Year 11 Prom, walking football & celebration evening
Year 11 Prom
Our Year 11s looked magnificent as they arrived at their Prom this year. We couldn’t be more proud of their achievements over the past five years with us. We look forward to seeing them again on results day in August and in September when they come back to the 6th Form.
You can view the full albums on our Facebook page using the two album links below.
Year 7 Celebration Evening
Subject Awards
English -Jorgie-Jayne Barnett and Olivier Szyszka
Maths – Farah Davidson and Harry Evans
Science – Esme Poole and Oakley Mudge
Religious Studies – Oceana Furse and Harry Rowlands
History – Emily Bowden and Jamie Hancox
Geography – Elizabeth Francis and Charlie O’Connor
PE – Emilee Fenner and Freddy Novis
Art – Esmie Riggs and Toryn Bond
French – Treesa Telson and Freddie Blagden
Spanish – Isla May and Kumar Hopton
Technology – Harlow Bown and Kobi Burness-Moakes
Music – Ruby Turner and Dylan Drinkwater
Effort Awards
Emily Bowden, Hayden Coatesworth, Phoebe Action, Esmie Riggs, Jamie Hancox, Elena Bolton, Sofia Adamson, Gabriela Piasts, Lily Langler, Catherine Ramesh Mani, Seren Chadwick, Rosco Biagott, Isla May, Serenity Ward, Ellie-Mae Bowden, Seren Panther-Glinn, Harry Austin, Jorgie0Jayne Barnett, Seren Stephenson, Dion Maharjan, Myah Sellick, Ruby Turner, Aleksander Wiktoria, George Pitts and Leonard Toribio
Year Team Awards
7B – Treesa Telson and Rosco Biagott
7C – Rosie Bevan and Jamie Hancox
7D – Charlotte Townsend and George Garbett
7F – Gabriela Piasta and Marcus Findlay-Peers
7H – Phoebe Acton and Ayrton Sharp
7K – Jessica Stoyle and Max Kapusta
7N – Frances Roberts and Oliver Forsdyke
7P – Tia Woodward and Jenson Tandy
Other Awards
PowerUp – Poppy Evely and James Costello
Lexonik – Kara Breach and Haydon Coatesworth
Sparx – Heidi Milner and Toby Preston
Sparx Reader – Catherine Ramesh Mani and Jesse Isemede
Tassomai – Esme Poole and Lucas Vesely
Top House Points – Tiffany Eastley and Jack Parton
Golden Mortar board – Anna Rozanska and Oakley Mudge
Head Boy/Girl award – Myah Sellick and Jamie Hancox
Hospitality and Catering Students Celebration Evening
Our Hospitality and Catering students excelled themselves in the creation and application of every necessary skill to produce some beautiful and delicious Italian appetizers for the Year 7 and 8 Celebration Evenings this week. They worked tirelessly in making the bruschetta that catered for every dietary requirement and then demonstrated the most beautiful welcome for our parents to ensure they were welcomed and looked after. They have developed all the skills for their qualification and we were so proud of how they conducted themselves to make the most wonderful event even more special. Thank you so much.
Pengelly House – Walking Football Match
On Wednesday, students from Pengelly House took part in a walking football match against members of the Torbay Stroke Support (team) Students Josh Parkinson, Luke Horrocks, Oliver McHugh, Lucas Quaintance, Kai Chalmers Wood, Daniel Elkins, Leo Macheggiani, Ayden Goldsbrough , Aaron Saunders and Ben Tucker -all from 9P were selected to play in the match which lasted (each way)
Torbay Stroke Support is the Pengelly charity. Students have worked hard to raise money for this worthwhile cause over the last two years. Organiser and spokesperson for the charity, Jerry Byford , was really enthusiastic in encouraging our Pengelly students to meet some of the people whom they had helped through events such as non-uniform days and the Spring Fayre. The players were also very excited at the opportunity of using Torquay Academy’s astro-turf.
The rules of a walking football match differ slightly in the sense that , the timings of the halves are much shorter, no contact is allowed and a player must not run with the ball at any time.
Highlights of the game included some fantastic saves from the Stroke Support goalie and some wonderful refereeing from Arthur. As the final whistle blew, the end result was Stroke Support 2-Torquay Academy 6.The teams then played a sudden death game with mixed sides.
It was a wonderful experience for all involved ; we are extremely grateful to our visitors for taking the time to come and meet our students.
Miss Risk .
Women’s Premiership Rugby Final
Isla Coish, year 7 Harrison and Esme Poole, year 7 Pengelly both danced on the pitch at half time at the Women’s Premiership Rugby final this Sunday as part of Join the Movement.
The match and their half-time dance was shown on BBC sports and iPlayer. On the day they also saw Mrs Lewis and Team TA at the game. You can read about their visit in the Team TA section below.
