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Daisy is such an enthusiastic and positive student who never fails to bring 100% energy to every rehearsal and lesson she attends.
Daisy is a highly valued member of the Year 9 Dance Company and has shown great improvement with her dance technique during her time at Churchill.
Daisy is taking BTEC Dance next year as she moves into Year 10 and we can't wait to see what she achieves. Well done!
It was another successful week in sports here at the Academy. Read how we got on below:
U13 Girls Cricket Break Two Centuries
Our U13 Girls Cricket team put their incredible skills on display as they took on the IPL Cricket tournament - scoring an unbelievable 200+ runs across both matches.
They have moved through to the next round.
Player of the Match was awarded to Mia for her determination throughout. Well done!
Year 9 & 10 Netball Take on Hans Price on Home Ground
Our Year 9 and 10 Netball teams welcomed Hans Price Academy to Churchill this week for two exciting matches. Year 9 were up first, putting in a great effort against a strong team, and finished their game in a draw, 6-6.
Next up, Year 10 took their game to a whole new level, securing a very well-earned victory with a final score of 27-4. Incredible work!
Last week’s STP sessions saw our innovative Year 13 students take on a creative sustainability challenge. Students were tasked with recycling a piece of common festival rubbish and transforming it into a practical, marketable product that could realistically be sold at festivals.
The materials available reflected the kinds of waste typically left behind at large events and included crisp cylinders, polystyrene cups, aluminium trays, plastic straws and wooden clothes pegs. Using these items, students applied design thinking, creativity and problem-solving skills to develop upcycled products that offered both function and environmental benefit.
The challenge didn’t stop at product design. Students were also required to create a social media campaign to promote their invention, building awareness around both their product and the wider issue of waste at festivals. This encouraged them to consider branding, target audiences and the role of digital platforms in driving social change.
The session highlighted students’ ability to think innovatively about sustainability while developing entrepreneurial and communication skills. By reimagining waste as opportunity, Year 13 demonstrated how small ideas can contribute to bigger environmental solutions.
This year’s poetry competition saw an impressive turnout, with over 70 students submitting entries across the Academy. After a week of careful deliberation by the English department, the final winners were announced, celebrating creativity, originality, and thoughtful engagement with this year’s themes: Time and Technology.
Students explored a wide range of ideas through their poetry, touching on loss, betrayal, the unsettling speed at which time passes, and how technology reshapes our lives. Many poems reflected on change and its emotional impact, demonstrating both maturity and imagination across all year groups.
The overall winner, securing a £20 Amazon voucher, was Fran with the poem “Time”. Leela achieved second place with her poem “Devotee”, while Eliza claimed third place for “Beware of time, my love”.
A special mention goes to Grace, who placed 8th overall and achieved first place in Lancaster, an outstanding accomplishment as a Year 7 student.
Congratulations to all students who took part. The standard of entries was exceptionally high, and all winners will receive a certificate in recognition of their contribution and achievement.
We were delighted to welcome Tessa Munt MP to the Academy last week, where she met with Sixth Form Politics students and a select group of students from the main school.
During her visit, Tessa spoke openly about her journey into Politics, sharing the experiences that led her to Westminster and the motivations behind her work as a Member of Parliament. She also discussed some of the key challenges she faces representing a large rural constituency, including transport, access to services, and balancing the needs of diverse communities.
Following her talk, students were given the opportunity to ask questions, leading to a wide-ranging and thought-provoking discussion. Topics included the rising cost of public transport, proposals to ban or regulate social media, and Tessa’s experiences as a woman working in Westminster.
The session provided students with valuable insights into life in Politics and the realities of representing constituents, while encouraging thoughtful debate on issues affecting young people today. We would like to thank Tessa Munt MP for taking the time to visit and for engaging so positively with our students.
On Wednesday evening, St John the Baptist Church was filled to capacity for the annual Churchill Young Musician Competition, an event that once again showcased the exceptional musical talent within the community. An enthusiastic audience was treated to a diverse and impressive programme of performances from Izzy (Year 12, Voice), Ned (Year 13, Piano), Molly (Year 10, Violin), Ella (Year 11, Voice), Luna (Year 10, Piano) and Jamie (Year 13, Tenor Horn). Each performer demonstrated remarkable musical maturity, technical assurance and expressive confidence.
A special highlight of the evening was the featured performance by Ash (Year 13), who delivered a moving rendition of If I Could Tell Her from Dear Evan Hansen to mark her award of the Raymond Hayter Song Prize. The competition also saw several other well-deserved awards presented: Izzy won the Ursula Dornton Vocal Trophy with a sparkling performance of I Could Have Danced All Night; Jamie captured the Audience Award thanks to his silky tone and engaging introduction; and Luna was crowned Churchill Young Musician of the Year following a commanding piano performance of works by Debussy and Chopin.
The distinguished panel of judges, Julian Forbes, Holly Greenwood-Rogers and Helena Torpy, were unanimous in their praise during the closing comments and provided the students with thoughtful, detailed feedback. Sincere thanks go to the Churchill Music team for creating such a valuable platform for young musicians, and to accompanists Stuart Phippen and Alison Blundell for their vital contribution on the night.
