Monologues, Dancing and Blood

On Tuesday 30 September, lecturers and students from Newcastle-under-Lyme College visited Year 9 pupils at The Co-Operative Academy of Stoke-on-Trent for their Deep Learning Day. Tina McDonald, Performing Arts Centre Manager and Rachel Whitaker, Course Team Leader for Level 3 Make up Artistry, ran workshops in ‘Performing Arts Auditions’ and ‘Theatrical Make-up’.

In the Performing Arts session NULC students Maddison and Sian performed a monologue to the pupils, who then learnt and performed the monologue in pairs. Pupils learned all about the importance of confidence in an audition and some went on to volunteer to perform to the whole group. They were then taught some basic dance moves where they learnt to control their balance during a number of spins and how to impress within the performing arts industry.

In the Theatrical Make-up session, NULC students gave demonstrations on how to apply casualty make-up. The pupils gained good practice for their Halloween costumes using Grimas stage blood and moulding wax to create realistic cuts to their hands. If you would like to see more theatrical make-up art done by NULC students, check out their twitter page: @NULCMakeup

For information on our brand new Performing Arts Centre, click here; http://www.nulc.ac.uk/getinontheact.html

For information on all of our Music and Performing Arts courses, click here; http://www.nulc.ac.uk/courses/music-performing-arts-dance.html

For information on all of our Beauty courses, click here; http://www.nulc.ac.uk/courses/hairdressing-beauty-therapy.html

 

If you would like to arrange a taster or visit for your pupils, please contact Gareth & Tara on 01782 254347 or email schools@nulc.ac.uk

LEGO Innovation Studio at NULC

 

 

There is something different happening at NULC. In our mission to be ‘The College of first choice’ we are investing in a new and innovative way to enhance and enrich our curriculum; with LEGO.

 

We will become the first education provider within the region to boast a LEGO Innovation Studio that is purposely equipped with LEGO Education resources. There is a wide variety of resources available that are suitable for all levels of learners. All curriculum areas within the college have made a commitment to integrating them wherever possible.

 

The main focus of the resources are courses which base themselves upon the STEM curriculum. Students studying courses involving Maths, Science, Engineering and Computer Science will all see the immediate affinity with the robotics whilst all other students will be accommodated with the literacy resources available.

 

The LEGO Innovation Studio will not only provide our current students with opportunities through the curriculum and extra-curricular clubs but will also offer tasters and workshops for our future students through the Schools Liaison Team. We aim to run subject specific tasters that both secondary schools and primary schools can access giving schools the opportunities to experience the studio first-hand.

 

Once you are a student here you will given the opportunity to spend parts of your curriculum time using the facility and the resources to get involved using LEGO kits to enhance your learning experience. You will also be able to join in the extra-curricular robotics club!

For more information contact Andy Snape at legoinnovationstudio@nulc.ac.uk or come and visit us at an NULC open event, the first talking place on October 6 2014, more dates and information can be found here.

Former NULC student gives inspirational talk

On Monday 29^th September, former Newcastle-under-Lyme College student, Lance Corporal Thomas Capper, visited Year 11 pupils at Trentham High School.

Thomas gave an inspirational talk about how hard work and determination have enabled him to follow his dream of becoming a paramedic. Despite failing to gain a place at University due to his low confidence, he joined the British Army in 2012. In 2014 he was promoted to Lance Corporal and has never looked back.

Having visited a number of barracks across Britain, he completed a course on sky-diving, joined a tour of Kenya and completed the pre-deployment training used for Afghanistan. At the end of September Thomas is off to Canada for 2 months to drive an ambulance and offer medical support for an army training exercise.

Pupils from Trentham High School were given the chance to ask Thomas about life in the army but also about the BTEC National Diploma in Sport & Exercise Science that he completed at NULC.

If you would like the Newcastle-under-Lyme College Schools Liaison Team to arrange an inspirational talk in your school, contact Gareth or Tara on 01782 254347 or email schools@nulc.ac.uk

Trentham pupils enjoy dance workshop

On Thursday 25^th September Newcastle-under-Lyme College’s (NULC) Performing Arts Centre Manager, Tina McDonald, visited a group of Year 9 & 10 drama pupils at Trentham High School. Tina brought along NULC Performing Arts student Sian Jones to run a dance workshop with the pupils.

 

Sian, who is an ex-Trentham High School student, helped to teach the pupils a Jazz dance routine to a track from the fantastic Broadway show Chicago.

