Academy News

We are incredibly proud to announce that the Legally Blonde cast has been nominated for the RESET Awards 2026 and has officially been selected as a finalist for the North Somerset Youth Awards.

Following our nomination, we received the exciting news:

“Thank you for your nomination, we have now held our voting event to find the finalists for the North Somerset Youth Awards and would like to inform you that your nomination for Legally Blonde Cast has been voted to be a finalist and is invited to attend the Youth Awards Ceremony on Friday 17th July at The Grand Pier. Congratulations!”

This recognition means so much to everyone involved in the production. Recently, members of the cast and crew attended a promotional evening where we had the opportunity to meet the amazing team from RESET and share our experiences of bringing Legally Blonde to the stage.

During the evening, we spoke about the incredible teamwork that made the production so special, particularly during a time when our community truly needed to come together. We reflected on how the older students became mentors and role models for the younger performers, creating a supportive and encouraging environment throughout rehearsals and performances alike.

We also highlighted the importance of our production team, whose hard work behind the scenes was just as vital as the performances on stage. From lighting and sound to costumes, stage management, and technical support, every single person played an essential role in the success of the show.

Above all, we talked about how our company became a true Performing Arts family — supporting each other through challenges and celebrating every success together. The friendships, confidence, and memories created throughout the process are something we will all treasure.

As part of the awards ceremony, we have also been invited to perform a 10-minute slot at the event, which is a tremendous honour and a wonderful opportunity to showcase the talent, dedication, and spirit of our students once again.

Invitations for selected cast and crew members will be distributed once we receive confirmation of the exact numbers we are able to take to the ceremony.

No matter the outcome on the night, we will attend with our heads held high, immensely proud of what we achieved together and grateful for the recognition this nomination represents.

Year 8 students impressed us all with their cooking skills this week as they produced fantastic fruit tartlets as part of their assessment.  

Students demonstrated excellent pastry skills, making a sweet shortcrust pastry into the perfect tartlet shape and assembling their tartlets.  Their finished creations were presented to an outstanding standard, showing great care, creativity, and effort throughout. Well done!

Students studying A Level and GCSE Music visited Bristol Beacon this week to enjoy a concert performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic, conducted by Krzysztof Urbański.

A pre-concert talk helped prepare students for Piano Concerto No. 2 by Frédéric Chopin, performed by Romanian pianist Alexandra Dariescu. Her exquisitely delicate performance captivated the audience and was a real highlight of the evening.

The second half of the concert featured Symphony No. 6, the final symphony by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Sitting behind the orchestra gave students a unique perspective, allowing them to appreciate the double basses, brass, and percussion sections up close, while also watching the conductor’s expressive direction throughout the performance. Students were especially amazed that Krzysztof Urbański conducted the entire concert from memory, without using a score.

It was an incredible experience for all our students, who walked away feeling more inspired than ever.

This year marks a remarkable milestone for former Churchill student Heather, who recently rediscovered photographs and newspaper articles from an extraordinary school project dating back to 1975.

While clearing out her parents’ house, Heather came across memories from the team that designed, built and raced a hovercraft during their time here, an achievement that was highly unusual at the time, especially for a group of female students.

Now, 50 years later, the former classmates are making plans to meet again and share stories about where life has taken them since their pioneering school project. Heather believes they may have been among the first girls here to take part in this kind of engineering and practical design challenge, making their achievement even more significant today.

We would also love to hear from other Churchill alumni. Do you have photographs, stories, achievements, or memories hidden away in the vault? We encourage former students to get in touch and help us celebrate the rich history of our school community.

It’s been a wonderful week of Athletics, Rounders and Cricket as students embrace the summer sports. Read how we got on below:

English Schools Athletics Competition Success 

Our four Athletics teams competed against schools across the South West last week in the English Schools Athletics Competition.  Our boys' teams smashed it, with our junior team bringing home first place and our intermediates bringing home second place! 

KS3 Rounders have Bat Breaking Afternoon

Our Year 7, 8 & 9 rounders teams travelled to Backwell School for a game of Rounders in the sunshine.  It was a fantastic afternoon with top level rounders being played. A special shout out goes to Rebeka for breaking the bat with her powerful hit!  

Well done to Rebeka and Maddie, who were awarded Players of the Match. We are looking forward to the Year 7 & 8 rematch next week! 

U15 Girls Hard Ball Cricket Team is en route to Lords 

Our U15 Girls Hard Ball Cricket team put up a convincing display with bat & ball against Redland Green. Posting 120 for 4 off 16 overs with Mia & Amy leading the way and Wickers & Milliar ending the innings, it was a fantastic effort. 

The team took a unique approach, deciding to drop the ball and play for run outs. It proved to be a successful play, and the team progresses now to the next round at Lords. 

Thank you to all the local clubs providing our girls' team with the opportunity and facilities to play, onto the next round! 

Congratulations to Sophia, Lola, Evelyn and Emma, who travelled to Orlando, Florida last week to compete at the World Dance Summit.

Representing BDC Dance Company as part of the team Bellatrix, the girls earned the only UK bid to compete in the Junior Hip Hop Division, proudly representing the United Kingdom on the world stage.

Facing exceptionally strong competition from talented teams across America and beyond, the Bellatrix team delivered an outstanding performance and achieved an incredible 4th place finish — officially ranking them 4th in the world in the Junior Hip Hop Division.

This is a remarkable achievement and a testament to the girls’ dedication, hard work and talent. Competing at such a high international level is an unforgettable experience, and they should all be extremely proud of their success.

Congratulations to Sophia, Lola, Evelyn and Emma on this fantastic accomplishment!