Torquay Academy

 

Conquering the 3 Peaks Challenge!

 

The Torquay Academy Cadets have achieved something monumental: successfully conquering the famous Three Peaks Challenge, summiting Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Snowdon, all while demonstrating resilience, teamwork, and the adventurous spirit that makes them true leaders in their community.  This incredible journey began at midnight on 23 October, with eager cadets gathering at school, loading the minibus, and setting off on what would become an unforgettable experience. 

Their first destination: Ben Nevis, the highest peak in the United Kingdom. After a few stops along the way, including a hearty breakfast near Stirling, the cadets arrived at the Glen Nevis campsite by early afternoon. Some downtime was a chance to refuel, set up camp, and prepare for the early 5 a.m. start the next morning. Fueled by a good meal and an early night, the cadets were up bright and early, head torches on, ready to tackle the challenge ahead. 

 Friday morning greeted them with a brisk, clear sky, offering spectacular views of Ben Nevis. Although clouds soon rolled in, they didn’t dampen the cadets’ spirits as they reached the summit. Stopping at the highest hut in the UK, the cadets refueled with snacks and steeled themselves for the descent.  Their newly promoted Quartermaster was ready at the campsite with a hot meal and drinks, a much-welcomed sight before the team re-boarded the minibus and journeyed south to Scafell Pike. 

Arriving at Wasdale Campsite in the late hours of Friday night, they were reminded of Mother Nature’s unpredictability, as the weather turned harsh. 

Still, the cadets rose again at 5 a.m. on Saturday, ready to tackle their second peak after a quick breakfast of tea and breakfast baps. In true form, clouds returned to obscure the views as they reached the summit of Scafell Pike, but spirits remained high as they took in the Mountain Rescue box and met “The Bog Man” and the minions on the descent. 

Back at camp, with full stomachs and fortified spirits, the team began their journey to the third and final peak: Snowdon in Wales.  The plan? To reach the summit in time to witness a legendary sunrise. With unanimous agreement, the team decided on a 4 a.m. start, ensuring they’d have time to catch the day’s first rays.  They reached the summit of Snowdon with 20 minutes to spare, and at precisely 7:15 a.m., they were rewarded with the breathtaking sight of sunrise over the mountain range. In that moment, there was silence—each cadet fully present, immersed in awe of nature’s beauty. 

With memories captured in stunning photos and hearts full of pride, the team descended Snowdon, taking the Pyg Track back to the minibus for the final journey home.  After a seven-hour journey filled with shared stories and reflections, the cadets returned to school, leaving behind more than footprints on the peaks. They had etched an indelible achievement in the history of Torquay Academy Cadets, marking the first time their group had summited the UK’s three highest mountains.

Congratulations to the Torquay Academy Cadets on this massive accomplishment! This feat wasn’t just about reaching the summits; it was about the camaraderie, resilience, and determination displayed every step of the way.

This journey will forever be remembered as a testament to the cadets’ spirit and the dedication of the staff who supported them. Here’s to more challenges and successes ahead—Torquay Academy Cadets, you’ve made us all proud!

tap success

After a week of competing in Prague with Team GB for the IDO World Tap Championships, Farah Davidson competed against 31 other competitors from all over the globe and was awarded 2nd place in the world behind the USA. She was also awarded 2nd place for a group dance, so she came home with two silver medals. This is a phenomenal achievement and one that we are very proud of.

 

gymnastics success

This year, Willow-Mae has successfully completed her final year in the British Gymnastics Elite Pathway, a prestigious program that only the top 5% of gymnasts in the country can achieve. We are proud to say that she passed her Excel 3 Grade by competing regionally in Wiltshire and then at a National competition in Stoke on Trent earlier this year.

At the regional competition in Wiltshire, she was crowned the South West Excel Champion. Then, at the National competition in Stoke, she not only achieved the required score of 51.00 to pass but surpassed it with a score of 59.450. This score placed her 4th in the All Around category, and was thrilled to receive a pass mark of "Working Well Beyond." Following this success, she also became the Devon Level 3 Champion.

Most recently, during October half term, she competed at the FIG Development 3 British Finals in Guildford, which was the final step on her journey to becoming an Elite Gymnast. We are excited to share that Willow- Mae was crowned not only the British FIG Development 3 Vault Champion but also won the overall All Around Title and is now the British FIG Development 3 Champion. Additionally, she earned silver medals on both the bars and floor. This is Willow’s second successive All Around British title. Added with her scores from May, Willow placed 3rd in the Combined Level 3 category. 

With these achievements, Willow-Mae has now completed the Elite Pathway and is proud to be recognized as an Elite Aspire Gymnast. Her results have automatically qualified her for the English Championships and the prestigious British Championships 2025, set to take place in March.

Willow-Mae is hopeful that her recent successes have put her on the National selectors radar and she earns a spot in the GB Aspire Squad; Willow-Mae is filled with anticipation for what lies ahead in 2025. 