All of the pupils enjoyed showcasing their dance moves and also finding out new and exciting information about NULC’s brand new Performing Arts Centre, which will open in January 2015.

To find out more about the Performing Arts Centre and courses, please click on this link http://www.nulc.ac.uk/getinontheact

If you would like Tina to run a workshop in your school, please contact the Schools Liaison Team on 01782 254347 or email schools@nulc.ac.uk

Students ‘FEAST’ their eyes on NULC’s 2014 Art Exhibition

 

School pupils from around the area have been coming to view NULC art students’ final work at the Colleges stunning annual art exhibition, ‘FEAST’.

Large and small groups were easily accommodated and given guided tours of the exhibition. Thistley Hough Academy brought 35 Year 10 pupils and Windsor Park Middle School had a group of 10 gifted and talented Year 8 pupils.

Lisa Mckenzie, head of art at Windsor Park Middle School, said: “It was a great opportunity for Windsor Park’s gifted and talented art students to see the type of work that is produced at FE Level. All of the Windsor students enjoyed the trip and loved being able to interact with some of the art work and being able to talk to the College students about their work.”

Pupil, Rose Holmes, said: “Some pieces gave me some great inspiration for my own artwork. I also enjoyed seeing techniques I’ve never seen before.”

If you would like to visit the NULC Art Exhibition in June 2015 please contact the school liaison team, Gareth Hughes and Tara Capper on 01782 254347 or email schools@nulc.ac.uk.

Wolstanton Students Experience College Life

On Thursday 3rd July, Newcastle under-Lyme College’s school liaison team invited a group of talented pupils from Wolstanton High School for an afternoon of tasters to give them an insight into what life would be like as a photography and fashion student at NULC.

The first session was a taster in fashion. The pupils were able to be creative using different materials and designs. Mia Palmer was impressed saying: “I am looking forward to attending this College and taking the fashion course. I really enjoyed the taster.”

Finishing off their first session nicely with a break in the College’s Starbucks coffee shop, the pupils went on to the photography studio and dark room for their photography taster. Again, the pupils were able to show off their creative skills using various objects and materials to create different images. Georgia Pitula was enthused, she said: “I enjoyed photography because it was interesting and it has made me more excited to come to Newcastle-under-Lyme College next year”.

A number of pupils remarked on how they enjoyed experiencing college life and found it useful to help with future choices. If you would like to give your pupils a taster of college life, please get in touch with Gareth or Tara on 01782 254347 or email schools@nulc.ac.uk

Computer Programming – Lego Education Robots!

Year 6 pupils from St Margaret’s C. E Junior School, St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Hanley St Luke’s Primary School and Stoke Minister C of E Primary School enjoyed the chance to build and program their own robot using Lego education materials.

Andrew Snape, assistant head of sixth form and maths lecturer at NULC and staff from NULC Sixth Form Centre delivered sessions in St Margaret’s Primary and pupils from St Mary’s came into NULC in June 2014. In July sessions were delivered by NULC to St Luke’s and Stoke Minister pupils at Thistley Hough Academy.

The pupils very quickly assembled the robots, which are made up of various technical components of Lego, including motors, touch sensors and colour sensors.  They then programed the robots using a visual programming tool that introduces the concepts of computer code.  The pupils worked together to complete the tasks within the allocated time. Once the groups completed the tasks, they raced their robots.

Andrew Snape, said: “The aims of this activity are to teach pupils the basics of computer programming, and how we can use maths, computing, science, design and technology in an engineering context.”

Head teacher at St Margaret’s, Mr Andrew Black commented: “The pupils really enjoyed the sessions and they were full of the excitement when I was chatting with them at lunch. You undoubtedly grabbed their learning attentions and gave them something on which to build for the future.”

If you would like to organise a taster session please contact the school liaison team, Gareth Hughes and Tara Capper on 01782 254347 or email schools@nulc.ac.uk.

The World of Media at NULC

On Thursday 3rd July pupils from St. John Fisher Catholic College took a short walk over to Newcastle-under-Lyme College to take part in tasters from our Art, Design & Media department.

The day began with an A Level media studies session in the College’s Sixth Form Centre. During this session the pupils learned all about the world of media and details of what a media course at Newcastle-under-Lyme College entails.

Once the pupils had chance to look through previous student’s work, they were split into groups and given the task of inventing a magazine and designing the cover. When the pupils were presenting their magazines to the group, they were all very confident and had each thought about every aspect of launching a magazine, such as the target audience and sale price. They came up with fantastic ideas and designs that were creative and innovative. NULC media studies lecturer Natalie Weatherer commented that she could see the ideas working in the current market.

