Rosslyn Park Rugby 7s, Lego Robotics finals and art
Lego Robotics Club in the First Lego League Regional Finals
Our reigning Tomorrow’s Engineers Lego Robotics National Champions took on a new challenge this year – the First Lego League! This is an entirely different challenge with schools competing from all over the world in a range of activities. In the regional final on Friday 15th March, we competed against a number of other teams for a place in the National Finals.
The day went extremely well with the team generally surpassing all goals set. Take a look at the footage from our mat run for which we scored our season best of 290 points – beaten only by one other team on the day. Cool, calm and collected, you’ll see our team work methodically to add key attachments and line up the robot to move around the mat completing a wide range of complex tasks set.
We won the Core Values trophy as judges liked our group presentations and recognised how the team embodied the FLL values of Discovery, Innovation, Impact, Inclusion, Teamwork and Fun throughout the day. We came second in pretty much every other category and second overall. Sadly there was only one place up for grabs so progression to the National Final wasn’t to be this year. Nevertheless we left with our heads held high and the team were even talking in the minibus home about how to improve the robot in readiness for next year!
Year 11 Results Evening
We were delighted to welcome of Year 11s and parents into school on Turday evening for our results evening from their PPE exams. Parents and students were given details of the revision run in over the Easter holidays and through to the start of the exams in May.
More DofE Gold success for TA students!
We are delighted that Harvey Bates, from Year 13, has completed his Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. Below is a copy of his letter of invitation to the Palace for the 10th May, which he has accepted. Harvey has worked so hard on his Duke of Edinburgh awards, and has successfully completed his Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards here at Torquay Academy. We are delighted and proud to have been able to support him throughout his DofE journey.
To achieve his Gold Award, Harvey completed the Expedition section by undertaking training and practice in Brecon and Snowdonia, culminating in the Qualifying Expedition in the Lake District. On these expeditions Harvey proved his navigation, team working and leadership skills in arduous and gruelling conditions and long distances walked! For his Volunteering he was coaching younger children in Athletics, his Skills in cadet activities such as Drill and in Leadership as an NCO in the Army Section, and for his Physical section he did athletics. At Gold level participants need to attend a 4 night, 5 day Residential. For his residential experience Harvey attended a residential in Dorset, where he learned beekeeping skills, met, stayed with and worked with new people and undertook some watersports on the Dorset coast! Such amazingly varied and interesting experiences that can be undertaken for DofE.
Huge congratulations to Harvey and enjoy your well deserved celebration on the 10th May – make sure you send us the pictures!
In addition to Harvey’s success, former students Jema Soby and Felix Houghton have completed their DofE Gold Awards. They have not arranged their visits to the Palace yet, but we hope that these successful students will send us pictures of the celebration events they attend in the future. Warmest congratulations to Felix and Jema.
PSHE Day
This Wednesday saw our last PSHE day for this academic year.
All year groups had the opportunity to visit the careers fair.
Unfortunately, the theatre company cancelled at the last minute, but instead, sent us a recorded version of ‘Going to Extremes’, a powerful anti-extremism play. This was a great opportunity for students to deepen their awareness of extremism, extremist grooming, and understand the damage it can inflict. The session also explains how students can seek help.
Year 7 students looked at common misconceptions relating to alcohol and tobacco use. Students also looked at how relationships as portrayed by the media are very different to those in real life. Linked with this, students looked at ways to live in our digital world and be resilient to the effects it may have. The final session identified the features of positive relationships in the home. In addition, how to recognise inappropriate, non-consensual, or unwanted behaviour, including online and appropriate ways to report it.
Students in year 8 also looked at aspects of drug use/misuse. Students looked at the impact alcohol and cannabis have on lives, the laws relating to drug use and who may encourage their drug use and strategies to avoid this. Students also looked at how to identify when someone’s behaviour towards them is not appropriate and how to seek support, and how to respond if they are not comfortable with what they are watching on TV or online.
Year 9 students had fewer sessions but they were longer to enable them to study topics in greater depth. They looked at the choices of contraceptives available and the advantages and disadvantages of each. They also looked at how to identify and seek help with domestic abuse. The final session looked at how to form safe friendships online, protecting their identity while online and a reminder about the consequences of sexting.
Year 10 students had a wide range of topics. The first was ‘family life’. This looked at different structures of family, the legal rights of different types of relationships and how to recognise a forced marriage. Students also looked at the challenges and responsibilities of being a parent. Another session looked at different types of employment, how to understand a pay slip and what may be deducted from a pay slip. Students looked at different ways of tracking our money and common scams. Another session allowed students to look at the difference between being an entrepreneur and being employed and the skills required. Students had a session to help them identify sexual harassment and harmful sexual behaviours and how they may affect someone. They were given strategies to challenge sexual harassment and harmful sexual behaviour and how to access sources of support. Students also looked at identifying when someone might need help with their alcohol consumption and where to seek help and advice for this
Careers Fair
As part of our PSHE day, Torquay Academy hosted our annual Careers Fair; welcoming 65 employers, apprenticeship providers, colleges and universities. All students had the opportunity to visit the Fair, allowing them to engage in purposeful conversations with future training providers and employers. The students were fabulous and really embraced the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about future careers. A huge thank you must go to all our visitors, who gave up their time to support our students in learning more about their futures and careers.
