Students awarded Gold and Silver in Round 1 of the British Physics Olympiad.

At the end of the Autumn Term, students from DHSB took part in the British Physics Olympiad. In total, 1811 students from 475 schools in the UK and from a few schools overseas, participated in this national competition (and a further 3,700 students in China).

The Olympiad which is not an A level test, challenged the students' range of knowledge, preparation and ability and stretched and challenged the top young physicists in the country. The problems set were not easy and every question required a different perspective to get the measure of it. Fluency in recognising topics and linking ideas is, in part, what develops a physicist's confidence and mastery so this competition was a good opportunity for all of the students taking part to improve theirs.

Student Results

Caleb Caleshu Gold

Iwan Sanders Silver

Luke Madgett Silver

Noah Reid Bronze 1

Omar Alkanhoush Bronze 1

Thomas de Wilde Bronze 2

Tom Rickard Bronze 2

On receiving news of the awards, Dr Colvile, Head of Physics, said "Silver in Y12 is phenomenal. Gold is phenomenal"

Well done to all students that took part, including those that didn't receive a medal.

Careerousel: Old Boy James Lawrence Returns to Speak About Careers in Risk Management and Cyber Security

We were delighted to welcome back former student James Lawrence, founder of Peregrine Risk Management, who spoke to students about careers in security risk management, intelligence, and cyber security.

James left DHSB in 1995 before joining the Armed Forces as a Commando. His military career saw him deployed to Northern Ireland, Cyprus (as part of a United Nations Task Force), Sierra Leone, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He later led basic training for new recruits at ATR Pirbright and attempted SAS selection before leaving the military in 2009.

Following his service, James transitioned into the world of international security risk management. He worked globally across critical national infrastructure, oil and gas, anti-piracy operations, and high-risk environments, including during the Islamic State invasion of Iraq. He later became Director of Operations for an international risk management company, where he developed global Security Risk Management (SRM), Travel Risk Management (TRM), and Intelligence programmes. Alongside his operational roles, he completed a Master’s degree in Risk, Crisis and Disaster Management and now holds Chartered Security Practitioner status.

In 2019, James founded Peregrine Risk Management. In just six years, the company has grown from start-up to a £10 million turnover business with a global footprint across more than 160 countries. He spoke openly about the realities of entrepreneurship - from managing people and cash flow, to navigating international regulations, responding to Covid-19, and adapting to an ever-changing threat landscape shaped by misinformation and AI.

Students were particularly interested in the wide range of career pathways available within security and cyber risk — including intelligence analysis, consultancy, travel risk management, crisis response, and cyber security. James emphasised the importance of trust, integrity, resilience, and continuous professional development, sharing his own journey from soldier to consultant, business founder, and current doctoral researcher in Security Risk Management.

The session concluded with a practical task challenging students to think like risk professionals - researching threat actors and considering how political organisations might protect themselves from disruption. It was a fascinating insight into a sector that combines technology, geopolitics, psychology, and business strategy.

We are extremely grateful to James for giving his time and for inspiring the next generation to consider careers in risk, intelligence, and cyber security.

Mr Scott

Leader of Careers & PSHE

SWAT Day

A group of year 9 students had a fantastic trip to Parkstone Grammar School, Bournemouth, this week to participate in this year's SWAT Challenge Day. SWAT stands for the South West Academic Trust. Teams of students from each of the grammar schools between Plymouth and Bournemouth came together for the event. The day began very early, departing from DHSB just after 6 o'clock in the morning. On arrival, we had an inspirational talk from Jo Bradshaw, who had climbed the highest mountain on each of the world's continents. She set the tone of 'challenge' as a key theme for our students to consider, and how they can overcome challenges with patience and perseverance. The boys were then split into mixed groups with other students from different schools and took part in several challenges: escape rooms, creating digital animations and various team-building activities. To conclude the day, students presented what they had learned about challenge and the new friendships they had made. It was a really collaborative event that promoted connectivity between the schools and their young people. A tired minibus crawled back into DHSB that evening with a group of students who had wholeheartedly thrown themselves into the spirit of challenge throughout the day.

Mr Webb

Teacher of English

Marking Founders' Day and Thinking Day

On Tuesday, Members of Scouting and Girl Guiding marked Founders’ Day for Scouts and Thinking Day for Girl Guides which fell on Sunday 22 February, by wearing their uniform to school.

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.

It was a good opportunity 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.

DHSB eSports Team Success at SW Showcase Tournament

Thirteen students from Years 8-12 proudly represented Devonport High School for Boys at our very first eSports competition - the South West Showcase Tournament, hosted at Teignmouth Community School.

Competing against ten other schools from across the region, our students took part in a series of high-energy challenges across multiple titles. The tournament began with a fast-paced 3 vs 3 competition in Rocket League, followed by the precision-based F1 Hot Lap Challenge in F1. Students then showcased their football gaming skills in EA Sports FC 26 before finishing the day with the ever-popular Fortnite.

