Details of an event that may interest members of our community.
Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Community Safety Flash
As warmer weather approaches, people of all ages will be tempted to cool off in areas of open water. Please see the below water safety information to help keep all of our community safe.
Please see the timetable below. There are three contingency days that have been planned by JCQ, to allow for a national incident/s which may necessitate a co-ordinated change of date for some exams.We advise that all students are available to attend on the following days:
Thursday 8th June – afternoon
Thursday 15th June – afternoon
Wednesday 28th June – all day
Please see also the information on subjects and subject codes for exam entries this year.
Please see below information on apprenticeships, careers, courses and degrees.
Apprenticeship Support for parents and guardians
If you’re a parent, guardian or carer, you can help inspire the apprentices of tomorrow.
Apprenticeships are designed by employers so the training reflects the skills, knowledge and behaviours an apprentice will need for a particular occupation.
Apprenticeship training is of a high standard and only training providers who are on the register of apprenticeship training providers can deliver the training.
Working as an apprentice means they earn as they learn. An apprentice works in a real job and spends 20% of their working hours training. So they gain the skills needed for their chosen occupation.
Some apprenticeships include a qualification, including a degree. All of the training is free, so the apprentice has no student debt to worry about.
A school or college leaver can apply for university and an apprenticeship at the same time. They can make their final decision after they’ve had time to consider their options.
The April edition includes highlights from national apprenticeship week 2023, gives insight into what life is like as an apprentice and shares guidance on career starter apprenticeships.
We are delighted to share with you an amazing opportunity for your Year 13 (or equivalent) students who are interested in careers in tech: the Apple Apprenticeship Programme 2023. This is a unique chance for them to start their career in software development or DevOps with one of the most prestigious and innovative companies in the world.
The Apprenticeship Programme will begin in September 2023 and it requires the students to be 18+ and available to work full time. They will receive high-quality training from experienced instructors at Makers coding bootcamp, work on real projects at Apple and earn a competitive salary while they learn (starting at £35k).
This is a highly rewarding programme that will open many doors for your students in the tech industry. The application deadline is 5th May at 11:59pm, so we encourage you to share this opportunity with your students as soon as possible.
To help your students learn more about the apprenticeship and how to apply, Makers are hosting an informative and interactive event at their London campus on 3rd May. The event is free but spaces are limited so please advise your students to sign up quickly. At the event, they will meet current and former Apple apprentices and Makers instructors who will share their insights and tips for the application process. They will also have the opportunity to ask questions and network with others.
Job opportunity information and application: https://hubs.la/Q01MnRyJ0(please be sure to use this exact link when sharing and write ‘Next Tech Girls’ when it asks where they heard about the opportunity)
If you have any questions or feedback, please do not hesitate to contact us. We appreciate your support in empowering more young people (especially girls) to pursue their passion for tech.Team Next Tech Girls
Year 10/11/12 & Gap Year Medical Applicants!
Are you struggling to find good quality medical work experience?
Looking for a full package of application support, to help you through the whole process?
Then check out the Medic Mind Medicine Work Experience!
This full week of application help will include targeted exam support, hands-on experience in a hospital setting and interview help, led by a team of real doctors and application experts. You will get:
real insights into a medicine career, with thought-provoking prompts.
a motivating, supportive group learning environment.
learn from real doctors, and learn real life skills ahead of your course.
help with your UCAT, BMAT and interviews.
stay in central London and meet other medical applicants!
Our intensive summer camp is a great option for students looking for a boost of help. Students can pick a full week option with all accommodation and food included, or choose to come for just the days that they need most support on. Keen for more information, or interested in registering a school group? Contact us today and our Partnerships Manager, Daniela, will be happy to help you out!
Words from happy students…
“I found the course super helpful… it was a great chance to ask questions.” – Shreya
“A really enjoyable experience- I’m convinced of my decision to study Medicine!” – Hetty
“I would have never been able to organise something this hands-on myself.” – Ahmad “Thank you for your help… I got 3 offers for medicine!” – Sara
Find out what it really takes to get into this popular and high-earning career
New to this Careers library profile, we chatted to investment banker Katie, who shares what the role is like day to day and reveals her favourite and least favourite parts of the job.
We also cover typical entry requirements for an investment banker role and the key skills your students will need to get in.
> Find it here (remember to sign in as a student first)
‘Running can offer us a community and an identity beyond our work selves – a valued sense of self over which we have control’
Feeling inspired by yesterday’s London Marathon? The Conversation reports that aside from the more obvious health benefits, running can improve resilience and help neutralise the feelings of failure that may come with work stress.
