OSFC Newsletter

Hello, and a very warm welcome to The Sixth Form College’s autumn newsletter which coincides with the end of the first half term of the year. In this edition you will find useful links to key college documents and dates for your diary, as well as a focus on the wide ranging extra-curricular activities we encourage all students to take part in.

I like to catch my breath at this point in the year, just for a moment, because Year 13 are already deep in planning what happens when they leave here - progression on to university, apprenticeships or training/employment. Year 12, meanwhile, will be thinking that high school was a distant memory. The term is also a settling in period for them, and we are close to Year 12 students completing their first big assessments. In later sections of this newsletter we have information on Year 12 parents' evenings, CAP points and UCAS predicted grades.

Enjoy scrolling!

We encourage our students to take part in all the additional activities that are on offer over the course of the year. There are trips, visiting speakers, conferences, exchanges and an incredibly varied choice of Xtra activities that broaden experiences and widen horizons. There is something for all, and although not everyone will want to take part, the message is clear - they should. So go on a trip, listen to an author or a business analyst explain how they found their path, get stuck in.

Every year we see many of our students heading for London as an extension of their studies. It is a great opportunity for students to experience the capital and take advantage of its many sights and cultural highlights. Coming up soon, Performing arts students will spend 3 days watching West End shows, workshops and backstage tours; and Psychology students will be heading for South Kensington to visit the Science Museum and the Freud Museum before attempting the Jack the Ripper Tour - not for the faint hearted!

Politics students are going to study the original banners used by the Suffragettes, including those used by local suffragettes, the Pankhursts. Students will see over 450 historic and contemporary banners including the largest and most important collection of trade union and political banners in the world. These artefacts include the world’s oldest trade union banner, the 1821 Tin Plate Workers Society banner, and Michael Foot's 'donkey jacket' - which some of you may remember! That's how we bring the study of politics to life

Once again the college's Spanish students will be travelling to Torrelavega in northern Spain, hosted by Spanish families for a week. This exchange, which has been running for twenty three years, is a fantastic opportunity to understand Spanish culture and get to grips with the language.

On Wednesday 18th October, author and screenwriter Danielle Jawando visited OSFC to talk to students about her career and work. Her debut novel was released in 2020, titled ‘And the Stars were Burning Brightly’ followed by her second book ‘When our Worlds Collided’ in 2022. A third novel is currently in production and is due for release in 2024. Danielle has also worked on Coronation Street as a storyline author, writing over 100 episodes and is a Lecturer in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University.

OSFC English students were joined by students from Hathershaw College and Crompton House CofE School to hear from Danielle in the Lecture Theatre. Danielle talked about why and how she became a writer, being born and brought up in Manchester and how that has influenced her as well as discussing the sensitive themes in her books including suicide, mental health, race and knife crime. She also gave a useful insight into the writing process from the beginning ideas stage through to final publication.

Learning Resources Manager, Corinne Walker, is always grateful to authors for visiting college to inspire our students: “We are passionate about promoting and highlighting Northern authors and Danielle’s visit was engaging, inspirational and fun.”

X marks the spot when choosing an enrichment activity at college. The Xtras programme gives students an opportunity to try something different - because life is made up of more than A levels and Btecs. Even Rishi Sunak edited his school newspaper while studying for his A levels. Our Xtras - and there are over 50 to choose from, offer Sixth Form College students a chance to be curious, explore and investigate. Student can participate in an Xtras activity for the whole year, or choose from our hop on-hop off courses. There is also a menu of digital courses to choose from as well. The College production is always a big event in the Xtras calendar: this year we will be staging 'What's The Story' - an original musical (but with some familiar tunes). Recent success was celebrated on the pitch when our girls football team won their latest match with an amazing score of 17-7!

As we are the biggest centre for the Duke of Edinburgh Award in the northwest, it is full steam ahead for our new recruits. Our first meetings will begin after half term where we will get students logged in and recorded onto the DofE system.

86 students attend our introduction to the award scheme and 30 students are signed up for the full expedition package, with the remaining 56 choosing to work towards the DofE Record of Achievement by completing 3 programme sections whilst with us.

