Hello and welcome to our end of term newsletter and I am thrilled to say that, as I write this, the sun is shining and it really feels like winter is behind us. The end of term always creates a buzz, and the end of this one, with Eid happening at the start of the final week, and the college’s Olympathon taking place as I write this, is no exception.

It has been a great term for Performing Arts, whose production of The Wizard of Oz was fantastic, we were all entertained by a very talented cast. And a great one too for our scientists, they have had an amazing time during British Science Week.

I am immensely proud of all our talented students who have also been generously raising money for charity and supporting worthwhile causes. Throughout Eid students, led by the Young Enterprise team, have been fundraising for The Middle East Humanitarian Appeal and have collected nearly £1500. The Sports students and staff in the Olympathon are collecting for Giddo’s Gift and have already raised £4000, and our Health and Social Care students have been supporting the North Care Charity and their charity Lego Walk at Royal Oldham Hospital. Next term staff at the college will be running the Manchester 10K in support of the British Heart Foundation. If you feel you can give just a small amount, you can find links to our charity collections further down this newsletter.

The exam season is fast approaching and students are now deep into the preparation process. Details of our Easter College sessions and advice on revision planning can be found below, and students are reminded to check their exam timetables on Cedar, up to date information on the exams site, and Google Classroom for subject specific preparation. I know the exam season can be stressful and good planning is at the heart of it, there is also helpful information in this newsletter about supporting wellbeing at this time, and in particular a new web-based service we are providing for all students.

This is only a snapshot of what has been going on, I am sure you will enjoy scrolling through this spring summary (in the sunshine - lets hope!).

There was a plethora of in-person and virtual lectures/workshops to inspire our students looking to progress into science related careers! A huge thank you to everyone who gave up their time for our students!

We met ex-student Raidwan and staff from Diodes to find out about the exciting new degree apprenticeship opportunity available.

Students tried their hand at new technologies involving semi conductors.

Students found out about Biomedical Science careers that are associated with using PET scanners.

Positron emission tomography (PET) scans produce detailed 3-dimensional images of the inside of the body. The images can clearly show the part of the body being investigated, including any abnormal areas, and can highlight how well certain functions of the body are working.

More about their use and the various career routes involved were discussed in this session.

AECOM is the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, partnering with clients to solve the world’s most complex challenges and build legacies for generations to come.

Students found out about the wonderful opportunities in Bridge and Civil Engineering.

There was an exciting summer work experience placement up for grabs too.

In this talk, several chemical aspects of interest to forensic science were discussed.

Poisonous elements and molecules formed a central theme, but the talk also looked at the use of chemical agents in warfare and crime. A potential explanation for the mystery of “spontaneous human combustion” was discussed.

This was for those interested in a career or degree in Architecture and wanted to know what it takes to be successful.

Students got to meet experts in this field and find out more about this career choice.

On Monday 10th March, Young Adult author Wren James visited Oldham Sixth Form College, where she delivered two engaging talks for OSFC students and visiting librarians, along with a workshop for English students.

The first talk, True Crime Thrills and Cold Case Conspiracies, took the audience on a deep dive into the world of internet detectives and fandoms. Wren shared the real-life true crime inspirations behind her murder mystery novel Last Seen Online, offering insights into how she crafts the perfect plot twists and spine-tingling thrills in her writing.

Next, Wren led a workshop for A Level English Language students titled Writing Diversely. The session focused on the importance of diversity in writing and how writers can make their work more inclusive. Students learned how to research different identities, avoid stereotypes, and explore diverse perspectives using case studies and examples from Young Adult fiction.

In the second talk, Writing with STEM, Wren discussed how her background in Chemistry and Physics at Masters level influenced her transition to writing science fiction. She explained how scientific research from her studies inspired key events in her novels and shared spreadsheets used to calculate things like spaceship travel times and time travel figures. The talk also touched on topics such as climate change, Einstein’s theory of relativity, extinction, and evolution, providing a fascinating experience for our science students in celebration of British Science Week.

Our students really enjoyed the visit:

"What I found the most interesting is the way she expressed her passion for writing and backstory to some of the ideas she incorporated in her books."

"I liked how she talked about how to develop separate stories for each character and how plot twists can appear."

"I enjoyed how she related the theme (crime) back to recent and contemporary examples so everyone could relate and be involved."

The trip is a compulsory part of the AS level, collecting data in one physical and human environment to be able to answer questions in the summer exam papers.

"38 AS geography students explored Ainsdale's dynamic coastal landscapes and Liverpool's vibrant urban geography brought classroom learning to life - a very valuable experience for our students!"

