One of the key techniques pupils explored was the “so, so, so” sentence structure, which helped them build emphasis and create a powerful sense of atmosphere in their writing. By carefully repeating words and phrases for effect, pupils learned how authors can slow down a moment and make emotions or settings feel more intense. This encouraged them to think creatively about sentence construction and the impact their writing can have on a reader.

Alongside crafting their own gothic openings, pupils also developed important editing and feedback skills. They worked collaboratively to read each other’s work, identify strengths, and suggest improvements using constructive and supportive comments. Pupils focused on improving vocabulary, punctuation, sentence variety, and descriptive detail, showing maturity and thoughtfulness in the feedback they provided.

The editing process allowed pupils to reflect on their own writing and recognise how small changes can greatly improve the overall effect of a piece. It was fantastic to see pupils responding positively to feedback and confidently redrafting their work.

Overall, Year 8 demonstrated impressive creativity, teamwork, and resilience throughout the project. Their gothic openings were imaginative and engaging, and the class should feel proud of the progress they have made as developing writers.

The auditions created an exciting and supportive atmosphere, with participants encouraging one another and showing great sportsmanship throughout. It was inspiring to see so many pupils willing to challenge themselves and step forward with confidence. Their hard work and commitment were clearly reflected in their performances.

The auditions were not only about selecting contestants for the next stage of the competition, but also about celebrating pupils dedication to improving their vocabulary, pronunciation, and communication skills. Every participant should feel proud of their effort and achievement. Here at Turves Green, we want to celebrate all students who have taken part!

Unfortunately, there can only be 2 students who can represent the school at Villa Park in July. A big shout out to Hussain Year 7 and Hazael Year 8 for being our finalists, for trying their hardest and not getting stumped at abolish!

11/05/2026

Winners this week include:

Year 7: Thomas - for his excellent effort across lessons in the past 4 weeks. With 16 positives and 0 negatives.

Year 8: Jake - a very hard working pupil who goes about his day living the TURVES values. 

Year 9: Cayden – hard working and respectful at all times.Year 10: Ridha – passing his home language exam a year early

Year 10: Jack – always polite and respectful. Very hardworking - an embodiment of the TURVES values  

Year 11: Ianis - for excellent approach to GCSEs

05/05/2026

Winners this week include:

Year 7: Toby – self-motivated to achieve 465 positives

Year 8: Alfie – most ClassCharts points

Year 9: Liberty – improved attitude to learning and focus all round

Year 10: Ridha – passing his home language exam a year early

Year 11: Hunter: good citizenship with younger pupils

28/04/20216

Winners this week include:

Year 7: Jenson – polite and respectful young man who always tries his hardest

Year 8: James – for RE RAP

Year 9: Ted – athletic effort

Year 10: George: for most positives in Austin House for Year 10 this week, self-motivated to achieve

22/04/2026

Winners this week include:

Year 7: Oliver – following the school’s values.

Year 8: Finley – a quiet but hard working, resilient, polite and respectful pupil. 

Year 10: Macauley – for brilliant effort in Science.

Year 11: Jayden – most positives in Year 11 for Austin House this month.

23/03/2026

Winners this week include:

Year 7: Kian – following the school’s values.

Year 8: Charlie – following the school’s values.

Year 9: Charlie – a very polite, respectful and hard working pupil who often goes under the radar for these great qualities he shows.  

Year 10: Sebastian – a polite and respectful at all times when circulating the building 

Year 11: Chad - a hard working pupil who is showing a real focus on his studies and upcoming exams.

16/03/2026

Winners this week include:

Year 7: Bailey – strong return to school after the half-term following the schools values .  

Year 9: Harley - for the most positives this week in his year group in Tolkien 

Year 10: Mason – most positives in year 10 Austin this month 

Year 11: Alfie – brilliant attainment in RE mocks. 

06/03/2026

Winners this week include:

Year 7: Romeo - a hard working, polite pupil who always seems to have a smile on his face. Bounces back when things get challenging.  

Year 8: Joseph – most positives for last month.

Year 9: Tyler - a determined pupil wanting to be successful in all that he does. Keeps his head down, gets on with everything without causing any issues. 

Year 10: Mohammed - brilliant effort in BTEC sport.

Year 11: Jacob - an outstanding attitude towards his studies and mock exams.  

02/03/2026

Winners this week include

Year 7: Freddie - wakeboarding 

Year 8: Miles – extra-curricular sport and goal scoring 

Year 9: Logan - consistently meets Values, role model 

Year 10: Jay – excellent effort in lessons and mature approach to learning. 

Year 11: Tyler – Values every day – great work in mocks 

13/02/2026

Winners this week include

Year 7: Denis - a hard-working, respectful and resilient individual. Cannot say a bad word about this pupil 

Year 8: Leo- a polite, hard working pupil who shows great determination in all he does. Works with others to support them in lessons, particularly PE. 