St. John Fisher pupil George Dodd commented; “This taster was awesome, a really intriguing subject that I would love to study”. Kiera Beeston also enjoyed the session, he said: “The media studies taster was brilliant, it has definitely made me consider taking it as an A Level”.

After a short break in the College’s Starbucks coffee shop, the pupils began their second session of the day, in photography. NULC photography lecturer Terry Kane briefed the pupils on what to expect in the College’s dark room and explained about health and safety when using the different chemicals required to develop photographs. Pupils used a wide range of objects to create various shapes and develop photograms. Lucy Shelley had a great time, she said: “I loved it in the dark room, the session was amazing. I learned a lot and would pick this course.”

When the pupils of St. John Fisher Catholic College were asked what they enjoyed about the day, the most popular reply was “Everything!”

If you are a teacher and would like to organise a taster for a group of pupils, please contact the school liaison team; Gareth & Tara on 01782 254347 or email schools@nulc.ac.uk

 

 

Très bon, Sehr gut, Muy Buena ! Pupil’s verdict on Languages Taster Day!

 

Year 10 pupils from three Newcastle schools – Clayton Hall Business and Language College, Newcastle Community High School and Madeley High School came together on 4 July at Newcastle-under-Lyme College to experience a full languages taster day delivered by NULC lecturers and current language students.

The groups had 3 lectures in French, Spanish and German and also chose an additional short taster in Japanese, Polish or Italian. At lunch all students and staff enjoyed a themed buffet with food from France, Spain and Germany. The day was designed to give students an example of an A Level Language lecture at Newcastle-under-Lyme College and to demonstrate the wealth of opportunities being proficient in a foreign language can give you in your future career.

Madeley pupil, Billy Seru, commented, “I enjoyed everything. It was fun, I learnt new things, met new people and ate interesting food- overall, a very good day.”

James Bailey from Clayton Hall Business and Language College, said: “I found the taster session extremely informative and it gave me a clear insight into the structure of an A Level course”

Lucy Webb from Newcastle Community High School, said: “I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I will take French at College if possible.”

Bruno Prime, French language teacher at Clayton Hall Business and Language College, said: “I thoroughly enjoyed the day, it was very well organised. There were lots of different activities, time flew very quickly and the students were always involved. The different activities were challenging but pitched at the right level.”

If you would like to organise a ‘Très bon’ taster session please contact the school liaison team, Gareth Hughes and Tara Wallbanks on 01782 254347 or email schools@nulc.ac.uk.

 

Sir Thomas Boughey KMF Race Day at Darley Moor

Race Day finally arrived on a very sunny Wednesday 9^th July for the KMF Young Engineer of the Year Project. This was the culmination of the KMF ‘Young Engineer of the Year’ annual project run by local company KMF to inspire the next generation of engineers.

This year Newcastle-under-Lyme College has sponsored a fantastic group of Year 10 pupils from Sir Thomas Boughey High School who along with their Design and Technology teacher Laura Tunstall have designed, built and finally raced their car against 18 other local high school entrants at Darley Moor Race Track in Derbyshire.

NULC school relationship manager, Lucy Hancock, liaised with the school throughout the project with NULC’s college lecturers from graphic design, delivering taster sessions to produce the car artwork and with engineering staff and students assisting on the Build Day. The school liaison team supported the school on Race Day and was attended by the College’s senior management team and lecturing staff. NULC engineering student, Matthew Humphries, did a great job helping out both on the build and race days and also driving the car for the Sponsors Race.

The pupils had a fantastic day racing their battery powered Greenpower cars around the Darley Moor racetrack in Ashbourne. The pupils demonstrated excellent teamwork skills, co-ordinating the driver change overs and making sure the car ran as efficiently as possible round the track and confidently dealing with the challenges of the day. Host of the Channel 4’s, The Gadget Show, Jason Bradbury also attended the day and gave out the awards in a closing ceremony.

Sir Thomas Boughey’s Head teacher Stephen Gould, said: “It was our first venture into this type of project and the backing of the College was so influential in the many positive outcomes for our students from this wonderful opportunity. Such has been the success of the event for us as a school that planning is already underway for future events”.

If you would like to organise an activity with Newcastle-under-Lyme College please contact the school liaison team, Gareth Hughes and Tara Capper on 01782 254347 or email schools@nulc.ac.uk.

