Christmas Concert, CCF celebrations and Christmas lunch...

Listen

TA Christmas Concert

On Thursday evening, a 350-strong audience braved the cold and were warmed up to a frazzle by a DJ set and in support of our amazing music students.

In the darkness of night, performers blitzed through cult Christmas classic ‘Don’t Let The Bells End’, complete with our angelic choir who followed with a rendition of Christmas favourite Hark.

But, where there are Angels, there are Devils as the next act ‘Blue Fire’ illustrated in a crushingly heavy version of Black Sabbath’s Paranoid.

For many of these performers, the concert represents the first time they perform on stage and didn’t they do themselves proud! Epic performances of Johnny Be Good and Last Christmas from our lower school students brought down the house.

Next to perform, our year 9 students with Arctic Monkeys classics Fluorescent Adolescent and 505, followed by the year 11s performing a highly impressive set featuring Take Me To Church, Play God, One Trick Pony and I’m Still Standing. These pieces provide a taster ahead of next term’s 11 concert, which promises to be another incredible night.

A special mention for our amazing year 13s who performed their original composition – the first original we have had in a Christmas show. The concert may be the last public performance for these students, we would like to express our gratitude for the hard work this talented group of performers have put in throughout their years at TA, and wish them well for the future.

Finally, our incredibly talented Academy and year 12 students performed a rousing set of Country music including Here For The Party, Baby, I Love Your Way and Country Roads. The night was complete in typical TA fashion with our House Band and Choir performing an original composition by Lucia Aguado-Georgian Christmas Is Coming Home, and in a flurry of snow, the night was over.

We would like to take this opportunity to extend our congratulations to all of our performers and supporting crew. We are so proud of you all and the incredible work you have put in.

I look forward to sharing the professional footage with you in the New Year.

Have yourself a very Merry Christmas.

You can see all of the photos taken on the evening in our Facebook album.

Young Carers’ Christmas Party

This Thursday was our Young Carers Christmas party. The gifts were donated by our staff in appreciation of our amazing Young Carers who give up their time to help and care for their loved ones. They work hard all year round and really deserve to know how appreciated they are.

End of term assembly

We ended the term with a whole school assembly.  We were treated to a couple of performances from the Academy Choir.

Army Cadets – Passing In Parade

For the first time at Torquay Academy, we celebrated the newly formed Army section by way of a Passing In Parade.

This is a huge step in the cadet learning experience where the cadets after months of training, receive their berets and badges. To celebrate this occasion we invited the parents of the cadets to witness the beret presentation. The stage set and cadets waiting to march into the hall, the Contingent Commander welcomed the parents and handed the reins to the Officer Commanding who then started the proceedings.

What followed was an hour of showcasing some of the skills the Army cadets have been learning. First to march in was a display from the cadets showing off the Army-issued uniform. As the first ones in the pressure was on. Embracing the experience, the cadets marched in with so much pride that once they halted and turned toward the audience. It was obvious how proud the parents were to. A few glazed eyes were seen, but keeping their composure, the uniformed cadets marched back out.

Next up was the Drill display. Our senior cadet, hot on his heels, marched in, halted and called to order the next group of cadets who were all very keen to demonstrate drill movements. Drill play a large part in cadet training which brings together so many disciplines. It was great to see the cadets take ownership of the space available and showcase some amazing drill skills.

Marching back out, the next group of Army cadets demonstrated some weapons-handling skills. The cadets have been following a very safe and strict syllabus in Air Rifle Training which has led to Marksmanship levels of shooting. They have learnt the safe handling of weapon systems used within the Military. At this stage of training, we only cover the Cadet Air Rifle. They must pass a Weapons Handling Test which is taught by the CCF Trained Weapons Instructors. As we move through the weapons training, we are all looking forward to achieving the next level of weapons training allowing us to take part in Military Camps in the New Year.

Field Craft Training are key skills that are not easy to demonstrate in a hall. We usually find ourselves on a field or in the woods learning Military battle skills. A section of cadets demonstrated Patrolling through the hall using hand signals. As they made a quick exit from the platform, the remainder of the cadets were preparing for the finale of the evening, the Beret Presentation.

All cadets formed up outside in height order to then march into the hall and form 3 ranks in open order. Berets at this point were attached to their belts. Set ready to go, the order was given to put berets on. Wow, what a transformation that was. Standing in front of parents, full uniform with berets on was such a proud moment for all.

The final command was given to dismiss. The parents then made their way to greet their cadet. What an amazing time was had by all. Every one of the cadets earned the right to wear the Royal Logistic Corps Beret. They have all been working so hard to get to this point. We are all looking forward to the new year where we embrace new challenges in training, camps and activities. Well done, everyone.

Cadet Christmas Meal

Each year the cadets are expected to attend a Cadet Christmas meal which is an occasion where the Cadet Staff and Instructors show their appreciation to the cadets in recognition of all the hard work the cadets have made.

A military tradition, the Cadet staff and Instructions serve the cadets a Christmas meal. This year we are very grateful to the Anchorage Hotel in hosting our cadet Contingent. 70 Cadets sat down at an official table setting with the senior cadets heading to the top table.

Our guest speaker was Mr Sam Foley, a former cadet at Torquay Academy. Sam provided such a heartfelt and inspirational speech to the cadets. The adults in the room were overwhelmed with the level of professionalism Sam showed. We also had another former cadet (Gareth Mufford) lined up, but due to his commitment to his career path in the British Army, he was on a navigation exercise somewhere up north. Thank you both for your continued support.

