It has been a pleasure to welcome the students back after our half-term break. They have made an excellent return; settling back into their studies quickly and, overwhelmingly, meeting our high expectations.

I have been particularly pleased to see an excellent week attendance-wise. Across all year groups, we have seen strong levels of attendance. We know how important high levels of attendance are in enabling students to realise their academic and social potential. I am hopeful that we can maintain and build upon these high levels throughout the term and across the rest of the academic year. Thank you for your support in this crucial area of our work.

It’s a big week of assessments next week with students in KS3 sitting their Order A assessments in Maths and Science. Full details of the assessments and the associated revision activities have been posted on Satchel One and sent home to parents. For our Year 11 students, next week sees their first Core Mocks of the academic year. These assessments will enable the students, and their teachers, to see where they are in their learning as they move towards next summer’s GCSE exams. It is really important that the students prepare properly for these exams to get the most out of them. Thank you in advance for your support in encouraging your child with their revision.   

This week, our Year 10 Health and Social Care students were visited by the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) team for an exciting and inspiring workshop. During the session, students learnt how to perform CPR and use a defibrillator, gaining valuable hands-on experience in life-saving techniques. The team included a range of healthcare professionals and cardiac arrest survivors, who shared their personal stories and expertise. Their insights gave students a real-world understanding of the importance of quick thinking and teamwork in emergency situations. We are enormously grateful to the GWAAC for providing the students with such an amazing experience.

In the last week of Term 1, the English department had the pleasure of taking nearly 70 students to Cheltenham Literature Festival. Students took part in workshops with authors and had a chance to meet them in the Waterstones tent to ask questions and have their books signed. Year 7 experienced chills, spills and plenty of laughs with bestselling author Jennifer Killick. Year 8 and 9 met with award-winning author Nathanael Lessore who led a lively session on comedy writing, creativity and turning real life into stories. Whilst Year 10 and 11 explored the craft of verse novels in a hands-on masterclass with writer and performer Dean Atta. Through writing exercises and discussions, students learnt how to mix storytelling with poetry, using rhythm, imagery and voice to craft powerful narratives. One of our very own Year 11s took to the stage to share with an audience of over 100 her poem about her own identity! We study Atta’s poetry in our English curriculum, so many students (and staff) were quite star-struck to work with him directly.

In another great partnership with the Cheltenham Literature Festival, our English department have been working with Amnesty International and the Literature Festival on a poetry project dealing with human rights. This project challenged the students to write poetry in response to what they have seen as human rights being violated. The students produced a collection of powerful and moving poems which they then performed as part of a performance at the Literature Festival. This was an amazing opportunity for all the students and one they took full advantage of. Congratulations to: Charley M, Freya S, Dalia N, Siennah H and Gen H. Thanks go to Mr Holliday and Ms Mason for supporting the students with this project and giving their time so generously during the half-term break to enable them to perform at this prestigious event.

As part of the European Day of Languages, we set our Year 7 students a Duolingo challenge. 80 enthusiastic Year 7 students took part, studying 8 different languages. Together, they clocked up an incredible 230 extra hours of foreign language learning outside of lessons. The students who topped the leaderboard were: Lucas M C 7T, Owen S 7R, Charlotte G 7O, Klara S 7B, and Leyla C 7I. From Spanish to Japanese, French to German, our linguists have shown real curiosity, perseverance, and passion for languages. It’s a fantastic reminder of how eager our students are to explore the wider world and embrace new cultures. 

Sporting fixtures this week included:

• Year 7 Rugby – on Tuesday evening our Year 7 rugby team travelled over to Holmleigh Park in what is always a tough game. HP scored early on, but our boys gathered themselves and started to fight back. For the remainder of the game it was pretty even, but in awful conditions we dropped the ball more than HP. The final score was 15-0. Special mention Regan, Quinton and Brody for their strong performances and leading from the front.

• Year 8/9 Football – our Year 8 and 9 girls played a great match against Holmleigh Park this week. The game saw a number of the girls making their debut for the school team. Unfortunately, we didn't come away with a win, but the team enjoyed themselves and the game was played with great spirit. Bailey made some incredible saves, earning herself joint player of the match alongside Grace for her solid tackles in defence.

• Our SV Flow football team took part in their first football tournament at the Oxtalls Campus this week. Whilst the results did not go their way, all demonstrated excellent sportsmanship, teamwork and resilience. Well done all.

On Thursday evening our GCSE PE rugby students travelled to Holmleigh Park for a joint practical moderation, with students from HP and Barnwood Park. It was a great evening which saw all of our students perform very well, challenging themselves to achieve their best practical grade.

This week has been a typically autumnal and with the clocks having gone back, the end of the school day is becoming darker. We have lots of students who cycle to school, and we want to see that continue. Of course we do want our cyclists to be safe. In the darker evenings it is important that they have lights and reflectors. Bright / reflective clothing also helps. If your son / daughter cycles to school, please do ensure they can do that safely. Thanks in advance for your help with this.

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.  

I do hope you have a great weekend.

Regards 

Richard Johnson  
Headteacher