Year 10 students rolled into action this week for their practical assessment, showcasing their skills, creativity and teamwork. The hands-on session allowed them to put their learning into practice, demonstrating both technique and enthusiasm.
Avon & Somerset Police are working with services throughout the UK on a campaign called ‘A Blunt Truth’, which is dedicated to educating young people on the effects of Knife Crime and what to do if you discover a knife crime victim.
We were lucky enough to have the campaign visit us for the third year in a row to speak with our students. British Army Medics and Avon & Somerset Fire Rescue visited Year 9, and every student spent an hour hearing about the tragic effects knife crime has on a community and how it can be prevented.
Students were shown what to do in the event they find a knife crime victim, focusing on the three C’s (Check for danger, Call for help, Cover the wound) and how to use bleed kits, which are becoming more commonplace around the UK, including two on the Academy site.
Reminders that reporting somebody carrying a knife can be a key way to stop two crimes from happening, and students can report any concerns surrounding knife crime anonymously to Fearless.
We are thankful to ‘A Blunt Truth’ for bringing the campaign to the Academy and leaving students with more confidence in knowing what to do in a situation and how to report knife crime, should they be subject to it.
There will be a pop-up clinic during lunchtime on the 4th February 2026 where the Police and Violence Reduction Partnership will be chatting to students from all year groups. Stay tuned for further information in the coming weeks.
Following a successful Nationals Tournament last August with the South West Saxons, Arlo has achieved an exciting milestone in his sporting journey. This weekend, he trained with England Touch after being selected for the Under 15 Boys training squad ahead of this year’s International Competition.
Arlo will continue to train monthly with the squad, taking part in competitions throughout the year, before the final event in Warwick this August. His selection is a fantastic achievement and reflects his dedication and hard work in the sport. Incredible!
Emily has truly impressed everyone in the dance department this week. Her dedication and passion for dance are clear in everything she does. As an active member of the Year 7 dance club, Emily consistently demonstrates her skills and enthusiasm during sessions. She is always striving to improve, showing a positive attitude and a strong commitment to her development as a dancer. Well done Emily!
Lola, our Future Chef winner, recently took part in an inspiring mentoring session on 9th January with Chef Greg Popek. During the session, she refined a wide range of culinary techniques and produced an impressive selection of dishes that showcased her creativity and skillset.
Her main course featured pork loin, a quail scotch egg, cauliflower and butter bean, nduja butter, sage, and chicken skin. For dessert, Lola prepared a chocolate mousse served with torched blood orange, hazelnut, and cream. She is now preparing for the final competition, which will take place on Friday 23rd January at Taunton and Bridgwater College.
The Academy is backing Lola all the way, good luck!
The unpredictable weather in January hasn’t phased our students and Team PE, who have shown determination, drive and teamwork in their fixtures this week. Check out the results below:
Year 7 & 8 Indoor Athletics are through to the next round
Congratulations to our entire Year 7 and 8 Indoor Athletics team, who have qualified for the second round of the North Somerset Indoor Athletics Finals. We had some incredible team performances, particularly our Year 7 Girls, who came in a strong second.
We want to give a big shout out to Anna, Penny, Lexi, Lottie, George and Isaac, who each won their events. Well done!
Year 7 finally gets their Netball tournament
After being postponed last term and almost postponed again this week due to the rain, the Year 7 Netball team had a resounding success, with both teams playing great netball and showing amazing teamwork.
The Purple team came 4th out of 9 teams. The player of the tournament was Lottie. The Navy team were undefeated, narrowly missing out on the title on goal difference but finishing an amazing 2nd out of 8 teams. Their player of the tournament was Rebeka. Congratulations to Lottie and Rebeka.
Well done to all who participated in the tournament and attended Netball club and matches in Terms 1 and 2. Team PE are excited to see how KS3 get on in their hockey matches in Terms 3 and 4.