Art Club 3D Challenge
Congratulations to the following very talented art students for winning this half term’s online ART CLUB 3D Art Challenge!
1st prize goes to Saphi Byers for her super, surrealist sculpture.
2nd prize goes to Scarlett Hill for her super creative mixed media relief painting.
3rd prize goes to Serina James for her very impressive digital painting, a really unique artwork.
Well done to all that took part. A new summer holiday art challenge will be set soon, so watch this space!!
Year 5 Textile workshop with Mrs Lynch
We recently hosted an inspiring textile art workshop for visiting Year 5 students in our Creative Arts department. Drawing inspiration from the vibrant and intricate designs of Indian embroidery, the young artists embarked on a creative journey to produce their own unique pieces. Each student created an individual panel using oil pastels on black fabric, resulting in striking contrasts and beautifully detailed designs. The enthusiasm and creativity displayed by the students were truly impressive. Their individual panels, rich in colour and imagination, will be combined to form a stunning wall hanging that will hang in their primary school.
Review of Year 8 Art Project Inspired by Shepard Fairey
Our Year 8 art students recently completed an exciting project inspired by the renowned street artist Shepard Fairey, famous for his iconic HOPE poster created for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. Using the ‘Hope’ app, students adapted their portraits to reflect Fairey’s signature approach. They then skillfully recreated these images using primary and block colors, capturing the bold and impactful essence of Fairey’s work.
This project not only allowed students to explore a significant modern artist but also encouraged them to experiment with color, form, and digital tools in new and innovative ways. The final portraits are a testament to their hard work, creativity, and growing artistic skills.
Order! Order! Year 8 students take part in a debating workshop
On Saturday, four Year 8 students, accompanied by Dr Davies and Dr Hocking, took part in their first experience of debating. This event, hosted by Colyton Grammar School and the University of Exeter, was for beginners to debating, and provided a supportive atmosphere in which to build confidence with public speaking.
Students from four different Devon schools took part with a total of 45 students across years 7-10.
In the first part of the day, students received an introduction to the British Parliamentary model of debating. They learned the formal debating style in which two teams Open and Close for the Government (supporting the motion) and two teams Open and Close for the Opposition (against the motion). Students took part in three debates during the day, the first motion was ‘This House believes that private schools should be banned’. The second debate was on performance-enhancing drugs for athletes and the third was on the harms of social media.
TA students dramatically developed their debating skills over the day, starting from tentative one-minute speeches sitting down behind a table and ending with five-minute speeches standing up in front of the opposition. By the third debate they were giving and accepting ‘Points of Information’ and sometimes insisting on finishing their point before they allowed an opponent to request a ‘POI’.
Our students were really positive about the day and said it was …”a very enjoyable experience I would like to do again” … “When people ask me a question with the intention of flustering me, I won’t let them” … “I have gained so much more confidence. I have looked my opponents in the eyes today!”
Cadets’ Pursuit of Excellence
At Torquay Academy, the cadets are thriving in numerous ways, showcasing their expertise and dedication across various disciplines.
The army cadets have been demonstrating remarkable precision and skill with their groupings on the cadet air rifle. Their impressive accuracy not only reflects their commitment to mastering their craft but also highlights the rigorous training and mentorship they receive.
Furthermore, the first aid team at Torquay Academy continues to excel in delivering essential emergency response techniques. By following the DRABC protocol (Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing, Circulation), they are equipped to handle medical emergencies effectively and save lives. These cadets are honing valuable skills that can make a significant difference in critical situations.
In addition to the army cadets and the first aid team, Torquay Academy is also fostering the growth of future leaders through the training of First Aid At Work cadets. By providing them with comprehensive instruction in first aid procedures, the academy is preparing these cadets to be competent and confident in handling medical emergencies not only within the cadet program but also in their future endeavors.
Moreover, the drill square at Torquay Academy serves as a cornerstone for instilling discipline and confidence in the cadets. Through precise movements and coordinated routines, cadets learn the importance of teamwork, focus, and attention to detail. These lessons go beyond the drill square, shaping the cadets into well-rounded individuals capable of thriving in any challenging environment.
RAF Air Cadets put fieldcraft skills to the test
Today our RAF cadets put their recent training into action. For the last few weeks the cadets have been learning patrolling and fire and manoeuvre skills and techniques.
This evenings task pitched the Blue attacking team against the Red defenders. The mission for the attackers was to capture the Red teams HQ and the mission for the defending Blue team was to defend their headquarters.
The two sections were led by senior cadets – the Blues commanded by Cadet Flight Sergeant Furze with Cadet Corporal Dinev as his 2IC, and the Reds commanded by Cadet Sergeant Green with Cadet Corporal Butler as his 2IC. Each section was split into two platoons led by Cadet Davies for the Blue section and Cadet Lance Corporal Blatchford for the defending Reds. All the commanding NCOs took leadership roles, and delivered RAF style SMEAC (Situation, Mission, Execution, Any questions, Check understanding) briefings to their squads.
