St Cuthbert Mayne School

Robots and coding 🤖💻

Students in our STEM Club have been given an exciting opportunity thanks to the generous support of a local company. We are delighted to have received support from Chris Thorpe, Principal NPI Engineer at G&H Torquay, who has helped provide our STEM Club with a fantastic range of robotics resources. Thanks to this partnership, students now have access to Makerzoid Master robots and micro TPBots, giving them valuable hands-on experience in building, programming, and problem-solving.

The students have embraced this opportunity with enthusiasm and have spent the past few weeks developing their engineering and coding skills. Many have already mastered the construction and control of the Makerzoid Master robots, while others have progressed to programming and customising their creations.

This is an ongoing project, and before the end of the summer term the STEM Club will be working alongside Mrs Gowers from the Computing Team to explore the capabilities of the micro TPBots. This collaboration will allow students to further develop their coding knowledge and discover new applications for robotics technology.

It is an exciting time for STEM education within the school, and we are incredibly grateful for the support of local businesses such as G&H Torquay. These partnerships provide students with invaluable learning experiences and a greater understanding of the wide range of career opportunities available within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
We look forward to continuing to strengthen our links with local industry and inspiring the next generation of STEM professionals.

Congratulations to Ella in Year 13, who has been awarded a Reading List Foundation Scholarship in recognition of her achievements during her time in Sixth Form.

Her prize of £275 in book vouchers will help to pay for the books she will need in her first year at university.

“Our congratulations to Ella Vaccaro in Year 13 who received the Reading List Foundation scholarship. The scholarship supports students with book costs as they head off to university.”

We look forward to seeing all Ella accomplishes as she begins the next exciting chapter of her journey studying Law at either the University of Surrey or Cardiff University in September.

Three of our students were invited to take part in the Youth Panel at the Thy Kingdom Come service at Exeter Cathedral recently.

In front of a packed cathedral of more than 300 people, our students were interviewed by Bishop Mike of Exeter and Ysanne Marville, sharing honestly about the joys and challenges of being young people of faith in 2026.

The evening was a powerful celebration of worship, prayer and community, bringing generations together with a real sense of anticipation and hope. We were also inspired to hear from Rachel Gardner from Youthscape, as she encouraged everyone to truly listen to the voices of young people today.

What a privilege for our students to represent both our school and young Christians so thoughtfully and courageously at such a special event. 🙏

Huge congratulations to our Year 11 student, Alessia, who has successfully gained membership at the highly prestigious National Youth Theatre.

Alessia secured her place through an exceptionally competitive national audition process, with more than 6,000 young people auditioning each year and only 240 places awarded to 14–17-year-olds across the country.

Following completion of her acting membership course this summer, Alessia will officially become an acting member of the National Youth Theatre, giving her access to workshops, industry programmes and opportunities to learn from leading professionals through partnerships with organisations including Netflix, the BBC, Sky and TikTok.

Alessia said:"I’m extremely grateful, proud and excited to be a member of the National Youth Theatre! It’s been a dream for so long and a lot of hard work. NYT will offer me so many opportunities and connections. I can’t wait to develop my skills alongside others who are just as passionate about performing! "

The National Youth Theatre is recognised as Britain’s leading drama company for young people, with alumni including Helen Mirren, Daniel Craig, Rosamund Pike, Colin Firth and Orlando Bloom just to name a few! Four of the six BAFTA nominees for Best Actor this year also began their journey with NYT.

A special thank you goes to Mrs Byng for all of her support and encouragement of Alessia throughout the audition process. Congratulations, Alessia, we are incredibly proud of you!

Ropes, rafts and resilience 🚣

Our year 7 students had a fantastic time in Brixham as they took part in an exciting outdoor pursuits trip at Grenville House.

Each day was packed full of teamwork, fun and sun, with students getting the chance to challenge themselves on the high ropes course and work together to build and test their own rafts on the water.

The days away gave our year 7s students time to bond even more as a year group. Whether they were encouraging each other on the high ropes, working together to keep their rafts afloat, or simply enjoying time together outdoors, it was fantastic to see new friendships forming and confidence growing with everyone steeping out of their comfort zones and giving each challenge a go!

Grenville House Outdoor Education Centre

Our performing arts students are continuing to achieve great things. 🎭

A group of students recently entered the Torbay Festival of Drama and Music, where they won their Musical Theatre class with honours!

A brilliant result and a real reflection of the time, effort and teamwork they put into their performance. We are so proud of how they represented our school!

Kicking off future careers ⚽

As part of work experience week, 10 of our students had the fantastic opportunity to take part in the Work Experience Guarantee Programme run by the Devon, Plymouth and Torbay Careers Hub.

The sports-focused programme, supported by Torquay United Football Club and Torbay Council, gave students a real insight into the huge variety of careers involved in running a football club from coaching and media to hospitality, finance, security and marketing.

Throughout the week, students took part in inspiring sessions with professionals including Tim Herbert, Michael Westcott, Jimmy Ball, Sam Cooke, Beccy Wells, Sam Hart, Richard Scutt, Rachael and Simon Cox. Sessions included a mock board meeting, entrepreneurial workshops, stadium safety activities, Q&As, a branding session and employer interviews.

One of the biggest highlights was visiting Plainmoor, where students enjoyed a full stadium tour, watched a training session, met staff and players, and experienced behind-the-scenes life at Torquay United.

A huge thank you to everyone who gave their time and expertise to support our students, and especially to Jacqui and the Devon, Plymouth and Torbay Careers Hub for organising such an innovative, varied and inclusive programme.

Torbay Council Torquay United AFC

Exams are important but so are YOU 💛

Exams can feel like a lot, so remember to look after your mental health and wellbeing during exam time.

🌟 Talk to a friend, teacher or family member if you are feeling overwhelmed.
🌟 Don’t study too late at night, you need time to switch off and wind down.
🌟 Aim for 8 hours of sleep to help your brain recharge, it’s working overtime!
🌟 Take breaks without feeling guilty, you’ve earned them.

Most importantly, asking for help isn’t a weakness it’s a strength.

You’ve got this, and you don’t have to do it alone. 💫

MentalHealthMatters

Every school day builds success

Did you know that learning happens step by step, with each school day helping to build children’s knowledge, confidence and independence.

Regular attendance helps children strengthen friendships, develop resilience and stay connected to their learning journey.

By being in school every day, children are building strong foundations for future success, one day at a time.