Our Year 7 pupils showed fantastic engagement throughout our enrichment day, embracing the opportunity to learn more about their school and the wider local community. During the morning, pupils took part in a range of belonging and map-based activities, designed to support their transition to secondary school, exploring the local area and considering how our TURVES values can help them make a positive contribution both within school and beyond. Pupils worked enthusiastically together, demonstrating self-motivation, teamwork and a growing sense of belonging to TGBS.

During the local geography fieldwork, Year 7 represented the school brilliantly. Their behaviour, manners and attitude while working in the local community were excellent, and they should be proud of the way they represented TGBS. Pupils then had the opportunity to experience a range of extra-curricular taster sessions, where they enthusiastically got involved, tried new activities and discovered some of the wider opportunities available to them at secondary school.

It was a really positive day that allowed pupils to build confidence, strengthen relationships and develop their sense of belonging. Most importantly, Year 7 demonstrated what it means to put the TURVES values into action, both in school and within their local community.

7X1 got hands on into their first practical of the year. We see Lucas and Leo being very Self-motivated to Achieve while analysing their stearic acid. They used their stopwatches and read their thermometers to create their own cooling curves to show how the temperature of the Stearic acid decreased over time. This then got the class thinking about the state of the particles in each state, and how much kinetic energy the particles had as a liquid compared to a solid.

Our reading rewards vending machine continues to be a focal point of our weekly celebrations on a Friday lunchtime.  Pupils from all year groups are considered and selected for a range of approaches to demonstrating our TURVES Values, representing the school and attendance at extra-curricular clubs.

22.09.2026

Winners this week include:

Year 7: Asa – for an amazing start being resilient and having several positive comments from his class teachers

Year 8: Zayn – excellent start back and Turves values

Year 9: Caleb – mature start to Year 9

Year 10: Layton – for his excellent start to the academic year, 30+ positives with zero negatives

Year 11: Godlee – superb start to Year 11 and contribution to school sports

Our Year 10 Drama pupils recently took part in an exciting and engaging practical workshop exploring Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers as part of their BTEC Performing Arts studies.

The workshop was delivered by a former Turves Green Boys’ School pupil, who returned to the school to share his experience, knowledge and practical skills with our current pupils. It was fantastic to welcome a former pupil back into school and see him inspiring the next generation of performers.

The session focused on some of the key performance skills needed to bring the characters and relationships in Blood Brothers to life. Pupils explored characterisation, relationships, dramatic tension and the use of emotion, developing their understanding of how actors can communicate meaning to an audience.

Through a range of practical exercises and activities, pupils experimented with how different characters might move, speak and respond to one another. They explored how physicality, facial expressions, vocal delivery and emotional choices can change the way an audience understands a character.

A particular focus was placed on the relationships between the characters and how these can be used to create dramatic tension. Pupils considered how tension develops throughout the play and how performers can use pauses, space, eye contact, movement and changes in voice to keep an audience engaged.

The workshop also encouraged pupils to take greater risks with their performances and explore the emotions behind their characters. Rather than simply learning lines, pupils were challenged to think about why their character behaves in a particular way and what they want to achieve within each scene.

The practical nature of the workshop gave pupils the opportunity to apply the ideas they have been learning in their BTEC Performing Arts lessons and develop their confidence as performers.

It was particularly valuable for our pupils to learn from someone who was once in their position as a Turves Green Boys’ School pupil. His journey provided an excellent example of how the skills developed through Performing Arts can continue beyond school.

A huge thank you to our former pupil for returning to Turves Green Boys’ School and delivering such an engaging and inspiring workshop. We look forward to seeing how our Year 10 pupils apply these skills as they continue their work on Blood Brothers.

Our Year 11 had a busy and enjoyable day exploring what life could look like after Turves Green.

The Post-16 Pathways Day gave pupils the chance to find out more about the different options available to them after their GCSEs, including A-levels, vocational courses, apprenticeships, college and sixth-form.

Throughout the day, pupils heard from local colleges and sixth forms and got a real insight into what different providers have to offer. There was also a chance to look more closely at apprenticeships, including how they work, what they can expect and where they can lead in the future.