With some of the cadets daubed in cammo face paint the battle commenced at 1645. The attacking Blues were trying to infiltrate the school building and needed to secure areas as they progressed towards the Red HQ. With Flight Lieutenant Butler, giving extra scenarios such as simulated smoke grenades, and tips to both sides, the cadets tried their hardest to meet their objectives.
In the end the defending side just managed to keep their HQ safe and secure. But it was a close run thing! Most importantly the cadets had a blast participating in the task, and developed valuable communication, team working, and leadership skills. Way to go RAF cadets – great effort by all!
The dedication and achievements of the cadets at Torquay Academy are a testament to the commitment of both the cadets and the instructors who guide them. By fostering a culture of excellence and continuous improvement, Torquay Academy is shaping the leaders of tomorrow, equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and values necessary for success.
In conclusion, Torquay Academy cadets are setting high standards and achieving remarkable milestones in various areas, from marksmanship to first aid and leadership training. Their relentless pursuit of excellence serves as an inspiration to all, showcasing the transformative power of dedication, discipline, and hard work. The future looks bright for the cadets of Torquay Academy as they continue to push boundaries, overcome challenges, and strive for greatness in all their endeavors.
Singing Success
Chloe Taylor year 7 was asked to sing at the blossoms symphony summer concert last night at palace theatre . Chloe sang a solo to a full house it was so beautiful. She was so delighted to be asked to be part of hhis concert and to be given this opportunity to perform on stage. Well done Chloe!
Music with Miss Graham
It has been a busy and fun filled couple of weeks in Miss Graham’s music lessons.
This term, Year 9 have been working exceptionally hard to complete their coursework and prepare for Summer Fest. They have developed a number of performances from a range of genres and styles, alongside a final performance which was a song of their choice.
They will be making final preparations for their performances over the next coming weeks.
To add to this, Year 7 are coming to the end of their first year of Music at TA. They have been incredible in Music this year and we are making the most of their efforts and new skills to play a range of Pop songs to finish off the term. As you can see, singing is a popular choice of instrument!
Technology KS3
Our students in the Food and Nutrition area of technology have been amazing in creating their dishes over the last few weeks. They have gained so much confidence and pride in completing their dishes and ensuring they clean as they go. Just look at the presentation .. super proud and so they should be!
Our 2024 Lexonik Champions
As the academic year starts to draw to a close, intervention across all year groups is also drawing to a close in the English Department. One of these interventions has been Lexonik and this year we have targeted and supported so many more students as two more teachers, Mr Crow and Mr Dickin, completed their Lexonik training at the beginning of the academic year and are now fully qualified to deliver this effective intervention.
For those who are still not familiar with Lexonik, it is an intensive and quick reading intervention that is designed to help students reach their potential in all subjects – not just English. It is a training programme that trains students to process sounds at speed and develop their vocabulary – which as a result improves their reading speeds and understanding.
Lexonik teaches students how to accurately and rapidly process sound chunks and once they acquire this skill, their reading and spelling dramatically improve. It is worth noting that this is not an intervention that teaches reading and spelling and it is actually most successful with students of average and above average ability. Just by knowing how to pronounce an unfamiliar word on paper helps students access difficult vocabulary as sometimes they do actually know a word but written down it is unfamiliar. By taking part in these sessions, students can significantly boost their literacy skills and are better equipped to achieve those better grades.
We also practice ‘suffixes and prefixes at speed’ as well as explore a range of vocabulary from a full range of subjects. With this we discuss root words and their forms. This helps provide students with ways they can access and decode unfamiliar language which is so important in an exam environment. We give them a set of tools that help them ‘decode’ difficult vocabulary
The beauty of this intervention is in its speed: 1 hour per week over a 6-week period.
As a school intervention, Lexonik is not new. We have been using this intervention since 2018 but as you can imagine COVID has had an impact. It is very difficult to run 6 back to back weekly sessions for the same group of four students when you are coming up against, lock-downs, isolations and illness.
This intervention is suitable for all year groups, and now we have enough fully trained experts we are able to have Lexonik groups this year in every year group for the first time! My first target group were students in year 11. Current exam data suggests that students need a minimum reading age of 15 years to achieve a Grade 4, the minimum pass grade at GCSE, in such subjects as Mathematics, Science and History. Reading is not just an English thing: every exam paper, in every subject needs a student to be able to read at speed, at a high level. We cannot escape the fact that our current Year 11s have had their education seriously impacted by COVID but will be the second cohort in recent years to sit the full exams as they used to be with higher grade boundaries. This will mean much more reading!