Echoing Mr Hildrew’s closing remarks, all in attendance felt privileged to witness the meeting of outstanding young talent with such a rich range of historic music. Please join us in congratulating Izzy, Ned, Molly, Ella, Luna, Jamie and Ash on their superb achievements.
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It has been another successful week for Team PE this week. Read how they got on below:
Churchill Crowned Hockey Plate Champions
Our KS4 Hockey team faced St Katherines School this week in a wet and windy Hockey Plate championship. Our team demonstrated their incredible skills as they won the match 4-0!
Player of the match was awarded to Agnes, and we want to say a massive thank you to our players who stepped in at the last minute due to absences. Well done all!
KS3 Hockey Kick Off Their Season
Our Year 7 & 8 students had their first Hockey game of the season this week, playing against Sidcot School. It was an excellent match, ultimately Sidcot took the win with a final score of 4-2.
The player of the match was Reuben, well done!
U16 Football Quarter Finals Provide a Smashing Match
Our U16 Girls Football team had a smashing match against Millfield this week. It was the quarter finals of the cup, and everybody put their best foot forward. Ultimately Millfield took the win, but not without a fight with the final score coming in at 5-3.
Players of the match were awarded to Maisie and Meg. Well done!
Year 10 & 11’s First Netball Game of the Year
It was Churchill VS Sidcot School for the Year 10 & 11 Netball team this week in their first competitive game of the year. Due to the extreme weather conditions, the games had to be shortened but that didn’t stop the fun.
Year 10 were up first, kickstarting the afternoon with a tense game, ending in victory for Churchill with a 9-6 final score. Erin was named Player of the Match.
Year 11 put up a good fight, showing their true determination with Sidcot ultimately taking the win 6-4. Erin was named Player of the Match once again!
Well done to all our players, onto the next one!
Freya is a valued member of our Year 7 Dance Club, she consistently demonstrates strong commitment and enthusiasm. Her positive attitude at every rehearsal is clear to all and we are excited to see how she progresses over the coming years. Well done Freya!
Families and Students in Years 10 to 13 are invited to an Apprenticeship Twilight Talk online via Microsoft Teams from 6–7pm on Wednesday 4th February.
This event is designed to help students and families understand apprenticeships as a Post-16 or Post-18 option ahead of National Apprenticeship Week (w/c 9th February).
The session will provide an introduction to apprenticeships, including:
What apprenticeships are and how they work.
Guidance on securing an apprenticeship, which is not a course but a job, and requires applying for vacancies and navigating a recruitment process.
The talk will be led by Suzie McGonigal, Careers Adviser, with a guest presentation by Emma Cox, Chair of the West Midlands Apprenticeship Ambassador Network and UK Talent Lead – Early Careers at Müller.
How to Join:
No registration is required. Simply follow the Microsoft Teams link below at 6pm on the day to join the session.
Some of the Academy's top scientists had a fantastic time at the South West Regional Physics Challenge in Exeter this week. Millie, Emilia, Xavier, Monty, Emma, Francesca, Tomos and Isaac were amongst more than 20 teams of Year 10 and Year 11 students from across the region.
Across three demanding rounds, they pitted their brains and their calculators against some fiendishly tricky questions, ranging from “How long would a swimming pool of mayonnaise last?” to “What is the density of a block that floats three-quarters submerged in a bath of water and oil?” In the practical round, teams had to use creativity and ingenuity to measure the density of the air in the room using nothing more than a sheet of paper and a length of string.
The room buzzed with shared ideas and eureka moments as students collaborated in a race against time to complete as many challenges as possible. Our students all had a brilliant time, and their exemplary teamwork earned them the top score in the Fermi questions round, a real triumph in our first appearance at this event.
The future of Churchill Physics is bright!
Caitlin delivered an excellent performance at the Southern Zonal Schools Trampolining competition last Sunday, competing against some of the strongest athletes in the region.
She qualified for the event back in December after finishing an impressive 7th in the South West, securing her place among the top 13 athletes who progressed to the zonal stage. At Sunday’s competition, Caitlin achieved her highest scores to date and finished 17th in a highly competitive field of 67 trampolinists.
Although only the top five competitors advanced to the national finals, Caitlin’s performance represents a significant personal achievement. We are incredibly proud of her effort and the determination she showed in this huge competition.
On Wednesday 28th January, the Lighthouse Schools Regional Vocabulary Competition Final took place at the Academy.
Developing a strong vocabulary is central to our curriculum provision at the Academy, and we were delighted to see vocabulary celebrated in this way. Students from each of the four LSP Secondary Schools competed, tackling a range of challenging vocabulary activities, from ‘Name the Opposite Word’ to ‘Quick Draw’, where their knowledge of sophisticated words such as ‘besmirch’ and ‘peripatetic’ was put to the test.
The overall winner and runner-up were Megan and Tom from Gordano. We are extremely proud to see Eden from Churchill secure third place.
Congratulations to all who took part, and to the Academy’s English Department for organising the competition.