Take it easy, though – the research also reports that too much running can add to stress by fuelling our desire for competition and achievement.
Changemakers Fellowship: Accelerate your students’ path to impact
Inspire your top students and help them land uni places by sharing Leaf’s Changemakers Fellowship — a free, eight-day summer residential programme in an Oxford College:
Who: Smart, curious, and ambitiously altruistic 16-18 year olds (any subjects)
Where: Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, a college of Oxford University
When: 19-27th August, 2023
Leaf alumni are now studying at Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, and LSE. Our advice, the credential, and the practice discussing challenging topics can all help land uni places.
But this is not your typical summer course. The Fellowship is about exploration of ambitious aims like steering the course of history towards a more positive future. Fellows think critically about issues like poverty, climate change, and risks from AI, plus how to tackle them.
Leaf is an independent nonprofit that supports exceptional sixth-formers. We aim to empower young people to do good, so we’ve raised funds to make the Changemakers Fellowship completely free for attendees. Tuition, travel, food, and accommodation are all covered.
Applications will be competitive; accepted Fellows usually have a high proportion of 8s and 9s at GCSE. There are about 50 places, and priority will be given to applications received by 7th May. The first application stage only takes 10 minutes.
Saturday 13th May | Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford
The Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages at the University of Oxford is delighted to be able to welcome prospective students to Oxford on Saturday 13th May, 10.30am-4pm for our annual Modern Languages Open Day! The event will be held at the Examination Schools, located on the High Street in Oxford’s city centre.
This event is a fantastic opportunity for students who are interested in learning more about our language courses, or who are still considering their options, as this Open Day will cover ALL of our languages: French, German*, Spanish, Italian*, Russian*, Portuguese*, Modern Greek*, Czech*, and Polish*. Most of our Joint School degree subjects will also be represented at the event.
*All of these languages can be studied here at Oxford from beginners’ level. From this year’s admissions cycle, students can also apply to study Beginners’ German with our Joint Schools subjects (e.g. English, History, Linguistics etc.) for the first time. Please encourage your strong linguists who are undecided about their degree subjects to come along and explore something new!
Our Modern Languages Open Day is aimed primarily at Year 12 students and their parents/guardians/teachers, but Year 11 students who are starting to think about university study are equally welcome to attend. The Open Day will offer an overview of our Modern Languages courses and a general Q&A for prospective students in the morning, with individual language sessions and a parents’/guardians’/teachers’ Q&A session occurring in the afternoon. You can view the full event programme here.
Booking for this event is compulsory – you and your students can register your attendance here. Bookings will close at midnight on 10th May 2023. We look forward to seeing lots of you and your students in May and welcoming you all to Oxford!
University for the Creative Arts
Our campuses are creative playgrounds – places to discover, to make happy mistakes, to learn, to grow, and to socialise. Each of our campuses has a unique focus with state-of-the-art facilities to ensure you have everything you need to excel in your chosen course. Plus, they’re located in wonderful corners of Surrey and Kent!
UCA Canterbury is where you’ll find our dedicated School of Architecture and Design, spacious fine art studios and visual communications facilities. Based in a bustling cathedral city, there’s plenty to do and beautiful local scenery to inspire you.
Architecture / Fine Art / Interior Design / Product Design
UCA Epsom is home to our Business School for the Creative Industries and School of Fashion & Textiles, which has new facilities launching in September 2023. Epsom is a welcoming and sociable town, located at the edge of the scenic Surrey Hills and a short train journey from London.
Business & Management / Communication & Media / Fashion & Textiles
UCA Farnham, our largest campus, is a hive of creativity, packed with specialist facilities for crafts, animation, graphic design, gaming, film, and performing arts. Farnham itself has World Craft Town status and is a national hub for makers – an ideal place to pursue your creative passions!
Animation / Crafts / Fine Art / Film & TV / Games / Graphic Design / Photography / Performing Arts / Music
Want to see for yourself? Book one of our regular Campus Tours or register for our next Open Day.
Staffordshire University
APRIL 2023
It’s been a busy couple of weeks for the schools and colleges team here at Staffs with our team out and about at events both locally and nationally. This Tuesday we hosted the Stoke-on-Trent UCAS Discovery event, welcoming coachloads of students onto campus to engage with providers and sit in seminars, hopefully kickstarting thoughts and conversations about career paths and higher education.
Applications for our UniLife residential close on 5 May so there is still time for students to apply to us. The residential takes place between 4 – 6 July and is completely free and we arrange and pay for transport to the event too. We welcome applications from any students, especially those who are unsure about university or have worries about how they would find the university and student experience.
