07.02.25 Senior Bulletin

Dear Parents, Guardians & Carers,

This week, Truro School has been proud to support Children’s Mental Health Week, recognising the vital role that wellbeing plays in both learning and life. This year, Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week 2025 has joined forces with Here4You, supported by The Walt Disney Company, to explore the importance of self-awareness and expressing emotions. Using the much-loved characters from Inside Out and Inside Out 2, the campaign encourages young people to reflect on how understanding themselves can help them build resilience, grow, and develop.

To celebrate this important initiative, Wednesday 5th February saw our ‘Splash of Colour’ day bring a vibrant energy to the school, with pupils and staff adding colourful accessories to their uniforms – even colourful socks were encouraged! These small but meaningful acts serve as a reminder that mental health matters and that taking time to acknowledge our emotions is an essential part of personal growth. Additionally, on Thursday, staff gathered for ‘Time to Talk’ at morning break in the Trennick Common Room, providing a valuable space for open conversations about mental health and wellbeing. At Truro School, we are committed to fostering a culture where wellbeing is a priority, ensuring that every pupil feels valued, supported, and able to thrive.

Alongside our focus on wellbeing, it has been a fantastic week of music, art, academic achievements, and pupil/student leadership across the school: Monday marked the Portrait Exchange Private View at the Heseltine Gallery, showcasing an outstanding cross-campus collaboration between our 3rd Year Senior School pupils and Year 6 pupils from the Prep School. The week has also been filled with musical excellence, with our Junior Charity Concert on Monday and the Senior Charity Concert on Tuesday. These performances highlighted the exceptional talent within our school and provided a wonderful opportunity for pupils and students to showcase their hard work.

Our Debating Team made an outstanding impression at the Oxford School Debate, competing against 60 other schools from across the South West. Their ability to present well-structured, compelling arguments was truly impressive, demonstrating the skill and dedication they have honed in Debating Club. Meanwhile, pupils also took part in the Rotary Youth Speaks competition, presenting thoughtful and persuasive speeches.

The Math Challenge saw pupils push their problem-solving abilities to the limit, demonstrating impressive logical thinking and perseverance. It was fantastic to see so many pupil s engaging in the competition. Meanwhile, students taking their Leiths’ practical food exams showcased their exceptional skills in the kitchen.

This week also marked an important milestone for our 3rd and 5th Year pupils, as they begin to make key decisions about their future studies. Our 3rd Years are selecting their GCSE options, while our 5th Years are considering their A-Level courses. These choices are an exciting step in their educational journeys and we are supporting them every step of the way. It’s a moment for reflection, exploration, and setting the foundations for their academic and personal growth.

As Interim CPL Lead, my focus is on supporting staff with engaging professional development opportunities that enhance our collective expertise and enrich learning. This half term, we have been working on constructive feedback strategies, helping pupils and students recognise their strengths and areas for improvement so they can progress with confidence.

As Interim Teaching and Learning Lead, Lucy’s role is to ensure that both students and staff have the resources and strategies to foster an environment where learning can thrive. To support this, we have been using GRIT tasks (Greater Reflection Improvement Time). These tasks encourage students to reflect on their work, identify areas for growth, and take ownership of their learning. By doing so, they are building resilience and developing a mindset that views challenges as opportunities to grow.

We are both incredibly excited for the term ahead and look forward to working with staff and students to continue shaping an inspiring and supportive learning environment.

Miss Lucy Coleridge and Mr James Butterworth

Interim Teaching and Learning Lead and Interim CPL Lead

School News

Latest From Truro School

Wisdom from War Zones

Sixth Form students were on the edge of their seats for a fascinating talk from Rick Findler, an award-winning photojournalist who has covered some of the most dangerous news stories of the last ten years.

Through Their Eyes: A Portrait Exchange

Building on the success of last year’s cross-campus portrait project, we were delighted to host another remarkable exhibition in the Heseltine Gallery.

Welcoming the Year of the Snake

Our boarding community have been celebrating the year of the snake as the Lunar New Year commences, it is one of the most important in the Chinese calendar and widely celebrated across the globe.

1st Years Inspired by British Birds

Inspired by British birds and the Great British Bird Watch, our 1st Year pupils have been working in groups to design large scale bird prints as part of their Art topic work on birds.

Design & Build Committee Visit Site

The Design & Build Committee stepped onto the construction site of Truro School’s new Music Centre, gaining valuable insight into the technical aspects of its development.

Junior Charity Concert 2025

This year’s Junior Charity Show was held in support of Young People Cornwall and was entirely organised by our talented pupil team.

Show Shines in Support of Young People Cornwall

The Senior Charity Show delivered an exceptional evening of talent and generosity as students took to the stage in support of Young People Cornwall.

Stories from Home

For the past few weeks, some of our 4th Year form time has been dedicated to our international community, with students from diverse backgrounds sharing insights into their lives at home.

WAA Cuddly Creations

Knee-deep in furry fabrics, our WAA soft toy pupils have been busy pattern-cutting and tacking together their animal creations.

Know Yourself, Grow Yourself in Wellbeing

This week has been Children's Mental Health Week, and the theme for our chapel assemblies is 'Know Yourself, Grow Yourself.'

Scuba for our Sixth

Sixth Form students have been learning to Scuba Dive with an introduction course, hosted by Dive UK, as part of their Wednesday Afternoon Activities.

A-Level Languages Offer So Much More

Our language curriculum explores current societal and political issues, celebrates the advantages of our ethnically diverse communities, and reinforces our school values and the importance of fostering tolerance and respect for diversity.

Values Awards 06/02/25

This week's values award winners... Congratulations Pandora, Sunny, Freddie, Kes, Amelia, Charlie and Bea.

Staff Share their Wellbeing Snaps

As part of Wellbeing Week, staff have been actively participating by sharing images of places and hobbies that symbolise their personal sense of wellbeing.

Weekly Calendar

View the Calendar

School Notices

Messages & Downloads

New Pedestrian Routes in School

Due to the increased amount of work and the number of large vehicles around the building site, we will be restricting pedestrian access on Trennick Lane.

Starting from Monday 3 February there is no walking on Trennick Lane between the 5th Year Common Room and the top of the rugby changing rooms in both directions.

The only exception will be during a fire alarm activation.

We appreciate your help and cooperation with this.

View

After School Safety

We would like to ask parents and carers to be mindful of the impact of our school traffic on local residents.

Residents from Epworth Close, the first left-hand turning on Trennick Lane, have emailed us to ask that Truro School families kindly do not use Epworth Close as a collection point for afternoon pick-up.

Residents have expressed concern that this is posing a danger to pedestrians and other drivers as parking on one side of the street creates a one-way flow of traffic for those entering and leaving the estate.

As a school, we always strive to minimise any negative impact we might have on our local community and thank you for your support and understanding in this matter.

Sixth Form Sports Dinner

We are pleased to invite our Sixth Form parents and students to join us for this year’s sports dinner.

To confirm your reservation, please complete the Form sent via email by the booking deadline of 7 March 2025.

Oxford German Olympiad

Get creative around the subject of Games and Sport and take part in this competition run by the Oxford German Network – there are prizes to be won!

No prior German knowledge is needed for some categories. Contact Mrs Srikanthan for further info (tms@truroschool.com).

Spring Term's Clubs and Activities

The list of Spring Term clubs and activities is available to view here.