Remembrance at Torquay Academy
During the week before Remembrance Mr Whelan had the pleasure of leading an assembly for each year group. This began when he first joined the school and he answered some of his tutor groups questions regarding wearing poppies and some of the history behind them. This has since grown into a regular fixture in the school calendar where each year he answers the questions he has been asked by students. The aim in these assemblies is to provide students with information so that they can make an informed decision about how they mark Remembrance Day and the poppies they wear.
This culminates in the school gathering together on November the 11th to pause at 11am to reflect on the meaning of the day. This is led by the cadets who, as always, do the school proud with their turnout, attitude and the diligence with which they take part. This year Cdt Sgt Crushcov led the parade and Cdt Sgt Corline stepped in at very short notice to give one of the readings. Thanks are owed every year to the Music Department who assist with sound for the readings and the playing of the Last Post and Reveille.
our team shines at the wickes careers challenge
We're thrilled to announce that our team has achieved an incredible third-place finish in the national Wickes Careers Challenge!
For the first part of the day, students had a chance to create a kitchen out of cardboard, talk about different apprenticeships, and tour the Head office, being introduced to the various departments of Law, HR, PR, Finance, Technical support, purchasing, and advertising.
The team's innovative idea of a food truck impressed the judges with its practicality and potential. Their presentation was both informative and engaging, showcasing their strong business acumen and problem-solving skills.
This achievement is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and creativity of our team members. Their success not only reflects their individual abilities but also highlights the collaborative spirt within the school.
We're incredibly proud of their accomplishment and look forward to future successes.
Remembrance Day Art Display
Our Remembrance Day art display is an impressive showcase of the creativity and dedication of our Year 8 art students. The exhibition features a diverse array of poignant and powerful works that honoured the memory of those who served.
Our year 8 students have displayed beautifully painted scenes of sunsets and sunrises, each one capturing the solemnity and hope of these moments with silhouetted soldiers standing as silent guardians. These pieces were both striking and emotive, reminding viewers of the sacrifice and resilience of soldiers throughout history.
In addition to these vibrant paintings, students explored the grittier aspects of wartime life with studies that depicted the harsh realities faced by soldiers. Using chalk, charcoal, and even mud, they created hauntingly effective images of rats, lice, and trench foot-ridden feet. These works brought to light the physical and emotional toll of war, showing a mature understanding of the suffering that often goes unseen.
Adding to the display, students crafted stunning 3D poppies that now hang gracefully from the balcony in the main atrium of the school. These poppies create a powerful visual impact and will serve as a beautiful and fitting backdrop for our Remembrance Service on November 11, 2024.
The art display is a testament to the talent, thoughtfulness, and hard work of our Year 8 students. Their work has brought new depth to our commemoration of Remembrance Day, and we are proud to see their art contribute so meaningfully to this significant occasion.
DofE gold success
Will Reed in Year 13 has completed his Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
He looks forward to his trip to Buckingham Palace (hopefully in the spring of 2025) for the award ceremony.
Will has completed the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards during his time at TA taking part in skills such as criminology , driving theory and cookery during the Covid lockdowns and has been a zoo keeper at Dartmoor Zoo for a week during the residential section. His expeditions always seemed to be in the worst of weather!
This is a fantastic achievement and is an acknowledgement of his perseverance, hard work and dedication towards the award. Well done, Will!
year 11 and 13 mock exams
The Year 11 and 13s have been working very hard on their mock exams. They will get bespoke feedback on their papers next week. The year is flying by very quickly for them. Next week they will have our 6th Form open evening.
remembrance events
Last weekend Connor Dean 10C and Sophie Dean 9C, took part in the remembrance events in Torquay and Paignton. Sophie was part of the cenotaph guard in Torquay in the morning and laid a wreath for Paignton Rugby Club who she plays for in the afternoon. She was also part of the pre-game service of remembrance at the rugby club on Sunday afternoon.
