During our History lessons, the Year 10 pupils at our school are exhibiting a remarkable embodiment of one of our core Turves Values, namely self-motivation to achieve. It is truly commendable to witness their unwavering commitment as they diligently prepare for their upcoming history mock paper, which is scheduled for the following week. Within the classroom setting, the Year 10 cohort has been actively involved in the analysis of examination questions, employing effective strategies for organising their answers, participating in guided practice, and independently addressing both 12 and 16 mark questions. One noteworthy example is Rowan F, who has demonstrated an exceptional ability to leverage his knowledge recall and revision materials to produce an outstanding response to the given prompt, "Write an account...".

The TGBS RAF Cadets recently participated in the Biennial review at Barr Beacon, where they underwent inspection by the regional commandant. A diverse array of activities, ranging from shooting exercises to marching drills, were conducted during the event. The Cadets thoroughly enjoyed the day, finding it both engaging and motivational. It is worth noting that their conduct throughout the entire day was exemplary and deserving of praise.

Well done boys!

In anticipation of our upcoming Bronze and Silver expeditions scheduled for later this year, the pupils were assigned the responsibility of working collaboratively in groups to assemble and disassemble their tents in a timed competition. Despite the challenging conditions with the sun's heat potentially draining their energy, the pupils exhibited commendable perseverance and successfully accomplished their objectives. It will be intriguing to witness their performance after engaging in seven hours of continuous activity.

This week at Warhammer Alliance we saw the exciting start of the new Warhammer 40,000 10^th edition. It’s now a level playing field as students familiar with Warhammer and those brand new the game learn a new, faster and easier to learn version of the game pitching the noble Space Marines against the ravenous hordes of the Tyranid aliens. If you are interested in getting involved with some games everyone is having to learn the rules again so this is the perfect time to join. Come along to B7 on a Wednesday evening or speak to Mr Soden to find out more and learn how to play.

Also at the club this week, we had an impromptu model show case of what everybody as been painting this year. We saw O. Warrilow’s 7T1 fantastic zombies and ghouls that he continued to build through this week’s session at the club. C Carter-Glover 7T2 made a giant display of his mixed swamp themed force. O. Hinton 7A1 has finally completed his Battle Honours and is the first of our students to do so! Working with the Warhammer stores students can earn rewards and prizes by going into any Warhammer store asking about Battle Honours and showing their progress. We are all very excited for him and his models are looking amazing from it. More students are heading towards that path and we am very excited to see more amazing things from the rest of the group.

Yr 9 - Lexonik Literacy at the Speed of Sound

TGBS is rolling out a new initiative to get year 9 pupils ready for GCSEs.  Six groups of pupils have been selected to take part in Lexonik – Literacy at the Speed of Sound. Each group will meet for an hour a week, for a fully interactive session with the aim of increasing the speed of reading high level vocabulary, looking at roots, stems, prefixes and definitions!

Self-motivated to achieve in French

A huge congratulations to Joshua C in 8A1. Joshua performed brilliantly on the Year 8 French exam this week and produced a GCSE standard essay. Joshua explained each bullet point in detail and used a range of adjectives and tenses to write about his typical holiday, his dream holiday and where he went on holiday last year. Joshua completes all revision tasks and homework and consistently produced fantastic, high-quality French work. Well done, Joshua!

Congratulations to Ashley D in 10T1 for an excellent piece of homework in French this week. Ashley had to complete a written piece, answering 20 questions based on AQA Theme 1. Each question answered was of a high-quality standard, with real development and complexity. We are extremely proud of the effort and self-motivation shown by Ashley in this piece of extended homework. Ashley received personalised feedback on his work and can now use this as a preparation tool for the exams next year. Well done, Ashley!

