13 February 2026
- 2 hours ago
- 11 min read
Described as 'fantastic' and 'extremely entertaining', we're delighted to share photos from our musical theatre production of 'Little Shop of Horrors', staged this week in the Edgcumbe Theatre.
A huge well done to all staff and students involved in the cast, crew, stage band and technical team, led by Mrs Luing-Holmes.
Mrs Luing-Holmes, Creative Director said "In this production, you see the succinct, honed talent of our Leads and Ronnettes, some of whom who have journeyed through three shows together, developing skill and stage presence through each show. This community, this family affair and sharing of role model behaviour is fostered in an exceptional climate in this school and in our partner schools. I’m so proud to see our students perform, play in the exceptional band, manage backstage, lights and sound, and business enterprise stalls. The community and passion to be exceptional is the beating heart of our productions at DHSB and in 'Little Shop of Horrors'. I am particularly gobsmacked, in awe and amazed at the talent of our young people."
Tonight's show is sold out and the audience of over 200 guests are keenly looking forward to seeing the performance.
You can view the programme by following this link.
A Business Opportunity
It has been a pleasure this term to see enterprise, creativity and community spirit come together in such an inspiring way.
To coincide with our school production of 'Little Shop of Horrors', a group of students from Year 7 through to Year 10 have been working behind the scenes — not on stage, but in the role of young entrepreneurs. Rather than simply enjoying the show as audience members, they set themselves the challenge of designing, producing and selling their own merchandise inspired by the production.
Working in small business teams, students developed their own product ideas, carefully considering branding, pricing, target audience and sustainability. From concept sketches through to final packaging, every stage of the process was student-led. Before production began, each team organised and completed their own fundraising activities to generate the start-up capital needed to bring their ideas to life — an impressive demonstration of initiative and teamwork.
Once the curtain rose on opening night, our young business owners were ready with their ideas ranging from very popular candy floss, fudge, brownies and sweets to coasters, tote bags, key rings, notepads and Audrey stitched figures. Each evening they have been selling their merchandise to audiences, confidently engaging with customers and managing stock and finances with professionalism well beyond their years. It has been wonderful to see students from different year groups collaborating, supporting one another and learning practical skills that extend far beyond the classroom.
What makes this project even more special is its commitment to giving back. Each student business has pledged to donate a proportion of its profits to a local charity here in Plymouth, ensuring that their success also benefits the wider community.
We look forward to completing another project next year!
Mrs G L Pyle,
Teacher of Business, Economics and Digital Enterprise
House News
The corridors were buzzing this week as the second round of judging for the House Boards officially wrapped up. Mr. Roberts was incredibly impressed by the effort on display, remarking that it was an "excellent standard" and "probably the hardest to judge as the overall quality was fantastic." He extended a huge well done to everyone who poured their time and talent into the displays.
In a display of impressive consistency, Attenborough managed to defend their crown from the first round, securing the top spot once again. They were followed closely by Johnson in second place and Scott in third, both of whom delivered standout boards that made the final decision incredibly difficult for the judges.
Congratulations to the Attenborough team for keeping their winning streak alive, and a massive shoutout to all the Houses for making the school look so vibrant. The bar has officially been raised, let’s see if anyone can topple the champions in the next round!
Miss Cunningham
Head of Houses & Community
Spelling Bee
The atmosphere in the hall was electric this week as Devonport High School for Boys hosted the annual Spelling Bee. Two elite spellers from every house across Years 7 to 10 stepped up to the microphone, all eyeing the coveted title of 2026 Year Group Winner. From deceptive silent letters to complex linguistic traps, the word list was particularly formidable, yet our students navigated the challenge with impressive composure and skill.
A huge congratulations to our 2026 champions:
Alfie Nicholson (7A), Jack Redgrave (7J) and Edward Borthwick (7T) who secured a rare joint victory for Year 7; Rufus Brokenshire (8F) for Year 8; Britto Rajesh (9S) for Year 9; and Jason Robbilliard (10S) for Year 10.
The overall winning house, after taking all placings into consideration was Attenborough. Well done to all our finalists for representing your houses with such diligence and "orthographic excellence", you’ve certainly proven that even in the age of spellcheck, the art of spelling is thriving at DHSB.
Miss Cunningham
Head of Houses & Community
Are you a Scout or Girl Guide?
Two significant events in the Scouting and Girl Guiding calendar fall this month: Founders’ Day for Scouts and Thinking Day for Girl Guides. Founders’ Day marks the birthday of Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, and is a day of reflection and celebration of the movement’s values and contributions to young people worldwide. Similarly, Thinking Day is celebrated by Girl Guides to honour the birthdays of both Robert Baden-Powell and his wife, Olave Baden-Powell, who was World Chief Guide, and to emphasise international friendship and the guiding principles of service and community.
