Students from New College have released the first edition of their newspaper the ‘New College Press’ as part of the New College Newspaper Club. This edition marks the first release, with more in the pipeline for future release.

The newspaper covers a wide variety of different aspects that the students come across, both in college as students, and on the outside as individuals. It will share personal experiences from students, anecdotes from their lives, and discuss some controversial topics.

The ‘New College Press’ is free to collect from the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) reception on site, or can be accessed by clicking on the photo in this article.

New College Pontefract has broken its record for Oxbridge applicants with a total of thirteen students receiving the offer of a place to study at one of the two elite universities.

Brian Coughlan, Oxbridge Programme, coordinator said “We are delighted with this year’s offers for Oxford and Cambridge universities. The offers cover a wide range of subjects including Maths, Sciences, Law, Management and Humanities subjects. It is our best year and is a real testament to the hard work of the students who have fully engaged with our Oxbridge programme. During the last year they have undertaken trips to the universities, attended summer schools and had access to a super-curricular programme which has encouraged them to further develop their passion for learning. With continued hard work and excellent support from their teachers we are confident that they will do well.”

Alex Pennington, one of the students involved, said “I’m so happy and excited to have been offered a place at Cambridge University to study Law. It took a lot of hard work and the college Oxbridge programme supported me the whole way.”

“This is fantastic news,” said Richard Fletcher, Principal. “This is an amazing achievement for the students, and pays testimony to the support they have received from teachers and progress tutors at New College Pontefract. It is extremely rewarding to see the students pass through our Oxbridge programme and then go on to receive the offers from Oxford and Cambridge.”

The New Collaborative Learning Trust, the multi-academy trust that runs New College Pontefract, New College Doncaster and New College Bradford, has been ranked as one of the top 20 institutions in the country for equality and diversity for the second year running.

“We are delighted to once again be placed in the Top 20 of the National Centre for Diversity’s Top 100 Index,” said Lauren Walker, Director of Human Resources for New Collaborative Learning Trust.

The National Centre for Diversity is a campaigning organisation that seeks to advance equality, diversity and inclusion across a wide range of public, private and third sector organisations. Its annual top 100, like the Sunday Times “rich list”, is designed to throw a spotlight on best practice. The New Collaborative Learning Trust’s track-record of success in the list illustrates the trust’s long-term commitment to issues around inclusion and diversity.

“Our success demonstrates our continued commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion for all,” said Lauren, “and recognises the hard work of our staff and students in creating such a positive environment of mutual respect and fairness.”

Following on from the announcement of the opening edition of the New College Press, the second edition of the student newspaper has now been released.

It follows on from the first, reporting on a number of issues. There are reports looking at issues regarding murder, psychology, science and current affairs, and the issue provides an interesting insight to the reader.

This is the second edition of the newspaper by the New College Newspaper Club, and there are plans to publish further editions in the future.

If you’ve read the first edition and enjoyed it, copies of edition two can be collected from the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) reception, accessed via the New College Pontefract social media accounts, or by clicking the image below.

It’s been a huge hit on both sides of the Atlantic, it’s been staged all over the world, it’s been a film starring Tom Cruise, and now… Rock of Ages has come to Pontefract.

Performing the high-energy 80s juke-box musical, New College students took the John Godber Theatre back to a time when big hair went with big tunes from artists like Bon Jovi, Foreigner, Survivor and REO Speedwagon, closing the performance with karaoke favourite “Don’t Stop Believing”.

“What a show!” said Michelle Colvill, New College’s Head of Performing Arts. “Superb performances from all of our students meant it was fantastic from start to finish! The band were tight, slick and were monumental in making the show a success. The tech team put the ‘icing on the cake’ with superb lighting, sound and even pyrotechnics to finish the show with a ‘bang’.”

The production was an enrichment activity involving students from across the college, not just those studying Performing Arts.

“The students have worked so hard in their free time to make it a show to remember,” continued Michelle. “They have grown in confidence and worked so well as part of a team. This is something that they will be proud of and that they will remember forever!”

Drama teacher Sam Milnes was also full of praise for the ensemble cast, band and crew. “Students and staff have had a great time working on this feel good piece, and our amazing cast have put on a show to remember, with some fab one liners, a brilliant set and light show, and some show stopping 80s routines!”

