Academy News

This year’s Activities Week was nothing short of extraordinary, with students partaking in adventures near and far. From the sunny beaches of Cornwall to the vibrant streets of Paris, our students seized every opportunity to learn, grow, and have fun!

In Paris, they strolled along the Seine, perfected their French and took in the stunning views from the Eiffel Tower. Meanwhile, students in Belgium attended a moving ceremony at The Menin Gate, paying their respects to the fallen of WWI, an unforgettable and humbling experience.

In Italy, the group in Sicily witnessed nature’s power with an eruption at Stromboli, hiked to the Etna Crater and explored fascinating Sicilian caves. 

Back in the UK, students in Cornwall made the most of a sun-filled week in Newquay, learning to surf, enjoying beach games and soaking in the seaside atmosphere every day.

For those who stayed closer to home, Activities Week was packed with excitement. Students splashed down at the Aqua Park, faced their fears on rollercoasters at Paultons Park and Drayton Manor, tested their stealth at Airsoft, and even attempted a jailbreak challenge at Shepton Mallet Prison!

Back at the Academy, the fun didn’t stop. Students immersed themselves in a wide range of activities:

• Bushcraft sessions brought survival skills to life

• Journalism workshops developed storytelling talents

• Dance, sports and chess challenged students physically and mentally

• Creative minds shone in jewellery making

• Enthusiasts got competitive with FIFA tournaments

• The skies were the limit in the aviation-themed Come Fly With Me

• And so much more!

It’s been incredible to see our students step out of their comfort zones, try something new and make lifelong memories. Whether they were braving waves, climbing volcanoes, or chasing goals on the pitch, one thing was clear: Activities Week 2025 may just have been our best one yet.

We’re already counting down the days to next year!

Over the course of Term 6, we have welcomed selected groups of students and families from each House into the Academy Hall for our Celebration of Success evenings. The evening is an opportunity to recognise our students for their achievements and hard work throughout the year, as well as to honour our House Value champions for this academic year.

We asked our staff what they love about these evenings:

Mr Hildrew, Headteacher of Churchill Academy & Sixth Form:

It has been a great pleasure to award certificates to students across all five houses at our Celebration of Success events.

The awards celebrate students who have demonstrated excellent attitudes to learning, effort, behaviour and conduct, or who exemplify the Academy's values of kindness, curiosity and determination. Tutors also nominate the much-desired "tutee of the year" from their tutor groups!

Finally, the events are an opportunity to officially welcome the new House Captains to each house. Many congratulations to all the students nominated for an award! 

Mrs Taylor, Head of Lancaster House:

The Lancaster Celebration of Success was a lovely opportunity to come together and celebrate the achievements of students in Lancaster. It was a pleasure to stand on stage, look out at the positive faces and share pride in the students’ success.

These awards enabled us to acknowledge the less public achievements that occur day in and day out at the Academy. My favourite part is hearing all the reasons the tutors give for their tutees of the year, with special credit to Mr Thomas for reading part of his in a foreign language.

Well done to all students who were invited to the evening - you are all stars! 

Lancaster House Value Champions:

Kindness: Charlotte
Determination: Paige
Curiosity: Joey

Mrs Crocker, Acting Head of Stuart House:

It has been a pleasure to serve as the Acting Head of House this term, a significant part of which included attending the Celebration of Success evening, where we had the opportunity to celebrate many of the incredible achievements of our students. 

Well done to everybody who received an award, we have a great set of students in Stuart house and all your hard work and effort does not go unnoticed. 

Stuart House Value Champions:

Kindness: Niya
Determination: George
Curiosity: Isla

Mrs Blackburn, Head of Tudor House:

The Tudor Celebration of Success was an inspirational evening for us all. It brought joy to see the Tudor families come together to celebrate the achievements of our students.

We always enjoy giving out these awards, as it recognises the hard work and effort our students pour into their studies each year. It fills me with pride to be the Head of such a wonderful house.

Well done to all our Tudor students – you’re all fantastic!

Tudor House Value Champions:

Kindness: Mason
Determination: Emily-Grace
Curiosity: Sophia 

Mr Redman, Head of Windsor House:

Tuesday Evening saw over 60 Windsor students and their families gather for the annual Celebration of Success. All the students in attendance had been nominated by their teachers for their positive engagement, progress and tremendous attitude throughout the academic year. 

In addition to recognising their academic achievements, we were also celebrating the qualities that these students display consistently throughout the year - ones that will stand them in good stead throughout their lives. 

Celebrating the many successes of these Windsor students was an uplifting and fitting way to round off the year. Congratulations to all of the award winners! 

Windsor House Value Champions:

Kindness: Harry
Determination: Leo
Curiosity: Evalyn

Mr Slater, Head of Hanover House: 

We had a fantastic time celebrating the achievements of Hanover students at our celebration of success on Wednesday. A raucous crowd whooped and cheered every student onto the stage to collect their awards, much to the embarrassment of some students!

It was undoubtedly a brilliant way to end the term and the students involved should be very proud of their accomplishments this year. 

Hanover House Value Champions:

Kindness: Lewis
Determination: Lilly
Curiosity: Alfie

The English High Attainers Awards Ceremony was held this week to celebrate some of the amazing extra-curricular English challenges completed by students from Years 8, 9 and 10.

The challenges put in front of them ranged from 'teaching an activity to a class' to 'sitting in on an A-Level lesson' and from researching your favourite author, to spotting grammatical errors on restaurant menus!

One of the most popular challenges was 'Do your GCSE English early for fun' and a large number of Year 8s and 9s proved they had sufficient ability to pass the exam 2 or 3 years ahead of time!

Huge congratulations goes out to all those involved in the scheme, especially Hanna and Ella who both earned Gold award certificates this year!

Here at the Academy, we are proud to be part of the Fish Heroes Programme, an inspiring initiative that ensures every child has the opportunity to prepare, cook and enjoy fish before leaving school. The programme promotes both essential cookery skills and healthy eating habits.

This week, we were delighted to welcome Simon Gray, a representative of the Fish Heroes Programme, who delivered three engaging lessons to our Year 9 students. These students have chosen to study GCSE Food & Nutrition starting this September, and Simon's sessions offered them a fantastic head start.

Throughout the lessons, students learned about various types of fish, sustainable fishing practices, and key preparation, cooking, and presentation techniques. Their enthusiasm and focus were matched by the high-quality ingredients provided for the sessions.

We were incredibly fortunate to receive a generous donation of fresh fish from The Fishmongers' Company. Their support helped create an exciting and hands-on learning experience that the students will not forget. 

A huge thank you goes to Simon Gray, The Fishmongers' Company, and everyone involved in the Fish Heroes Programme for their generosity and knowledge. You've helped spark a passion for cooking that will benefit our students for years to come.

Our students have produced some truly outstanding pieces of art this term, so much so, it was impossible to choose just one for Artwork of the Term! 

Thomas (Year 7) impressed us with his Fauvism-inspired landscape, using bold colours and expressive mark-making in oil pastels.

Talia (Year 9) created a beautiful textile piece inspired by fallen leaves and nature, combining printing techniques with delicate hand embroidery.

Monty (Year 9) wowed us with his observational portrait drawings, showcasing excellent use of line and tone in pencil.

We’re incredibly proud of the creativity and talent on display—well done to all our young artists!

Teresa has worked really hard in Dance this year, representing the Academy at the North Somerset Dance Festival and the Strictly Dance Fever competition. 

Teresa continues to impress us with her development of skills, leadership and dedication to dance. Well done Teresa!