Tees Valley Combined Authority is hosting a free Sector Pathways Event on Thursday 26 February, and we’d encourage all students to attend. The event showcases a range of routes into work and education — including apprenticeships, traineeships, scholarships, further education and university.
The exhibition features over 40 local employers, colleges and training providers across Tees Valley’s key growth sectors, including Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering, Aerospace, Energy and Low Carbon, Construction and more. There are also talks on opportunities at the Teesworks site and advice on applying to Russell Group universities and student finance.
Booking is required. Choose your timeslot on Eventbrite — exhibition slots run from 5pm–7:30pm, with talks at 5:45pm and 6:30pm. Places are limited so book early.
We’re hosting an Inclusion Coffee Morning at Prior Pursglove College on Tuesday 3rd February, from 10am to 12pm, and we’d love to see you there.
This relaxed, informal event is open to current and prospective Level 2 and Endeavour students, along with their parents and carers. Whether you’re already part of our college community or considering joining us, this is the perfect opportunity to have an open conversation about your learning journey.
What to expect
The morning is designed to be as flexible as you need it to be. You can drop in at any time between 10am and 12pm – there’s no need to book or arrive at a specific time. Come for ten minutes or stay for the full two hours, whatever works for you.
Our support and teaching teams will be on hand to chat about the help available, discuss your current progress, and talk through your next steps. It’s a chance to ask any questions you might have in a friendly, pressure-free environment.
Who should come?
This event is ideal for:
Current Level 2 and Endeavour students who want to discuss their progress or explore additional support
Prospective students who are thinking about joining Prior Pursglove College and want to learn more about our Level 2 programmes
Anyone who’d like to talk about the support we offer to help students achieve their goals
Parents and carers who want to understand how we can support their young person
Why attend?
At Prior Pursglove College, we’re committed to ensuring every student has the support they need to succeed. This coffee morning gives you the chance to meet the people who can make a real difference to your experience here, explore our facilities, and get a feel for what studying with us is really like.
There’s no formal presentation or agenda – just genuine conversations over a cup of tea or coffee about what matters to you.
Getting involved
If you’d like to attend or want more information, please get in touch.
The new year is the perfect time to invest in yourself. Whether you’re helping children with homework, looking to boost your career prospects, or simply want to learn something new, our adult maths and English courses could be exactly what you need.
We’re holding an enrolment and information event on Wednesday 21st January from 4pm to 6pm at Prior Pursglove College. Come along and chat with us about the courses we offer and how they can work around your life and commitments.
Our adult learning programmes are flexible and supportive, designed for people who might not have studied for a while or who want to build confidence in these essential subjects. There’s no judgment, just encouragement and practical teaching that makes a real difference.
Join us at the event to discover what’s possible when you take that first step. If you can’t make it but want to find out more, drop Michelle an email at michelle.kelso@atomix.ac.uk. Let’s make this the year you expand your opportunities and enhance your future.
Students and staff recently returned from an extraordinary trip to Peru, where they experienced the perfect combination of cultural discovery, community service, and personal growth.
The journey began on 27th November with an evening departure from the UK. After more than eleven hours in the air, the group landed safely in Bogota before taking their final flight to Cusco. Despite the exhaustion from travelling, the team arrived in good spirits and were greeted with a traditional welcome dinner that offered their first taste of Peruvian hospitality.
The highlight of the trip came when students and staff visited Machu Picchu, the ancient Incan citadel set high in the Andes Mountains. The breathtaking views and rich history of this UNESCO World Heritage Site left everyone in awe. One member of staff described the experience as looking ‘unreal’ and suggested it was like ‘looking at Curry’s expensive TVs’ – such was the stunning clarity and beauty of the landscape.
Beyond sightseeing, the group embraced meaningful community engagement. Students spent a morning at a local nursery where they painted colourful playground games and refreshed existing artwork. This hands-on project gave them the opportunity to make a lasting contribution to the local community whilst developing their practical skills and cultural awareness. The day continued with a pottery class, where students could explore traditional Peruvian crafts and techniques.
Throughout the trip, students also enjoyed recreational activities, including football matches where they could connect with local young people through sport. The group returned home with memories that will last a lifetime, having gained a deeper understanding of Peruvian culture, history, and community life.
Geology has recently undergone a Practical Endorsement Visit at Prior Pursglove College. Rachel Heath received a glowing report from the external assessor, which is testament to the hard work she has put into developing the Geology course since arriving in January 2024.
Rachel has designed a Geology course where learners complete practical tasks both inside and outside the classroom with great success. The developed practical tasks are enabling learners to make strong links between theory and practice in Geology.
The external assessor remarked on the excellent level of feedback given by Rachel Heath to the students through individual comments on their work and RAG rating performance against set out benchmarks. These comments enable learners to develop a wide range of practical skills to a high level. All learners were able to articulate which of the practical performance measures they have met and which ones they still needed to meet.
In addition, the moderated commended the high standards of health and safety established by Rachel in Geology Lab and the compliance of learners with these standards.
Learners demonstrated competence with future study and employability skills during this visit too. The assessor commented on the students’ ability to competently perform referencing, write a risk assessment and both manipulate and analyse gathered data.
The engaging learning environment and the students’ enthusiasm to conduct practical work in Geology was central to the whole report. Both of these would not be possible without Rachel’s efforts and the enthusiasm she displays in the classroom.
We genuinely cannot wait to welcome you to college life. We know that starting somewhere new can feel a little daunting, but rest assured that you’re joining a community that’s absolutely committed to helping you succeed.
Please join us at 9am, 2nd September, where it all begins. Don’t worry about finding your way around just yet – there will be plenty of friendly staff positioned throughout the college to help guide you exactly where you need to be. Our team will be on hand to answer any questions, help you settle in, and ensure your first day runs smoothly.
If for any reason you’re unable to attend, please email the college as soon as possible so we can arrange an alternative time to get you started.
This is the start of something special. Whether you’re here to pursue A Levels, explore new subjects, or take the next step towards your career goals, it all begins here. We’re incredibly excited to be part of your journey and to help you discover just how much you’re capable of achieving.
The start of a new academic year brings excitement, but we understand it can also bring uncertainty. If you’re feeling unsure about your college choice or having second thoughts about where you’d like to study, you’re not alone – and more importantly, it’s not too late to explore your options.
At Prior Pursglove College, we believe that finding the right educational path is crucial to your success and happiness. Whether you’re reconsidering your current plans, looking for advice about course options, or simply want to discuss what might work best for your future aspirations, our doors are always open for a friendly, no-pressure conversation.
Your Journey, Your Choice
We recognise that choosing the right college is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. Perhaps your exam results were different from what you expected, or maybe you’ve realised that your initial choice doesn’t feel quite right anymore. These feelings are completely normal, and we’re here to support you through this transition.
Our experienced team understands the challenges that come with making these big decisions. We’ve helped countless students navigate their options, whether they’re looking to:
Pursue A Levels with expert teaching and support
Explore vocational programmes that lead directly to exciting career paths
Complete essential GCSE resits in a supportive environment
Find the perfect pathway through our specialist support departments
What matters most is finding the route that’s right for you.
We’re Ready When You Are
The beauty of education is that there are always opportunities to redirect your journey. If you’d like to visit us and see what we can offer, you’re welcome to come along to the college at any time during our opening hours. Our friendly reception team will be happy to arrange for you to speak with someone who can discuss your options in detail.
Alternatively, if you’d prefer to reach out via email first, our team is monitoring enquiries regularly and will respond promptly to help address any questions or concerns you might have. Sometimes a simple conversation can provide the clarity you need to move forward with confidence.
Supporting Your Success
What sets us apart at Prior Pursglove College is our commitment to ensuring every student finds their perfect fit. We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to education. Instead, we take the time to understand your individual goals, circumstances, and aspirations before helping you choose the path that will best serve your future.
Our award-winning college has built its reputation on creating an environment where students thrive. From our dedicated teaching staff to our comprehensive support services, everything we do is designed to help you succeed – not just academically, but in developing the confidence and skills you’ll need for whatever comes next.
Take the Next Step
If any of this resonates with you, we’d love to hear from you. Getting in touch is completely straightforward:
Visit us – Come along to the college during opening hours for an informal chat
Call us – Ring our college reception on 01287 280800 to arrange a conversation
Email us – Drop us a line and we’ll respond promptly to discuss your options
There’s no obligation when you get in touch – sometimes the most valuable thing we can offer is simply listening and providing honest, straightforward advice about your options. You might discover that we have exactly what you’re looking for, or we might help you clarify what you need to find elsewhere. Either way, you’ll leave our conversation feeling more confident about your next steps.
Your future is important, and the decision of where to study shouldn’t be rushed or made under pressure. Whether you’re ready to enrol with us or simply want to explore what might be possible, we’re here to support you in making the choice that feels right for your unique journey.
Your future starts with the next step you take – let us help you make it the right one.
Students were collecting their A-Level and B-Tec Qualification results at the Guisborough College last week
Students at the end of their time with Prior Pursglove College have praised the supportive teaching staff and friendly atmosphere at the Guisborough College, as they collected their A-Level results and B-Tec qualifications today.
The college reached a 97% pass-rate for A-Levels, including more than 40% at the high grades of A* to B.
Olivia Wytcherley, head of Prior Pursglove College, part of the Atomix Educational Trust, said the atmosphere at the college had been “fantastic,” as students collected their results.
“Students have performed brilliantly, and they’re going on to a range of destinations from Oxford and Cambridge to apprenticeships and employment,” she said.
This year, more Prior Pursglove students than before have been meeting or exceeding their target grades.
For B-Tec qualifications, 46% of students on these courses achieved a Distinction * or a Distinction.
Olivia said: “It’s amazing the range of emotions you get on results day.
“For teachers, it’s particularly pleasing to see those students who have overcome certain challenges while they have been here getting their results and seeing their hard work pay off.
“When students who have faced challenges or barriers achieve, witnessing that is what teachers go into education for.
“They are the students you come to work for.”
Olivia added the many teachers and managers, who attended the results day, also like to hear about the exciting opportunities they have helped students secure for next steps.
“For some students at the college, they will be the first people in their family to go to University,” she said.
“On results day, you see the life-changing side of qualifications that enable them to do that.
“When you hear them say they wouldn’t have reached this level unless they were encouraged by the staff here, that’s really rewarding.”
However, it’s not just about the teaching, as Olivia says staff are instrumental in helping them make the right decisions for them when it comes to their next steps.
“Some of our high flyers are doing degree apprenticeships and some are going straight into employment,” she said.
“We help them with whatever they need regardless of their next steps, whether it’s CV-writing, writing personal statements for university or helping them with interview techniques.
“It’s very important that the experience we deliver is not just around the academic teaching.”
All ten students who received an offer from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge have secured their places, the college’s best ever result:
Oxford
Alastair Dicken (Sacred Heart)– Biochemistry at Merton College:
Oliver Amor (UCA) got A*s in Chemistry, Physics, Maths, and Further Maths.
“I’m going to study Chemistry at Oxford, Christchurch College,” he said.
“The teachers here are attentive and helpful, and it’s a wonderful environment.”
Also going to Oxford:
SU Vice President Lola Steinhauser Somers (Ryedale) to read PPE at Wadham College and Lucy Kelly (Rye Hills) to read Biology at Merton College.
Megan Kelly (All Saints) studied Classical Civilisations, Spanish, and History.
“I got an A* in History, an A* in Spanish, and two As in my other subjects,” she said.
“I’m going to Oxford to study Spanish with Beginner’s Russian at Queen’s College
“The one word I’d use to describe my time here is “support” – everyone from staff to students has been supportive. I wouldn’t have applied to Oxford if it wasn’t for my teachers.”
Lydia Walker (Rye Hills) is going to St Anne’s College to study Geography, after achieving an A* in Geography and As in Geology, Law and her EPQ (Extended Project Qualification).
She said: “I am really happy with my results and looking forward to going to Oxford to study Geography.
“I love the subject – it’s so broad – and Oxford is such a lovely University.
Lydia attended a summer school at the university before being encouraged to apply to study there, after doing a presentation at Christchurch College.
“I still can’t believe I actually got in,” she said.
“I’m going in October and I’m excited about it – I’m not nervous at all yet!
“My Mam got to travel down with me at one point and she liked it even though it’s four or five hours away, so we are all looking forward to it.”
Cambridge:
Holly Buckworth (Stokesley) – Natural Sciences at Fitzwilliam College
Sam Watson (Outwood Bydales) – Natural Sciences at Jesus College. Sam’s mum, Louise, also works at the college:
Athlete Matthew Downs (LJS) got A*s in Geography, Geology, and Biology.
While studying for his A-Levels, he also travelled to Spain to compete in the Aquathlon at the World Championships, facing the gruelling challenge of a one-kilometre open water swim followed immediately by a five-kilometre run.
“I’m going to study Geography at Cambridge,” he said.
“I also competed at the World Championships Aquathlon in Spain, finishing ninth.
“Balancing training and A-levels was challenging, but I enjoyed my time here.”
Sam Eddon (Freebrough) is also going to Cambridge to read Classics at Girton College
Stacey Williams studied Business and Maths.
“I got an A in maths and an A* in business,” she said.
“I’m going on to do an apprenticeship in accounting in September.
Speaking of life at Prior Pursglove College, she added: It’s been one of the most fun times of my life – very interesting and educational as well.”
Daisy Jackson studied Media Studies, Film Studies, and English Language & Literature, achieving an A in Media, an A in Film, and an A in English, which has led on to a Film and Television Production course at the University of York.
Speaking of life at Prior, Daisy said: “It’s been great – I’ve made lots of friends and had a really good time.”
Patrick Carter achieved Ds in Criminology and English and a Distinction in Law. He is now off to study Law at Northumbria University.
He said: “It wasn’t what I was targeted to achieve but I did my best and I’ve got to where I want to be at the end of the day.
“I want to be a law teacher eventually.”
Patrick, who was named ‘lead ambassador’ for the college in second year, admits he found College a lot tougher than secondary school, but the support of staff had been “really good”.
“I couldn’t recommend Prior Pursglove enough,” he said.
“It’s not just here for A-levels, there is an academic side but there is also a vocational side with B-Tec qualifications you can study for.