 

CCF update

This week’s cadet training kicked off with preparations for our school Remembrance Parade, set for Monday. Cadets practised with discipline and precision, perfecting their drill skills.

 

year 7 lego club

Our new Year 7s are really getting into Lego this year. This is one of the models they have already created. The group looked very pleased with their model!

 

Year 7 English with Miss Daw

Miss Daw's Year 7 English class have been studying a new Direct Instruction program, specially designed and crafted to ensure mastery in reading and comprehension. Direct Instruction is a teaching method extensively tested and proven to promote confidence in learners through explicit instruction. These Year 7s have done amazingly well getting to grips with the new course, throwing themselves into it with gusto, enthusiasm and positivity. Well done, Year 7 - Miss Daw is very proud of you all!

 

ks4 business studies

Across Year 10 and 11 Business classes, Mr Dyer's groups have been focusing on enhancing exam skills to ensure students are well-prepared for their upcoming assessments. This has included exploring various revision techniques that cater to different learning styles, such as creating comprehensive mind maps to visualize key concepts effectively. Additionally, they have placed significant emphasis on refining answer structures, enabling students to articulate their responses clearly and confidently in preparation for Assessment Week.

It’s been inspiring to see the dedication and creativity of our students shine through their work. Notably, Year 11 student Oliwia Tuczynska has demonstrated exceptional effort in her detailed and well-organized mind maps, which showcase both her understanding and commitment to her studies. Similarly, Year 10 student Summer Holmes has produced outstanding examples of organisation, detailed notes and structured answers that highlight her grasp of applying business concepts effectively. These students’ work is a testament to their hard work and the collective efforts of our classes in striving for success.

 

year 8 pe

This week some year 8 classes have started their gymnastics programme of study in Physical Education. The boys began to explore different types of travel and roll in their first lesson. Here, they can be seen completing a game that incorporates various modes of travel, balances, and rolls as they traverse different forms of equipment. They went on to complete partnered routines using the mats, which focussed their investigative work on travels and rolls. Next week, they will be advancing on to incorporate balances both individually and partnered into their routines, building on their previous lessons work.

 

Visit from the Famous Chef Mitch Tonks' to Hospitality Students

Hospitality students were extremely lucky to have a famous and well respected chef visit us at Torquay Academy.  The Seahorse and Rockfish founder delivered a very inspirational and passionate insight into the world of the hospitality and catering industry. We learned about the ways to ensure success in this competitive market and he spoke with real passion about cooking and creating seafood and fish dishes. He also spoke of his friendships with other famous chefs, including Rick Stein and Jamie Oliver.

We are now hoping to establish stronger links with Mitch Tonks and his teams at the Rockfish in Torquay and Brixham to allow our students at TA a taste of life in a real commercial kitchen.

Thank you so much to Mitch and his team - we are very grateful.

harley sneap

Former student, Harley Sneap is in a competition to be awarded goal of the month across the National Football Academy leagues.  I would be grateful if you would click the link below and vote for him! 

Your support would be greatly appreciated. The goal is also a cracker!

 

Students of the Week

Year 7 - Willow-Mae Calland and Cole Washington

 

Year 8 - Nanma John and Gracjan Rutkowski

  

Year 9 - Archie Somerset and April Hubbard

 

Year 10 - Layla Loizides and George O'Hanlon

  

year 7 netball

Ela Uven, Achara Edmund, Rhia Holding, Bella Stevenson, Poppy Hewings, Jessica Green, 

Milly Skelly, Darcy Gibbings, Mimi Skelly, Delilah Davies, Eva Thompson, Myah Bishop, Zenna Venter, Mia Kost, Lilly-Ella Smith, Sophia Hill

The year 7 netball academy teams put on an impressive performance on Tuesday, showcasing both skill and sportsmanship.  The players approached each game with enthusiasm and energy, and it was great to see them enjoying being on the court!

Throughout the tournament the teams showed excellent teamwork, listening closely to coaching points and making adjustments to strengthen their play.  There were lots of interceptions proving their developing defensive awareness, as well as some brilliant channels of attacking play.  Each player contributed to a solid team effort, improvements were made and each team managed to secure some well deserved wins.  It’s just the beginning for this squad, and it’s exciting to watch progression.

Team A Coaches Player: Ela Uven/Mimi Skelly

Oppositions Player: Zenna Venter

Player’s Player:  Eva Thompson

Team B Coaches Player: Mia Kost/ Darcy Gibbings

Oppositions Player: Darcy Gibbings/Delilah Davies

Player’s Player: Jessica Green

 

Year 8 Boys Football

Year 8 suffer defeat against Exmouth. It had to happen eventually, we had our first football loss of the year for any boys or girls team.  It was a very different performance from the previous week and lots to look at from our mindset playing as a team. Let’s hope everyone see’s the benefit in a positive team environment. 

