Spectacular Christmas Concert, TA’s Got Talent and House results

a christmas concert to remember

As the final echoes of the Siberian rock guitars fade and the stage fog clears, I am left reflecting on a truly spectacular Christmas Concert. The scale of the evening was breathtaking, with a capacity audience of 360 cheering on 162 student performers. Supported by 42 dedicated staff, the stage was alive with 23 guitars, 2 drum kits, 3 Wise Men, and two very special Angels.

The program was a brilliant mix of energy and talent, from the joyful Gavin and Stacey-inspired opening of Step into Christmas to the sophisticated, high-level jazz of Santa Baby. Our Choir delivered a stunning rendition of Go Steady featuring a beautiful solo by Louise Porter, while the Junior Music Academy impressed in their debut performance alongside the newly-formed Senior Music Academy.

A standout, deeply emotional moment saw Charlie Porter joined on stage by his grandad for a duet; seeing that generational bond through music left not a dry eye in the house. The fun continued with Rae’s Where’s My Husband?, which saw fantastic audience participation, and a thrilling sneak preview of next year’s production, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

The atmosphere was electric, enhanced by smoke machines, sparks, and lasers, all culminating in a "Siberian Rock" finale of Carol of the Bells. Huge congratulations to all our performers for such an incredible night. For those who wish to relive the magic, the professionally recorded video will be released on our YouTube channel over the coming days, just in time for the Christmas holidays.

TA's got talent final

For a number of weeks, students across the school have been auditioning for TA’s Got Talent, showcasing an impressive range of creativity, confidence and performance skills.

The excitement reached its peak during our end of term assembly, where the finalists took to the stage in front of the whole school. Representing their year groups, each finalist delivered an outstanding performance and showed real courage and professionalism in such a high profile setting.

Our finalists were:
• Year 7 – Oliver Simpson
• Year 8 – Archie Kershaw
• Year 9 – Chloe Taylor
• Year 10 – Anastasiia Tukilush

Every performance was met with huge applause, with students cheering each other on and celebrating the talent on display. The standard was incredibly high, making the judges’ decision a very difficult one.

But in the end, there could only be one winner. Congratulations to Archie, who was crowned this year’s TA’s Got Talent champion. Their performance truly stood out and captured the attention of the entire audience.

A special thank you goes to our Head Boy, James Lovell, and Head Girl, Bea Corline, along with the wider Sixth Form leadership team, who led and organised the entire competition from start to finish. Their commitment, organisation and enthusiasm ensured that TA’s Got Talent was a huge success and a memorable experience for everyone involved.

Well done to everyone who took part and helped make this event such a highlight of the end of term.

ta Taskmaster returns

This year marked the third TA Taskmaster, with members of the senior team taking on a series of festive challenges for the enjoyment of students across the school.

During time with their tutor before assembly, students watched the Taskmaster videos and tried to guess the winners of each task. They enjoyed some festive treats along the way!

Across the competition, the senior team tackled five festive tasks, including building a human Christmas tree, catching flying gummies, balancing baubles, mastering the After Eight face challenge, and finishing with a dramatic sleigh-pull obstacle race in mascot costumes and with a very important elf passenger.

The tasks were competitive, chaotic and entertaining, with plenty of laughter from both participants and spectators. Students particularly enjoyed seeing staff step outside their comfort zone...

The competition continued into the end of term assembly with the Taskmaster Grand Final. Students were challenged to answer four questions (answers below):
1. Out of 1,478 students, how many have a unique birthday?
2. How many days of the year, if any, have no student birthdays?

3. What is the largest number of students who share a birthday?

4. How many students in the school have an alliterative name, such as Freddie Flintoff or Marilyn Monroe?

The student whose guesses were closest across all three questions was [INSERT NAME HERE], who was rewarded with a well deserved feast of festive goodies.

TA Taskmaster has once again brought plenty of laughter and energy into the final weeks of term, celebrating creativity, teamwork and the strong sense of community across the school.