Lexonik promise that a 6-week course, delivered effectively, can improve a student’s reading age by an average of 24 months. The important bit here is the ‘6’ bit. It is really important that students attend all timetabled sessions to maximise the benefits. Our data for the sessions that we have run over the past few years have, on average, improved individual reading ages by 37 months. But that is the average overall. Last year 43 students completed the full 6 week course. 1914 months were added to their reading ages. The average for last year’s cohort was 44.5 months for each student which equals 3.7 years added on average to each of their reading ages! So many students added 60+ months with a couple of students adding 80 to 90 months to their reading age.
So, the figures for this year’s cohort are as follows: 80 students completed the Lexonik course since September covering all year groups from Year 7 to Year 11. The average reading improvement age this year was 55 months (4.5 years) up from 44.5 last year with many students gaining a significantly higher increase. This year we have had four trained teachers but next year we will have five.
We are looking forward to our next cohorts of Lexoniks. It is always fun – even for those older ‘doubters’! May the next chapter of reading fun begin!
My current year 11 target group humoring me with some photos before we started this week’s session.
Students of the Week
Year 7 – Ted Dudley and Nanma John
Year 8 – Faith Stevens and Aaron Herring
Girls Rugby
Year 7 Rounders Tournament
This week, the Y7 Rounders team attended the end of season Rounders tournament at Churston Grammar school. After a tough start against Torquay Girls Grammar we picked ourselves up with two win in our pool. We had some fantastic hits, and 3 great catches from Freya. We secured a win against St Cuthbert Maybe and Coombeshead but narrowly missed out against Dawlish.
All in all, we had a great day and enjoying being out playing in the sunshine. Well done to Freya, Alana, Matilda, Bonnie, Poppi, Emilee, Emelia, Isla, Madison and Seren.
Velodrome
Our Year 7 and 8 cycling finalists travelled to Newport’s Olympic Velodrome in Wales to compete in the annual house cycling finals. This year’s competition was the biggest ever with trials being held during PE lessons giving everyone of our students the opportunity to compete. Students had to produce the fastest cycling times in our onsite races to qualify. The velodrome consisted of a 2 hour session. In the first half a professional coach trained our finalists and we held the races in the second half. The standard was excellent this year with the top 5/6 positions only separated by 100ths of a second. Well done to everyone who participated in the competition. Not only the finalists but everyone who took part in the trials as well. House points were gained from every entry.
Prestigious Diamond Award
Year 8 – Jessie Mountstevens, Tyler Evans, Vaugn Heavens, Naomi Szyszka
Governor’s Platinum Certificates
Year 8 – Summer Pallant and Poppy Sanderson
Governors’ Silver Certificates
Year 8 – Paul Blades, Jonny Sandbrook, James Beer, Hattie Gamble and Tanya Neil
Governor’s Bronze Certificates
Year 8 – Mollie Longthorpe, Izzy Goldsborough, Logan Clatworthy, Tom Weaver, Noah Margetts and Sam Sanders
Principal’s Gold Certificates
Year 8 – Harry Pitman, Maxwell Murphy and Fin Corderoy
Principal’s Silver Certificates
Year 8 – Francis Downer
House Students of the Week
Year 7
Brunel – Brogan Holmes Inch
Christie – Freya Brown
Darwin – Oktawian Siennicki
Fawcett – Emelia Wood
Harrison – Isla Coish
Kitson – Harry Rowlands
Nearne – Billy Marshall
Pengelly – Ben Walters
Year 8
Brunel – Cohen Andrews
Christie – Harry Lee
Darwin – Max Weston
Fawcett – Gustaw Adamczak
Kitson – Jack Forte
Pengelly – Ethan Lewis
Year 9
Christie – Joshua Ward
Darwin – Leo Maasz
Fawcett – Oliver Cocker
Kitson – Olly Payne
Nearne – Sienna Painter
Pengelly – Oliver McHugh
Homework Students of the Week
Year 7
Brunel – Elliot Hytche
Christie – Elena Bolton
Darwin – Oceana Furse
Fawcett – George Kasparis
Harrison – Noah Amor
Kitson – Luna Truong
Nearne – Poppy Hasslett
Pengelly – Elizabeth Francis
Year 8
Brunel – Stella de Rose
Christie – Ella Fordrey
Darwin – Leon Snell
Fawcett – Ellie Bowden
Kitson – Vaughn Heavens
Pengelly – Edi Ferencz Csibi
Year 9
Christie – Lauren Tanton
Darwin – Summer Holmes
Fawcett – Halayna Hussain
Kitson – Chloe Burton
Nearne – Nancy Brown
Pengelly – Carla Lawrence
Sparx Leaderboards
Sparx Level Up
Tassomai Leaderboards