Our students also enjoyed the trip:

"It was a brilliant trip; the fieldwork was informative and absolutely worthwhile for helping me remember the information I needed to remember for my AS Level exams"

"It broadened my understanding of the subject and helped to consolidate the work we did in class"

On the 26th March, 22 students from English, Media, Film, Art and Drama/Performing Arts went to the School of Digital Arts (SODA) at MMU to take part in a Film Making and Future Media Production taster day

MP for Oldham West and Royton, Jim McMahon OBE, visited the college on the 4th April to talk to a variety of students.

There will be more info to follow!

Team Pinnacle is under starter's orders again! This year staff will be running the 6.2 miles in aid of The British Heart Foundation.

You can donate here.

Congratulations to our T Level Education 2023 students who have successfully completed their Industry Placements this past term. Our students received amazing feedback from our local Primary schools:

“She built positive relationships with both the children and staff during her time at our school.”

“She has shown initiative and good subject knowledge when supporting children during group activities and with their independent learning.”

Our T Level Digital students from year 12 & 13 came together to discuss expectations for Industry Placements, exams and coursework. An extremely informative session for all!

Our BTec Extended Business students enjoyed a talk by Kieran from ProExcel who shared his vast knowledge on Event Planning to include the planning process, overcoming difficulties, RAs, contingency planning, team working and meeting objectives. Kieran’s real life experience helped to drive home the main themes of the course unit and his energy and enthusiasm was extremely engaging for our learners!

Next steps for our business learners; preparation for their Work Experience in May!

This year's students completed their projects with a morning of presentations. The students have been working on individual research projects since September, and are now at the closing stages.

Students have recently taken part in their DofE adventures!

The Level 2 Travel & Tourism students planned their Unit 10 study visit to Knowsley Safari Park on 27th March, and it was a huge success.

The students planned the trip, and are shown participating in their pre-event quiz and then on arrival, plus some of the activities/animals they witnessed.

Oldham Sixth Form College’s (OSFC) Young Enterprise group, alongside OSFC staff members, organised a sponsored cross college fast to take place on Thursday 21st March, to raise money for the humanitarian appeal in the Middle East. Ramadan and fasting is one of the 5 pillars of Islam and our Muslim students will be observing this throughout the month of March. Over this month it gives Muslims a chance to reflect on what we have, think of those who are less fortunate than us and help in becoming more disciplined. Alongside the fast it was also decided to have an Iftar (break of fast) for those who were fasting.

Prior to the event, the young enterprise students went out in the local community to raise funds for the Iftar, speaking to numerous local businesses to see if any of them were interested in sponsoring the event. Muhammed Rehman was especially instrumental in this and managed to get numerous businesses on board. Food was sponsored by Raja's Oldham, YFC, Smash and Shake, Fatima Women's Association and Channa Grocers. A huge thank you to all of these generous local businesses for your support.

Kam Ahmed, Business Tutor and Young Enterprise Coordinator said:

"The day went very well for all the staff members who were fasting, we had some reflection time prior to the Iftar where staff shared their experiences and it was very interesting to hear the thoughts of those who had agreed to fast. The Iftar was a huge success and I would like to thank the Young Enterprise group for helping to organise, alongside members of staff including Fathima, Musab, Saleem, Masum, Gulnaz and Adeela. I would also like to say a huge thankyou to all the sponsors as this would have not been possible without them."

So far £1423 has been raised!

This year we hosted our annual ‘Olympathon XII’ event to raise money for Giddo’s Gift; this charity provides gifts, grants, wishes and holidays to young people battling cancer, as well as families.The charity was founded in memory of Jordan Giddins, who had the gift of making people smile. Giddo's Gift is committed to improving the lives of teenagers and young adults living with cancer in the North West and North Wales. Your money will go straight to the charity in order to help them continue with their hard work and determination to help those in need. Your donation could change a family’s life forever.

The event ran from Thursday 3rd April - Friday 4th April 2025.

We are pleased to announce that we have officially surpassed the donations record for any Olympathon!

Please donate what you can, every donation counts and is very much appreciated.

Opening Times:

📅 Week 1: 🕘 Monday 7th - Friday 11th April, 9am-4pm

📅 Week 2: 🕘 Monday 14th - Thursday 17th April, 9am-4pm

Don't forget your ID card!

We will be running a series of revision sessions during the Easter break. These are an excellent opportunity for students to get some additional support and help with their revision and summer exam preparation. Please email the teacher for each session if you want to book on.

A list of the sessions can be found on our website by clicking here

If you will be attending a session, please note the following:

• You must wear your ID badge at all times.
• Bring along your chromebook and any other resources you will need for your session

• If your session is in either the main building or Science Centre, you will be accessing college via the visitors reception in the main building, where your tutor will come to collect you. For sessions taking place in the DLB and Sports Hall, you can go straight there.
• The Restaurant will not be open, therefore you must bring food/drinks with you.

