NewslettersNewsletter 19.03.26

Written by Sixth Form student reporter Emily Moore

Year 13 student Devonté recently had the honour of representing his country, Grenada, at the Concacaf Under 20 Qualifiers. Describing the tournament as a ‘great experience’ and one he won’t forget.

Organised by Concacaf, the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football, tournaments and competitions for national teams and clubs to conduct the World Cup qualifying tournaments. This year’s competition took place in Nicaragua in Central America which brought together some of the most talented young footballers from across the region to compete at a high level.

He described the highlight of the tournament as being in the starting line-up in the first game, as this provided him a starting point into playing at an international level. Despite the high-level of competition, the tournament also provided valuable lessons. Reflecting on the tournament, he shared that one of his biggest takeaways was the importance of continuing to work hard. “You can always work harder, so keep working” he said. Highlighting the determined mindset required in such a competitive field. Another significant part of the experience was meeting and playing with teammates he had never met before. Despite this, he was able to get to know them and work well amongst a team.

Whilst studying criminology, sociology and sport, Devonté is also part of our Cheltenham Town football development program which provides students with opportunities to experience professional-style coaching and individual learning plans and feedback to help improve ability and understanding surrounding the game and to participate in an additional 10 hours of football a week.

As an Academy we recognise student success and work towards all students reaching their full potential.

We congratulate Devonté and we wish him all the best in any future competitions!

Last week, Year 10 and 12 students completed work experience, and the feedback we have received from employers has been excellent! There were many positive comments about how well students represented the school, their positive and professional attitudes and how willing they were to get stuck in and use their initiative to complete tasks. We are really proud of all of them. Many employers have left feedback for students through Unifrog (students can log into their Unifrog accounts and access this), but some individual positive feedback has been emailed to Mrs Farrow and we will make sure that this is passed on to students and parents.

At this time of year, university Summer Residentials start to be advertised and we have several to make you aware of. These events are free of charge and all about trying university out to see if it’s a future option students would like to choose. Students get to stay in student accommodation, try out a subject(s) and explore social and extra-curricular events with supportive staff who are on hand 24/7. There is Year 9 residential at Hartpury University from 29th – 30th July and you can find out more and apply here – https://www.grows.ac.uk/activities-and-events/grows-university-weekend-residential. The University of Gloucestershire run a Year 12 residential from 7-10th July and a Year 10 residential from 14-17th July, and you can find out more and apply here https://www.glos.ac.uk/outreach/summer-residentials/. If you have further questions about these events before signing up, please contact Mrs Farrow.

Finally, there are still spaces at the Apprenticeship Roadshow event on Tuesday 24th March from 5pm – 7pm and you can sign up via this link – https://www.tickettailor.com/events/gloucestershirecareershub/2006482.