The last week of a long term is complete. This week we have held our Praise Assemblies for students in Years 7 – 10. This has been a great opportunity to celebrate the many successes achieved by our students across a wide variety of areas, both academic and pastoral. Lots of certificates and Easter chocolate have been deservingly awarded.

Further success was achieved by our Year 7 students this week. Two teams participated in the annual Gloucestershire Poetry Slam in Cheltenham. This saw schools from across the county compete. Many of the schools had entered teams from Year 8 and 9, so the competition was tough. The two teams were genuinely fantastic and shone on stage. I am delighted that one of our teams - The Hoodies - came away with third place, a real achievement. A highlight for the judges was Agata switching into Polish to perform her second verse, really showcasing the variety of languages spoken at Severn Vale. The students were an absolute credit to the school from start to finish. Congratulations to:

• Scarlett L, Agata K, Izzie G, Frankie A

• Aaron N, Ryan K, Oscar E, Maisie H

There were a record number of entries into the Gloucestershire Young Photographers 2025 Secondary Competition this year. The judging has now been completed, and I am pleased that four of our students have had their work selected for inclusion in the Audio-Visual Presentation that will be produced as part of the exhibition. These students are: 

• Year 7 - Adam C and Filip S 

• Year 8 - Sebastian F

• Year 10 - Keeley P 

Congratulations to them and to all who participated in the fabulous competition.

Last weekend our Year 7 rugby team travelled to the Costa Del Swansea for their annual tour. On the Friday they took part in a mini-tournament with three local schools. It was a baptism of fire for some of our boys who hadn't played rugby since the end of November. On Saturday, the boys headed up the Neath valley for some river gorge walking and waterfall jumping, which they absolutely loved. The weekend finished with a fixture against Newent RFC. The boys played so much better and really did themselves proud! It was great to see so many of their parents there watching them. It was a brilliant weekend, one of the best tours yet. Thanks to the PE team for giving up their weekend to make it happen.

I am delighted to announce that the Friends of Severn Vale have been awarded a generous £10,000 grant from the Nationwide Building Society. This funding will support the school in building an outdoor classroom to support our Outdoor Education provision. Nationwide recognised the importance of outdoor learning, and we are incredibly grateful to have been selected as a recipient of this grant. With this funding, we can now fully support the project, including the construction of a concrete base, as well as the supply of additional equipment to enhance outdoor learning experiences for all students. It’s a huge step forward in expanding our educational offering and fostering a love for learning in the great outdoors.

Our Year 11 Football team played their County Cup semi-final this week versus Rednock School. It was an open game between two strong sides. Whilst the boys played some great football, their inability to convert their chances regularly came back to haunt them as they lost 4 – 2. It has been a strong final season for the team. We wish Rednock good luck for the final.

This week a group of our Year 7 girls travelled to a Girls Active event in Cheltenham. The idea of the day was to build their confidence in physical activity, through a range of different sessions. They took part in a dance workshop, circus skills (juggling, tightrope walking, hula hooping), yoga and a classroom session from Cheltenham Town Football Club. The students had a fantastic time and got fully stuck in to each activity, representing the school brilliantly! 

We also hosted our last mass participation game against Holmleigh Park in glorious weather. The Year 7s have played 5 mass participation games with an average of 40 students involved in each fixture. The boys have shown excellent commitment, training every Thursday since the end of January with our highest number of 52 boys involved in the Churchdown fixture. The foundations have been laid for an excellent Year 8 for this group of boys.

As always, 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 take a look if you think you may benefit from financial assistance.   

Let’s hope that the fabulous weather we have enjoyed for the past few weeks manages to continue through the Easter break. Whatever the weather, I do hope you enjoy a great Easter with your family.

The students return to school on Monday 28 April. This will be a Week B.

Kind regards,  

Richard Johnson 
Headteacher