Congratulations to the boys on their first rugby session. This week, our session took place at Turves Green. Nevertheless, in the upcoming week, the pupils who have chosen to participate in rugby will journey to the Five Ways Rugby and Cricket Club to utilise their amazing facilities.

On Friday 29th September, Turves Green Boys’ School welcomed two members of the Department for Education to see what life at our school is like. Andrew Warren (Regional Director for the West Midlands) and Rich Jones (Delivery Team Leader) visited on Friday morning and had chance to experience what Turves Green Boys’ is like in operation. Following a discussion with Mr Till, Mrs Draycott and Mr Lowbridge-Ellis, they toured the school witnessing a range of different activities including a performance from ‘Oliver!’ by our Drama pupils, marching drill practice by our CCF cohort and visiting a range of different lessons across the school. Perhaps one of the highlights of the tour was also visiting our Hospitality and Catering pupils who had made cakes and sausage rolls for residents from our local community. Andrew Warren was very impressed following his morning at Turves Green Boys’ School and later remarked: “A really enjoyable visit to a school with such a vibrant and can-do culture. The visit highlighted what difference a strong trust can make in a previous failing school. So good to meet with pupils and hear their perspective. Their home-made sausage rolls were pretty special too!”

Monday vs The Streetly Academy – B Weaver who captains the Year 11 football team started at centre back, controlling the back line in a very competitive game. The scores were level 0-0 and it was approaching the final 15 minutes of the game. The decision was made to switch up the formation and allow B Weaver to play as striker, his preferred position. In 10 minutes of play B Weaver scored a hattrick and TGBS ended up winning the game 4-0 and are now through to the next round of the Birmingham Cup.

Wednesday vs Lode Heath – B Weaver again started the game at centre back, supporting the team in defence in attempt to maintain a clean sheet. This however did not go as planned as the team conceded 2 goals. On the hunt for goals we again changed the formation and B Weaver played as a striker. His determination and commitment to ensure TGBS were back on level terms was showcased through his extraordinary talents, scoring 2 goals. The game however concluded in a 4-2 loss due to some late drama, however it does not go without mention that B Weaver has made a very impressive start to the year and scored 5 goals in 2 games.

The ChemBAM team inspired year 9 students through a project that linked areas of the school curriculum to current scientific research.

ChemBAM at Turves Boys’ School was a Royal Society of Chemistry-funded project run by members of the University of Birmingham chemistry department. The project aimed to engage three year 9 classes from Turves Green Boys’ School in monthly chemistry activities (four sessions, each an hour long).

The hope of this project was to increase the students' enjoyment of chemistry, inspire them to take the triple science GCSE option, and give University of Birmingham chemistry students the opportunity to develop their science communication skills.

Turves Green Boys School was chosen because the students are predominantly from a white working-class background, a highly underrepresented demographic in higher education. Furthermore, a high proportion of the pupils are from low-participation neighbourhoods and relatively few study STEM subjects to a high level. Therefore, raising the students’ aspirations by making them aware of the higher education and career options available to them is important.

The activities were designed by the ChemBAM team and aim to showcase the world of chemistry by linking areas of the school curriculum to current scientific research. At the end of each session, there was a short question-and-answer session with the volunteers, aiming to inform and excite students about university life and chemistry-related research and careers.

The impact the project had on the school pupils was evaluated by comparing survey data from the first and last visit as well analysing written answer questions from a randomly selected cohort of students. The responses to the survey questions were generally very positive with students reporting an increase in confidence to perform practical work and a better knowledge of what chemistry research entails. It was also pleasing to see comments such as “it expanded my knowledge of chemistry” and “I learned what [qualifications] you need to get different jobs” in response to the written answer questions. The latter quote indicates that the project raised awareness of some future options available to students.

Volunteers consisted of a mixture of undergraduate and postgraduate students and postdoctoral staff. Feedback was informally received from the volunteers after each session. All volunteers were positive about their experience. One PhD student commented that it was “interesting to adapt the knowledge gained through many years of studying and change it into short, fun and exciting lessons to give students a glimpse into the world of science”, whilst another student said that the activities “definitely improved my science communication skills”. By offering numerous volunteering opportunities and introducing some students to outreach for the first time, the outreach culture in the University of Birmingham School of chemistry has been significantly heightened. Students are looking forward to running and volunteering at more outreach events in the new academic year.

