DHSB band Mantis, performed at the Regional Heat Battle of the Bands 2026.

On Wednesday, our phenomenal band Mantis, consisting of Year 10 and 11 students Oliver Elford, Oliver Morton, Joseph Kua, Zachary Methven and Adam Young, competed at the regional heat of Battle of the Bands 2026 which was held at Plympton Academy and organised by Devon Music Education Hub.

They performed Iron Maiden's 'The Wicker Man' number brilliantly with extraordinary authenticity, stage presence, professionalism, musicianship and ensemble skills. The panel of highly experienced judges from the Music industry: Anthony Chamberlain (DMEH Music Development Lead), Jo Loosemore (BBC Devon) and Dave Meadows (Pushed Studios Ltd), unanimously praised their enthusiasm, energy and skill. The judges complimented exceptional frontmanship and vocals by Oliver Elford (Year 10) and impressive lead guitar and solo by Joseph Kua (Year 11), also recognising that Oliver and Joseph would not be able to do what they did without an extremely solid and tight rhythm section. This year saw an extremely high level of competition and Mantis enjoyed the experience wishing to compete again next year.

We are extremely proud of their performance and manner on the day and throughout the process and look forward to hearing them perform in future events and opportunities. Mantis are a true credit to the college and our community.

Miss Padlyevs'ka

Teacher of Music

Year 11 Rise to the Revision Challenge - Strategy, Planning, and Practice

This week, we were delighted to see so many of our Year 11 students stay behind after school to attend a bespoke Revision Workshop. While many students feel the pressure to "just start," the focus of this session was to provide them with a structured roadmap and the tools needed to manage their time effectively between now and the summer exam series.

The workshop was divided into three core strategic areas:

The Needs Analysis & Resource Curation

Instead of revising topics they already find easy, students used a needs analysis template to objectively identify their areas of highest priority based on recent mocks and confidence levels. They then began curating their own digital resource banks, ensuring that when they sit down to work, they aren't wasting time looking for materials, but are ready to engage immediately.

The Long-Term Timetable

Success in the summer is built on the planning done in the spring. Students worked on drafting a comprehensive revision timetable that takes them all the way through to the final exam series. The focus here was on Spaced Repetition and Interleaving, ensuring they revisit key concepts at calculated intervals to move information into their long-term memory.

Effective Use of Past Papers

Using the principles from our Revision@dhsb, the group took a deep dive into the most effective way to utilise past paper questions. Rather than just "doing the paper," students were coached on:

• Simulating exam pressure.

• Using mark schemes not just to check answers, but to redraft and improve as well as understand the specific command words examiners are using.

• Using errors in past papers to immediately dictate the next topic for review.

By combining these rigorous planning tools with a focus on wellbeing, diet and sleep, these students are setting a brilliant standard..

Well done to all involved; you have moved from "knowing" to "doing" with real sophistication.

Mr Winstone & Mr Manley

Plymouth University Visit

The year 12 Biology students have recently had the opportunity to visit the electron microscope unit and the Anatomy department of Plymouth University.

The e-mic unit provided a fantastic schools' session covering the preparation of specimens and the operation of the transmission and scanning electron microscopes. It is really beneficial for the students to see the applications of technology; they were able to examine preparations of ciliated epithelium in the trachea, diseased kidneys, the microbiome of dental decay and a sheep tick in glorious detail.

In the anatomy department students used the imaging software used by the medical students to visualise the heart, currently being studied. A resident doctor gave an overview of fetal circulation, and students then used the Anatomage tables (21st century virtual cadavers) to explore human anatomy. They were really inspired!

We are really fortunate to have such a welcoming university; it truly brings the course content to life.

Dr Little

Head of Biology

Ten Tors News

DHSB's year 10 and year 12 students training for the Ten Tors 45-mile challenge had a very successful second day of training on North Dartmoor. We were ready for high river levels but easily crossed the West Okement near its source on the high moor and completed the whole planned route. After departing the minibus, the teams soon walked into cloud and learnt the need to navigate as a whole team together in such conditions, and some staff managed to find shelter while the students continued to walk in some heavy rain showers. But later on they were treated to several rainbows and clear visibility (the DHSB team is the one heading directly to the correct tor, while another establishment's team are photo bombing from the left after realising their navigation error!).

Dr Colvile

Ten Tors Lead

National Apprenticeships Week

As part of our commitment to supporting students with their future pathways, we have been promoting apprenticeships at DHSB during National Apprenticeship Week.

In year 11 this year, 23 students are applying for apprenticeships at Babcock, Thales, Becton Dickenson, Mars and many more employers across the region.

We are working with Building Plymouth and Plymouth City Council to promote an online information evening focused specifically on apprenticeships in the construction sector.  This session would be particularly useful for families of students in Years 9, 10, 11, and 12, as students begin to consider post-16 and post-18 options.

What will the session cover?

• The online session will provide clear, practical information, including:

• What apprenticeships are

• The benefits of apprenticeships for young people

• Support available through Building Plymouth and their employer network

• Hints and tips on how parents and carers can support their child

• Next steps and how applications work

• Myth-busting common misconceptions about apprenticeships

The session will be delivered online via Microsoft Teams, making it easy to attend from home.