The standard of competition was incredibly high, and our students represented the school with maturity, teamwork and resilience throughout the day. We are especially proud to celebrate the following trophy winners:

F1 Hot Lap Challenge – 1st Place

George Cavanagh (10F)

EA FC26 – 2nd Place

Sid Seip (9T)

Fortnite – 3rd Place

Bodhi Ward (9A)

Their achievements are a fantastic testament not only to their gaming skill, but also to their focus, preparation and ability to perform under pressure.  One student even logged in to his Sparx Reader assignment when the Fortnite connection failed!

The Benefits of eSports

Competitive gaming offers far more than entertainment. eSports helps students to develop strategic thinking, rapid decision-making, communication skills and teamwork. Games such as Rocket League and Fortnite require players to analyse situations in real time, adapt tactics, and collaborate effectively - skills that strongly align with computational thinking and problem-solving in Computer Science.

Furthermore, the eSports industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors globally, offering a wide range of career opportunities beyond professional gameplay. Students interested in eSports might pursue careers in:

• Game design and development

• Software engineering

• Event management and tournament operations

• Broadcasting and shoutcasting

• Marketing and content creation

• Data analytics and performance coaching

• Cybersecurity and IT infrastructure

As a school, we are excited to be working with local providers to further develop eSports opportunities within the Computer Science department over the coming year. Our aim is to create structured pathways for students to explore both the competitive and career-focused aspects of the industry, ensuring that gaming becomes not just a hobby, but a gateway to future opportunities.

This first tournament marks the beginning of what we hope will be a successful and growing eSports programme at DHSB. Well done to all 13 students who represented the school so brilliantly - we are incredibly proud of you.

Year 8 are currently engaged in an eSports unit in their Computer Science theme in Digital Enterprise lessons.

Mr Scott

Head of Computer Science

ACE Cyber Security Competition Bristol

Four Year 10 students proudly represented Devonport High School for Boys at the prestigious ACE Cyber Security Competition, held at the University of the West of England in Bristol.

The ACE Cyber Security Competition is a national initiative supported by CyberFirst, designed to inspire students to explore the exciting and rapidly growing world of cyber security. The competition is delivered in partnership with institutions recognised by the National Cyber Security Centre.

The competition ran from 0900 through to 1530 and featured two challenging activities designed to test students’ cyber knowledge, logical thinking and teamwork.

The morning began with a fast-paced, time-based cyber quiz, requiring teams to apply their understanding of key cyber security concepts under pressure. After lunch, students tackled a second activity designed to stretch their technical skills and problem-solving abilities even further. While scores were being finalised, students also had the opportunity to hear from experts in the field, gaining insight into pathways and careers within cybersecurity.

This event was particularly significant for DHSB as we are proud to be recognised as a CyberFirst Gold School. This national accreditation reflects our ongoing commitment to excellence in cyber and computing education. Achieving CyberFirst Gold status places us among a select group of schools across the UK that demonstrate outstanding provision, enrichment opportunities, and clear pathways into cyber-related careers.

Participation in competitions like this provides students with invaluable experience beyond the classroom. Cyber security demands resilience, collaboration, analytical thinking and ethical awareness - all skills that align closely with our curriculum and wider school values. The cyber sector continues to experience significant growth, offering diverse career opportunities ranging from penetration testing and digital forensics to security analysis, software engineering and national security roles.

The students performed well in round one, ranking 3rd from the 20 teams competing. During the huge cyber attack challenge the students competed against Y10-13 students and ranked in 5th place! Well done boys for your hard work and superb effort in an incredibly challenging completion.

We are incredibly proud of the four Year 10 students who represented the school with maturity, focus and enthusiasm throughout the day. Events such as this demonstrate not only the talent of our students, but also the strength of DHSB’s growing reputation in Computer Science and cyber education.

We look forward to building on this success as we continue to expand our CyberFirst provision and provide students with access to nationally recognised opportunities in this exciting and vital industry.

Mr Scott

Head of Computer Science

Mr Manley shared this awesome piece of work by Year 7 student, George Davison who was set a project by his Plymouth Argyle Football Club (PAFC) Academy coaches, to research Jack Leslie and discrimination in football. George explained that the task was to "complete the research and then present it in any form I wanted. I researched Jack Leslie using the internet and also by reading his book which I got for Christmas. I have created a sports magazine to present my ideas. I am sharing the file because I thought you might like to see and read what I have done. I hope you enjoy reading it."

You can read George's work by following this link.

Thank you for sharing George and well done!

Over the February half term, Year 8 student Seth Greentree took part in the Armada Cup 2026, a four day international diving competition hosted by Plymouth Diving.

