This week a Y7 science class has been helping staff from the University of Birmingham develop new resources for their Discover Materials in the Midlands Project. The Discover Materials team visited us and talked to us about why materials science is important, materials science, we have learned, is the science of the “stuff” everything is made of, from sports equipment to buildings and our mobile phones. We learned about how some of the raw materials for our phones are mined and some of these resources are quickly depleting.

Our students also shared their ideas on what their favourite materials are and what industries we have in the Midlands that we would like to celebrate. Suggestions included Network Rail, Cadburys, Aston Martin and the jewellery industry as well as traditional and non traditional materials such as wood and amethyst gold .

Our visitors very kindly stayed to science club after school and showed us some “clip on” microscopes that we used with school ipads to capture these images. Can you tell which is a school tie, a sugar cube or a piece of paper?

Our students really impressed our visitors with their enthusiasm and detailed questions. Many thanks to Dr Chris Hamlett, Clarissa Stickland and Kate Stokes for sharing their expertise and enthusiasm for Materials Science. We look forward to their return visit where we will test out the activities they are going to develop based on our ideas and questions!

This week year 9 have continued their investigation into air pollutants in and around Turves Green Boy’s School.

We took down our particle traps which had been placed in various places around school and used mini microscopes to analyse the number of particles trapped in each space. We compared food technology, science, the sports hall, outdoor space and various other classrooms. Surprisingly the rooms with the highest number of particles trapped were history, art and food technology (much to the joy of the science staff).

Our visitors explained to us different methods researchers use to visualise and study very tiny particles including electron microscopes and we looked at some images showing particles that were 1000^th of a mm wide.

Many thanks to Dr Dominik Kubicki, Dr Natalie Poulter, Dr Eleyna Slater and Katie Spencer from the University of Birmingham for sharing their time and expertise with us. Also, thanks to our fantastic students who shared their ideas and reflections on their results and developed their skills using microscopes.

Admissions 2024

It is National Offer Day.  If you have been successful in your application for Admission into Year 7 2024, we will write to you shortly with a welcome letter and information about forthcoming key dates.   If you have changed address since you applied, please contact us via email so that we can ensure we have the most up to date information for your child.  

If you were not successful on your application, please follow the link for information about Appeals: https://tgbs.co.uk/admissions/

Congratulations to H Crampton in 7X3. He completed a written piece in French talking about his pets.  He demonstrated our value of being ‘self-motivated to achieve’ and produced a lovely piece of writing using a range of adjectives. Keep up the excellent work!

Our Year 10 Hospitality and Catering pupils crafted a variety of dishes in honour of Chinese New Year. These included Vegetable Spring Rolls with a delightful Sweet Chili Dip, zesty Chili Beef, classic Cantonese Sweet and Sour Chicken, accompanied by rice and Chicken Chow Mein. The pupils diligently prepared ingredients throughout the morning and commenced cooking during Periods 3 and 4, catering to the three lunchtime sittings. The pupils also took charge of serving the food.

This event was integrated into the school’s cultural calendar, aligning with our PSHE curriculum and Turves Values.

By the end of the service, all food had been eagerly enjoyed, leaving none behind.

Congratulations! You’ve done exceptionally well; your efforts are truly commendable!

On Wednesday 7^th February, we hosted our annual Careers Fair for all pupils. This was an excellent opportunity for all of our pupils to speak to a range of college, universities, apprenticeship providers and employers. We hosted over 20 different visitors including: Cadbury College, University of Birmingham, MGTS (apprenticeships), Army, Royal Navy and NHS. Our pupils enjoyed their interactions with the different providers and employers and the experience will have given them further information about their future options.

