Students wow at Summer Evening Recital

On Thursday, we were treated to a wonderful evening of music at St Pancras Church. The event, organised by Mrs Luing-Holmes, featured prestigious performances from our higher level classical and musical instrumentalists, our Brass Group, Choir and Tiny Orchestra supported by Kathryn Goode, who accompanied a few of the students on the piano, Tony Hollick who supported the brass group and Dawn Ashby and Mark Stokesbury supported by playing in the ensembles with students.

Stoke Damerel Church was a beautiful setting and the performances were moving, uplifting and a joy to watch. The talent and confidence shown by the students from Years 7 to 13 was really lovely to see.

Our GCSE catering students served fabulous canapes and nibbles which they had made during the day under the guidance of Mrs Ware and Mrs Dean. These were enjoyed whilst listening to a delightful acoustic set from our A level Musicians. 

One member of the audience said "The ambience of Stoke Damerel Church along with the debonair students made this a memorable occasion. The solo performers, choir, groups, orchestra and singers were all superbly talented and their musical renditions made the evening special. There was certainly a lot of toe-tapping and applause from the audience in appreciation of all the performances... Congratulations DHSB on another great evening of entertainment". 

DHSB IT Team recognised as a Silver Winner

We are incredibly proud of all of our DHSB community but it is a real pleasure to see our IT team recognised nationally in the Pearson Teaching Awards.

The team are one of 94 deserving teachers, lecturers, leaders, support staff and institutions recognised as a silver winner in this year’s awards for the lasting impact they have on shaping the lives of young people. The panel were impressed with our 1:1 provision across the school and our education for young people online, ensuring that we are preparing the next workforce generation with appropriate digital skills.

They will find out if they have won gold in November, and we look forward to celebrating the week along with the One Show, who are running a week long celebration of teachers. Watch this space!

Applications for the 2025/26 school bus service are about to close.

If you haven't already registered your requirement for a seat, please do so as soon as possible, but not later than 1700hrs on Monday 23rd June by scanning the QR code below or filling out the google form https://forms.gle/HFR7MHaZJAEBsywL6 and paying the deposit.

Once registered and the deposit has been paid, all passes can be paid for by monthly installments.

The existing routes  run from Liskeard, Kelly Bray, Tavistock, Modbury and we’re excited at the introduction of a new route from Ivybridge and Sherford.

Students and parents will benefit from a mobile app to manage their passes as well as 24/7 help from RideTandem’s customer support team.

If you are a parent who has registered for a seat but has not had confirmation your child has been successful, or if you have any questions at all relating to the service, please email ewan@ridetandem.co for more information.

September’s school transport will be managed by RideTandem.

For more information on RideTandem, please visit www.ridetandem.com 

Excellent Work

House Assemblies

"This week saw the final House assemblies of the year, delivered with remarkable confidence and insight by our dedicated House Captains. Having presented four assemblies across the academic year, the Captaincy team truly showcased their impressive public speaking journey.

The theme for this concluding assembly was "Thinking Outside the Box: Techniques for Creative Problem-Solving," a topic that resonated deeply with the audience. Students were captivated by powerful personal accounts of both problem-solving triumphs and setbacks, providing relatable and inspiring examples of resilience and ingenuity. The Captains expertly blended these stories with practical advice on tackling problems from new angles.

The confident and engaging deliveries throughout the assembly series, culminating in this final installment, highlight the significant growth in public speaking skills among the House Captains. Their ability to engross the audience with compelling stories and clear explanations is a testament to their hard work and dedication. These assemblies have not only been a platform for important messages but also a fantastic demonstration of student leadership and effective communication."

UK Maths Trust Junior Kangaroo Results

Miss Wills shared that Year 7 and 8 students recently took part in the UK Maths Trust Junior Kangaroo Challenge and did really well.

Junior Kangaroos are a follow-on round to the Junior Maths Challenge and students have 60 minutes to complete the 25 multiple choice challenge. (The name Kangaroo acknowledges the contribution made by Australia to establishing large-scale mathematics contests.)

Highlights include Marlow Walker, Rufus Brokenshire, Aaron Lee, Thomas Reeve, Ollie Sargeant and Isaac Manata who were awarded Gold and Zac Adams and Vicenzo Cojoc who were awarded Silver. Marlow gained Best in School and Ollie was Best in Year. Good on ya!

Congratulations to all of the students who qualified to take part and performed brilliantly.

Well done and good luck!

Ethan Stewart (7F) competed in the IBJJF London Spring Kids International Open Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2025 on Sunday 15 June at the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in London. He proudly took home gold, after winning his first match by submission and second match on points.

Ethan is competing again this weekend in both Jiujitsu and Judo.

DofE Update

We have eight teams taking part in their Gold Practice expedition this weekend. They are aiming to complete a four day self sufficient expedition on Dartmoor. Two teams are also canoeing, with two days on the River Dart, followed by two days walking on Dartmoor.

We wish them all the very best!

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!

Sports News and Results

Athletic Championships

Last weekend, DHSB students competed in the Devon Schools Athletics Championships which were held at Exeter Arena and three students were selected to compete at this weekend's South West Schools Finals.

Michael Juganaru will take compete in the Long Jump, Barnaby Basterfield the Triple Jump and Bryan Oldfield the 100m, 200m, and Relay events.

This is a great achievement for these three students who all have the possibility of being selected for the English Schools Finals. Good luck!

Plymouth Schools Athletics Championships - Wins for Years 8, 9 and 10

On Tuesday after school, our Year 8 athletics team competed at the Plymouth Schools Athletics Championships held at Brickfields and emerged as overall winners. This fantastic result follows the success of our Year 9 and Year 10 teams, who also won their events the previous week.

It’s encouraging to see the dedication and effort of our athletes rewarded.

Athletics Club takes place every Wednesday lunchtime on the track, and all pupils are warmly encouraged to join. It’s a great way to stay active and prepare for our upcoming Sports Day.

Devon Cup Finalists!

On Wednesday our U13 cricket team beat Torquay Boys Grammar School by 9 wickets to make it through to the Devon Cup final. This is the first time our school has made it through to a hardball Devon Cup final for many years. 

Devon Schools Softball Runners-Up

The DHSB Under 15 cricket team came runners-up in the Devon Schools Softball Finals Day on Thursday. Well done to all involved who enjoyed a great day of cricket in the sun at Topsham and congratulations to the winners, Exmouth Community College.