Cadets
Another eventful week for our dedicated cadets at Torquay Academy! Over the weekend, 15 cadets successfully completed the Weapons Handling Training and Test with the Cadet L98 Rifle. This training was a joint effort with Westbucklands School, held at the Army Reserve center in Taunton. A huge thank you to the Cadet Training Team for granting us access to their facilities.
On Tuesday, 10 more cadets headed to the DCCT Range at Wyvern Barrack in Exeter. They engaged in advanced shooting exercises using the indoor electronic system, targeting distances of up to 100m. Some of our cadets came impressively close, just 3 points away from achieving marksmanship status!
Wednesday’s training session was filled with energy as both the RAF and Army sections conducted outdoor training, taking advantage of the clear weather. Meanwhile, our cadets continued their progress in Air Rifle handling, with 6 more achieving success in their weapons handling test.
Flight simulations buzzed with activity, while Method Of Instruction assessments were underway in a separate classroom, thanks to the support of 200 Squadron. Both sections also delved into field craft tactical training on the grassed area. Drill practice remains a staple, enhancing our cadets’ formation skills week by week.
Looking ahead, our cadet Ten Tors Teams are gearing up for an exciting adventure in the Brecon Beacons this weekend. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for favorable weather as we aim for a memorable photo atop Pen Y Fan!
Year 8 Lego Club
The Year 8 Lego club have finally managed to complete The Great Pyramid of Giza. They have overcome many challenges with this tricky build but have persevered!
A massive well done to Gustaw Adamczak, Reef Whayman and Mason Findlay-Peers.
Featured House-Pengelly
The final house of the series is Pengelly, overseen by Mr Chadwick.
Pengelly’s representatives: Maisy Hart, Lillie Hubbard, Alfie Mackin and Jensen Tandy were, as always, extremely positive about their house.
‘Pengelly is just the best house in general. There is great teamwork, and we all get on with our work. Everyone is kind and helps each other out. We have lots of fun during P1, we read good books learn new facts in our ‘Cultural Capital’ books and are getting better at maths with our numeracy sessions.’
‘Mrs Berry is very kind-hearted and always congratulates us on our positive behaviour and hard work. Our equipment checks in the morning are in French and Spanish, which helps us with our language skills. We get lots of special Pengelly rewards; Mrs Berry brings us sweets, and Mr Chadwick brings us Pengelly key rings.’
‘We have it covered with the type of people we have in Pengelly; they are sporty, clever and funny. We had a really tight draw in the penalty shoot-out, and we won the ‘Battle of the Brains’.
‘Mr Chadwick is really funny and enthusiastic. When he comes around on Friday to award the certificates, we have to do a drum roll. He wears sparkly outfits and has a purple octopus on his head. Mr Chadwick is just the best.’
‘If we had to advise a Year 6 student on which house to live in, we would say, “Join Pengelly. It has a pretty colour. We never cheat and always play fair.”
Year 10 English with Miss Turner
Miss Turner’s year 10 class have been working very hard on their first written assessments on the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. They have really enjoyed exploring one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays and Miss Turner has been really impressed with their ‘no fear- it’s just Shakespeare’ approach to the complex language they were nervous about at the start of the cycle. Their first Macbeth essay is an opportunity for 10Q6 to show off all their fantastic knowledge and academic writing skills. The students were keen to do as much as they can independently using only a short plan modelled by Miss Turner, and their own notes and ideas. Miss Turner is looking forward to reading all their different interpretations of the Macbeth’s fascinating relationship!
Art Update
This week, Year 10 and 11 students in the art department are preparing for their imminent exams and PPEs which involves working for 10 hours in the art room in silence! Here are some example sketchbook pages for the topic ‘Recycle and Represent’. These students have used the heat press to fuse plastic items together to form a ground for a larger piece of work inspired by Rauschenberg and Basquiat and will collage items of junk to create a racoon inspired by Lisbon street artist Bordalo II.
Mrs Lithgow’s A Level class are busy preparing for their final exam/ PPE after Easter. The topics selected by students include Under the Sea, The Passage of Time, Protest Art, Theatrical and Tranquil which have lead to a multitude of subject matter and media explorations helped along by their recent day trip to the galleries and street art of historic Bristol.
