Pupils in the Race for KMF’s Young Engineer of the Year 2014!

Year 10 Sir Thomas Boughey pupils made great progress on their Greenpower kit car competition on Wednesday 27th November at engineering company KMF’s premises in Newcastle-under-Lyme. 

KMF is running its ‘Young Engineer of the Year’ competition for Year 10 pupils in 18 local high schools and Newcastle-under-Lyme College is proud to be sponsoring Sir Thomas Boughey’s team this year.

The Year 10 pupils, who are meeting at an after school club every week, will be building, designing and constructing the outer shell and finally racing the Greenpower car this July. Newcastle-under-Lyme College staff and students will be supporting Sir Thomas Boughey throughout the project.

Engineering Lecturer Michele Robinson and Newcastle-under-Lyme College engineering students Mitchell Lockett and Mathew Humphrey, were on hand on the day, and used their electrical expertise to assist the build.

The ‘Build Day’ event brought all 18 schools teams together at KMF and pupils were able to check out the competition! The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the day and were very impressed with progress that they have achieved so far!
Lucy Hancock, Schools Relationship Manager and sponsor contact, said ‘The Sir Thomas Boughey pupils have a fantastic team and this is a such a great opportunity for the school pupils to gain an insight into engineering and design with an outstanding local company’

Check back for updates !! Go Team STB/NULC !!

School Liaison Activities 2013/14

The School Liaison Team deliver a wide range of activities for pupils in Years 9, 10, 11 and are available for the following sessions:
• College talks to Years 9,10,11 pupils
• Parents Evenings
• Careers Events
• Mock Interviews/Results sessions
• Subject specific tasters
• Work Experience placements
• One to one visits to the college

If you would like to request any of the above or have a specific request in mind then please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Course Advice is available to all students with any course enquiries via the School Liaison e-mail address schools@nulc.ac.uk

We can deliver taster sessions at the College and we are pleased to announce that we can also organise taster sessions in school by request.

NEW Performing Arts Centre

Newcastle-under-Lyme College will redevelop the old Fire Station on Knutton Lane to accommodate an exciting new Performing Arts Centre. The centre will extend the range of courses which are available to students in Newcastle and the surrounding area. Courses in Performing Arts, Music Technology and Technical Theatre Production will complement existing provision and will also add a new Higher Education route, Foundation Degree in Dance and Theatre Arts.

The new state of the art facilities will include dance studios, music studios, an indoor performance theatre and external performance space.

The centre will be completed by August 2014 ready for the first intake of students in September!

New Pathway Structure

The Sixth Form Pathway includes vocational Level 3 courses and A level courses and the Progression and Skills Based Pathway includes vocational Entry Level, Level 1 (Foundation) and Level 2 courses.

Sixth Form A Level Pathway is a demanding programme that is best suited to students who want to study several different subjects in depth and who are prepared to work hard and perform well under exam conditions.  It’s important to think about the subject combinations if a student has a particular career or job in mind.

• There are more than 35 subjects available
• Students will study 3 or 4 subjects
• Courses will develop independent study skills and students will be introduced to relevant enterprise and work related learning.
• Talent+ Programme
Sixth Form Vocational Pathway is a Level 3 vocational programme (BTEC Extended Diploma) that is ideal for students who have a real interest in, or passion for a general career area.  They are best suited to students with good planning and organisational skills, who can hit deadlines and who enjoy working on multiple assignments at the same time.
• There are more than 14 different general vocational programme areas to choose from.
• There is the opportunity to re-take GCSEs in English and Maths if a grade C is not achieved in school, full support and preparation will be given for this.
• Programmes will be completed over a two year period working on 18 different units in that time.
• The programme will include enterprise learning and/or work experience.
• Talent + Programme
Progression and Skills Based Pathways are delivered at three different levels, Entry Level, Level 1 (Foundation) and Level 2. These courses are designed as a stepping stone to progress onto a higher level vocational programme or an Apprenticeship.
• 1 year course
• Develop English & Maths skills
• Students will progress onto a higher level qualification upon gaining a Merit  

Welcome to the School Liaison blog

The School Liaison Team comprises of Gareth Hughes School Liaison Team Leader and Tara Wallbanks School Liaison Officer at Newcastle-under-Lyme College!

