Author: Paul Radmore

Dr Ben King, a Geography teacher here at Churston for 19 years, is the first teacher in Devon to become a United Nations accredited Climate Change Teacher and one of 80 initially trained in the UK.  Dr King can now deliver up to date climate change lessons to his students at Churston Ferrers Grammar School. He used our recent Inset day to film a Masterclass on how to complete the United Nations Climate Change Lead Teachers’ (eduCCate) Course and this will be released soon.

Dr King, Teacher of Geography, Science and Business Studies at Churston Ferrers Grammar School, says, “I was very excited to see that this United Nations Certified course was being offered.  For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in environmental issues and my Environmental Science degree from the University of Stirling in the early 1990s really enhanced my understanding of Climate Change Science and related issues; I studied Physics alongside Environmental Science and then moved to Exeter University to pursue my Ph.D. research into soil erosion in agricultural catchments, focusing on the Exe Estuary near Starcross in South Devon. Following subsequent PGCE training at St. Luke’s in Exeter, I have since taught a variety of subject areas in both Plymouth and Torbay.  Throughout my 20 years of teaching, I have taught children about Climate Change from a variety of perspectives, from the ages of 11-18, and I have witnessed great advances in understanding of Climate Change Science and wider issues relating to different impacts around the World. I have really enjoyed learning the new content provided by this UN Climate Change course and I am very excited to begin disseminating this information to my students, via other staff in the school.

Please see www.educcateglobal.org to find out more about the FREE online United Nations course – open to all.

The UN Climate Change Teacher Academy is being delivered by Harwood Education, in partnership with the One United Nations Climate Change Learning Partnership (UN CC:Learn) and sponsored by YPO. Not only will teachers be able to teach their pupils vital lessons about climate change but they will also earn CPD and certification from the United Nations.

The innovative programme was launched on April 22 is free for primary and secondary school teachers. All they need to do is log onto the Climate Change Teacher Academy to access the free lessons. Once teachers have completed the five units of the Climate Change Teacher Course, they will be accredited by UN CC:Learn to deliver climate change facts and mitigation best practices. They will be able to encourage and generate social innovation, and prepare today’s youth to protect the planet.

The online training for teachers in primary and secondary schools has been designed to equip educators with the knowledge and confidence to deliver lessons on the topic of climate change to their class and across the school curriculum.

A target of 80 schools are being urged to sign up to take part in an initial trial of the course, lasting around two months, which covers topics including climate change science, gender and environment, children and climate change, cities and climate change, and human health. The programme will then be made available to all schools across the UK with first lessons expected to be delivered in the classroom from the end of June.

An extremely successful Whole School Careers Fair took place in the Sixth Form Centre this term. It attracted almost thirty exhibitors ranging from further and higher education providers, employers and other organisations. The event was well supported by former students who attended the event to showcase their career pathways since leaving Churston. Our students particularly enjoyed visiting the NHS representatives, where they had the opportunity to participate in numerous practical activities using mannequins and observing the use of surgical implements and procedures. The Armed Forces also proved popular, with our students experiencing reaction challenges, and an exhilarating parachute jump via virtual reality headsets. All of our exhibitors have agreed to continue to support the school and our careers education programme.

Churston’s very own Fergus Caskey-Sutton has been selected for the England U15 boys team to play in a prestigious international tournament in Copenhagen this month. Fergus has been playing basketball for six years, both at school and for the Torbay Tigers. Coaches Norman Waldron and Rick Wooldridge have been coaching talented players for the school and club for over 40 years. Rick has coached Fergus this season in both the school and the club U18 squads, reaching the National Schools semi finals. Rick said: “Fergus has played against teams three or four years older this season and has more than held his own.” “He has been in the starting five for a large number of games and is able to contribute in many areas of the game besides scoring.” Good Luck fergus!

The French exchange was a great success again this year.  A happy cohort of twenty year 9 pupils went to Brittany accompanied by Mrs Reeve, Miss Lisse and Mrs Bright. We travelled in March and spent one week in Quimper, the French penpals joined us in May here in Torbay. The French exchange is an incredibly enriching trip: on top of the cultural and language input, pupils also make new connections, new friends and really experience the French way of life.

This exchange offers the children the opportunity to run activities with primary school children in France, they also visit museums and places of interest, marine centres, creperies, hypermarkets, they go bowling with 
their penpals and much more.

The opportunity to speak French is there at all times as children spend their afternoons and their evening meals at their penpals’ house. They then share what they have experienced when back at hotel for the evening.

