December 2022 Newsletter
Pride, Vision & Values
At Aylesbury UTC we end 2022 with much to be proud of. My overwhelming feeling is one of pride for the positive way our students have gone about things since September. Visitors to the school regularly comment on how mature and professional our students are. There is an increasingly purposeful atmosphere around the school, which is fantastic to see.
This doesn’t happen by accident, and huge credit should go to our staff. Our associate staff ensure the school functions efficiently, our support staff provide assistance in and out of the classroom and our teaching staff continue to strive for excellence when it comes to teaching and learning. I am proud of all their contributions and grateful to have such hard-working colleagues alongside me.
I am also proud of the way our students and staff have bought into the new school vision and values.
‘Sending every young person into the world able and qualified to play their full part in it.’ This vision remains our driving force throughout the school, no matter what task we are working on.
Similarly, we have made significant progress with regards to our school values of Respect, Community and Growth. Weekly assemblies are centered on these themes, success points are allocated to them and our new School Council are considering projects to further embed them in school life. Whilst there are numerous examples of our values in action, a stand-out one is the recent provision of food parcels for families who requested them. My thanks to all those who contributed to this scheme, which is a great example of prioritising our local community.
Keeping our vision and values at the heart of what we do will allow us to successfully take on whatever challenges 2023 brings. We wish you all a great break over the next few weeks and we look forward to seeing students on Thursday 5th January for the start of term.
Take care,
Nick Lamb,
Principal
Key Term Dates
We now have a new calendar page for parents and students to use! This calendar will be updated regularly with new term dates, and currently goes up to January 2023. We recommend that you bookmark/save this webpage. Click here to view the calendar.
A summary of the upcoming term dates:
| Thursday 5th January 2023 | Term begins |
| Friday 10th February 2023 | Term ends |
| February Half Term Holiday | 13 – 17 February 2023 |
| Monday 20th February 2023 | Term begins |
| Tuesday 23rd February 2023 | Computing Careers workshop 5:15pm to 6:45pm |
| Tuesday 2nd March 2023 | Health and Social Care Careers workshop 5:15pm to 6:45pm |
| Tuesday 8th March 2023 | Building Studies Careers workshop 5:15pm to 6:45pm |
| Friday 31st March 2023 | Term ends |
Examinations
Our year 11 Computing students and our Sixth Form students are busy preparing for their BTEC exams which commence on Wednesday 11th January 2023. The students have been given their personal exam entry statements and the exam timetable can be found here.
Please can all students and parents take the time to read the candidate information documents produced by JCQ. If you have a query, please contact reception@aylesburyutc.co.uk and we will be happy to answer your questions.
Employer Engagement
As you can see there have been several significant engagements with local employers this term. I am confident that the next one will bring more of the students learning to life. There are some exciting opportunities coming up, one of which is a challenge day with Amazon.
As employer engagement lead, I was given the opportunity to go and visit the local Amazon Warehouse in Milton Keynes, there I learnt a great deal about how the site works and the types of job opportunities that they offer.
This is a project in partnership with the Baker Dearing Trust, where Aylesbury and other UTC’s have been selected to work with Amazon to help get more people into the industry. This has led to an exciting Challenge Day in February with the KS4 Computing students.
Another exciting visit was with BMW mini back in October, here I got to learn more about their apprenticeship program, something which we will be working on in the new year, and hopefully have some of our talented year 11 or 13 take up.
As always it will be a busy term, but one that will enhance our students’ learning.
Take care,
Tom Devey,
Employer Engagement Lead
Open Events
Our first couple of open events for this academic year were a great success! Along with the sunshine and snow, we had lots of interest from parents and potential students. We are grateful for the support from some of our employer partners, including: CISCO, Alcom IT, Home Instead, Buckinghamshire NHS Trust.
Also, a huge thanks for the student ambassadors that attended these events, setting a professional first impression for our visitors. Thank you to: Jessica, Malachi, Hafsa, Gabriel, Sophia, Lorell, Neo, Denis, Katlyn W, Kiera, Kioni and Sumaya ( Year 10), Will P and Will A, Jaya, (Year 11), Charlie and James (Year 12) and Sam and Harry (Year 13).
See other open events and events for parents on our Upcoming Events page.
Jan Lloyd,
Student Recruitment
Health and Social Care Update
Hello everyone, I hope you are all looking forward to a well-earned break this Christmas. The new year 10 Health and Social Care students have settled in well and are working hard on their first assignment. So far this term they have taken part in workshops run by our employer partner, Home Instead. Who worked with them to highlight the expected milestones a person may go through past the age of 65.
We also visited the Fremantle Trust education team who set up some exciting activities to demonstrate the types of life events a person may go through and the type of support they would receive. Every student who took part enjoyed both events and was able to link what we have been learning in the classroom to real world examples.
An exciting update on our health suite; We have now had the final plans agreed and are looking forward to seeing this begin to take shape in the new year. This will enhance the students’ learning and give them much needed skills to be successful in the Health and Social Care industry.
We are also looking forward to visiting the Royal Bucks Hospital, a facility that helps to support and rehabilitate individuals who have suffered a spinal cord injury or stroke. This is part of our curriculum and I know that the students will find the visit both informative and inspiring.
