Term 3 draws to a close today. A term in which it has felt like it has rained every day. Despite the atrocious weather, lots has been accomplished and that has certainly been the case in this last week. 

On Tuesday we held the school final of FameLab Academy, an initiative run by the Cheltenham Festivals. In the competition, Year 9 students, supported by their teachers, were asked to prepare a 3-minute presentation to explain a scientific topic in a dynamic and engaging way. This year’s competition saw every student in Year 9 giving a talk in their science class. The 10 class winners were then invited to take part in the school final. They spoke confidently and clearly to an audience of students, staff and family members, about a wide range of topics. The runners up were Jack L, who spoke about the discovery of carbon dating, and Aadilakshmi K-R, who spoke about why we need sleep. The winner was Maisie D who gave a talk about why penguins waddle. Maisie will be representing the school at the Gloucestershire final in March. Well done to all who participated and good luck in the County final, Maisie!

On Thursday we held our Year 9 Parents Evening. It was a pleasure to welcome parents to the school to discuss the progress being made by their children. Despite the now usual mixed weather, there was an excellent turnout. It was particularly pleasing to see so many of the students accompanying their parents. This Parents Evening will be followed by the Options Evening on Thursday 5 March. We look forward to seeing Year 9 parents again on this evening.

Also on Thursday, 30 Year 7 students participated in an exciting and inspiring poetry slam workshop led by poet 'Spoz'. The theme of this year's session was 'play', which students interpreted in a variety of imaginative ways. We had poems based upon: the theatre, growing up, sport and mental health. Throughout the session, students showcased impressive creativity, confidence, and a real flair for performance poetry. Their enthusiasm, teamwork, and willingness to take creative risks was outstanding, and they were a real credit to the school from start to finish.

The level of talent and poetic skills on display made the event truly memorable. The two winning teams, 'The Synonym Rolls' and 'The Bracket Bros' were selected by Mrs. Beard and Mrs. Derbyshire and will now go on to represent Severn Vale School at The Gloucestershire Poetry Slam Final in March at The Playhouse Theatre in Cheltenham. The whole English Department is extremely proud of all the students involved and wishes the finalists the very best of luck in the next stage of the competition.

This week we have seen the culmination of the term 3 performance platforms, which proved to be an exciting and enjoyable experience for all. The fact these February platforms have brought out a lot of students new to performing has also been brilliant to see and hear. Students from Year 7 - 11 were involved over 8 lunchtimes. The range of music performed has continued to be extremely broad, with choices ranging from grade pieces / songs students have recently working on, repertoire that students have been learning in their instrumental / vocal lessons or even working on in their own time, as well as students’ own current “firm favourites” too. 2026 has started off very strong and the music department thank all our performers and send them all a huge well done too.

At Severn Vale we have a saying: “everybody’s somebody”. We know that behind each person is a life, a story, a family, for many a struggle. That’s why every year we support Gloucester Foodbank by asking each student to bring in just one item to give to someone who needs a little help right now. This year’s drive was all the more special as we were donating to the local Food Pantry here in Quedgeley. As always, the event was organised by our Year 11 Student Leadership Team, who handled all the logistics, from contacting the charity and organising collection, through to promoting the event and of course, helping pack crates. They showed outstanding independence and their proactive efforts paid off with an excellent response from staff and students alike. We are extremely proud of everyone who helped make a difference to the lives of people they’ll never meet.

Earlier this year students from Year 9 and 10 completed the UK Maths Trust Intermediate Maths Challenge. This is a challenging paper taken by talented mathematicians from across the country (have a look here if you want to see some of the questions!) This week we received the results and I was delighted to see how well our students performed. 35 students achieved a Bronze Award, 11 a Silver Award, and 1 a highly coveted Gold Award. Well done to the award winners and to all who participated.

It has been another busy week of fixtures, including:

• Year 7 Football – on Tuesday, the Year 7 football team travelled to Cirencester Town for the 7 a-side county football tournament. The girls were a credit to the school and played with great energy and enthusiasm. They drew their games against Kingshill, Downend and Dene Magna and narrowly lost 2-1 to Cleeve. Player of the tournament went to Vienna E. Well done girls!

• Year 8 Netball – our Year 8 Netballers have had a busy week. On Monday, the Year 8 A/B/C teams played The Crypt. Despite coming away with 3 defeats against strong opposition, there was a lot of great netball and brilliant shooting on display. Players of the match: Bish P, Annabel S, Hallie H and Billie L. On Tuesday, the year 8 A and B team hosted Holmleigh Park. The A team won 11-8 and the B team lost 4-3. It was a great fixture with some excellent play from both sides. Players of the match went to Imogen J and Laila C.

• Year 9 Football – our Year 9 football team played their second league game against The Crypt this week. The boys went into half-time with a 2-0 lead through two great finishes from Toby. Crypt fought back well and turned the game around completely by going into a 3-2 lead midway through the second half. Toby scored the final goal of his hat trick with a good free kick, but unfortunately Crypt scored in the last few minutes of the game to come away with the win. Player of the match went to TJ for his work rate in midfield.

• Table Cricket – I am delighted to report that our mixed Table Cricket team were crowned North Gloucestershire champions this week! The students were brilliant, on and off the table. They beat High School Leckhampton, Belmont and Heart of the Forest in the pool stages, then Bettridge in the semi-final. In the final, a repeat of the pool game against High School Leckhampton, our team edged a close game to win the tournament. They now go onto play at Edgbaston Cricket Club in Birmingham for the Southern Counties stage of this national competition on 20 March.

Good luck to our Year 11 students visiting Paris and to our Year 9 and 10 students on their sports tour to Lisbon. I’m sure you’ll all have a great time.

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.   

We look forward to seeing the students again on Monday 23 February. This will be a Week A.

Kind regards,  

Richard Johnson 
Headteacher