Girl Guides, flying a plane and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Girl Guides at TA

TA now has an official Girlguiding unit known as 7th Torquay. We had our first camp last Friday where our year 8s stayed the night in tents! Our new year 7s also joined in for the evening, cooking expedition food and enjoying toasted marshmallows, smores and hot chocolate by the campfire. This has enabled the girls to fulfil an important element of Guides - to have adventures! Something we believe in strongly at TA. The girls were a credit to their unit, working brilliantly as a team putting up their tents under the expert guidance of Slim, our resident CCF officer. We all had a good night's sleep under the stars, making memories and hopefully friendships that will last a lifetime.

Announcing Our Incredible PAA Members and This Year's Show!

A massive congratulations to all the students who have successfully auditioned and secured their spot in this year's Performing Arts Academy (PAA)!

We were absolutely blown away by the talent on display during the audition process. Every student was put through their paces in a range of intense singing, acting, and dancing workshops, and the energy and commitment were palpable. The level of skill and passion demonstrated truly shows the depth of talent within our academy. If the auditions are anything to go by, this is going to be an unforgettable year.

Our new PAA members are already hitting the ground running! They've begun their twice-weekly rehearsals, diving straight into the hard work and excitement that comes with preparing for a major production.

And speaking of a major production... we're absolutely delighted to reveal this year's show!

Get Ready to Fly: Our 2025 Production is "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!"

That’s right! We'll be bringing the magical, flying car and the whimsical world of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!" to the stage. This beloved classic is packed with fantastic musical numbers, heartwarming characters, and plenty of opportunities for our talented cast to shine across all three disciplines - singing, acting, and dancing.

This is a huge undertaking, but we know our brilliant PAA members are up for the challenge. They’re already working hard to master the songs and choreography, and we can’t wait to see them bring this spectacular story to life.

Stay tuned for more updates, behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, and ticket information as we get closer to the performance dates in March 2026.

Once again, a huge cheer for our 2025 PAA cohort! The journey has officially begun, and we can't wait to see what they achieve!

RAF Cadets Flying Adventure

Six of our RAF CCF cadets had the opportunity of a lifetime this week - to fly a plane!

With a 5.30am departure from school the cadets travelled up to MoD Boscombe Down for an 8.30am start. After a safety briefing, including emergency procedures such as jettisoning the cockpit canopy, parachute release and parachute rolls, the cadets got kitted out. Once issued with flying suits, fitted with flying helmets and a briefing on how to use the radio headsets, the cadets were ready to fly.

Two aircraft, Grob Tutor planes, piloted by former RAF pilots, were ready on the runway apron to take a student each. Experiencing flights of 25 minutes each, the cadets were able to take control of the aircraft. Showing courage and bravery, after demonstrations from their accompanying pilot, some of the cadets even executed aerobatic manoeuvres! They got to experience lopos, barrel rolls, stall turns, vertical climbs and dives during their flights, experiencing virtual weightlessness at 0G and forces of up to 3G!

Our cadets had the most amazing time. And each of them was grinning from ear to ear as they were escorted back from the runway apron back to the training room by Mr Adams. Such an experience that each cadet said they want to repeat! Well done to the following cadets: Cadet Sgt Grace Hasey, Cadet Sgt Julia Tatarynowicz, Cadet Corporal Alexa Lyons, Cadet Lance Corporal Harrison Davies, Cadet Lance Corporal Josh Ward, Cadet Emily Cowan.

Duke of Edinburgh Silver Practice Expedition

Last Friday after school 31 of our Year 11 DofE Silver students set off on their Practice Expedition. For some it was their first experience of camping and hiking for more than one day. Setting off from Starcross, the six teams had a short 3.5km walk to Cofton Campsite, following a given route and using a map and a compass to reach their destination. Each of the teams acquitted themselves well and made camp before it got dark. Once at the campsite, the teams set up their tents and cooked their dinner on gas stoves.

After a good night's sleep, the teams prepared breakfast and packed up their kit. After a briefing with Mr Adams on their route each team set off, staggered in 15 minute intervals. Their route took them over Haldon, passed Teignmouth Golf Club, near to Ideford, through Kingsteignton and finally to Twelveoaks Campsite in Teigngrace. A gruelling trek, with an immediate and constant climb, that totalled almost 20km distance.

Each team showed competent navigation skills , with very few mistakes, and completed the walk. DofE Silver requires each team to be on expedition for seven hours each day, including breaks. All the teams made it to camp after 7 hours or slightly more. An excellent effort, particularly for those new to expeditions.

Despite a bit of rain during the night, the third day was perfect for hiking. Again, the teams set off after analysing their routes. Sunday's hike was taking them through Stover Country Park, across Stover Golf Course, round the back of Trago Mills, on to Liverton and then finally to Heathfield. Whilst being shorter in total than what the Qualifying Expedition will be, the students covered almost 40km over the three days. An amazing effort! Great preparation for the main event, the Qualifying Expedition, in three weeks' time. Thanks to Mr Brett, Miss Baker, Mr Whelan and Mr Adams for staffing the expedition. And well done on an amazing effort to the following students: Neeve Lithgow, Sunny Long, Indy Evans, Bella Blatchford, Eva Spicer, Naphtali Phineas, Ollie Cooper, Hayden Halsey, Alex Nagy, Rufus Scrase, Lucas Chappell, Grace Halsey, Tallulah Houlahan, Rebecca Quarshie, Joselyn Full, Grace Green, Grace Gibbings, Scarlett Finley-Squires, Kiki Marker, Amelia Rose, Harrison Richards, Benji Houghton, Adam Sadlik, Nevin Vithayathil, Mikolaj Piasecki, Toby Waring, Harrison Harkin, Charlie Wise, Barnaby George, Ayden Goldsbrough, Oliver Welsh.