“My confidence has grown since becoming an ambassador and attending open days and promoting the college, so it’s not just about what you learn academically, as being at this college helps you build confidence.”
Angela Stephenson, deputy head at Prior Pursglove, said: “We aim to offer an inclusive and diverse curriculum where you can do a B-Tec or you can go down the traditional A-Level route – or you can also mix and match the two.
“We also have a new T-Level qualification we will be offering in Early Years in Education, which is starting in September.”
She added everyone at the college prides themselves on offering support and encouragement, saying: “We’re passionate about the sense of community and care we provide here.
“We want learners to achieve and do the best that they can do and we really want to be there helping them prepare for their next steps.”
Luke Myer, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland congratulated students as they picked up their results.
A former alumnus of Prior Pursglove College, he said: “I’m really proud to be back at Prior Pursglove, my old college, and I’m here today as MP to congratulate all the young people on their results.
“I have been blown away by the incredible young people we have got here.
“I also want to add that if you didn’t get the results you wanted, this is just one step in your journey.”
Remembering getting his own results, he added: “I was really nervous, but the staff were so supportive and being here gave me the foundation to go on in life and succeed.
“I’m really pleased we’ve got a college that works so hard to give young people the best opportunities.”
Enrolment for prospective students starts at the college on 21st August and we look forward to welcoming everyone.
We’re thrilled to welcome you to Prior Pursglove College for Enrolment Week – the first step towards an exciting and rewarding future! Whether you’re joining us for A Levels, Level 2 programmes, exploring options in our Higher Needs Endeavour Department, or needing to complete essential GCSE resits, we’re here to help you find the perfect path.
Our enrolment days will take place over four days and we’re ready to support you every step of the way.
If you’ve already applied, you should have received an enrolment pack with your specific appointment time based on your feeder school. But if you haven’t applied yet – don’t worry! There’s still a place for you. You can come along, apply, and enrol on the day.
Appointments are spread over four days to ensure a smooth and thorough enrolment experience for you and your family. Rest assured, there’s no need to stress about when your appointment is scheduled – we don’t operate on a first-come, first-served basis. No matter when you arrive, we guarantee there is a pathway for you at Prior Pursglove College!
When and Where?
Enrolment will take place at our Prior Pursglove campus on the following dates:
Thursday 21st August: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Friday 22nd August: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Tuesday 26th August: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Wednesday 27th August: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Choosing the Right Path for You
We understand that the enrolment process can feel overwhelming, especially after exam results day. That’s why we want to make it as smooth and stress-free as possible.
Don’t worry about spaces filling up – there’s a place for everyone, no matter when you come.
If you’d prefer a quieter time with less waiting or want to chat with our friendly teaching team about your course options, consider visiting later in the enrolment window or during the final hours of the day.
If you’re feeling anxious about your results and want to enrol earlier, feel free to come along at any time and we will slot you in as soon as we can.
What to Bring
Make sure to bring the following:
Your GCSE results slip (official copy from your school)
Any supporting documents requested, such as an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP)
What We’ll Help You With
Finalising your course choices
Offering advice if your grades are different from what you expected
Discussing alternative options if needed
Answering any questions about your transition to college
If you have any questions before results day, our college reception is open throughout the summer. Feel free to pop in or give our school liaison team a call on 01287 280800. We’re here to talk through your next steps and help you feel confident about starting your journey at Prior.
We can’t wait to meet you and help you begin your future at our award-winning college! See you at enrolment – it’s going to be an exciting year ahead!
Your future starts here. Let’s make it amazing, together!
Location: Student Hub – Collect your grades and a breakdown of your results. Staff will be available to celebrate your achievements and provide support for next steps, including clearing and exam queries.
Accessing Results via CEDAR
Results will be available online from 8:00 AM, showing basic grade information.
Navigate to the Exam Section then Exam Results section.
Ensure you can access your CEDAR account before results day. If you need assistance, contact staff in advance.
Students Abroad on Results Day
If you are abroad, email ppc.enquiries@atomix.ac.uk to request international access to CEDAR. Please Include the country you will be in.
Results Collection by Parents/Guardians
If you cannot collect your results, you can authorise a parent/guardian to collect them for you.
Email ppc.enquiries@atomix.ac.uk with their details and permission.
Your representative must bring ID, and we will make a copy.
UCAS Applicants
If you’ve applied to university, your results will be sent to UCAS, who will forward them to your chosen university. If your grades change following a review, UCAS will update your university.
Missed Your Offers?
If you didn’t meet your university offer, you may still find a suitable course through UCAS Clearing.
We are proud of all your hard work, no matter what your results show. We’re here to support you with your next steps, whether you continue on your planned path or explore new opportunities.
Good luck, and we look forward to seeing you on results day!
Join us for an exceptional celebration of musical talent at this year’s Prior Pursglove Summer Concert on Tuesday 24th June at 6.30pm in the Drama Studio. At just £3.50 on the door, this promises to be an evening that showcases the remarkable breadth of musical ability within our college community.
Our talented students have been working tirelessly to prepare a diverse programme that spans multiple genres and musical traditions. From contemporary pop and rock performances that capture the energy and spirit of today’s music scene to beautifully crafted classical pieces that demonstrate technical mastery and artistic interpretation, the evening will offer something to captivate every musical taste.
The concert will feature both intimate solo performances, where individual students can shine and display their personal musical journey, alongside dynamic ensemble pieces that highlight the collaborative spirit and collective musicianship that thrives at Prior Pursglove College. These ensemble performances demonstrate not only individual skill but also the students’ ability to work together harmoniously, creating something greater than the sum of its parts.
This annual summer concert represents more than just a performance opportunity—it’s a celebration of the creative arts within Atomix Educational Trust and a testament to the dedication of both our students and music department. The evening provides our performers with invaluable experience of live performance whilst giving our wider college and local community the chance to witness the exceptional talent that flourishes within our institution.
Whether you’re a family member, friend, staff member, or simply someone who appreciates live music, this concert promises to be a memorable evening that celebrates the artistic achievements of our students. The intimate setting of the Drama Studio ensures an engaging and personal experience for both performers and audience alike.
All are warmly welcome to attend this celebration of musical excellence. We look forward to seeing you there for what promises to be a truly inspiring evening of live performance.
On Wednesday 7th May, Prior Pursglove College hosted a landmark Power of Women event that brought together students from both Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College with 28 inspirational female industry leaders. The event, organised by Lesley Currie, Head of Department at Prior Pursglove, and Sophie McKenna, created a dynamic platform for students to connect with successful professionals and explore diverse career pathways.
The afternoon began with a vibrant networking masterclass and icebreaker “bingo” session, designed to build connections in a relaxed environment. Students then gained invaluable insights during a thought-provoking panel discussion featuring Theresa Carling, Sarah Heward, Kay Coleman and Christine Tarran, who shared their personal career journeys and professional experiences.
One of the highlights of the day was an energetic speed networking carousel, giving students the unique opportunity to engage directly with professionals from various sectors in rapid-fire conversations. This format allowed participants to ask questions and receive personalised advice in an intimate setting.
The event culminated with an inspirational keynote address from Bianca Robinson, who captivated the audience with her powerful message. Her presentation included a reflective activity titled “What Do You Stand For?”, encouraging students to identify causes they care about and commit to taking meaningful action. Many students volunteered their thoughts, creating a moment of genuine connection and purpose.
Michaela Reaney expertly hosted the proceedings, ensuring the day flowed seamlessly and maintained its focus on empowerment and opportunity.
Angela Stevenson, Deputy Head of Centre at Prior Pursglove College, reflected on the day’s success: “What an amazing day at Prior Pursglove College and Atomix Educational Trust. From network bingo to the role model panel, speed networking, and Bianca’s very inspirational talk—thank you to all the role models and our amazing students for attending, taking part and volunteering ideas and thoughts.”
The event exemplified Atomix Educational Trust’s commitment to providing students with experiences that extend beyond the classroom, preparing them for future careers by connecting them with industry professionals and developing crucial networking skills.
Students left feeling inspired and equipped with practical advice for their next steps, having formed connections with successful women across various professions. The Power of Women event stands as a testament to Atomix Educational Trust’s dedication to empowering students and broadening their horizons as they prepare for life beyond college.
The UK’s best teachers and schools have been shortlisted in this year’s Tes Schools Awards. The awards, dubbed the ‘Oscars of education’, celebrate the best of education across the country. Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College has been shortlisted in the category of Staff Wellbeing School of the Year!
The Tes Schools Awards recognise the very best teachers and schools from UK state and independent schools, across early years settings, primary and secondary.
An expert panel of judges comprised of leaders in education selected a shortlist for 22 categories, with a new category added this year: ‘Inclusive Trust of the Year’. The final category, ‘Lifetime achievement award’, will be announced on the night.
Jon Severs, Editor of Tes Magazine, said: “We’ve seen some incredible entries nominated in this year’s awards. The Tes Schools Awards are a highlight of the year, and it’s important that we properly recognise the fantastic work that’s been done in education across the academic year.”
Winners will be announced on 20th June at a glittering gala at the Grosvenor Hotel, Park Lane, London.
To find the shortlist online, please visit https://www.tes.com/en-gb/schools-awards
Computing teacher Paul Cullis has been presented with our official recognition as a Silver CyberFirst College. This is a nationally recognised accreditation by the National Cyber Security Centre that demonstrates our strong commitment to cyber security education. The proposal that was submitted was so strong that we completely skipped the Bronze award which most new proposals achieve, to immediately gain silver status, which is largely due to the team effort in delivering excellent standards in cyber security. A big thank you to everyone who helped with the proposal!
There have been a total of seven schools/colleges who achieved a CyberFirst accreditation recently and of these seven, only two schools/colleges have achieved a Silver award, Prior being one of them.
This now means that Prior Pursglove College has exclusive access to industry links including Quorn, The Police Force, and Cummins and at other local educational establishments who want to share their knowledge on cyber security and cyber education.
We also have opportunities for our students to access new pathways for work experience, apprenticeships, and degree apprenticeships in Cyber Security. There has never been a better time to study Computing-related courses at Prior Pursglove College. Well done to Paul and the team on this amazing achievement.
Chemistry students from Prior Pursglove College have achieved some phenomenal Chemistry Olympiad results!
Designed to challenge and inspire, the UK Chemistry Olympiad (UKChO) by Royal Society of Chemistry is a unique opportunity for students to push themselves further and excel in the chemistry field. Budding chemists develop critical problem-solving skills, learn to think more creatively and get a chance to test their knowledge in new, real-world situations. They could even find themselves representing the UK at the prestigious International Chemistry Olympiad. The students sat a 2 hour written exam comprised of 6 multi stage questions. The papers were then marked by James before submitting the marks to the RSC along with a sample of the papers.
From the 11 students entered from Prior, 4 were awarded gold and the remaining 7 awarded silver. All 11 Prior students were in the top 33.4% of the 16,216 entries with 4 students placed in the top 8%. These are some of the best results in the country and we are extremely proud of all the students. We also thank James Covell, our A-level Chemistry teacher for all his hard work and dedication in making these results possible. Keep on leading the way!
We are delighted to announce that 10 students from Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College have received conditional offers of a place at either Oxford or Cambridge for 2025.
The successful students at Prior Pursglove have worked hard to demonstrate a deep love for the subjects by achieving the highest grades at GCSE and in college assessments. They have also spent time independently researching their subject by reading beyond the curriculum, attending lectures and masterclasses and undertaking their own research through the Extended Project Qualification.
In order to secure an interview, the students were required to produce a high quality application and score well above average on an admissions test as well as submitting work to the universities. They prepared extensively for their interviews which are very different to the interviews given by most other universities; they are challenging academic discussions with highly qualified academics at the university who are assessing the students to see if they would be well suited to being taught in this way. To receive a conditional offer is a tremendous result and we are exceptionally proud of them all.
Students offered a place at Oxford include:
Alastair from Sacred Heart – Biochemistry at Merton College
Oliver from UCA – Chemistry at Christ Church College
Lola from Ryedale – PPE at Wadham College
Lucy from Rye Hills – Biology at Merton College
Lydia from Rye Hills – Geography at St Anne’s College
Megan from All Saints – Spanish and Beginner’s Russian at Queen’s College
Students offered a place at Cambridge include:
Holly from Stokesley – Natural Sciences at Fitzwilliam College
Sam from Outwood Bydales – Natural Sciences at Jesus College
Matthew from Laurence Jackson – Geography at Girton College
Sam from Freebrough – Classics at Churchill College
I am immensely proud and ecstatic to see years of hard work recognised by achieving this dream of mine, and excited to study alongside world-leading academics of my field. – Lola
Thanks to Prior’s encouragement, I dared to apply to Oxbridge—something I never would have thought possible before coming here. Being offered a place to study Geography at Cambridge feels like a fantastic acknowledgment of my passion for the subject. I am looking forward to immersing myself in such a vibrant academic environment and contribute to the ongoing dialogue in the field. – Matthew
While January 20th is sometimes called ‘Blue Monday,’ it’s important to recognise that mental health challenges don’t conform to a calendar. However, the winter months can be particularly demanding on our emotional wellbeing, with shorter days and post-holiday adjustments affecting how we feel.
The start of a new year often brings expectations of dramatic change and self-improvement. Yet these pressures, especially during the darker winter months, can feel overwhelming. Instead, let’s approach this time with understanding and compassion.
As we begin 2025, it can be tempting to set many big goals. But winter is a time for slowing down and reflecting. Instead of rushing into resolutions, think of this season as a chance to take care of yourself and focus on what matters most.
Rest and Recharge: Winter is a time to pause and rest. The shorter days and longer nights are perfect for reflecting (looking back at) and gathering energy for the months ahead. Rest is important, so don’t feel guilty about taking time to relax.
Be Kind to Yourself: Start the year with self-compassion (being kind to yourself). It’s okay to have high expectations, but also allow space for mistakes. Growth doesn’t need to happen quickly, and you can ease into your goals at your own pace.
Explore What Inspires You: Instead of strict resolutions, think about what excites you. What brings you joy or curiosity? Use this time to reconnect with hobbies, skills, or relationships that you care about.
