Summer Fest, House Charity Celebrations & Future Stories

Torquay Academy Summer Fest

There was a real festival atmosphere across Torquay Academy on Friday afternoon as students came together to enjoy our annual Summer Fest, a fantastic celebration marking the final Friday of lessons before the end of term.

Bathed in glorious sunshine, the school was transformed into a vibrant festival venue, with something for everyone to enjoy. The main stage was alive throughout the afternoon with performances from a number of our talented student bands. It was wonderful to see so many young musicians showcasing their abilities and entertaining their fellow students, creating an incredible atmosphere across the site.

For those wanting to take centre stage themselves, the ever popular karaoke stage provided plenty of memorable performances, while the Platinum once again became home to the legendary Rave Cave. Packed with students throughout the afternoon, it proved just as popular as ever and kept the energy levels high from start to finish.

A firm favourite also made its return, with brave members of staff taking part in the much anticipated Sponge the Teacher event. As always, it drew huge crowds and plenty of laughter. New for this year was an inflatable obstacle course, which quickly became one of the busiest attractions of the afternoon as students challenged themselves and their friends.

No festival would be complete without great food, and there was plenty on offer. Students enjoyed delicious barbecue food, freshly made pizzas from the pizza oven, alongside popcorn and ice cream, making the most of the summer weather.

Summer Fest is always one of the highlights of the school calendar, providing students with the opportunity to relax, celebrate and spend time together after another year of hard work. It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces, students enjoying each other’s company, and staff joining in with the fun.

A huge thank you goes to all of the staff, student volunteers and everyone who helped organise and run the event. Their hard work ensured the afternoon was such a tremendous success.

It was the perfect way to celebrate the final Friday of lessons and a fitting reminder of the fantastic community spirit that makes Torquay Academy such a special place.

House News July

This week has seen students from Torquay Academy welcoming in representatives from our eight house charities, discovering more about what the charities do and presenting the donations which they have raised,

Representatives from: The Children’s Society (Brunel), Rowcroft Hospice (Christie), Animals in Distress (Darwin), The Premature Baby Unit (Fawcett), The Royal British Legion (Harrison), The Devon Wildlife Trust (Kitson) , The Red Cross (Nearne) and Torbay Stroke Support (Pengelly) have attended a series of assemblies throughout the week.

The speakers have given presentations about the work that their charities perform-concentrating in particular on what the amount raised will provide. Our students have learnt some interesting facts and are enthusiastic about raising more funds in the future.

Highlights in have included: a very informative talk from a war veteran, meeting a puppy, learning about conservation work in Torbay, seeing the vital work performed for those with medical needs and understanding the operations involved in helping victims of war.

As always, students’ behaviour has been exemplary and the charities are all looking forward to working with them again in the next academic year.

Ladies & Gentlemen your 2026 Junior Club Champion - Harry Smith!

With 2 fantastic rounds in the 70’s, Harry held steady and demonstrated composure to hold off challenges from defending champ Luca Impey, and last years runner up George Kasparis to win the 2026 Junior Club Champs.

It was a wonderful, testing day with so many achievements. More celebrations and photos coming soon, but for now…

Congrats Harry, your name will be etched on the board for ever!

Your Future Story

This year, Torquay Academy has been lucky enough to take part in the first year of the Your Future Story project, a programme created by Colyton Grammar School to encourage future success for some of our Y7s with the highest SATs scores. This has involved two trips with the rest of our cohort from across the South West: Spaceport Cornwall in January and Exeter University (Penryn Campus) in June.

Exeter University

In June, we once again boarded a coach and journeyed down to Cornwall to visit Exeter University’s Penryn Campus. Students were given a brief talk about what university life is like and the wide range of courses available at Exeter University, before we set out on a tour of the campus with some very knowledgeable student guides from the university. We were shown lecture theatres, seminar rooms, the library and the gemstone collection in the Camborne School of Mining, as well as being given information about student accommodation and sports facilities. At each stage, students were given a chance to make notes on what they would want in their ideal university, and when we returned to base after lunch we were given the task of designing a brand new university that could be located anywhere in the world.

