Dear all,

We are rocketing towards the end of term, and the last two weeks have been incredibly busy (more below). First though, I wanted to share a couple of important updates / reminders. 

• First, please can I remind parents that the final day of term is Tuesday 25th July, and that we will finish at the slightly earlier time of 13:05.  Students who are entitled to a free lunch will be able to collect sandwiches on their way out. 

• Second, following our consultation, I can confirm that from September 2023 the school day will be extended very slightly, so that we will finish at 15:00 , instead of 14:55. 

Next, can I also thank you again for your understanding and support during last week's industrial action. The government have now offered a pay deal which is in line with other public sector roles and which, crucially, they have agreed to give schools additional funding for. All four major education unions have advised their members to accept the deal, so I hope this will draw the disruption to an end. 

As for the last two weeks - we have had a huge amount going on. I'll do my best to list just them below:

1. We had a hugely successful Paris trip, with 95 students visiting for four days of cultural immersion and fun. I'm incredibly grateful to our team of teachers, but especially Ms Guennec, who did a superb job managing the trip. 

2. Our Year 12 Geographers and Environmental Scientists completed a five day field trip to Dartmoor. 

3. A number of students were out on their second DofE Expedition over the weekend - congratulations to everyone who passed their assessment. 

4. Close to 300 students across Year 8  and 10 have been on Geography Field Trips - ranging from micro visits to the local area to trips to Lime Regis to study the coastline. 

5. We hosted four very successful Year 6 Transition Days. These were all day affairs, including a trip to Ninja Warrior each evening!

6. We hosted the GLT Cricket tournament, with our teams putting in a strong performance.

7. We attended the GLT Athletics Tournament, and although we didn't win, I was delighted to see so many students getting involved.

8. 230 Year 9 students visited Gloucestershire University for a Careers Visit

9. We hosted our largest ever Year 12 Induction day - it was great to see so many familiar faces being joined by new students from across Gloucester.

10. House Competitions in Cricket and Rounders - remember the overall winning house will spend Tuesday 25th at their very own funfair!

11. Oracy Month has been in full swing, with students earning house points for delivering speeches to their tutor groups. Again, it all contributes to the House Competition!

12. We are one of the the most improved schools in the country for Sparx Maths over the last fortnight - so a big thank you for your support at home with this. It really will make all the difference. 

13. We had a number of Sixth Form Students on residential courses this week at top universities across the country. 

14. Our RAF cadets attended the Royal International Air Tattoo.

15. We welcomed all of our fantastic new staff who start in September.

16. We hosted a number of visitors - Senior Leaders from a total of 14 different schools (10 in Bolton!) as well as a delegation of Heads of Department from Guernsey, all of whom have travelled to Holmleigh Park to learn from our approaches. 

17. We opened our new second-hand uniform shop. We have a range of sizes of blazers, jumpers, skirts, and PE kit, all at heavily reduced prices. Please contact [email protected] for more information.

18. We said goodbye to our Borneo explorers, who will set off this weekend.

So - no easing off at the end of term! As always I'm so, so grateful to all of the staff who have gone above and beyond to make these opportunities happen - as well as everyone who has worked extra hard at school to cover classes and so on.

Next week also looks busy, and I'm particularly looking forward to attending West Side Story. Tickets are still available via ParentPay, so please do come along! 

Finally, huge congratulations to Ryan F in Year 10 who won gold at the Archery GB Junior National Championships in the Under 16 category. An amazing achievement!

With best wishes,

Mr Farmbrough

Headteacher