It has been a shorter week this week following the Bank Holiday. A week that has seen the traditional GCSE season begin, with many students taking their first written papers. On Monday, it is the first core exam, English Language, so all students will then be underway. We wish all the students the best of luck for the next 6 weeks.

On Thursday we held our Year 8 Parents Evening. It was a pleasure to see so many parents and students in attendance and to see the positive conversations taking place.

Every year the Cheltenham Photographic Club organise the Gloucestershire Young Photographer competition. This year was the 22^nd such competition, and it saw 916 entries from 48 primary and secondary schools across the County in total, with 80 of those entries coming from Severn Vale. I was delighted to hear that the following students were selected to have their work included in the exhibition organised as part of the competition: Caitlin Clegg, Aeverie Payne, Maisy Greene, Lewis Cook, Adam Cook, Gaia Popaszkiewicz, Verity Jones. Congratulations to them and to all who took part in this great competition.

This week two more of our Year 11 students completed their DofE Silver Awards, taking the number who have achieved this award to four. It requires a great level of commitment and dedication to achieve a Silver Award, so huge congratulations to them all. Our DofE scheme goes from strength to strength. Currently, we have 110 students from Years 9 – 11 taking part and have 49 Year 8 students signed up and ready to join them in September. If you would like to know more about the scheme, do contact Mr Higgs, our DofE lead.

I mentioned last week the work the school is doing with The Venture Community Hub (TVCH) looking at expanding youth provision in the area. TVCH would like to highlight an important upcoming consultation. On 14 May at 4.00pm, a representative from the council will be at the BMX track in Kingsway. They would like to speak to young people who use this facility to hear how it can be improved. This is a great opportunity for users of this facility to have their voices heard. We will let the students know via line-ups. Please also share with your children if they use the track.

On the sporting front:

Year 7 Rounders – our Year 7 Rounders team played their first fixture of the year versus The Crypt. The girls battled well and enjoyed themselves in the two games they played.  Players of the match were Priscilla, Lily-Ella and Sophia.

Year 9 Rounders – our Year 9s hosted Gloucester Academy in their latest fixture. Despite a battling performance, the girls were defeated 8.5-13. Players of the match went to Amber H and Scarlett M.

Year 9 Cricket – our Year 9 cricketers had a great fixture against a strong Newent team this week. The boys played only their second hard ball game and fought well against the odds to come away with some well-taken wickets. Special mention goes to Theo and Jake for their great bowling and also to Jenson for his batting stint.

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 do hope you have a great weekend.

Regards

Richard Johnson 
Headteacher