Following his motivational talks last World Book Day, TGBS welcomed back local author and leadership consultant, Errol Lawson. This visit was particularly special as Errol was launching his brand new book: 'How to Become Unstoppable: A Guide for Teens' inspired by our very own pupils! Some of our boys had reviews the book ahead of going to print. He was proud to share that his most recent book had been inspired by the questions and ideas presented by our boys last year.

His sessions included awareness of county lines, substance abuse and knife crime. Our pupils are currently learning about these issues in PSHE. As part of County Lines Awareness Week, it was important to raise the profile of these issues for our pupils from someone who has experienced it first-hand.

Pupils were invited to take part in a Q&A and some pupils even got the opportunity to give a motivational speech to their peers. The boys were rewarded with signed copies of the new book.

Pupils who have read the most of our 16 by 16 books and made rapid progress in their reading were selected to take part in a workshop focusing on making goals for the future and considering careers building in their curriculum work this week as part of Careers Week.

Year 11 received a motivational assembly ahead of their mocks and the reviewers were given an insight into the publishing industry during an invite only session in the library after school.

An incredible day of enrichment for our pupils.

We are incredibly proud of our pupils for their hard work and dedication this half-term, celebrated in our Awards and Acknowledgment Assembly. A huge well done to those recognised by their Head of House for consistently demonstrating our school values!

A special congratulation to our Head of House Award winners:

🏆 Austin House (Mr. Brennan): A Starmer, Year 10 & J Allabush, Year 8
🏆 Boulton House (Mr. Stafford): A Moore, Year 7 & E Hevey, Year 10
🏆 Tolkien House (Mr. Kelley): Y Embaye, Year 7 & B Shahzad, Year 9

On January 18^th Year 7 went on a visit to The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry. Pupils saw the 'Dippy' the diplodocus fossil which is touring from the Natural History Museum in London and they made some detailed drawings of the skeleton. There was also an exhibition of art from the Coventry archives which included a wonderful selection of paintings, sculptures and natural objects. There were some samples of 'scents' and 'fragrances' based on such delights as 'essence of penguin and fish oil' which the boys enjoyed trying out!  Pupils were able to try on medieval helmets and chain mail, and practice weaving.   There was also an interactive digital exhibition called 'Microworlds' which enabled pupils to interact and create their own digital art. The pupils had a thoroughly enjoyable day and many members of the public and museum staff complimented them on their enthusiasm and good behaviour. 

Year 9 and year 10 are celebrating an amazing success in the UK Maths Trusts’ intermediate 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 4 silver certificates and 11 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:

O. Aboukharroub 9T1

S. Stevens 9T1

G. Thomson 9T1

S. Ahmed-Danfulani 10A2

J. Choi 10A1

T. Clarke 10T1

C. Hatcher 10A1

H. Mackcracken 10A1

S. Scott 10B1

D. Shi 10T1

G. Vann-Richards 10A1

Silver awards were achieved by:

O. Ames 10A1

S. Fazlisheshbluki 10A2

L. Gittus 10T1

And

Y. Khan 9T1 (who also achieved the highest score in the school)Congratulations to all who took part, and we look forward to the year 7s and 8s taking part in the junior maths challenge later in the year.

As we conclude the Spring 1 half-term, we are proud to celebrate the achievements of our pupils in our end-of-term Awards and Acknowledgment Assembly. This event is a fantastic opportunity to recognise the hard work, dedication, and commitment our pupils demonstrate each day.

A special congratulation goes to the pupils who received the Head of School Award, personally acknowledged by Mr Walker, Head of School. These pupils have consistently embodied our school values through their outstanding attitude, perseverance, and contribution to school life.

Head of School Award Recipients:

⭐ Year 7: J Melling

⭐ Year 8: P Wright

⭐ Year 9: T Cham

⭐ Year 10: S Scott

Well done to all of our award winners and to every pupil who has shown dedication and determination this half-term. We are incredibly proud of you!

We look forward to seeing everyone after the break, ready for another term of learning, growth, and success.

This week, we have additional awards for pupils who have exemplified TURVES Values in the community. 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., contributions in the community and extra-curricular efforts.

Y7- Yisehaq E- OUTSTANDING PUPIL. If there would be a pupil to nominate for meeting all the TGBS values/ Excellent attitude towards learning it would be Yisehaq

George J 8B2 and Jamie A8A1.
Have found a credit card outside and handed it into reception.
I have checked the name on SIMS and they aren't a contact for anyone so it must be a member
of the public. I will keep it safe for a while, then shred it if nobody claims it.

Y8 Freddy G 8A1 and Jack C 8B1 found a credit card on the way to school.
 I have phoned the Girls school and it belongs to one of their pupils, so I have arranged
for her to collect it from reception after school.