How to register - Tuesday 10 February from 1730 - 1830 (Online)

Parents and carers can register using the link below. Registration allows the organisers to send reminders and joining details ahead of the event: go.dhsb.org/naw

In addition, UNIFROG are holding a virtual apprenticeship fair for students and parents 16:00 to 18:00 Wednesday 11 February. They will be speaking to 30 employers in just two hours and will be covering understanding apprenticeships and learning what it's like working in different industries and acing your application. You should join to explore your options and get your questions answered by experts. You can see the full list of employers attending, the schedule of live sessions, and register to attend by following this link.

I would strongly encourage parents and carers to attend one of the events if they would like to better understand how apprenticeships work and how they compare to more traditional academic routes. Apprenticeships continue to grow in quality and availability, and informed parental support can make a real difference to young people’s decision-making.

If you have any questions about this session or about apprenticeships more generally, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Mr Scott

Leader of PSHE & Careers

careers@dhsb.org

This Week's Visitors

On Monday, we welcomed PAFC Academy and The Zone to DHSB as part of our Careers & PSHE programme. PAFC spoke to Years 10-12 about their Academy programme and The Zone delivered a contraception workshop to 10L.

Mr Scott

Leader of PSHE & Careers

Year 7 Scholarship Project

We introduced a new scholarship project for year 7 earlier in the year.  This was a chance for year 7 students to learn about something that fascinated them, developing a wider contextual understanding around their subject knowledge and also developing some scholarly skills such as research and referencing.

It was lovely to see the interest and curiosity our students showed, researching and learning about a wide range of subjects such as plans for a carbon converter device, a history of their favourite meal, the fall of the Roman Empire, a podcast on the role of a captain, and the impact of deforestation to name a few.

Well done to all those year 7 who submitted their work, I was impressed with the creativity and effort you put in and am already looking forward to seeing the submissions from those who choose to take part in our next scholarship window later this year.

Below is a sample of some of the work our students completed.

Mr Alsop

Head of Business and Economics &

Deputy Head of 6th Form

Year 8 English

This week, Year 8 students were given an English assessment to complete on the 'Merchant of Venice'. Lots of the students wrote brilliant responses and really engaged with the sensitive themes of prejudice and antisemitism that Shakespeare presents in the play, as well as the patriarchal Elizabethan society. You can read Aaron Lee assessment below. Aaron's response was astute, insightful and explored key quotations in detail to show understanding of how Shylock is presented as both a Malcontent and a victim in the play.

Mrs Charlton

Teacher of English/ Second in Department/KS4 Lead

Year 9 Chemistry

This week, our Year 9 Chemistry students took a deep dive into the fascinating world of allotropes of carbon. While many are familiar with diamond and graphite, the class has been investigating a more modern discovery: Buckminsterfullerene (C60)

To bring this microscopic structure to life, students created physical models of the molecule, meticulously assembling the characteristic pattern of 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons that form its iconic soccer ball shape.

Beyond the model-making, the core of the lesson focused on the relationship between structure and function. We explored the incredible medical potential of these hollow spheres. Because of their unique cage-like structure, fullerenes are being researched for their ability to act as molecular cages. This involves trapping drug molecules inside the fullerene to deliver them directly to specific target cells in the body, such as cancer cells, without damaging healthy tissue along the way.

I was incredibly impressed by the students' ability to link complex geometric structures to real-world pharmacological solutions. They aren't just learning about atoms; they are considering how we might solve the medical challenges of the future.

Mr Winstone

Deputy Headteacher - Teaching & Learning

Year 10 Business

In Year 10 Business we have been looking at developing the use of key terminology in our written responses by completing a talk for writing task. The students worked in pairs to discuss a possible source of finance option with justification to a scenario. The justification had to include a minimum of 3 or 4 key terms. The students discussed this verbally first before writing it in their exercise books as a 'silence is golden' task. The students wrote fantastic written responses after these discussions with a peer - well done Year 10!

Mrs Pyle

Teacher of Business

On Saturday 31 January, Year 7 student Alfie Nicholson, represented DHSB at the Devon Schools' Cross Country Championships. He ran extremely well in the Year 7 Boys race, finished in 3rd place and was presented a bronze medal.

Well done, Alfie!

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 Updates

Rugby

Our U18 rugby side took part in an invitational 7 a side tournament on Wednesday. The school beat Plymouth College A and B but lost to Exeter School. 

Mr Orkney

Teacher of PE

Football

First X1

Our first XI put in a performance to be proud of but lost 4-2 against Plymouth Parkway Wednesday afternoon.

Mr Manley

Assistant Head - Behaviour and Student Support

Year 9

The Year 9 Football Team had a huge win on Wednesday. A clinical performance from the boys secured a victory over Lipson to advance to the 3rd round of the Plymouth Cup.

Mr Callicott

Learning Manager

Year 8

Well done to the Year 8 football team who beat Tor Bridge in the first round of the Devon Cup Tuesday afternoon with an encouraging 2-0 win. The team play Lipson in the next round next week.

Mr Bunney

Head of PE

Year 8

A huge well done to our two Year 8 football teams for their performance at the PSSP tournament! Both squads showed fantastic resilience and commitment despite the challenging weather conditions. A brilliant display of character from DHSB.

Mr Callicott

Learning Manager

Year 8

The Plymouth Schools Year 8 Central Venue football league started last night with the first games played at DHSB. The ‘A’ team started strong with two wins against Eggbuckland ‘A’ and our ‘B’ team - well done to all the students involved.