NEWS...
Education Select Committee Chair hails Ron Dearing UTC as flagship for future of learning
A leading education expert has hailed Ron Dearing University Technical College (UTC) as a flagship school and praised staff for transforming the lives of students. Robert Halfon, Chair of the Education Select
Committee and Conservative MP for Harlow in Essex, took time out from his Parliamentary roles to visit Hull’s employer-led school. He met Principal Sarah Pashley and her Senior
Leadership Team, spoke to students, observed engineering, maths and digital media lessons, experienced virtual reality technology and met two former students who have been taken on as apprentices by one of the school’s Founding Partners, Spencer Group. Mr Halfon also took questions from Year 13 students
about online learning, apprenticeships and concerns about exams in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr Halfon said: “Ron Dearing UTC is one of the
flagship UTCs and it’s been a pleasure to visit because everything I believe about in education seems to be reflected in the ethos of this school. “It is clearly transforming the lives of hundreds of
students. Some of them may not have been so successful in their traditional schools previously, but they clearly love learning here.”
Principal Sarah Pashley said she was delighted the visit
was able to go ahead despite the challenges posed by Covid-19. She said: “It’s a really key time for a visit such as this
because education is facing many challenges at the moment and it’s really good to have somebody who is influential in Government to feed back the views of staff and students. “Mr Halfon has certainly been very interested to hear
what we have to say about how we get through the difficult next 12 months in education. It’s also great to meet someone who is clearly a huge supporter of technical education and apprenticeships and understands how education needs to change." “We’re very passionate about our curriculum, with its
balance between technical and academic learning, the opportunities it provides for students to apply theory to real practice and the very strong partnerships we have with our employer sponsors and the University of Hull. “Mr Halfon seems to agree with us that this approach
is the way forward for education in this country. We really hope he is able to take this back to government and that we may be able to bring about some much- needed change in terms of the education in the UK.”
uwww.rondearingutc.com A school with Performing Arts at its heart
Performing Arts is a creative thread that runs through the whole of Castle Newnham School, Bedford from year 1 to year 11. The importance of providing specialist performing arts works hand in
hand at the school with the successful teaching of core academic subjects. They provide an additional platform for all pupils to engage in a creative environment that allows them to grow, thrive and learn on their journey through the school. In the primary school pupils take part in weekly drama, dance and music
lessons and secondary pupils continue to participate in all performing arts subjects, with the addition of studying film studies from year 9 to GCSE. Performing arts facilities at the school include a studio theatre, music
teaching spaces and a TV and film production studio and a spacious main hall. The Bedford Music Hub is also based on the school site and this strong partnership offers networking opportunities and the sharing of resources and expertise. Over recent years the 4SIXTEEN Theatre Company, the school’s in-house
theatre company under the direction of the school’s resident theatre director, has produced a number of award-winning shows including The Lion King, The Railway Children, We Will Rock you and The Addams Family. The company are currently rehearsing (within government guidelines due to Covid-19) for their next production Sister Act. Ruth Wilkes, Federation Principal, said “We are incredibly proud of our
pupils and their achievements within performing arts and the NODA awards won for the school productions are testament to the dedication, hard work and expertise of the staff and pupils involved in these magnificent and high quality theatre productions.” Luke Skeel, Federation Head of Performing Arts said, “Watching our pupils from an early age engaging in the arts is so powerful. The arts are
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www.education-today.co.uk October 2020
integral to the wellbeing and development of all children. Our staff come from all backgrounds of the arts sector and their experiences mean that we are able to shape our high-quality provision. “We are on a new journey building all-through performing arts education,
we have plans to create an all-through choir, expand our dance company and continue to develop our suite of GCSE qualifications, to include a second music course which focuses on music technology.”
uwww.castlenewnham.school
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