. Attendance has been excellent, which is vital as it promises to be another busy term. For our KS3 students, next week sees their Order B assessments in Maths and Science. Our Year 11 students will be tackling mock exams in Maths and Science. Thank you for ensuring your child is as well prepared as possible for these key assessments.

At half-term, we had two groups of students participating in fantastic international trips. 41 of our Year 11 GCSE French students enjoyed a visit to Paris. They were able to visit the key landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower and Sacré Coeur, sample the culture and the culinary delights, as well as fit in a visit to Disneyland Paris. Most importantly, the students were able to practise their French speaking skills in real life situations. The staff accompanying the students were blown away by how brilliant the students were. They were an absolute pleasure to take and made the most of every opportunity.

The second international trip saw 32 Year 9 and 10 students take part in a football tour to Lisbon. Aside from an initial six‑hour delay, it was an incredible week. The students were pushed physically, represented the school brilliantly, and created some fantastic memories. The students played a range of football matches, enjoyed a training session with coaches from Benfica, had a go at surfing, as well as sampling some cultural and culinary delights. Mr Rogers, who ran the trip, summed it up by saying: “It was a pleasure to spend the week with our students. They were a credit to the school and to their families.” He is already planning the next trip, which is likely to take place in February 2028.

This week, and in the last week of Term 3, our GCSE students have been completing their second GCSE Food NEA. This involves them completing a 3-hour practical session to prepare and present three dishes of their own choice. The students have been working incredibly hard and the quality of the food they have produced has been incredible.  It’s like an episode of MasterChef in DT7!! NEA2 is worth 40% of the students’ final mark. From what I have seen, they will have given themselves every chance of achieving high grades in the summer.

It was also the chance for our second Outdoor Ed group of the year to experience the challenges of caving in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park (Brecon Beacons). The students visited the Llangattock escarpment and tackled a number of the caves in the area. They were also able to see the industrial past of this area. Caving presents some very real challenges, and it was really impressive the way the students stepped up. Being in an underground, wild space often invokes a number of emotions simultaneously, especially to the uninitiated. Fear (of collapse, getting stuck, getting lost, the dark, muddy puddles, spiders, bats...!) and of course that feeling of being in a very confined space and therefore out of control. The students performed amazingly well at managing these emotions, to drive on and explore, and not be held back by their feelings. All in all, it was an amazing day of learning in the outdoors.

All week our Year 9 students have had Options assemblies. This is an opportunity to hear about the many “new” subjects (those not studied in KS3) available to them at KS4. Staff were able to outline what these subjects involve and for whom they might be suitable. These assemblies are all part of our ambition to ensure every student is fully informed so they can make the very best choices. The culmination of the options process, our Options Evening, takes place next Thursday, 5 March. I look forward to seeing Year 9 parents and the Year 9 students there.

Fixtures this week have included:

• Year 7 Netball – our Year 7 A, B and C teams all took part in fixtures against The Crypt on Monday afternoon. The fixtures were played in an excellent spirit. The quality of the netball was high and resulted in some really close matches. Players of the match went to: Izzy P, Ella W, Izzy S, Ini B.
  
  The A and B teams had a second fixture of the week against Henley Bank. They played some excellent netball despite the atrocious conditions, winning 17-0 and 8-6 respectively. Players of the match went to Ella W and Isla P.

• Year 7 Football – our Year 7 boys played their fourth game of the season against a strong Churchdown team this week. It was a tough game, but the boys battled well and created lots of good goal-scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, we were undone by a couple of well worked set pieces, before Jayden managed to score a consolation goal in the later stages of the game. The final score ended 3-1 to Churchdown. Player of the match went to Aiden for his box-to-box running in midfield and relentless energy. 

• Year 8 Netball – the Year 8 A and B teams travelled over to Henley Bank for their latest fixture. The girls put in strong performances to earn wins 17-6 and 4-3 respectively. Players of the match went to Liv S, Millie T-S and Hallie H.

• Year 9 Netball – our Year 9 A and B teams played their latest fixtures versus two strong teams from Holmleigh Park.  The girls battled hard but ultimately lost out in both fixtures.  Well done to everyone especially Kyra, Olive, Ellie and Isla who received player of the match.

I was delighted to hear that ex-Severn Vale student, Olly Rea, was selected to represent the International Basketball Academy U19s when they head to Orlando at the end of June to compete in the U19 AAU World championship. What a fantastic achievement and opportunity!

On Friday 13th March our annual charity 5km run will take place. This year the charity we are raising money for has been chosen by the Year 7 Student Ambassadors. They have selected the James Hopkins Trust, which supports local families by providing respite care for babies and children up to the age of 6 who have a life-limiting or life-threatening condition. Student and staff runners will be asked to donate £1 to run and students will be encouraged to gain other sponsorship. Run fees can be paid in cash on the day or via parent pay. I will be dusting my trainers off, and I look forward to seeing as many students as possible taking part in the challenge and raising valuable funds for this great charity.

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 hope you have a great weekend.

Regards

Richard Johnson 
Headteacher