Our expeditions start with a two-day framework training event in Feb 2024

The first expedition is in March 2024 (hopefully it will be warm enough by then!) with two more expeditions (March and June)

We have had 4 full award completions this year already, which is great news. They will be heading off to Buckingham Palace and The Palace of Holyrood in the summer!

September included our first sustainability week of the year where we asked students and staff to make their green commitments

Celebrating black history was a focus for October. The visibility of key black British figures was incorporated into class discussion and debate. The theme of this year is 'Saluting Our Sisters'. Students focused on Books of the Week: 'In Search of Mary Seacole’ by Helen Rappaport ‘Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire’ by Akala ‘And Still I Rise’ by Maya Angelou, and enjoyed a visit from Danielle Jawando, author author of ‘And The Stars Were Burning Brightly’ and ‘When Our Worlds Collide’

Some of our students have entered a Poetry Competition, writing about a pioneering black woman who has made an impact in their chosen field, explaining why she is an inspiration. There is also a lunchtime concert of student performance Piano and Voice :A Soul’n’Blues inspired music

Pink day is a designated fundraising day for Breast Cancer Now, which can help fund life-changing research and resources for Cancer patients. Within college we hold numerous fundraising and information activities such as bake sales and students are highly encouraged to wear pink. In ‘The Street’ students volunteered and helped sell confectionaries, cakes and chocolates and raise money for Pink Day - an amazing sum of nearly £700 was raised!

We loved meeting all our prospective new students, and their families, over the past two wonderful, packed Open Events!

We wanted to say thank you to all of our amazing student helpers who showcased why they study at OSFC. Their first hand experience and stories, coupled with their professional tours were exemplary.

All of our Student Ambassadors, Student Union Members and helpers are a credit to themselves, their families and the subjects in which they supported. Thank you.

The college assessment and monitoring process has begun. As a key point in the academic year, the first common assessment point (CAP 1) reports on progress in individual subjects and focuses on effort only. Effort grades reflect the level of application including attendance, punctuality, engagement in lessons, homework (and working out of lessons) and the submission of work (for vocational subjects especially).

CAP1 effort grades have already been shared with parents of Year 12 and Foundation Year (Level 2) students via Cedar. For Year 13 students, CAP1 and UCAS Predicted Grades have also been shared. Again, parents are able to view these via Cedar.

To view the CAP 1 grades on Cedar, please select Curriculum and Achievement, then College Assessment Points (CAPS), and select the October 2023 option. UCAS predicted grades for Year 13 students can be found in the same way.

Our handy guide to Cedar provides useful guidance on how to use it. If you need any help with your Cedar account please email info@osfc.ac.uk or telephone College reception on 0161 287 8000.

As a general reminder, Cedar is an excellent way to view your son or daughter’s timetable, attendance and progress reports online, as well as tutor comments. Cedar is an important form of communication between college and parents, therefore we would encourage you to please log on to the portal regularly.

Please note that due to some essential IT works during half term, Cedar will not be accessible for much of the time. We aim to restore access as soon as possible. Apologies for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding and patience.

Year 12 and Level 2 parents' evenings will take place next half term on Thursday 7th and Tuesday 12th December, following the publication of CAP 2 reports on Cedar on Tuesday 5th December. This is an online event - we use the SchoolCloud platform. More information will be sent to parents nearer to the time.

Year 13 parents' evenings will take place in the Spring Term on Thursday 25th and Tuesday 30th January 2024.

These exams will be taking place on our return to college after the half term break. Exams will run between Tuesday 7th November and Monday 13th November. Students taking these exams are able to access their exams timetable on Cedar..

It's really important that students spend time revising over the half term break so that they are as best prepared as possible. Some tutors are running revision sessions for these exams so all students who have been asked to attend are urged to do so to get the most out of this important revision time and do as well as possible in the exams.

The results for these exams will be released on Thursday 11th January 2024.

At OSFC we work hard to ensure our students are supported in every way possible to achieve their highest protentional and transform students'' lives. One way we do this is by providing financial support via the bursary. OSFC students can apply for a bursary to help with college related expenses, dependent on household income. Further details on the bursary scheme and eligibility can be found here. If eligible, and based on meeting college attendance, punctuality and behaviour criteria, students receive a half termly cash payment (£15 per week), £5 per day to spend in the onsite cafes and restaurants, plus possible assistance/discounts on other expenses.