 

 

Invertebrates- clever or clueless?

On 23rd June 2014, Sir Thomas Boughey High School brought the entire Year 10 cohort of 150 pupils to NULC for an afternoon for taster sessions to give them an idea of what college life is all about.

The pupils were given a list of available tasters and they had to choose which subjects they were most interested in, the pupils would experience one 1 ½ hour taster during their visit.

The subjects available were sport nutrition, biology, computing and robotics, early years, public services, floristry, graphics, psychology and sociology and photography.

The early year’s session was very lively as students had to work in teams to create a play activity for children using recycled materials. The students had to be as creative as possible and were given lots of information by the lecturers about children’s behaviour and how this affects play time.

Saskia Fagan enjoyed the early year’s taster saying, “I enjoyed the activity we did because it showed how children have to work as a team and how to create something out of recycled materials”.

The biology session was always going to be interesting, especially with the taster session being titled “Invertebrates – clever or clueless?”

Pupils were given a small family of live household woodlice and had a quiz to find out if they were indeed clever or clueless by seeing if they moved towards the artificial light.

James O’Sullivan enjoyed the taster, he said: ‘The session was different to the stuff we do in school and I learnt a lot of things I didn’t know during the quiz”.

Sir Thomas Boughey High School value the taster day very highly and have written their own article regarding the event, to view more photographs and see what they had to say about the day follow this link www.stb.coop.

If you would like to organise an activity with Newcastle-under-Lyme College please contact the school liaison team, Gareth Hughes and Tara Capper on 01782 254347 or email schools@nulc.ac.uk.

 

 

Construction Excellence at Newcastle under-Lyme College

On 1st July Year 10 pupils from St. John Fisher Catholic College and Newcastle Community High School joined Newcastle-under-Lyme College for a day experiencing the construction trade. The pupils enjoyed learning new skills in electrical installation, bricklaying, carpentry and joinery and painting and decorating inside our skills and technology centre.

In bricklaying the pupils learned key skills in mixing cement, building a wall and pointing. The pupils learned the importance of maths whilst calculating the number of bricks required, pupil Laura Barker, said: “I loved bricklaying, I’ve always wanted to build and I would love to do it as a career.” A number of the learners also remarked how they didn’t realise how much hard work went into bricklaying.

In the carpentry and joinery session, after a talk on the importance of health and safety in the workshop, the pupils were given personal protective equipment (PPE) to wear. They learnt new techniques to enable them to make a coat hanger to take home with them.

After a fantastic dinner in the College food hall, the pupils got stuck into their final two sessions.

In painting and decorating the pupils had different stations to visit, they were taught how to create various effects with different brushes and paints. NULC’s experienced staff taught the pupils how to create a simple but impressive marble effect and were able to decorate a tile to take away. Bryony Watkins enjoyed this session, she said: “I loved painting, it was fun and artistic, five out of five.”

In the pupil’s electrical installation session, they were challenged to wire a 13 amp plug using a range of tools and different wires. Each pupil had a set of instructions to follow and NULC staff were on hand to explain and support. In the session the pupils found it useful to learn about the inside of a plug, how they work and also the importance of being safe with electrics. Laura Barker said; “electrics was fun and I enjoyed it a lot”.

Overall pupils from both schools enjoyed their day at Newcastle-under-Lyme College. When asked what he enjoyed most about his day, Dan Williams replied; “I got to see what being in a college and doing different college courses is like and I enjoyed it.”

If you would like to organise an activity with Newcastle-under-Lyme College please contact the school liaison team, Gareth Hughes and Tara Capper on 01782 254347 or email schools@nulc.ac.uk.

 

 

Gifted and Talented pupils get a heads up from NULC about University

On 30th June 2014, a group of talented Year 9 and 10 pupils from Trentham High School experienced tasters at NULC in four core A Level subjects that top universities are looking for in their selection process.

Every student that attended the College taster day have aspirations to gain entry to the best universities,  so NULC gave them a helping hand by giving them advice on which universities to choose from and what they are looking for in applicants.

The tasters were in English, History, Science and Geography and were all taught by current NULC lecturers. The taster day was about giving the pupils an exact A Level standard lesson and seeing how they went on.

The pupils, who have already been highlighted as gifted and talented in school for specific subjects, were encouraged to experience two relevant A Level subject areas. The challenge was to see how the pupils coped with studying a topic above their current learning level.