Set Intentions, Not Just Goals: Instead of focusing only on specific goals, consider setting intentions for how you want to feel or what values you want to live by. For example, you could focus on kindness, creativity, or building connections.
Enjoy the Present: Life happens moment by moment. Take time to enjoy the little things, like a walk outside, a warm drink, or spending time with loved ones. These moments can bring happiness and help you feel more grounded.
A Year of Gentle Growth: 2025 doesn’t have to be about big changes or ticking off goals. It can be a year of slow, steady growth, focusing on what nourishes your mind and heart. Take it one step at a time—there’s no “right” way to go through the year.
This winter, embrace a gentle approach to wellbeing and set yourself up for a fulfilling year ahead.
The holiday break is a time for relaxation and celebration, but we also want to ensure all our students stay safe and look after their wellbeing. We understand that while holidays can be exciting, they can also bring challenges, especially when you’re away from your regular college routine and support networks.
During the break, it’s important to maintain good habits and take care of your mental health. This might mean keeping a regular sleep schedule, staying active, and finding ways to relax and unwind that work for you. Remember, there’s no “perfect” way to spend the holidays – what matters is finding a balance that helps you feel healthy and content.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or anxious about the holiday period, we’ve provided some practical resources to help you manage stress and maintain positive wellbeing during this busy time.
If you’re planning to socialise during the break, we want you to stay safe. Always ensure your phone is charged, use trusted taxi services, and be aware of initiatives like “Ask for Angela” if you feel uncomfortable in bars or restaurants. It’s also crucial to know your limits and look after yourself and your friends when out celebrating.
Your digital wellbeing is equally important during the holiday period. While social media can help you stay connected with friends, remember to take regular breaks and be mindful of your online safety. This includes being careful about sharing personal information and being aware of potential online scams that often increase during the festive season.
Taking time for mindfulness and relaxation can be particularly helpful during the festive period. We’ve included a guided meditation exercise specifically designed to help you find moments of calm during the holiday season.
We’ve partnered with stem4 to provide access to NHS-recommended mental health apps that you can download for free. These apps offer practical tools for managing anxiety, maintaining positive mental health, and developing healthy coping strategies during potentially stressful periods.
Even though college is closed, support services remain available throughout the break:
Samaritans: 116 123 (24/7)
CAMHs Crisis Team (Under 18): 08000 516171
Mental Health Crisis: Call 111 and select the mental health option
Talk to Frank: 0300 123 6600
Emergency Services: 999
When we return in January, our college support services will be ready to help if you need to talk about any concerns or challenges you’ve faced during the break. Until then, we encourage you to stay connected with friends, maintain a healthy routine, and remember that it’s okay to reach out for help if you need it.
From everyone at the college, we wish you a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable holiday break. We look forward to welcoming you back in the new year.
Prior Pursglove College’s Computer Science students have achieved remarkable success in their first-ever participation in the prestigious Bebras Computing Challenge, a national competition that tests computational thinking and problem-solving skills.
Students from both first and second year competed against peers from across the country, showcasing exceptional talent and dedication. Many students earned impressive accolades, including Merit and Distinction certificates, with several achieving Gold awards—placing them in the top 10% nationally.
The challenge, which tests students’ ability to think computationally and solve complex problems under time pressure, proved to be both challenging and engaging. One Gold award winner remarked, “It was very interesting and really challenged me, but most importantly made me think in a different, problem-solving way which I thoroughly enjoyed.”
The competitive element added extra excitement, with another student noting, “The added competition of beating your friends made you feel much more engaged to try hard and push your brain to finish all the questions correctly, and in time.”
Students particularly valued how the challenge connected to their classroom learning, with one participant explaining, “I thought that the Bebras challenge was a very fun challenge as there were questions of varying difficulty which tested the problem-solving I had built up from studying computer science.”
The success in the Bebras Challenge demonstrates Prior Pursglove College’s commitment to excellence in Computer Science education and highlights our students’ ability to compete at a national level. This achievement reflects not only the students’ hard work and talent but also the high-quality teaching and support provided by our Computer Science department.
Prior Pursglove College recently had the privilege of hosting two extraordinary individuals from Afrokings Barbershop. These inspiring gentlemen, Oscar and Martins (QCVS) shared their life stories and the incredible work they do to promote mental health and uplift their community.
Oscar, a co-owner of Afrokings, has overcome significant adversity in his own life. From humble beginnings to academic success, his journey is a testament to resilience and determination. Despite facing challenges, Oscar persevered and earned multiple degrees. His experiences have fuelled his passion for giving back, and he uses Afrokings as a platform to create a safe space for people to connect and discuss mental health.
Martins (QCVS), a former British Army soldier and recipient of the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service, is another key figure at Afrokings. His military career and personal experiences have shaped his understanding of mental health and the importance of community support. As a co-owner and lead barber, Martins is dedicated to providing not only exceptional haircuts but also a supportive environment for his clients.
During their visit to Prior Pursglove College, Oscar and Martins captivated the students with their engaging stories and positive messages. They also generously offered free haircuts to students, creating a fun and memorable experience. Their presence had a significant impact on the college community, inspiring students to overcome challenges, pursue their dreams, and prioritise mental well-being.
Afrokings Barbershop’s mission is to “change the world, one haircut at a time.” Their commitment to community, mental health, and personal growth aligns perfectly with Prior Pursglove College’s values. We are grateful for the opportunity to learn from these inspiring individuals and to continue fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for our students.
Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College (part of the Tees Valley Collaborative Trust) has been accredited to the matrix Standard, demonstrating the high quality Information, Advice, and Guidance (IAG) services they provide to their students.
The college, with campuses in Guisborough and Stockton-on-Tees, offers a wide range of courses to both young people and adult learners. With around 1,300 students aged 16-18, adult learners accessing Functional Skills and Learning Support Assistant courses, and a specialised programme for SEND learners, the college plays a pivotal role in the local educational landscape. This matrix assessment covered the work of the Endeavour Faculty, which supports students with Educational Health Care Plans and adult learners, all underpinned by Tees Valley Combined Authority funding.
The matrix Standard is the international quality standard for organisations that deliver information, advice, and/or guidance (IAG). Achieving this accreditation highlights the college’s commitment to offering tailored guidance that helps students and learners achieve their educational and career goals.
Roger Chapman, Head of the matrix Service for The Growth Company, said:
“This is a fantastic achievement for Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College, and I would like to congratulate the team on their success. We believe that at the heart of high-quality advice and support services are strong leadership, excellent service, and a focus on continuous improvement, all underpinned by effective use of the resources available. The matrix Standard is designed to benchmark organisations against best practice in these areas. With their accreditation success, Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College is working to provide the best possible support to their clients.”
Commenting on the award, Anne Donovan, Head of Lifelong Learning, said:
“We are incredibly proud to have achieved the matrix Standard accreditation. This recognition reflects the hard work and dedication of our staff in ensuring that every student receives the best possible guidance and support, tailored to their needs and aspirations. We remain committed to continually improving our services and helping students make informed decisions about their futures.”
We are thrilled to announce that Prior Pursglove College has been awarded the prestigious Eco-Schools Green Flag Award with Merit! This achievement recognises the hard work and dedication of our Eco-Committee, led by Kristopher, in promoting environmental awareness and making our college a greener place.
Our Eco-Committee, made up of 15 enthusiastic student volunteers, has been at the forefront of our sustainability efforts. They began by conducting a thorough Environmental Review, involving all members and seeking expert guidance when needed. This hands-on approach helped the committee identify key areas where the college is already making a positive environmental impact, as well as opportunities for improvement.
The committee chose to focus on three main topics that they are passionate about, which allowed them to stay engaged and motivated throughout their journey. They made impressive strides in biodiversity, including creating no-mow areas that have attracted more wildlife and planting a memorial Cherry Blossom Tree with a commemorative bench, offering a reflective space for everyone at the college.
Communication has been key to their success, with the committee using social media, posters, and tutorial sessions to share their plans and progress. They’ve also reached out beyond the college, even contacting their local MP about sewage spillage in the North Sea, showing their commitment to driving change in the wider community.
Looking ahead, the committee has been encouraged to create a more specific action plan and to develop a concise and powerful resource, like a new green slogan or an eye-catching poster, to further inspire our college community. They also aim to expand their efforts beyond the college to engage the wider community in sustainability initiatives.
We are incredibly proud of our Eco-Committee for their achievements and the positive impact they are making. This award is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and the collective efforts of everyone involved in making Prior Pursglove College a more sustainable place. Congratulations to Kristopher and the entire Eco-Committee on this fantastic achievement!
We are pleased to announce the recent appointment of Olivia Wytcherley who have joined the Tees Valley Collaborative Trust as Head of Centre for Prior Pursglove College. They have stepped into their role over the past few months, bringing with them a wealth of experience and a commitment to educational excellence.
Olivia began her teaching career at Prior Pursglove in 2005 as a biology teacher, after gaining valuable experience in the local secondary school sector. Her commitment to widening participation is deeply personal and this gives her a profound understanding of the challenges faced by young people, particularly those in the 16 to 19 age group.
Olivia has been instrumental in fostering inclusive communities and has been at the forefront of creating collaborative environments for both students and staff. With a deep knowledge of quality improvement processes, Olivia ensures that standards rise and adapt to meet the needs of the community. Olivia’s vision for the future, includes enhancing community outreach provision, forging strong partnerships with local businesses, and opening our sites for greater community and business engagement. Olivia is keen to provide invaluable real-world experiences and opportunities for our students while strengthening our ties with the local community.
“I’m excited to get started and to work with such a talented team of staff and students,” Olivia said. “My focus will be on continuing to build a supportive and inspiring environment where every student can thrive and achieve their full potential.”
This post come alongside a variety of new roles within the Tees Valley Collaborative Trust, all focused on enhancing the quality of education and supporting the growth of our students across the region.
Nichole Munro, Chief Executive Officer for the Tees Valley Collaborative Trust, expressed her confidence in the new appointments. “We are delighted to welcome our new heads of centre to our leadership team. Their passion for education and commitment to student success are perfectly aligned with the values of our Trust. I am confident they will make a significant positive impact on their respective colleges.”
Prior Pursglove College is, once again, delighted to celebrate the achievements of our students as they received their A Level and Applied General Qualification results.
We have seen an increase in the number of high grades (A*-B) being achieved by our students this year across the full range of subjects allowing two thirds of the cohort to progress onto university including competitive courses such as Medicine, Law and to universities including Oxford, Cambridge and Durham. Our students have also been very successful in securing high quality apprenticeships in a range of fields such as Law, Accounting and Engineering with companies such as Cummins, Watson Woodhouse and Clive Owen Accountants.
Head of Centre, Olivia Wytcherley said, “I continue to be proud of the achievements of Prior Pursglove students not only in their academic studies but also for their willingness to engage in enrichment activities, volunteer work and playing an active role in their community. We celebrate success at every level and I would particularly like to acknowledge those students who have overcome personal challenges to achieve what they need for their next steps. Hard work and perseverance are the key to success, and we have seen staff and students demonstrate both this year to achieve these outcomes.”
Prior Plus+ is an esteemed award that is integrated into students bespoke and personalised study programme, giving them the chance to leave college with more skills and experiences than simply those gained through academic qualifications.
The award is split into 3 parts and this group of students has excelled in all three!
This culturally enriching and worthwhile scheme prepares students for adult life as well as developing their employability skills and making college a more fulfilling and enjoyable experience.
This can then all be showcased through any application, whether it is for UCAS, an Apprenticeship, or a job, making students highly employable.
This award is split into three parts, Pathway Support, Employability/Work Experience and Enrichment. There are also three levels of the award, Bronze, Silver and Gold.
Pathway Support is a weekly session looking at attendance and academic progress, as well as discussing future progression and topics to equip students with the skills and knowledge to be a well rounded adult. There are also a series of E- learning activities and 1:1s with their Pathway Leader to help keep track of their progression through the awards.
Students also have the opportunity to participate in a range of activities beyond lessons. This Enrichment is designed to really capture their interests and enhance their life experiences. There are many exciting activities on offer. Some will be ‘one off’ opportunities such as foreign exchanges, work experience, charity events or competitions. Others will be ongoing weekly activities such as sport and societies or the Students’ Union, Pie & Cheese Club, learning a new language or driving theory support, the list goes on.
Also, whilst at college, students have the opportunity to attend many varied careers events. Some are organised through the Pathway programme, others are organised through the college careers team, we also promote and support work experience opportunities.
To achieve gold standard, students must have reached at least 98% attendance, set up and ran an Enrichment group that benefits the college or local community, attended all mandatory careers events, as well as at least 2 voluntary sessions and also completed an extended work experience.
Well done to all students who have accomplished this amazing standard, what a fantastic achievement, huge congratulations to you all!
More brilliant celebrations today here in college.
Chemistry teachers, James and Jo, held a ‘party’ for their A2 Chemists, not only to celebrate the end of the course but also to celebrate the fantastic achievements of all their students.
As well as making ice-cream with liquid nitrogen, awards were presented for achievements in The Cambridge Chemistry Challenge, The Royal Society of Chemistry Schools Analyst Competition, and the Chemistry Olympiad Award.
There was even a visit from our good friend Manju, who retired from teaching last year but came in especially to see her students on their last day.
Great to see you Manju and very well done everyone, some fantastic achievements!
We recently ran a Student Photography competition here at Prior Pursglove, which was open to all students from every subject.
The theme of the competition was based around ‘Identity’, with students being able to submit images of themselves or their friends, family, favourite places or favourite things to do.
Collectively the images will make an exhibition called ‘We Prior’, celebrating the diverse and varied identities that make up our student cohort.
Our overall winner for this year, winning a cash prize, was Antoni Szatkowski with his shot of Saltburn Pier.
Antoni’s image was a fantastic composition, which he describes as one of the earliest shots he ever captured but which remains one of his best. It clearly evidences his technical skill with an ability to be in the right place, at the right time.
Every one of the judges was overwhelmed with the standard of the entries received and commented that it was very difficult to select a winner. Our thanks go to all who entered and took part.
Paul Sudlow, Deputy Faculty Manager and Photography Teacher said “It was a genuine pleasure to see such a high standard of image making, creativity and variety in response to the brief, from every area of the student cohort, not just the photography/art department”.
