George took to the start line at this weekend’s FarmGP Motocross/Enduro charity race, helping to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity.
As the youngest rider on the line, George faced a tough challenge but he certainly wasn’t intimidated. Putting in an impressive performance, he crossed the finish line in first place to take home the win!
A fantastic achievement and a brilliant way to support such an important cause. Well done, George!
What an incredible achievement for Leo, who has been crowned National Champion in both the 50m Freestyle and 100m Freestyle!
He also secured a well-deserved silver medal in the 50m Butterfly, finishing just 0.02 seconds behind first place. Swimming from the outside lanes, it was an amazing performance right to the finish.
Leo has now earned his place on the National Somerset County Squad, heading to Sheffield at the beginning of October. To make the week even more special, he also received confirmation on Monday that he has progressed to the next stage of the National Pathway, joining the Youth Performance Squad.
We couldn’t be prouder of everything Leo has achieved and can’t wait to see what comes next!
Ella, Year 12, was selected to take part in the National Youth Choir in August, following highly competitive auditions earlier this year.
Ella spent a week on a residential course, working alongside young singers from across the country. The week culminated in a performance by the 200+ strong choir at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire on 22 August, with Matthew Quinn as Principal Conductor.
The choir performed a diverse programme of music, including works by Charles Wood, Caroline Shaw and Jacob Collier. They also recorded several pieces for Spotify, which are due to be released early next year.
Ella is currently studying her A-Levels, including Music and this is a fantastic recognition of her talent and dedication.
Year 8 student Holly is part of the main cast of Bad Apples, the upcoming film being released in cinemas on 18 September.
The film stars Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan as Marie, a teacher who takes drastic action when one particularly badly behaved pupil threatens an important OFSTED inspection.
Holly plays herself as one of Marie’s pupils and spent her Easter holidays filming on location in Bruton and Shepton Mallet.
A fantastic experience for Holly and we cannot wait to see her shine in this film!
In her first role as KS4 Dance Captain Evelyn has made a brilliant start to the year alongside the fantastic Oviya. The girls have taken on the responsibility of leading Year 7 Dance Club, they led their first session this week with enthusiasm and positivity providing a fun and inspiring experience for our youngest dancers.
Both girls continue to demonstrate a wonderful work ethic and we look forward to seeing what they can achieve throughout the year.
Isabelle, a Year 7 student, proudly represented North Somerset at the National Schools Touch Rugby Finals in Oxford on Friday 11th September.
Competing against strong Year 8 and 9 girls’ teams, Isabelle and her teammates narrowly missed out on a place in the main semi-finals. However, they bounced back in style to win the tournament’s Plate Trophy.
A fantastic achievement and a great experience for Isabelle and the team!
We celebrated the successes of our students on Wednesday evening at our annual Presentation Evening. Prizes were awarded for service to the community, for progress and improvement, for compassion, for resilience, and for attitudes to learning, alongside awards for academic excellence and outstanding exam results.
Students, staff and families were joined by guest speaker Herbie Alexander, who spoke about his journey after leaving Churchill, and the choices which led him to joining drone display company Celestial, touring with Oasis and coming second in Britain’s Got Talent. It was great to welcome Herbie back to Churchill and hear all about his successes, as well as seeing a video of his Britain’s Got Talent experience!
Students and staff at Churchill Academy & Sixth Form are celebrating excellent GCSE results.
Chris Hildrew, Headteacher at Churchill Academy & Sixth Form, comments:
"GCSE results day is an important milestone, and we're so proud of our students' hard work and dedication in achieving these superb examination results. I want to thank the students’ families and the Academy’s staff who have supported the students throughout their studies. We are confident that the students have a strong foundation to prepare them for the next exciting chapter of their lives, and we look forward to celebrating their future accomplishments."
The school is particularly pleased with the strong achievements made by all students, demonstrating their resilience and determination to succeed. More than half of students achieved strong passes (grade 5+) in English and Maths, with over 75% of grades awarded being grade 4 or above.
Among the many success stories are Hannah Jaloszynski, Nelly Withers, Samuel Winterton, Alice Walker, Ben Ives, Emma Fox, Jacob Field, Doug Cornick, Isaac Joyce, Ella Weeks, Charlie Costigan and Ella Weeks, all of whom achieved all their GCSE results at grades 9, 8 or 7. Special mention must be reserved for Tomos Parsons, who achieved a staggering eleven GCSEs all at grade 9.
Exceptional performance was seen in Art & Design (including Textiles), Design & Technology, French, Food and Nutrition, Religious Education, and Biology, Physics and Chemistry, all of which students can continue to study at Churchill Sixth Form.
This success follows the Academy's most recent Ofsted Inspection, which rated Churchill Academy & Sixth Form as "Good" in all areas. The report praised the school for its "broad and ambitious curriculum that prepares students well for their next steps in learning."
With a dedicated Sixth Form offering over 30 courses, the Academy will welcome back the majority of its Year 11 students in September. A significant number of students from other local schools will also join them, all of whom have chosen a provision that Ofsted described as taking a "comprehensive approach to preparing pupils for life beyond school." The Ofsted report also noted that the Academy ensures students progress to "destinations that align with their interests and aspirations."
