The first week of the new term is complete. It was a pleasure to welcome the students back and encouraging to see how quickly they have settled back into school routines.

It’s been a very busy week with many activities taking place for our students. On Monday a group of our Year 10 GCSE Fine Artists enjoyed an inspiring trip to the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the Ashmolean Museum and Art Gallery. The visit provided a fantastic opportunity for students to gather primary source material from the diverse range of exhibits on display. They spent time sketching, photographing, and observing artworks and artefacts that will inform their next project, exploring the theme of Decay. Throughout the day, the students were a real credit to the school—engaged, curious, and enthusiastic about their work. The new digital drawing pads, which were so kindly purchased with FOSV donations, were invaluable and we are excited to use them in the coming weeks to extend the range of work produced.

On Tuesday our Year 7 and Year 8 students enjoyed a presentation by the BAE Systems Schools STEM Roadshow, delivered in partnership with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. The interactive presentation brought science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to life through a range of engaging live demonstrations, while also showcasing the diverse and rewarding careers these subjects can lead to. Students explored how and why different materials are used in innovations such as aircraft, space rockets and Formula One cars. They also saw hydrochromic paints in action and learned how they can be used for safety purposes, as well as discovering the remarkable properties of Nitinol, a metal that can be bent out of shape and then return to its original form when heated. It was a fantastic opportunity to inspire curiosity and a passion for STEM, and we hope it has sparked the interest of some future scientists and engineers among our students.

Our Year 11 GCSE Geographers travelled to Birmingham this week to carry out environmental quality surveys as part of their investigation into urban inequality. Students visited different areas of the city to assess and compare the quality of the urban environment, considering factors such as litter, noise pollution, traffic congestion, green spaces, building conditions and the overall appearance of the area. By collecting and recording primary data, students were able to identify differences in environmental quality between more affluent and deprived areas. This investigation helped students understand how urban inequality can affect people's quality of life and how the characteristics of different neighbourhoods can vary across a city. It also provided valuable hands-on experience of geographical fieldwork skills, including data collection, observation and analysis. All students were very engaged on the trip and worked so well. 

This week also saw the third and final visit for some of our Year 9 and 10 students to WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre. This visit marked a wonderful conclusion to the For the Love of Nature project. Students took part in further creative activities, continued to explore the wetlands and wildlife hides, and gathered even more inspiration from the natural world. Across the three visits, they developed their creative skills, confidence and understanding of how nature can inspire art, photography and creative expression. The project culminated in a celebration session, where students shared their work, reflected on their creative journeys and spoke confidently about the pieces they were most proud of. It was fantastic to see how much they had grown in confidence and creativity over the course of the programme. We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the team at WWT Slimbridge for creating a valuable and inspiring opportunity for our students and making the experience a memorable one for everyone involved.

Over the half-term a group of our students, working with The Venture Community Hub, organised a pop-up bike maintenance event. The event saw over 30 young people attend, developing their knowledge of bike maintenance, and helping to keep some bikes on the road. Three of the students have also volunteered to present a case to the next full Town Council meeting on 16 November, asking for support for the project. Specifically, they will be requesting access to the Sports Pavilion for two sessions per month and the use of a storage container for bike parts and donations. It has been a pleasure to support this project and to see how many opportunities it is providing the students participating.

The project is proving to be such a success, that TVCH are on the lookout for some more adult volunteers with bike maintenance knowledge. Anyone interested can contact Tracey from TVCH directly on 07882 832376 or tracey.turner@tvch.org.uk.

It’s been a busy week on the sporting front, including:

Year 7 Football – our Year 7 girls football team played two fixtures this week. First up was Holmleigh Park.  The game saw lots of brilliant individual play, as well as some excellent build up play, and saw the girls win 3 – 1. Player of the match was Ruby C. Their second game was away at The Crypt on Thursday. It was a brilliant game that saw both teams lead at various stages. The girls battled superbly and scored a last-minute equaliser which saw the game finish 4 – 4. Well done to Maya, who was chosen as player of the match.

Year 7 and 8 Rugby - we were lucky enough to take a small group of Year 7 and 8 girls to a tag rugby event at Gordon League Rugby Club on Tuesday. The event included lots of skill development followed by some small sided games. Our girls had a brilliant time, with Promise scoring a couple of excellent tries in the final game. 

Year 9 Football - our Year 9 footballers played at Holmleigh Park in the group stage of the county cup on Tuesday. The girls put in a strong performance and came away with a confident 8-4 win. Rukky had her debut match with us and scored 6 goals (!!!!!), earning her a well-deserved player of the match.

Year 10 Rugby - our Year 10 rugby squad travelled to Marling School for their latest fixture. The game started at a frantic pace, with us spending much of the opening stages defending against sustained Marling pressure. Once again, Koby was outstanding in defence, making a number of crucial tackles and leading from the front. In attack, TJ, Cameron, and Josh caused constant problems with their direct running. Despite a tremendous team effort, we eventually fell to a narrow 32-26 defeat in an entertaining and highly competitive match.

Year 10 Rugby – our Year 10s also hosted touring Welsh side Ysgol Bae Baglan. The match was played at a high intensity and was physical from the outset. We dominated the opening quarter, with some excellent running rugby led by TJ and Josh, creating a number of attacking opportunities. As the game progressed, however, the visitors grew in confidence and began to take control of the contact area, making for a closely contested encounter. Defensively, Koby was outstanding, producing a number of crucial tackles and demonstrating excellent commitment throughout. The joint Man of the Match awards were deservedly presented to TJ and Cameron for their relentless work rate, leadership, and the quality of the tries they scored.

Next week is a busy week in terms of assessments.  Students in KS3 will be sitting their Order A assessments in Maths and Science. Full details of the assessments and the associated revision activities have been posted on Satchel One and sent home to parents. Our Year 11 students will be taking their first Core Mocks of the academic year. It is really important that the students prepare properly for these exams to get the most out of them. Thank you in advance for your support in encouraging your child with their revision. 

As always, I include my weekly reminder about Free School Meals eligibility. From the 2026 - 2027 academic year, eligibility is being expanded to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit regardless of household earnings. This widens the scope of eligibility and means many more families should now qualify. Please do check the updated information, which can also be found here, to see if that includes you.  

Have a great weekend

Regards  

Richard Johnson 
Headteacher