The feedback was very positive, Year 10 pupil Ross Woodhouse who chose Science and Geography, said: “We learnt quite a lot of new things about temperature and energy.

“I enjoyed learning about what A Levels I could take and how different college is from school”.

Year 9 pupil, Zoe Marsh, was impressed with visiting the College for the first time and appreciated the guided tour of the facilities, she said: “We saw the key aspects of the building and were able to experience the atmosphere of the college”.

It was important for the pupils to not just experience a college lecture but also see the College as a whole and get a sense of what life would be like as a student here. They were treated to lunch in the College food hall and were able to chat to current science students about life at NULC.

Trentham High School assistant head teacher K. Gardner was impressed with the day’s activities, she commented, “I hope to bring more students next year!”.

 

Two days of College Life...

On 18 and 19 June the Newcastle-under-Lyme College School Liaison Team welcomed 45 Year 10 pupils from The Co-Operative Academy of Stoke-on-Trent for two days experiencing college life.

On day one the pupils got to experience various A Level tasters in; Law, Psychology, Sociology, I.T., Science, Textiles, Dance, Art History and Media Studies.

The pupils enjoyed an introduction to the key concepts in Psychology and Sociology, including social norms, values and the process of socialisation. Susannah Gayle commented; “This session was great! Really active and engaging as well as interactive. It made me want to study it at college.” A number of pupils have mentioned that they didn’t understand what Psychology or Sociology were before this session and now they are thinking of taking it at college!

They were also introduced to the basics of Computer programming with the students eventually able to use the knowledge learned to construct images of trees and rockets using various colours, on each line of the screen. Lewis Brown described this session as “The best lesson today, it was fun, enjoyable and interactive”.

Other comments included Jade Johnson talking about her Theatre Studies session; “This was very entertaining and informative and this is something that I will consider taking at college.”

Simran Iqbal summed the day up; “I really enjoyed my visit to NULC. I think it is an amazing college with great facilities.”

 

On day two the pupils looked forward to experiencing various tasters in vocational subjects that they had chosen. The students were split into their groups and began the first sessions in Photography, Hair & Beauty and Bricklaying. In Photography the students were introduced to the college photography studio and dark room and made a number of black and white photograms each. Amy Pearce said; “Photography was amazing! I learnt so much about developing photographs.”

In the second session the pupils were able to choose between Sport, Fashion and Painting & Decorating. In Fashion the pupils learnt different skills to enable them to produce a shirt that they had designed. In Painting & Decorating the students not only learnt practical skills to produce various designs using different techniques but also went home with the knowledge needed to do their own DIY. Sport included both theory and practical sessions and concluded with a very competitive game of Frisbee!

Future tradesman gain the numerical advantage in new construction project

On the 1st July 2014, NULC and the co-operative academy of Stoke on-Trent embarked on a new project to improve attitudes towards numeracy in pupils seeking a career in Engineering and Construction.

A selected group of 19 Year 10 pupils were put into three separate groups and tasked with designing and producing a bespoke piece of garden furniture, the winning piece would be displayed in the school reception area.

The project was run over 2 full days at NULC’s £6million Skills & Technology Centre, during the build process, the students got to try their hands at Bricklaying, Bench Joinery, Painting & Decorating and Electrical Installation.

NULC Joinery lecturer and Project Coordinator Chris Johnstone set a design brief that involved working out costings for materials, exact measurements for the furniture piece and learning how important numeracy is in the skilled trades.

The pupils worked in small groups and were given a current NULC Construction student to act as mentor during the build. An important aspect of the project was to give the pupils an opportunity to speak to current construction students about how maths is used in further education and how they will use these skills in industry.

After two hard days graft, the pieces were finished and a winner was decided by NULC’s Curriculum Manager for Construction & Engineering Steven Michael. The teams were scored out of 28 for each ‘trade’ for example Electrical, Bricklaying and Painting.

The winning team included pupils: Nathan Jones, Kurtis Davies, Taylor O’Connor, Aqib Mohammed and Dale Willatt.

 

This was the first time that a project has been done in this way before and there are plans to expand the format to include more schools in the future.

 

“The project was excellent, all students were engaged and enjoyed learning new skills. Setting the project brief to include numeracy as we had asked was very important’.
Martin Ebsworth
Head of Science and Technology
The co-operative academy of Stoke on-Trent

School soccer stars rule Britannia

On Friday 23rd May 2014, Newcastle-under-Lyme College sponsored a Schools football tournament at the Britannia Stadium- home of Stoke City F.C.

