Today 15 excellent pupils from year 9 went to the University of Birmingham to take part in the Big Physics Quiz. The sun was shining and the campus was as welcoming as ever. Our pupils fought admirably against the many schools that joined us in a battle of wits and although we did not return home with a trophy, our pupils demonstrated their considerable academic prowess and answered some truly tricky questions! They did us proud and displayed true resilience against some formidable opponents. Well done pupils!

Eighty pupils enjoyed an action-packed and memorable day at Challenge Academy as part of our latest rewards trip. The group represented the school with pride, showing exemplary behaviour throughout the day. Staff at the venue were full of praise, commenting on how polite and respectful our pupils were, and describing it as a pleasure to host them.

The day was filled with exciting activities designed to test resilience, teamwork, and courage. Pupils tackled obstacle courses, team-building challenges, and even a high ropes course featuring a daring 25ft jump! Many pupils — and even some staff — stepped far outside their comfort zones, especially those facing a fear of heights. Their determination and willingness to push themselves was truly inspiring.

A huge thank you goes to everyone who supported the trip, including colleagues who helped by covering lessons back at school. Special thanks to Mr Loney, Mr Hawkes, Mr Price, Miss Jones, Miss Tom, and Mrs Solway for accompanying the group and providing such great support throughout the day.

During a bespoke assembly, Year 11 are receiving their mock exam results today ahead of their parents evening. Additional revision will be given alongside the raft of revision guides, online resources and past papers they’ve already received. Whilst we want the pupils to rest over the holiday, we hope the use their time wisely to revise for their forthcoming GCSEs, commencing in the first week after Easter for some pupils. One last push Y11! 

All schools across our Trust have been working collaboratively to recognise and celebrate key dates in the PSHE calendar. These are in addition to other events that will also be taking place in our individual schools. We are very proud to share our Matrix Academy Trust Personal Development Calendar which gives details of the events where our schools have come together to produce a wide range of activities for our pupils. These events will be recognised through a combination of assemblies and form time activities as well as their importance being widely publicised through our social media platforms and in schools through displays, posters and TV screens. For some events, there will be additional activities planned such as competitions to engage our learners in the real meaning of these days.

There is a wide range of days recognised to acknowledge different faiths and groups as well as promote very important themes such as equality, diversity, wellbeing and British Values. This project epitomises the real spirit of collaboration in our school as well as our commitment to ensuring that our pupils have the knowledge and skills to not only keep themselves safe but be ready and able to make a valuable contribution to society.

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!