The first term of the year is really flying by. Our Year 7s continue to settle in well, with next week seeing two key milestones for them. One is the Year 7 Tutor Parent Evening, which takes place on Thursday 2 October. The other is the start of homework. All the students should now be set up on Satchel One, with homework being set from Monday. 

Homework is a key part of all students’ learning as it helps to develop and reinforce what students have learnt in class. All parents can see what is being set via Satchel One. Encouraging your child with their homework is a key part of the support we ask of all parents.  Thanks in advance for your help with this.

On Tuesday, we held our first Open Morning for prospective students and their parents. It was a pleasure to see so many visitors to the school. Open Mornings give visitors a chance to see what the school is really like as they tour classrooms and the wider school. We are confident that they will see calm, purposeful lessons where students can learn and teachers teach. Our second Open Morning takes place next Thursday, 2 October. 

As the term progresses, more of our extracurricular clubs have started. These are an important part of our offer and an area we have looked to expand over the past two years. I am delighted at the range of clubs on offer, from Aviation to Crochet, from Lego to Journaling, alongside a full range of sporting activities. Our ambition is to have a club that appeals to every student. Where there isn’t one, we encourage the students to work with us to develop them. That’s how many of the clubs have started. Details of the clubs will be circulated regularly. Please do encourage your child to participate, as by doing so, they will get even more out of their time at school. 

Sporting fixtures this week included:

• Year 8 Rugby – the Year 8 boys started their season off in fine form with a win against Archway. Both teams had some strong ball carriers in what was a very physical game. Our boys got on top quickly with some excellent tries from Ollie L. Harley B and Brooklyn K carried the ball well with some powerful running. The score in the end was 30-20 to us with Ollie L as the Man of the Match.
  
  The Year 8s played their second game of the week against Newent. In what is always a tough encounter, Newent started confidently. Our boys soon warmed up and tries were being scored at both ends. Special mentions to Harley, Brooklyn, Adam and Charlie for their strong carries and work rate. The final score saw SV edged out 42 – 43 in an absolute thriller. MOM went to Olly L once again.

• Year 8 Football – our Year 8 girls opened their season with a cup match against Wyedean School. The girls secured their progress to the next round with a great performance which earned them a 3 – 1 victory. Izzy S scored an excellent hat-trick, but Player of the Match was captain Bish P for her excellent all-round performance. 

• Year 9 Rugby – the Year 9s played their first game of the season against a strong Kingshill Cirencester. We narrowly lost 17-15 despite finishing the game the stronger team! I am really proud to say we had three students playing their first ever competitive game of rugby (Marcel, Julian and Noah). Special mention to TJ and Olly H for all round strong performances, but MOM goes to Eli S who literally made non-stop tackles and carried the ball forward at every opportunity.

• Year 9 Football – the Year 9 boys football team played against Archway in the first round of ESFA Cup, coming away with a convincing 5-1 win. Player of the match could’ve gone to several individuals including Toby, who started the season with another hat-trick, and Theo who was solid in defence. In the end, it was awarded to Tom P for his dominant performance in midfield and two brilliant goals from outside the box. Onto round two!!

In other sporting news….I was delighted to hear that Emmy L in Year 9 had a fantastic day representing the school at the National Schools Equestrian Games Eventing championships at Dauntsey Park with her horse Bready.  Emmy and Bready started well with a good dressage test, had an unlucky pole down in the show jumping and then rode a super cross-country round, jumping clear inside the time.  They finished 3rd in their class; what an outstanding achievement!

I know many of our students do some amazing things outside of school. Please do let me know as I love to share these with our wider community. 

A date for your diary. Our annual Post-16 and GCSE Support Evening will be taking place on Thursday 16th October. This event is a valuable opportunity to learn more about the post-16 options available to your child and to discover how you can best support them through their GCSEs. Full details have been sent home. 

A reminder that we will be holding a Lockdown drill next week. Full details have been circulated to parents and we will be talking to the students about it in line up next week. 

I include 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 have a look if you think you may benefit from financial assistance.  

And finally, our annual Skern Lodge trip departed school this afternoon. I know the 100 students and staff will have a great time taking part in some fabulous activities across the weekend. 

I do hope you enjoy a more sedate weekend!

Regards 

Richard Johnson  
Headteacher