The ‘Play on the pitch’ schools tournament featured local schools from across Stoke on-Trent, Staffordshire & Cheshire, giving pupils the chance to follow in their heroes footsteps on the famous turf.

The tournament was run over a three day period, with the first two days focusing on Primary schools, the third and final day involved pupils in Year 9 & 10 from the following secondary schools: Madeley High School, Wolstanton High School, COOP Academy of Stoke on-Trent, Birches Head Academy and Shavington High School.

The tournament was split into a Year 9 section and a Year 10 section, the Year 10 section was incredibly contested with Madeley narrowly defeating Wolstanton in the final. It was a tight game with few chances, until Madeley scored a breakaway goal to seal the win.

During the final itself, the Madeley pupils were unaware that they were being watched by their own Assistant Head teacher Mr Hope, who was enjoying the hospitality in the NULC School Liaison Executive Box.

Players from Madeley High school were also given the opportunity to be interviewed in the press area after their victory, with Aaron Robinson and Jack Kennedy answering questions. Jack commented ‘The day has been ace, very enjoyable and we won the tournament!’ Aaron added ‘It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to play on the pitch at Stoke City and we loved it’.

 

The event was also very well received by staff at the respective schools with Mark Rogers Head of Physical Education at COOP Academy of Stoke on-Trent commenting ‘It has been a fantastic opportunity for the pupils to play on the pitch at the Britannia, a day they will never forget’.

 

The event was jointly sponsored by both NULC and Stoke City F.C goalkeeper Asmir Begovic and his charity The Asmir Begovic Foundation. All students that participated in the event were able to speak to NULC Academy of Sport staff to find out about what sports they can get involved in when they study at NULC.

School Liaison E-newsletter goes live!

On 15 May 2014 School Liaison sent our first Year 9 & 10 E-newsletter to school pupils.

The E-newsletter includes information on forthcoming events including the Year 9 & 10 Open Day on Saturday 21 June. Also, information on what is new for 2014 including our brand new Golf Academy and the purchase of Gradbach Mill, located between Leek & Buxton, which is to be used as an outdoor activity centre!

Future editions will include exciting information about the college, competitions, revision tips and much more!

If you haven’t received the E-newsletter yet and would like to, please send your Name, Email Address, School Name and Year to schools@nulc.ac.uk and use the subject: E-newsletter.
For more information on our Year 9 & 10 Open Day please click here.

Thistley Hough Academy welcomes construction roadshow

On Wednesday 7 May 2014, Newcastle-under-Lyme College Construction staff took to the streets to promote Painting & Decorating, Joinery and Bricklaying courses. 

The Roadshow at Thistley Hough Academy in Penkhull was aimed at raising awareness for the skilled trades. The Painting and Decorating department ran interactive demonstrations in the food hall where pupils got the chance to learn basic decorative effects such as creating a heartwood grain using a wooden instrument called a ‘rocker’. 

There was a lot of interest from the pupils, with Years 8,9,10 and 11 all asking the lecturers about full-time courses and discussing what jobs there are in the industry. NULC lecturers were on hand to discuss each trade and were able to pass on their advice to the enthusiastic pupils.

Amongst the many students attending Melvina Kearns, Year 8, was able to have a go at creating a heartwood grain using the wooden ‘rocker’. She commented "It was good to have a go at something different."

Thistley Hough Information Advice and Guidance (CEAIG) Manager Sue Greenhalgh was delighted with the response to the Roadshow "The demonstrations were stunning, insightful, engaging and pitched at the right level."

Search and Rescue

A group of Year 10 and 11 pupils from St. John Fisher Catholic College joined NULC for a taster in Public Services on Thursday 1 May 2014.

The pupils began the day with a relay warm up race followed by various fitness drills including isometric holds and core transitions. The session finished up with a Rounder's game to increase team building skills and prepare them for life in the forces.

Bryony Watkins, Year 10, commented; “This session was really interesting, it was great to experience something new and challenging.”

After a tour of the college facilities, everyone enjoyed a great lunch, getting their energy back ready for the afternoon’s activities. The pupils were put into three teams and were given roles of Police Investigators that were holding a search and rescue mission. Each team had a lead Inspector who was in charge of a certain area of land to search.

