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5 March 2021

We have been busy making the final preparations for welcoming back all of our students next week.


We are excited and delighted that we will be together again after this most recent lockdown.


We can take reassurance that the combination of all of our previous Covid-19 control measures worked well in the past and we are extremely grateful for the support of students, staff and families in prioritising these day to day and in preparing for any further enhancements. If we can once again commit to working together, embracing both our personal and collective responsibility, we can do everything we can to keep our community safe


Around the World Update

Well done to everyone who has participated in our Around the World Challenge. Mr Orkney says we only have 1,250 miles to go now. We have left The Azores and are racing across the North Atlantic towards home. It is going to be close but we might just make it.

If you have distances that you have forgotten to record on the sheet then please estimate and add these as they will all count. Also remember that each family member's distances also count if you are exercising together.

We would also like to invite students to take a photograph of themselves over the weekend undertaking whichever activity they have chosen for a final display at school.


Photographs can be uploaded on the Google Form linked here:-



Student News

Very well done to Giles Pahdi 8N who has been volunteering in a covid vaccination centre directing the public through the doors and to the right vaccination room.


Giles said, “I was able to do this while my dad was administering the vaccinations. I did a long shift in the freezing cold and I was praised by many members of the vaccination team and public for my helpfulness, good manners and resilience to cold weather! I am planning to return for further shifts soon and I’m very pleased that I’ve been able to contribute to the covid effort”.

Congratulations also to Daniel Keyes 9P who has graduated as a Industrial Cadet at bronze level.


Ms Moreton said, “This was a course which provided guided learning for students to work through flexibly and find out all about college, university, apprenticeships and careers in STEM from the experts”.


Well done Daniel!

Student News

I was pleased to hear from Mr Butland, Devon Junior Chess Assciation, who offered his congratulations to the school for fielding 33% of the entrants for last weekend’s online Devon Junior Chess Association U18 invitation tournament.

Ayush Kunwar 10S, Caleb Caleshu 8P and Devrim Phaneuf 9P all did well with Caleb finishing in third place.

Mr Butland added, “Full credit to Devrim who went through the day dropping just a single half-point and winning the event on a tie-break”.

Devotion to their skills has been such that students played an occasional game of bullet chess, when each player has a maximum of one minute for all their moves, between lessons!

Excellent Work

Our Excellent Work this week has been submitted by Mrs Green, Head of Geography.


She said, “These are examples of an independent piece of work from a unit on Superpowers".


The title the Year 12 students had to investigate was 'How has China emerged since the Cold War era and how has it grown into a significant world power'

Jess, Naomi, Victoria, Tillie and Annelie

Rob, Isaac, Hector, Elliott, Rachel


James, Amerin, Samuel, Lucy, Alana


Sports Update

Many congratulations to James Morley 11C and and Jeff Forkuo 11P who have been offered a two-year apprenticeship with Plymouth Argyle.


We wish them every success in the future.

PSHEE Activities

As well as this week being National Careers Week, it is also Justice Week, and Year 7 and Year 8 students had the same lesson which focuses on the Rule of Law - what it is, and who is responsible for creating laws in this country. Why do we need laws? Students also looked at what happens if an emergency law needs to be passed, such as in the case of the coronavirus, and the potential pros and cons of emergency legislation.

Year 9 students were asked to consider social skills, and the benefits of getting along with others. They looked at a series of ‘dilemmas’ and how they might deal with them, and pondered on whether it is possible to always be truthful and tactful! Finally they linked social skills with employability skills, with some optional videos to watch.

And, as I mentioned last week and above, this week is National Careers Week. Normally we would have asked lots of speakers into school for Year 10 and Year 11 students but that was obviously not feasible this year so instead I tried to source as many video talks/presentations as possible.

These vary in length from a few minutes to almost the full lesson time so I would suggest students pick and choose those they find of interest and potentially try and listen to several over the course of the next week or so. Several of the talks were specially recorded for us by alumni of the school which was terrific - knowing that someone started from exactly the same place as you makes any career seem more achievable.

Next week we hope that all students will be back in school by Friday, but I hope that parents will continue to take an active interest in the tutorial programme each week, covering Careers, PSHEE and Citizenship; thank you.

Ms Moreton


eSafety Advice

This week in their esafety tutorial students looked at the location services that are on all mobile phones and how they can track your location in the background.


Location can be determined in a number of different ways, however the most common is GPS (Global Positioning System) which can pinpoint the location of the device and therefore its owner. GPS does not require data or phone reception and using this system alongside internet and telephone systems is very accurate and the information it provides can be shared through a variety of services.


Generally, location services are very handy, allowing you to ‘check in’ to locations, find the store nearest to you and also check the location of anyone you share this data with to find out where they are. A large number of apps now require location data to work properly and provide useful information, such as localised weather, mapping and live traffic information.


What are the risks?


As with everything, there are potential risks to consider. Children checking in at home not only says that they are home, but also the location of their house and constant checking in at locations, can build an accurate picture of their movements. Some apps will allow your location to be shared with strangers. Recently strava users found out that the app could share where they were running with strangers unless they turn off the defaults - effectively telling anyone with the app where and when you run.


How can I help my family to be safe?


There are two main ways that you can manage who or what apps are accessing location information:


Devices - On Apple devices ‘Location Services’ are listed under ‘Privacy’ - you can turn services off entirely and manage which apps have permission. You can set this as either; all the time, never or just when you are using the app.


Android devices are dependent on the specific phone you use, you have the same options as above, but most come under ‘Settings’ and ‘Personal’.


Apps - You can also manage how location information is shared and used through individual apps. For example, on social media services you can often choose what audience you want to share location information with, if at all. You can find out more about privacy settings on individual apps through the UK Safer Internet Centre.


It’s also worth thinking about how your social media accounts are linked together. If location updates on one service or social network are linked to a public account on another, you may be publishing to a larger audience than you think. Make sure all linked accounts are visible only to friends.

Ms Buckler

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