Seth participated in the Junior Elite category and successfully won gold medals for both of his diving events - the 7.5m platform and 3m springboard. Seth's scores secured his place at the Junior Elite Nationals taking place in April.

Well done!

Year 10 student Finbar Steven, was recently shortlisted for the 2026 Young Sir Walter Scott prize for historical fiction. The competition is open to 11 to 19 year old budding historical fiction writers.

The 33 young historical fiction writers shortlisted for the Young Walter Scott Prize have to wait until March to find out if they are a category winner and invited to attend the prizegiving in June at the Borders Book Festival.

Finbar's inspiration for his story came from learning of Kaiser Wilhelm the II’s medical abuse as a child, an endeavour by his father, Frederick the 3rd, to make him stronger. He was "fascinated at how this disability was seen as a political and dynastic failure and wondered how far these barbaric childhood treatments on the young prince had affected him into his adulthood and reign, which was marked by insecurities and the effect on his psyche in general as he led the world into the First World War."

You can read Finbar's story 'His Right Arm Raised' by following this link.

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!

CyberFirst Information for Parents and Schools

As part of a new government campaign to upskill parents and their children in spotting toxic, polarising content, and misinformation online, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) launched a new media literacy campaign on 10 February to support families in building resilience and critical thinking skills online, helping them spot misleading content and challenge toxic attitudes.

According to the campaign, only four in ten parents say their child has spoken to them about harmful or concerning experiences online, with less than a quarter feeling “very confident” about knowing what their children see online. This new campaign aims to upskill parents to be able to best support their children in today’s digital age.

The campaign encourages regular parent-child discussions about what they’re seeing online, asking simple critical thinking questions such as “who shared this, and why?”. DSIT has created a new Kids Online Safety Hub in collaboration with the Department for Education (DfE) and expert partners, which contains guidance on approaching these discussions, building parents’ confidence where they feel hesitant to do so, and critical thinking skills to help families analyse the content they come across online.

This campaign forms part of wider government efforts to protect children online, complementing regulatory measures through the Online Safety Act to remove harmful content, and supporting a forthcoming national conversation on digital wellbeing for young people as the government weighs longer-term options.

To find out more, please follow this link to the Kids Online Safety Hub.

CyberFirst

DHSB is 130 years old this year and to mark the occasion, Mrs Kinsella our Alumni Engagement & Archives / PTFA Liaison, has arranged a celebration reunion event for the afternoon of Saturday 28th March (12.30pm to 5.30pm).  Alumni will eat Refuel’s delicious grazing buffet, listen to a history talk by Dave Riggs, have a look around the school and have the opportunity enjoy our own popular Colonnade IPA which will be available from the bar.

If you are in contact with any former students or staff members, please tell them about this event.

Tickets and details can be found here:

DHSB 130th Reunion Tickets

If you are on Facebook here is a link which can be shared:

Alumni Facebook Reunion Event

This promises to be a wonderful event with the opportunity for former students and staff to catch up and share memories.

Sports News and Updates

Basketball

A massive well done to our Year 7 DHSB Basketball team, who on Wednesday, won four out of five games to finish second. They narrowly lost to Tor Bridge and missed out on the Gold medal! Some great Basketball was played by all.

Well done!

Rugby

Top effort on Wednesday from the DHSB U16 team at the Devon Rugby 7s tournament. The team finished in second place across the whole of Devon which is a huge achievement.

Well done!

Dodgeball

There was an incredible atmosphere at the Year 7 House Dodgeball which took place on Wednesday. Huge congratulations to Leslie for an elite performance and taking home the win.

Well played to all houses for showing up in force!

Indoor Athletics

DHSB teamed up with PHSG to compete in the Plymouth Schools Secondary Indoor Athletics Finals up at Marjons this week. We entered a year 7 and a year 8 team and saw some brilliant individual and team performances. All of our students performed superbly.

Results were received today and we are pleased to announce that the Year 8 team came First and the Year 7 team came Third! Well done to Ali, Seth, Aaron, Alfie, Barney and Amyar in year 7 and Tristan, Sebby, Oscar, Oliver, Blake and Henry in year 8.

Football

It’s been a busy and exciting week for the Year 10 football team. On Tuesday, the school took two squads to Plymstock School to compete in the Central Venue Football League. In bright, sunny conditions, both teams performed impressively, securing two wins and narrowly losing two games in a series of highly competitive matches. It was particularly encouraging to see several new players make their debut for the school.

On Thursday, the School A Team faced Torquay Boys’ Grammar School in Round 2 of the Devon Cup. In what proved to be a fiercely competitive and closely fought contest, DHSB emerged victorious with a hard-earned 1–0 win. The only goal of the game was scored by Seb Walsh following a fantastic run down the right hand side of the pitch. Well done to all 28 pupils who represented the school in some form of football this week.