The teams were taught how to make a successful search and rescue and how important strong communication skills are when reporting back to the control centre. Team two worked fantastically well together and managed to find and cordon off evidence relating to the ‘disappearance of a 17 year old boy.’ All of the pupils worked extremely well together and communicated effectively  to piece together what had happened at the scene.

Katy Machin, Year 11, said: “The field search activity was really good and helped improve my knowledge of Public Services.”

When asked what he most enjoyed about his visit to NULC, Nathan Fuller, Year 10 pupil, replied: “I learnt some valuable information needed for a career in Public Services.”

Prisons, Wolves and how not to behave in society, The dark arts of Psychology and Sociology

A group of bright Year 9 pupils from Madeley High School had the opportunity to experience a typical A Level Psychology and Sociology lesson at Newcastle-under-Lyme College. 

The students who were about to make their GCSE choices, were given the opportunity by their Humanities teacher Mr Green to come to NULC and meet current students on those courses.

Assistant Head of 6th Form and Psychology lecturer Adele Richards talked about Prison life from a psychological state of mind and explained the effect of the imprisonment on their personalities. Marianna Glazewska commented: “I liked how we compared different prisons”.

Not just content with learning about prison life in Psychology, students were also introduced to the world of Sociology. Assistant Head of 6th Form and Sociology lecturer Jon Stanfield discussed how a society is formed and how our own role within our society affects others around us. The pupils were shown some incredible videos of how our own human society can be linked to packs of wolves and how their ‘pack’ instincts can be similar to ours was fascinating to the pupils.

Jenna French was asked what she enjoyed most about the taster she replied: “Learning about the baby wolves and people wolves”,

The taster day was designed to encourage students to consider choosing Humanities as a GCSE subject and how it can benefit students applying for Psychology and Sociology at A Level. Humanities teacher Mr Green commented about the sessions: “I felt the lessons were pitched perfectly with a good pace”.

If you are a teacher and you would like to bring a group of students to a taster at Newcastle-under-Lyme College, please contact the School Liaison Team; Gareth & Tara on 01782 254347 or email schools@nulc.ac.uk
.

Newcastle Knights Basketball Team inspires future stars from Wolstanton

On 16 January 2014 Newcastle-under-Lyme College basketball team the NULC Knights were involved in a taster session for a group of Year 10 pupils from Wolstanton High School. The taster was to give the pupils an idea about what life is like as a player for the NULC Knights in a physically demanding training session at the College. 

The newly crowned Division 4 Midlands League Champions were on hand to offer advice to the visiting pupils on their own game and talk about what it was like to play for their famous coach.
NULC Knights Head Coach Shawn Jamison has been involved in basketball on both sides of the Atlantic for over 20 years, both as a coach and as a player. Shawn has experience playing for the world famous Harlem Globetrotters, showcasing his hoop skills when they played at the Wembley Arena and MEN in Manchester. Shawn has an impressive playing career too, representing the Los Angeles Clippers in the famous NBA league in the USA.

It’s clear that the Knights Head Coach is passionate about promoting basketball in this country and his players are very important to him. Speaking after the NULC Knights title win Shawn commented “I am delighted to be coaching such a talented group of students and players here at NULC. This win is a testament to the hard work and long hours the NULC Knights have put into training.”

Basketball is a growing sport in the UK and the pupils from Wolstanton certainly left the college with a greater desire to continue with the sport after they leave school.

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 email 01782 254347.

Lego Robotics Taster

A group of Computer Science pupils from Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy had a fantastic day using our brand new Lego Robotics Kits. 
 
Leading the taster was Andy Snape, Assistant Head of 6th Form, along with Lesley Kelly, Subject Leader for Computing & ICT and Lucy Nevitt, STEM Community Developer. With their help and following a set of instructions the pupils had to build their own robot and were then challenged to programme the robots.

They were firstly programmed to move backwards and forwards and then moved on to turning the robots. Various challenges were set, including programming the robots to stop on a line and drive around the edge of a square without knocking the LEGO minifigures over.

The most technical challenge came when the pupils added the ultrasonic sensor so that the robots could detect distances and they then programmed the robots to navigate around a tricky maze.

Mrs McCracken and Ms Varley were successful in programming their robot safely around the maze and commented that the “Great college staff motivated the pupils and showed enthusiasm and enjoyment which had a great impact.”

Bethany Cooke said that the taster was: “Fun and challenging at the same time,” and Grace Wass enjoyed the day she explained; “The teachers were funny and the class was fun, I learned a lot.”

Many thanks to Mr Smart who helped to organise the taster; we hope to see you and your pupils again soon.