 

Year 11 Football

On Wednesday, the year 11 boys travelled to Heles (Plymouth) in the National Cup. After going a goal down early, we responded brilliantly and dominated the first half, and were desperately unlucky not to equalise. With a bit more belief and assertiveness in the second half, we soon levelled when Toby Lee was felled in the box and he tucked away the penalty. We then fell behind again before Albie Baker cleverly lobbed the keeper to make it 2-2. Toby was then sin binned, but we pushed on, with Albie thundering in a free kick to put us 3-2 up. With 5 minutes remaining, Heles scored a great goal of their own to take the game to extra time. In a tight contest, unfortunately, Heles grabbed the decisive next goal, and despite relentless pressure, we could not find an equaliser. This was a really tough game in tough conditions, but the boys worked incredibly hard and should be very proud of their performance.

 

Year 8 Rugby v Paignton

The year 8 boys travelled to Paignton this week in the drizzle and gloom. They played some outstanding rugby at times and were dominant is some key areas, however the opposition had some very strong runners who managed to find space on the huge pitch and ran in some good tries. The boys scored some well worked tries of their own, however it was not our day with the conditions against us as well. A great match nonetheless and the boys enjoyed scrambling around in the wet and mud! Well done to all involved, training continues on Wednesdays.

 

U14 Girls Football

U14 girls are in the game again. A solid performance see’s them progress further in the national schools cup after a win against TGGS. Goals on the day from Kayla, Emilee, Neeve, Maria and Bonnie . Well done girls.

 

house golf

TA completed its first House Golf Competition on the Friday before half term. 32 students from all houses competed against each other to be our first ever TA golf champion. This will now be an annual event. It was played at Teign Valley Golf course with all competitors, at all levels, also competing for places in the Devon Championships at Bigbury next year.

It’s been great to speak to so many competitors after the event saying they have joined golf clubs. At TA, our house competitions are designed to expose our students to more diverse sports as well as mainstream. We hope that it will encourage regular participation in these sports away from the school.

Congratulations to everybody who participated at a really enjoyable event. Well done to our TA Champion Olly Payne from Kitson!!

1st- Olly Payne (Kitson)

2nd-Charlie Frankum (Darwin)

3rd-Will Denega (Darwin)

4th-Ben Jolly (Brunel)

Closest to the pin- Toby Lee

 

6th form progress in the AOC College cup

Our boys put in a brilliant performance against a strong Total Pro team to go into the hat for the next round. A solid and controlled first half set us up well, going into the break 2-0 up with goals coming from Charlie Stevens and Evan Kinghorn. The talk at halftime was about finishing them off early if we could and the boys did just that, scoring 2 more goals in the first 5 minutes of the second half from Sam Hext and Finn Herbert.

This allowed us to make some needed changes and have one eye on Friday with another game against Millfield.

We continued to play well and Will Green sealed the victory with a lovely hat-trick to finish the game 7-2 winners.

 

Year 7 boys rugby

The year 7’s competed in the TBGS cluster tournament this Monday. This was a lot of our  students' first competitive games. We played 5 games in total and improved with every match. Our club players really helped and encouraged our inexperienced ones and we showed huge progression during each match. Having lost the first 3 games we won our last 2 with some standout performances from Calvin Downer, Kyle Squires and Cole Barton. Well done to all involved.

 

 

House stars of the week

Year 7

Brunel - Cole Barton

Christie - Eva Thompson

Darwin -  Oscar Hall

Fawcett -  Abigail Harkin

Harrison -  Evan Jones

Kitson -  Poppy Cosh

Nearne -  Eryn Stafford-Summers

Pengelly - Jasmine Roberts

 

Year 8

Brunel - Freddy Novis

Christie - Rosie Bevan

Darwin -  Mila Cairney

Fawcett -  George Kasparis

Harrison -  Lily Ellis

Kitson -  Daisy Dorman

Nearne -  Lilly Shaw

Pengelly - Lucas Vesely

 

Year 9

Brunel - Emily Cowan

Christie - Sophia Peryer

Darwin -  Vinnie Frankum

Harrison -  Molly Hollomby

Kitson -  Vaughn Heavens

Nearne -  Tanya Neil

Pengelly - Finley Dawson

 

Homework Stars of the Week

Year 7

Brunel - Mia Kost

Christie - Archie Payne-Stanbury

Darwin -  Erin Gayton

Fawcett -  Cody Butler

Harrison -  Dee Davies

Kitson -  Nancy Wheeler

Nearne -  Sara Szewczuk

Pengelly - Josie Cotton

 

Year 8

Brunel - Toby Preston

Christie - Aaliyah Akpo

Darwin -  George Garbett

Fawcett -  Poppy Evely

Harrison -  Annalise Little

Kitson -  Wiktoria Aleksander

Nearne -  William Schmiedinghofer

Pengelly - Jessica Munnangi

 

Year 9

Brunel - Alexa Lyons

Christie - Thomas Cox

Darwin -  Charlotte Holmes-Vittles

Harrison -  Toby Howell

Kitson -  Jessie Mountstevens

Nearne -  Jonathan Siuchninski

Pengelly - Ella Weeks

 

university offers this week

 

Sparx Leaderboards

 

Tassomai Leaderboards