Fun Friday Live Music Lunch
On Friday, our Year 9 and 10 students enjoyed a fantastic break featuring live music and DJ's in The Platform.
Our talented Music Academy students, including some of our year 10's and Sixth Formers, took to the stage to perform a variety of rock classics. The crowd was energized by their rendition of Royal Blood's "Trouble's Coming", Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name", and Sam Fender's "17 Going Under".
To set the mood, DJ Bodhi Williams kicked off the evening with a smooth set of House music, his first public performance on the decks and certainly one to watch.
It was a great opportunity for our students to relax, enjoy some great music, and appreciate the hard work of their peers. We look forward to the next event in this fortnightly concert series.
Live Music Lunch is set up for the pupils by the pupils, and in addition to our excellent performers, staging, sound and lights are organised entirely by our talented production students. Performers: Henry McManus, Luca Cronje, Oliver Boyce, Robin Pightling, Erin Allen, Oliver Phillips, Ben German, Ava Sams, Grace Gibbings and Emilia Hunt.
Review of the Online Art Club's Surfboard Design Competition
Our recent surfboard design competition, hosted through our online art club, was a resounding success! Inspired by the fantastic work of The Wave Project, a charity that uses surfing and paddleboarding to support mental health and well-being for young people.
Students created designs that beautifully captured the spirit of the ocean.with themes centered around the sea, waves, and marine life, each student’s work showed incredible creativity and thoughtfulness. From intricate depictions of sea creatures to flowing, abstract wave patterns, the submissions were not only visually striking but also reflected the charity’s ethos of healing and connection with nature.
The competition was a testament to our students' talent and dedication. It was inspiring to see them channel their artistic skills into designs that celebrated the beauty and energy of the sea while supporting a meaningful cause. The entries showcased their efforts and spread awareness for The Wave Project.
Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this event such a success! The winners are as follows:
Ist prize: Anastasia Tukilush
2nd prise: Autumn Wagstaffe
3rd prize: Ellie Mildren
Highly commended goes to:
Madeleine Woodger
Tegan Ross
The certificates and prizes were awarded last Friday in Mrs Lynch's art room.
Gymnastics success
In the Devon Gymnastics Championships, Alana Houlihan competed in the floor, bars, beam and vault at Copper Level in Plymouth last weekend. Alana and her team came 1st overall. Also, Alana placed 2nd overall individually in a large U13 category scoring 1st in floor, 1st in vault and 2nd bars. This is a phenomenal achievement and one that Team TA are very proud of.
pe with mrs abraham
This week, Mrs Abraham’s Year 8 class looked at shooting in Football. With the help of Miss Zuurmond, the students focused on shooting with their instep and laces to experiment with different amounts of power for shots of different lengths. Great progress was made, and they look forward to putting our shooting practice into some game play next lesson! 
Year 10 History
In Miss Essam-Wood's History Year 10 class, they are investigating what medicine was like on the Western Front. This is part of their Medicine Module on Paper 1. The students in this lesson were studying the Chain of Evacuation. They has been very enthusiastic about this topic, and it is amazing to see them link their previous learning into what they are studying now.
In this lesson, the students practiced their source writing skills. They follow a writing frame to ensure they have fully analysed the sources. Previously, the students had written a full answer, and in this lesson, they were practising this skill based on their feedback and improving their timings. You can see in the images how the students annotated a source in their workbook and then were given just 3 minutes to pick out two inferences and two quotes to match the inferences. They absolutely stepped up to the challenge and thrived!
pudding club
athletics success
Darcy Gibbings, in 7B, was awarded a Promising Junior Athlete award at the Torbay Amateur Athletics presentation evening. Well done, Darcy!
Year 7 History with Miss Essam-Wood
This week has been assessment week at Torquay Academy which can be a very exciting but nervous time for our fantastic students. Regardless of having some nerves, our students rise up to the challenge and work hard for their amazing results. For 7T5 this is their first assessment week and they were extremely hard working. They did some incredible revision and then did their assessment in complete silence and focus. They all had amazing results and should be extremely proud of themselves. Well done, 7T5!
