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fourteentosixteenwinter 2014 newsletter

wakefieldcollegewww.wakefield.ac.uk/14-1601924 789111

14-16 Prospectus Launch14-16 TeamThe Wakefield College 14-16 Prospectus will be launched at an event for schools at our Castleford Campus on Thursday 23rd January 2014.

The event will include an overview of our refreshed curriculum offer for the 2014-15 academic year and will include our Step Up and ECT provision in addition to the Year 10 pre-ECT course that is being piloted with three partner schools in 2013-14.

Invitations and further details will be sent to school contacts very shortly.

James Pennington Programme Manager: Partnerships01924 789744 j.pennington@wakefield.ac.ukJane Fitzpatrick School Liaison Coordinator01924 789743 j.fitzpatrick@wakefield.ac.ukSandra Lockett Programme Coordinator01924 789742 s.lockett@wakefield.ac.ukKayleigh Moore 14-16 Learning Support Assistant01924 789746 k.moore@wakefield.ac.ukDamion Hartley 14-16 Learning Support Assistant01924 789746 d.hartley@wakefield.ac.ukAndrea Rockett Children’s University Coordinator01924 789746 a.rockett@wakefield.ac.uk

Successes celebrated at Prize NightThe annual Wakefield College 14-16 Celebration Event took place during the summer term at the Castleford Campus and again proved a huge success.

Over 150 learners, parents, school and College staff attended the event to celebrate the successes and achievements of learners studying on Step Up and Early College Transfer programmes at the College.

All students who attended the event were invited onto the stage to receive a certificate from Castleford Tigers’ star Grant Millington and guest speaker Hywel Roberts, and prizes were also awarded to ‘star’ performers in Motor Vehicle, Construction, Care and Early Years and Hair and Beauty.

Winners on the evening were:

Construction Award Joe Brace (Ossett Academy)

Care & Early Years Award Taegan Standage (Ossett Academy)

Hair & Beauty Award Laura Oxley (Brigshaw High School)

Motor Vehicle & Engineering AwardJohn Burden (Kettlethorpe High School)

Outstanding Attendance Award• Jack Barnaby (Carleton Community High School)• Daniel Bass (Ossett Academy) • Joe Brace (Ossett Academy)• John Burden (Kettlethorpe High School)• James Hewitt (Castleford Academy)• Connor Makepeace (Royds School & Language College)• Tom Marshall (Royds School & Language College) • Lewis Starkey (Royds School & Language College)• Jacob Stubbs (Castleford Academy)

Wakefield College Progression Award Kyle Eccleston

The Principal’s AwardFarah Wadsworth(Ossett Academy)

Student of the Year Melissa Hill(Kettlethorpe High School)

Laura Oxley (Brigshaw High School) receiving her award from Lesley McNamara and James Deakin (Hemsworth Academy) with Wakefield College Principal Sam Wright.

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Children’s University Graduation

Our first graduation ceremony on Wednesday 26th June was fantastic!

The event, which took place at the historic and beautiful Theatre Royal Wakefield, saw 70 children’s achievements being celebrated by their families, school staff and local dignitaries.

The Gold Award winners celebrated reaching their 100 learning hours by donning their caps, gowns and stoles and taking to the stage to be presented with a scroll to mark their achievements by Wakefield CU Chancellor Sam Wright.

Silver Award winners also received a scroll and were encouraged to continue to collect learning hours and return for the next ceremony when it would be their turn to wear the traditional graduation garments.

The event mirrored an undergraduate degree ceremony and featured a guest speaker, Lynne Upton, the Director of Learning for the national Children’s University. Lynne congratulated all the children on their achievements and highlighted how they

were now role models for their peers in school.

There was also a message of congratulations delivered by video-link from Ger Grauss, the national Chief Executive of the Children’s University.

We were also grateful for the attendance of three of our CU patrons, Sir Rodney Walker, Adeem Younis and Cllr Peter Box. A number of other patrons, including Claire Young, sent messages of congratulations and encouragement to our graduates which were featured in the event’s programme.