Scroll through our photo gallery below:

Congratulations to our first XI mens football team who have won the Association of College category 2A division 1 title. Today’s hard fought 3-2 victory over Wakefield College football academy means the title has been wrapped up with 2 games to spare, the best finish in the college’s history!

See the photo gallery below:

The Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) is a Sport England funded partnership between talented athletes, education institutions and national governing bodies of sport. We work together to bring the best out of our country’s most exciting young talent.

TASS helps athletes in education – aged 16-plus – to get the very best from their sporting and academic careers without having to choose between the two. Here is a story from one of our students, Laura Harrison, from the INTERLAND orienteering event she recently took part in.

Laura Harrison – INTERLAND 2019

Interland is an annual 5 cornered match between teams from France, The Netherlands, Belgium (Flemish), Belgium (French speaking) and England which this year took place in the setting of Saint Michel, Northern France. After being selected along with my mum, we both headed south on Friday night and the excitement was building.

The England Team were meeting at Beaconsfield for an early start on Saturday morning and at 6:30am we left and headed to pick up the rest of the team from multiple pick points on our way to Folkstone. Once everyone was on board we began to catch up and make friends. We arrived at the terminal, all went through passport control and then headed on the tunnel to Calais. When we arrived in France, we were greeted by the sun shining and the juniors had just about managed to wake up so spirits were lifting after such an early morning. We then were on our way and travelled to the training event via a stop in a little town where we were supplied with our kit and then carried on with our journey. Fortunately, the training was not too far or dissimilar from where the main competition was going to be held on Sunday.

This training event allowed us to get used to the mapping and the terrain of the foreign area and help us to understand further what we would have to face the next day. I had a clean run, I took it steady and let myself understand how to tackle the terrain and navigation as I had never competed abroad before. Ironically, however, it was fairly similar to the terrain that I am used to in Yorkshire and the sun had held out so it was nice to get a run in and some fresh air after spending all day on the coach.

Once we were all finished up at the training event, we headed to the accommodation for the night and we all got told who we would be sharing rooms with. Fortunately, it was in age classes so I had Chloe, Lucy and Anne to accompany me for the night. We all headed straight for tea as soon as we had arrived and then had showers before getting organized for the next day. We then had a team meeting where the team manager, John, discussed with us any changes from the original details, a run through of the next day and the distances for the start and the plan after we had run. After that we all got ready for bed, ready to race the next day.

Waking up on Sunday morning was tough, it had been a long day before and I was in for another long day ahead. Despite this we pulled ourselves out from bed, changed into our kit and headed to breakfast. Once we were all packed onto the coach, we set off for a 30 minute journey to the event. As the coach pulled up, Chloe and I sprang into action, got our kit on and headed to the start. Here we all started warming up, photo’s were taken of each athlete running and then it was time to focus. As 9:40am was called up I took a step into the first box and took a deep breath. It felt like the longest minutes waiting and the adrenaline was pumping. However, I then had a shaky start after getting confused with the age classes layout and being unsure which descriptions and map to pick up. The start team made sure I was OK and then I was out and heading to number 1. I just knew I had to refocus, which luckily I did, and I settled down into my course. It was so nice to run through the forest although the streams/rivers did give me a fright when they were deeper and faster flowing than I had ever faced before, but I just gave it my all the whole way around as I also knew my fellow teammate Lucy was only 8 minutes behind me.

I had been having a good run and as I left control 13, I noticed I just had to cross a river and then I would be heading towards the finish with just a few controls to go. The river, however, had other ideas for me. I took a step into it and I felt confident I could cross it OK as I had seen 2 French girls make it across before me, but it was fast flowing and deeper than I thought. I took another step further into the river and in the space of a few seconds I was swept off my feet and holding on to my map and a rock with all the strength that I had, however the panic began to hit me and I really began to struggle. Luckily one the girls that crossed before me helped me out but it was a shock to my legs and mind. I decided to take it steady to the rest of the controls but I had no idea how anyone else had done so I knew I needed to focus and make it to the end despite the wet and cold starting to hit my body. Once I had made it back and downloaded, I realized I was only 10 minutes behind Lucy and I was second counter for England as I had beaten Chloe by just over 10 minutes. I changed and warmed up before the prize giving began.