Thus was born…Australia University. A campus full of leisure centres and movie theatres, 5* apartment complexes (which were free for students), animal therapy centres and a library full of beanbags for comfortable studying, this university also was home to a host of fantastic opportunities for specific courses offered. Our students designed: a mini ocean for students studying marine biology; a stargazing area for astrophysics students; labs for scientific study and, last but not least, a time machine for history students. Of course, all of these backed onto discussion rooms so that students could come together to talk about their exciting discoveries and adventures. The final touch was a collection of areas specific to the Australian location: koalas, wombats and kangaroo racing.

Sid and Jack stood up to present our university to all of the students and teachers present, with Sid taking the lead. He was articulate, confident and really stood out compared to all the other students in the cohort. Not only was he one of only three students brave enough to present without getting their university guide to do so, but he was also the student who presented for the longest. Miss Elson was exceptionally proud!

We’re looking forward to next year’s trips and welcoming our new Y7 group to the Your Future Story programme!

Spaceport Cornwall

At Spaceport Cornwall, students had the opportunity to meet other Y7 students from our partner schools for the first time, starting the day with an opportunity to ask each other questions and collect stickers from each school to complete their map of the South West. Then it was into a brief discussion of how Spaceport Cornwall worked, before our five students were split into two groups and asked to step out of their comfort zone and work with people from other schools! Faced with tables of magazines, scissors and sellotape, the students were given the challenge of working together to build the highest tower possible that was still capable of supporting a tomato on top. While neither of our two teams won, they were able to explore ideas about engineering and build their communication skills - Frankie in particular quickly took charge of her group and was soon giving instructions both to TA students and students from the other school!

The second half of the day was dedicated to launching rockets and touring the Spaceport Cornwall buildings. While touring, we heard about the history and successes of the industry in the UK, as well as how other businesses often came down to Cornwall to share their facilities. Students were encouraged to think about the wealth of careers that are present in the South West that are often not as obvious at first thought, with the aim of helping them to realise how many career options are actually available to them. After the tour, the students had to work together to design a paper rocket that could be launched as far as possible while also carrying and protecting a tomato. Sadly, we were so focused on creating a sturdy carriage that we ended up with our rocket stuck to the air canister instead of flying off. However, yet again it was so lovely to see the students working together and displaying such brilliant teamwork skills that it was hard to be too disappointed!

Crest Awards

Maths with Miss Clarke

This week, Miss Clarke’s Year 8 maths class turned a post-assessment review into an absolute masterclass in growth mindset. Instead of just checking scores, the students dove into a dynamic feedback lesson focused on the art of estimation. They tackled their misconceptions head-on, breaking down complex numbers and analyzing why certain approximations worked better than others. The energy in the room was fantastic as students collaborated, debated their rounding strategies, and realized that a good estimate isn't just a guess—it's a powerful tool for checking accuracy. It was a brilliant session of reflective learning, and the progress made in just 100 minutes was truly impressive. Hats off to Year 8 for showing such dedication to sharpening their mathematical skills and presenting their work beautifully throughout!

Ms Wiltshire’s 9Q5 English

I am incredibly proud of how well my Year 9 class did in their Speaking and Listening assessments and wanted to celebrate their success.

For many of the students , speaking in front of others can feel daunting, but they showed real courage by facing their nerves and giving it their best. It was wonderful to see them grow in confidence as they shared their ideas, listened carefully to each other, and took part so positively in discussions.

They supported one another throughout, creating a kind and encouraging atmosphere where everyone felt able to have a go. Their determination, resilience, and willingness to step outside their comfort zones made their achievements even more special. They should all be very proud of themselves, and it was a privilege to see how far they have come.

Well done Mason , Emilee , Poppy, Sonny, Billie Jo, Elise , Vinnie and Tyler!!

