Dragons' Den Champions, Year 11 Art and Edward Scissorhands

Listen

Dragons’ Den Champions!

The Torquay Academy team of Year 8s came away with first place from the Dragons Den competition on 1 December! A massive well done to our team – Oscar McLaughlin, Poppy Sanderson, Anastasiia Tukilush, Lilly-Rose Garbett, Harry McCarthy and Katie Peryer. Their business idea is a herbal pen topper to relieve stress in young people. The competition was fierce. Each of Torbay’s secondary schools presented their business ideas, ranging from a diagnostic app to reduce pressure on the NHS to an innovative fishing net using magnets.

Six local business leaders judged the business pitches and asked some very challenging questions of the students.

The whole process has been a great experience for our students, right from the beginning when they had to agree on their idea and navigate around their different personalities and priorities. During the final competition, they all stood confidently on the stage in front of an audience of 70 people, spoke into a microphone and answered questions from the dragons.

Katie commented how amazing it was that she had stood on a stage for the first time! Oscar said, “I am actually really proud of myself!” They are now able to enjoy their prizes, a roast dinner for two at the Babbacombe Hotel, a £10 Amazon voucher and a group trip to Bovey Castle Hotel on Dartmoor, for a guided tour, activities and lunch. The careers department at the school has also received £100 as part of the prize. We’re grateful to Torbay Careers Hub for the final event, the prizes and the opportunity for our young people to connect with local business leaders.

Year 11 Art

Mrs Lithgow and Mrs Lynch are so proud of the efforts of our Year 11 student’s today. A wide range of media and techniques have been used with creativity and ambition leading to outcomes the students are really pleased with; textiles, photography, clay and mixed media have been explored to represent the Human Form theme. We’re hoping to exhibit some of the finished work at the Christmas Concert in the Platform on Wednesday 13th December.

Year 10 Revision

To support our Year 10s who have their PPE exams in January, they had another session this week to work on their revision techniques.

Year 11 Gold Effort Lunch

Mr Henwood, Mr Grinsill and Miss Maw treated the students in their year group who came top on the effort boards to lunch on Friday.  Congratulations to them all.

6th Form Theatre Trip

This week our 6th Form Performing Arts students spent an evening at the theatre watching Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures production of Edward Scissorhands. This term, they have been studying the work of many theatre practitioners, including the work of Sir Matthew Bourne, who is widely hailed as the UK’s most successful choreographer and director. After the production, our students were lucky enough to take part in a post-show talk and Q and A session with Sir Matthew Bourne himself. This provided our students with an unmissable opportunity to gain a deep insight into the mind of such a popular and successful creative. For some of our students, this was their first visit to a theatre, and if the post-show talk wasn’t enough, the ice creams during the interval topped off a perfect evening!

Young Achievers Reception

On Wednesday, 6th Former Josh Furze was invited to attend the nation’s young achievers reception as the District Cadet of the Year for Devon with St John Ambulance. This event is held to celebrate the achievements of young people who care for those in need or fundraising for charity. This celebration involved meeting and having a conversation with HRH The Princess Royal who was there to celebrate all of the young people’s achievements.

Promotional Video

To audition for the Respect Festival (Exeter) and the International Music Festival (Llangollen), William Candy needed to produce a promotional video to showcase our talents. Will employed a professional videographer and sound engineer, and he now has a high-quality recording of both the band and himself as a solo artist.

The video includes a couple of his favourite covers and his own original material, including Sweet Dreams which has now been released as Draculin’s first single. It is available on Spotify and all platforms. It is worth a listen!

Year 8 Cadet Training

The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is abuzz with enthusiasm as the Year 8 cadets continue to demonstrate exceptional dedication to their cadet training. In a recent highlight, the cadets faced a rigorous military-style Physical Training Test this Wednesday. Their unwavering determination and hard work were evident as they pushed themselves to achieve their best results. The commitment displayed by these young cadets is a testament to their resilience and readiness to embrace the challenges that come with cadet life.

Adding to the excitement, both the RAF and Army sections participated in the Contingents Principle Shooting Cup. The anticipation as everyone eagerly awaits the announcement of the results at the upcoming Cadet Christmas meal next week. The competition has not only fostered a sense of camaraderie among the cadets but has also highlighted the impressive skill sets within the Torquay Academy CCF.

One noteworthy aspect of the recent events is the incredible grouping sizes achieved by the cadets. Their ability to work together seamlessly reflects not only their individual prowess but also the effectiveness of the training programs provided at Torquay Academy.

Looking ahead, the Torquay Academy CCF is gearing up for an exciting joint Potential Non-Commissioned Officer (PNCO) course with both the RAF and Army sections this weekend. This collaborative training opportunity promises to enhance leadership skills, promote inter-section cooperation, and further strengthen the bond among cadets.

As the Year 8 cadets at Torquay Academy CCF continue to thrive and excel in their training endeavors, the sense of pride and accomplishment within the cadet community is palpable. The upcoming Cadet Christmas meal and joint PNCO course serve as promising events, fostering a spirit of unity and determination among these young cadets. The Torquay Academy CCF remains a beacon of leadership and discipline, shaping the future leaders of tomorrow.

A Level Biology

In Dr Hockings A level Biology class the students have been separating mixtures of amino acids using thin layer chromatography.  The students learned that the solubility of amino acids varies and this changes how far through the chromatography paper the amino acids can move.  The students measured the distance each spot, which represented an amino acid, had moved.  They then calculated the Rf value for each of the spots and compared their calculated values against a table of values.  They were impressively accurate in identifying the correct amino acids.