Highly commended entries and a special mention must go to the following students who all made the final shortlist and whose pictures you can see below:
Lydia Walker, Adam Derry, Nate Joy, Jazmin Ashley, Ellie Parker, Holly Griffin, and, Sebastian Hewison
Other notable entries making up this fantastic array of imagery includes:
We will soon be exhibiting a large selection of the entries around the college campus, please look out for them, they are stunning to look at!!
Well done again to every student who entered and thank you to all the staff who took time to judge.
We recently ran a story on social media about one of our wonderful students, Ellie Nichols.
Ellie, a student in our Endeavour faculty, is 17 years old and is a wheelchair user.
Ellie says she originally attended wheelchair skills training when she was aged just 4 years old and went for around two years before the class was finished due to a lack of funding.
Some years later she was introduced to Powerchair Football through her school, KTS Academy.
Ellie has recently taken on the challenge of raising funds for her beloved sport and hopes to be a journalist in the future, so here writes her own piece on the story so far.
Powerchair Fundraiser, by Ellie Nichols
On Thursday, the 2nd of May, Endeavour took part in a wheelchair football fundraising event for my football club (Middlesbrough Powerchair Football Club), which always needs money and equipment to stay open. It’s not a very well-known sport and it’s not televised either, so football clubs like mine really do struggle.
Within our faculty, all classes came together in the sports hall. My coaches and another member of the football club, and fellow student James Found, came along to answer questions and show the students some of our wheelchair skills within the sport.
Staff and students really loved asking questions about it and getting to know the game.
We also had a bake sale and face painting, both of which went down really well with staff and students alike.
There was also a competitive football match between students, and then to finish the afternoon we had a penalty shootout. We had cheerleaders on the side with pom-poms to cheer everybody on.
Overall, I can’t tell you what a difference this will make to the football club. We genuinely love the sport, but upkeep is just so expensive. In total, we raised £182.72.
Again, on behalf of the club, we are so grateful to everybody that signed the blind cards, anybody that contributed in any way at all.
Amazing student, Felicity Mitchell, has been awarded a fantastic opportunity!
She has just secured a place at the Italia Conti stage school to study Acting.
Felicity, who studies Performing Arts, Physical Education and History here at college has been performing from an early age, singing from the age of five and receiving her first acting training from the age of nine when she began ‘Stagecoach’ in Guisborough.
Since 2019, she has been training on the Young Musicians Programme at the Centre for Advanced Training (The Glasshouse International Centre for Music) in classical and musical theatre singing and has also received 1:1 acting tuition to work on monologues and acting through song.
Felicity applied to, and got offers from, four stage schools but chose Italia Conti as she loved the immediate sense of professionalism the school gave her. She says it was professional without being intimidating and encouraged auditionees to be themselves.
Felicity goes on to say that the students there on the day gave everyone auditioning advice and answered their questions before entering the audition room. They stressed the importance of using their own accents when delivering speeches and songs in the audition. They were told that the school believes in using students’ own accents as it gives auditions a more truthful, authentic and convincing performance.
Felicity says she sometimes feels like a minority of people with a northern/regional accent when she attends auditions so liked how this was actively celebrated at Italia Conti.
She says “all the staff and students there on the day were so welcoming and created such a comfortable and hard-working environment. Taking part in classes and panels for the entire day gave me the feeling that I was at a place with a strong work-ethic, where I would receive the high-quality training I needed to improve on my skills.”
Felicity says her years at Prior have greatly helped her to develop into the performer she is today. She played ‘Roxie Hart’ in the production of ‘Chicago’ in 2022 and also played ‘Carole King’ in the 2023 production of ‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’.
Of her performing arts teacher, Jacob Ditchburn, Felicity says “Jacob has been a massive help to me over my two years as my teacher and particularly during audition season. He gave up his own time to help me work on my audition monologues and songs and I will be forever grateful for all of his advice and everything he has taught me. I was able to apply his feedback to both my external auditions and my performances within the performing arts course at Prior”.
Congratulations Felicity, we’re all super proud of you and can’t wait to see what the future years will bring. Good luck in everything you do!
Meet Prior’s very own Queen of Speed, Aimee Frame.
Aimee has won a national scholarship to race cars in Atlanta, with the potential at the end of the week to win a paid contract!
Aimee says that she and her family have always followed motor sports, with her sister introducing her to go-karting when she was aged just 15 and she has been hooked ever since, always aspiring to get into car racing, moreover, motorsports.
She says she entered the on-line competition through SIM racing and was one of the top 50 quickest contestants. She then submitted an audition tape to get her through to the final 10, and then after a zoom call with the company, was offered her scholarship!
Aimee is one of 20 competitors from all over the world who have been selected for this amazing opportunity, and will be flying out to Atlanta on 11th May to compete in a series of challenges including gym training, reaction testing, media training, car control and psychological strength.
Throughout the week the group will be judged by professional drivers from Formula 4 and Indy Car, with the overall winner receiving a paid contract to race in the Radical SR1, which goes 0-60 in 3 seconds.
The aim of this competition is to uncover talent and overcome the financial barriers in motorsport.
Aimee is very excited about this chance and says “I have been given this amazing opportunity and to even get here is a huge achievement”.
It really is Aimee! You’re a winner already and we can’t wait to catch up with you again after the event.
Good luck from all of us here at Prior Pursglove College.
During March, students who attend Endeavour at Prior Pursglove College were selected to attend a 6 session course called Rugby Futures.
Rugby Futures is a programme facilitated by the Newcastle Falcons and funded and supported by Electricity North East as a further commitment to the development of the area in and around Teesworks, and working with the Teesworks Skills Academy to further support the communities alongside the growth of the area.
The aim of the programme was to build on the `Values needed for the world of work`.
The coaches facilitated sessions on how the values you use in sport can be linked with the values you need in work and equipped our students with essential personal characteristics that build relationships based on trust, self-awareness, communication, resilience, and emotional intelligence, all of which are crucial for success in any area of life.
These brilliant sessions were led by Olympian Chris Cook, Lysa Morrison and Jake Vandervelde and the positive impact on our students was phenomenal as you will see from the following video:
Big thanks to the Rugby Futures and everyone involved in making this a wonderful experience for our students.
Due to the success of this programme we hope to run a second round very shortly, watch this space…
Students from Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College have been taking part in a residential trip to Trinity College, Oxford University this week.
They had the chance to explore a number of colleges including Trinity and Christ Church.
They also had a Q&A session with two university students from the North East and were given advice from Lauren and Marcus on the application process, including writing their personal statements, admissions tests and interview. They learned about the different courses Lauren and Marcus study as well as what it is like to study at Oxford University.
Students have also had talks on applying to a competitive university, personal statements and admissions tests.
As part of British Science Week they have also got the chance to visit the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, where they took part in a lecture of on Evolution and Biodiversity.
They have learnt about the adaptations of different species including how and why taste receptors have changed in humans over millions of years, the adaptations barnacles make depending on where they live, why barn owls feathers are shaped the way they are, and how cockroaches live in two distinct groups, how they have become two different species and will eventually no longer be able to mate with each other.
To finish off their visit to Oxford, students have had the chance to explore the city and take part in a Treasure Hunt.
The students came in wearing traditional dress and celebrated all the different cultures from all over the world.
There was a student’s food market at break time and lunchtime which offered a Nigerian dish of jollof rice with fried chicken and meat, Armenian potatoes, lavash bread & bishi, Arabic basbousa as well as traditional British cakes, biscuits and scones.
We had tradition music, chosen by the students, in student central, with dancing and singing too!
There was also henna tattoos and face-painting and of course, polaroid pictures and a selfie station.
The day culminated in a ‘guess the flag’ competition with 30 flags being identified. Unbelievably there was 2 students who could name all 30 and went head to head on a tie-breaker round!, the winner being able to identify which country had the oldest flag as well as the date established! Well done, and big thanks to all the students for another wonderful day.
Last week we had the pleasure of hosting a small gathering for all our Oxbridge students and their families, along with our friends from the students’ secondary schools and Redcar & Cleveland’s Children’s Councillor, Bill Suthers.
The students were each presented with a book token for all their hard work and Principal, Asma Shaffi, shared a few words of appreciation for the families and secondary schools, all of whom instil aspirations from a very early age.
Councillor Bill Suthers also shared some words of support and encouragement with the students as well of a few anecdotes of his own.
It was lovely to get everyone together and congratulate the students for all their hard work, as well as hear about their hopes and wishes for the future.
Many thanks to everyone who attended, it was lovely to put faces to names at long last!
We look forward to catching up with everyone again in August.
(Many thanks to Brian Gleeson of the Darlington & Stockton Times for the permission granted to use the photos)
During February half term we took 30 students from both 1st and 2nd year to Rome, for 4 days/3 nights.
During the trip we visited the Colosseum and Roman forum on the Palatine and of course, the Vatican, with an opportunity to visit the Sistine chapel.
We also visited famous sites such as the Trevi Fountain and the Museum of the Ara Pacis.
Then, on the final day, we took a coach to visit Ostia and see the ruins of a full Roman town and port which includes some amazing remains and particular mosaic artworks.
Although the days were jam packed with a lot of walking and visits around Rome, on the evenings students had free time to explore Rome in small groups and find places to shop and eat and experience life in a major European city.
After their return we asked the students for their thoughts. Here are just a few of the comments that were made:
We asked “what was your favourite thing about the visit to Rome?”
Learning their culture, seeing how Ancient Rome has been incorporated into modern day Rome and their appreciation for their history.
I loved walking around all the historical sites seeing the Colosseum and exploring Augustus Mausoleum also taking pictures of everything also the Vatican was a great place to see. Exploring Italy in our free time with my friends eating the food and shopping around.
My favourite part of the visit was seeing the architecture in person. The sheer scale of many buildings and statues enhances their visual impact – they appear very different to how they look in photographs.
My favourite thing about the Rome visit was the opportunity to experience a different culture and explore the city.
The difference in everything, I adored getting to enjoy new experiences.
The Vatican city / The architecture of the city / Colosseum / Trevi Fountain or Connor Varley / statue of Marcus Agrippa.
And, “what do you think was the most useful thing about the visit to Rome?”
Being able to experience visiting such culturally significant buildings relevant to the course.
First foreign visit so opened my eyes to life and sights outside of England.
Being able to see real life versions of some of our set sources and being able to use what we saw to compare Ancient Rome to modern Rome.
Seeing the Ara Pacus and the Augustus Premia Porta as they both are a part of our case study for Imperial Image.
Looking at all the statues that aren’t in the prescribed sources.
Actually seeing the things we study in real life makes them seem much more real. Plus there’s more information that is relevant to the course around Rome.
Seeing all the cites we learn about, seeing them in real life and seeing what material they were build out of was useful towards my studies understanding everything better.
The places we went to, the forum was possibly the most informative.
Actually seeing some of sources we look at and being able to see them in person.
The most useful thing about the trip to Rome was visiting some of the sources we study as it helps develop a deeper understanding.
The visit helped to put certain statues and buildings into some form of context, helping to consolidate what we have learnt in the subject.
Walking around palatine hill, looking at the sources we study in lesson.
Lots of additional info about the Ara Pacis and the forums that’s harder to find online.
I got to see lots of the things we’re studying in classics.
It made me realise how close everything was like the forum bit.
Finally, “what would you say to any students who want to take part in the visit in the future?”
It’s an amazing opportunity, and definitely a life changing experience.
Definitely go; it’s an opportunity to not only expand your grasp of the classics subject with actual hands on exploration, but also to socialise and connect with classmates and teachers alike.
The food is amazing, bring sunglasses and take loads of pictures cause they’re worth it.
Go and have fun exploring the sites you will visit, and overall it was the best experience you get to take part in 🙂
Also there’s an aloe vera drink that’s really nice should definitely try that.
Absolutely recommend, was a great experience.
Do the trip it is an exciting experience and you can learn a lot from this seeing all the sites you learn about. Also you get to explore Rome – it’s a good experience for anyone in classics and you get to bond creating friendships.
Do it. You only live once, it’s a good experience, and a nice trip.
That it was amazing and really useful for the topic and I would wholeheartedly recommend it and would go again in the future.
It is a great experience that I would recommend to everyone who studies Classics.
It’s definitely worth going simply because Rome is a beautiful city.
Students who take classics should definitely go on the trip! Seeing pictures is way different from seeing the things we talk about in real life.
It can be stressful but the good/funny and or memorable moments make up for it
Prepare for intense days and a lot of working. It’s worth it tho!
Pupils and staff at Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College are celebrating after receiving a prestigious Artsmark Award on 11th January 2024.
Artsmark is the only creative quality standard for schools accredited by Arts Council England. It supports them to develop and celebrate arts and cultural education across the whole curriculum, bringing learning to life for children and young people.
In order to achieve their Artsmark Award, Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College had to demonstrate the positive and extensive impact of their arts and culture provision across the whole college, the students and the staff.
This was achieved over two years through many different arts and cultural initiatives, including the expansion of our enrichment programme. All students take part in an enrichment of their choice, from Creative writing or College Newspaper to the twice yearly Musical Production amongst many others.
Staff and students collaborated with Tees Valley Museums, including Kirkleatham Museum and Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA), where students undertook work experience, with some of our Gold Arts Award students gaining employment opportunities through these ventures.
Students and staff visited local Primary schools with the arts enrichment students who then lead arts activities with the children there.
Arts and cultural events are celebrated on a regular basis at the college with many activities timetabled across the year to appeal to a wide range of interests. Examples include arts activities for black history month, a Ukrainian folk music performance and a talk about the war as well as national photography competitions.
The Arts Council’s Artsmark reviewers had this to say:
“We are delighted to inform you that your setting has been awarded an Artsmark Gold Award. Congratulations! Your Statement of Commitment and Statement of Impact have been assessed and we’re pleased to share this feedback from our assessors with you:
‘We were impressed by your commitment to the transformative power of the arts, which is having a measurable effect to teaching and learning across the school and beginning to impact other professionals within local primary schools. Creativity and arts are clearly referenced within the school planning documents. SLT, Governor support, and specialist teachers drive an established range of provision, underpinned by a credible qualification offer, including delivery of Gold Arts Award for some students with local arts organisations. It’s brilliant that Arts Award has led to positive progression into employment for two students. It’s also great to hear about students leading arts projects and extra-curricular activity…Your use of arts for mental health and wellbeing, and how you have started to embed cross-curricular work with Maths and History across a large, complex setting is to be commended”.