The anticipation for the results was nerve wracking, no one knew how England had done overall and after being previously beaten the past 2 times we really hoped we had done it. The results came in. I was pleased to be 6^th out of 12 on my course and in the junior competition England narrowly missed first place by 1 point to one of the Belgian teams. Overall England came 1^st by around a 30 point gap. We were over the moon, but with a train waiting for us in Calais we had a fairly prompt exit after inviting the other teams to come to England next year for Interland 2020. We all hustled onto the coach and we set off back.

During the journey the coach was fairly quiet, the tiredness had hit and we all just wanted to get to the terminal but we did get to share out the goody bags of biscuits and other treats the team had won at the prize giving! Once arriving at Calais, we all went through passport control, had a quick tea and then it was back on the coach to head onto the train. Once we had arrived back into Britain we drove off and headed back to Beaconsfield with some stops on the way. After we had arrived back at Beaconsfield mum and I jumped into the car and eventually, 3 hours later, arrived back home.

The experience of an international race was unforgettable and to be able to run for the team and gain the result I did topped off the weekend. Even though it wasn’t the smoothest of rides when I was out on my race, I shocked myself at how much I had improved and what I was capable of. I made some amazing friends throughout the weekend and memories that will last a lifetime, and to finally earn my England kit made me feel so proud of everything I had achieved.

I would like to thank East Pennine Orienteering Club and Yorkshire and Humberside Orienteering Association for aiding me to be able to have this opportunity. I would also like to thank the England Orienteering Committee for giving me the opportunity to compete and to John, our Team Manager, who made sure we were organized for the weekend and ensured the athletes knew what was always going on. 

Students at New College Pontefract have produced the third edition of the New College Press.

Written in a similar style to its predecessors, this edition provides topics for debate. It covers astrology ad an alleged ‘Ninth Planet’, the effects of a planned business merge and the treatment of the video game knowledge to name a few.

If you have an interest in such topics, or just enjoy reading, then edition three is definitely for you. Copies can be collected from the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) reception desk, accessed via the New College Pontefract social media accounts, or by clicking the image below.

Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) are partaking in a research project aimed at understanding perceptions of community groups in Higher Education. Therefore, they have teamed up with New College Pontefract to collaboratively capture and showcase work from different groups of students. The presentation of this work aims to follow the students’ journeys through the education system and what doors it can open along the way, and so the ‘HEre to tHEre’ campaign has been launched.

The ‘HEre to tHEre’ project is a way of offering a window into the life of a New College student, showing how they progress and learn skills needed for the next step in their careers, whether it be in the form of Higher Education (HE), an apprenticeship or employment. Students will visit local universities and explore the campus with student ambassadors.

GHWY HE Progression Officer, Jane Rolfe, mentioned how it will give students an opportunity to ‘gain an insight into what it’s like to study and live at university’, featuring college visits from lecturers ‘delivering parts of the project where information is shared about options available’.

The campaign involves Go Higher West Yorkshire collaborating with students studying Art, Geography and Music at New College Pontefract. Collaborative work across different subject areas who are working to the same brief is both exciting and unusual. Students can express themselves through the campaign, with Rolfe saying it ‘gives us an idea why students make the choices they do in regards to applying to university or a high level apprenticeship’.

Students will work together in lessons on presentations, be taken on visits across higher education institutions throughout the year, and present what they have been working on. They will work with students in alternative subject areas on the same brief which is tailored to their particular subject, exploring the journeys students take through education, particularly from studying at college through Higher Education and beyond.

The fourth edition of the New College Press has been released by students at New College Pontefract as part of their Newspaper Club.

Following on from the previous issues, it is the fourth in the series thus far. It features articles on the Berlin Wall, films and television, and general information about what is currently going on in college.

If the previous editions have taken your interest and urged you to read issue 004, it can be accessed from the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) reception desk, via the New College social media accounts, or by following the link attached below.

A New College Pontefract student who has Type 1 diabetes has hailed the benefits that have been brought by a new insulin pump, and is using her new lease of life to help other young sufferers of the condition.