This month also sees bookings open for our Art and Design Degree Show. Schools and colleges can bring groups onto campus to explore over 200 exhibits of our final-year students. From animation to surface pattern, fine art to photography there is something for everyone.
Across the wider University, we’ve been celebrating the first birthday of our £5.8m Centre for Health Innovation on the Stafford campus. Its amazing facilities include simulated hospital wards where healthcare students can practise their skills on incredibly life-like mannequin patients.
If you’d like any further information about any of our events or facilities please get in touch.
Kimberley Chadwick-Reaney, Head of Schools’ Liaison
UPCOMING EVENTS FOR STUDENTS
Inspire the next generation with a visit to our Degree Show 2023
We would love to welcome you and your students on to campus to experience the amazing work by our graduating students across Art and Design, and Media and Performance.
It’s the perfect opportunity to tour a range of exhibitions, explore our campusand inspire your students around the possibilities of University.
Visits are available from Monday 5th June to Friday 9th June, for AM and PM slots.
You can even enhance your students’ visit with one of a range of workshops or academic-led seminars (subject to availability).
Careers in Education from 0-99 Years Thursday 11 May, 17:00, Online
A career in Education is about becoming a school teacher, right?
A school teacher is just one choice of career in Education. There are so many career paths you can follow with qualifications in Education and Early Years.
In this live session we offer advice and information on careers within the Early Years and Education sector.
Our Institute of Education have created a series of new academic masterclasses to compliment their pathways in education; Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, Mental Health and Wellbeing, and Education for our Sustainable World.
Colours of Hope Home for Monty Play and Clay Terrible Teachers The Forest School Approach Using Loose Parts in Education
Click here to find our masterclass listings and our masterclass request form.
UPCOMING EVENTS FOR YOU
Inaugural Professorial Lecture by Matthew Slater, Professor of Sport and Exercise Psychology Monday 15 May, 5:30pm, Catalyst Building
Togetherness and belonging is the beating heart of successful leadership. In this lecture Matt shares stories of how this has manifested itself on his journey in Sport and Exercise Psychology, sharing the findings of his research on the new psychology of leadership and high performing teams and how this knowledge has been applied.
Save the date: The Teaching Innovation and Learning Enhancement Conference
We are delighted to invite you to Staffordshire University to explore some of the exciting developments in education.
For the first time, we have teamed up with the University’s Teaching Innovation and Learning Enhancement (TILE) Hub for our annual Teachers and Advisors conference, providing more opportunities to delegates from across the education sector and wider community.
The theme of the conference is “Rethinking Learning: Embracing Innovation for a Dynamic Future” which will take place in a hybrid format on Friday, July 14.
The event is free of charge and takes place on our Stoke-on-Trent campus.
The next Open Day for our Stoke on Trent Campus is on 10 June 2023 with our Centre of Health Innovation Stafford Open Morning taking place on 17 June 2023.
Staffordshire University’s training courses are exclusively available to students (aged 18 or over) and graduates living or working in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire. For more information or to check your eligability please email us.
The Staffordshire Higher Skills and Engagement Pathways (SHSEP) programme, and the Staffordshire E-Skills & Entrepreneurship Gateway (SEGway) programme are part funded by the European Social Fund.
Year 13 – Thomas Character: Ambition, Tenacity, Self-Fulfilled.
Monday – Friday: Revision
Year 12 Lockers
We are offering a limited number of lockers to Year 12 students on a first come, first served, basis. There is a £5 refundable deposit payable via Parent Pay.
Please can students bring a copy of their Parent Pay receipt to the Sixth Form Office where they will be issued with their key.
Refunds will be issued via Parent Pay when the key is returned. This must be before the end of Year 13 whilst still on roll.
Uttoxeter Road Runners – volunteers needed – 30th April 2023
Uttoxeter Road Runners are looking for 6th formers or D of E students to assist with marshalling the junior road race on Sunday 30th April.
Scouts & Guides will be manning the water stations along all of the routes.
Please contact Mrs Walton or Mrs Griffiths if you would be interested in helping to marshal the race.
Data Collection Sheet
Any students who haven’t returned their data collection sheet, please can you drop it into the Sixth form office.
Sixth Form Finance
The school has been allocated a Discretional Bursary Fund (DBF) which students are able bid into throughout the academic year providing they meet the financial criteria set by the school and outlined in our DBF policy.