Y10 learning legend

prestigious diamond award

Year 7 - Mylo Jury, Lorenz Hodgson, Beau Luker-Hulme, Tommy Stevens, Riley Holmes, Isaac Armitage, Roni Bates, Mason Bond, Elias Abbott, Phoebe Smith, Lilly Conley, Harry Barrett, Elyce Turner, Freddie Bullion & Ollie Webster

Year 8 - Zofia Bocianowska, Emilie Cutmore, Fi Bellamy-Hall, Ryu Cutts, Tyler Fudge, Sophia Houghton & Sienna Frost

Year 9- Morley Villiers, Lucy French, Harry Austin, Tyler Davis, Riley Johnson & Frederick Blagden

governors' platinum certificates

Year 7 - Soraya Underhill, Archie Faulkes, Hope Briant, Jaiden Wragg, Amelia Cony & Samuel Vesely

Year 8 - Fynlay Dever, Poppy Cosh, Jude Brodie, Luca Guppy, Milly Skelly, Dee Davies, Zack Jeneway, Laila Stuttaford, Finley Thompson & Gergo Rammer

Year 9 - Gabi Cobain, Haydon Coatesworth, Ellie-Mae Burton, Charlie Berry, Jelani Ondo-Chamielec, Harlow Bown, Ebany Fawkes, Bradley Wright & Katie Tonks

governors' gold certificates

Year 7 - Leo Allington, Alfie Thomas & Alfie Bortoli

Year 8 - George Davies, Teddy Shobbrook, Bella Cassidy, Zafirah Faryal, Charlie Courtier, Brooke Dennett, Caleb Drein, Libby Pell, Jude Storey, George Ballance, Isla-Mae Gale, Caiden Edmonds, Oscar Hall, Lexi Johnson, Paisley Taylor, Evie Jewell, Lillyanna Edmonds, Neave Heavens, Evan Jones, Toby Roadnight, Alex Oleksy & Eve Truscott

Year 9 - Elizabeth Francis, Lily Hubbard, Maisy Hart, Elena Bolton, Elissia Greenwood, Layla Lock, Keeley-Mae Moran, Rudy Abdulla, Calum Carpenter, Riley Piercy, Emily Redmond, Lucas Vesely & Ocean Brant

governors' silver certificates

Year 7 - Amber Dillon, Jasmine Oakley, Seth Atkins & Libby Nolan

Year 8 - Darcey Partridge, Luka Hingley, Samuel McDonald, Jacob Purdie, Freddie Brabon, Joel Cotton, Willow-Mae Calland, Maddie Mack, Jack O'Connor, Louie Gribbin, Alex Nicholson, Darcy Gibbings, Rhia Holding, Maja Kokoszka & Gabriel Talbot-Powner

Year 9 - Levi Jones, Allen Burns-Muir, Elias Jeffery, Bobby O'Regan, Rosco Biagott, Dion Maharjan, Kara Breach, Harry Evans, Benjamin Cowie, Lily Langler & Jacob Wakefield

governors' bronze certificates

Year 7 - Noah Harding, Tyler Stacey, Emelia Essiful, Henry Corderoy, Maisie Madge, Leo Limmer & William Taylor

Year 8 - Harley Bayliss, Ruby Treadaway, Archie Hudson, Lottie Hutcheson & Ava Wiggins

Year 9 - Tyler-Joseph Broadley, Poppy Evely, Toby Preston, Jake Richards, Lilly Shaw & Maddie Smith

Year 10 - Poppy Bettridge

principal's gold certificates

Year 7 - Mcolley Cooper, Riley Williams, Ethan Botha, Ethan French & Bella Froude

Year 8 - Cody Butler, Maddox Findlay-Peers, Holly-Rae Mason, Jack Parker, Tyler Moss, Leo Watson & Lydia Shetliffe

Year 9 - Oliver Forsdyke, Viktoria Simunkova, Madison Wood, Sophia Blake, Lilly-Rose Haughton, Jack Parton, Leo Nicholson, Elliott Hytche, Wiktor Koza, Leonard Toribio, Oliver Withers, Shae Craig, Riley Gomes, Ollie Humphreys, Alfie Mackin, Mia Piewiszko, Olivier Szyszka & Ted Lithgow