Laura Dunion, 17 from Oulton, has become one of the first NHS patients in the UK to receive the artificial intelligence insulin system, known in the industry as the Medtronic MiniMed 670G pump. Laura, who is planning to go to university in September to study to become a youth worker, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was eight years old, and until recently had to inject herself with insulin multiple times a day. Last year, Laura lobbied congress at Capitol Hill in America for extra Type 1 diabetes funding.

Six months on from when she started using the system, Laura now has the confidence and energy to do far more than ever before, including learning to dive, planning a skiing trip and raising money for other young sufferers of Type 1 diabetes by trying to win funds from the National Lottery’s People’s Project.

“We are trying to get votes to help us raise £50,000 of funding from the National Lottery to help other young people with Type 1 Diabetes,” said Laura. “All of the voluntary work I have been involved in has inspired me to want to help others.”

The £50,000 would go to DigiBete, a diabetes charity that works in partnership with the Leeds Children’s Hospitals. They hope to use the £50,000 to fund specialist video and training resources for young people with diabetes across the region.

Caroline Stewart – Head of School for Health, Care and Services at New College Pontefract said, “Laura is an outstanding student. She has brought such awareness to us all of the issues surrounding children and young people with type 1 diabetes. Laura has gained the admiration of both her teachers and her peers with the dedication to her charity work. We wish her success in her next ventures and know that she will continue to make a difference”.

To support the DigiBete’s campaign, all you need to do is visit www.thepeoplesprojects.org.uk and select ‘calendar north’ to cast your vote.

You can read more about Laura lobbying at Capitol Hill HERE

The Teaching School set up and run by the trust behind New College Pontefract has this month been joined by one of the largest education providers in the Wakefield area, the Pontefract Academies Trust.

The New Collaborative Teaching School Alliance [NCTSA] provides CPD, support to schools and initial teacher training across the region, and is involved in a variety of projects seeking to improve educational outcomes for young people. Last year, for example, it was awarded £310,000 by the DfE to help raise literacy standards amongst primary schools in the Wakefield area, and it is often involved in school-to-school mentoring projects, sharing specialist support and best practice between different providers.

With the Pontefract Academies Trust as a new partner, the NCTSA now includes 18 different institutions: 3 sixth form colleges, 16 secondary schools and 10 primary schools.

“The Trust are delighted to become a formal strategic partner in the New Collaborative Teaching School Alliance,” said Pontefract Academies Trust CEO, Julian Appleyard OBE. “The quality of the education we provide in our schools is determined by the quality of the teachers we put in front of our pupils. Our eight schools will be able to be part of a school centred teacher training model to train aspiring teachers. It is great that some of our best performing and most experienced teachers and leaders will be involved in the delivery of the training for new cohorts in the profession. This work only serves to continue our close working relationship with New College Pontefract.”

“The teaching school is aiming to build on work already being carried out across all strategic partners on ensuring the latest educational research is being used to continually improve outcomes for young people in our area,” said Ceri Boyle Teaching School Alliance Lead. “This collaboration will provide even further scope across the region for offering school to school support and excellent initial teacher training.”

“It is exciting that two local Trusts are working closely together in order to benefit the young people from our local community,” added Richard Fletcher, CEO Designate of NCLT, the Teaching School’s parent trust.

New College has a long sporting history, with students who have gone on to a professional career in rugby, cricket and football. The skills and training that help them achieve that are developed in the competitive matches that the college plays week in, week out. And it was after coming top in the Yorkshire and Humber region this season that New College was asked to compete in the national Association of Colleges finals.

The AoC Sport National Championships finals, now in their 41^st year, are a celebration of sport in colleges and take place across 13 different sports over three days. In total, 48 students from New College competed in Nottingham last month, coming home with 2 medals as they helped the Yorkshire and Humberside region to finish in fifth place.

Male and female students competed in a variety of events including cross-country, men’s and women’s squash, men’s and women’s volleyball, badminton, tennis, table tennis, men’s football, women’s rugby union and men’s hockey. Students from across England, Wales and Northern Ireland competed in the finals held at the University of Nottingham.

