A Wonderful Welcome at Our Open Evening
Our school was buzzing on Thursday evening as we welcomed hundreds of prospective parents and children to our Open Evening. It was a lovely opportunity to share what makes our school special and for our incredible students and staff to shine.
While our facilities always make a big impression, it is our girls and boys who really bring the school to life. We were delighted to hear so many positive comments about our wonderful students and the welcome families received from our school community.
Choosing a secondary school is an exciting milestone, and we are very grateful to everyone who joined us to explore, ask questions and get a feel for life here. Thank you, too, for the generous and encouraging feedback we received throughout the evening.
There will be further opportunities for prospective students to visit the school, and we look forward to welcoming them back. In the meantime, a huge thank you to all the students and staff who helped make Thursday such a memorable evening.
Year 7: 6 in 6 Reading Challenge
This week we awarded the new Year 7 students with their first ever Torquay Academy badge, the golden 6 in 6 challenge badge.
This was awarded to all students who completed the summer reading challenge, reading and reviewing 6 books of their choice over the 6 weeks of summer.
So many of our new Year 7 students took up this challenge and all were delighted to receive their badges and certificates. Congratulations to all of them. We wish them lots of hours of enjoyment as they continue their reading journey.
Year 7 Make an Energetic Start to Hyrox
Year 7 students attended their first Hyrox session this week, making excellent use of our new gym facilities.
Led by Mr Christophers and Mr Honey, the students worked extremely hard and embraced the demanding session with enthusiasm. It was a brilliant and energetic way to begin their Thursday morning.
Joshua Kittow Excels at the Torbay Half Marathon
Sixth Form student Joshua Kittow delivered an exceptional performance at the Torbay Half Marathon. Competing over the challenging 13.1-mile route, Joshua crossed the finish line with a brilliant time of 1:36:10, earning 4th place in the Men’s Under-20 category.
Applying the same precision, focus and discipline he brings to his A-Levels in Maths, Further Maths and Physics, Joshua’s hard work in training has clearly paid off with a fantastic result.
A huge congratulations to Joshua on a brilliant achievement – the entire Sixth Form community is incredibly proud of you!
Personal Development Day
Monday saw our first Personal Development day of the year.
First aid features highly in our content. Over the course of the year, Year 7 students will receive training in The Recovery Position (including asthma and autoinjectors), CPR and how to manage and control bleeding. Students did either the recovery position or bleeding this week and will do the other sessions over the course of the year. Year 9 students looked at common illnesses and how to deal with these and the Year 10 students had a quick refresher on how to do CPR and the use of defibrillators.
Torquay mental health team ran sessions across Year 7 and 8 looking at Body Image and factors that may improve or harm it. Body image was also the theme of interactive workshops from Upfront Theatre company to years 8, 9 and 10 who looked at myths connected to it. Year 8 students also had sessions from the School of Sexuality on puberty and anatomy. Our final external visitor ‘Bernie’ looked at the impacts of online influencers on behaviours (especially misogynistic attitudes) and how both of these things lead to controlling behaviours.
Year 7 also had sessions on what a healthy relationship looks like and how, as they start taking more responsibility for their own welfare, the routines they need to get into, to keep healthy. Students also looked at the issue of cyberbullying and how their personality can affect their spending habits.
Students in Year 8 looked at different attitudes to alcohol and drugs. The remainder of their sessions looked at online harms- how to identify fake news, how to identify and deal with scams and how to keep their devices safe.
The content for Year 9 students was heavy on the relationships and sexual relationships part of the curriculum, looking at how relationships change as they become romantic in nature, how to identify whether or not someone is consenting. Some groups had sessions on the impact of porn, and this will continue, next PD day, and some looked at being healthy online and the impact of cannabis use.
Year 10 students had a varied curriculum, from sending nudes, issues with belonging to a gang, how to identify and manage risk when using alcohol. Other sessions looked at how their habits and routines might impact their learning and finally, the importance of having a positive social media presence.
The topics for Year 11 all relate to their futures and increasing independence, from the impact of body modifications, to how to budget. Other, career based sessions included planning and writing out a CV, whether an apprenticeship would work for them and how to perform well in interviews.
Fun Friday: A Great Way to Finish the Week!
Another busy week drew to a cheerful close with Fun Friday, giving students the chance to enjoy some friendly competition and spend time together.
Higher and Lower brought plenty of anticipation, while Year 8 enjoyed a game of bingo. Years 7 and 11 put their estimating skills to the test with Guess the Sweets in the Jar, and Year 9 joined in the fun with Carnival Games. There was something to spark everyone’s competitive spirit and plenty of opportunities for a laugh along the way.
Fun Friday is a lovely expression of our “work hard, play hard” mantra. After a week of effort in the classroom, taking time to enjoy each other’s company and have some fun is a fitting way to finish.
Thank you to everyone who helped organise the activities and to our students for joining in with such enthusiasm. We hope they head into the weekend with a smile and enjoy a lovely break, ready for another great week ahead!
Year 13 Chemists Step into the Lab at the University of Bath
Last Thursday, our Year 13 chemists traded their school laboratory for a taste of university life during an exciting visit to the University of Bath, accompanied by Mr Gale and Mrs Pidwell.