We will be posting regular blogs throughout the year updating you on college open events, workshops and tasters that the School Team coordinate.

In this welcome blog we are highlighting our general open events for full-time courses and links to our popular Facebook page and Twitter account where we will Tweet which schools the team are visiting throughout the year.

Like us on Facebook
 
Follow us on Twitter

Open Events
Thursday 10 October 2013
5:30-8pm

Wednesday 13 November
5:30-8pm

Thursday 5 December
5:30-8pm

Saturday 25 January 2014
10-12noon

Wednesday 12 March  (NEW)
5:30-8pm

Saturday 21 June
10-12noon

You can contact the team directly with any questions about NULC or course advice by using our school liaison e-mail address, schools@nulc.ac.uk or by calling 01782 254347.

Hope to see you soon!

COOP Academy in an Academic v Vocational taster day

On 19 and 20 of June over 40 Year 10 pupils from the COOP Academy of Stoke on-Trent attended a two day taster event at Newcastle-under-Lyme College.

The first day of their ‘College Experience’ focused on A’ Levels with the students participating in taster sessions in Psychology, Sociology, Law and Sport Science.

Day two focused on practical and vocational areas of the college and were able to choose a taster in a subject that they were interested in.

Tasters in Construction, Public Services, Floristry, Hair & Beauty, Sport, Travel & Tourism, Engineering and Child Development.

The two day visit was a great success with many students leaving with a better idea of what they would like to study when they go to college for real!

Paige Williams commented on what she enjoyed about the Academic Day where she participated in Law, Sport, Psychology and Forensic Science. “The debate we had in Law, also learning about things in Sport,”

Courtney Fritzl also commented “I found that I liked the Law and Sociology subjects, I would think about studying at college as they were interesting and very debatable,”

Chloe Leavy commented on the vocational tasters in Sport, Painting & Decorating and Child Development “Finding out about different courses available here. I especially enjoyed the Painting & Decorating as we did different techniques.

Students will get the opportunity to experience these tasters again when they start Year 11 so that they can make an informed decision about their college choices.

If you would like any course advice or you would like the opportunity to experience a college taster before you apply then please ask your teacher to contact Gareth Hughes or Tara Wallbanks at schools@nulc.ac.uk or 01782 254347. 

Wolstanton pupils don their lab coats and make a mess!

On 11 July 2013 around 13 Year 10 pupils from Wolstanton High school were asked to take part in a specific Science & Maths taster day to find out what subjects they would need to study to become a Scientist! 

The day started with a lecture on Mathematics where NULC Maths lecturer Andy Snape bamboozled the pupils with mathematical equations that all Scientists must understand. They experienced other interactive sessions in Physics, Chemistry and Biology where they were able to understand how each area of science complements the other and that good knowledge of all areas will improve their chances of gaining employment in that area in the future.

The aim of the taster day was to give the budding young scientists the opportunity to find out what A’ Level subjects they should take in order to pursue a career in Science or Medicine.

Joshua Harding commented ‘I enjoyed how interactive the lessons were and how challenging the tasters were’.
 
Lauren Riley was impressed with the information she was given by NULC Science Coordinator Lucy Nevitt on the college Science, Technology, Maths & Engineering (S.T.E.M) activities. ‘I enjoyed the talk from Lucy about S.T.E.M and ask her questions’.

Wolstanton High School Head of Science Emma Postlethwaite felt the day was exactly what she hoped for and commented ‘I think the students got a lot out of the day- thank you to all the staff involved!’

If you would like any course advice or you would like the opportunity to experience a college taster before you apply then please ask your teacher to contact Gareth Hughes or Tara Wallbanks at schools@nulc.ac.uk or 01782 254347.

Painting and Decorating Taster at NULC

If you would like to book a taster session or arrange a bespoke tour of the College for your school please contact Gareth Hughes or Tara Wallbanks on schools@nulc.ac.uk or 01782 254347.