Year 7 are exploring the theme under the sea and currently observing Koi fish using watercolour paint. They have explored 8 paint techniques and applied these to a larger piece; they’ve found the wet into wet technique and use of salt and cling film particularly useful for this theme.
Year 9 are continuing with their clay outcomes for the Structures topic inspired by the artists John Piper and John Brickels. They dismantled their card maquettes created last week to use as templates on the slabs of clay, added details and textures and constructed the upright walls using the score and slip method to form secure bonds.
Year 8 are working on an identity response inspired by contemporary art. So far they have used black and white pen Zentangle patterns, 6 acrylic paint techniques and magazine collage to create a ground for their henna tattoo design in pencil. Look out for these in a few weeks at the end of Cycle 3.
Hospitality and Catering Year 9
The Year nine Hospitality students have been creating some delicious treats- cinnamon buns. They practised their bread-making skills in the kneading and proving of the bread, and then after allowing them to rise, they then added the filling of cinnamon butter and sugar and then baked them for about half an hour. They were extremely successful in their creations and we are very proud of their accomplishments! Well done to all !
Torquay Academy Year 8s compete at Rosslyn Park National Rugby 7s
The Torquay Academy Year 8 rugby team travelled to the prestigious Rosslyn Park National Rugby 7s tournament this year, showcasing their skills against some of the nation’s best young players. The boys travelled up in good spirits for a stop over in Reading the night before allowing them to arrive fully prepared on the day of the tournament.
This fast-paced form of rugby demands athleticism, teamwork, and quick decision-making. The Year 8s faced a grueling schedule of matches throughout the day, encountering a variety of playing styles and tactics. The Rosslyn Park tournament attracts over 800 teams, providing a fantastic opportunity for young players to test themselves on a national stage. The team played some of the most well established, rugby playing schools in the country in their group. Unfortunately they found themselves on the losing side in their first three games, however, the style of rugby they played was outstanding. They kept possession well and tackled their hearts out even in the face of defeat. In the fourth game the boys were up by one try and then an unfortunate turn of events allowed the opposition to score when Team TA were a player down and then another quick try allowed the opposition back onto the game and to just take the voctory away from the lads in the last play. Gutting. It seemed to rain for each of the boys games but for the final game the sun broke through and the team could finally display their skills under the South West London sun running in five tries against their final opponents and keeping the opposition score down to just two. The final whistle blew and history was made; Torquay Academy had their elusive first victory on the national stage. Mission accomplished!
The experience undoubtedly proved valuable for the developing team fostering their love for the sport and providing them with a benchmark for future development.
Regardless of the final results, the Year 8s deserve recognition for their dedication and hard work in performing in the tournament, their commitment to training has been phenominal in the run up to the tournament. The boys behaviour and conduct was exemplary from the moment we left until the miniute we arrived back at Torquay. History was created alongside some outstanding memories. Well done to all involved.
Students of the Week
Year 7 – Harry Evans and Sophie Howard
Year 8 – George Evans and Melissa Page
Year 9 – Matilda Stevens and Lucas Chappell
Year 10 – Erin Bond and Callum Jackson
Year 11 – Marcus De Lucis and Olivia Wood
Gymnastics Success
Over the weekend, Jessica and Lucy (year 7) competed in the Easter friendly gymnastics competition. Both girls did extremely well and received bronze (Lucy) and gold (Jessica) along with their teams.
House Students of the Week
Year 7
Christie – Darcy Dainton
Darwin – Seraphina Rozier
Fawcett – Riley Harper
Harrison – Owen Spies
Kitson – Corey Davies
Nearne – Gracie Fancourt
Pengelly – Mia Wilkins
Year 8
Brunel – Sienna Holton
Christie – Ollie Payne-Stanbury
Darwin – Ella Lake
Fawcett – Jenson Gorin
Kitson – Max Warner
Pengelly – Gracie Sandercock
Year 9
Brunel – Nya Bettridge
Christie – Anna Pearn
Darwin – Ellie Farthing
Harrison – Penelope Taylor
Kitson – Susie Lester
Nearne – Mason Mitchell
Pengelly – Marlee White
Homework Students of the Week
Year 7
Christie – Aaliyah Akpo
Darwin – Lily-Jo Prior
Fawcett – Isabelle Leech
Harrison – Marli Cutajar
Kitson – Alba Mckechan
Nearne – Jack Hughes
Pengelly – Lucas Vesely
Year 8
Brunel – Oliver Ayres
Christie – Dawson Bickford
Darwin – Miley-Jade Grigg
Fawcett – Jayden Hardman
Harrison – Lily Campbell
Kitson – Summer Pallant
Pengelly – Lewis Collett
Year 9
Brunel – Grace Gibbings
Christie – Maks Adach
Darwin – Leo Maasz
Harrison – Jack Slater
Kitson – Ollie Cooper
Nearne – Joselyn Full
Pengelly – Chloe German
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