If you are a teacher and would like a group of pupils from your school to attend a taster at Newcastle-under-Lyme College, please contact the School Liaison Team on 01782 254347 or email schools@nulc.ac.uk.

NCHS Fun Day

A group of Year 10 students from Newcastle Community High School (NCHS) visited the NULC for a day, to try out various tasters in; Hair and Beauty, Bench Joinery, Early Years, Sport and Public Services.

Every student enjoyed their time at NULC with 80% saying that the day helped them to make a decision about their future.

In Hair and Beauty the NCHS students got to experience both the commercial Hair and Beauty Salons and see various treatments being done by our Level 3 students. They also received a mini-manicure from NULC’s Beauty students with Jordan Burton (NCHS) commenting that he enjoyed his hand massage.

After a look around our Skills and Technology Centre and meeting students in the workshops, the Bench Joinery students made their own coat pegs. By following a set of instructions and with the guidance of NULC’s well experienced staff, the students carefully cut the wood and hammered the pegs in, ready to take home with them.

After a big dinner in the College Food Hall, the students split into different groups ready for the afternoon sessions.

The Early Years pupils showed off their craft skills to try out quilling and other various activities that can be done with children, as part of the Early Years course.

The Public Services students learnt how to work in teams and use everyone’s individual skills to build the highest tower. Tyler Micklewright said: “We did a lot of teamwork- it was an awesome lesson.” The same group then enjoyed a theory Sport session, learning about Anatomy with the help of class skeletons and iPads.

Kieron Knapper enjoyed his day: “Staff were very polite, I learnt a lot of interesting facts and we were kept informed of what grades we need.”

NCHS Teacher Lucy Szepietowska commented: “It was great that all of the sessions were so hands on and I know the pupils had a great day.”

If you are a teacher and you would like a group of students from your school to attend a taster at Newcastle-under-Lyme College, please contact the School Liaison Team; Gareth and Tara, on 01782 254347 or email schools@nulc.ac.uk.

Creative minds come together at NULC

Earlier this year Newcastle-under-Lyme College hosted a fantastic Art Taster Day where students from Discovery Academy, Sandon Business, Enterprise and Arts College and Wolstanton High School were invited to try out various Art sessions.

Year 11 pupils from Discovery Academy took part in a Digital Photography session where they were put into groups and given a high-tech camera to use their imagination- with the help of the College's top-of-the-range facilities.  

Simone Newton enjoyed learning how to use the cameras like professionals and the pupils were also given tips on how to use various surfaces and lighting to create different photographs. The pupils were then able to edit the photos using Adobe Photoshop in the College's Digital Photography Suite.

In the afternoon the Discovery Academy pupils got to experience a Fashion lesson and learnt how to make Suffolk Puffs. The students were taught different techniques and styles that they would then take with them to help towards their GCSE Art projects. Jasmin Holiday commented: “I really enjoyed the Fashion taster and I hope to do this in September.”

Pupils from Sandon Business, Enterprise and Arts College also enjoyed a Photography session using the Dark Room to produce black and white images. This was a new experience for the Year 11 pupils and so they were given instructions on how to use the equipment and use different objects and materials to create interesting photograms.

Chloe Tallent loved how interactive and creative the session was and all of the students commented, what they had learnt would be beneficial towards their Art GCSE. The students also created wire models, during their 3D Design session, that they would be able to use in their school projects. The pupils were firstly shown the best techniques to enable them to use their imagination and be creative in their designs. They were then left to create their own 3D Designs using wire and different materials. All of the pupils commented that it was something they haven’t had the chance to try before and they would love to have a go again.

A group of Year 10 Wolstanton High School pupils had a great morning in the Ceramics Workshop learning how to make different objects with the clay provided. Chloe Welsh said: “The session was ace, the teacher (NULC Art Lecturer Laura Beech) was very kind and helpful.”

The students were given tips on different techniques but were left to create their own designs to be later glazed and fired by NULC’s Art Technicians and given to the School, where they are proudly presented in their Reception area.

After dinner, the Wolstanton High pupils got stuck into their Textiles session where they used lots of different materials and created various designs for a taster in Print making using the Heat Press. Mrs Henshall commented that the tasters were excellent and the students had an outstanding day.

If you are a teacher and you would like to bring a group of students to a taster session at Newcastle-under-Lyme College, please contact the School Liaison Team: Gareth and Tara on 01782 254347 or email schools@nulc.ac.uk.