Celebrations are underway as Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College students achieve their best year ever for Oxbridge offers.
Students from across Teesside have received a massive 12 offers to study at Oxford and Cambridge this coming September.
For the past decade the number of offers made to Prior Pursglove students has been steadily increasing, with this year being the most successful to date and has been topped up by a tremendous success at Stockton Sixth Form. This is not only due to the students’ hard work and determination but also by the support and encouragement of staff in assisting them in the rigorous application process.
Vice Principal, Olivia Wytcherley, said “Helping students to prepare for and make a successful application to Oxford and Cambridge requires commitment and hard work from both our students and staff. During the college application and enrolment process we will discuss the possibility of making an Oxbridge application and will provide initial guidance to students of activities they may like to undertake to prepare for this.
Once at the college, students will attend sessions with our careers team and advisers from both universities to gain further insight into the application process and what makes a strong applicant. We encourage our students to take part in academic competitions, visits of interest, summer schools and subject specific masterclasses to broaden their understanding of their chosen subject beyond the curriculum, with many students also seeking out their own additional opportunities to do this. During the application process, students benefit from help with personal statements and admissions tests as well as a practice academic tutorial/supervision if they wish; our teachers are very generous with their time in helping students prepare.
Although it is a tricky logistical proposition to manage multiple online interviews during the 2/3 week period, it is lovely to hear about how the interviews went and how much they enjoyed taking part even though they may be challenging at times. The hardest part, for us at college, is the wait to find out the decisions at the beginning of January”.
The students, formerly of Laurence Jackson School, Outwood Academy Bydales, Freebrough Academy, Outwood Academy Acklam, Acklam Grange School, Teesside High School, Huntcliff School, Our Lady and St Bede, Sacred Heart Catholic Secondary School and Nunthorpe Academy are studying courses including Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Experimental Psychology, Law, Chemistry, History, Natural Sciences, Classics, Mathematics and Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology.
Jack, who is going on to study Law, said “Receiving an offer from Oxford is a significant achievement and a goal I’ve aspired to achieve since secondary school. Although this achievement wasn’t easy, it was most certainly worth the effort, and I am very excited to study there after the summer. My tutor made sure that I had all of the support I needed, helping massively in every stage of the application process, to ensure that I had the best chance of success.”
Another student, Jake, who is going to be studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics said “It’s quite surreal and surprising to be honest – it’s a fantastic opportunity for anyone, but personally I’m proper chuffed that there is starting to be more opportunities like this for people from the North East”
Principal, Asma Shaffi said, “We are celebrating a historic moment at Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College. By far this is the best outcome that our staff and students have yielded by securing twelve places at Oxbridge. The students’ tenaciousness and in-depth subject knowledge provided a strong foundation to get through a complex selection process.
We have quite a strong legacy in sending students to the most prestigious universities to read sciences, maths, engineering, classics, languages, law and social sciences. Our students are the most effective representatives and role models to influence the way the North East and Teesside is viewed by the whole country and their input in shaping its direction. Our staff quietly work away in the background in raising and sustaining high expectations across all sections of the community. I am indebted to the parents and local schools for sowing the seeds of high aspirations and hope from a very early age.”
Huge congratulations to all our students on this amazing achievement and if you would like to find out how you can be one of Prior’s successful students please see our website
You may remember that during the summer one of our Career Ready students, Libby Gordon, spent her internship with the Aircon Group and in particular with Erica Johnson-Trumper and Ross Cousin in the Sales and Marketing Department.
Libby, who studies Fine Art, Economics and Maths at college built up many skills during her placement, exploring the business in detail, learning about their marketing plan, looking at databases, excel and Chat GPT as well as building up some basic engineering knowledge amongst other things. Aware that Libby was studying Art, Erica asked Libby if she would like to design the company Christmas card and I’m sure you will agree with us that she has understood and represented the company and branding perfectly!
Libby says “As a part of the Career Ready Programme, I was offered an internship at Aircon Group to work alongside my mentor Erica.
I completed many day-to-day tasks within the office and learned how to use different types of software as well as attending a networking event with one of my colleagues where I worked on skills such as my confidence and communication.
Overall, I had a really great experience at the Aircon Group. Everyone was welcoming and supported me with any questions I had and all the tasks I needed to complete. This allowed me to become more confident in choosing my next steps for further education.”
Erica said: “Libby did her internship alongside another student from Middlesbrough College, we encouraged team working skills and to evaluate their work, not to just accept that it’s right first time. We asked Libby to design our Company Christmas Card, she set about creating three designs, all excellent quality so we put them to the vote and asked all the staff for their favourite, we then sent the design to our graphic designer so that it could be created into a card as you see in the picture. As a thank you for supporting us during the summer we run workshops on CV writing, LinkedIn and presentation skills, life skills we hope the students can use in the future. Libby is an absolute credit to Prior Pursglove.”
Well done Libby, what an amazing achievement and a fabulous addition to your CV.
Following on from the success of this placement, Erica didn’t hesitate when she saw a request on LinkedIn for another Prior Pursglove College student, Ruby Lambton, looking for work experience.
Ruby had asked her family and friends if they knew of anywhere that might offer work experience as she was undecided between two different vocations and thought some experience might help her decide where her true interests lie.
After seeing the shout-out posted by Ruby’s mum, Erica contacted Ruby and arranged a Teams chat to see if she might be able to support.
The call was very successful, and they agreed that Ruby could start shortly after.
Ruby says “Erica arranged a Teams meeting to discuss my interests and address any questions I had, as well as confirming my placement.
When I started, I was warmly welcomed by Ross, Erica’s colleague, and introduced to the entire team.
Most of my time was spent in Erica and Ross’ office, where I played a vital role in launching DocuSign, due to my interest in Law and contract law, as Erica had suggested.
My time there was always engaging, contributing significantly to my continuous learning and development. I not only learned how to use DocuSign but also gained insights into contract structures and their practical applications.
Erica effectively utilised my skills, ranging from English Literature for blogs and newsletters to facilitating collaboration within the team for contract ideas.
Throughout my experience I felt valued, respected, and truly integrated into the team. This opportunity has ultimately provided me with an understanding of workplace dynamics and responsibilities.”
Ruby’s placement lasted for three months, and she not only helped to get DocuSign up and running in the business but was also instrumental in helping Erica to train all the staff who were given a DocuSign account.
Erica described Ruby as a “little star” and said: “It is rare that we get young people with so much drive and determination to succeed, it was obvious from the outset that Ruby needed a real challenge so we gave her the DocuSign project. As a system it takes some setting up and Ruby was instrumental in this, creating accounts, formatting documents and dealing with the high demands of managers as they have high expectations of how they want their documents to look, and probably not the easiest to train as we are all stuck in our ways, but Ruby stayed calm, polite and supportive, resolving issues that arose along the way. Ruby is also a credit to Prior Pursglove going above and beyond as she came in to do additional hours during the half term holiday”.
Well done Ruby, this is a brilliant example of utilising your network, as well as gaining many other practical employability skills.
Thank you so much to Erica, Ross and the rest of the team at the Aircon Group for your generosity in the help and support afforded to our students, we are very grateful and look forward to working with you again in the future.
Students from Prior Pursglove College are celebrating fantastic results after taking part in the UKMT Senior Mathematical Challenge.
The UK Maths Trust is the leading charity that advances the education of young people in maths and has been inspiring a love of problem solving through maths challenges for over 20 years. Each year they coordinate national and international maths challenges for young people with over 700,000 taking part.
The Senior Mathematical Challenge is a 90-minute, 25 multiple choice question challenge aimed at students year 13 and below. The problems set are designed to make students think whilst being stimulating for both beginners and experienced problem-solvers.
The top-scoring 66% of participants receive Bronze, Silver and Gold certificates in the ratio 3:2:1.
This year Prior Pursglove College students achieved 10 GOLD awards, 14 SILVER awards and 22 BRONZE awards.
The 10 Students obtaining Gold have now qualified for The Andrew Jobbings Senior Kangaroo, which is a follow-on Round to the Senior Maths Challenge and is a 60 minute, 20 multiple choice challenge.
Well done to everyone who took part and good luck to those taking part in round 2!
Here at Prior Pursglove College we are thrilled to announce that one of our students, Hamza Arshad, has been announced as the winner of the ‘Young Achiever in the Community’ award at the Tees Valley BME Awards.
This award recognises a BME young person who has made extraordinary or significant achievements in their chosen field (Sports, Education, Arts etc) and demonstrated leadership or excellence.
The Tees Valley BME Achievement Awards not only raises awareness of BME communities in the Tees Valley, but also creates a platform to inspire and promote community cohesion.
This event brings together and honours a diverse range of individuals and groups, drawing attention to their outstanding achievements and successes, from those organisations working at the grass roots to well established members of the community, newly emerging stars and of course our dynamic young community members. It recognises the wealth of achievement, talent and contribution that BME individuals and groups are making in the community and captures the multicultural spirit of the Tees Valley.
Hamza was nominated for this award by his college Faculty Manager, Paul Grainger, for the outstanding contribution that he makes to both college and the local community:
“Hamza undertakes numerous volunteering work both inside and outside of college. He volunteers at James Cook Hospital in the Cardiology department helping patients with a whole host of conditions. Hamza has assisted in practical tasks such as observations, ECGs and assisting those who needed it as well as providing comfort for patients who are at end of life.
Hamza is the Student Union President, which involves representing students interests and dealing with key stakeholders to create an ever-improving college environment. He also takes a leadership role in his community by delivering and leading the Friday prayers for the Muslim community during college, which involves giving the Khutbah (Islamic sermon) and preparing spaces to pray for upwards of 30 people.
Hamza also volunteers in his local charity shop which has enabled him to communicate with people from all ages and backgrounds.
He has also been involved with the local charity ‘Halo’ to help them better support the local community.
He is a valued member of both the college and wider Tees Valley community and it is a pleasure to recommend him for this award.”
Another of our students, Blessing Mgbemere, was nominated for the same award.
Deputy Faculty Manager, Paul Sudlow says of Blessing:
“Blessing has a passion for helping the elderly or those with disabilities in her local community. She gives up her spare time to go to their homes to provide help and company when they may not have family locally. Blessing has shown commitment and selflessness in order to ensure the lives of those in need in the community are improved by holding conversations, shopping, cleaning and listening to the people she cares for. She is supportive and sympathetic, dedicated and trusted. Blessing goes the extra mile to ensure those people don’t feel lonely or go without. She does this alongside studying full time for her A Levels and sees caring for others as where her future career lies.
We can only admire Blessing’s dedication to make a difference.”
Prior Pursglove College is immensely proud of both of our students for their dedication and commitment, not only to their studies, but for the kindness and caring demonstrated within their wider communities.
Last week we held a Remembrance Service in College organised and hosted by our very own John Hart, formerly a member of the Green Howards and currently a Royal Marine Cadet instructor at the Guisborough Cadet Centre, joined by an army cadet from C Company Loftus detachment.
Our Principal, Asma Shaffi, opened the service with her own words of remembrance before passing over to John who talked to the gathering about the Korean War, the loss of life and the terrible conditions.
Three of our students then took centre stage with reading of their own choice.
Hamza Arshad read exerts from the diaries of two separate soldiers from the war. The first reading was written by a soldier from the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, the second was written by a soldier from the 2nd Battalion The Green Howards, who were first on the beach on the D-Day landings.
And here are the pieces he read: An area around a ridge overlooking the Imjin River known as ‘the Hook’ had been a focus for control and two battles had repulsed Chinese forces. In May 1953 it was successfully defended again, this time by The Duke of Wellington’s Regiment (West Riding).
Charlie Daynes, Duke of Wellington’s Regiment:
“On the night of 28th May 1953, I was selected to go out on patrol in no man’s land on a feature called Green Finger — one of the spurs leading from the Hook. We were in readiness to go out when Hell let loose and the third battle of the Hook had begun… Unfortunately, our patrol commander was killed instantly, so we took shelter in the nearest bunker.”
“Looking through the bunker aperture all we could see were soldiers clad in khaki suits and cloth caps firing burp guns. At this point another of our Corporals was killed when a grenade exploded in his face. This soldier is still missing presumed dead. What seemed like hours later, we were taken prisoner by Chinese soldiers. We were taken down in a trench covered in dead bodies, many of which were Chinese, to a tunnel leading down the side of the Hook. Once again, we were stepping over bodies and taken to another tunnel and this is when we were interrogated, and all personal possessions were taken from us. We were then marched to a small village where we stayed for a few days before moving on again…”
Ken Keld’s War
Ken Keld, 2nd Battalion Green Howards recalls digging new fighting pits, bunkers, and trenches.
“Sleep and ‘my time’ was minimal. Through time it got to a point where you could drop off to sleep standing up!… Unfortunately, bed was where we faced our second enemy — the rats. Like humans, rats feel the cold and seek warmth, especially where food is to be had… One particular time, I had two bars of chocolate and was eating one in the dark and the other bar had disappeared. I found rat nibbling it at the bottom of my so-called bed. When I threw my mess tin at the offender, it disappeared so I threw the bar of chocolate away. One of the lads, Ron Smailes, found it and simply broke off the nibbled bit and ate the rest. Fortunately, he lived to tell the tale!”
Lola Steinhauser Somers read a beautiful piece called ‘We Remember’ by Laura Mucha, a poem commissioned for Remembrance Day by the Royal British Legion which you can read here:
Then Emma Tennant followed up with a poignant poem that she had written herself.
The service, attended by more than 200 students and staff, culminated by collectively observing the Act of Remembrance from the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance in the Albert Hall.
Thank you to everyone who took part in this very moving and wonderful service.
Prior Pursglove Vice Principal, Mike Mackin, has recently stumbled across a rare find that has left the college somewhat puzzled!
In 2017 Prior Pursglove College (formerly Guisborough Grammar School) merged with Stockton Sixth Form College (formerly Grangefield Grammar School). Many times, in the years before this, Grammar Schools and Colleges faced each other as rivals on the sports field and whilst moving to a new office at the Stockton site, a dusty and tarnished football trophy was found sitting on the very top of a tall bookshelf.
