Blog

Y11 Geography Fieldtrip

Our Year 11 Geography students successfully completed their field visit to Carding Mill Valley yesterday as part of their GCSE river study.

The trip provided an excellent opportunity for students to deepen their understanding of classroom learning and carry out the essential site investigations required for their GCSE Geography course. All data and findings gathered will support their preparation for Paper 3: Geographical Applications in the final exam series.

Despite the wind and rain, our students showed great resilience and worked brilliantly throughout the day – demonstrating teamwork, determination, and excellent fieldwork skills.

Well done to all involved!

#RespecttheCTAWay #Community #Tenacity #Aspiration

Adventures Away from Home trip

This week, our students took part in an “Adventures Away from Home” activity programme, supported by Staffordshire County Council and hosted at Beaudesert Outdoor Activity Centre.

They threw themselves into caving, archery and crate stacking – with teamwork that was truly fantastic to see. It was a wonderful chance for students to challenge themselves, support one another, and grow more comfortable and confident in a new environment.

They had an absolutely brilliant time!

#RespecttheCTAWay #Community #Tenacity #Aspiration

Year 13 students take on Mechanics topic

Our Year 13 students are almost at the end of their Mechanics unit in Maths, and they’ve really thrown themselves into it! 
They’ve been tackling everything from friction and forces to inclined planes and connected particles – and genuinely enjoying the challenge.

We’re so proud of the hard work and resilience they’ve shown as they get ready to wrap up this topic!

Eggs for Easter

A reminder that we are running our Eggs for Easter campaign for another year! This is a wonderful opportunity to bring smiles to families in our community by donating Easter eggs. All donations will support our CATCH Hub and will be shared across the community towards the end of term.

Every donation – big or small – will help brighten someone’s Easter and make a real difference.

Where to Donate:

• Drop off Easter eggs in the dining hall from 8:15am – 8:30am

• Or hand them in at main reception throughout the day

We’ll be sharing more information about our food parcel and Easter egg collection days shortly.

Thank you for your kindness and generosity!

#RespecttheCTAWay #Community #Tenacity #Aspiration

We are incredibly proud of our Year 8 students…

They’ve been working brilliantly in groups to design their own board games based on the concept of Karma. This week, they had the opportunity to sit down and play the games they created – and it was wonderful to see them fully engaged and enjoying the results of their hard work.

Well done, Year 8!

Thank You to Our Year 9 Sports Leaders!

A huge thank you to our fantastic Year 9 sports leaders, who played a vital role in supporting last night’s Year 7 and Year 8 U13 Football Tournament.

They refereed matches across 5 schools and 8 teams, showing confidence, fairness, and excellent leadership throughout the evening. Their professionalism helped the event run smoothly, and we are incredibly proud of the way they represented our school.

Girls’ Football Success!

Last night we hosted an exciting U13 Girls Football Tournament, welcoming 5 schools and 8 teams to compete. Both our Year 7 and Year 8 girls represented the school brilliantly throughout the evening.

A special well‑done to our Year 7 team, who battled their way to the final and showed fantastic determination, narrowly missing out on the win. We’re incredibly proud of all the players for their teamwork, resilience, and sportsmanship.

Well done, everyone!

The news you’ve all been waiting for…

We can now reveal that the total number of Wallys spotted around school on World Book Day was 46!

Today, the students who correctly guessed the exact number collected their prizes -well done to all our winners!

Thank you to everyone who took part and helped make World Book Day such a fun and memorable event.

#RespecttheCTAWay #Community #Tenacity #Aspiration

Sixth Form Drop-Down Day

As part of our Drop-Down Day yesterday, our Year 12 students took part in an important alcohol and drugs awareness session led by Anji from The Youth Net. The presentation focused on the dangers of substance misuse and encouraged thoughtful discussion about the effects of drug and alcohol abuse, emphasising the importance of making informed choices. Anji also shared invaluable safety advice for nights out, including strategies to prevent spiking and guidance on how to respond if it occurs – essential knowledge for young adults navigating social situations safely. They even had the opportunity to experience ‘beer goggles’ to understand how alcohol can affect vision and balance – Mrs Kaur even gave them a try too!

Following this, Year 12 students joined a workshop with our Wellbeing Lead, Mrs Darby, and Lucy from our local Mental Health Support Team, exploring mental health, wellbeing, and practical activities to support positive habits.

Meanwhile, our Year 13 students took part in an exam preparation day ahead of their upcoming A-Level exams, engaging in targeted revision sessions for their chosen subjects.

A productive and meaningful day for our sixth form students as they continue to develop both academically and personally.

Drop-Down Day

Yesterday, our students took part in the second Drop-Down Day of the academic year, engaging in a wide range of workshops designed to enrich their personal development and understanding of key issues.

Year 7 explored anti-social behaviour and how to become respectful members of the community. Year 8 used VR headsets to learn about county lines, gang mentality and the importance of making responsible decisions. Year 9 focused on knife crime, drugs, positive choices and team building, while Year 10 developed their understanding of work experience, knife and hate crimes, and assault, also taking part in a collaborative challenge. Year 11 embraced an exciting Tyre Challenge, creating business ideas using recycled tyres and pitching them in a Dragons’ Den-style presentation, considering financial, environmental and marketing factors.

It was a valuable and engaging day that encouraged every year group to think critically, work together and develop essential life skills.