To mark these special occasions which fall on Sunday 22 February 2026, and to celebrate the values of Scouting and Girl Guiding and raise awareness of these movements’ contributions to young people’s development in the local community, students who are members of Scouting and Girl Guiding are permitted to wear their uniforms to school on Tuesday 24 February 2026.
Provide Devon Bake Sale
At a time when community support matters more than ever, the staff at DHSB truly rose to the occasion. On Tuesday, our staff room was transformed into a baker's paradise, all in support of Provide Devon, a vital local charity dedicated to helping families in crisis. Provide Devon does incredible work, but they are currently facing significant financial hurdles. As the cost of living continues to impact our community, the demand for their emergency food services has grown exponentially. We wanted to do our part to ensure no family in our area goes without.
The generosity of our team was on full display. From beautiful passion fruit delights to gooey brownies and an impressive array of biscuits, there was something for everyone. It was fantastic to see colleagues coming together, sharing a slice of cake, and rallying behind such an important cause.
We are thrilled to announce that thanks to the donations of the bakers and the appetites of the buyers, we managed to raise a fantastic £258.87. In addition to this, we have donated a further £500 from the generous donations (via Non Uniform Day payments) from our DHSB families.
Every penny will go directly to Provide Devon, helping them continue their essential work supporting local families during their most difficult moments. A huge thank you to everyone who baked, bought, and donated!
Miss Cunningham
Head of Houses & Community
This Week's Visitors
This week, our Year 12 CanSat team had the fantastic opportunity to welcome Jonathan Walker, Innovation Lead for Robotics and Electronic Systems, as part of the STEM Ambassador programme.
Jonathan delivered an engaging and thought-provoking session exploring careers in robotics and the space sector. He challenged students to think about what kind of person works in space - and whether they already use space technology in their everyday lives.
Drawing on his own career journey, Jonathan emphasised that “the science is only half the story.” He spoke about the importance of communication, teamwork, networking, organisation, confidence and resilience - skills that are just as vital as physics, computer science or engineering knowledge in the space industry. His message was clear: you don’t need to know everything - you just need to know how to learn, collaborate and find solutions.
Students were fascinated to learn about the breadth of the UK and European space sectors, from satellite applications and Earth observation to robotics, innovation missions and international collaboration. Jonathan shared powerful real-world examples of how satellite data is used to:
Monitor climate change
Support disaster response during floods and wildfires
Improve agricultural efficiency
Manage natural resources and biodiversity
He also explored the future of UK spaceflight, plans for greater lunar exploration, and the rapid growth of the sector - with around 30,000 new jobs projected in the coming years.
One of the highlights of the session was a hands-on activity where students attempted to complete tasks in conditions simulating aspects of astronaut life. Jonathan explained how human spaceflight research includes bed rest studies to understand how weightlessness affects the human body. This gave students a real insight into the challenges astronauts face beyond the launch itself.
The discussion also covered the growing issue of space debris, with thousands of inactive satellites and millions of debris fragments currently orbiting Earth - and the innovative engineering projects designed to clean up space.
Importantly for our CanSat team, Jonathan spent time listening carefully as students presented their project ideas. He asked insightful questions, offered encouragement, and reinforced the value of competitions such as CanSat in developing the competitive, practical skills needed for careers in space and engineering.
Students also learned about placement and enrichment opportunities including ESA Academy projects, Space Placements in Industry (SPIN), MOOCs, UKSEDS, and the National Student Space Conference - all valuable next steps for those inspired to explore further.
The visit was an inspiring reminder that space is not just about rockets - it is about solving real-world problems, improving lives, and collaborating globally. With roles spanning engineering, data science, law, policy, communications, biology, geography and more, the space sector truly offers something for everyone.
We are extremely grateful to Jonathan for giving his time, sharing his experiences, and encouraging our students to aim high - perhaps even beyond Earth itself.
We look forward to seeing how this inspiration feeds into the next stage of our CanSat journey.
Mr Scott
Head of Computer Science
Year 13 maths students have recently covered Parametric Equations and we always give them the opportunity to blend their logical, mathematical sides with their more creative influences with some Desmos art.
This year group have produced some truly excellent examples.
Jonah Crawford:
Luke Blom:
Will Henwood:
Tom de Wilde:
By following the links you can see the artwork and the maths that has produced it!