The visitors we hosted were:

Aston University

University of Birmingham

Bournville College

Cadbury 6th Form College

Halesowen College

King Edward VI Stourbridge College

Sandwell College

Solihull 6th Form College

University of Worcester

Access to Music

MGTS

Apprenticeship Centre

Redditch United

Birmingham Electrical Training

Nova Training

Army

Royal Navy

NHS

Collins Aerospace

RPS Construction

RLB (Quantity Surveyors)

Edmonds

Turves Green Boys School takes great pride in its ongoing support for the Buddy Bag Foundation. The school recognizes the importance of providing comfort and support to children in emergency care, and has actively engaged in various initiatives to contribute to this cause. Through volunteer efforts, we want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated staff and parents who have generously supported the Buddy Bag Foundation by knitting teddy bears to be included in the bags that will be given to children in emergency care. Your time, effort, and skill in creating these handmade teddy bears will bring comfort and joy to countless children in emergency care.

Turves Green Boys School recognizes and appreciates the invaluable contribution of these individuals, whose compassion and commitment will make a significant difference in the lives of vulnerable children. Your kindness and generosity serve as an inspiration to the entire school community. Finally we are excited to announce that we will be organizing fundraising events during break times, week beginning 26th February to raise funds for the Buddy Bag Foundation. Fundraising will be through a cake sale, throwing wet sponges at staff and a penalty shootout. These events aim to gather financial support to obtain Buddy Bags and fill them with essential items for children in emergency care. The school community is eagerly looking forward to participating in these events, as they provide an opportunity to make a positive impact and bring comfort to those in need. Turves Green Boys School encourages everyone to join in these fundraising efforts and contribute towards this worthy cause.

Turves Green Combined Cadet Force (CCF) recently had the opportunity to attend the Matrix Trust wide event at the National Arboretum Memorial taking 24 of our cadets, with all schools included over 120 cadets attended. During this event, the pupils from Turves Green CCF had a meaningful and educational experience as they spent the day exploring war memorials and historical artefacts. The event provided them with a unique opportunity to deepen their understanding of the sacrifices made by those who served in the armed forces. As part of the event, the pupils also participated in a solemn 2-minute silent service at the RAF Memorial, paying their respects to the fallen. This experience not only allowed the pupils to engage with history but also instilled in them a sense of reverence and appreciation for the bravery and dedication of those who have served their country.
In the coming months, Turves Green Combined Cadet Force (CCF) offers an array of exciting opportunities for our cadets. One of the highlights includes rifle training, where cadets will have the chance to develop their marksmanship skills under expert guidance. Additionally, there is the eagerly anticipated trust-wide RAST (CCF Competition), where squadrons will compete in a range of team-building activities, shooting challenges, drill exercises, and even first aid simulations. This event promises to be a thrilling showcase of talent, camaraderie, and the diverse skills that the CCF fosters. Cadets can look forward to engaging in these activities and much more, as they continue to grow and excel within the Turves Green CCF community.

Last half term was very productive for our eco-committee and we were honoured to have a special guest visit us!

Firstly, we have been carrying on with our applications for both the green flag award and the national nature park where we have been surveying our environment, keeping a track of our weather and spending some time getting to know our space and how it can be improved.

Secondly, recycling has been really picking up some pace. The pupils involved have been emptying the paper bins regularly on their rota and have taken a very mature, responsible role in ensuring that they are being used properly and replacing any that have not been up to par.

Thirdly, we were honoured to have a special visit from Mr Reeves who, besides volunteering at a local park, is an eco-inventor! He has shown our eco-pupils how they can construct a greenhouse / polytunnel out of old plastic bottles (which we have been collecting in abundance) and garden cane. He also showed us how we can use the cut off bottoms to sow our seeds in and has offered to make us a jig to help us cut up our bottles easier. All the pupils thanked him for attending the school and showing us the eco-way! We look forward to inviting him back later in the year to sample some of the produce we have grown and see how far we have come with our garden. Thanks again sir!

Congratulations to O Barratt in 10 A2. He completed an excellent piece of writing using two tenses together accurately. He demonstrated our value of being ‘self-motivated to achieve’ and constantly shows a positive attitude to the subject. Keep up the excellent work!