Sports Day 2023

Sports Day 2023 was a success on so many levels. From the high quality athletics to the feverish support of their peers, all students were involved in creating a wonderful atmosphere at Torre Valley North last Friday.  It is not often you see one record broken in a year but this year we had 10 broken, 3 of these by one individual Toby Moxham, 7B.

Toby broke both the Year 7 100m and 200m individual records, whilst being part of the Burgh house relay team that broke the Year 7 4x100m record (an event in which the top 3 teams broke the previous best).

Alongside this Ise Aworinde broke 2 records, Year 9 Long Jump and was part of the Year 9 Rougemont relay team that broke the record.  Mention should also go to Ruben O’Neil Cutipa who broke the Year 7 High Jump record, the Year 8, 9 and 12 Goodrington ‘B’ Relay Teams and the Year 12 Burgh team for breaking the relay records.

Overall at the end of an excellent day the standing were as follows, with Rougemont being crowned winners of Sports Day 2023.
1. Rougemont
2. Burgh
3. Goodrington
4. Fox Tor
5. Haldon
6. Dart

Ten Tors 2023

It is with huge delight that I am able to report all of our six teams, thirty-six students in all, successfully completed Ten Tors 2023. A huge congratulations to all students who engaged with the event but also the training process. We have trained about eighty different students this year and each will have gained something from the experience so well done to all of them. Also, a big thank you to staff for volunteering huge amounts of their personal time and their commitment to TBGS students. The same goes to our colleagues from the National Trust, in particular Pete Davies, without whose expertise the programme in its current form would not be possible.

Lights Up on Washington Heights

Torquay Boys’ Grammar School is reaching for the heights, preparing this year’s musical, In The Heights.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Students from both TBGS and TGGS have joined forces, as is annual tradition, and have been busily preparing the spring spectacular, since September. This year’s show is an upbeat homage to life in Washington Heights, a largely Dominican neighbourhood of modern-day New York.

Imagined by Lin Manuel Miranda, who brought us Hamilton and Encanto, this story is full of toe-tapping Salsa and hip-hop infused rhythms that are sure to be crowd pleasers. The story follows the characters balancing their hopes and dreams against the pull of finding a sense of home and belonging amongst their local community.

The cast have learnt many new skills with adapting to a very different style of music, and the 70 cast have worked really hard on perfecting the choral harmonies that make this show so uplifting, especially when accompanied by the talented 20+ strong orchestra.

The story is narrated by Usnavi (Jono Chant-Stevens), who runs a small bodega with his nephew Sonny (Charlie Baker). The shop sits alongside a cab company run by the Kevin and Camila Rosario (Josh Escott and Chloe Firrell) and Daniella and Carla’s (Grace Williams and Evie Perkins) salon. The community that interact within this small district of shops witnesses the blossoming relationships of Benny (Piran Wills) and Nina (Charlotte Key), and Vanessa (Hermoine Whetton) and Usnavi, alongside the daily struggles of Carla (Evie Perkins), a street seller, Piragua Guy (David Cooper) and local vandal, Graffiti Pete (Fin Gribbin), and all held together by the matriarchal figurehead of Abuela Claudia (Ellie Schaefer Davis).

With so many students involved, this is sure to be a powerful and uplifting production with something for everyone. Tickets are available now: www.tbgs.co.uk/whats-on. The production is often sold out by the end of the week, so book in advance to avoid disappointment.

The Future is Bright for TBGS IB Students Following Results Day Triumph

Nervous smiles quickly turned to happy ones on the 5 of July when the 55 IB students collected their results.  They performed exceedingly well achieving with an average point score of 38.5% – the school’s highest ever! Their triumph is even more impressive when considered in wider context; the last time that students sat exams in 2019 the worldwide average was 30 points. Oxbridge offers start at 38 points and 34 of the 55 students achieved a score of 38 or higher. Half of the cohort scored 40 points (equivalent to 4 A* grades at A level) or better.  Clearly, their dedication and hard work paid off with a set of phenomenal results that all 55 can be rightly proud of.

While all of the cohort have earned hearty congratulations it is worth noting that 6 students – William Aitken, Michael Sinnott, Isobel Thomas, Max Fullalove, Max Bowden and Sam Grimshaw – achieved 44 out of 45 points. In 2019 the percentage of students achieving a score of 44 or higher worldwide was 1.2%, and with these results, 11% of our cohort achieved this score. Further success came with Rupert Hill, Jack Jones and Sarah Probert all earning places at Oxford and Max Fullalove gaining a spot at Cambridge.