Miss Cunningham
Teacher of Maths and KS5 Maths Lead
Year 9 Chemistry groups have been showing great collaboration in planning, researching, and delivering presentations on Giant Covalent Structures. Students have been looking at how different Diamond and Graphite are, despite both only consisting of Carbon atoms. They have also been exploring the interesting - and tiny - world of nanotubes and the potential uses in the future. I have been impressed at the knowledge, confidence, and charisma shown in the presentations - it is not easy to stand up in front of your peers!
Mrs Pearson
Teacher of Chemistry, Science Intervention & KS4 Coordinator
Year 11 student James Tantam did excellent work preparing a Physics Society seminar on Fermat's Theorem for an audience of students in years 9 to 13 last Friday lunch time.
Dr Colvile
Head of Physics
We're pleased to share with you these wonderful creative homework projects based on the recent study of Shakespeare's The Tempest by students in 7F.
Each project is inspired by the boys reading of the play.
Mrs Webb and Mrs Glastonbury
Teachers of English
On Sunday 8 February, Year 8 student Tristan Williams, played at the 2026 Plymouth Junior Badminton Tournament. Together with his partner, they won the Under 14 Boys Doubles.
Well done!
Last Friday, Ethan represented Team England at the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) 2026 European Championship in Serbia.
It was a day of mixed emotions after Ethan won his first match by submission and then narrowly missed out in his second match, to a split decision.
It wasn't the outcome Ethan was expecting, but he did rank 4th overall out of the 14 participants in his division. This was a huge achievement at the highest level of youth Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competition.
Ethan is now hoping to be selected for the World MMA Awards.
Well done!
Sparx Maths and Sparx Reader
Each week we celebrate our highest performers in both Sparx Maths and Sparx Reader, two of our core homework platforms. We are proud of all of our students who complete their homework each week to such a high standard but these students deserve a special mention!
Congratulations!
PTFA News
It’s been a busy week for the PTFA! We’ve provided the bar and refreshments at DHSB’s fantastic production of ‘Little Shop of Horrors.’ At the time of writing we are two shows down and one final sold out one to go! A big well done to Mrs Emma Luing-Holmes and all involved for another very successful event!
A big thank you to Joanna, the PTFA Catering Manager, and her brilliant team of volunteers this week - we really can’t do these things without you.
If you’re interested in volunteering at any of our PTFA events, please submit the form below, there is no big commitment needed - it can be as little as an hour helping us to set up, or to put away, or anything in between.
We have our online AGM coming up next month, on the 4th March, at 7.00pm - please join us if you can. It will be a fairly short meeting, covering our annual legal formalities, no more than 30 minutes. We are looking for a Chairperson, or maybe there are two people who would like to share the role? There is no other expectation other than to chair our meetings which are six times a year. Please email ptfa@dhsb.org if you are interested or have any questions.
Mrs Kinsella
PTFA Liaison
A reminder that we are celebrating our 130th Anniversary with a reunion event, for all former pupils and staff, at 12.30pm on the 28th March.
Please join us! Tickets include a delicious buffet lunch, an opportunity to tour the school and a talk by former DHSB student and now DHSB History teacher, Dave Riggs. You can even buy our own locally brewed DHSB IPA ‘Colonnade!' Full details and tickets here:
A big thank you to everyone who has already bought tickets. You are coming from the length and breadth of the country and the oldest alumnus coming so far is 90 years young! Can you beat that?
Please spread the word too! Any questions email alumni@dhsb.org
Beverley Kinsella
Alumni Engagement & Archives
Sports News and Updates
Football
Last Friday - Year 11 won their Devon Cup round 2 game on penalties vs Torquay Boys Grammar this week. An excellent result against the defending champions after a closely contested match which ended 0-0 after extra time, DHSB won on penalties and will go on to the quarter finals.
It was another busy week for the DHSB Year 8 Football Team. They had a good win against Lipson in the Devon Cup on Tuesday and they won against St Boniface and Stoke Damerel, in the second night of Central Venue League matches to remain unbeaten!
Rugby
7s season has now started for the DHSB U16s team who attended a mini tournament at Plymouth College on Thursday. The team finished with one win over Plymouth College and two wins over Exeter School. It was a great start to the Rosslyn Park prep!
Hockey
It was great to have two teams represent DHSB in the Devon State School hockey competition on Wednesday. Both teams played some great hockey with the B Team finishing 3rd overall and the A Team winning the tournament and progressing through to the next stage! Well done all!
Table Tennis
There was a huge effort from the DHSB table tennis squads at the Area Finals last weekend, with the U19s winning against the Grange School to qualify for the National Finals! The U13s won against Marling but a had a narrow loss to Millfield and the U16s played hard in a tough defeat against a strong Marling Side.
