Careers Fair 2025

Yesterday, the colonnade at DHSB came alive with opportunity, inspiration, and sunshine as we hosted our annual Careers Fair - a standout event in our calendar and a true celebration of future pathways.

We were proud to welcome 41 providers, employers, and educational institutions from across the South West and beyond, each offering valuable insight, advice, and interactive experiences to our students. From the excitement of the Plymouth Citybus to the eye-catching presence of a brand-new Mercedes and a British Transport Police patrol car, the event was buzzing with excitement and energy.

Students from across the school engaged in meaningful conversations with a wide range of organisations, including representatives from universities, apprenticeship providers, public services, local employers, and industry professionals. Many of the stands included hands-on activities and demonstrations that brought careers to life and helped students explore new interests and possibilities.

A huge thank you goes out to all the organisations who gave their time to support our students:

Access Creative College, AECOM, Army Careers, Arts University Plymouth, Bailey Partnership, BD, Bicton/Duchy College, British Transport Police, Caerus, Callywith College, Cardiff University, Careers Plymouth, City College Plymouth, City West Country Limited, Cornwall College Group, Costa Coffee, Department for Work & Pensions, Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue, Falmouth University, HM Land Registry, Hoare Lea, Imperial College London, KBG Chambers, KTA Architects, Ministry of Defence, Ocean Conservation Trust, PKF Francis Clark, Plymouth City Council, Plymouth Citybus, Princess Yachts, Royal Air Force, TC Bromhead, University College London, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, University of Bath, University of Exeter, University of Plymouth, University of Sheffield, University of the West of England (UWE), Westcotts

Events like this are vital to helping students make informed choices about their futures, and we are incredibly grateful to all who contributed to the day’s success. From engineering to environmental conservation, law to healthcare, and universities to apprenticeships, our students left feeling inspired, empowered, and excited about the paths that lie ahead.

We look forward to making next year’s fair even bigger and better!

Mr Scott

Upgraded Gym Opened

Thank you to everyone who has donated to our school gym fund. Particular mention must go to the Bailey Partnership and the DHSB PTFA for their generosity.

The DHSB site team have put in a huge amount of work to transform the space into a fully functioning gym of which we can be proud. It really does look amazing - thank you.

Mrs Kinsella, PTFA Liaison said "It was a pleasure to represent the PTFA at today’s opening of the upgraded fitness suite. It looks fantastic! The PTFA were delighted to be able to donate £15,000.00 to this very worthwhile project. A big well done to everyone involved in making this happen."

Well Done

Malcolm Doolin Runner Up - Congratulations!

At the end of last week, we found out that Oliver Elford was awarded joint second prize in the Malcolm Doolin competition. The letter read "The judges met yesterday and I am delighted to inform you that your school has won joint second prize! The judges particularly liked the way the project set the Devonport casualties within an excellent overview of the war and then delved deeper into some of the stories behind the names. This suggested sophisticated research skills. The presentation of the final product was also commended."

Oliver has been invited to attend the Western Front Association’s Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph on 11 November 2025 and to lay a wreath. This is a very special and memorable experience which is very popular and invitations are very limited.

The organiser's of the event also wished to thank Mrs Mintoft for inspiring her students.

Industrial Cadet Awards

Mr Spencer shared that our Industrial Cadet Bronze Award teams were recently awarded some awards in the recent EDT celebration event.

Team 1 were awarded South of England Teamwork Award. And Team 2 were awarded South of England Project of the Year Award.

Both teams have done us incredibly proud with their hard work on their projects!

UK Physics Olympiad Junior Physics Challenge

A small group of year 9-10 students, who had volunteered to take part, sat the UK Physics Olympiad Junior Physics Challenge last Friday afternoon. This is the first time in recent years DHSB has entered this competition, which is in the form of an online quiz testing general Physics-related problem-solving skill and wider awareness as well as fun and unusual applications of some GCSE Physics content.

Very impressive results: three Gold Medals, 7 Silver, and one Bronze. Well done to O'Neill Achegenui, Prithvi Ananth, Charlie Croucher, Lewis Dickens, Henry Gilmore, Tom Hind, Oscar Morrow, Vikhat Rajaraman, Ken Seymour, Neel Shivane, and James Tantam.

Of special note is Neel's achievement, out of 12484 candidates across the UK in years 9 to 12, his score was in the top 100. All three students in receipt of Gold medals (Neel, Oscar, and Ken) were in the top 10% nationally.

Well done!

National Scientific Thinking Skills Challenge

Our Year 10 cohort participated in the 'National Scientific Thinking Skills Challenge' recently and the results are in!

The challenge, devised by colleagues from six different Universities, tests the student's interpretation of data, graphs and text to make deductions, spot trends, suggest hypotheses and identify anomalous results. 

There were over 15,663 participants from 206 schools around the world and certificates were awarded for the following: 

• Gold (within the top 10%) 84%

• Silver (within the top 25%) 74%

• Bronze (within the top 40%) 67%

• The mean score was 57%

  
  

We had 164 who took part and achieved 19 gold, 33 silver and 29 bronze awards which is terrific.

Our gold awards went to: Zachary M, Theo WC, Solomon KM, Oscar W, Oscar M, Max S, Isaac P, Daniel B, Benjamin JF, Ayaan C, Angus O, Adair J, Tristan W, Joe K, Felix D, George EP, Dylan W, Daragh G, Alvaro AR.

Grade 8 Distinction on the Baritone

Neythen Powell-Jones (7S) has achieved Grade 8 Distinction on the Baritone, gaining 92/100 marks. This was part of a busy enrichment week for Neythen where he also had a 1:1 masterclass at the Purcell School for Musicians in London with the Professor of Baritone from the Royal Northern School of Music.

Neythen has also been shortlisted for the Brass Band England (the governing body for brass bands) 2025 'Rising Star' award.

We recently had the pleasure of listening to Neythen play when he took part in the Summer Evening Recital at Stoke Damerel Church.

Mrs Luing-Holmes shared that achieving a Distinction at Grade 8 ABRSM on Baritone is an unbelievable achievement for someone of Neythen's age. Outstanding Neythen, well done!

National Age Group diving championships

Seth has been training all season; travelling to regional qualifying competitions to successfully secure his place at the National Age Group diving championships held at Sandwell Aquatics centre, Birmingham.

Hard work paid off as Seth claimed the silver medal on 3m springboard and a second silver medal on the platform event diving from 5 and 7.5m

Surf Club 2025

For many years, the school has taken students to Polzeath once a week for surf lessons with Surfs Up surf school. This year, 24 students have taken part and received excellent tuition.