BAE Systems RAF and Royal Navy Showcase

On Tuesday 20^th June, we had a Road Show delivered to all of Year 7 and 8 from BAE Systems, the RAF and Royal Navy. The focus was on from the depths of the Ocean to Outer Space and pupils were able to see how their knowledge from Science lessons links to submarines, spacecraft and the work of the RAF and Royal Navy. Our pupils were keen to get involved in all of the activities and everyone enjoyed a very informative and interesting session! We can’t wait to welcome the Roadshow back next year!

Recently, a group of 43 Year 10 pupils from our school participated in the National Science Thinking Challenge. This challenge involved a timed online exercise that aimed to assess pupils' ability to apply scientific principles to unique and unfamiliar scenarios. A total of 227 schools and 14,000 pupils from around the world took part in this program.

I am delighted to announce that we have received the results for TGBS, and I am extremely pleased and proud to share that our young scientists have achieved remarkable success. They have been recognised with 5 bronze awards, 7 silver awards, and one highly esteemed and challenging Gold Award! Congratulations to all the participants for their outstanding achievements!

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the pupils who participated in this challenge, as well as to Dr. Patchett from the Science Department for organising and coordinating the event.

Once again, well done to everyone involved in this exceptional accomplishment!

As part of the Migration unit within the GCSE History course, Year 10 pupils have recently been studying the American Revolution. I would like to highlight an excellent example from Adam in 10A/Hi2, who has created a visual representation showcasing the formation of the original 13 colonies in America and the British actions that provoked resentment among the colonists. This visual aid will serve as a valuable resource for pupils to deepen their comprehension of the various factors contributing to the American Revolution. Furthermore, it establishes a connection to future units in which they will explore independence movements in other British Empire colonies.

I would like to take this opportunity to recognise and appreciate the significant contributions made by our Year 10 pupils in their study of migration. Since the beginning of the academic year, these pupils have been actively engaged in a thematic exploration of migration dating back to approximately 790 AD. Their focus has revolved around the diverse history of Britain, spanning from the era of the Anglo-Saxons to the Vikings.

In their recent lessons, pupils have delved into the valuable contributions made by various migrant communities, with a particular emphasis on the Huguenots. Alongside this, they have been honing a range of historical skills, including analysing and drawing inferences from primary sources, evaluating historical significance, and critically assessing source materials.

I am delighted to share an outstanding example from Ben, highlighting his excellent work in this area.

Well done to Ben and the rest of the year 10 History pupils. Keep up the good work!

‘Which of the following had a greater impact on helping America recover from the Great Depression: New Deal or World War Two?’

Pupils have been studying 1930s USA looking at the impact of the Great Depression and how the US recovered from the economic crisis, as part of the Opportunities and Inequalities in the USA unit of their GCSE course.  Pupils were given an exam question to demonstrate their learning and understanding and to build the skills necessary to answer questions well.  Here is an excellent example of an answer written by James, using the information he has learned and applying it with great effect to answer the question.  He was self-motivated to improve on his work further, following the feedback he was given. 

Year 10 Food pupils from Turves Green Boys’ School embarked on a thrilling culinary adventure as they visited Halesowen College, a renowned institution for aspiring chefs. The day was filled with delectable experiences and a dash of inspiration for our budding gastronomes.

Upon arrival, the pupils were greeted with warm smiles and contagious enthusiasm from the college staff. They were whisked away to the state-of-the-art culinary facilities, where their taste buds were about to embark on an extraordinary journey.

The day commenced with an interactive workshop, led by a distinguished culinary expert known for his innovative creations. He shared her passion for cooking and the culinary arts, captivating the pupils with her knowledge and expertise.

A heartfelt thank you to Halesowen College for hosting our Y10 Food pupils and providing them with an unforgettable experience. We are grateful for the expertise and warmth shown by the college staff, who truly made this day an extraordinary one.

To our budding chefs, the journey has just begun! We hope this visit to Halesowen College has ignited a flame within you that will continue to burn bright as you pursue your culinary dreams. Remember, the kitchen is your canvas, and your creativity knows no bounds!

Bon appétit!