Year 9: Jamie - hardworking, polite and always doing what is expected of him. 

Year 10: Israfiel - very hardworking – excellent demonstration of self-motivated to achieve. 

Year 11: Owen - voted by staff and prefects for being an outstanding, humble, hardworking pupil who epitomises the Turves Values every day.

06/02/2026

Winners this week include

Year 7: Callum – consistent demonstration of the Turves values – 100% effort, 100% of the time 

Year 8: Ethan - a quiet pupil who often goes under the radar. He is hard working in all lessons and shows respect and manners to everyone he comes across.  

Year 9: Tommie-Lee – a polite, respectful, hardworking pupil who just gets on with it and goes unnoticed. 

Year 10: Kamron - deserves to be recognised. Great worker, polite and diligent. 

Year 11: Dylan - hardworking, polite and model pupil to the lower years. 

30/01/2026

Winners this week include:

Year 7: Carl - a quiet pupil who keeps his head down and demonstrates everything it means to be a TGBS pupil.  

Year 8: Aidan – a quiet and respectful pupil who is consistently hard working.  

Year 10: Jacob – a valuable contribution across all lessons. 

23/01/2026

Winners this week include:

Year 7: Maurice - polite young man who embodies the values. Always self-motivated to achieve and handing homework in on time. Taking pride in his work and being respectful and kind to those around him. 

Year 8: Ethan - for applying himself to the best of his ability each and every day, having 256 positives to date.

Year 9: Rowan - for his excellent efforts in all of his subjects, more specifically in core subject English, Science and Maths where most of his positives are coming from. 

Year 10: Mason - a Year 10 pupil who has shown great efforts and determination in the first term of his GCSE studies.  

Year 11: Joshua - positive role model to younger pupils.  

19/01/2026

Winners this week include:

Year 7: Kierell - a polite and hardworking pupil who consistently demonstrates all values, despite some of the distractions taking place around him.  

Year 8: Hayden – a hardworking, polite and respectful pupil who is a credit to Boulton house. 

Year 9: Luke - never puts a foot wrong.  A young man who lives by our values. 

Year 10: Aiden - a fantastic pupil all round. Hardworking, polite and respectful. An excellent addition to Boulton house this year.  

Year 11: Josh - do we really need a reason why? Surprisingly, has not been nominated this academic year.  

08/12/2025

Winners this week include:

Year 7: Shingirai - made huge inroads into his work and has been noticed by staff members due to his hard work.  

Year 8: Nathan - a pupil who never puts a foot wrong. Committed to succeeding in everything that he does.

Year 9: Emaan-Tawheed - new starter to TGBS and what an amazing start he has had, he has settled in well and already taking advantage of our amazing extra curricular clubs such as Duke of Edinburgh.

Year 10: Ryan – fantastic settling in at TGBS.

Year 11: Darren - a model pupil. Lives and breathes the TURVES values. Showing an outstanding effort in his GCSE studies. 

24/11/2025

Winners this week include:

Year 7: Ace - hard worker/consistent effort across all subjects.  

Year 8: Jack -made a serious improvement this week and deserves the nomination.

Year 9: Kaiden - has impressed in science this term with his thoughtful questions.  He clearly takes in information and really tries to think about it and connect with his prior knowledge then asks follow up questions, from Dr Patchett.

Year 10: Zack – a mature, polite, hard-working pupil who has shown an excellent approach to his GCSE studies. 

Year 11: Archie - helping a pupil out of a dangerous situation and showing great compassion.

14/11/2025

Winners this week include:

Year 7- Codi – a polite and respectful pupil who works hard in all lessons. Has returned to school following an operation and has not let this stop him.

Year 8: Oscar – valuable contributions to the class as well as involvement extra-curricular activities like the Warhammer painting and music.

Year 9: Suber - a quiet, hardworking pupil who keeps his head down and demonstrates all things TURVES

Year 10: Ahmed – for living and breathing the TURVES values every day

Year 11: Noah - a self-motivated, respectful, hardworking pupil who continuously shows an outstanding approach to his GCSE studies.

20/10/2025

Winners this week include:

Year 7: Jayden - for his hard work and his wonderful enthusiasm towards school.  

Year 8: Charlie - shout out from Dr Patchett: “He showed great enthusiasm for every single workshop.  He wowed me in the first when he very quickly told the mentors that he thinks electrons behave like particles and waves, during a session on coding he showed a huge enthusiasm.  He owns a Raspberry PI at home where he does coding himself and he worked hard to calculate the probability of getting two questions in a row right in the maths session, including volunteering to be a gameshow contestant in front of the group and another school.  He showed great enthusiasm and model behaviour the whole time and it was great to get to hear more of his ideas and interests, especially in STEM.”

