UTC Oxfordshire
Newsletter - 19th March 2021
Dear all,
The end of another week brings a settled, purposeful feel to the corridors and around school as students embrace the face to face learning and life back in the workshops, science labs and classrooms. The buzz around the corridors has been great and the sounds of learning emulating from the classrooms, a joy. Students are rising to the challenge of the reading plus program and dissections of fish heads have featured this week.
Covid update
All students have now received their three onsite Covid tests and have been sent home with x9 home test kits for lateral flow testing.
Please ensure that these are carried out twice per week, Monday and Thursday mornings before school. However it may be more convenient for you to take the test the evening before.
Please see this short video produced by our testers to remind you how to test at home: Home Covid Testing Instructions
Please report a positive lateral flow tests to us as soon as possible. You will also need a PCR test following a positive home test. If your student has Covid symptoms they will need to isolate at home.
Please report any absence to attendance@utcoxfordshire.org.uk in the usual way.
Comic Relief
We have embraced the challenge of comic relief and the antics of today have raised funds for much needed causes across the UK.
Thank you to the SLB (Student Leadership Board) for organising. The final total will be revealed next week.
EPQ Projects
As a UTC with Engineering and Science at our core I am proud to share with you this steam engine which has been built by George Mayo for his EPQ (Extended Project Qualification).
This qualification is taken alongside the level 3 courses in the sixth form and allows students to demonstrate an in depth understanding of a topic through research or to build an artifact.
Let Battle Commence!
Last chance to sign up to The Great Quiz Battle, if you have already signed up, thank you.
Please share with your colleagues, students, parents, carers, family & friends.
Calling all students, parents, carers, teachers, family & friends! You are invited to join us for our Online Battle of the Quiz 6.30pm Friday 19th March 2021, in which your school will be competing against all the other schools across our multi-academy trust - Activate Learning Education trust!
The quiz will feature over 150 questions covering topics such as general knowledge, sport, history and curriculum-related questions as well as bonuses and motivating messages.
Think you've got what it takes to be the winning school? Be sure to sign up for your school to gain the glory and bragging rights!
Please follow this link to sign up to the Battle of the Quiz: https://www.letslocalise.co.uk/entertainment-details-view?eventId=11140
Reading Scholars
Reading University is one of UTC Oxfordshire's academic partners. For several years, the university has offered a mentoring programme to encourage more students to consider applying to university. Although the Reading Scholars programme now focuses on year 12, previously there was a programme for year 10 students, who spent 5 days at the university finding out more about what it would be like to study there and being encouraged to consider this pathway.
We are absolutely delighted that one of our current year 13 students, a previous participant in the Scholars programme, has accepted an offer for a place on a chemistry degree at Reading University and we look forward to building stronger relationship with them.
Further details about the Scholars programme can be found here: Reading Scholars, we have a new group of year 12 Scholars starting soon.
Opportunities
Precious and Bethany from Y12 have been offered places in Cambridge University Masterclasses in medicine and engineering, respectively, to take place later this month.
Parent App
You may have noticed some updates that have been made to the Parent App in order to make it even better and more intuitive to use. In particular:
Today’s Attendance: a new widget to show Roll Call and/or Lesson Attendance for the current date on the Home screen
Behaviour: the name of the person logging the behaviour event is now displayed
Documents: the name of the “Documents” section has been changed to “Letters and Reports”
We welcome any feedback so that we can continue working with the software developers to improve it.
Elements café
Dates for the diary
- w/c Monday 22nd March - Year 11 and 13 PPEs'
- Thursday 1st to Sunday 18th April - Spring Break UTCO will be closed during this time
- Monday 19th April - INSET day no school for students
- Tuesday 20th April - All students in for Term 5
- w/c 17th May and w/b 24th May
- Summative Assessments under formal exam conditions for year 11 and year 13
- Students will be given clear guidance on what will be tested to ensure that the final grades submitted will have sufficient evidence to back them up.
- 31st May to 4th June - Half term
- Confirmation of last day of term for year 11 and year 13 will be sent out in next week's newsletter
- Wednesday 21st July - Summer break (finish lunchtime)
- Tuesday 10th August - A-level results (onsite)
- Thursday 12th August - GCSE Results (onsite)
And finally for this week
Stay safe
With good wishes
Sam