YOUR
NEW COLLEGE
New College Bradford
WE’RE A SOCIAL BUNCH
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NCDBRADFORD
CONTENTS 3 WELCOME
18 - 19
4 - 5
KEY STEPS TO ENROLMENT
20 - 21
6 - 7
YOUR SIXTH FORM COLLEGE
22 - 23
8 - 9 10 - 11 12 - 13 14 - 15 16 - 17
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YOUR ENRICHMENT
YOUR TRAVEL OPTIONS
WHAT OUR STUDENTS SAY
YOUR SUBJECT CHOICES
24 - 25 NEW COLLABORATIVE LEARNING TRUST
YOUR RESULTS
26 - 27
YOUR PROGRESS
YOUR WELLBEING AND SUPPORT YOUR ASPIRATIONS
FAQS
Your New College
WELCOME We’re delighted that you’ve chosen New College Bradford. Congratulations for receiving a conditional offer and thanks very much for taking part in our admissions interview process. Part of a Trust with a proven track record of outstanding exam results at both A level and BTEC Nationals, New College is a centre of excellence for academic study. The College’s popularity continues to grow and applications for September are very strong. This booklet is designed to share with you further information about our culture and what you can expect when you join us in September. Stuart Nash Principal
My role is to make sure that you are well-supported and making excellent progress throughout your time with us. I will be working closely with teachers to help develop our practice, drawing on the latest research and evidence so that we are all using methods known to lead to the best results. I will also ensure we are providing students with highly effective study skills and learning behaviours to thrive during your time at college. I am a Criminology and Sociology teacher and you will see me around the college very often. I’m really excited about getting to know our next group of Year 12 students Lisa Bates Vice Principal (Quality, Performance and Student Behaviour)
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New College Bradford
As an A Level Chemistry teacher, I am passionate about Science and always look forward to my teaching experiences in the classroom. In addition I am delighted that I also have a much wider role, working with all students closely to monitor your progress and achievement, supporting you with your independent learning and research and helping you to study in the ‘New College Way’. I want to ensure that your experience in the classroom is of the highest quality so that you can reach your potential in your assessments and exams and fulfil your ambitions in the future. I feel very fortunate that I have the opportunity to be able to meet many students at the very start of your journey into our Sixth Form, as I also have the responsibility for visiting your high school assemblies, arranging taster days and information evenings at the College and organising student interview, enrolment and induction days. Naureen Aslam Assistant Principal
As the Designated Safeguarding Lead at New College Bradford, the physical and mental health wellbeing of all our students is of paramount importance in my role. I have responsibility for an excellent team of Progress and Study Support Tutors, Counsellors and Special Educational Needs colleagues; together we ensure that students receive strong pastoral and study support to help you to thrive within the College environment, fulfil your potential and achieve your ambitions for the future. Through our tutorial programme, we offer an inclusive learning and working environment in which equality and diversity is celebrated and valued and we promote and embrace the Fundamental British Values. During your time at New College, we will respect you as an individual and encourage you to work in partnership with us to realise your goals. Jaz Qadri Assistant Principal and Safeguarding Lead
I’m really looking forward to getting to know you at New College Bradford from September. As well as teaching Law, my role as Assistant Principal means I will work with the amazing staff across college to support you to get to where you want to go next: universities, apprenticeships and careers. We have a wide range of enrichment activities to help support those applications in the future, to help you meet new people and to develop new skills and interests to complement the subjects you study. We are specialists in helping teenagers reach their potential and can’t wait to help you reach yours. Jim Robinson Assistant Principal
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Your New College
STEPS TO
ENROLLING
We offer you our very best wishes as you receive your GCSE results under very different circumstances and with some major changes to the usual process. Please try not to worry. We have been assured that the process of awarding grades is as fair as possible and will therefore be used by us in the usual way to enrol you on the right courses.
Here are some key dates for you: GCSE Results Day Thursday 20 August Enrolment Days Thursday 20 and Friday 21 August We’ll invite you to attend one of these two dates at a set time. This is when we review your GCSE results with you and make final decisions about your place at New College Bradford and the subjects you’ll study with us. It’s extremely important that you let us know if you can’t attend on the day and time of your appointment by emailing studentservices@ncbradford.ac.uk Start of Teaching Friday 11 September
If any of these arrangements change as a result of government decisions, we’ll let you know at the earliest opportunity.