Year 9: Mohammad A– Has continued to demonstrate our values, despite the changes to his form recently (despite him not wanting to put a blue tie back on). Excellent attitude towards lessons and extra-curricular activities

Y10 – Thomas H – Nominated by form tutors. Solid defensive midfielder type of student – keeps scoreline stable and will make incisive passes (answers) to questions. Can most certainly be relied upon to keep team morale up.

Year 11: Victor M: A great pupil who consistently shows an excellent attitude towards his studies in all subjects.

The year 7 boys travelled across to Streetly Academy on the 14^th January for their eagerly anticipated third round cup tie.

Streetly went into the game as strong favourites fielding four academy players. Within the first two minutes, the Streetly striker who plays for Derby County was on the scoresheet and it looked like it could be a long afternoon for the Turves Green boys.

Despite the early setback, the Turves Green boys settled into the game and began to get the ball down and play. Oliver, Caleb and Callum played some fantastic football in the middle of the pitch with Riley, James and Riley controlling the incoming Streetly attacks.

The boys went into half time 1 nil down but were more than a match for their opponents.

The second half started the way that the first half had finished with our boys growing in confidence. Shortly into the second half, Charlie got his rewards for the amount of effort and running that he put into the match. A mix up in the Streetly defence allowed Charlie to steal in and finish off from a tight angle to make it 1-1.

This seemed to wake the Streetly boys up and they soon regained the lead through one of their Birmingham City academy players. Kobi, our stand in goalkeeper, produced a series of fantastic saves before a well worked equaliser came once again from Charlie.

With penalties looming, Oliver was played in on goal and from the tighest of angles powerfully shot past the opposition goalkeeper to make it 3-2 to Turves Green. A nervous few minutes followed but the year 7's were able to hold onto an impressive win against a very good Streetly Academy team to progress to the next round of the cup.

Credit to all of the boys for their efforts this afternoon. They were an absolute pleasure to take across the city and represented our school superbly. Also, a big thanks to Ms Abbott who very kindly drove the minibus for us - a lucky charm maybe!?

Earlier in the term, pupils selected books they would like to see in the library as part of the National Literacy Trust's Book Buzz initiative. At TGBS, our commitment to improving reading continues by buying into this scheme which culminates in all pupils in Yr 7, 8 and 9 receiving their chosen book as a gift for Christmas. 

Our librarian and reading ambassadors have been working hard over the last week to get the books ready for staff and senior leaders to deliver to pupils in forms with their personalised bookmarks ahead of their awards assemblies. Please support us by encouraging pupils to read them at home and Merry Christmas! 

Throughout November students on Mathswatch have attempted over 10400 questions with 4800 already completed in December. That means that our leaderboards for each month were:

November

1. O. Davis 7B2
2. L. Connolly 8B1
3. Y. Embaye 7T1

December

1. L. Commander 11A1
2. J. Choi 10A1
3. T. Farrell 10B1

And as we are at the end of the year it is time to show off the year in review as a sort of “Mathswatch wrapped”. So, this year as a school we have logged in 6,214 times spending 1,204.3 hours (that’s over 50 days)! In that time, we have completed 32,976 questions!!!! Top of the yearly leaderboard is H. Saho Saho 7A1 who has achieved 2011 points so far this year! Absolutely blazing ahead of the competition. E Oguntimehin 7A1 and O Davis 7B2 should also be commended with a very close battle for second place.

Well done to all in your Mathswatch efforts this year. Be sure to log on over Christmas, especially year 11 to complete the past papers that have been set online by your maths teachers.

The court was alive with energy as our Year 7 and 8 mixed basketball team faced off against the Year 8 team from Queensbridge in what was their very first game. Though the final score saw us down by 10 points, the match was a testament to determination, skill, and teamwork. 

A Close Second Quarter 

The game started with some early pressure from Queensbridge, but our team quickly found their rhythm. The second quarter was particularly thrilling as the gap narrowed, with our players matching Queensbridge basket for basket. The grit and resilience displayed during this period were remarkable and kept supporters on the edge of their seats. 

Standout Performances 

Several players shone brightly in this debut match: 

• Shanrique was a standout star, showing impressive control, agility, and vision on the court, creating opportunities and scoring crucial points. 

• Ferdinand delivered a defensive masterclass, consistently challenging the opposition and making life difficult for their key players. 

The Year 7 players were equally impressive, more than holding their own against the older and more experienced Year 8 Queensbridge team. Their confidence and composure under pressure speak volumes about their potential. 

A Promising Future 

While this match ended in defeat, it was a fantastic learning experience and a proud moment for all involved. The teamwork, determination, and sportsmanship displayed promise a bright future for this young squad. 

Well done to all our players for their effort and passion. We look forward to seeing you back on the court, stronger and ready for the next challenge! 

Please Congratulate the following boys for their role;