Landscape Gardening Taster At NULC

If you would like to book a taster session or arrange a bespoke tour of the College for your school please contact Gareth Hughes or Tara Wallbanks on schools@nulc.ac.uk or 01782 254347.

Carpentry and Joinery Taster at NULC

If you would like to book a taster session or arrange a bespoke tour of the College for your school please contact Gareth Hughes or Tara Wallbanks on schools@nulc.ac.uk or 01782 254347.

Bricklaying taster at NULC

If you would like to book a taster session or arrange a bespoke tour of the College for your school please contact Gareth Hughes or Tara Wallbanks on schools@nulc.ac.uk or 01782 254347.

Maths JAM 2013: The hidden code

On Thursday 4 July 2013, Maths JAM will return to Newcastle-under-Lyme College.

The successful maths based tournament for local high schools is designed to challenge the brightest maths pupils in the area. Each school selects its top two students from Year 7 up to Year 10 with the aim of becoming the Maths JAM champions. Pupils have to compete against each other from other schools of a similar ability.

Maths lecturer and Maths JAM creator Andy Snape designs the quiz questions and believes that activities like this are important for young maths fans. Andy commented: "I love maths and always have done but we never did anything like this when I was at school, this is great event that schools support which is fantastic."

The event includes year group rounds, individual rounds and a final school team round which will decide which school are Maths JAM champions.

New for this year, is the innovative Code Breaker Challenge where cryptic clues are hidden in amongst Newcastle-under-Lyme College’s official website [Click here for Code Breaker Challenge]
 

Pupils will receive weekly clues from Andy via their maths teacher with the answer being unveiled on the July event.

To take part in Maths JAM 2013 simply ask your Maths teacher to contact Newcastle-under-Lyme College School Liaison Team Gareth Hughes or Tara Wallbanks at schools@nulc.ac.uk

Childcare and Nail Art all in one day

On Tuesday 14 May, 15 Year 11 pupils making their final decisions on college courses before they sit their GCSE exams participated in a taster at Newcastle-under-Lyme College.

The pupils were from Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy in Blurton.  Hair, Beauty and Childcare were the order of the day with Nail Art demonstrations being very popular amongst the students especially Laurianne Allen who got to have her nails done (pictured) Laurianne commented: “I enjoyed the experience of learning more about the subjects.” 

As part of the taster day, pupils were given an in depth talk on the Colleges Childcare courses and had the opportunity to speak to current students about their own experiences on the course and where they see their career careers progressing.  The pupils also got to see current students work including a discussion about the importance of play amongst young toddlers and how this simple action can play a huge part in their development.

The Childcare taster enabled the pupils to experience what life would be like for a child minder, early years teaching assistant and what courses they would need to take in order to gain employment in that industry.

If you would like to book a taster session or arrange a bespoke tour of the College for your school please contact Gareth Hughes or Tara Wallbanks on schools@nulc.ac.uk or 01782 254347.

Creative gardening for budding young florists

On Wednesday 8 May, 44 enthusiastic young Year 7 pupils from Cooperative Academy of Stoke-on-Trent took part in a series of tasters including Landscape Gardening, Sport Psychology and Floristry.

Pupils who were involved in the Floristry taster were given the task of creating a beautiful Topiary tree arrangement which they were able to take home for a lucky family member. The session was run in the College’s own Transform Flowers shop.

Caitlin Booth from the COOP Academy commented: "It was very good when we got to do Floristry. I would come and do it again."

The students also got the chance to work alongside current NULC students Teresa Sinaguglia and Katie Barker.

 Another taster running for the very first time was the College’s Landscape Gardening department who got the pupil’s to block pave a footpath and potting their own little seedlings to take away and hopefully grow into a lovely plant.

 










Engineering and Product Design teacher Martin Ebbsworth from the Cooperative Academy commented: "All students got involved, the staff were very enthusiastic and the students all came away with something."

The final taster was run by NULC Sport lecturers who presented a detailed taster on Sport Psychology and understanding why certain sports require different personalities, this was the first time that these students had experienced such a session and they really enjoyed it.  Nathan Davies commented: "I enjoyed this visit because I learned more about sport."