The next payment of £120 is due after October half-term on Friday 3rd November.

It's not too late to apply - we accept applications throughout a student's time at college. All students can apply via the Student Portal. Please note payments will not be backdated.

In recent years Oldham Council have covered free meals payment in each half-term holiday. However, this is not the case this year. This is because the council are aware that families struggle more over the longer holidays, such as summer, Christmas and Easter. To make the biggest impact for families with the limited funding, and to ensure the Council can help the groups that the government have identified as needing support, the decision has been made to provide more support specifically during those holidays.

As always, any family struggling to feed their family during any time of the year can seek help by calling the Council Helpline on 0161 770 7007.

Kooth, supporting the mental health of children and young people, are delivering a KoothTalks webinar aimed at parents and carers:

How Kooth promotes and supports staying safe online

• Mon 6 Nov, 12-1pm or 6-7pm

Please click on the time you are interested in to register.

All key college policies and procedures can be found on our website. We encourage you to read these.

Term dates can be found here and our key dates can be found on the calendar on our website in addition to the back pages of our Information for Parents booklet.

If you haven't yet completed the Data Protection and Consent Form for Parents, please could you do so as soon as possible. It is a requirement that this form is completed by all parents. Many thanks.

We value feedback and invite parental views on a wide range of college activities. To this end we are inviting you to join the Parent 100 - a cross section of OSFC guardians who we ask to take part in some short consultation exercises. There are a few spaces left so if you feel able to contribute please let us know on this short form. Many thanks to all those parents who have already signed up!

Another reminder that if you weren't able to attend the Welcome Evening for New Parents in September, do not worry, here is a copy of the presentation that was shared on the night.

The Information for Parents booklet is a useful resource that has been shared recently and contains lots of helpful information for parents of all year groups. In addition, our helpful Attendance and Punctuality booklet gives guidance around college's expectations of students regarding attendance.

Our handy guide to Cedar provides useful guidance on how to use it. If you need help with your Cedar or ParentPay accounts, please email info@osfc.ac.uk or telephone College reception on 0161 287 8000.

As part of the community it is important that we respect the area around college. A small number of students are dropped off or picked up by family or friends. If you are dropping off or picking up please do not park on double yellow lines, across entrances to Halfords, the Car Park at the end of Connaught St or the Funeral Directors. We have asked Oldham Council and Greater Manchester Police to support us to ensure that everyone driving and parking near college are doing so legally.

We really appreciate your support with these matters. We have shared 'walking maps' produced by TfGM with students. These signpost handy walking times and routes to college.

This is an exciting opportunity to join our growing Trust as we expand our central services team, enabling us to continue to provide high quality services to all of our family of academies, to enhance the experience of all students and staff across our Trust.

We are seeking individuals who have a minimum of 3 years’ experience in a related role and are keen to develop to the next stage in their career.

We are looking to recruit experienced and dedicated staff to join our talented and supportive central service teams in the following areas:

• HR
• Payroll
• Finance
• IT Services
• Marketing
• Estates

In order to be successful, you will need to be able to demonstrate that you are:

• able to work independently with minimal supervision as well as be an effective member of a team;
• passionate about providing excellent customer service;
• an excellent communicator and able to establish and maintain positive relationships with others;
• proactive and have contributed to new developments and initiatives.

Our Trust’s ethos is built upon a desire to create extraordinary opportunities for staff and students that they won't experience elsewhere, significantly improving their chances to make progress, achieve and go on to succeed in the lives and careers they want and deserve.

If you are looking for an exciting, challenging and highly rewarding role that offers a strong commitment to professional development and well-being, we encourage you to forward your CV to hr@pinnaclelearningtrust.org.uk or contact HR on 0161 287 8001 to arrange an informal chat about what’s on offer.

More information can also be found within our Recruitment Pack

Commitment to Safeguarding

The Pinnacle Learning Trust is committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff, governors and volunteers to share this commitment. Applicants must be willing to undergo pre-employment checks. Safer recruitment practice and pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. This post is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. The Pinnacle Learning Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer and welcomes applications from underrepresented groups and ethnic minorities.

I hope you found this edition an engaging and useful read. 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

Associate Principal