One of the highlights was when pupils were able to look at the different jobs in our local area and make career decisions, which got pupils thinking about the advantages and disadvantages of different routes. It was great to see our pupils challenging ideas, asking questions and, in some cases, changing their minds as they considered different avenues for their progression.

Pupils also took part in a lively debate linked with these different pathways and considered pros and cons of the different options allowing them to practice public speaking and challenge their peers. 

Overall, it was a fun, informative and thought-provoking day. Our Year 11's came away with lots of new information, plenty to think about and, hopefully, a clearer idea of the options available to them when they finish their GCSEs.

A big thank you to all of the staff, colleges, sixth forms and TGBS pupils who helped make the day such a success — and well done to Year 11 for getting involved, asking questions and thinking seriously about their futures.

As part of our Minimum Entitlement Day, Year 10 took part in a day of practical financial education, designed to help prepare pupils for some of the realities of adult life.

Across the day, pupils explored everything from payslips and take-home pay to budgeting, credit cards, credit ratings, fraud and scams. They were encouraged to think about the lives they would like to have in the future – and, importantly, what those lives might actually cost!

In our My Life: Realities and Build Your Life activities, pupils put their decision-making to the test. Given a monthly take-home income of £2,230, they researched real costs for housing, transport, food, bills and other spending. When the numbers didn’t quite add up, they had to make some difficult choices about what they were willing to change – with a few unexpected expenses thrown in along the way!

It was brilliant to see our Year 10 pupils engaging so positively, asking questions and beginning to understand how the financial decisions they make can have a real impact on their future.

A huge thank you to HSBC, WizeUp and Metro Bank for giving their time and expertise to support the day, alongside our staff who delivered school-led sessions.

We hope Year 10 finished the day with greater confidence, a better understanding of the cost of independent living and, most importantly, the knowledge to make informed financial choices in the future.

On Friday 25 September, Year 9 spent a full Personal Development Day looking at the routes open to them after Year 11 and the skills employers look for.

Exploring post-16 pathways

The day started in the Hall with a joint session alongside Year 11. Sixth forms, colleges and apprenticeship providers gave presentations and ran a provider marketplace, where pupils could talk to them directly. Pupils learned about A levels, college courses, apprenticeships and T Levels, and saw how the subjects they study now link to future careers. Question-and-answer sessions let them raise their own questions with each provider.

Working with Johnson & Johnson

After the break, half the year group joined a workshop run by employers from Johnson & Johnson. Pupils took part in a team-building challenge, communication activities, problem-solving tasks and a mock recruitment exercise. The employers then gave feedback on what they had seen. The two groups swapped after lunch, so every pupil took part.

Virtual work experience with U-Explore

The other group worked with their form tutors in the computer rooms on U-Explore. They completed a skills audit, a career interests questionnaire and an aspirations survey, and then tried a virtual work experience placement. Pupils can complete as many placements as they like, so we encourage them to keep trying different careers at home. They sign in with their school Microsoft account at www.u-explore.com.

Reflection and pupil voice

The day ended with a reflection session. Pupils set their Life and Career Goals on U-Explore and filled in a survey on MS Teams. Their feedback will shape future enrichment days.

Thank you

Thank you to the visiting providers, Johnson & Johnson and Katy Henson and to our form tutors for making the day possible.

In 10X/En1, we’ve been working on crafting effective descriptions of setting, using an array of challenging and effective techniques. As part of a recent extended writing activity, we did some peer assessment to see where we could both encourage our peers and challenge them to develop their descriptions. These boys’ work was particularly impressive, and their peers offered excellent feedback to push them towards excellence.

Our Year 11 pupils have made a fantastic start to the academic year and now pupils have begun attending Period 0 to give themselves additional time to prepare for their upcoming mock examinations and future GCSE exams.

This extra session provides pupils with valuable time to revisit key knowledge, practise exam skills and complete additional work beyond their normal lessons. It has been particularly encouraging to see the commitment and effort pupils are putting into these sessions. They are recognising the importance of making the most of every opportunity to improve their understanding and strengthen their confidence. The additional work they are completing now, starting with poetry, will help them to identify areas for development, address misconceptions and build the knowledge and skills they will need as they progress through Year 11.

We are incredibly proud of the effort they are putting in and look forward to seeing this hard work translate into progress and success throughout the year.