Creative Writing Club

Since September Creative Writing Club have been working up to their first 'Write Like A Champion' competition. Students were asked to write a short story about a new beginning. After careful consideration, Laura Mercer was crowned the winner. With a piece showcasing the power of storytelling, Laura blew the judges away!

Now, the Creative Writing Club are working towards a poetry competition, writing a poem about a dream.

Miss Smith is excited to meet all of the budding writers at TA. Creative Writing Club meets weekly during Wednesday Break 2.

Year 7s make pancakes

The Year 7s have just started their Food Technology practical lessons and have quickly adapted to the structure of the lessons and the expectations of food safety and hygiene standards. This week was the opportunity to create some healthy American style pancakes and not only did they produce awesome pancakes but focused on the presentational skills to appeal to the customer. Here are some pictures from Mr Chadwick's class.

learning legend

Fun Friday at TA

This week’s Fun Friday once again brought plenty of energy, laughter, and a great sense of community across the year groups. It was fantastic to see so many students taking part and making the most of the afternoon.

Our Year 7s tested their luck with a lively game of bingo. With eyes down and pens at the ready, the excitement grew as they waited for the numbers to be called and the chance to shout out “bingo!”

Year 8 enjoyed a taste of the fair with carnival games. The atmosphere was buzzing as they threw themselves into the challenges, creating plenty of competition and big smiles all round.

Meanwhile, Year 9 put their brains to the test with a quiz. Teamwork and quick thinking were on display as they worked together to answer questions and prove their knowledge across a range of topics.

Year 10 and Year 11 ended the week in style with karaoke. The Platform was full of enthusiasm and laughter as students took to the stage, some surprising everyone with their singing talent while others won over the crowd with sheer confidence and energy.

Fun Friday continues to be a highlight of the week, giving our students the chance to relax, try something different, and share positive experiences with their peers. We are already looking forward to next week’s activities.

Students of the Week

Year 7 - Leo Staunton and Bonnie Beedle-Grigg

Year 8 - Lucy Matthews and Freddie Brabon

Year 9 - Jax Biagott, Jesse Isemede and Oceana Furse

Year 11 - Ben Jolly and Sophia Burnham

Year 11 Photography Workshop – Exploring The Human Form

Our Year 11 art students recently took part in an exciting photography workshop in the drama studio with Mrs Lynch, focusing on the theme ‘The Human Form.’

Students experimented with fast and slow shutter speeds to capture different effects, developing their technical and creative skills behind the camera.

We were delighted to welcome Daisy, a talented ballet dancer, who performed a series of graceful dances and expressive movements for the students to photograph.

The session provided a unique opportunity for students to combine performance, movement, and photography as part of their final coursework project.

University outreach for Sixth Form Music

On Wednesday, we welcomed Harry Morris from Deep Blue Sound (dBs Plymouth) into the Creative Arts Department to deliver a talk on further education and careers in music. Harry gave our students a 40-minute presentation about what to expect from the university experience in Creative Arts, the application process for Music, and how to build a successful career in the music industry. We are very grateful to Harry for giving up his time to speak with our students and provide them with valuable insights as they plan the next stage of their education.

Year 9 sisters in sport Netball success

A strong performance on Tuesday saw the Year 9 take a convincing win 30-7 against Stover School. Fantastic defensive pressure across the court forced turnovers and limited the opposition's chances, despite the strength of the Stover squad. Good connections in attack ensured consistent scoring from our accurate shooters, helping the team to secure a place in the next round of the competition. A brilliant all-round display. Well done girls.

Coach's Player of the Match: Emilee Fenner

Opposition's Player of the Match: Emilee Fenner

Players' Player of the Match: Matilda Thorner / Madison Wood

Squad: Matilda Thorner, Zenna Venter, Isla Bryant, Madison Wood ©, Emilee Fenner, Seren Chadwick, Lily Langler, Elena Bolton, Eva Thompson

Year 7 Rugby

It has been a busy week for the year 7 rugby team. On Tuesday they travelled to Teignmouth for their first fixtures of the season. We took a mixture of students who play for local clubs alongside many whose first experience was during their core PE lessons. They performed amazingly and put what they learnt in lessons and training into practice. 3 games played with two wins and a loss.

On Wednesday it was back to training, it was so impressive to have 19 boys keen and eager to continue to develop their skills and techniques. On Thursday we travelled to Churston where we took part in a central venue league with Churston Grammar, Paignton, St Cuthbert Mayne and Torquay Boys Grammar. Again the development and desire to improve was clear to see. We started with STCM and showed what we were capable of when getting the ball out wide to the speedsters in space. In the game against Paignton it was the tackling and rucking that was impressive and the ability to turn the ball. Against Torquay Boys and Churston Grammar we continued to gain confidence and the boys were playing with a smile on their faces.

Results from the evening - 1 win, 1 draw, 2 narrow loses.

Well done to all the boys - let's continue to grow and develop as a group.