Entertainment at the event was provided by Wakefield College Dance students who performed an extract from their hit show Dancing Daughters, and Cathedral Academy of Performing Arts who performed a piece from Les Miserables.

A lot of hard work took place behind the scenes to ensure it was a memorable day for the children, their families and all connected with our Children’s University.

We are indebted to the schools which have supported us,

and to Murray Edwards and Rhiannon Ellis at the Theatre Royal Wakefield – the venue added a sense of grandeur and prestige to the occasion.

Here’s to the next event and our next group of children achieving the Gold Award...

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Tiffany enrols at University

Taster Days 2014

Progression Agreements

Tiffany Jones The King’s School

In our latest feature on 14-16 students, we catch up with former Level 3 Childcare student Tiffany Jones.

Tiffany Jones started at Wakefield College in September 2009 on a Step Up course in Health and Social Care.

The King’s School worked collaboratively with Wakefield College to deliver the GCSE programme and Tiffany thought it would be an interesting subject to choose.

While at College, Tiffany covered many subjects including how to deal with disabilities, looking after children and working with young adults.

She enjoyed being able to study in a College environment alongside her school studies, and particularly liked being treated like an adult and the independence school and college granted her which allowed her to flourish.

The Wakefield College Year 10 Taster Days will take place onWednesday 19th MarchFriday 27th June Monday 30th JuneTuesday 1st July

The summer dates in June and July will be ‘new’ cross-college Taster events where, for the first time, both A Level and vocational provision will be available on the same day.

These events provide a fantastic opportunity for your students to get a first taste of College life and sample some of the subjects they are interested in studying when they leave school.For more information, please contact Jane Fitzpatrick on 01924 789743.

We are delighted to announce that the Progression Agreements introduced in 2012 have had a significant impact on progression of our 14-16 learners.

In September 2013, 64% of our Year 11 cohort enrolled to continue their education with us which is a 14% increase on September 2011.

Sandra Lockett, 14-16 Programme Coordinator, said:

“One of the best parts of my job is seeing young people progress from our Step Up and ECT courses onto full-time programmes. I still see students from three and four years ago on the corridors and many of them comment on their initial experiences at College as a 14-16 learner. The Progression Agreements ensure we provide young people and their schools with a clear pathway into full-time, post 16 education.”

We are always looking for ideas to improve our 14-16 provision and the support we offer learners at Wakefield College.

As part of our self-assessment processes, we currently ask learners and schools for their opinions, but are keen to gauge parent/carer opinion.

With this in mind, we will be introducing an annual parental survey in 2014 to try and establish a ‘parental’ voice to accompany the ‘learner voice’.

Parental Survey

“I chose to return to College as I was already

familiar with the surroundings and had a good

time studying the Health & Social Care GCSE.

I felt comfortable immediately. The school link

course had given me an insight into what the

Childcare course would be like and gave me

an advantage on some of the units as I already

had more knowledge than my peers.”

Taking part in the Health and Social Care course gave Tiffany the confidence to progress onto a Level 3 Childcare course at Wakefield College.

Tiffany commented on the support received from College tutors in helping her both with her coursework and to achieve over 1000 hours on work placements.

Tiffany also enjoyed the social side of College and took advantage of the enrichment

opportunities of trips and days out with her peers - something she is keen to continue as her studies progress.

We’re delighted that Tiffany successfully completed her course at Wakefield College and offer our congratulations on securing her place to study Education Studies at Leeds Metropolitan University.

We wish Tiffany every success in her ambition to study a PGCE and train to be a teacher.

14-16 Students of the Term for December 2013

We are delighted to announce that there were joint winners of the 14-16 Student of the Term award for December.Joey Pidd, a Step Up Level 1 Motor Vehicle student from The King’s School, was nominated for the award by his tutor and MV Programme Manager Mark Butcher. Mark said, “Joseph is one of the most knowledgeable learners I have ever taken on a Step-Up course. His enthusiasm and capabilities are way beyond anyone I have ever come across at this age. Joseph is an absolute pleasure to have in the group and has made an excellent start to the course.”