Morning sessions are 9.30am - 12.00pm

Afternoon sessions are 1.00pm - 3.30pm

If you have any questions or queries please contact Lorna Keating lkg@osfc.ac.uk.

'Must Read' information

Information that students must read before entering an exam can be found on the College’s Exams Website.

Essential things to remember

• Punctuality - arrive 30 minutes before the start of your exam
• Bring your student ID
• Bring the right equipment
• Remove all phones watches and electronic devices, and labels from clear plastic bottles
• Do not wear caps, hoodies, hats or anything that might obscure your identity

Illness

Students should make every attempt to attend an exam, however if a student is too unwell to attend, they should report this to Oldham Sixth Form College by calling Student Services on 0161 287 8000 and complete the form on the College’s Exam Website (accessible to students only).

Summer 2025 Exam Contingency Days

Contingency days are put in place in the event of national or significant local disruption to exams in the United Kingdom, and are part of the awarding bodies’ standard contingency planning for exams.

The dates that have been set aside as the contingency days for Summer 2025, in the event exams need to be rescheduled, are the afternoon of Wednesday 11th June and all day Wednesday 25th June 2025. This means that all exam candidates must be available to sit exams from the date of their first exam until Wednesday 25th June 2025.

The Ofqual Students Guide to Exams - Summer 2025 can be read here.

Summer exam dates

Individual exams timetables are available on Cedar for all students.

Study Leave

Once the summer exam series begins, students will be given study leave in the morning on any days they have an afternoon exam. No study leave is given for morning exams.

Timetabled lessons and tutorials will only run until May half term for Year 13 and Level 2 students and so they will finish college on Friday 23rd May, except to attend scheduled exams. However, as above, please note that students should remain available on the three exams contingency dates.

Many vocational students will, however, finish before the half-term break once their coursework is all completed and submitted.

Following the May break, Year 12 lessons will not restart until Monday 9th June due to INSET week running 2nd-6th June. Exams will continue as normal during INSET week.

Student exams site

This presentation on exam protocol has been previously shared with all students but we also wanted to share with all parent. Please do read this as it gives lots of useful information. A reminder to student also that the Exams google site has lots of resources.

This term in tutorial we have been speaking to students about the importance of looking after their mental and physical wellbeing, especially in the run up to the exam period- which is a stressful time for students.

Understanding this, the college has invested in a new service and suite of digital tools to support the wellbeing needs of our students- Health Assured.

Health Assured is a member of the British Association for Counselling and

Psychotherapy (BACP), which highlights their commitment to providing safe, ethical, and professional counselling and psychotherapy services.

The Student Assistance Programme offers unlimited access to qualified counsellors providing a

24/7 mental health and counselling helpline every day of the year for a wide range of issues.

Students will always be supported by a human, whether on the phone or via the app

Students can access the service for help, support, advice and guidance on challenges they are facing including the following:

Stress, low mood, anxiety, relationship advice, housing concerns, future planning, bereavement, exam pressure, medical information, debt, legal advice, substance use/misuse.

There are two strands to the support:

The Wisdom App

All students have been supported and encouraged to download the app in tutorial this term.

There are a range of self help resources on the app to support students with maintaining their mental and physical wellbeing. Students can personalise their feed so they are receiving information and resources around specific areas of interest- such as sleep, exam stress, health and fitness, with other features such as mood trackers and physical health trackers.

The counselling service

Students can be referred for a 6-8 week block of counselling, which will take place online through video call or live chat, with a fully qualified professional counsellor.

To access this service, students should speak with their Progress Tutor in the first instance, or a member of the Additional Support Team.

We are hoping that the investment in this service will provide an additional layer to the support students receive in college around their Mental Health and Wellbeing, and that students feel that support is immediately available when they are struggling.

End of Spring Term - Friday 4th April

Easter Holiday - Monday 7th April - Monday 21st April (Easter Revision sessions running)

College reopens for Summer term - Tuesday 22nd April

Year 13 April 'mocks' - Tuesday 22nd to Thursday 24th April

May Day Bank Holiday - Monday 5th May

May Half Term - Monday 26th May to Friday 30th May

INSET Week - Monday 2nd to Friday 6th June

Futures Fair - Friday 20th June

Celebration Day - Friday 4th July

A/AS Level Results Day - Thursday 14th August

GCSE Results Day - Thursday 21st August

Year 12 Enrolment - 21st - 27th August

Next year's term dates can be found on our website by clicking here.

I hope you found this edition an engaging and useful read. Have a wonderful half term break.

As ever, if you have any feedback on this newsletter, or any other aspect of college, please email me at parentfeedback@osfc.ac.uk.

Yours sincerely,

Suzannah Reeves

Principal