Dear all,

We've had a busy week with plenty of highlights, but before I delve into these I want to share some success from another of our Greenshaw schools. Henley Bank in Brockworth has had its Ofsted report published this week, and I'm delighted to say it has been rated Good in all categories. Many of you will remember the reputation Millbrook Academy had before joining GLT, and they have made excellent progress in the last few years. I'm looking forward to Ofsted visiting Holmleigh Park soon and hope to report similar progress. 

The main highlight this week has of course been the Year 7 residential. We had a record 196 students sign up for the 3 day trip down to Torquay, where activities have included zipwires, climbing, abseiling, raft building, fencing, campfires, singing - and more besides. As always, you can find all the pictures on our school Instagram. A big thank you to the 22 staff who went away for 3 days to make this possible - and of course to all the staff who covered their lessons to make this possible!

Thursday also saw us hold our Year 12 Information Evening, and it was great to see so any parents attend - particularly those joining us from other schools - as working together with parents is hugely important to us. Please can I remind Year 7 parents that the Year 7 Information Evening will take place on Tuesday at 17:30.

Finally, I'm pleased to say we're hoping to complete the building work on the Sports Centre next week, which should allow some normality to return. I've been hugely impressed by how well the students have coped with the inevitable pressures this major project has placed on the rest of the site. Once complete, there will then be two weeks before the revamped Sports Centre opens to the public, and it will contain the following:

• A brand new 34 station gym, with roughly five times the floor space of the previous facility

• A refurbished activity space with an all new group timetable

• A new indoor cycling studio with 21 bikes

• Swimming Pool

HALO Leisure, who have taken on the operation and funded the £ 1million renovation, currently have a special offer on memberships for £29.95 a month (£22 for 12-24 year olds / those on concessions) for customers who sign up before it opens on the 17th October. There's no monthly contract and no joining fee. Full details can be found here. 

With best wishes for the weekend,

Mr Farmbrough

Headteacher