Joey is pictured receiving his award (left) from James Pennington (Partnerships Manager) and Mark Butcher (Motor Vehicle PM).Alex Hopkinson, (right) an Early College Transfer student from Carleton Community High School, also scooped an award for his effort and dedication in his Level 1 Sport qualification. He is pictured receiving his award from James Pennington and Course Leader Wayne Little.Wayne Little said, “Alex is the group’s outstanding student so far this year. He has 100% attendance and has received

praise and commendation from all his tutors. He has also represented the College in both rugby league and football and is a candidate to be fast-tracked from Level 1 to Level 3 next year.Alex is the highest achieving member of his functional skills classes here at College and continues to study English and Maths at school. For such a young man, he is demonstrating a real level of maturity and a desire to succeed at College.”Both students received a certificate and £20 High Street vouchers.

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“I have learnt a lot over the last two years. My tutors have taught me a lot of different skills from joinery to brickwork and painting to plastering. It’s been great

– hard work at times but a good laugh as well.” Adam Jackson (Royds School) – Level 2 Construction

“I have really enjoyed my two years at College. The best part has been making new friends and

learning new things. I have enjoyed every moment of College. Thank you for the experience.”

Annalise Walters (Royds School) – Level 2 Beauty Therapy

“College is fun and interesting. We learn about how different things are made and work. I really enjoy the electrical part of my Construction course.”

Jack Wightman (Kettlethorpe High School) – Level 1 Construction

“I have really enjoyed College for the past two years; I’ve learnt a lot and met some

really nice people. I’ve had an amazing time, it’s been the best part of the week.”

James Hewitt (Castleford Academy) – Level 1 Motor Vehicle

“The past two years have been an amazing experience for me. I’m looking forward to returning in September for a Level 2 course. Staff have usually been friendly

and whenever they weren’t it was because we weren’t either. I have learned a lot of valuable skills on my course and I know that more is yet to come. College is usually the highlight of my week because

it is so fun and exciting and always interesting.” Chris Readman – (Royds School) – Level 1 Motor Vehicle

The Learner Voice

Pit Stop with John Burden

John Burden has had a glittering two years at Wakefield College.

In Year 1 he scooped the 14-16 Student of the Year for his outstanding achievements in his Motor Vehicle class and in Year 2

he was awarded the Engineering and MV Department 14-16 Student of the Year.

John, a former student at Kettlethorpe High School, takes up the story. “From a very young age I knew that I wanted to go

into the Motor industry and from that point on it was what I had my heart set on. A year before I was set to choose my options at school I heard from lads in Year 10 and 11 that I might be able to do a day release in mechanics.

“Originally school wanted me to take a more academic pathway but because I was stubborn and had a passion for working with cars, I went against what school originally wanted, and to be honest, it was probably one of the best decisions of my life so far!”

And having made the decision, John has not looked back.

“There wasn’t any part of the course that I haven’t enjoyed but the Engine unit was my favourite. For me there isn’t anything better than pulling an engine to pieces or

getting my hands dirty doing some real hands-on job.

“Studying at Wakefield College has been an amazing experience. The facilities at the Castleford Campus are second to none, and it is a really good place to start training to become a Motor Vehicle Technician. Both my tutors have been fantastic - extremely helpful and generally nice people. My course has allowed me to improve on the skills that I already had, and also allowed me to learn new things.”

John has returned to College as a post 16 student. He continues to work hard on the journey towards becoming a Motor Vehicle Technician and fulfilling his ultimate dream of working in the Motorsport industry as a race mechanic.

Congratulations to Year 10 and 11 Hair and Beauty students from Royds School who helped to raise £114 for Children in Need in November.

The girls made a donation to spend the day at College in their ‘onesies’ and sold buns that they had baked to College students and staff. They also did manicure treatments on friends, family and staff – the profits of which

went to Children in Need. The male Step Up students didn’t fancy putting on their ‘onesies’...but they did kindly donate money to the girls and the Children in Need fund. Tutor Lisa Theaker, pictured with a group of the students said, “The girls did a great job raising money for a good cause. They looked fab in their outfits and their baking went down a treat!”

Children in Need