For the academic year 2022-2023 students are eligible for funding of up to £400 if their parental income is below £27,000 (proof required) or if they were designated as pupil premium. If a student is a looked after child (LAC) they may be entitled to up to £1,200 of financial support. Students must use this funding to support their Post-16 education. For example, Sixth Form uniform, transport costs to and from school, textbooks, revision guides, course materials, IT equipment (up to £150), educational visits, UCAS application Fee, University entrance tests etc.
More detailed information will be available in the DBF booklet which students can be obtain from Mrs Walton in the Sixth Form office or by emailing sixthform@tahs.org.uk
Our first review was submitted online by Daniel S: When I first picked up this book, I instantly knew there was a moral to the story and I would learn and take a valuable lesson away from it. I was right. The lesson I learnt is to give things time, see things through, don’t immediately judge and decide if you like or dislike someone or something when you have only come into close encounter a couple of times. The book provides a great depth of detail of the characters persona and who they are. Additionally, throughout the book we are shown the thorough thought prosses of the main characters Tom and Zofia, creating a sense of relatability, as some of the experiences and emotions in the book are things we have all been through. There was a lovely storyline, a nice flow to the story, and overall an enjoyable read.
We look forward to seeing more reviews from our brilliant y9 reading team in the weeks to come. Mrs Baldwin.
Congratulations to Georgie who competed in the English Gymnastics Championships. Georgie came 8th in the floor competition and 6th in the vault. Georgie qualified for the British Championships. A great, well deserved achievement following a lot of training.
Year 10 Geography students will be carrying out fieldwork next week on Cannock Chase. Letters have been sent home with details. Can I please remind students and parents to return the consent form to a Geography teacher and make the payment on ParentPay.
Year 13: Wednesday after school C24 3.10pm to 4.00pm.
Year 11: Friday lunchtime C4.
Computer Science
GCSE Computer Science and Cambridge National revision lunchtime support
Wednesday lunchtimes in C3. Please come along for support with this weeks revision topic as per homework task.
After school session
This is growing in popularity by the week. 3:05 – 4 every Wednesday & Thursday after school.
Child Development & Health and Social care
Health & Social Care/ Child Development coursework club on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday after school for years 10-13 in rooms S2 and S3.
Design and technology
Design and Technology after school interventions are Thursday after school for year 11 and 13.
Room 39 or C 19.
Drama
After school
Tuesday in K9 each week. You will receive coaching for the component 3 exam as well as help with the all -important written portfolio. See you there, snacks and drinks served.
Lunch time
GCSE Drama Revision Thursday lunchtimes in K9. Come along any time during lunch.
English
Every Thursday. Please see English roundup for more details.
Additional sessions as offered to individual classes by their teachers.
Geography
Wednesday
For both GCSE and A-level in either room A1 or A2.
GCSE Podders
Monday lunchtime in C3. Please come along if you are having problems with your account or what to use our resources (computers and headphones) to complete any GCSE Pod revision.
History
Year 11After school in A9 and A10 3.10 – 4.00 pm.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday – see Mrs Johnson / Mrs Young for details
Maths
Day
Revision Group
Room
Tuesday
Higher GCSE / A-level Further Maths
J4
Foundation GCSE
C6
GCSE Further Maths
J7 / C7
Wednesday
Foundation GCSE
J6
Higher GCSE
J7
Thursday
Higher GCSE
J5
A-level Maths
C7
Friday
Foundation GCSE
C7
A-Level Maths
C5
MFL
MFL MUSINGS
REVISION SESSIONS
Grade 7 – 9, Wednesday after school in room A5
Grade 3 – 6, Thursday after school in room A4
A Level conversation practice, Thursday lunchtime in A4
Science
Chemistry revision
Takes place Wednesdays after school 3.10pm-4.15pm. Sessions are split between triple science and combined science to take place fortnightly. Week 1 sessions will be Triple Science (Chemistry) and Week 2 Session are Combined Science (Chemistry). Sessions are in C9.
Biology – triple Science
Year 11 – Monday lunchtimes in C14
Year 13 – Biology, it’s Tuesday’s after school in J1
Combined science Higher Tier
This is for any student currently studying for combined science GCSE who has been recommended by their teacher to sit the higher tier exam.
Thursday in F1 each week.
Sport
BTEC Sport
Coursework support and catch-up after school Friday all years. C4
House Crochet/Child Development Competition Winners
Students were tasked with creating pairs of crocheted squares which will be used in the neonatal unit of a local hospital. Each pair of squares was worth 5 points. We had lots of entries and a magnificent 122 pairs of squares were made, meaning that 122 new mothers with babies in incubators will benefit from the competition.
A fantastic achievement from all entries. The overall student winner was Holly who won a rainbow of wool to continue her crochet journey.
Thomas Alleyne's high school 