The International Baccalaureate is a high status qualification respected by universities and employers, as it develops lifelong skills – critical thinking, broad knowledge, open-mindedness. Students have to continue study of English, Maths, Science, a social science, and a language.

The uncertainties of the last few years make the outstanding performances of these 55 students even more impressive.  Not only did they all face the challenges of remote learning, but until May, they had had never sat formal public examinations.  Their impressive results are, therefore, not only evidence of their high academic abilities and hard work but also a testament to their sterling qualities as human beings.  We wish them the best of luck in all their future endeavours as they build on the impressive foundations they have laid.

Ten Tors 2022

Congratulations to all six TBGS and National Trust teams who successfully completed this year’s Ten Tors Challenge!

The Ten Tors 2022 event was preceded by some trepidation but also anticipation this year. After two years of the event being unfortunately cancelled, it was a relief to be finally able to restore this hugely beneficial part of school life.

At the beginning of the year, it was clear to see the pent-up frustrations of students living under lockdowns with over one hundred students signing up to be involved in the event. Over the course of a year’s tough training, this became 37 competitors and reserves for the Ten Tors weekend.

Huge congratulations go to these 37 students for what they have achieved this year. As a teacher, it is so heart-warming to see the best characteristics encapsulated so prominently in a group of young people.

Leadership, team work, resilience, and maturity were all on full display over the Ten Tors event and both Torquay Boys’ Grammar School and National Trust Teams put in very impressive performances.

The TBGS 45s came back 1st in the morning and the NT 45s 3rd in their distance. All 35-mile teams across the two organisations came back before 2:30pm.

As always, so many thanks are needed for so many people who make a year’s worth of training at weekends and all the preparation and organisation for the event possible. Particular thanks of course to our colleagues in the National Trust and particularly Pete Davies.

We have had 19 adult helpers this year, and without them we simply would not be able to provide such an opportunity to young people. We are sincerely grateful. Well done to all and bring on 2023!

Burgh House lead collection for Ukraine

Thank you so much to all of the parents and students who donated items to our appeal at the start of March. We were completely overwhelmed by the generosity of our school community – as were Torbay Rotary Club who organised the collection and delivery of all the much needed items to Ukraine and Poland.

Thank you also to the team of sixth forms and staff who helped to sort all the donations, label all of the bags and boxes and transport the huge volume of donated goods between different parts of the school – it really was a team effort!

Attend the Tale of Sweeney Todd…

Students from Torquay Boys’ and Girls’ Grammar schools have just completed an electric production of Sweeney Todd, held over four nights in the Cavannah Centenary Hall, March 8-11, 2022.

Work started six months before with rehearsals for cast and orchestra, at the start of the academic year: those familiar with the show will know it is a huge challenge in terms of complexity of the music, characterisation and staging. Despite the hurdles to overcome (blood special effects, teasing out the light with such dark characters, and endless music-action cues, to name a few) it turned about to be the perfect show choice as a spectacular to welcome the community back to school as we edge back to normal from the pandemic.

Over 100 people were involved either on or off stage, as well as in the orchestra; all their contributions were invaluable in bringing the story to life on stage, and no doubt a hair-raising experience that will be long remembered.

The Forum After Hours

Language: Friend or Foe? 

Wed 23rd March 2022

3.45 – 6pm

This event marks an exciting new era of collaboration and mutual exchange between TGGS and TBGS. It is open to anyone in Years 9 – 13 from both schools and is an opportunity to discuss a range of gender-related topics such as feminism, abortion and human rights in small, safe community of enquiry groups. Welcome refreshments and a buffet tea are included in the ticket price. Please ensure your school email address is given at the checkout so that you can have exclusive access to the pre-event stimulus materials. Also let us know if transport home could be an issue. All enquiries about this event to sgodfrey@tbgs.torbay.sch.uk

National Cup U15 Rugby Success

Congratulations to the year 10 rugby team on reaching the national vase final at Twickenham, following their semi final in Worcester on the 5th of March 2022

School Musical 2022

Tickets are on sale now!

Sweeney Todd is the infamous tale of an embittered barber, whose quest for revenge on London society for his being wrongly convicted, sees his victims cooked in Mrs Lovett’s Meat Pies.

Students have been working hard to learn all the music, choreography and staging of this spectacle of a show since September, and can’t wait to share this macabre world with you.

Tickets can be purchased here: Torquay Boys’ Grammar School (parentpay.com)

The show starts at 7pm each night. The usual bar, popcorn and icecreams will be on sale, and as a special treat this year, you can get boxed hot pies and chips (courtesy of Chef Bea), each evening to savour as you wait for the show to start.

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