Students of the Week
Year 7 - Tyler Fudge and Chloe Bastow
Year 8 - Lily Ellis and Toby Preston
Year 9 - Alfie Speed and Sienna Wilschere
Year 10 - Millie-Anne Adamson and James Northcott
principals gold certificates
Year 7 - Kayden Harper
Principals silver certificates
Year 7 - Kyle Squires
principals bronze certificates
Year 7 - Jack Lennox-Statham
Year 9 Produce Again!
On Monday, the Year 9 football team made the short trip to TBGS to play in round 3 of the national cup. TA arrived at the game missing a few players due to injury and then had to deal with a setback when captain Noah Margetts was injured in the warm-up. With a quick re-jig of the line up the game started. It was an evenly contested first half with very few chances, but right on the stroke of half-time, captain for the day, Lee Stevens, scored with a great strike from 22 yards.
TA started the second half strongly and started to dominate the game and convert chances and soon found themselves three nil up with goals from Alex Moss and Zak Haridi. TBGS then started to create the odd chance, but Oscar Spurle's good and brave goalkeeping kept them out. TA then went 4-0 up when Maxwell Murphy finished from close home after a well-worked move. TA were determined to keep a clean sheet and Brad Harrison made some incredible last-ditch tackles on more than one occasion. TA finished the scoring right on the final whistle when Sonny Cayford curled one in the top corner from 25 yards. It was another superb team performance. Well done, boys!
year 9 rugby
The year 9 rugby team took on Paignton this week in a rearranged friendly. The boys prepared well as they waited for the delayed opposition bus to arrive. With some slick handling movements and some well-structured warm-up routines completed, the boys took to the field, albeit without a couple of key players resting either through availability or injury. They started well, building phases and looking to attack from anywhere on the pitch. With some hard running and width on the play the boys managed to go into half time 19-12 up, however the game was evenly poised with both teams arm wrestling for control of the game. Into the second half, the lads went up a gear, and through some outstanding breaks and resolute defence, the year 9s ended 44-24 victors in the gloom of a November evening. An outstanding performance from every player who stepped up and did a great job.
year 9/10 netball
Phoebe Smith, Lucy McMahon, Maisie Sandercock, Larna Waller, Chloe German, Ellie Farthing, Alexa Lyons, Scarlett Connolly, Molly Hollomby ©
On Monday, the Year 9/10 netball squad played a tense and hard-fought match against Torquay Girls Grammar School. It was a nail-biting end to end match with both teams displaying tight defence, making every goal a challenge.
With the score tied at 22-22 and only minutes left, our players showed incredible composure under pressure. They chased down every ball, passed with accuracy and the shooting was on fire, keeping their focus and managed to pull ahead in the final moments. In the end, we secured a well-deserved victory, winning 25-22.
It was a fantastic team effort, and everyone should be proud of their hard work and determination.
Oppositions Player: Phoebe Smith
Players Player: Alexa Lyons
Coaches Player: Alexa Lyons
year 8 netball
Elena Bolton, Emilee Fenner, Madison Wood ©, Seren Chadwick, Poppi Jones, Matilda Thorner, Isla Bryant, Alana Houlihan
Our Year 8 netball academy enjoyed a tournament on Tuesday, with all the girls representing Torquay Academy to a very high standard. Both teams played some brilliant netball and demonstrated fantastic teamwork. The improvements shown by all individuals and teams throughout the season so far is immense, and a testament to their hard work and demonstration. The teams managed to secure two well-deserved wins each and enjoyed every minute of the tournament! Well done girls!
