2nd in the world, mountain biking and lots of national cup wins
2nd and 7th in the world!
Our very own motorsport team took part in the Greenpower season finale on Sunday, having qualified for the World Finals alongside 114 other teams from around the globe. It really was a glorious day, under beaming sunshine at Goodwood Circuit, the spiritual home of British Motor racing.
As always, our outstanding team enjoyed the benefits of good organisation, arriving early thanks to a very early and committed start, 2:30 am no less! This resulted in us being the first team through the safety inspections and ultimately enjoying the maximum amount of practise time possible.
The format for the final differs slightly for the final; whereas both 90 minute races at an event usually rank evenly, the first race served as a qualifier for the second race which was the grand final.
In the qualifier race, we quickly realised who would be our main competitors for the day. Our organisation and hours of preparation shone through leaving at the right end of the field and positioned strongly for the final itself.
As the main event began we quickly established ourselves in a breakaway pack of 5 cars who we had competed with closely throughout the season, as well as a Scottish team from Albyn School whom we knew little about. After 85 minutes of action packed racing, all of the driver changes had been completed and it was a dash to the end. At that stage we were 2nd and 3rd, amazing with such a strong field.
The Final moments of the race were incredibly tense as everyone pushed to be crowned world champions. When the chequered flag dropped Bindon, our year 1 team, had managed to hold on to an incredible 2nd place and Pugh, run by our year 10s came home with an extremely impressive 7th place finish.
This has been our most successful season to date, this is an extremely competitive series which is traditionally dominated by prestigious private schools and many top teams enjoy significant Formula 1 backing, We are so proud of our brilliant team and are very excited for the coming year!
Every little helps our Greenpower team
We are very excited to feature in the Tesco groundwork blue counter competition across Torbay’s Tesco stores. Your help is needed to help us win by popping your voting tokens, which are available from the counter with every Tesco purchase, into our column of the stand placed at the exits.
If we win we will be awarded a monetary prize that will help us to secure entry to, and compete strongly in next season’s Greenpower races across the county.
Mountain biking
Mr Whelan led our students mountain biking again this week. They had a great time at Haldon.
Cadets
Our remarkable group of cadets is rising to the challenge and leading the way for our younger potential cadets. A presentation but the cadet staff and senior cadets provided the year 8 ‘s an opportunity to see what amazing activities and opportunities are available being a cadet at Torquay Academy. We look forward to a new intake of cadets from Year 8.
The Royal Air Force (RAF) cadets at Torquay Academy have reason to celebrate as they recently completed their Part 1 training. This milestone marks the beginning of their journey towards becoming future leaders in the RAF.
Part 1 training is a rigorous and comprehensive program that equips cadets with essential knowledge and skills, including drill, fieldcraft, and first aid, preparing them for more advanced training phases. These young cadets have demonstrated their commitment, discipline, and determination in reaching this important stage in their cadet careers. The RAF cadet program provides them with valuable life skills, leadership opportunities, and a sense of responsibility that will serve them well in their future endeavours.
In an exciting development, the Army cadets at Torquay Academy had the privilege of welcoming the Army STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) team to their cadet training. The Army STEM team’s visit was a remarkable opportunity for the cadets to explore the fascinating world of science and technology within the military context. The visit provided cadets with a hands-on experience of various STEM-related activities, fostering their interest in science and technology while showcasing the diverse career opportunities available in the British Army.
This collaboration between the Army and the cadet unit demonstrates the Academy’s commitment to providing a well-rounded education that includes exposure to cutting-edge technology and innovation. Torquay
These accomplishments by the RAF and Army cadets at Torquay Academy reflect the school’s commitment to nurturing the potential of young leaders. Through their experiences in the cadets, these students are gaining valuable life skills, leadership abilities, and exposure to exciting career prospects in the armed forces and STEM fields. As these cadets continue to excel and develop, they serve as role models for their peers, demonstrating the importance of dedication, teamwork, and a passion for learning.
The achievements of the RAF and Army cadets at Torquay Academy are a testament to the dedication and hard work of these young individuals. Completing Part 1 training and hosting the Army STEM team are just a few examples of the incredible opportunities available to cadets in this program. Torquay Academy’s commitment to excellence and the development of future leaders is evident in the success of its cadets. As these cadets continue to learn and grow, they are undoubtedly paving the way for a brighter future.
Construction trip to South Devon College
Some of our Year 11s had a practical construction session at South Devon College where lecturers were impressed with the quality of work and attitude. The students also had a tour of the site.
House News
Over the past few weeks, the Year 7 students have had the opportunity to present their case for why their house is the best in the school in our annual writing competition.
