It has been another busy week. Our Year 11s have completed their penultimate week of exams and all that remains is one Physics paper on Monday morning. I have been hugely impressed with their attitude and application throughout the exam series. Next week they can enjoy their Leavers Assembly and Prom. They will have certainly earned the right to celebrate.

On Thursday we were fortunate to have Sarah Cooksley from Cheltenham Festivals come and host a poetry workshop for 30 of our Year 8 students as part of Amnesty International's Words That Burn project. The students spent the day discussing human rights and how poetry can be used to portray people losing their human rights. All the students created powerful and evocative writing and pooled their skills in a big group poem at the end of the session. Many thanks to all the Year 8 students for making the day such a success.

Last weekend, 28 Year 7 and 8 girls travelled to Condover Hall for a weekend filled with football, netball and fun activities. The girls were a credit to the school, showing great perseverance and good sportsmanship throughout both tournaments. Our Tigers football team made it to the semi-finals of the plate competition and our Falcons netball team finished runners-up in the plate competition. Our Leopards football team finished as winners of the Bronze play-offs and our Hawks netball team were the highest placed Year 7 team of the entire weekend. They finished 3rd in the Cup behind 2 Year 8 teams. Between playing netball and football, the girls enjoyed a range of outdoor activities, including zip line, axe throwing, aerial trek, climbing and abseiling. Our players of the tournaments went to Bish P (Leopards), Maddy M (Tigers), Lilly-Mae B (Hawks) and Fleur P (Falcons). 

Last Saturday, five of our students competed in the County Athletics Tournament in their respective events. It was a fantastic day, and it was great to see our students competing against some of the best athletes in Gloucestershire. Congratulations to:

• Joe Batton – 2nd place in the 100m, progressing to the regional competition in Exeter in a few weeks with a PB of 12.20 seconds

• 4th place in the 200m

• Oscar England – PB in the 800m with a time of 2:35

• Heidi Crowther – 6th fastest Year 10/11 girl in Gloucestershire

• TJ McQuillan – 4th place in Shot Put

• Owen Brown – PB in the 1500m

Next Tuesday, we will be taking 58 students to the Prince of Wales Stadium in Cheltenham to compete in the district athletics tournament.

Year 7 Cricket – our Year 7s travelled to The Crypt to take part in their second participation tournament of the summer term. It was fantastic to see the continued improvement, with the bowling in particular showing real progress. Both teams played two matches each, and it was pleasing to see that every player had the opportunity to contribute with both bat and ball. Across the fixtures, each team secured one win and one loss, reflecting a strong and competitive performance overall. A special mention goes to Jerry, who made an excellent impression in his first game by striking two sixes in the same over – a brilliant achievement!

Year 10 Rounders – our year 10 rounders team had so much fun at their fixture against Holmleigh Park this week. Despite not coming away with a win, they showed some of the best sportsmanship and positive team spirit that we have ever seen! Congratulations to batter of the match, Teanna and fielder of the match Emilia.

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