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New College Bradford
YOUR SIXTH FORM
COLLEGE
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Your New College
New College is an academic sixth form which is different to both a school sixth form and a general further education college. All of our students are aged 16-19 and all of our students are studying academic qualifications, mostly A levels but a good number studying A level equivalent qualifications – applied general qualifications such as BTEC courses. New College is a stepping stone to university and your experience with us will feel different to Year 11. It’s not just the fact that students don’t wear uniforms and that we don’t have bells. It’s more about the adult relationship we develop with our students. We work hard to get the balance right – expecting students to work hard and make good progress, checking carefully that things are going well, but trusting you to use your time and the college facilities as a young adult and as an independent student.
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New College Bradford
YOUR SUBJECT
CHOICES New College is the perfect size for sixth form study – we’re small enough to feel like a community but large enough to offer a huge range of subjects. This means you can genuinely choose the subjects that really excite you, that play to your strengths, that link to your future plans. We can tailor your combination of subjects to you as an individual. Helping you to select the right courses is critically important, which is why your admissions interview and your enrolment meeting after your GCSE results are so important. Don’t worry if you’ve changed your mind about your subjects, just let us know by emailing studentservices@ncbradford.ac.uk, or let us know when you enrol. It’s best to let us know as soon as you can though, just in case any subjects do become full up.
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Your New College
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New College Bradford
YOUR
PROGRESS Throughout your time at New College you’ll know exactly how you are progressing. We use lots of assessment, including traditional exams, but also small, informal knowledge checks during lessons and within your homework (directed independent learning). You’ll be receiving lots of regular feedback, reflecting on the areas you need to target, and addressing any weaknesses really quickly. This helps you to feel confident and in control, and it means you’ll be very wellprepared for your final exams. After each assessment your teacher will review any extra support you need and agree with you your next steps. You and your parents can check all of your assessment grades and a summary of agreed support and next steps through Cedar, our online portal. Each student will also have a Progress Tutor who will have an overview of how you are getting on across all of your subjects.
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Your New College
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New College Bradford
YOUR
WELLBEING AND SUPPORT New College is a place which embraces and celebrates our differences. We want all of our students to feel happy, valued and well-supported. Your Progress Tutor will often be your first port-of-call if you’re finding things tough. They can provide you with individual support or signpost you to other professionals that can also help, such as our team of counsellors or organisations outside of college. We run lots of events and campaigns throughout the year, helping students to stay safe and to make positive decisions which support good physical and mental health. We also have an experienced and committed team supporting students with additional learning needs (SEND) and a dedicated safeguarding team.
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Your New College
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New College Bradford
YOUR
ASPIRATIONS At New College we provide tailored support for you so that you have the very best chance of progressing from New College to a great university, apprenticeship or job. We’ll ask you to review your career plans at key points, so that we can signpost relevant talks by visiting universities or employers, or arrange for you a careers interview. We’ll support you in finding high quality work placements if you have particular careers in mind, such as medicine or teaching, or if you’re studying BTEC courses which include work placements, or if you’re considering work or apprenticeships rather than university. If you’re aiming for the very highest grades you’ll be able to take part in our Excellence Academy, focusing on preparation for applications to Russell Group universities, Oxford and Cambridge, and for very competitive degree courses which have extra hurdles to overcome. We’ll also create opportunities for you to engage with universities, employers or apprenticeship providers within the courses you are studying.
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Your New College
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New College Bradford
YOUR
ENRICHMENT At New College you’ll have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of sports, clubs, societies and trips. If you’re sporty, you might be interested in the football, rugby, netball or basketball teams, or perhaps our skiing trip to Italy? If you enjoy travel you could take part in World Challenge, fundraising for an expedition to a far-flung part of the world. We also offer Duke of Edinburgh Gold award. You could get involved in our students’ union executive team and stand for election, organising events, raising money for charity, giving a voice to the student body. You could get involved in lunchtime clubs such as the LGBT group, choir, college magazine, or debating group. There are also many opportunities to attend trips, or to join talks by visiting speakers, some of which will be organised within your courses, and some which are open to students across the college. At New College there is lots to get involved in outside of lessons and it’s a great way to make new friends, learn new skills, develop confidence and discover hidden talents.
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Your New College
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New College Bradford
WHAT OUR
ST UDENTS SAY Eboni Archer
Appleton Academy Which courses are you studying? Law, English and Sociology What are your future aspirations? “My experience at New College so far has been amazing! I enjoy all my subjects and learn a lot in all my lessons. The atmosphere is good and I have positive relationships with both my teachers and other members of staff such as the Progress Tutors, you are made to feel comfortable and there is lots of help available whenever you need it. I have also made amazing friends and made great memories.” Tell us a little bit about what it’s like studying at New College. “I want to go to University and study Law. New College has not only prepared me for the independent learning style at uni by teaching me how to organise myself and manage my workload and how to follow the study cycle to ensure success; but has also taught me all about the different options after college and what I need to do to get to University by explaining personal statements, applications and UCAS, and making it easier to understand.”