Now, being a keen Boro fan, any cup is a rare sight for the VP, so he took it down to study the engraving. To his surprise, the Cup proudly declared it belonged to Guisborough Grammar. The School V Old Boys Challenge Cup is dedicated to the memory Mr I Thomas, who was a School Master between September 1921 and December 1958.
An image of Mr Thomas (below) was then found in the college archives and now the college’s History Enrichment Group have been tasked with investigating more about the teaching career of Mr Thomas.
We are keen to find out more about the Cup and Mr Thomas and would love to hear from members of the public and former staff to help us solve the mystery of how it ended up at Stockton.
If you have any memories, please get in touch via ppc.enquiries@pursglove.ac.uk.
Over the summer our Career Ready students have been building their skills on their work placements via our Career Ready programme.
Career Ready is a national social mobility charity working with a network of educators and employers who all believe that every young person deserves the opportunity to kickstart a rewarding future. This years programme launched in December with a visit to CITI bank in London. Since then, we have had a series of masterclasses delivered by our team of employer volunteers, then over the summer the students went on their separate internship placements.
The feedback has been absolutely amazing! The students have completely embraced these opportunities and have grown in knowledge and confidence, returning to college with a new vigour for their studies.
Here are just a few snippets of their experiences:
MY INTERNSHIP WITH RCVDA, by Korben Simpson
My name is Korben Simpson. I am currently a college student at Prior Pursglove College. As part of my Career Ready Program I have completed a two week internship at RCVDA.
Throughout my time at RCVDA I have gained a wide range of skills and knowledge, benefitting me not only in future employment, but life itself. For instance on my first day I spent the morning learning what a hire agreement looks like, how to file one and the numerous uses of a printer. These may seem simple tasks but with no previous acknowledgment of hire agreements it was refreshing to learn something new. I then was thrown head first into compliance, which for some would be a nightmare, but for me was, although steep, a fascinating learning curve; it was here I became aware of the difference between an invoice and a bank statement and how to prepare such things for the accountants.
Alongside the practical skills, compliance also emphasised the importance of resilience and perseverance. This showed me that no matter how much I want to rush through something to get it done, by doing so I am guaranteed to miss something or make an error that with a little more patience I would have never encountered. Compliance also helped me improve my analysis skills, as I had to process large amounts of information and pick out key parts very quickly and accurately in order to be as efficient as possible in my work.
My next tasks revolved around DBS checks. Firstly, due to my little amount of experience with DBS, I simply did research on what it was. This included why we need it, how to keep it up to date, and where people can get one. Following this, my task was to access old DBS checks and organise them onto Google Sheets. Once again another learning experience as I have never used Sheets before. Luckily everyone was more than happy to help, so after a quick crash course, I was well on my way.
Afterwards was the Career’s Ready Presentation, my most nerve-racking project of the internship. Within the presentation I had to talk about what I was hoping to learn from my experience with RCVDA, what I had learned from RCVDA, and the projects that I had completed within my time with them, I had five minutes to do so. I will admit I did go over my timing, but to summarise all I had learned in the time would of been impossible. By doing this I further increased my confidence in communication, and my ability to present a presentation as a whole
Overall my time with RCVDA was an enlightening experience of how little I really know about the real world, due to being in full time education my entire life, I have never needed to know the things that I have learned on my internship. However I am exceptionally grateful to both RCVDA and Career Ready for giving me the opportunity to come and experience the world of work. My two weeks here have been much more rewarding than I could of imagined not only expanding my knowledge on the areas I do know, but also opening my eyes on the areas I don’t know and giving me the foundations I require to go on and build a wealth of knowledge in those areas, helping me prepare for the world outside of education.
I would like to end by saying a great big thank you to everyone at RCVDA for giving me this experience, and rekindling my love for our area. You were such a warm and welcoming group of people, and an absolute pleasure to work with.
Thank you to RCVDA for allowing us to share RCVDA website
The voluntary sector employs a workforce of just under a million people across the UK so having the support of Bupa Foundation UK to enable charities to take on Career Ready students from Prior Pursglove College and Stockton Sixth Form is vital for raising the profile of the sector. It encourages our students to find out more about the great work happening in the local area and helps build their skills for career success.
One of those charities is The Hope Foundation Middlesbrough doing great work across Tees Valley and giving the students an experience they’ll never forget. All have built valuable team working skills, learnt to adapt to their environment, networked at events and also grown in confidence after their placements. Thank you Sue Kearney and to our mentors Philip Campbell Matson and Carole Bond MCIPD.
Lily & Ali spent their internship with Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council. Supervisor Mike Oyston said “both students have been a pleasure to have with us in the office. They have been punctual, willing to learn, polite, intelligent and confident. They have embraced every task set for them and have undertaken it well, akin to what we might expect from an actual employee”
HSBC mentor Suzanne was able to witness first hand the power of an internship and said “Amazing to attend Lily’s presentation today, an increase in confidence & a wealth of skills learnt in such a short time – very proud mentor!”.
Rughiya spent her internship in the Finance Department at Steel Benders UK Ltd. She said “the internship has made my aspirations to work after college even higher, whether it’s through a degree apprenticeship or directly into work. I enjoyed the professional hands on environment while learning every day and the valuable guidance given from my employer.”
Huge thanks to Tania Cooper MBE and the team at SBUK
Libby Spent her intership with Aircon Group building up skills including marketing, engineering knowledge, use of databases, excel, chat gpt and much more. Not only has she grown in confidence but the work will continue to benefit the business which is a real legacy. Well done and thank you Erica Johnson-Trumper and Ross Cousin for the opportunity and support.
A huge thank you to all our employers for supporting Prior Pursglove College and Stockton Sixth Form College with their internships. We really value your support, along with that of all our volunteers, you help make this programme a truly remarkable experience.
Meet ex-student Emily Wade who studied with us at Prior Pursglove College from 2017-2019. She has just finished her Masters of Chiropractic, graduating with a First Class Honours at the University of South Wales and here she shares her journey with us.
Emily was inspired to study Chiropractic after visiting a local chiropractic clinic in Stockton for chronic neck pain that she had suffered with for some time. She says that after a few sessions of treatment she felt the best that she had in the previous 5 years and so asked if she could do some work shadowing.
As well as this Emily started doing some research into Universities that offered Chiropractic courses and found at that time that there were only three offering this choice in the UK.
The one which stood out to her was at the University of South Wales, also known as Welsh Institute of Chiropractic (WIOC). The course, Master of Chiropractic, entailed learning about in-depth anatomy, neuroanatomy, pathophysiology and various different conditions which can affect the human body, as well as the more social and professional side to the career.
In the 4th year of her degree, Emily completed a placement year at the onsite student clinic where she was one of the primary clinicians responsible for treating patients, most of whom were members of the public.
Emily describes her overall experience at university as ‘great and eye-opening into the world of private healthcare and how big an impact we can have on our local communities’.
Her plans for the future involve working full-time at the same clinic where she started out shadowing, Stockton Chiropractic Clinic, and says they are ‘an amazing team’.
She is also going to be involved with the Chiropractic student placements at Teesside University and hopes to become a member of their teaching staff in the future. On top of this, Emily also wants to promote Chiropractic as a career to college students.
Emily’s advice for any prospective students, regardless of career, would be to ‘do your research and make sure the course you’re thinking of is something you would enjoy studying. Without enjoyment it’s extremely difficult to motivate yourself to do the work and having the end goal of knowing you’re going into something you love makes the hard work so much more worthwhile’. She also adds ‘make sure you take the time to enjoy your time in education because it truly is an amazing experience where you get to meet people who will be in your life for a long time’.
Wise words Emily! We are super proud of you and your achievements and thank you for sharing your journey with us.
What a brilliant day we’ve just had at our annual Freshers Fayre!
Lots of local organisations came along to support our students and give them valuable information about their services.
Of course, we also had lots of freebies, sweets and crisps which were all very well received!
Many thanks to Arch Teesside, DWP, Cleveland Fire Brigade, The Road Safety Partnership Team, Impact on Teesside, Little Miss Belle’s Boutique, National Citizen Service, Cleveland Police, North East Regional Organised Crime Unit, Speakers for Schools, Teesside Hospice, HALO, Everyone Active and Youth Focus North East for supporting this event, we would love to see you all again next year!
Prior Pursglove College is absolutely delighted to share with you some of their highlights from this year’s results day celebrations.
Amongst the successes we have a total of nine students who have confirmed offers for Oxbridge, five for Oxford and four for Cambridge.
Principal, Asma Shaffi, said “We are absolutely amazed at how brilliant and hardworking our students are. Our students have been able to secure highly competitive destinations in both higher education and with employers alike.
The highlight for us is to have confirmation for nine (9) Oxbridge students, they have certainly put our college on the national map, and those who secured their grades to go the university and the higher apprenticeship of their choice. We are immensely proud of them”
The students holding offers for Oxford will be studying subjects including Engineering (3), Mathematics, French with beginner’s Russian.
Adam Tilling, ex Laurence Jackson student, secured 5A*s and will be studying Mathematics at St Anne’s College Oxford.
Twins Lauren, and Grace Hinton, ex Sacred Heart students, both with 4A*s,will be studying Engineering at Oxford. We also have a further student, formerly from Stokesley School, who secured 4A*s and will be studying Engineering at Oxford.
Francis Nozedar, ex Sacred Heart student, secured 2A* A and has been offered a place at Wadham College, Oxford to study French and Beginners Russian.
In addition, we have three students holding offers for Natural Sciences at Cambridge alongside one of our students from last year who received an unconditional offer for English Literature.
Our Natural Sciences students are:
Bradley Sills, 4A*, Arthur Leaper, 3A* A, and Alexander Evans 4A*s, all former Outwood Bydales students. Alex becameeligible for the summer pool and was offered his place on results day! Brilliant news for Alex, we are delighted for him!
Thomas Ewan Cornwall, previously of Stokesley School had taken aGAP year andwill now be studying English Literature at Cambridge .
Prior Pursglove College also has 6 students who have been offered places to study medicine, amongst them, Ethan Clifford, who achieved 3 As and will be going to Manchester.
Ethan says “I wanted to study medicine for as long as I can remember, and getting the A level grades was the easiest part. I did 9 months of volunteering, did the entrance exam and got a score in the top 2% of all applicants and then got interviews.”
However, Ethan’s was not an easy journey as after 4 interviews he was not offered a place and admits the rejections knocked his confidence.
He goes on to say “I was pretty set on taking a gap year, however literally on my train home from the first time I solo travelled (Croatia in July), Manchester University rang and said they had a single vacancy on their course, and of the 2000 other potential applicants they offered it to me. I managed to fulfil all academic and non academic criteria so my offer came through formally today (results day), and I’m now going there!!”
This is super news for Ethan and confirms that hard work, determination and resilience really do pay off.
Another of our students, Ella Winspear, achieved 2A* A and is going to Teesside University to study Biomedical Science.
She says “I initially wanted to do Medicine but wasn’t getting the grades needed in my first year at college so I decided to apply for biomedical science instead as it was also to do with disease/treatment etc. The content looked very interesting and heavily biology based which was my favourite subject in college. My advice would be don’t give up hope in first year as I managed to pull through and get the results I would have needed for medicine, it’s bittersweet but I’m happy going down the biomedical science path. And there is still opportunity for me to enter medicine if I don’t feel fulfilled with Biomed. It’s not the be all and end all! But I’m happy and looking forward to studying Biomed at Uni nevertheless.“
Daniel Bury and Molly Hewitson, both former ex Stokesley School students have secured Solicitor degree-apprenticeships with Watson Woodhouse Solicitors. This is a fantastic achievement for them both.
Lauren Kirwan, another of our success stories, is off to study Law at Sunderland University and then hopes to do a teaching qualification.
Lauren says “I knew from Y11 that I wanted to do Law but I didn’t know until a year or so ago that I actually wanted to teach Law – specifically at Prior!
The support that I’ve received from college as a student has honestly been unbelievable and massively appreciated. I absolutely cannot wait to hopefully return as a member of teaching staff and provide students with the same support I received as a student. My teachers are huge inspirations for me and I would not be here if it wasn’t for them. The advice I would give to future students is to honestly follow your heart. Use your passions and people/places that ground you to help direct you on what path to take. Use the supportive people you have around to help, it is not a sign of weakness!
Vice Principal, Olivia Wytcherley, says “We are very proud of Lauren, not only for her academic achievements allowing her to gain a place at university, but also of the progress she has made on a personal level. She has shown resilience and determination to overcome the challenges she has faced to achieve her goals and we look forward to seeing her embrace a bright future.”
Hugh congratulations to all our students on your amazing achievements. We are very proud of all of you and wish you the very best of luck in whatever your future endeavours may be.
Prior Pursglove College is celebrating results day as students collect the grades they need to progress successfully onto the next stage of their lives.
The majority of subjects achieved 100% pass rate with almost 250 students achieving A and A*.
Students undertaking sciences and maths have performed exceptionally well this year, securing destinations in highly prestigious Russell Group universities to study medicine, engineering, mathematics and similarly competitive subjects.
Principal, Asma Shaffi, said:
“We are absolutely amazed at how brilliant and hardworking our students are. We all have heard over the past few days that the results this summer were to be more comparable to 2019 – against all these odds our students have been able to secure highly competitive destinations in higher education and with employers.
The highlight for us is to have confirmation for eight (8) Oxbridge students who are residents of Redcar and Cleveland, they have certainly put our borough on the national map, and those who secured their grades to go the university and higher apprenticeship of their choice. We are immensely proud of them”
Student, Lucy McAuslan, talks to us about her experience of being a Police Cadet.
Lucy initially joined the cadets as she says she wanted to “raise awareness of our local community and how great it is!” and also says she “wanted to do something different and go out of my comfort zone”.
Although Lucy was initially nervous, she now says it was one of the best thing she has ever done, “Cadets increased my confidence and gave me transferable skills for life”.
Students are celebrating after being offered fantastic apprenticeship opportunities by leading businesses
Students at Prior Pursglove College in Guisborough are celebrating after being offered fantastic apprenticeship opportunities by leading businesses.