Oppositions Players: Madison Wood & Lilly Shaw
Players Players: Matilda Thorner & Rosie Bevan
Coaches Player: Isla Bryant & Lottie Knight
Sixth Form Netball Vs South Devon College
Elspeth Herring, Tammy Westacott, Ellie Stone, Mia Denby ©, Rosie Clark, Summer Connolly, Ella McLachlan, Evie Sutton, Maisy Green, Emily Graham, Skye Warner, Ellie Denby
The sixth form netball academy faced local rivals, South Devon College in the college league on Wednesday. They played superbly proving what a competitive and dynamic squad they have become!. Everyone went out on court with determination and dominated the match from the very first whistle, resulting in a convincing 63-15 win! Demonstrating versatility, they played with various combinations proving the adaptability and depth the squad have achieved through their hard work. The connections throughout court were seamless, with players working to create smooth transitions from defence to attack, and the shooters converting goal after goal. Well done, girls!
Oppositions Player: Maisy Green
Players Player: Summer Connolly
Coaches Player: Elspeth Herring
football round up
year 7 football
Our year 7 girls had their first taste of the national schools' cup this week against a strong Eggbuckland school. We have a fantastic group of girls, and I’m sure they will go on to do really well as part of Team TA. This game gave us a chance to see girls in different positions and has given the girls the chance to see the standard we play against.
The game was full of goals, and unfortunately, Eggbuckland progressed into the next round. Our goals on the day were scored by Mimi, Ella x2, Sophia, and Abi.
Sixth Form football
Our 6th form have had a dip in form with two losses this week, after a great start going unbeaten for 6 games, they have hit a wall. The first bit of adversity has caught a few out and we now need them to get through it and learn from these defeats. This is part of football and the accountability within a changing room is now where it has to start to get back to winning ways. If you’re not winning, you need to be learning.
YEAR 10 football
The Year 10 boys overcame Westexe on Thursday afternoon after an epic game. In the first half, we were well off the pace, likely indicative of this only being our second game of the season; we looked rusty and laboured. As such, we went in 2-1 down, Miko Piaseck getting us our goal. However, a few tactical switches and some honest discussions led to a fantastic reaction from the team and we soon levelled at 2-2 with Ben Jolly scoring after good work from Oscar Mills. We soon fell behind again however as it looked like it wouldn’t be our day. But the team did not panic and we dominated the ball and created chances. Eventually, Miko slammed one in from outside of the box, and with 45 seconds left to play, Ben hammered in his second from range to get us over the line and spark a great celebration from the team! Into the hat we go!
House stars of the week
Year 7
Brunel - Leo Watson-Cox
Christie - Jack Lennox-Statham
Darwin - Chloe Hornsby
Fawcett - Corah Luscombe
Kitson - Kieran Truong
Nearne - Zac Austin
Pengelly - Abi Allen
Year 8
Brunel - Wiktor Koza
Christie - Alana Houlihan
Darwin - Leo Nicholson
Fawcett - Emelia Wood
Harrison - Aryton Sharp
Kitson - Luna Truong
Nearne - Edith Mackenzie
Pengelly - Maddy Woodger
Year 9
Brunel - Alfie Speed
Christie - Ava Wilson
Fawcett - Anya Cosslett
Harrison - Blake Young
Kitson - Naomi Szyszka
Pengelly - Izzy Goldsbrough
Homework Stars of the Week
Year 7
Brunel - Gracie Ritson
Christie - Paisley Taylor
Darwin - Kamile Degutyte
Fawcett - Lottie Hutcheson
Harrison - Milly Skelly
Kitson - Declan Phillips
Nearne - Freddy Bonner
Pengelly - Pandora Ferguson
Year 8
Brunel - Treesa Telson
Christie - Farah Davidson
Darwin - Oceana Furse
Fawcett - Riley Harper
Harrison - Mason Maxwell
Kitson - Alexa McCarthy
Nearne - Benjamin Cowie
Pengelly - Aaron Pinto
Year 9
Brunel - Benjamin Nicholson
Christie - Francis Downer
Fawcett - Sean Canham
Harrison - Ruby Fitzgerald
Kitson - Kira Fedotova
Pengelly - Lewis Collett
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