Year 9: George - a hardworking, focused and hardworking pupil who shows outstanding effort in ALL of his lessons.  

Year 10: Justin - has shown a real mature approach to the start of GCSE studies.

Year 11: Harry - showing a determined and focus approach to his mock exams.  

10/10/2025

Winners this week include:

Year 7: George - has had an excellent start to TGBS, demonstrating many of our values each day and working hard in all of his subjects.

Year 8: Ollie - a polite, respectful pupil who demonstrates our Turves values in all that he does.  

Year 9: Abdullah - a polite, hardworking pupil who puts in 100% effort into everything.

Year 10: Jamie – a quiet but hardworking young man who has started year 10 off outstandingly.  

Year 11: Charlie - for his excellent start to the year and determination shown across all subjects. Charlie has really shown he is ready to work hard to get the grades he deserves

03/10/2025

Winners this week include:

Year 7:  T Mitchell – understated and determined.  He will smash his work and is being nominated by multiple members of staff.  Keep it up!  

Year 8: G Deeley – a polite and respectful young man that has made a really positive start to year 8.

Year 9: J Sibanda - a quiet, polite, hardworking pupil who has settled in tremendously since starting TGBS.  

Year 10: Y Khan – excellent start for this young man who came from a different house and has been a great addition to the Austin roster.  

Year 11: A Kilburn has turned it around after a shaky start to Year 11, well done!

26/09/2025:

Winners this week include:

Year 7: A Slotta – polite, respectful, hardworking. He has made a real positive start at TGBS.

Year 8: L Brown –  a hardworking, considerate, and respectful young man who exemplifies our values on a daily basis.  

Year 9: M Jinks - for an excellent performance in the Matthew show.  

Year 10: T Fox- his efforts do not go unseen in the classroom, there has been many good things said about his work ethic particularly in English  

Year 11: O Perret – an excellent performance playing Miss Trunchbull in Matthew show.

12/09/2025:

Winners this week include:

Year 9: D Hawkins – great start to September

Year 10: L Taggart – fantastic approach to KS4 & GCSEs.  

Year 11: A Burton: Approaching year 11 with a great mindset. A polite, respectful, hardworking young man.  

05/09/2025

Winners this week include: 

Year 7: Alfred L - Amazing start to TGBS, showing many of our Turves values each day. 

Year 8: Archie M: Has started year 8 with an excellent approach, one that I would expect nothing less than. Always a polite and respectful young man who lives our values. 

Year 9: Lamar L Has come back to school a new person. Polite, mature and focused. Has had an outstanding first week back. 

Year 10: Doubra P great start to KS4 

Year 11: Noah T mature start to Year 11 

The trip began in Niagara, where pupils had the opportunity to explore the breathtaking Niagara Falls. This included an insightful visit to the power stations to understand the engineering and energy production behind the falls, as well as the unforgettable “Journey Behind the Falls” experience. A particular highlight was Niagara Takes Flight, which gave pupils a unique aerial perspective and deeper appreciation of the geography and natural beauty of the area.

Following this, the group travelled to Montreal, where the focus shifted towards science, culture, and university life. Pupils visited the Planetarium, where they engaged with interactive exhibits and shows exploring space and astronomy. This was complemented by a trip to the Biodome, allowing pupils to experience a range of ecosystems from across the Americas, and a visit to the Science Museum, where hands-on learning further enriched their understanding.

A particular highlight during the Montreal leg of the trip was a visit to Parc Omega, where pupils experienced Canadian wildlife up close. This provided a unique opportunity to observe animals in a naturalistic environment and added an exciting outdoor dimension to the trip.

Another memorable experience was the visit to a traditional maple syrup farm, where pupils learned how maple syrup is produced. Pupils fully embraced the experience, sampling a wide range of traditional dishes featuring maple syrup. This was thoroughly enjoyed by all and, unsurprisingly, resulted in a definite sugar high across the group!

Cultural experiences were also a key part of the trip. Pupils embraced local cuisine by trying traditional poutine, which proved to be a popular highlight. In addition, a visit to McGill University provided valuable insight into higher education opportunities abroad, giving pupils a glimpse into university life in an international context.

Throughout the trip, the boys were exceptional and represented TGBS amazingly. Their behaviour, engagement, and curiosity were consistently praised, and they approached each activity with enthusiasm and maturity. 

Overall, the Turing trip was a highly worthwhile experience, broadening pupils’ horizons both academically and culturally.

The were selected based on their successful reading age improvements based on recent assessments and interventions. Other pupils were those who have read the most of our 16 by 16 initiative. The boys were also gifted a book of their choice as a reward for the improvement in reading. 

As part of the DFE’s national Year of Reading, we will be conducting more reading based rewards trips in order to foster a love of reading and desire to improve a repertoire of reading material.