Hard work translates into success for pupils at Peterborough’s Queen Katharine Academy

Pupils at a Peterborough school are celebrating after securing second and third place in a national languages competition.
Helio Nascimento and Gabriela KurucHelio Nascimento and Gabriela Kuruc
Helio Nascimento and Gabriela Kuruc

Year 10 students Helio Nascimento and Gabriela Kuruc, from Queen Katharine Academy shone in the Spanish category of the National Translation Bee Competition this year, a competition run by Routes into Languages.

The competition, which had almost 5,000 participants, challenges students’ language skills by asking them to translate as many phrases as they can into either French, Spanish or German.

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They are then evaluated on the quality of their pronunciation, as well as how many words they could translate within a minute.

Helio took second place while Gabriela finished in third place. Both students were in Year 9 at the time of the competition.

Lynn Mayes, Principal of Queen Katharine Academy, said: “We are all so proud of Helio and Gabriela – their English and Spanish language skills are outstanding. At the competition, they represented our academy superbly and we are so delighted for them.

“Their hard work, enthusiasm, and love for learning has highlighted exactly why we are known as an inclusive centre of educational excellence. It has been a fantastic start to the year, with lots more success still left to come.”

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Helio and Gabriela will each receive a certificate to remind them of their hard work and success.

The academy, which is part of The Thomas Deacon Education Trust (TDET), also saw success earlier in the year when they won ‘English Teacher or Team of the Year’ in the prestigious 2021 TES School Awards.

The awards are an opportunity for schools across the UK to be recognised for the exceptional commitment and quality of their teachers, staff and teams, who are improving the personal and academic experiences of their students.

Following on from the achievement, Michelle Stratton, Subject Lead for English, has been invited to speak at The Future of English Teaching Forum – an event where outstanding practitioners share best practice and innovative teaching methods.