Tom Devey,
Head of Health and Social Care
Computing Update
This Term has absolutely flown by and was filled with lots of “big things” like the World Cup and recent freezing weather, but the department has had some exciting things happening too!
Our Year 11 and Year 13 students attended an unforgettable visit to Pinewood Studios for the Future’s Festival. There were show cases of cutting-edge CGI and 3D technology, Film lighting experts and real Star-Troopers guiding us around a new studio installation in Pinewood. Some of our students and staff even got to try out their news reading skills in front of a green screen and tele-prompter!
Our KS5 students has a workshop from Oxford Brookes University about possible pathways in the Computing field delivered by a lecturer and a current University student. They then spent the rest of the afternoon programming mini-robots and making them accomplish daring tricks.
We have other employer partner engagements planned for the next term and are busy preparing our candidates as they edge ever so close to their final exams in Spring. A big thank you for our students and dedicated staff who participate in open evenings and other events in the school. These are great ways to check out what we have on offer and meet new people. We would like to wish all the staff, students and parents a wonderful Christmas.
Daniel Lubinga,
Head of Computing
Building Studies – Taylor Wimpey Trip
We are very grateful to colleagues at one of our Employer Partners, Taylor Wimpey, who hosted us for a site visit earlier this year. Our Year 10 Building Studies students were fortunate enough to visit a local housing development for which Taylor Wimpey are responsible. After successfully completing a health and safety briefing, we were able to see the building process up close. Students gained an understanding of all stages of the building process. There were also opportunities to hear from employees in the sector to find out about career opportunities in the Construction sector. We left feeling inspired and better placed to use practical examples when completing theory work in school.
Nick Lamb,
Principal
National Citizens Service (NCS)
During the first term of joining Sixth Form at Aylesbury UTC, Year 12, collectively take part in the National Citizens Service (NCS) . Spending time with new pals and finding out exactly what you’re made of? Speaking up and getting your voice heard on topics that mean the most to you?
Our Year 12 had a blast on the NCS programme, exhilarating and inspiring experiences, building confidence. They took part in Archery, Abseiling, Climbing, Community fund raising for Lindengate Mental Health Charity. All the activities, whether they be the array of climbing tasks or volunteer ecological rehabilitation, imparted the skills of planning, teamwork and problem-solving as well as joyful pursuits of rhythmic drumming and self-defence. Such skills are essential for work and life, ensuring that young people can get ahead and are prepared for whatever the future holds.
Such wonderful memories. Thank you to Sarah, Tholu and Action 4 Youth in making this happen.
Jan Lloyd,
Marketing
English Trip to Waterside Theatre
The English team took all Year 11 students to Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury to watch the great literary marvel that is `A Christmas Carol” and they thoroughly enjoyed it. It is always a magical experience when students see these live performances on stage as it really does bring the novel to life.
A Christmas Carol is part of the set text that Year 11 students have been studying in preparation for their exams in Summer 2023.
Sarah Wood
Head of English
Careers
Unifrog
The launch of Unifrog now enables all AUTC students to access a wealth of materials about careers, and build up their personal information of projects, CV writing, personal statements and learning reflection of work experience and the UTC Employer Partner Engagements. This platform transcends year groups and is aligned with our Employer Representative Group objectives to bridge the gap from education into Employment, Apprenticeship and Higher Education more smoothly.
Next Steps
All Aylesbury UTC staff are proud of every student and their planned destinations. I have completed the Next Steps Meetings for Years 13 and 11 this term and fascinated by the variety of plans. Hopefully families have taken on board the steps that were recommended. If you require further assistance then please contact me on jlloyd@aylesburyutc.co.uk
- Year 12 Next Steps Meetings is 18th January 2023
- Year 10 Next Steps Meetings is 24th to 26th January 2023
Work Experience
There has been a big push internally to get Work Experience (WEX) off the ground for all Sixth Form and getting ready for our year 10 and 11s too. I will highlight here that the school will expect assistance from YOU at home to help find suitable companies that you may have connections with to find a placement.
There have been some amazing examples where this has worked best for the students. They thrive in the workplace and learn so much more than they realise. Do not be shy to ask friends and connections on Linked In to see if work placements can be offered to our students.
To reassures parents that we are going about things properly and that your child will be safe, there is some paperwork to be completed and held on school records. The only thing Students/Parents need to provide the school is the company name, contact person and contact details, and we’ll do the rest! The school MUST give advanced permission before work experience can take place in term time.
For transparency here is a list that will be requested by the school in order for the student to be allowed on site .
- Copy of the Company Public Liability Insurance that is in date and includes the age range of the student taking part
- A Risk Assessment for the student partaking in the work.
- A clear list of tasks and skills that the student will do and learn
- Contact details for the person responsible for our student at the company
Careers Workshops
A focused evening by specialism allows everyone to hear from a range of pathways and different levels of employees and their personal journey followed by a Q&A session and a workshop activity.Book the correct evening dates in your diary early.
- Computing and Creative Digital Media – February 23rd
- Health and Social Care – March 2nd
- Building Studies – March 15th
Wishing all our families and community, Seasons Greetings
Jan Lloyd,
Careers Lead
