In a clear sign that Christmas can’t be that far away, our receptionist, Joy, has put up and decorated our Christmas Tree in the school reception for a remarkable 25^th successive year. 

This week saw our Flexible learning Day take place. This has seen students participate in a wide range of activities. Our Year 11s have been visiting post 16 providers, helping them to finalise key choices for when they leave Severn Vale. Our Year 10s have been developing key employability skills, including how to become a confident communicator. Not only will this help them for any future interviews, it will also be invaluable for the compulsory Spoken Language component of their English Language GCSE which they will complete later this year. The Year 9s have been taking part in the FameLab Academy. This is a Science competition organised by the Cheltenham Science Festival. The winning groups will get the chance to compete against other schools in the next stage of the competition. In Year 8, students in X Band have been participating in a Multi-Faith event, whilst those in Y Band have been taking part in a National Schools Design Challenge, working in teams to design a solution to a real-world problem. Two years ago, the winning group went to win this prestigious national competition held at the V&A museum; fingers crossed for similar success this year!! Our Year 7s have been taking part in GCHQuedgeley, developing their problem-solving and team-working skills. All in all, the day has provided students with some key learning opportunities which they have engaged with really well.   

Last week I wrote to parents with details of some disappointing anti-social behaviour that had occurred in the community involving students from our school. I know that this involves a tiny number of students from our school. But issues like this become loud. Today I am pleased to shout even louder that we know what the vast majority of our students are like almost all of the time. They are superb human beings who care about lots of things that matter. An amazing example of that happened this week. An elderly woman had taken a fall and bumped her head. She was bleeding. Four of our students called an ambulance, collected towels and coats from nearby businesses to keep her warm. They let her use one of their phones to call her husband. He came and took her to hospital. The students stayed the entire time. The students were so impressive and so many people were grateful for their caring support. This story won't cause phone calls into the school or create a fuss on social media. But for us, this behaviour is not surprising. Despite the occasional bumps in the road, we know what our students are like. It's why we do our job. We know what superb young people they are. We see it every day. So well done to those students, but also a huge thank you to all our students for doing their best to be their best selves.

On Thursday we held our Annual Awards Evening to celebrate the achievements of the Class of 2025. It was a pleasure to celebrate the many outstanding achievements with the returning students. It was also great to catch up with them and to hear about their continuing education journeys at a range of sixth forms, colleges and apprenticeship providers.

Also on Thursday evening, performers from Severn Vale joined students from Gloucester Academy and St Peter’s in a concert at GL1 alongside the Multi-Story Orchestra.  This was a one-off performance of The Endz, a story of two friends torn apart by gang violence told through rap, song, and spoken word, all accompanied by a classical orchestra. Those present were blown away by the power of the story and the quality of the performance. For the students taking part, it was an amazing opportunity and one they grasped with both hands. Thanks to the music department for organising our students’ participation, to Strike a Light for inviting the school to take part, and most importantly to the students for their commitment and enthusiasm throughout.

Sporting fixtures this week included:

• KS3 Basketball - our Year 7s and 8s took part in a mass participation basketball tournament at Holmleigh Park this week. We took over a minibus full of pupils and both year groups played numerous short games. The games were played in great spirit, with SV just about coming out on top for the tournament as a whole. Player of the day was Jerry in Year 7 who was unanimously voted by the HP opposition! Well done to all involved, an excellent first fixture for both year groups.

• Year 9 Rugby – on a cold Monday evening, our Year 9s travelled over to Barnwood Park for their latest fixture. Right from kick-off, the boys were on it, moving the ball really well in the backline, with Oskar and Josh showing great attacking intent every time they had the ball. Special mention to TJ who scored a hat-trick and was a constant threat! Final score SV 45-0.

• Year 9 Basketball – the Year 9 basketball team played their first game of the season against Holmleigh Park. There were a lot of players making their debuts. The quality of play was high in a game that resulted in a narrow victory to Holmleigh Park. Player of the match went to Ramiro for his brilliant lay-ups and overall work rate.

• KS3 Hockey – our KS3 hockey team enjoyed another fab game this week against Ribston. They were defeated 4-0 but showed some good play and excellent team work. Well done to all. Phoebe was nominated as player of the game. 

• KS4 Basketball – the KS4 basketball team also played Holmleigh Park in their latest fixture. They put on another brilliant display, earning a convincing win. Tom and Kon were excellent again with their strong ball handling and lay up attempts. Rhys was player of the match due to his three-point shooting and playmaking.

On Friday 12 December, we will be holding our second annual Santa Fun Run. This proved to be a lot of fun last year with a great level of participation from the students and staff. There is a £2 entry (cash on the day) which will include a Santa hat to wear for the run. All the proceeds will go to the Friends of Severn Vale, who will use it to fund projects for the benefit of students in school. It will be great to see as many students and staff there as possible. Please do encourage your child to take part; it should be a lot of fun! 

I would also like to remind you of our annual Severn Vale Christmas Gift Drive in support of the Salvation Army.  The Christmas Gift Drive is a truly heart-warming example of our school community coming together to support others. We know times are hard for many and understand that some will not be able to contribute. If you can, do know that your gift will make a real difference to the lives of those in receipt. Thank you in advance for your support with this great initiative. 

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