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Your New College
Aisha Altaf
Dixons McMillan Academy Subjects Studied at New College Health and Social Care and Law What has your experience of New College been like? So far my experience at New College has been amazing. I feel privileged to come across such kind hearted and interesting people who I now consider my friends. I also love engaging in lessons and learning new things everyday. Future aspirations and how New College has prepared you for your next steps My future aspiration is to continue working on my music career and produce more songs this year alongside my EP. I will also be interested in studying law at Oxford University. New College has prepared me for my next steps as they encourage individuality which inspires me to be different from others and not fear taking my career on a different level.
Laila noor Khan
Bingley Grammar School Which courses are you studying? Biology, Chemistry and Spanish What are your future aspirations? Amazing! I have enjoyed every minute of every day in college. All the teachers are lovely and it’s so easy to make friends. The teaching is of very high standard, with the teachers constantly pushing you to strive for the best. Tell us a little bit about what it’s like studying at New College. I would like to go to University and study Dentistry. College has prepared me for this as I have been given extra information from teachers and students as to what is required to get into Dentistry.
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New College Bradford
WHAT OUR
ST UDENTS SAY Raimah Tabasum
Bradford Girls Grammar School Which courses are you studying? Chemistry, Sociology and Psychology What are your future aspirations? New College has been very welcoming. All the teachers support you in every way possible. If something is not right (maybe grades) they fully support you in many ways to achieve your best, be it extra lessons or one on one with teachers. The environment is very friendly. Everyone talks to each other. Also, the progress tutors laugh and have a chat with you as though they’re your friends when sat somewhere. Honestly, New College has been an amazing experience. Tell us a little bit about what it’s like studying at New College. My personal choice is university. To study a certain course. New College has helped because we have tutor sessions in which our Progress Tutor talks to us about the next steps and help us get an idea of what to do. The progress tutors help us research and find a course which is suitable for us. They also help with applications, as in what we should do to have an outstanding application.
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Your New College
Abdelrahman Mohammad Grange Technology College
Which courses are you studying? Chemistry, Maths and Biology What are your future aspirations? There’s no words that could describe how amazing the experience has been at New College. You feel a sense of independence and care in your own work and you have a lot of encouragement to want to do well and exceed in your subjects. Tell us a little bit about what it’s like studying at New College. In the future, there are a variety of different careers I want to get into. However, before I joined New College I never knew I would be interested in so many different careers. They provided us with so much information about the different paths we could take in the future. I walked in knowing only about 2 career paths I could take, and now only half way through and I’ve got more than double that amount of different careers I’m interested in.
Nathan Coatesworth
Buttershaw Business and Enterprise College Subjects Studied at New College Maths, Physics, Geography and Further Maths What has your experience of New College been like? New College has been a great experience so far, the staff and students are helpful and friendly. The way of teaching works very well with clever ways to remember new content makes lessons enjoyable as well as meaningful. Future aspirations and how New College has prepared you for your next steps In the future my aspirations are to become a commercial pilot, therefore will go down a university or apprenticeship route. New College have many people that can help you with any problems faced and will help with any applications you need to make. They also help with creating CV’s if you are struggling with that.
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New College Bradford
What if I change my mind about my subject choices? Not a problem. Just let us know by emailing studentservices@ncbradford. ac.uk. You can also change subjects at the induction day, or when you come to enrol. Changing subjects will obviously depend on there being space available on the course, and you achieving the subject entry requirements. What if I don’t get the grades I need? Don’t panic! For now, just keep working hard to get the best grades you can. Remember that all of your subjects are important. We offer a huge number of courses all with different entry requirements, so if things don’t go quite to plan we’ll explore all of the other options that are available to you.
FAQs 22
What if I’ve also applied to my school sixth form? That’s no problem. Remember that you are free to apply to as many places as you like and you don’t have to make your final decision until after your GCSE results, when you officially enrol. At this stage, any places you accept are simply provisional (and you can accept places at more than just one place, for the time being).
What if I haven’t been to a New College Taster Day? Lots of students will have spent a day with us, but it doesn’t matter if you haven’t. If you accept your conditional offer we’ll invite you to spend a day with us in July – your induction day – a great chance to get settled in and to find out more about the college before enrolling officially after the summer.
Your New College
OFFICIAL Check out our range of apparel including the official NC hoodie at ncbradford.ac.uk/nc-official
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New College Bradford
NEW COLLEGE BRADFORD Nelson Street, Bradford, BD5 0DZ Phone: 01977 702139 Email: enquiries@ncbradford.ac.uk
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