News & Events

The year 7 and 8’s had their first rounders games in the East Cornwall league on Tuesday 12th May.

Year 7 Team

The year 7 team were up against it from the word go, being two players down. They took a while to find their feet, losing their first game to Callington. The team regrouped and changed their batting tactics for the second game, winning against Liskeard 5 to 4 and a half. The girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves and look forward to their next fixture at the West Devon rounders on June 3rd.

Year 8 team

The year 8 team made a blinding start to the East Cornwall league having had chance to play together the previous week at Okehampton. The team developed on their batting tactics ensuring they scored as many half rounders as they could, the final score Tavistock 4, Callington 3 and a half. The following game saw the team work really efficiently when fielding in order to deny Looe batting success. Tavistock’s batting tactics were paramount with 8 players getting onto the score sheet, the final score Tavistock 5 and a half, Looe 1. The team look to continue this success at the West Devon rounders on June 3rd.

Miss Hodge

Nineteen of our students set out in driving rain to take part in the Ten Tors Challenge on Dartmoor last weekend, eighteen representing Tavistock College and one who unfortunately did not make the final selection took part with Poltair School, St.Austell. Despite the atrocious conditions for the 7.00am start on Saturday morning and some thick hill fog on Sunday morning which tested the student’s navigation skills to the full, the weather was kind for the majority of the event. Such dramatic changes in weather only add to the complexities of undertaking a challenge of this nature. All three teams (35-mile, 45-mile and 55-mile) completed their respective distances and although a number of students returned with their feet slightly the worse for wear, they were delighted to have successfully completed the event.

Brigadier Jez Bennett, Director of Ten Tors 2015, commented: “Ten Tors is still the largest and foremost event of its kind in the British Isles, presenting real opportunities and challenges to bring out the very best in our young people. To complete the challenges takes considerable commitment and determination not just from the individuals and teams participating, but also from the adult team managers and group leaders whose selfless commitment and dedication brings the experience and love of the adventure to new generations.”

Tavistock College has always been at the forefront of teaching our students about democracy, with political speed dating and regular visits from local peers and MPs. The college has just organised a student led mock election, based on the principles of the actual electoral process, to teach students how we elect our representatives and what the different political parties stand for.

The college fielded 5 sixth form students, representing the 5 main political parties that are standing in the constituency of West Devon and Torridge (Conservative, Green, Labour, Liberal Democrat and UKIP). An independence party, for Devon Independence, was introduced to show students what it would be like to live in an area where a vote for a national party was an option. These candidates campaigned on their selected party’s manifesto and spoke to all year groups in assemblies and at hustings during lunchtimes. We also organised an opinion poll of students on the Friday before the actual election – which showed the Green party easily leading the field. As in the real general election, however, the opinion polls did not reflect the actual result!

On the day, 7th May, about 600 students voted at separate year group polling stations. At the end of lunch, the counting began with teams of sixth formers and staff working feverishly against the clock to tally up the votes, with A level maths students working out the percentages from the data. The result, announced by the returning officer for Tavistock College, Mrs Salmon, was a win for the Liberal Democrat candidate, Bert Rodgers. All the candidates – Jazz Rice, Freya Chambers, Fen Eastaugh, Lily Hillson and Laurie Church, as well as Bert – were extremely impressive and I am confident that they could all take up a political career should they wish!

Helen Harris