Two stand-out performers were Ben Socket, who won silver in the boys squash, and Grace Clark, who won gold in the girls squash. Ben competed in a nail-biting final against the South West, and narrowly missed out on a gold medal. These results further highlight the squash talent of the town and the partnership between New College and the Pontefract Squash and Leisure Club.

Head of Sport, Tom Shepherd, said, “The AoC championships weekend is a perfect higher education experience for our students. The team spectate and support each other between events, creating new friendships and making meaningful memories. Students and staff at New College Pontefract have contributed massively to the success of the region once again. Thank you to the PE staff for their efforts and energy to make this 2019 event memorable.”

You can find all of the photos from the event here: http://www.aocsportchamps.org/news/photos

The LRC will be open for independent study on Wednesday and Thursday 9-4pm and Friday 9 – 1pm.

Helping students achieve their ideal career is one of the college’s core goals. Whether that involves getting a place at a top university, or moving straight into the world of work, staff from across the college work hard at giving young people the best possible support.

Elton Hove’s long-term career goal has always been one of the most difficult to achieve: becoming a professional airline pilot. But now, thanks to the outstanding support of staff, his goal is a real possibility following an award to fund his private pilot’s licence.

Elton secured a voluntary placement including working every weekend at the Yorkshire Aero Club, based at the Doncaster Sheffield Airport. Following his experience meeting and working alongside pilots and flight instructors, he was able to apply for a scholarship from the Honourable Company of Air Pilots.

“The interview process in London was highly competitive,” said Jayne Ramskill, Work Placement Co-ordinator. “Elton was selected from almost 500 applicants to secure one of only eight scholarships on offer.”

“I am very fortunate to have been awarded the scholarship,” said Elton. “It provides me with the opportunity to complete my PPL at the Yorkshire Aero Club this summer, helping me pursue my dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot. I couldn’t have done this without the support of Jayne.”

Enabling Elton to successfully access the award has ensured that he has a chance to become a commercial pilot.

“I am extremely proud of Elton, his determination and commitment to succeed is outstanding!” said Jayne. 

As another academic year draws to a close, that means another set of Y13 students are ending their time at New College Pontefract. On Thursday of last week, a Celebration Assembly was held to commemorate the students’ two years at New College.

Music always sets the tone and so the afternoon began with a song from Performing Arts. After the music finished and everybody was settled in, Principal, Richard Fletcher, and Assistant Principal, Neil Mumby, addressed the students with a speech about their time as New College students and the memories created.

That naturally led onto the ‘Memories Slides’ part of the assembly. During this, photos showcasing staff and students enjoying times together over the past couple of years presented concurrently with slides containing goodbye messages. It was emotional for everyone involved, but felt like an appropriate way to end a journey that has seen over ???? blossom as they move onto their next step.

After such a great cohort of students, it was only right that their effort and endeavour was rewarded, so it was now time for the awards. Various awards were presented to both students and staff, with Duke of Edinburgh certificates and ‘Outstanding Effort and Progress’ collected by the students amongst others. Following this, the ‘Student of the Year’ awards were given out to Gregory Yule and Lydia Macpherson and ‘Tutor of the Year’ going to Charly Irons. Demi Grice and Kacper Winters, were presented with the Dr. Nath awards for overcoming significant challenges throughout their time at New College, and that concluded the awards.

Once the awards had been given out, it was time for the Student Executive to be recognised for their hard work throughout the past year. Concluding a great speech from Garrett Norwood-Cole, the President, awards were given to all members of the committee.

This then led onto the final part of the assembly, which was a final speech from Richard and Neil thanking students for their time at New College and wishing them the best of luck for the future. In conclusion, the assembly was a great commemoration for staff and students to say thank you for the past two years and goodbye.

Take a look at the gallery of photos from the Celebration Assembly below:

A group of New College students have been given an opportunity to work with Engineering industry professionals Network Rail and Mott McDonald, with the aim of creating a solution to one of the country’s greatest challenges as part a scheme known as ‘Fast Trackers’. It offered a unique chance for the students to work collaboratively with experts from the sector throughout the programme, working on tasks designed to demonstrate a variety of competencies aligned with the objectives of the Engineering Industrial Cadets Silver Award.

