Our commitment to driving up literacy standards at TGBS continues with a keen focus on developing oracy for all staff and pupils this year. As part of an ongoing programme to promote confidence in a range spoken arenas, all pupils will have the opportunity to take part in an externally run workshop this academic year. 

Our fourth and final workshop was provided by the Speaker’s Trust running their national ‘Speak Out Challenge’ in which all of our Y10 pupils had the opportunity to develop their oracy, confidence and presentation skills. The boys were taken through a day of different activities and culminated in them producing a presentation at the end. This is a crucial skill and prepares them for the English GCSE NEA and mock careers interviews in the summer term. 

All pupils received a certificate, and 6 pupils have been selected to take part in the regional competition later in the year.  

Our students have been diving into the world of spooky storytelling, working hard to craft eerie and imaginative pieces inspired by gothic literature. Through mysterious settings, haunting characters, and suspenseful plots, they are developing their creative writing skills while exploring classic gothic themes. From ghostly mansions to chilling tales of the unknown, their work showcases fantastic imagination and a growing understanding of this timeless genre. With every story, they are learning how to build tension, use powerful description, and create truly spine-tingling narratives. We can’t wait to share their fantastic, frightful tales—if you dare to read them!

Our reading rewards vending machine continues to be a focal point of our weekly celebrations on a Friday lunchtime in the new year. Pupils from all year groups are considered and selected for a range of approaches to demonstrating our TURVES Values, representing the school and attendance at extra-curricular clubs.

Winners this week include:

Year 7: A Peters: A polite young man who has put in excellent effort this week in all his lessons, even when maybe not in the best frame of mind for it. Extremely helpful at lunchtime supporting staff with clean up.  

Year 11: M Plant: A great pupil who has a very mature outlook on his current approach to his studies and final preparations for his exams. Never causes any bother.  

Year 8: J Peter Atwood – technically a Tolkien boy but he has constantly been a credit to Austin and I am grateful that he is attached to my house. Consistently showing Turves Values in his learning and his conduct.

10- N Thompson- For his improved effort in school since starting year 10 and amazing feedback from work experience placement

9- B Shazad- this young man is a model student to all, being in the top 5 pupils in the whole school with the most positives shows this. Well deserved praise and recognition is needed.

Our Y11 pupils were treated to a live performance of their GCSE English Literature text ‘An Inspector Calls’ in the spring term. Ahead of their final GCSE exams, pupils watched the actors explore key themes, character and quotes live and in role. Following the performance, the actors hosted a Q&A session and explained some of their directorial choices. The boys enjoyed the performance and will be well equipped to use the performance in their mock feedback lessons and their final examinations in May.

I would like to express a huge thank you to all of the parents who joined us for another successful SEND coffee morning in March. The positive feedback was amazing, and a pleasure to hear! We shared the many opportunities the pupils are given within our Department and how we, as a school, work hard to ensure we offer those reasonable adjustments which prove vital to ensure each pupil in our care is encouraged to reach their full potential, both socially and academically within school and in preparation for adulthood.

We were also joined by Erica Hewetson, our designated Key Worker for PSS [Pupil School Support]. This particular External Agency works closely with the school and our pupils in order to assess, support and offer both Universal and Targeted strategies to help inform SEND profiles and aid the progress of Literacy and Numeracy skills across the curriculum. Erica spoke about how she shares ideas with the SEND department regarding what course of action to try next, and the different ways in which she works with staff on how better to support your child.

To learn more about the many External Agencies we have formed links with in order to further support your child, please visit the SEND Information Report on our website at https://tgbs.co.uk/ Here you will find details services such as: Educational Psychology, CAT Team, Pupil School Support, Forward Thinking Birmingham, Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy, to name but a few!

To ensure that we celebrate our pupils’ commitment to our TURVES Values and hard work, we asked our Directors of Learning and Heads of House to nominate Y11 pupils who have been exemplary during the run up to and including their final mock GCSE period. There was an overwhelming response from staff, the final 20 pupils selected received 2 or more nominations, positive praise points and superb attendance and punctuality.

The boys were taken to our local Hollywood Bowl where they enjoyed a few games of bowling, pool and even won a teddy bear at the arcades!

Our commitment to improving literacy continues with a focus on developing creative writing this year. ‘Young Writers’ is a national competition that offer multiple opportunities for pupils to submit a range of creative writing from poems to mini sagas. We encourage all pupils to enter but target specific year groups to mirror some of the content in their curricula. The most recent competition ‘Fight or Flight’ invited pupils to write a thrilling tale using their own creative imaginations. We’re seeing more and more entries each time and we have had 22 pupils published from across all year groups but this time 7A have had the most. Our Y7 plan to be the authors of the future!

At Turves Green Boys’ School, we aspire to build successful, resilient, and confident individuals by providing a well-rounded education that extends beyond the classroom. We believe that personal growth and development are just as important as academic success, and we are committed to offering a wide range of enriching experiences. Through leadership opportunities, educational visits, careers workshops, guest performances and speakers, and a variety of extra-curricular clubs, we aim to inspire every pupil to explore new interests, develop valuable life skills, and reach their full potential.

As we approach the Easter break, we welcome the change in season, with longer and warmer days ahead. This often means that parents and carers feel more comfortable allowing their children to stay after school for extra-curricular activities, as they can travel home safely while it is still light.

We encourage all pupils to take part in extra-curricular activities, as they provide opportunities to develop confidence, social skills, teamwork, and resilience. Engaging in new experiences outside of lessons can also help pupils discover hobbies and interests that may turn into lifelong passions.

With this in mind, from Monday 31st March, we will be hosting two weeks of Extra-Curricular Taster Sessions to offer pupils the chance to try something new. This initiative is designed to inspire them to step out of their comfort zones, build new friendships, and gain confidence in different settings. A full overview of the Extra-Curricular Taster Session programme will be available on our school website from Monday 24th March.

We encourage you to discuss the programme with your child and support them in taking advantage of these opportunities. By participating, they will not only develop new skills but also form positive relationships with peers and staff, strengthening their sense of belonging within our school community.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to seeing our pupils thrive as they explore new experiences.

Our reading rewards vending machine continues to be a focal point of our weekly celebrations on a Friday lunchtime in the new year. Pupils from all year groups are considered and selected for a range of approaches to demonstrating our TURVES Values, representing the school and attendance at extra-curricular clubs.

Winners this week include:

Year 10: S Sullivan – Consistently fantastic. Work exceptionally hard in everything he does.  

Year 8: D Henry-Wright: A quiet but polite and respectful pupil who puts in excellent effort in all lessons.

Year 9: D Aqrawi: A pupil who does not allow challenges to hold him back. Puts in great effort in all lessons and is a good role model within his form group.  

Year 7- T Wilson- He was one pupil who joined the anti-bullying team on our visit to Lime Care home. He was amazing with the residents did not stop chatting and interacting through games with the residents a true credit to the bullying team, and a great representative of Turves that day showing off all of our Turves values.

In order to fulfil our promise to create enriching opportunities for our pupils, the English Faculty have invited the production Katch 22, to perform 'Macbeth'. Both Y10 and 11 watched the performance to support Y11's forthcoming GCSEs and Year 10 are currently studying the play in preparation for the summer exams. This opportunity allows pupils to see Shakespeare in action and covers 20% of their English Literature GCSE. 

The actors were able to draw out key themes, characters and context for pupils with the Q&A session afterwards. The boys asked some insightful questions and gained some useful interpretations for their revision.