Year 8 Maths with Miss Antcliffe

In year 8 this week Miss Antcliffe has been introducing the nth term rule. To start, year 8 was looking at different sequences and patterns, thinking about the difference between each term. Using matchsticks, they each created a sequence, thinking about their starting number and the difference between each term. You can see in the photos there were some very creative sequences!  Students then used these patterns to predict what their 10th term in the sequence would be, making links between their sequences and the nth term rule.  In the following lessons, students will use their pattern, and the links they’ve made, to develop their understanding on the nth term rule and where it derives from.

Music Technology Assessments

Our students in year 11 Music Technology have been working hard this term toward their unit 1 assessed performances. These incredible pupils have spent the term researching an artist of their choice and planning live performances of their work. For their final assessment this class took studio stems from their chosen artist and remixed the originals using the professional standard digital audio workstation, Logic Pro X. Once the original was altered, each pupil took their new stems into performance software Ableton Live and performed their track using further effects, manipulated from Push 2 controllers.

We have been so pleased with the final performances from these students that we’d like to share a few of them here.

Maths with Mr Henwood

This week 9Q5 have been looking at plotting coordinates and finding midpoints. Today they were finding the coordinates of midpoints of line segments. They did this by drawing the lines and then finding the middle on the graph paper before looking at completing it without drawing the lines using a more formal written method. The pictures of Emilia Hunt’s and Brooke Cornberg’s books give examples of the work completed.

Students of the Week

Year 7 – Alex Iftode and Ellie-Mae Burton

Year 8 – Maxwell Murphy and Jessie Mount Stevens

Year 9 – Ellie Mildred & Charlie Burton

Year 11 – Ella McLachlan

Year 10 Boys Football vs Tiverton

Year 10 cruise in to last 64 of the national cup. On Monday the year 10 football team took on Tiverton High School in the national cup. From kick off TA proved to be good for their opponents and totally dominated the game. TA went in at half time 5-1 up and eventually ran out 8-2 winners. The goals came from Charlie Green x3, Fin Alnut x2, Toby Lee x2 and Josh Sandeman.

TA will now travel to Queen Elizabeth School in Dorset for round 5.

U14 Netball Academy

This week, the U14 Netball Academy took two teams to their second Central Venue League of the year. Miss Lewis’s team had Paignton, Teign, Teignmouth and Newton Abbot College in their pool and won two, drew one and lost one game with Frankie, Rebecca, Ashleigh and Chloe receiving player’s of the match for each game. Mrs Westacott’s team had Dawlish, Kingsbridge, Brixham and Teign School in their pool and won three and drew one game with Matilda Stevens receiving players’ player of the tournament and Kelsey Drew receiving coaches player of the tournament. Well done to all 16 girls that represented Team TA Netball Academy to such a high standard!

U14 Netball Academy Squad: Matilda Stevens, Chloe German, Phoebe Smith, Lucy McMahon, Connie Kinghorn, Maisie Sandercock, Larna Waller, Lora Cadman, Kelsey Drew, Millie Swift, Halayna Hussain, Ellie Farthing, Ashleigh Evans, Francesca Skelly, Rebecca Quarshie and Scarlett Connolly (Year 8).

Gymnastics Success for sisters

Elizabeth (6th Form) and Eve (Year 10) Cameron took part in the over 15’s Bronze gymnastics competition. Both girls individually medalled, Eve won gold overall, and Elizabeth won bronze.  It is the first time the girls have competed together, and against each other, at the same level and in the same team.

House Students of the Week

Year 7

Brunel – Ted Dudley

Christie – Ellie-Mae Burton

Darwin – Riley Johnson

Fawcett – Seren Panther-Glinn

Harrison – Lori Close

Kitson – Toryn Bond

Nearne – Heidi Milner

Pengelly – Aydin Cay

Year 8

Brunel – Benjamin Nicholson

Fawcett – Sophie Timms

Kitson – Summer Pallant

Year 9

Darwin – Hamish Herring

Fawcett – Kaiden Mclaren

Kitson – Libbie Grindling

Nearne – Gracie May Tolley

Homework Students of the Week

Year 7

Brunel – Harry Evans

Christie – Farah Davidson

Darwin – Bella Hall

Fawcett – Anna Rozanska

Kitson – Daisy Dorman

Nearne – Benjamin Cowie

Pengelly – Alfie Mackin

Year 8

Fawcett – Michael Wynd

Kitson – Archie Somerset

Nearne – Daniel Manners

Year 9

Brunel – Grace Halsey

Fawcett – Halayna Hussain

Kitson – Bella Blatchford

Nearne – Nancy Brown

University Offers this Week

 

Paige McGeown	University of Kent	Chemistry
Angus Graham	Bristol, UWE	Mechanical Engineering
Belle Giles	University of South Wales	Fashion Promotion
Jamie Darlow	UA92	Sport Journalism
Ryan Johns-Kouadio	University of Huddersfield	Business economics
Jamie Darlow	University of South Wales	Sport Journalism
Ellis Kendall	Cardiff Metropolitan University	Business & Management (marketing)
Ellis Kendall	Cardiff Metropolitan University	Digital Marketing Management
Jamie Darlow	Sheffield Hallam University	Sport Journalism
Jack Howlett	Liverpool John Moores University	Sport & Exercise Science
Jack Howlett	Bournemouth University	Sport & Exercise Science
Belle Giles	Cardiff Metropolitan University	Fashion buying & brand management
Riley Potter	University of Plymouth	Electrical and electronic engineering
Ryan Johns-Kouadio	Bournemouth University	Business & management (economics)
Ryan Johns-Kouadio	University of Leicester	Business economics
Ryan Johns-Kouadio	University of Brighton	Business management & economics
Rae Makinson	Liverpool Hope University	English Literature
Rae Makinson	University of York	English
Ena Brett	Cardiff University	Mathematics, Operational research and Statistics

 

Sparx Leaderboards – top 10 most improved students

Tassomai Leaderboards