The students have recently taken their A-level exams and are now relaxing in the knowledge that they are already on the ladder to an extraordinary future.
We caught up with them to bag some top tips for securing that dream apprenticeship.
Our top tips
Robbie Boocock, ex-Eskdale School student, has secured a position as a Trainee Accountant with M. Wasley Chapman & Co
Robbie said: “I’d advise you to go with the flow and work hard in lessons.
“I found the apprenticeship through my accounting teacher and only applied for this one as it is close to where I live.
“It took me a day to write up and send my CV before I was interviewed for it.
“I would advise other students to be patient as there are lots of opportunities – even now we are still receiving emails through college about possible opportunities.”
Daniel Bury and Molly Hewitson, both ex-Stokesley School students, have secured Solicitor degree apprenticeships with Watson Woodhouse Solicitors
Daniel said: “I’d advise getting relevant work experience with the environment you wish to gain a degree apprenticeship.
“This is essential to have a strong interview and stand out from the other candidates.
“Research the firm you wish to join. Your future career path and knowledge about the company will be questioned, so be ready.
“Appear smart and put the effort into your appearance – this shows your commitment to joining and will help you stand out.”
Molly said: “Gain some work experience in the field you are wanting to go into – ideally at the firm you are applying to.
“Research the company so you can show an interest in them and the work that they do.
“Show how passionate you are about that profession and what qualities you have that would make you the best candidate for that role.”
Ashton Dick, ex-Huntcliff School student, has gained a Mechanical Engineer apprenticeship with Primetals Technologies Ltd
Ashton said: “Try to be proactive and gain some work experience as it helps with the interview and gives you something to talk about. However, it isn’t the end of the world if you are unable to get some.
“Practise speaking into a computer with no one on the other side of the screen as it can be quite a shock if you haven’t done it before.
“Research the company and the role and check out their social media pages as they can have lots of information.
“If you are unsuccessful in one, don’t let it put you off another and try to get feedback on how you can improve.
“Make sure you have a Plan B, for example, going to university. Apply early and try not to leave it too late as you will have exams to prepare for.”
Sophie Gray, ex-Outwood Academy Bydales student, has secured a position with Atkins Ltd on a Civil Engineering degree apprenticeship
Sophie said: “Do your research on the job and the company beforehand, so you are well prepared.
“Gain some work experience in the field you’re applying for, but don’t worry too much if you are struggling to do so.
“There’s a lot of virtual work experience which you could complete instead which is easily accessible.
“Make sure your CV is up to date and stands out from the rest before you start applying for any apprenticeships.
“When preparing for an interview, practise and plan what you are going to say to the questions which they may possibly ask in the interview.
“Ask a lot of questions during your interview and come across as really keen.
“You may not hear back from the apprenticeship you have applied to for a while. Don’t panic. These things usually do take time.
Evie Martin, ex-Trinity Catholic College student, has secured a Business Admin apprenticeship with Veolia
Evie said: “When applying for an apprenticeship you want to produce a CV that stands out and to keep researching until you find a company that is right for you.
“Sustainable development and the future of the planet are important to me so I wanted to work within a company that supported my values and beliefs.”
Owen Waistle, ex-Unity City Academy student, has secured his dream position as a Nuclear Mechanical Engineering apprentice
Owen said: “Experience and enrichment are essential, start as soon as possible.
“Having clubs and experience to talk about made it much easier for me to convey my strengths and weaknesses.
“Challenge yourself. This could be anything from a difficult assignment to public speaking, getting out of your comfort zone allows you to show how you’ve grown and will continue to.
“Plan for the future. You don’t have to plan every part of your life, but having career or academic milestones in the future helped me explain the reasons why I wanted my apprenticeship and how it would help me progress my career.”
It’s not too late to apply
If you would like to become one of Prior’s successful students, don’t forget it’s not too late to apply for September 2023.
And if you’re a year 10 student thinking about coming to college next year, why not visit one of the college’s Open Events:
Wednesday, 18th October 2023, 5pm-8pm
Saturday, 9th December 2023, 10am – noon
Thursday, 8th February 2024, 5pm – 7.30pm
Tuesday, 26th March 2024, 5pm – 7pm
Find out more?
Discover more about Prior Pursglove College and the courses it offers at pursglove.ac.uk
ADVERTISING FEATURE FROM Tees Valley Collaborative Trust
By Paul Atkins, Commercial Content Writer, 14:53, 21 JUL 2023
Today, our Chemistry teachers Manju and James held a ‘party’ for their A2 Chemists, not only to celebrate the end of the course but also to celebrate the fantastic achievements of all their students.
As well as making ice-cream with liquid nitrogen, awards were presented for achievements in The Cambridge Chemistry Challenge, The Royal Society of Chemistry Schools Analyst Competition, and the Chemistry Olympiad Award. Well done everyone!
SOME of Redcar and Cleveland’s most picturesque scenes have been captured by A Level photography students from Prior Pursglove College, Guisborough, in a competition to showcase what the borough has to offer.
Students from the first year A Level photography course took part in the competition recently with the final judging being made by multi-award winning photographer Stuart Boulton stuartboultonphotography.com/
First prize was awarded to Ella Ward for her picture of fishing boats stranded at low tide at Paddy’s Hole, South Gare, Redcar. The judges commented that it was a well-executed photograph with excellent composition and great use of the late afternoon light.
Ella, 17, from Guisborough, said she liked photography because it allows her to see the world from a different perspective. She said: “I was really shocked to hear that I was the winner of the competition.
“Paddy’s Hole is a place I have passed many times while walking my dog and I love to take pictures down there. This is why I chose the location for the competition.”
Second place went to Emily Farrell from Redcar for her black and white image of Saltburn viaduct. The judges commented on how well composed it was and how she used black and white to dramatic effect.
Third place went to Zack Rowland, from Redcar, for being in the right place at the right time when he snapped a seal pup having a rest on the steps on Redcar seafront.
The top three entrants win a three-hour masterclass with Stuart, which will provide them with the perfect opportunity to develop their photography skills further and capture what the area has to offer.
More than 90 images were received during the competition.
Prior Pursglove photo competition winners. Photograph: Stuart Boulton.
Thank you to thisisRedcar&Cleveland | thecouncilmagazineforthelocalcommunity – Issue 52 | Summer 2023 for letting us share this story
Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College students had a visit to FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies (FDB) at Billingham, as the first step of a new STEM Enrichment programme.
The students from both colleges who are currently studying Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Computer Science based subjects, are part of a new initiative that aims to educate our young people on future technologies and the employability skills which are required to secure their future careers.
Working with Professor Raymond Oliver, a college Governor, and the team at FDB, we were treated to a full day visit with talks, tours and a fun activity.
The students learned about the values of FDB and how these values are embedded into their day-to-day workings. FDB representatives spoke about their processes from initial conception with their customers to patents, quality checks, audit trails and ultimately manufacturing the products.
The students heard about microbial development, cell cultures and cell line development and got to explore several labs and observe the technology in use. This was not only fascinating, but helped the students appreciate the importance of the work that is undertaken locally on this expanding site and the wealth of opportunities that will be available to them in the future.
FUIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies recently invested £400m into expanding its Billingham site and currently employs more than 1000 staff. This expansion is expected to create another 350 highly-skilled jobs once complete and judging by the reactions of our students yesterday, we look forward to seeing how many of them have been inspired to join them.
Many thanks to the team at FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies for hosting a brilliant day.
Ex Prior Pursglove College student, Cara A’Court, has had her first book published.
Three People, Three Countries, One Path is a spiritual fiction/visionary literature book and was initially written out of curiosity, but has now been picked up by Atmosphere Press and is due to be published on 8th June.
Cara, who studied at Prior Pursglove College from 2009-2011, struggled with health issues all through her education but says that her teachers inspired her not to give in. Cara’s English teacher made her ‘fall in love with English literature’, and gave her ‘a lot of support when things got tough’. Of another teacher Cara says ‘she was so supportive of me and always helped find a solution to any obstacle I was facing’….and also …’helped me several years later in leaving university the first time.’
After college Cara went on to Anglia Ruskin University to study Zoology and in the summer of first year went to Ecuador as a volunteer through VESA. It was at this point she realised that what she was doing in her life at the time wasn’t necessarily the right thing for her so made the decision to take some time out.
While volunteering at a spiritual shop she learnt Angelic Reiki which opened her up to a new venture and inspired her to start her own business, Earth Soul.
However, Cara realised something was still missing and in 2019 decided to return to education through The Open University to study her true passion of English Literature.
She has now realised her childhood dream of becoming an author and her book Three People, Three Countries, One Path is due to be published on 8th June.
Well done Cara, we’re all very proud of your achievement.
Do you think your path is decided for you?
Pinia thinks his monk life is it. Until a devastating event brings Loysin and Lakishma into his life. Travelling through India, Tibet, and China, the three become a family. Destined to face a terrible test to balance karma that is not their own, can they remain as one?
In Three People, Three Countries, One Path by Cara A’court, we experience a journey of mind, body, and soul for all involved, reminding us that the choices we make define who we are, not our fate.
Three People, Three Countries, One Path by Cara A’Court, is available to pre-order from Atmosphere Press.
Maxi’s Mates, a local rescue and rehoming centre for dogs, recently shared a post on social media asking for donations, as they were almost at capacity.
One of our students and dog lover, Katie Earl, saw the post and decided she wanted to do something to help, so set about raising awareness of the situation.
She worked with Emma, the college Enrichment Coordinator, to promote the cause amongst her peers, the teachers and wider student body and then began the task of raising goods and funds.
Katie, her friends and Emma even arranged for a little visit from Pixie, who came into college to meet the students and also went to say hello to the nursery children.
With the support from staff and students, everyone in the college came together in donating food, beds, bedding, towels and toys as well as collectively raising £83.81 in cash, which was gratefully received by Maxi’s Mates.
Big thanks to Katie for all your hard work in organising this fundraiser and to all that got involved in this worthy charity.
Previous Prior Pursglove students bring us up to date on their latest achievements
By Beth Harwood – Commercial Content Writer 17:19, 24 MAR 2023
STEM students go on to achieve great things at Prior Pursglove (Image: Prior Pursglove College)
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics are collectively known as STEM subjects. With a high proportion of its students going on to study at Oxbridge universities, Prior Pursglove College prides itself on the number of opportunities it gives to all its students, particularly those interested in studying and starting a career in STEM.
Prior Pursglove always enjoys hearing from its former students and about what they have gone on to achieve in their lives after studying. The college has recently been in touch with students who studied one or more of the STEM subjects on offer, to find out what they have been up to.
Carl
Carl is a Senior Lecturer in Human Geography(Image: Prior Pursglove College)
Carl studied biology, geography and psychology at Prior Pursglove and after leaving the college in 2009, went on to study human geography at Northumbria University. After graduating from Northumbria in 2012, Carl continued his passion for Human Geography and finished his PhD in 2018, going on to work at the University of Oxford as a postdoctoral researcher, before getting his first permanent lectureship at the University of Brighton.
Speaking about his experience, he said: “I am currently a Senior Lecturer in Human Geography. At Brighton, I teach all different aspects of human geography, but I focus on inequality, power, violence and digital culture. I research issues to do with sexual violence and masculinity and how digital data transform everyday lives.
“Prior was a wonderful experience, I felt supported by the staff who were very caring and certainly helped me develop my potential. I learned so much at Prior and I began to think about the world in different ways, which helped me in my career as an academic.”
Lewis
Lewis is the founder of Geeky Medics(Image: Prior Pursglove College)
Having studied biology, chemistry and statistics at Prior Pursglove College, Lewis graduated in medicine from Newcastle University in 2012. Whilst a fourth-year student at the university, Lewis created a medical education website called Geeky Medics. After trying different medical roles, including working as an emergency doctor in Australia for a year, Lewis is now training in Newcastle to become a GP.
Talking about his current journey in medicine, Lewis said: “I decided to commit to training as a GP (in Newcastle), but part-time so that I could also continue to work on Geeky Medics too. I was also made an NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Fellow at this point recognising the founding of Geeky Medics and its use by medical schools and medical students all over the world.
“In the next couple of years, I will be finishing off my GP training whilst continuing to work on Geeky Medics and tutoring at the medical school one day a week. Geeky Medics is a free online medical education platform that provides high-quality medical education resources and tools for medical students and other healthcare professionals. I have now been working on it for 12 years somehow! It has just surpassed a quarter of a billion views total, with over five million views a month from a global audience. We are also approaching 1 million YouTube subscribers!”
Rachel
After studying away, Rachel now lives back in the North East(Image: Prior Pursglove College)
At Prior Pursglove, Rachel studied biology, chemistry, maths and general studies. Having worked in A&E, Paediatrics, and Mental Health, she now works as a GP in North Yorkshire.
After attending medical school in Manchester, Rachel explained why she chose to move back home. She said: “The call of the North East was just too strong! I am now working as a GP in North Yorkshire, which allows me to spend my weekends with my husband, walking our dog Rosie on the moors and enjoying a Sunday dinner in a proper Yorkshire pub.
“I am so grateful for my time at Prior Pursglove and the opportunities it provided that have led me to where I am today.”
Lucy
Former student-turned-teacher, Lucy(Image: Prior Pursglove College)
Lucy studied chemistry, maths and physics at Prior Pursglove. Remembering her experience at the college, she said: “It was as a student at Prior Pursglove College that I first found my love of physics. I was inspired to therefore study physics at degree level and went on to gain my masters.
“While at university, I had a part-time job tutoring A-level physics students. It was this job that motivated me to pursue a career in teaching. Once I had completed the masters, I trained to teach and as luck would have it, a few years down the line I got a job teaching A-level physics at the very college I attended!”
Priya
Priya recalls how her teachers helped with her studies massively(Image: Prior Pursglove College)
During her time at Prior Pursglove College, Priya studied biology, chemistry and maths. Reflecting on her time as a student there, she said: “Initially college was quite a tough time for me because I studied in Tamil medium in Sri Lanka, whereas in the UK, I had to learn everything in English. However, my college teachers helped me through my studies in PPC. I will never forget that time in my life. My words cannot express my gratitude towards my teachers.