Answers:

1. Out of 1,478 students, how many have a unique birthday? (answer: 38)
2. How many days of the year, if any, have no student birthdays? (answer: 3)

3. What is the most number of students share a birthday? (answer: 11)

4. How many students in the school have an alliterative name, such as Freddie Flintoff or Marilyn Monroe? (answer: 72 - most popular is CC with 11)

house competition results

Our end of year assembly provided a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our House system and to recognise the commitment, effort and teamwork shown by students across the school throughout the year.

After months of competition across sport, attendance, effort and House points, we were delighted to announce the winners of each trophy.

Christie House, named after Agatha Christie, enjoyed an outstanding year, winning both the Sports Trophy and the Attendance Trophy, a reflection of their commitment, consistency and teamwork. Their success across these two areas played a major part in securing the overall title.

Kitson House were crowned winners of the House Points Trophy, recognising the collective effort of students earning points through their positive contribution to school life on a daily basis.

The Effort Board Trophy was awarded to Brunel House, celebrating sustained effort, determination and pride in learning across the year.

With strong performances across multiple competitions, Christie House were announced as the overall House winners. The announcement was met with huge applause, and lifting the trophy in front of the whole school was a proud moment for students and staff alike.

Mr Jones, Head of Christie House, was understandably delighted with the performance of his Cobras. Lifting the trophy in front of the whole school is one of the highlights of his year, if not the highlight, and he is already plotting how to retain the title next year.

christmas lunch

Our wonderful kitchen team did an incredible job this year, preparing and serving over 700 Christmas lunches for students across the school.

As a special reward for their brilliant efforts so far this year, all of Year 11 enjoyed their Christmas lunch together, creating a real sense of occasion and celebration. Following this, each of the other year groups took their turn to enjoy a festive meal, with a great atmosphere throughout the day as students came together to celebrate.

The dining hall was full of smiles, conversation and festive spirit, with students enjoying their lunch and the chance to mark the season together as a school community.

A huge thank you goes to our kitchen team, who worked tirelessly to prepare and serve such a large number of meals, as well as to the many other members of staff who gave up their time to help with organisation, tidying and cleaning throughout the day. Teamwork like this makes events of this scale possible.

I was also delighted to continue my annual tradition of being in charge of serving the turkey and roast potatoes, a role I take very seriously.

Thank you to everyone involved for making this year’s Christmas lunch such a success and a memorable part of the end of term celebrations.

head boy and girl

midweek fun friday brings festive cheer

As we approach the end of term, students across the school have been enjoying our Midweek Fun Friday activities, a chance to pause, have some festive fun with friends, while keeping lessons running as normal throughout the week.

Teaching and learning have continued as usual, but at carefully planned points students were given time out to enjoy seasonal activities that help build community, relationships and a positive end of term atmosphere.

For a number of years, Year 11 have taken part in a much loved Christmas quiz with Mr Grinsill in the Sports Hall. Working in teams, students competed in good spirits, aiming to earn some well deserved edible treats. The quiz has always been hugely popular, and this year, due to its success, the experience was extended to Years 8, 9 and 10 as well.

Across all year groups involved, the Sports Hall was filled with laughter, teamwork and a fantastic atmosphere, with students fully engaged and enjoying the opportunity to spend time together in a relaxed but purposeful setting.

Meanwhile, Year 7 enjoyed a special cinema style experience on The Platform on Friday morning. Students watched The Nativity and enjoyed some sweets, making it a memorable and festive way to start the day.

Midweek Fun Friday is a great example of how we can combine enjoyment and structure. It allows students to have fun and celebrate the season, while maintaining high expectations and focus during normal lesson time across the week.

A big thank you to staff who helped organise and run the activities, and well done to students for embracing the spirit of the week so positively.