From the Lab to the workshop

On Thursday 21 March 2013, 150 Year 10 students from Sir Thomas Boughey High School participated in a taster day at Newcastle-under-Lyme College (NULC).

 
The aim of the visit was to give the students an idea of what college is all about and were given the choice of up to 10 different subject tasters to choose from.

Taster sessions in Sport, Psychology & Sociology, Science & Forensics, Child Development, Animation, Graphic Design, Photography, Carpentry, Painting & Decorating and Bricklaying.

The tasters ran by NULC lecturers give an insight into that particular subject and encouraged the students to look at possible careers in that area.

The skilled trades were well represented with pupils learning how to dip different coloured paint to create their own piece of work in the Painting & Decorating session.

Child Development students experienced ‘Nappy changing with a difference’ which changed some student’s opinions about how to change a nappy. Chocolate and Marmite were used as an appropriate substitute to the real thing!
 
Lara Dale who was lucky enough to participate in the Child Development workshop commented ‘I enjoyed learning how to change your baby and actually doing instead of just learning it’.

Students who chose the Science & Forensics were shown how to create their own ‘Disease’ with the use of bacteria, all safely monitored by NULC lecturer Lucy Chadwick and half a dozen petri dishes!

Megan Johnson who participated in the Science workshop commented ‘I enjoyed learning about different diseases on the Ipad and using finger dust in the forensics activity’.

NULC School Liaison has a new recruit

Newcastle-under-Lyme College has welcomed a new member of staff to its Schools Liaison team.

Tara Wallbanks, who has worked for the college for the last eight years since leaving school, has stepped into the role as Schools Liaison Officer to work alongside Team Coordinator Gareth Hughes.

Tara has a wealth of experience working with young people in both the admissions and exams teams across the college.

Tara said: “I’m looking forward to meeting young people across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire and helping them with their careers choices.  It can be daunting trying to decide what to do after school but I’m here to provide and support and guidance.”

The former St Peters Academy student was surprised to find out that on her first day she was asked to attend a Parents Evening, ironically at her old school!

School Liaison is quite different to what she has done previously and is she is very excited to be working directly with prospective students within Stoke on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme schools.

Tara is a lively, friendly and approachable person who understands the importance of liaison work and her enthusiasm for helping young learners with their career choices is something that she has been interested in for a long time.

For an informal chat about how the Newcastle-under-Lyme College Schools Liaison Team can help your school with taster sessions and visits contact Tara on 01782 254381 or email schools@nulc.ac.uk.

Future Astrophysicist and Psychologist shine in the Auditorium

On Monday 17 December 2012, 16 Year 11 students from St John Fisher Catholic College and Chesterton Community Sports College impressed an audience including their peers, parents and NULC Principal Karen Dobson.

The students part of the NULC Master Class Programme for Gifted and Talented students were asked to speak for 5 minutes about their experience on the programme.

The programme which has been running for 5 years included visits to the University of Liverpool, University of Birmingham, University of Nottingham, Staffordshire University and a final inspirational visit to Oxbridge College’s Brasenose and Univ College.

Following on from the University visits were NULC lectures in Law, Sport Psychology, French and Philosophy. The students received a talk about NULC’s own Able & Talented programme and how these schemes can benefit them when applying for University in the future.

The students were asked to talk about their experience on the programme with many discussing the university visits, most notably Medicine at Oxbridge, Psychology at Birmingham and even Astrophysics at Nottingham.

School Liaison Team Coordinator and Master Class organiser Gareth Hughes was impressed with the student’s courage when talking in front of such a big audience in the college’s large auditorium.

"The students did fantastically well, public speaking is a real skill and can be very daunting but they passed with flying colours. The range of talks showed that each student gained a lot more knowledge about different college and university subjects."

Daniel Luby from St John Fisher Catholic College commented: "‘It was a truly fantastic experience and it was fantastically well organised, we were all very lucky to be given the opportunity. Although this is the last Master Class scheme we will all be taking part in, it was certainly a fantastic end to the course and one that provided an extremely useful experience for me personally."

To find out more about studying at NULC click here.