The Academy invites prospective families to learn more about its successful curriculum at its upcoming Open Evenings. The Open Evening for future Year 7 students will take place on Wednesday 30th September 2026 at 5pm, and the Sixth Form Open Evening will be on Thursday 15th October 2025.
For more information about these events, please visit www.churchill-academy.org/open-days.
Students at Churchill Academy & Sixth Form are celebrating their A-level results following years of hard work and determination to succeed.
Chris Hildrew, Headteacher at Churchill Academy & Sixth Form, commented:
“The A-level results this year are a true reflection of our students' determination and effort, and we couldn't be prouder of their achievements. The results are also a testament to the ongoing work and commitment of our staff to provide students with a unique learning experience that prepares them for life after school. Students continue to excel across the comprehensive and wide-ranging curriculum offered at Churchill. We know the effort behind every grade and we extend our warmest congratulations to every student on their achievements today.”
Among the many outstanding achievements are Rachael Wilson, who achieved A*A*A with an A* in her Extended Project, and will go on to read Psychological and Behavioural Sciences at Girton College, Cambridge. Ash Shipton also achieved A*A*A and will go on to study Chemical Engineering at Manchester University. Sam Baker achieved A*A*AC and will study Maths at Warwick, and James Lee was accepted to read History at King’s College, Cambridge after achieving straight A grades in his A-levels. Theo Kitchen, Emily Johnston and Charlie Phippen also achieved three A or A* grades, whilst Theo Scoutt, Rory Butson, Esther Winterton, Kate Rutty, Isla Johns, Millie Jones and Eva Mamman achieved two A or A* grades at A level, with Eva going on to study Medicine at the University of Bristol.
Students are progressing to a wide range of destinations, including further study in fields as diverse as marine biology, musical theatre, nursing, primary education, fashion design, economics and engineering.
In addition, many students have also secured highly sought-after places on apprenticeship courses and other training opportunities, whilst others are planning gap years to broaden and build their experience before taking their next steps.
Hannah Sheppard, Assistant Headteacher - Sixth Form, comments:
“We're thrilled to celebrate the success of our Class of 2026. What truly stands out is the breadth of achievement across all our A-level subjects, which speaks to the diverse talents of our students and the strength of our curriculum. It's a joy to see students move on to a wide range of paths, from top universities to highly sought-after apprenticeships and careers, each path tailored to their passions. Every student's journey is unique, and we congratulate each and every one of them on their personal achievements.”
Churchill Academy & Sixth Form offers over 30 courses and a range of personal development programmes unique to the Academy. The Academy will be holding its Sixth Form Open Evening on Thursday 15th October 2026 for future students to visit the facilities. To find out more about the Open Evening visit www.churchill-academy.org/open-days.
In the last 2 weeks of term, our ADT department launched a Golden Ticket Scheme, and it has already brought a burst of excitement and celebration across Art, Food and Product Design. Students have been earning golden tickets for showing effort, kindness, progress, creativity, resilience, supporting others, and consistently meeting our ADT expectations - a brilliant showcase of what makes our learners shine.
Across just two weeks, an amazing 60 tickets were entered into the prize draw. The draw was completed by Miss Cox and verified by Mrs Dearn, and we are delighted to announce this term’s winners:
Teresa
Elsie
Anna
Annie
Noah
More Golden Ticket fun will return in September, with even more opportunities for students to get involved and be recognised.
Parents - if you have any prizes, or you know someone who might like to donate to the ADT prize draw, we would be incredibly grateful. Please contact your child’s Art/Product Design/Food teacher. Your support helps us keep the scheme exciting and rewarding for our students.
At Churchill Academy & Sixth Form, we take great pride in celebrating the achievements and successes of our students. We believe that being recognised and praised helps our young people flourish throughout their time with us. Two key areas we regularly celebrate in school are attendance and behaviour. This success is a reflection of our strong culture of belonging, rooted in our values: Kindness, Curiosity, and Determination.
This year, to recognise the hard work and effort by our highest attending and most well behaved students, the Academy hosted a Field Day Finale. Only students with a golden ticket could attend, earning one through 95% attendance and positive behaviour throughout this academic year.
Students with a golden ticket came down to the field where an inflatable obstacle course, giant slide and garden games were awaiting them.
It was great to see the hundreds of students competing with their friends on the obstacle course, joining together on the giant slide and seeing their effort this year pay off. The morning wasn't complete without ice pops to help cool down after so much fun!
It truly was a send off to remember as we close the 2025-26 Academic Year. We can't wait to do it all again next summer!
Students who had taken an active part in the English High Attainers scheme this year were given Gold, Silver or Bronze certificates, depending on the number of tasks they had completed, whilst students also got their eagerly anticipated results from the 'Do your GCSE early for fun day'!
Several students in Year 8 and 9 achieved a Grade 6 at GCSE which was an amazing achievement at such a young age.
Mr Grimmett and Ms Smith have been thrilled this year to see a high number of students stepping up to the array of creative challenges put in front of our most promising English students from participating in an A-level lesson, to doing insanely hard spelling tests, all the way through to leading a grammar starter in a lesson in front of their class as a trainee teacher!