Food bank mufti day

On Wednesday, students took part in our Christmas Jumper Monthly Day and were invited to bring in a donation for the local food bank. As you can imagine, for a school of our size this resulted in a significant collection of food and essential items. These donations will make a real difference to families in our community who rely on the food bank for support over the Christmas period. Thank you to everyone who contributed so generously and helped spread some festive kindness.

Christmas Art Lessons – Year 8 Review with Mrs Lynch

Our Year 8 students enjoyed a festive and creative run of Christmas art lessons inspired by 1950s Christmas baubles!! Using a range of different bauble-shaped templates, students explored how colour, pattern and motif can work together to create bold and eye-catching Christmas card designs.

The lessons encouraged experimentation and playful creativity, with students confidently combining retro colour palettes, decorative patterns and festive imagery. The atmosphere in the classroom was fun, relaxed and full of seasonal spirit, and the students clearly enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate creativity in a joyful way.

I’m very much looking forward to welcoming the year 8 art students back in 2026 for some slightly more serious (but no less creative!) art lessons.

Year 9 Biology with Dr Hocking

In Biology Dr Hocking and his year 9 students have been testing foods for the presence of certain molecules. The4 different food tests they need to know are the Biuret, Iodine, Benedicts and emulsion tests for their GCSE in Biology. Each test reveals a different molecule in the food, the foods we tested were Oil, Lemonade, bread and egg white. Proteins will turn the blue biuret solution purple. Starch will turn the orange iodine solution blue/black, glucose will turn the blue Benedict's solution red and lipids will produce a white cloudy emulsion in the tube. The students were able to identify the major food molecules in each food type.

CCF Torquay – A Busy few Months of Training and Opportunity

The past few months have been an extremely active and rewarding period for Torquay Academy Combined Cadet Force, with cadets taking part in a wide range of training, exercises, and enrichment activities that have supported both personal development and teamwork.

Weekly parade nights have remained the foundation of cadet life, with a strong focus on drill, turnout, discipline, and developing confidence. New cadets have made excellent progress, quickly learning core skills and integrating into the contingent, while senior cadets have continued to set high standards and act as positive role models.

Fieldcraft and military skills training has featured heavily, giving cadets the opportunity to learn and practise skills such as navigation, camouflage, section-level tasks, and working effectively in outdoor environments. These sessions have encouraged resilience, problem-solving, and cooperation, particularly when conditions were challenging.

Leadership development has been a key theme throughout the period. Senior cadets have taken increasing responsibility for planning and delivering training under staff supervision, mentoring younger cadets and developing their own communication and organisational skills in the process.

Cadets have also taken part in adventurous and enrichment activities, broadening their experiences beyond the parade square. These opportunities have helped build confidence, independence, and trust, while reinforcing the importance of teamwork and mutual support.

The last few months have also seen cadets recognised for their commitment and achievement, whether through progression, increased responsibility, or simply demonstrating determination and a positive attitude. These successes reflect the inclusive ethos of the CCF, where effort and improvement are valued alongside formal qualifications.

A huge thank you to all of our cadets for their continued hard work, commitment, and positive attitude over the past few months. In particular, our sincere thanks go to the incredible staff who volunteer their time, energy, and expertise to make the CCF possible. Without their dedication, none of these opportunities would exist.

We are always keen to welcome additional volunteers to support Torquay Academy CCF; anyone interested in getting involved is encouraged to make contact via ccf@TQacademy.co.uk

spanish club

Our Spanish club had a festive and fun-filled session this week! Students enjoyed playing interactive games, singing villancicos (Spanish Christmas carols), and creating beautiful Christmas cards. It was wonderful to see their enthusiasm and creativity shine through and made the day special!

¡Feliz Navidad y próspero año nuevo a todos de María Mewett y Malena Garmendia!

maths with mr henwood

This Week 10Q7 have been continuing their work on Statistics as they prepare for their exams this Summer. They have been recapping work on averages, including missing mean problems. They have also been getting to grips with some complicated statistical language and writing hypotheses. They are showing a huge amount of pride in their work as they start this part of their mathematical journey at TA.