“I studied at Plovdiv Medical University in Bulgaria and completed my MD (masters in medicine), qualifying as a doctor. I am currently working with the British government in one of the British territories called Diego Garcia.”
More to explore at Prior Pursglove
For all its STEM students, Prior Pursglove College has dedicated support for those who are interested in carrying on to have a fulfilling career in the STEM industry.
The High Flyers Programme is just one example of how the college supports its STEM students. The programme aims to support students on their journey, by helping them take part in additional qualifications, gaining relevant work experience, and encouraging them to take part in activities that will enhance their application such as the Maths Challenge, Royal Society of Chemistry Olympiad, Biology Olympiad, MediLink, STEM events and other enrichment activities.
The college is hosting an open event on Wednesday, March 29 from 5pm – 7pm. The open event is a brilliant opportunity to find out about the wide range of courses on offer, speak to staff for expert careers advice and guidance, as well as view the fantastic facilities and tour the campus.
To find out more about STEM subjects and to explore the open event details, visit the Prior Pursglove College website here.
We’re all very excited here in college to introduce you to ‘The Intern’.
The Intern is a newsletter written, edited and produced by Endeavour’s Supported Internship students.
Tutor, Jo Thompson, said “As one of the tutors for the Supported Interns we noticed that information about our course was sometimes missed due to placements, illness etc. so the decision was made to complete a newsletter to share both informative, and positive news.
As part of our tutorial sessions students are encouraged to share good news, however small, to start the day of in a positive fashion and the newsletter is an extension of that.
Students have taken ownership of the newsletter and it has proven very successful after only two issues and parents/carers are encouraged to read it too as it updates them on the course and future plans for the students”.
Mary, one of the students on the team said “The Intern is a newsletter for the Supported Internship group and their parents/carers. It contains lots of information about events and placements for the interns to read about. There is an option to read about the staff who help the interns and articles from the interns themselves, informing others what it’s like to be on the Internship. Term dates and college events are also in the newsletter, such as mental health talks and cake sales raising money for charities. It also includes an article featuring information that has been given to the group from a guest speaker, to inform those who were absent during the talk what useful information they have missed.
The purpose of The Intern is to keep the Supported Internship group connected with each other. It contains missed information for any interns who were absent from the session, and it also includes special points of interest such as jokes and movie reviews, which shows how the interns have their own individual interests.”
Jo said, “I am incredibly proud of the student’s achievements and can see this newsletter going from strength to strength and skills learnt being taken into the world of work”.
We’ve also really enjoyed reading The Intern and learning about what the group has been up to. There are some brilliant articles and lots of information as well as some light-hearted content too and we can’t wait to see the next edition.
This week we held our very first Culture Day here at college
Students were invited to come to college in cultural dress and bring in flags, share stories about their heritage and celebrate all our different cultures.
The canteen put on a selection of foods from different countries and the students also brought in traditional foods and held a market at break and lunch time.
There was traditional dances with music from around the world and the students encouraged their friends and peers to join in and learn the moves!
We had henna tattoos and face painting, live music, guided meditation, historical talks and even a selfie board with the old fashioned polaroid pictures.
We also had some help from our friends including Kirkleatham Museum who came with some ancient artefacts to talk about, the Wildlife Trust, Hart Gables LGBT service, TNT Fitness and Occasionally Everything who came to showcase dresses for the graduation ball. All this accompanied by cultural music on the sound system all day long!
Emma Watson-Keen, our Enrichment Coordinator and organiser of the event said “Culture Day was a huge success, there was a real energy and buzz around the college. It was great to see so many students engaging with the celebrations, whether it was wearing their cultural clothes, tasting new foods from different cultures, listening to music, dancing, singing or asking questions to gain a better understanding of the different cultures we have in the college. To see the students smiling, laughing and having a great day was a wonderful feeling.”
The students thoroughly embraced the day, Katie & Tia said “We both loved the day, it was a great experience and we both gained a better understanding of different cultures.”
Sarah said “I really enjoyed culture day because I got to share my culture’s food with other people and tried different foods myself. I would love to see this happen again next year.”
Anna said “It gave a sense of community and a chance to learn about different cultures. I really enjoyed the day”.
Sabeeh said “The day had a great energy and the whole college showed respect to all cultures.”
The students were so impressed with it that they’ve already started planning their next event!
As a college we would like to congratulate our students who have received offers to study at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge for the next academic year.
All the students who applied to these prestigious universities had to undergo a rigorous and challenging application process including submission of their application form for the early October deadline, preparing for and sitting admissions assessments and undertaking at least two virtual academic interviews in early December with academic tutors from their chosen courses. Then followed a nervous wait until January to find out the outcome.
Olivia Wytcherley, Assistant Principal, said “we are incredibly proud of the resilience and determination shown by the students who applied to Oxford and Cambridge this year. Making it to the interview stage is a real achievement and a fantastic opportunity to engage in academic discussion with prominent academics in their chosen field. The students prepared well, often collaborating with each other and teachers, to practise problem solving and critical analysis skills. Our teachers are always on hand to provide additional support through enrichment, offering academic competitions or putting students through their paces in a mock interview. We have now established a strong tradition in successfully preparing students to study at top universities.”
This year nine students have received offers: six offers from Oxford and three offers from Cambridge. The students holding offers for Oxford are hoping to study subjects including Engineering (3), Mathematics, Classics and French with beginner’s Russian. Two students have received offers from Trinity College, which, as our link college, have provided comprehensive support to all our applicants. In addition, we have two students holding offers for Natural Sciences at Cambridge alongside one of our students from last year who has received an unconditional offer for English Literature.
Twins Lauren and Grace Hinton, ex Sacred Heart students, have both received offers from Oxford to read Engineering, following in their father’s footsteps:
Lauren said “Thank you to all my teachers for helping me with the application process, especially in writing my personal statement”
Adam Tilling, ex Laurence Jackson student, has received an offer to read Mathematics at St Anne’s College Oxford, after completing both A level Maths and Further Maths in his first year at college:
Adam said “College has really helped me to be able to learn as much as I can whilst I am here and I am very grateful for the support you receive from all the people at Prior”.
Kaitlyn Easter-Bell, ex Sacred Heart, is the first student in the college’s recent history to receive an offer to read Classics at Trinity College Oxford:
Bradley Sills and Arthur Leaper, ex Outwood Bydales, have both received offers to read Natural Sciences at Cambridge:
Francis Nozedar, ex Sacred Heart student has been offered a place at Wadham College, Oxford to study French and Beginners Russian.
Francis said “’Studying at prior has really developed me academically and as a person”
Thomas Ewan Cornwall ex Stokesley School student has received an unconditional offer to study English Literature at Cambridge
Principal Asma Shaffi said “We are having tremendous success in securing offers from Oxford and Cambridge universities. Prior Pursglove College has a long-standing history in sending students to Oxbridge to read from Science and Mathematics to Classics, Languages and Social Sciences. But recently we have seen a very positive increase in these numbers and of female students undertaking engineering and mathematics. We are incredibly proud of our students, and I have enormous respect and gratitude towards their previous schools and parents. These students really help to show their peers that such success is a reality in our area and strong work ethic pays credible dividends.”
We are extremely excited to announce that three of our students are participating in this year’s Sixth Form College Association ‘Planet Future’ NationalArtExhibition.
The theme this year is Planet Future, and showcases students’ creative interpretation of the theme, and their reflections on how the world is changing and what its future holds.
The students selected to participate this year are:
Alicia Dempsey,
Aden Ovington, and,
Eli Stephenson
Deputy Faculty Manager, Paul Sudlow said, ‘We are enormously proud that their hard work, fantastic ability and engaging imagery can be shared on a national platform. Well done all of you!!’
To view the SFCA online exhibition please use the link below where you can view our 3 entries alongside all the other national college entries.
We are so proud of our student, Finley Easton who has beaten off over 4,000 physics students across the globe to win a coveted spot in the UK International Physics Olympiad team.
The British Physics Olympiad is an annual competition in which over 2000 students from the UK and over 2000 overseas students take part.
Following his British Physics Olympiad success, Finley was personally invited to attend a training camp at Oxford University. The camp is designed to develop students’ skills for the International Physics Olympiad, an international physics competition in which over 80 countries take part. Each country is invited to send a team of five students.
Olivia Wytcherley, Assistant Principal at Prior Pursglove College, said: “Finley did brilliantly at the training camp as he was successful in attaining a place on the UK International Physics Olympiad team, placing him in the top five physics students in the country. He is the first student from the college to have made it to the international finals. We are all so impressed with how well he has done and are all immensely proud of him. He has worked extremely hard and it is great to see his work pay off.”
Finley said, “The Physics Olympiad has been a great opportunity for me to challenge myself, explore Physics in more depth and think about the world in a new way. Throughout the series of competitions, I have had the chance to apply what I have learned during my A-level lessons to new and surprising contexts and develop my own problem-solving skills in the process. I’m looking forward to pushing myself even further at the IPhO this Summer.”
Alumni Professor Stephen Foley visited Prior Pursglove College last week to see how the college had changed since his student days. Professor Foley was one of the last students to join Guisborough Grammar School in 1973 and witnessed the college move to become Prior Pursglove. Since leaving college, Professor Foley studied for his degree at Southampton University, his Masters in Newfoundland and then spent time in Germany before completing his PhD in Tasmania in Geology. He is now Professor of Science at Macquarie University in Australia. Stephen enjoyed a tour of the college with Assistant Principal Mike Mackin before viewing the college archives where we found pictures of his year group and other memories linking back to his days at the college. He also shared his school report showing how times have changed and pointed out the comments from his teachers. He was keen to show students how hard work leads to success. Stephen took time to talk to Dr Kay Achenbach, teacher of Geology and we hope to establish future links and guest lectures with Professor Foley and the Macquarie University
Nine students from Prior Pursglove College have been offered places at either Oxford or Cambridge universities, the highest number in a decade.
Finley Easton, a former Huntcliff Secondary School student has received an offer to study Physics at Oxford. Finley said ‘I’m really happy to have been offered a place and am looking forward to studying at Oxford.’
Former Freebrough Academy student, Faith Greensmith has received an offer to study English Language and Literature whilst Eirinn Hannaway and Rory Mitchell have both received offers to study Chemistry at Oxford. Former Outwood Academy Bydales student, Emily Thompson has received an offer to study Experimental Psychology.
Principal Asma Shaffi said, ‘Our students consistently work hard in mastering their subjects and impressing these highly prestigious universities with their sterling performance. Their grit and determination really benefit the Tees Valley area and the North East in creating recognition for the talent we have here.’
Four students have been successful in securing offers to study at Cambridge. Naomi Fester, Alex Harrison-Gaze and Alyssa Sequera have offers to study Architecture and Sciences and Olivia Sinclair has received an unconditional offer to study Veterinary Medicine.
Joanna Bailey, CEO for Tees Valley Collaborative Trust said, ‘ This success demonstrates that Prior Pursglove College is attracting many of the most talented young people in Redcar & Cleveland. They are supported by our expertly skilled teachers and support staff, enabling them to access the most competitive and prestigious destinations.’
Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College is celebrating results day triumph as students collected the grades enabling them to successfully progress to their chosen destination.
A Level results include:
Pass rate over 99%
95% subjects achieved 100% pass rates
50 at PPC and 34 at SSFC A* grades achieved
Around 60% students achieved A*, A or B
Asma Shaffi, Principal at Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College, said:
“We are exceptionally proud of our students and the results they have achieved.
“These results reflect well upon our incredibly hard working and dedicated staff and students across the college.
“Their tremendous hard work and utmost resilience have made these results a huge success story for themselves, and this can only help to pave their way to their chosen courses at university, apprenticeship and employment opportunities.
“I would like to extend my best wishes to every student leaving us this summer.”
A group of students from Prior Pursglove College in Guisborough were working towards their A Levels when the pandemic hit last year. They quickly had to adapt to online learning and try to stay on track with their studies.
During that time with almost daily contact via Microsoft Teams with their progress tutor Chris Beadle, an idea was born to pull together their experiences during a pandemic and make them into a book.
The book ‘Lockdown, the experiences of a generation of students from Prior Pursglove College’ is made up of thoughts and observations that reflect the very real difficulties of the last year, together with the resilience, determination, maturity and inventiveness of the coping strategies the students have used in response to this unprecedented situation.
Chris, who is classed as clinically vulnerable spent most of lockdown in isolation still working from home. The almost daily contact with his tutees via Teams helped keep him focussed and involved and was hugely beneficial to his mental well-being.
Progress Tutor at Prior Pursglove College, Chris Beadle said:
“The honesty, resourcefulness, maturity and inventiveness of these students in dealing with this unprecedented pandemic touched me deeply, as did they ways they found to counteract the restrictions of what should have been a socially busy, exciting time of preparation for adulthood.
“As restrictions began to lift, I realised that it would be a tragedy if the experiences of this generation of students was simply passed over and forgotten. Future generations could learn so much from their resilience and so I discussed this with Lesley Currie, a Deputy Faculty Manager at Prior.
“She had the foresight and compassion to agree that we should find a way of marking the events of the last year and was resourceful enough to find sufficient funding to produce the College book.
“The response from the students was magnificent – honest, often raw and sometimes humorous – perfectly demonstrating how remarkable young people are.
“I am proud to have been the conduit of their thoughts and observations, and equally proud to be part of an organisation that shows such respect and compassion towards the young people in their educational care.”
The students involved in the book have recently left the college and will go onto a number of different destinations including university, apprenticeships and the workforce.
A student involved in the book, Tori Swainston said of her time studying at Prior Pursglove College:
“Prior Pursglove College is really the place to go when moving onwards and upwards to achieve your goals and dreams through everything.”
Today sees the launch of Fake News, an online exhibition of pictures created by sixth form college students. The exhibition showcases students’ creative interpretation of the Fake News theme, and their reflections on how hard it can be to distinguish fact from fiction. More than 250 students from 58 colleges submitted their artwork for the exhibition that runs from 1st to 22nd July 2021. The exhibition is being co-ordinated by the Sixth Form Colleges Association and all pictures can be viewed on the SFCA gallery website here.
Launching today’s exhibition, Bill Watkin, