The second week of the term is complete. The sun has been out, and we have been able to open the field for the students at break and lunch. We have also moved to our summer uniform. This means that whilst we still expect students to bring their blazers to school, they are free to take them off around and about the school. The students know and understand how this works and the change has been introduced without any fuss.

For a group of our Year 11 students it has seen the first real GCSE exams of the season, as they have tackled their 10 hour Art & Design practical exam. The students have been preparing for this over the past 10 weeks and have been applying themselves really well to ensure their final product meets the required standard. The exams continue next week with our GCSE French students tackling their oral exam.

The Government announced in the press that the mobile phone ban in schools announced earlier in the year will become statutory. This means it will be a legal requirement for schools to enforce mobile phone bans in schools. Given the vast majority of schools already ban phones, on the surface it doesn’t seem to change much. However, there is every indication that the Government will be going much further and moving to ensure there are no phones in schools, even switched off and in the students’ bags. As I write this piece, we still haven’t received updated guidance from the DfE. As soon as this is provided, I will update parents.

Last weekend saw a group of our Year 7 students travel to South Wales for our annual rugby tour. This saw the boys play Cwm Brombil school in Port Talbot on the Friday afternoon. It was a challenging fixture against very tough opponents. The boys showed tremendous resilience, never giving up and continuing to work hard right until the final whistle, despite finishing on the wrong end of a 45-5 scoreline. They also had the chance to take part in a river gorge walk that involved numerous waterfall jumps in the stunning Neath valley. Once again, the boys stepped up to the challenge. All in all, it was a great weekend, and a lot of very tired boys returned to school on Sunday afternoon.  Thank you to the boys for taking advantage of the various opportunities across the weekend, and to the staff for generously giving up their weekend to allow the trip to take place.

On Friday, a group of year 7-10 netball girls travelled to Worcester to watch Birmingham Panthers play Nottingham. The staff accompanying the students summed up the trip as follows: a great night was had by all; the girls were a delight to take to watch the fixture and represented Severn Vale exceptionally well. 

On the sporting front:

Year 8 Cricket – the Year 8 boys played their first cricket match against Holmleigh Park this week. The boys started well with some great bowling from Ben I and Jake K. Holmleigh Park came back into the match with some skilful shots being played. We batted well to start but unfortunately left ourselves with too many runs to chase, falling short by 15 runs. The game was played in great spirit and both teams gave 100% effort. Well done boys!

Athletics – on Thursday a group of our elite athletes went to Blackbridge to compete in the Gloucester District Athletics Trials. It was a fantastic evening, and all of our students performed brilliantly. There were a number of outstanding performances including:

• Joe Baten – 1st place in the 100m and 200m

• Amber Howells – 1st place in the 100m

• Heidi Crowther – Personal Best in the 100m (times to be confirmed) and 2nd place in the 200m

• TJ McQuillan – Personal Best performances in Shot Put and Javelin

• Oscar England – 1st place in the 800m

• Owen Brown – Personal Bests in both the 1500m and 800m

We now await confirmation as times are compared across the district to determine which athletes will progress to represent Gloucester at the next stage of the competition. Well done to all involved for their commitment, effort and excellent performances.

And finally on the sporting front….good luck to Beth Richards from our English department. She will be running in the London Marathon on Sunday. She is taking on the 26 miles to raise money for Diabetes UK in memory of her late uncle, as well as everyone living with Type 1 Diabetes. Her donation link is here: https://2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/beth-richards

A date for your diary... the Year 8 parents evening will take place on Thursday 7 May. Full details will be sent to parents on Monday. If you have any queries, please contact Sally De Lacy-Arrol in the school office. I look forward to seeing you there.

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.   

The glorious weather looks like it will extend to the weekend. I do hope you get to enjoy it.

Regards

Richard Johnson 
Headteacher