Bruntcliffe Academy

COSTA RICA FINAL NIGHT! 🇨🇷

What an adventure we have all had! Students are safely at the airport ready for our journey back to the UK!

WOW WEDNESDAY!!! 💙

Our final WOW Wednesday of half term 5, and what a morning it was! Congratulations to everyone who came along to showcase their work
with staff.

COSTA RICA DAY SEVEN! 🇨🇷

Today gave us a slightly slower start after a huge rainstorm overnight, which meant we woke this morning to a power outage at camp. Despite the unexpected start to the day, we headed off to a local organic farm, where we were reunited with the owner of the chocolate farm we visited earlier in the week. He spoke to the students about sustainability and how his organic farm operates, before giving us a tour of the vanilla pod orchard. The students then had the opportunity to hand-pick pineapples for tasting, enjoying fresh pineapple straight from the plant and cooling off with delicious fresh pineapple juice in the middle of the fields. After our final lunch at Tirimbina Lodge, we made a quick stop at a local supermarket to stock up on party supplies for the evening ahead. Our final night in Costa Rica was celebrated in style with a special Costa Rica 2026 awards ceremony, where students received certificates and personal awards to remember an unforgettable expedition. Tomorrow brings an early start as we visit an active volcano before travelling back to San José airport for our journey home.

Last Friday, our Year 9 ASDA Futures students took part in their penultimate trip of the programme, creating mock-ups of their product lines, packaging designs and supermarket shelf displays. Students also had the exciting opportunity to visit ASDA’s mock shop floor, where they explored product placement strategies and even got a sneak peek at the upcoming Christmas 2026 range. The day ended with preparations for the final celebration event in July, where students will bring their product ideas to life for the judges.

🚀 Last week our Year 8 girls had an inspiring day at the Girl Tech Conference held at the ASDA Merchandising Centre of Excellence, where they explored exciting opportunities in digital technology through interactive workshops, careers exhibitions and emerging tech activities led by companies including Accenture and Sulzer.

The day ended with a creative design challenge, where students developed an app idea to support access to EV charging points across the UK, receiving fantastic feedback for their innovative thinking. We are incredibly proud of how enthusiastically they embraced the experience and hope the day has inspired future careers in tech! ✨

A huge congratulations to Charlie and Jaiden (Y10) who played for Leeds schools FA in the Yorkshire cup on Saturday, against Sheffield schools FA up at Thorpe Arch. Leeds schools won 1-0 to bring home the trophy. We are very proud of them both! ⚽️🥳

The ice cream van paid a special visit today as a reward for HT5, for House Holmes, who are currently leading the way in the house token competition! Well done to everyone in Holmes for all their hard work and positive contributions so far. 👏

Keep an eye out for upcoming Sports Day information, there are still plenty of points up for grabs. We all know it can cause a huge swing in the leaderboard!

COSTA RICA DAY 6! 🇨🇷

Yesterday began with a 7am start and a delicious breakfast before we headed to a local snake farm for a fascinating morning. Students took part in an informative lecture about biodiversity in Costa Rica, followed by a guided tour where they saw a variety of incredible reptiles, including eyelash vipers, boa constrictors and the impressive bushmaster snake. We also met tortoises of all sizes and learnt how the farm cares for and protects them. After lunch back at Tirimbina Biological Reserve, students headed into the rainforest for a competitive bug hunt. Despite the rain, spirits stayed high as teams explored the jungle and later enjoyed looking back through the brilliant photos they captured along the way. After dinner, students had the opportunity to hear all about Chris Knowles’ incredible adventures across the world and learn about his career as a zoologist, travelling to different countries to study and work with wildlife. Today is our final full day in country — it’s hard to believe how quickly this unforgettable trip has flown by!

DofE News! 🏕️

This week Mr Oliver distributed letters offering those taking part in their DofE Bronze Award a place on Expedition 1 (June 18-19) or Expedition 2 (July 02-03). The deadlines for each of these expeditions are on the respective letters, and the expedition fee contribution is live on parent pay. If your child cannot attend their offered expedition, please can you email [email protected] at your earliest convenience to ensure a place can be offered on an alternative date.