The day began with a guided tour of the campus, taking in facilities including the Sports Training Village and the School of Management. For our scientists, a particular highlight was seeing cutting-edge research equipment, including a full-scale Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer.
The students then moved into the undergraduate chemistry laboratories, where they were challenged to separate a fictional compound called ‘Bathenone’ into aspirin and an unknown substance. Working through a complex series of undergraduate-level procedures, they used rotary evaporation, gravity filtration, vacuum filtration and separating funnels.
To identify the mystery compound, the students collected melting-point data and ran their own Infrared (IR) spectra. Their analysis was successful, identifying the substance as acetanilide. This early pain-relief medication was later phased out because of its toxicity, but it remains an important intermediate in modern chemical synthesis.
Throughout the session, our students demonstrated outstanding practical skills. They followed complex, multi-step instructions independently and handled advanced equipment with confidence.
This was an invaluable opportunity to experience university-level science first-hand, and our Year 13 chemists did Torquay Academy proud.
Year 11 GCSE Art: Gelli Printing Workshop
Our Year 11 GCSE Art students recently presented the work they created during an exciting gelli printing workshop, exploring the theme of the human form. Inspired by the bold shapes, expressive figures and simplified forms of Henri Matisse and contemporary artist Froyle Davies, students experimented with layering, texture, colour and composition to create their own unique prints.
The workshop encouraged students to be playful and experimental, developing ideas through repeated printing and combining different layers and patterns. Students then presented and discussed their outcomes, reflecting on how the work of Matisse and Froyle Davies had influenced their creative decisions. The finished pieces demonstrate some fantastic experimentation and provide a strong starting point for 3D development within their GCSE portfolios.
GCSE History: Exploring 800 Years of Change
This week, Miss Carter's GCSE groups have been covering History spanning over 800 years. Year 10, who are currently studying Medicine Through Time, learned about the developments in surgery in the 1800s, including the creation of anaesthetics and antiseptics. Year 9 are studying the Anglo-Saxons and Normans, and this week learned about Harold Godwinson's visit to Normandy in 1064, which is shown in scenes on the Bayeux Tapestry. They linked this to the tapestry currently being displayed in the British Museum in a special exhibition, and considered why it is still so fascinating to people.
Year 8 Students of the Week
Congratulations to Ava Medway, Maisie Madge, Brock Last and Benji Kittow, our Year 8 Students of the Week from last week and this week.
Year 10 Learning Legends
Congratulations to this week’s Year 10 Learning Legends: Chris Csapo and Jamie Hancox.
Year 10 Students of the Week
Congratulations to our Year 10 Students of the Week: Elizabeth Fowler and Ethan Hindom.
Year 11 Students of the Week
Congratulations to our Year 11 Students of the Week: Poppy Sanderson and Gustaw Adamczak.
Tassomai Leaderboards
Congratulations to the students featured on this week’s Tassomai leaderboards. Well done for your hard work and commitment to learning.
House Stars of the Week
Congratulations to our House Stars of the Week for the week beginning 21 September 2026!
Year 7
Brunel: Dominic Rose
Christie: Freddie Harnett
Darwin: Oscar Fenlon
Fawcett: Ella Hutchinson
Harrison: Logan Fry
Kitson: Millie French
Nearne: Eve Guppy
Year 8
Brunel: Elijah Benson
Christie: Gregori Masliakovas
Darwin: Corey Watt
Fawcett: Ivy Howell
Kitson: Cody Aguilana
Nearne: Tyler Stacey
Pengelly: Wiki Bartoszewska
Year 9
Brunel: Ela Uven
Christie: Rhia Holding
Darwin: Amaris Quennell
Fawcett: Kayden Harper
Harrison: Luca Guppy
Kitson: Kobe Laker
Nearne: Charlie Skinner
Pengelly: Liv Reed
Homework House Stars of the Week
Congratulations to our Homework House Stars for the week beginning 21 September 2026!
Year 7
Brunel: Jessica Saunders
Christie: Millie Thatcher
Darwin: Shanaya Raja
Fawcett: Furkan Ertas
Harrison: Brian Buapim Obeng
Nearne: Maci Harrison
Pengelly: Clayton Slater Saunt
Year 8
Brunel: Taylor Norgaard-Welsh
Christie: Alvis Mathew
Darwin: Baran Sular
Fawcett: Evelyn Marian Roney
Kitson: Dolly Peart
Nearne: Jack Harris
Pengelly: Sid Walters
Year 9
Brunel: Evie Jewell
Christie: Amelia Woodland
Darwin: Caiden Edmonds
Fawcett: Gabriel Talbot-Powner
Harrison: Brooke Harding
Kitson: Darcey Partridge
Nearne: Niya Rose Santhosh
Pengelly: Emilia Hedgecock
Sparx Homework: Celebrating Our Most Improved Students
This week’s Sparx leaderboard celebrates the top ten most improved students in each year group from Year 7 to Year 11, recognising their progress in XP over the week.
Congratulations to everyone featured in the leaderboards, and well done for your continued commitment to learning beyond the classroom.
Sparx Reader Leaderboard
Congratulations to the students featured on our latest Sparx Reader leaderboards, celebrating readers across Years 7 to 11 and the whole school. Well done to everyone recognised for their reading!