Year 10 Rugby are through to the Semi-Finals
Check out Mr Redman’s match report :
“Ralph Allen were the visitors for this eagerly anticipated County Cup match, played out on a quagmire of a pitch. Both teams went toe-to-toe from the off, with the commitment there for all to see. Churchill’s territorial dominance eventually paid off when they went ahead after twenty minutes, only for Ralph Allen to reply almost immediately to level the scores. With half time fast approaching, Churchill went through the phases, built pressure, and crashed over to take a 14-7 lead at half time.
The second half followed a similar pattern, but it was Ralph Allen who scored next, though they missed the conversion to leave Churchill with a slender 14-12 lead. Both teams had chances to add to the score, but the game came down to the final play when Ralph Allen was awarded a penalty and a chance to snatch the win. The kick looked on straight to begin with, but drifted agonisingly wide of the posts, much to the relief of the Churchill boys.
The game was played with full commitment and in great spirit throughout, with both sets of players showing respect for each other after the final whistle. Churchill now waits to find out who their semifinal opponents will be.”
IPL U13 Boys Cricket team visit Ashton Park
The team travelled to Aston Park to take part in Round 1 of the IPL tournament. They played two games, winning one and drawing one, which has progressed us through to round two.
Player of the day was Barnaby, who had a showstopping moment with an incredible one-handed catch!
Somerset Football Cup Goes to Penalties
Our U15 team played Gordano School in the Somerset Football Cup. It was an incredible game of football, with lots of drama and chances for both teams. The game ultimately went to penalties, which saw a magnificent penalty save by Josh.
In the end, Gordano took the win with a final score of 4-2. Bring on the next round!
Leo delivered an impressive performance at the Winter Nationals Swimming Competition held just before Christmas. Taking on tougher races than usual, he rose to the challenge while also competing in some of his favourite events. His efforts paid off with a silver medal in the 50m Freestyle in his age group.
Even more notably, his time placed him as the second-fastest swimmer in Britain in his age group, an outstanding achievement and a great way to finish the year. Well done Leo!
Joshua, in Year 10, enjoyed a special opportunity over the Christmas break when he was selected to be a flag bearer at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the Spurs vs Liverpool match. Walking out onto the pitch in front of thousands of fans was an exciting and unforgettable experience, and one that made us all incredibly proud.
We are delighted to celebrate not one, but two Dance Stars of the Week as our students have kicked off the new year with incredible enthusiasm and commitment.
This week, Calum and Ben have stood out for their willingness to participate and for confidently sharing their ideas with their classmates. Their positive energy and full commitment are evident in every class, as they consistently give their best effort.
Well done, Calum and Ben – keep up the amazing work!
We are delighted to announce that tickets are now on sale for our upcoming production, which is shaping up to be an unmissable run! Along with an unbelievably talented cast and production team, we have the UK tour set all within a professional theatre.
The shows will be held at the Playhouse Theatre in Weston-Super-Mare from the 25th to the 27th February 2026.
Cast Performances
Opening Night and the Thursday evening performance will feature the Bend Cast on stage. The Snap Cast will perform the Thursday Matinee before returning to the stage to bring it home on Friday night with a show-stopping performance. You can expect high energy and confidence from both cast and crew.
Performance Schedule
Opening Night – Bend Cast
Thursday Matinee – Snap Cast
Thursday Evening – Bend Cast
Friday Night – Snap Cast
Don’t miss out! Tickets will sell fast, so make sure to secure yours and come along to support our incredibly talented students.
Ticket prices are £23 (Adult) / £19 (Children) per person and must be purchased in advance.
We can’t wait to welcome you to the audience, and we encourage you to wear a touch of pink!
We were immensely proud to host an evening showcasing the exceptional talent, bravery, and professionalism of our Year 12 Performing Arts students.
Our students performed powerful selections from Les Misérables, delivering performances with remarkable talent, discipline and maturity. Their technical skills, vocal control and emotional commitment were among the strongest we have ever witnessed. The professionalism demonstrated reflected industry-level standards and showed how far focused training can take young performers.