As always, there were many entries and it was very difficult to choose an overall winner. However, the best entry came from Isla May in Christie. Isla produced a six- page piece -written on Christie blue paper about why her house is the best in the school.
Here are some of her comments:’ Although we are the light blue house, we aren’t blue at all; in fact we’re quite the opposite. We represent our house proudly and never stop trying. We all have many different traits, but one thing for sure is we all carry out our house motto-be creative. You have no idea how great it is with Miss Lewis as our tutor. We love having her with us every morning and she motivates us to push through the day with our school values. Another thing is that you wouldn’t catch us betraying our home house. Mr Jones is very nice and Christie is the best.
Agatha Christie was the most famous and well-known author in the world. She inspired them to reach their full potential. We Christies follow in her path to success.’
6 in 6
Before the summer holidays our new year 7 students were set a literary challenge. They were asked to write six book reviews, three about books they loved, and three about books they were going to read over the summer holiday.
This week we awarded those students who successfully completed the challenge, having earnt their first Torquay Academy badge.
Pictured are some of the 150 students who took part in this year’s 6 in 6 challenge. Congratulations to all. Keep reading.
Careers Focus of the Week
Starting from this week, we will be having a specific “careers focus” of the week. This will include a variety of different information from ‘National _______ Week(s) / Day(s)’, careers events that have taken place or those upcoming, and celebrating our student’s successes!
This week some of our Year 8s gathered together on Friday lunch time in House teams to begin developing a business idea in a local sector. These sectors include Hospitality & Tourism, Photonics, Fisheries and MedTech. They are working on developing a business plan to present to our very own TA “Dragons”, with the winning team going on to the Finals against other local schools in December!
Miss Foster and Dr Davies were very impressed with the students’ bold and unique business plans and look forward to watching them progress!
English with Mr Dickin
Year 7s in English have been reading William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’ and they are starting to complete their second piece of extended writing. Students have been working hard to craft their paragraphs assessing the ‘sense of foreboding’ created by Golding and focussing on developing their analytical skills. The paragraph structure used in the English department becomes more detailed as students progress through the school, allowing students to really hone different key skills.
The writing is kept in their ‘journey books’ which stays with them for the entirety of years 7 and 8 before being brought back home. At the end of year 8, students are able to look back through their journey books and get the satisfaction of being able to see the progress they have made. Each task is marked by their teacher and students are provided with a target for their next piece, offering them an opportunity to reach their full writing potential!
Year 8 Food Technology
Year 8 food tech students this week have been exploring Japanese cuisine and learning how to make sushi!
Students of the Week
Year 7 – Charlotte Gill and Mason Dur
Year 8 – Ellie Simpson and Edi Ferencz-Csibi
Year 9 – Felicity Adams and Henry Brewer
Year 10 –
Year 11 – May Treadaway and Raquib Shamim
Under 12 girls National cup win
Well done to our year 7 girls in their first match together. An away trip to Eggbuckland produced a fantastic display to win 6-1 in the schools’ national cup. Our girls came from:
Emilee ⚽️⚽️⚽️
Freja ⚽️
Belle ⚽️
Ellie Mae ⚽️
Well done everyone!
Under 15 girls National cup win
Many congratulations to our Under 15 girls team after a tough game against Churston Grammar. We travelled with only 10 players due to a clash with a netball fixture ensured this was always going to be a difficult game to win. Our girls put in a fantastic effort and displayed great talent talent to secure the win and move into the next round of the National schools cup, winning 5-2. Our goals were scored by
Ava Shobbrook ⚽️
Farah Ambrose ⚽️
Leela Cartwright ⚽️⚽️
Summer Thompson ⚽️
Well done, girls!
Under 16 girls Netball National cup win
Our U16 Netball team won in the 1st round of the Sisters in Sport National Cup Competition with an impressive 57-39 win over Ivybridge School. Well done, girls.
Under 16 boys National Cup win
Rounding off a truly incredible week of sporting successes, the year 11 football team beat Ivybridge 2-1 in a very competitive game at TA.
Year 8 Rugby Tournament
Our Year 8 boys battled in some terrible conditions to win against Churston Grammar and Cuthbert Mayne. They also played out a hard-fought scoreless draw against Paignton.
Table Tennis England Performance of the Month
Congratulations to Kacper Piwowar who is the winner of the Table Tennis England Performance of the Month award for September. Kacper was chosen by the national coaching team for his performance at the Europe Youth Series event in Serbia, where he won individual and team gold and mixed doubles silver.