House News December 2025

Over the last two weeks, students in year 7 have again been competing in a knock-out house competition. On this occasion, the event was a basket ball shoot, with twelve players from each house attempting to score. The students -as always- have participated with tremendous enthusiasm: eagerly awaiting the draw, choosing their players wisely and electing captains to make vital; decisions. Tutors have also been particularly encouraging and competitive.

The final took place on Tuesday with both finalists- Pengelly and Nearne -having already defeated two other opposing teams. It was a hard -fought match, with each student wanting to do the best for their house. Ultimately, Nearne emerged victorious with a 3-1 win!

All finalists were awarded sweets, with extra being provided for the whole of 7N. The house cup is now on display in Nearne’s classroom. Mr Pasternakiewicz, tutor for 7N states how proud he is of his tutor group and what a wonderful-whole class team they are.

Miss Risk

science with mr hanley

This week 7T5 have been learning about the features of the human respiratory system in Science and have had the opportunity to dissect a pluck from a lamb. The students were able to cut into and observe the adaptations of the trachea and bronchi, as well as watch Mr Hanley inflate one. The students learned how oxygen enters the body and how carbon dioxide leaves.

Students in the photos: Isaac Bond, Charlie pearson, Ayva Howell. It was mentioned some students may not be allowed on the blog so thought I would include names just in case.

Year 11 Human Form Exhibition

Ahead of our Creative Art's Christmas Concert, parents were invited to view the Year 11 Human Form Exhibition, a thoughtful and engaging showcase of student work. The exhibition explored the human body through a range of themes including skeletons, eyes and movement, demonstrating both anatomical understanding and expressive interpretation.

Students showed impressive technical skill and creativity across a variety of media, including clay sculpture, painting, photography, etching, mixed media and textiles. From carefully constructed skeletal forms to energetic studies capturing movement and emotion, each piece reflected confident experimentation and personal engagement with the human form.

The exhibition was complemented by live acoustic music performed by students, creating a warm and relaxed atmosphere for parents as they viewed the work. Together, the visual art and music provided a rich creative experience and set an inspiring tone for the festive evening of performances that followed.

Sparx Reader

At the end of our first term, we can look back at how successful Sparx Reader has been. Students across all years have spent a total of 7,778 hours reading and in that time they have finished 4,327 books. This is an outstanding achievement and we would like to say a huge well done to all of our students.

With a record number of students achieving their Sparx Reader bronze, silver and gold awards, we awarded the last certificates of the year this week.

Bronze awards for the girls in Year 7 went to - Remy Beaumont Gray, Aimee Byrne, Mia Carter, Isla Copping, Bella Froude, Meelie Harvey, Olivija Marsalkaite, Maddison Pearse, Sivanganga Renjit and Esme White.

Bronze awards for the boys in Year 7 went to - Ethan Botha, James Cooper-Darby, Shia Davidson, Noah Harding, Donatella Manyimo and Godwin Ramesh Mani. Other Bronze awards went to Ellie Bowden in year 10 and Lydia Shetliffe in Year 8.

Silver awards in Year 7 went to - Zara Isemede and Asia Knight for the girls and Archer Burton, James Rackley and Samuel Vesely for the boys.

Gold awards went to Dominik Mohacsi in Year 7 and Cathrine Ramesh Mani in Year 9.

year 10 students help with #turning heads

Over the advent period year 10 students have enjoyed being elves to enable children and young adults with a range of complex needs to experience the magic of meeting Santa at the Turning Heads Grotto.

The children from TA have thoroughly enjoyed volunteering, especially at this special time of year. As well as the immediate impact that is so evident, it has been fascinating to have conversations with our boys and girls about how Turning Heads alters the life paths of those with learning difficulties by providing employment opportunities to those who might otherwise be overlooked.

We are so proud of them!