I would like to thank the Royal Society of Chemistry for funding this project. The grant enabled material to be purchased and allowed us to provide travel and lunch for volunteers. This allowed the project to run successfully. I would also like to thank my supervisor, Dr Zoe Schnepp, who was an integral part of planning and running these activities. Zoe initiated ChemBAM to increase the public’s confidence in discussing chemistry. In doing so, she constructed most of the experiments and teaching material that were used in the project. I would also like to express gratitude to the volunteers who bought the experiments to life and to Dr Ruth Patchett and the rest of the Turves Green Boys’ School staff who timetabled the activities into the students’ schedules and helped run the sessions.

Original Article

In recent weeks, Miss Handley and Mr. Turbill have undertaken the task of recruiting a new cohort for the Royal Air Force Air Cadets. Recruiting cadets for the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) at TGBS is a pivotal process aimed at shaping young individuals into responsible leaders and citizens. The CCF program at TGBS offers a unique opportunity for students to develop essential life skills, including leadership, discipline, and teamwork, within a structured and supportive environment.

Recruitment at TGBS focuses on identifying passionate and driven individuals who exhibit qualities such as determination, integrity, and a strong sense of community service. The selection process involves evaluating candidates based on their academic achievements, extracurricular involvement, and their drive and willingness to learn and contribute to the CCF community.

Once recruited, cadets at TGBS undergo comprehensive training programs that emphasize physical fitness, leadership development, and practical skills. They participate in various activities such as outdoor expeditions, team-building exercises, and community service initiatives, fostering a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect among cadets.

Recruiting CCF cadets at TGBS is not just about filling the ranks; it's about nurturing the potential of young minds, instilling discipline, and preparing them for the challenges of the future. Through this process, TGBS ensures that its CCF cadets not only excel academically but also grow into well-rounded individuals equipped with the skills and values necessary for success in both their personal and professional lives.

On Friday pupils from year 7 – 11 showcased their Performing Arts skills to invited guests from our local community.

Pupils performed extracts from are summer Musical and wowed the audience with their talents across Music, Dance and Drama. Our Performing Arts Pupils thoroughly enjoyed another opportunity to perform and as always have shown great commitment and dedication to their work. After the showcase guests from our local community were able to enjoy tea and cake prepared by our year 10 Food and Nutrition students.

“We had the most brilliant morning and love to watch the students grow in confidence. We can’t wait to come back and watch your next performance”

-Community member

I would like to take the opportunity to thank our students for their engagement during Black History month. Throughout our assemblies this week, students have shown the up-most respect and embodiment of our Turves Values. We have explored the development and challenges of the Black-British community, highlighted where we study this within our diverse curriculum and considered the importance of promoting Black History – Well done everyone! 

This week our Year 9’s have been learning all about separation techniques including filtering and distillation. This technique allows us to extract water from sea water! Here you can see J. Jeremy of 9A2 collecting water that we had separated from sandy, salty water. First we filtered it using a filter paper and funnel to separate the sand from the salty water. Then we boiled it to change the state of the water from a liquid into a gas and then condense it to turn the gaseous water vapour into liquid water, leaving the salt behind in the round bottom flask.

Bear Grylls eat your heart out. Our pupils have all the skills they need for whatever life throws at them!

On Thursday 28^th September, we took 21 Year 11 pupils to the Future Makers Event at Millennium Point in Birmingham. This event is aimed at providing networking opportunities with Apprenticeship providers in the manufacturing and engineering sectors. Last year, a number of our pupils secured apprenticeships as a result of this event. As can be seen from the pictures, our Year 11 pupils this year were very keen to get involved with the different activities that the providers were showcasing.

Congratulations to Ashley in Year 11 on his excellent written piece which was completed under test conditions. Ashley used a range of complex language, including the subjunctive and a French idiom. Ashley has demonstrated our school value and is ‘self-motivated to achieve’. Well done, Ashley! Ashley has also been nominated as our Subject Star of the week for his efforts!