Sixth Form Netball
Our Sixth Form Netball Academy put in an immense performance against PETROC Netball in the AOC England Colleges League today. A narrow 26-23 loss, but Team TA are so proud of each and every academy player for leaving everything out on the court.
U16 Netball Central venue
On Monday Miss Lewis and Mrs Westacott took our U16 netball squad to the national schools tournament. All of the girls played some outstanding netball and really proved that they are a force to be reckoned with!
The first match was against TGGS and the squad came out in force from the very first whistle, taking a lead of 6-3 at half time. The second half they stepped up into another gear defending hard throughout the court, consistently winning possession and pulled ahead even further with some fantastic shooting by Ema and Brooke.
13-5 Win. Oppositions Player : Brooke
Coaches Player: Tammy
The second match against Kingsbridge went equally as well. Our defence made it difficult for the opposition to take the ball down the court, and were able to win numerous interceptions. Isabelle and Millie’s timing and speed of movement in mid court helped to successfully take the ball to the shooters to convert to more goals!
16-3 Win. Oppositions Player: Tammy
Coaches Player: Millie
The next match was against Teign school and the effort of our girls on court was rewarded with a convincing win. All the girls listened to coaching points, came forward onto the ball, and communicated well as a team, resulting in a fantastic scoreline.
16-1 Win. Oppositions Player: Tammy
Coaches Player: Ema/Brooke
The forth match was our toughest yet against Newton Abbot College. The opposition had some very experienced players but that did not deter our academy girls. They fought hard taking an early lead,
in a closely contested match but went into the second half 3 goals down. The girls continued with determination and effort to be proud of, but unfortunately small mistakes were monopolised and they were unable to close the gap.
5-11 Loss. Oppositions Player: Isabelle
Coaches Player: Tammy
The last match of the day was another tough one against CFGS. Again the girls put out an excellent performance, defending so well throughout the court, and transitioning quickly into attack when they gained possession. It was another closely contested match, but some fantastic shooting from CFGS helped them to claim the win.
7-11 Loss. Oppositions Player: Isabelle
Coaches Player: Summer
We are so proud of all of the girls who took part. Their effort and attitudes could not be faulted and they were all amazing ambassadors to TA!
Overall Players Player: Isabelle Moxham
Overall Coaches Player: Tammy Westacott
Eve Cameron, Ella McLachlan, Tammy Westacott ©, Brooke Tully, Millie Sneap, Isabelle Moxham, Jemimah Jones, Amara Phillips, Maisy Green, Summer Connolly, Ema Kestell
Year 13 Sports Students
This week, the Y13 Sport students have been delivering coaching sessions to students in the lower years. They have planned a sequence of sessions to hopefully improve their confidence and ability to lead groups in a sports setting. We have been very impressed with them!
First Team Football vs West Somerset
We had a 6-2 win this week in the Schools Football U18 league against West Somerset College. Goals came from Will Green ⚽️⚽️ Ben Doumbia ⚽️⚽️ and Kieran Dale ⚽️⚽️. Next week we travel to Callywith College in the cup.
House Students of the Week
Year 7
Brunel – Oakley Mudge
Christie – Tyler Jackson
Darwin – Oceana Furse
Fawcett – Anna Rozanska
Harrison – Seren Stephenson
Kitson – Luke Moran
Nearne – Gracjan Rutkowski
Pengelly – Levi Jones
Year 8
Brunel – Ruby Chamberlain
Christie – Janzen Flores
Darwin – Tom Weaver
Fawcett – Daisy Humphreys
Kitson – Elliott Baines
Nearne – Kayla Hadley
Pengelly – Isabella Allen
Year 9
Brunel – Farrah Ambrose
Christie – Connor Dean
Darwin – Jason Mewitt
Harrison – Brodie Reddish
Kitson – Ethan Lynch
Pengelly – Ben Jeffs
Homework Students of the Week
Year 7
Brunel – Viktor Koza
Christie – Kevin Mathew
Darwin – Seraphina Rozier
Fawcett – Beth McMahon
Harrison – Zack Hazeldine
Kitson – Wiktoria Alexsander
Nearne – Lottie Knight
Pengelly – James Costello
Year 8
Christie – Francis Downer
Darwin – Charlotte Holmes-Vittles
Fawcett – Sean Canham
Kitson – Reef Whayman
Nearne – Hayden Quadling
Pengelly – Mia Hawkes
Year 9
Brunel – Harry Newman
Christie – Harrison Richards
Darwin – Chloe Brown
Fawcett – Charlie Wise
Harrison – Barnaby George
Kitson – Sam Bowden
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