This week has clearly been dominated by the weather. What has stood out throughout the week has been how brilliant the students have been in just getting on with it. They worked with us, used the adaptations in place, and showed remarkable resilience.

Hot weather of the kind we have experienced this week does seem to be becoming more frequent, and our school, with two south-facing, glass-fronted buildings, is particularly ill-suited to it. On Wednesday morning for example, at 8.00am we had rooms that were already over 30°C and by mid-morning many rooms were getting close to 35°C. That makes it very hard for students and staff.

I do believe it was the right thing to do to remain open for as long as we could. It is not "normal" to close schools and should never become "normal". One of the many disasters of the Covid period was shutting schools and giving the impression that not being at school was not that big a deal. It is!!! We should only shut schools in truly exceptional circumstances. On Tuesday and Wednesday, it was hot. However, it didn't cross 31°C before we left the school site. That isn't exceptional. On Thursday, the temperature in the Gloucester area peaked at over 35°C. That is exceptional and would have made our site incredibly uncomfortable for all, and potentially unsafe. 

We have applied for funding from the DfE in the past to try to put in place adaptations that would help us manage hot weather more effectively. Unfortunately, that wasn’t unsuccessful. In what appears to be a warming climate, we need to look at how our school estate can be updated to ensure it can cope.

Amongst the challenges of the weather, lessons continued, Order Tests took place, and our Year 10s completed their practice MfL orals. We also had some brilliant activities take place.

On Wednesday, our Aviation Club enjoyed an amazing trip to the Royal Air Force Museum in Cosford. The students had the opportunity to view a range of military aircraft of all roles and eras, from the biplanes of WW1, iconic fighters of WW2 (from both sides), to supersonic interceptors and nuclear bombers of the Cold War, and huge military transports. This showcased some of our local history, too; many of these aircraft use propellers and undercarriage made in Gloucestershire, as were several of the complete aircraft in the museum's collection. The students found the visit enjoyable and engaging, and they set a fine example of the best of SVS.

Also on Wednesday, our Outdoor Ed group took part in their penultimate outdoor learning day of this intervention, and our final off-site adventure; caving under the Llangattock Escarpment, in the Craig y Cilau nature reserve, Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons). The eight students pushed themselves to the limits of their physical and mental abilities taking on this very challenging subterranean adventure, in what were wonderfully cool conditions (once underground). The students performed exceptionally well in taking on this challenge, with five of them pushing themselves that little bit further into the tighter of squeezes through channels of eroded limestone cavities, only to exit the cave system through a refreshing waterfall (although it was more a dribble in these conditions!)

On Friday, 49 Year 9 pupils took part in a STEM visit to the Williams Formula One headquarters in Oxfordshire, as part of our maths enrichment programme exploring how mathematical thinking drives real‑world engineering. After a very early 6:45am departure, we arrived in time for our 8:45am start and a full programme of activities. The students began with a workshop on the maths and engineering behind an F1 car’s nose cone, analysing data and applying formulae before designing, building and testing their own prototypes — mirroring the decision‑making processes used across the Williams engineering teams. They also enjoyed a STEM‑focused guided tour of the Williams museum, seeing iconic race cars and learning how principles such as Newton’s laws of motion apply directly to racing. A highlight of the day for many was the F1 e‑Sports simulator session, where students competed across different 'real' circuits. The group represented the school brilliantly and fully engaged with every part of the experience. It was a fantastic opportunity to see maths brought to life, and we hope the visit has inspired some future engineers and designers. 

Following the Junior Maths Challenge earlier this term, 3 of our students earned the right to participate in the Junior Kangaroo Challenge. The Maths Challenge is generally entered by the most capable maths students across the country. Of those students nationally, only the top 3-5% qualify for the Kangaroo Challenge. So just participating is an amazing achievement. To get a bronze award, you must perform in the top 50% of that 3-5% of the best maths students across the country, which is what Year 8 student, Vinnie Marques did. Huge congratulations to him, and to both Allan Aguiar and Fin Lewis, who also earned the right to participate in the Kangaroo Challenge.

Fixtures this week have been a victim of the hot weather. However, I was delighted to hear about the exploits of Year 9 student, Joe Batten. Joe qualified for the South-West Schools Athletics Championships, which took place last Saturday. Competing in the 100m, he finished 5^th in his heat, narrowly missing out on reaching the final by 0.03 of a second. This was a great experience for Joe, and one that will give him the opportunity to develop further. I know he has now set himself the target of reaching nationals next year.

It is always great to hear about the amazing achievements of our ex-students. Over the last few weeks I have caught up with a number of parents to hear about ex-students graduating from a range of prestigious universities. I was also delighted to hear about ex-student Jonathan Lewis. On leaving Severn Vale he was involved in Cheltenham Town’s academy programme and then joined their coaching staff. He is now the coach of Manchester United’s U13 team. A really important message we want to get across to our students is that they can go on and achieve amazing things. Jonathan really is the embodiment of that. I will certainly be sharing his story with our students, and hope that his example inspires them to pursue their dreams.

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 weather forecast suggests a period of cooler weather is approaching……thankfully. I do hope you have a great weekend.

Regards

Richard Johnson
Headteacher