Equally compelling were our students who approached Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis with sensitivity, care and artistic intelligence. Due to the text's challenging nature, audience members signed a disclosure before the performance.
The piece was delivered in the style of Artaud’s Theatre of Cruelty, creating an immersive and unsettling experience. Audience members were blindfolded, surrendering their senses and becoming part of a visceral exploration of pain, torture, and emotional intensity. What followed was a sacrifice of the senses, driven by professional-grade acting that provoked deep reactions and sparked conversation long after the performance ended.
This evening perfectly demonstrated the strength of our specialist pathways at Sixth Form. At Churchill Academy & Sixth Form, students can specialise in Acting, Musical Theatre, or Dance, allowing them to refine their craft, develop industry-relevant skills and grow as confident, expressive performers.
Our BTEC Performing Arts courses are designed to support students passionate about performance, offering expert teaching, professional guidance, and real performance opportunities. For anyone considering a future in the performing arts industry, this is a place where talent is nurtured, ambition is encouraged and excellence is expected.
We could not be prouder of our Year 12 students. Their commitment, courage and artistry truly represent the very best of the Churchill Academy & Sixth Form values and ethos. We look forward to inviting the next generation of performers as we push those boundaries even further.
In October, we asked families of students in Years 7 and 12 to complete a “settling-in” survey to help us understand how the transition into a new phase of education at Churchill had gone.
We had a fantastic response to the survey and we’re pleased to share the outcome with you.
Benchmarking
The results from the survey have been benchmarked against responses from similar schools, helping us gain a clear understanding of how the Academy compares with feedback from families at comparable schools nationwide. The image below provides an overview of the data for each question and how the Academy tracks against the benchmarked data.
As you can see from the breakdown above:
89% of families feel their child has a good experience of school at Churchill Academy & Sixth Form, compared to 75% nationally - a 14% difference!
92% of parents said it was easy to contact the school, beating the national benchmark by 10%.
Our responses to families scored 11% higher than the national benchmark
Satisfaction with the amount of communication received from the school is 18% higher than the national benchmark
Student Transition Programme
Our Admissions and Transition teams have developed a transition programme that helps students moving from primary education or into post-16 education adjust to a new way of learning and their new environment seamlessly and positively.
We’re proud to share that the provision we offer has been endorsed by our families as good as, or better than, the national average on every single metric across the questionnaire.
Additional Feedback
Families also had the opportunity to give us feedback in free text. Parents of Year 7 students noted:
That their children particularly enjoy the variety of subjects offered, including favourites such as Art, Drama and Spanish.
Making friends and participating in extracurricular activities, such as sports and clubs, were significant highlights.
Parents mentioned the supportive teachers and the school environment that encourages independence and new experiences.
The food choices and improved lunches compared to primary school were mentioned positively, along with the school’s commitment to nurturing students.
Sixth Form parents were also very positive about the transition into post-16 education. One family commented,
“He likes all his teachers, the quality of teaching, the site layout and the level of trust they are given as students in year 12.”
Another said… “[she] Likes the teachers, likes the familiarity, likes the independence and the fact she is treated more grown up now that she is in 6th form. It is also very local, modern and has a lovely green space.”
Another said… “we are so grateful that we were offered a place in sixth form!”
Areas for Improvement
The survey also provided us with helpful points to ensure we keep improving our provision, including clear communication around specific areas and information for students unfamiliar with Churchill, concerns about site cleaning in certain areas of the school and feedback about the lunch queues. With this crucial feedback, we have been able to address all of these issues and ensure that we make the experience for families in the future even better than it is now.
Outcome
We are very grateful to all the families who took the time to complete the survey - both for the positive endorsement of our transition arrangements and for the helpful feedback to help us improve further.
In addition, we are proud to confirm that the Academy now holds the Parent Friendly Schools charter mark, and we look forward to working more closely in partnership with families to ensure students have access to the best possible experience at secondary school and sixth form.