Last week students throughout the maths department took place in this year’s #GCHQChristmasChallenge. GCHQ, the UKs intelligence, security, and cyber agency set challenges in the form of a Christmas card filled with puzzles. This year there were 7 puzzles that would all come together to form a secret 8th puzzle that used the picture on the front of the Christmas card form.

Select students from the top sets of year 7 to year 10 took part in the challenge. All year groups used teamwork, problem solving skills and resilience making use of their Turves values being self-motivated to achieve and respecting others’ ideas to work together. It is key for members of GCHQ to work together and make use of all their teammate’s strengths. And our students showed exactly that.

Unfortunately, none of the students (or staff) managed to complete all the puzzle in their hour lesson, however a few dedicated students continued to work at it in their own time and as a school we were able to crack the final code. 9X1 where vital in solving the final few tricky puzzles, especially S. Scott who cracked the code on puzzle 7.

Student and staff alike enjoyed this Christmas and puzzle themed day, enjoying the challenge that maths and puzzles can bring. Hopefully we have a few future codebreakers and spies in our student cohort that will go on to join the security forces of the UK through GCHQ.

This year has seen the partnership between Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School and Turves Green Boys’ School grow from strength the strength, from the continual development of our cadets to the amazing collaboration between staff to ensure or cadets achieve the absolute best. This year has seen our cadets access almost all the RAF CCF can offer and have taken the absolute full advantage of all opportunities from flying days to parades to RAF engagement evenings with serving members of the RAF.

This year alone our cadets have achieved:

• 12 promotions from Lance Corporal all the way to Cadet Sergeant

• 8 Flying Qualifications

• 10 Leadership Awards

• 30 D of E Awards

• 30 Communication Awards

• 35 First Aid Qualifications

and for the first time ever, a Blue and Bronze award in Music!

Next year, we are going to continue to grow and develop as a contingent to ensure the best experience possible for our cadets both at Dame Elizabeth and Turves Green.

We would like to thank you all for your continued support with the Combined Cadet Force and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

On Monday 11^th December, Key Stage 3 students were rewarded for their positive attainment and behaviour in school with an opportunity to try cricket with a coach from Warwickshire County Cricket. 2 groups from Year 7 and 8 and a group from Year 9 participated in a street cricket session where they got to try their hand at the sport and play lots of games.

Street cricket is a brilliant entry alternative for those that may struggle to afford a standard membership or travel to formal cricket clubs. It requires minimal equipment and facilities and can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

Our students have been given a wonderful opportunity to experience a sport and coaching that they potentially normally wouldn’t have access to. We encourage all students to take this experience further with the free, 3-hour sessions that will be starting after Christmas in Longbridge. All equipment, facilities and coaching will be provided.

As a school, we look forward to offering our students more opportunities like this across a wide range of different experiences. A massive thank you must go to Zack and Warwickshire Cricket for a great day!

In our dynamic KS3 physical education curriculum, students have not only been honing their skills and tactics in football and badminton but also delving into the essential theoretical aspects of fitness. Through practical lessons, they have been applying these theoretical principles to enhance their physical performance on the field and in the gym. This comprehensive approach aims to cultivate a deep understanding of sports, foster strategic thinking, and promote a holistic sense of well-being, aligning with our commitment to nurturing both physical prowess and theoretical knowledge in our students.

The Tigers Programme, a transformative behavioural intervention initiative that has been making a positive impact on the lives of our students, combines gardening, cooking, and engaging trips to broaden students’ horizons and provide them with invaluable insights into various industries. The recent visit to Kings Norton Business College for a construction trip was a particularly enlightening experience, showcasing the vast opportunities available to our students in the construction trade.

The Tigers Programme acknowledges the importance of hands-on activities in fostering personal development and promoting positive behaviour among students. Through gardening, our pupils learn the fundamentals of teamwork, patience, and responsibility. They cultivate their own plots, nurturing plants from seedlings to fully grown produce. This process not only instils a sense of accomplishment but also teaches them about the environment.

Visiting Kings Norton Business College:

As part of the Tigers Programme, students recently had the opportunity to visit Kings Norton Business College for an inspiring construction trip. This eye-opening experience aimed to expose students to the construction trade and the plethora of career options available to them in the field after completing their education. During the visit, students had hands-on interactions with various construction tools and equipment, observed skilled professionals at work, and engaged in insightful discussions with industry experts. They learned about the diverse roles within the construction sector, such as architecture, engineering, project management, and skilled trades, which sparked their curiosity and opened their minds to future career possibilities.

The Tigers Programme stands as a testament to the power of behavioural intervention and engaging educational experiences. Through gardening, cooking, and visits to Kings Norton Business College, our students have developed vital skills, gained valuable insights, and set their sights on bright futures. We are immensely proud of their achievements and grateful for the support of our dedicated staff and partners. Together, we are nurturing a generation of confident, skilled, and inspired individuals who will make a positive impact on the world

Last week our Year 7-9 pupils were looking at this year’s offering from the Book Trust for their ‘Bookbuzz’ initiative. The Book Trust is a charity that aims to improve literacy of children through reading, our pupils have been fortunate enough to take part in choosing texts that they would like to read themselves. In form time, pupils listened to the authors promoting their books before making their selections. Pupils then selected their top three books on their own books marks and now eagerly await the delivery of their very own text purchased by the school.

There is a lot to update you on from our Eco-club. Firstly, we spent an afternoon outside in our garden with the Tigers and Mr Sidhu where the pupils had a practice at being green fingered and planting the saplings graciously donated to us by the Woodland Trust. These will help provide a habitat and food for all sorts of wildlife around our site and hopefully encourage more to increase our biodiversity. How wonderful to see our pupils being “Respectful to All” and wanting to provide a “Valuable Contribution”. 

Also, today the eco-club members have distributed new recycling bins to every classroom and office in the building. They were inspired by National Recycling Week and wanted to encourage all of our staff and pupils to help out. The pupils also wanted to take responsibility for this and will be emptying these on a rota, each week, to ensure they are being used properly. What a brilliant example of “Self-motivated to achieve”. 

Finally, we took part in #Cutyourcarbon month, with over a third of the school participating, we have sent off our final numbers and eagerly await to see if we have won anything in the prize draw. A big round of applause to all of our pupils especially our eco-committee members for all the hard work they are doing to make Turves Greener.  

Throughout this week (4^th December-8^th December), our assemblies have focused on the topic of ‘Human Rights’. Pupils have gained an understanding of what Human Rights are and the history behind the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Pupils also learnt about how different countries across the world have a varying degree of civil liberties and human rights. During the assembly, we also focused on human rights breaches happening in the world today, as well as the importance of using reliable news sources and demonstrating empathy and respect to others around the world.

Turves Green Boys School choir joined Longbridge Baptist Church on Friday 8 th December for a carol Service, the choir was invited to attend with members of the school, church community as well as members of other choirs that attended.

The choir sang a number of carols as a unit as well as individual solos from year 11 pupils.

Turves Green Boys School has linked over the last year with the warm place based at the Baptist church. The year 10/11 Hospitality and Catering students cook for the members of the warm place, the school either take it over to the church or we invite them into school. The members of the church have attended many of the school’s performances and theatre productions.

The Science Department would like to celebrate Miss Mansell’s Graduation day! She has worked incredibly hard to earn her MA in Teaching studies, we are very proud of her and are looking forward to using some of the ideas from her research in our lessons. Enjoy your day Miss!