We are very fortunate to have an excellent relationship with *le college de la Sabliere* and we have had this strong connection for the past ten years.

It is wonderful to see the children enjoy their time together with their friends from Churston but also with their penpals. The cultural, emotional and linguistic gains make this trip a very special one.

Madame Bright

Churston works closely with 17 primary schools to support the KS2 Framework for languages. Primary workshops in French or Spanish are run by Mrs Bright on a fortnightly basis, the school welcomes years four,  five and their teachers. The aim is to consolidate the language learnt at primary school through games, quizzes, running dictations. An array of interactive strategies help the children have fun and learn new expressions, customs which they then pass on to their peers when they go back to school.

Play and learn!

Isabelle Bright 

Head of Modern Foreign Languages

Churston Ferrers Grammar School is proud of its strong links with primary schools in the bay: French and Spanish workshops are offered at Churston on a fortnightly basis for children aged eight to ten; sixth formers play a big part in this connection too!

The pictures were taken at Shiphay Academy where year 12 students taught French, Spanish, German and Italian to years four, five and six during their French week!

All of the students were a credit to Churston, they delivered well -paced, fun and interactive lessons , there is no doubt that the future of our country is in excellentes mains! The sixth formers deployed an array of games and engaging  activities to enthuse young children and help them develop further their interest in language learning.

The lessons were “wunderbar” and needless to say that it was heartbreaking for the children to say “adios amigos!”  

Sarah year 5 said “I loved the lessons, I want to learn all the languages that exist in the world, I had so much fun!”

y 12 student reflecting on the day: “The children were really enthusiastic and excited to be learning a foreign language and were very willing to contribute. Also the students showed good knowledge retention and were able to answer questions throughout the session. Also everyone in our group contributed to the presentation and when they weren’t presenting, did a good job of mixing with the children”.

Churston students have once again performed well in the Chemistry Olympiad competition. Six students from Year 13 tackled a number of difficult problems, including questions on nerve agent poisons and the neonicotinoid pesticides that are so harmful to bees. The standards are so high that certificates are only awarded to the top two thirds of entrants, yet all our students were successful. Bronze certificates were awarded to Ellen Harman and Kris Shears. Bethan Thomas, Felicity Dunn, Max Toy and Ben Lavers received the silver certificates presented to the top third of candidates. Special congratulations go to Max and Ben, who missed the gold award for the top 8% of students by only two marks.

Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th May saw just under 100 students take to the stage and perform a night of dance performances inspired by traditional and modern fairy tales. With pieces from Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Alice in Wonderland, styles ranged from ballet to contemporary to tap with dancers from year 7 to 12 involved. Featuring for the first time was the newly formed ‘Boys Crew’ sharing their Parkour inspired piece with impressive lift work and vaulting. We were lucky enough to be joined by Year 2 pupils from Galmpton Primary who, led by the Year 10 Dance Leaders, performed a fantastic version of ‘Heigh Ho’ from Snow White and The Seven Dwarves. Thursday night’s performance even saw some brave members of staff entertain us all! Audience members were wowed by the talent and professionalism students showcased. The months of rehearsals were truly worth while for all involved.

Over two weekends in May our 90 Bronze DofE participants completed their practice expedition in fine style. The routes they walked took them straight from the school door down through the Dart valley, for a river crossing at Dittisham or Kingswear, before heading to their camp for the evening – many thanks to Stoke Fleming Primary School for the continued support in the loan of their beautiful field. All 14 teams showed great determination, and there were many new skills learnt along the way.  Everyone enjoyed being out in our fabulous local countryside, developing a new appreciation for looking after it on their journey.  The teams are now preparing for their Assessed Expedition in June, which takes place on Dartmoor, in the Bovey Valley area, a great challenge and for many the culmination of their Bronze DofE as they have already completed the other three sections of their award – well done! 

Lucas Tompson and Seth Yardy both in year 10 successfully completed the Ten Tors 35 mile challenge in May. Both Lucas and Seth are part of a voluntary group called Dart Trekkers which train young people to take part in the annual Ten Tors.

The boys trained for this event regularly with long walks each time building up their distance. Lucas said “I felt tired but it was the most rewarding feeling ever.” Both Lucas and Seth would like to challenge themselves further by taking part in the 45 mile challenge in September. Seth said “There is a big emphasis on mind over matter”. Lucas and Seth really excelled during their trek and showed exceptional leadership skills. Good luck with your next challenge!