The first stage of the project was held at the University of Huddersfield, where the students were presented with details about the project and an insight into the engineering industry. Following on from this, the students visited Leeds City Railway Station for the second stage, where the Project Manager of the redevelopment of the station presented the plans and gave a tour of the site. After this, the final stage at Bradford University was when students worked up collaborative designs, with assistance from Network Rail and Mott MacDonald staff, and presented their ideas.

A team of 8 students were tasked with creating a combined design for the new Euston Station complex in London and the new high-speed rail link from Euston to Birmingham. Following the creation of this, the concepts were then presented to a select group of industry professionals. The teams were split into two smaller equal sized groups, one assigned to the station design and the other tasked with structuring the high-speed rail link. However, it remained essential for the two groups to liaise throughout to produce a quality overall pitch.

Jane Rolfe, the Higher Education Progression Officer for Go Higher West Yorkshire, said ‘Congratulations to our students who produced incredible designs, presented their ideas professionally as a team, and have taken away some very useful skills and life experiences. They are wonderful ambassadors for New College, so well done!’.

Helping students achieve their ideal career is one of the college’s core goals. Whether that involves getting a place at a top university, or moving straight into the world of work, staff from across the college work hard at giving young people the best possible support.

Elton Hove’s long-term career goal has always been one of the most difficult to achieve: becoming a professional airline pilot. But now, thanks to the outstanding support of staff, his goal is a real possibility following an award to fund his private pilot’s licence.

Elton secured a voluntary placement including working every weekend at the Yorkshire Aero Club, based at the Doncaster Sheffield Airport. Following his experience meeting and working alongside pilots and flight instructors, he was able to apply for a scholarship from the Honourable Company of Air Pilots.

“The interview process in London was highly competitive,” said Jayne Ramskill, Work Placement Co-ordinator. “Elton was selected from almost 500 applicants to secure one of only eight scholarships on offer.”

“I am very fortunate to have been awarded the scholarship,” said Elton. “It provides me with the opportunity to complete my PPL at the Yorkshire Aero Club this summer, helping me pursue my dream of becoming a commercial airline pilot. I couldn’t have done this without the support of Jayne.”

Enabling Elton to successfully access the award has ensured that he has a chance to become a commercial pilot.

“I am extremely proud of Elton, his determination and commitment to succeed is outstanding!” said Jayne. 

Following Charlotte Atkinson and Miley Foley-Hall’s successful entry to the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, additional New College performing arts students have gained places at other prestigious colleges and academies.

David Haigh, from Kettlethorpe High School, has received an unconditional offer at Bristol Old Vic for Production Arts Stage and Screen

“Throughout my years at New College, I have gained valuable life and employability skills which I feel could not be achieved without the strong structure and teaching staff in the Performing Arts Department. I have been offered a place at Bristol Old Vic, developing my passion for the technical side of the theatre industry. A highly competitive course, Marc, our technician has been hugely influential and supportive.”

Lewis Eades, from Campsmount Academy, is going on to study a BA hons in Acting at ALRA-Academy of live and recorded Arts

“College has allowed me to explore my many skills and attributes, using the facilities and the expertise of the teaching and technical staff, I have been able to learn new techniques as well as improve my existing ones. College has supported me to explore my creativity as a performer and director freely. Our teachers have ensured I am confident in my progression into higher education and am well equipped with the skills to excel in the industry.”

Chloe Pearce, from The Snaith School, has gained a place at the Italia Conti Academy

“Studying A-Level Drama and BTEC dance have both helped me to get into not one but two performing arts schools. Dance has allowed me to learn styles that I don’t do outside of college, making me more versatile, and drama has made me so much more confident”

Head of the school of Performing Arts at New College, Michelle Colvill, said, “These students have worked incredibly hard in their respective disciplines and have deserved the places offered to them. It is fantastic to see that our students from both the BTEC and traditional A level courses have prepared them well for their Higher Education courses.”

Students will return to college on Monday 9 September 2019 and lessons will start at 8.50am. 

Students will be able to view their timetable on Cedar after 12.00noon on Friday 7 September. If students require any IT support for password changes etc. they should visit the IT support menu on Moodle and select ‘changing your password from home’.

Students need to bring their completed SIL for each subject.

http://www.ncpontefract.ac.uk/sil