The main meal underway, brussel sprouts included, it was clear to the staff how great it is to see such a wonderful spirited group. Phones banned from the table ensured the conversation around the room was buzzing. Some more than others given the amount of gravy being absorbed. To follow was a selection of superb deserts. The Chocolate Christmas Log seemed to be the favorite.

The event is also a great opportunity for the staff to present some well deserved awards. The Contingent Commander leads the proceeding with a verbal pat on the back for all of the hard work the cadets have put in.

The Officer Commanding RAF presented the following awards:
RAF – Best Turned Out Cadet – Cadet LCpl James Lovell
RAF – Most Improved Cadet – Cadet LCpl Heidi Wright
RAF – Leading Cadet – Cadet Cpl Cody Furze

The Officer Commanding Army presented the following awards:
Army – Best Turned Out Cadet – Cadet Marley Drew
Army- Most Improved Cadet – Cadet Millie Edwards
Army- Leading Cadet – Cadet Liam Trapp

The following cadets were promoted to Cadet LCpl:
RAF Cadet LCpl James Lovell
Army Cadet LCpl Finn Mallen

Boiler Issues

On Monday, we had to send home the whole school community as the heating failed and we were unable to find a quick fix.  We had to stay closed on Tuesday as well as we struggled to get the school back to a normal temperature.  Thankfully, we were able to welcome everyone back to school on Wednesday.

Christmas Lunches

Festive spirits were high on Wednesday as students and staff ate Christmas lunches.  Thank you to our great kitchen team who managed to cook up such a feast!

Frosty start to the day…

Kiara Ujj

Congratulations to Kiara who is a member of the Razzamataz Theatre School and this year has won the dance award for her year group.

Mrs Kirby’s Maths class

In Mrs Kirby’s Maths class, students have completed their yellow sticker feedback by revisiting and finding the midpoint of a line.  This follows on from their previous work on writing and plotting coordinates and a recent knowledge check in this area. Students were initially able to build their competency in this topic by using pictorial methods, such as number lines and drawing line segments on a graph. We then discussed what we noticed about the coordinates of the midpoints of the lines, compared to the coordinates of the points at each end of the line. Students were then able to progress to finding the midpoint of a line when given 2 sets of coordinates using a written method.

It was great to see how well the students were able to develop their understanding in this topic with some excellent examples of purple pen feedback in their workbooks. Photos of Olivia Walters’ book

English with Miss Jelbert

Here are some highlights from Miss Jelbert’s library lesson on Christmas Jumper day with 8T8. Despite the festive atmosphere, students still managed to get in the mood to write a bleak description of a prison cell!

By Oliver Welsh

By Daisy Hellier

Tasty Tortellini and Christmas Creations

The Hospitality and Catering students have made the most of the last few weeks of term. Year 11 have focused on making spinach and ricotta tortellini from scratch, demonstrating a high level of skill and technique, not only in the production of the pasta but in the acquisition of the shape making. They are now having to think of innovative and exciting dishes to prepare and cook/ bake for their practical examination which is due to take place in the beginning of March 2023

Year 9 and 10 have captured the festive cheer in their production of Christmas biscuits and creating a chocolate Yule log- using a range of skills in creating this delight to take home to a loved one as a thank you for all that they do.

Year 7 Rugby

The Year 7 girls and boys teams spent last Friday training with the Exeter Chiefs.  They spent the day working on different aspects of the game.  They ended the day with a match which they both won.  It is great to see them progressing so well in a sport that is new to most of them.

1st Team Football

Teh first team were rewarded for a huge amount of pressure after going one down to Gower College.  We had all of the possession and momentum, but we couldn’t convert it into a goal until deep into injury time when we equalised.  It was a performance where the boys had to dig deep against the college which has 12,500 6th form students!

Students of the Week

Year 11 – Ellie Denby and Jamie Nunn

House Students of the Week

Year 7

Brunel – Emily Cowan

Christie – Sophia Peryer

Darwin – Neeve Thomson

Fawcett – Autumn Wagstaffe

Harrison – Sonny Hutchings

Kitson – Grace Simpson

Nearne – Leah Hollis

Pengelly – Izzy Goldbrough

Year 8

Brunel – Amelia Rose

Christie – Callum Pile

Darwin – Jason Mewett

Fawcett – Freya Mealin

Harrison – Ava Storey

Kitson – Daisy Cosh

Nearne – Nyla Wakefield

Pengelly – Julia Tatarynowicz

Year 9

Brunel – Sophie Nicholson

Christie – Isaac Knowles

Darwin – Lily Phillips

Fawcett – Abigail Mealin

Harrison – Tom Thorner

Kitson – Letojia Hoxha

Pengelly – Evie Hambleton

Homework Students of the Week

Year 7

Brunel – Dylan Bolton

Christie – Noah Margetts

Darwin – Immy Pace

Fawcett – Sean Canham

Harrison – Brooke Birchall

Kitson – Maxwell Murphy

Nearne – Lexi Cave

Pengelly – Anastasia Tukilush

Year 8

Brunel – George O’Hanlon

Christie – Mikolaj Piasecki

Darwin – Phoenix Furse

Fawcett – Alba Fogarty

Harrison – Paige Wakerley

Kitson – Millie Swift

Nearne – Mason Mitchell

Pengelly – Orley Copeland

Year 9

Brunel – Naomi Redmond

Christie – Joshua Rogers

Darwin – Summer Faulkes

Fawcett – Jaccob Tripp

Harrison – Leah Hope

Kitson – Ollie Coleman

Pengelly – Emily Owen

Sparx Leaderboards

Tassomai Leaderboards

Accelerated Reader Leaderbords

Reading Plus

Power Up!