New CCF Navy Section, & Sporting Victories

Highlights of the Week

A New Chapter Begins for Torquay Academy CCF

This Wednesday marked an important milestone for Torquay Academy CCF, as cadets across all three services, Army, Royal Navy and RAF, came together for their first parade in their newly allocated sections.

With the new cadets now allocated to their chosen service, training has officially begun, with each section introducing cadets to the skills, standards and expectations that form the foundation of their CCF journey.

Royal Navy

The new Royal Navy cadets began with an initial brief covering expectations, standards and what they can look forward to as members of the Naval section.

They then got hands-on with some of the fundamentals, learning basic knots and signals. These are important skills for Naval cadets and provide an early introduction to the practical side of Royal Navy training.

RAF

The new Year 8 RAF cadets also received their initial introduction and briefing, before getting straight into some practical activities.

They took part in command tasks and drill, beginning to develop the teamwork, communication, discipline and confidence that are central to cadet training.

Army

The Army Year 8 cadets also started their training programme with drill and command tasks.

These activities are designed to introduce cadets to working as part of a team, following instructions and developing leadership and communication skills – all while beginning to learn the standards expected within the Army section.

A New Chapter Begins for Torquay Academy CCF

Developing Our Existing Cadets

While the new cadets were finding their feet, training continued for the more experienced members of the CCF.

Year 9 Army cadets continued developing their skills through safe weapons handling and climbing, combining practical military training with physical challenge and teamwork.

Meanwhile, our older Army cadets continued their progression through more advanced fieldcraft, working on section attacks and moving towards close-quarter battle (CQB) training.

A New Chapter Begins for Torquay Academy CCF

Looking Ahead

With all three services now fully underway, there is plenty to look forward to at Torquay Academy CCF. The new cadets have taken their first steps into their chosen service, while our more experienced cadets continue to progress towards increasingly challenging training and leadership opportunities.

It is an exciting time for the CCF as Army, Royal Navy and RAF continue to grow together and provide cadets with opportunities to develop skills, confidence, teamwork and leadership.

Team TA

Team TA Football: A Strong Week of Results

A busy week of football brought strong performances across the school and post-16 programme, with four fixtures recorded from Monday to Thursday. The girls’ U15s travelled to Newquay, the U18s hosted Churston and the Year 11 boys welcomed Millfield. The Year 10 boys also added a hard-fought cup win over Budehaven.

Girls U15: Newquay 1–6 Torquay Academy

The U15 girls returned from Newquay with an emphatic away win. Emilee Fenner led the scoring with four goals, while Mimi Skelly and Freja Mckelkenny added one each. Six goals on the road made it a memorable afternoon for the group.

U18: Torquay Academy 3–0 Churston

The post-16 side kept a clean sheet at home against Churston. Mikolaj Piasecki struck twice and Brodie Reddish added the third to complete a 3–0 win. It was another positive result for the U18 group as their season gathers momentum.

Year 11 Boys: Torquay Academy 4–1 Millfield

The Year 11 boys rounded off the week with a 4–1 home victory over Millfield. Alex Moss scored twice, with Sonny Hutchings and Jamie Tully also on the scoresheet. Their four goals provided a fitting finish to a full week of fixtures.

Year 11 boys’ football team in a huddle

Across the four recorded matches, Team TA players represented the programme with energy and pride. Congratulations to every player and member of staff involved.

Year 7 Boys B Team Football

Our Year 7 boys B team put in a solid performance away to Launceston in the National Cup to secure their place in Round 2. Ellis, Max, Freddie and Isaac were all on the scoresheet.

U14 National Schools Qualifiers

Our U14 netball squad delivered a series of outstanding court performances on Tuesday, battling through tough competition to secure an impressive second place overall.

Facing strong opposition throughout the tournament, the team demonstrated excellent teamwork, connecting seamlessly from end to end. Every player worked tirelessly, digging deep when the scores were tight and showing grit under pressure. Their determination and teamwork paid off, earning them three hard-fought victories and leaving them with just a single, narrow defeat on the day.

Congratulations to the entire squad for such a brilliant effort, and on earning a place in the County Rounds!

Squad: Eva Thomson (C), Zenna Venter, Abigail Harkin, Mimi Skelly, Milly Skelly, Ella Uven, Mia Kost, Ava Medway and Ayda Snell.

Players’ Player: Ava Medway

Coaches’ Player: Mimi Skelly

Under 13s Rugby at Teignmouth

Life at TA

Fun Friday: Karaoke, Carnival Games and Plenty of Competition

Fun Friday karaoke – photo 5

There was plenty of fun and excitement across the school this Fun Friday, with students enjoying a range of activities to round off the week.

Years 7 and 8 took centre stage for karaoke, with students having the opportunity to sing along to their favourite songs and enjoy some musical fun with their friends.

Fun Friday karaoke – photo 1

Fun Friday karaoke – photo 2

Fun Friday karaoke – photo 3

Fun Friday karaoke – photo 4

Year 9 enjoyed carnival games, bringing a little fairground atmosphere to the end of the week with a variety of entertaining challenges.

Year 10 had two activities to enjoy, testing their judgement with Higher or Lower before trying to guess the number of sweets in a jar. Meanwhile, Year 11 took part in a game of bingo, hoping their numbers would be called as they competed for a winning card.

Fun Friday continues to be a wonderful way to celebrate our students’ hard work throughout the week, bringing everyone together for some friendly competition and enjoyment.

Learning at TA

A Level Art Students Explore Movement and Mark-Making

Our A Level Art students explored movement, gesture and mark-making through an exciting large-scale drawing task inspired by contemporary artist Heather Hansen. Working collaboratively and using their whole bodies, students created expressive drawings directly onto large sheets of paper, responding to movement, rhythm and the physicality of drawing.

The task encouraged students to think beyond traditional drawing techniques, experimenting with scale, repetition, symmetry, line and expressive mark-making. It was a fantastic opportunity for students to explore how movement can be recorded visually while developing confidence in working on a much larger scale.

A Level Art Students Explore Movement and Mark-Making

High Energy in Year 10 Maths

There was plenty of energy in Mr Beattie’s maths classroom as our Year 10 students moved on from percentages to their next unit: ratio.

Students started the topic by learning how to share quantities in given ratios. We began the lesson using mini whiteboards to check understanding, allowing everyone to refine their methods and build confidence together. The class then moved to independent book work to tackle multi-step problems.

Take a look at some of their fantastic work below!

High Energy in Year 10 Maths

Student Awards

Students of the Week

Year 7

Congratulations to our Year 7 Students of the Week: Skyla Gay and Dominic Rose.

Year 9

Congratulations to our Year 9 Students of the Week: Eva Thompson and Maddox Findlay-Peers.

Students of the Week

Year 11

Congratulations to our Year 11 Students of the Week: Annie Aldous and Tyler Evans.

Students of the Week

Sparx Most Improved

Congratulations to the students featured in this week’s Sparx leaderboards, which recognise the top 10 most improved students in Years 7 to 11 over the week.

Sparx Most Improved

Sparx Reader Leaderboard

Congratulations to the students featured in this week’s Sparx Reader leaderboard. Their regular reading practice is helping them build confidence, fluency and vocabulary.

Sparx Reader Leaderboard