On Thursday 20^th June, as part of our Careers programme, two groups of Year 9 pupils visit Boro Foundry in Stourbridge to gain further experience of an engineering-focused workplace. Pupils who had demonstrated an interest in Engineering as part of the Options process were taken to see what life is like working in foundry. They received a tour of the factory, introduction to what life is like in the workplace and also information about apprenticeships and training programmes. Pupils found the visit interesting and insightful

On Thursday 20th June, 40 of our Year 8 pupils visited Aston University as part of the ‘Aspire to Aston’ programme. Pupils had the opportunity to get a taste of what university life was like by exploring the campus and hearing about different aspects of student life. This is part of an ongoing partnership with Aston University who will be continuing to visit our school and organise educational visits over the next academic year to come.

Last week, our Year 7 Science group embarked on a hands-on journey through the cosmos with a lively demonstration of the solar system. The excitement in the classroom was palpable as students eagerly participated in this engaging educational activity, using inflatable models to bring the wonders of space closer to home.

To kick off the demonstration, each student was assigned a planet to represent. Armed with their colorful inflatable models, the students lined up in order of their planet’s position from the Sun. This visual and interactive method provided a tangible way to grasp the vast distances and relative sizes of the planets, concepts that can often be challenging to comprehend through textbooks alone.

This hands-on activity culminated in a lively Q&A session where students could ask questions and discuss what they had learned. The visual and physical nature of the demonstration helped solidify their understanding of the solar system’s structure and the relative scales involved. The success of this activity was evident in the enthusiasm and engagement of the students. By turning the abstract concept of the solar system into a concrete, interactive experience, our Year 7 Science class not only learned important scientific principles but also developed a lasting interest in astronomy. We look forward to more such exciting and educational activities in the future!

Year 9 students recently visited Cadbury College to watch their rendition of the well-known musical Little Shop of Horrors. The performance was nothing short of amazing, captivating the audience with its vibrant energy, exceptional acting, and impressive musical numbers.

From the moment the curtains opened, the cast delivered a stellar performance that brought the quirky, darkly comedic story to life. The lead actors embodied their characters with charisma and depth, making the audience laugh, gasp, and cheer throughout the show.

The set design and special effects were also impressive, especially the iconic man-eating plant, Audrey II. The puppet work and voice acting for Audrey II were executed flawlessly, adding a layer of authenticity and humour to the performance.

Overall, Cadbury College’s rendition of Little Shop of Horrors was a triumph, leaving a lasting impression on the Year 9 students who attended. The high-quality production has inspired students involved in TGBS’s upcoming performance of Alfie the Musical, motivating them to strive for a similar level of excellence in their own show.

Over the past few weeks at Turves Green, key stage 3 students have been completing various activities in their Design Technology lessons. 

Year 7 students have been learning about electronic circuits and components, learning the skill of soldering electronic components together. They have also been developing their design skills through hand drawn techniques and using Computer Aided Design (CAD) software to create 3D design work.

Year 8 students have been learning about how heat can effect different materials, using the line bender to manipulate plastics and the brazing hearth to bend metals and brand designs onto wood. Year 8 students have also been learning about Computer Aided  Manufacturing (CAM), using the 3D printer in lessons to create design work.

Congratulations to F Campbell for an excellent homework piece this week. F Campbell spent two hours researching ice cream flavours and creating a fabulous menu in French. We have learning how to read menus and order pancakes, waffles and ice creams in French this week. F Campbell has been awarded French Star of the Week for his efforts in class and for his wonderful homework. Bravo!

When we talked to 10S3 about their upcoming mocks and what we could do to support them with misunderstandings or areas where they don’t feel the strongest, the electricity unit came up. Both the pupils and Miss Mansell felt they could benefit from a refresher, especially in the practical aspects. Here you can see them hard at work! With just circuit diagrams and a bit of scaffolding, all teams were able to test different circuits, see if they worked or not and were able to articulate why the circuits did not function. Brilliant examples of Team Turves and Valuable Contributions within this group! 

This year we are taking part in The Wildlife Trusts’ #30DaysWild challenge and we have really had some fun with this one! On Monday, Miss Mansell and Mr Woodall set the standard for participation by hugging trees. Tuesday was a bit of a wash out so the pupils completed an indoor slug and snail safari, competing to find the most slugs and snails around the building. Wednesday pupils were encouraged to start playing sensory bingo. Thursday we went looking for butterflies and today we have been on an alphabet nature hunt.

Over the weekend, why don’t you try sketching your favourite sea creature or take your lunch outdoors and enjoy the wonderful wildlife Birmingham has to offer!

Our reading rewards vending machine continues to be a focal point of our celebrations on a Friday lunchtime. Pupils from all year groups are considered and selected for a range of approaches to demonstrating our TURVES Values. For Year 11’s final Friday lunchtime celebration, we rewarded one from each house.  

Winners this week include: 

Year 7 A Heath, L Hickey 

Year 8 H Sims 

Year 9 Seamus Jones 

Year 10 E Chandler 

Year 11 M O’Shaughnessy, J Boyle, C Bayliss 

Year 7 and Year 8 are celebrating an amazing success in the UK Maths Trusts’ Junior Maths Challenge. Two weeks ago students completed an hour long set of maths challenges in exam conditions and have now received the awards. Our students did fantastically, achieving 2 Gold certificates, 4 Silver certificates and 12 Bronze certificates! Congratulations to everyone who took part who all walked away with a certificate of participation. And especially to those who earnt one of the three awards.

Bronze awards were achieved by:

• D.Cartwright-George 7A1
• L. Connolly 7B1
• L. Ellis 7B1
• E. Griffiths 7B1
• C. Jones 7B1
• J. Smith 7B1
• W. Bates 8T1
• D. Daio Viana Da Conceicao 8T1
• J. Davies 8T1
• J. Dunsmore 8T1
• K. Hussain 8T1
• C. Murphy 8T2

Silver awards were achieved by:

• G. Thomson 8T1
• M. Walker 8T1
• A. Williams 8T1
• A. Abaker 7B1

And the 2 gold awards were achieved by:

• R. Singh 8T2
• O. Aboukharroub 8T1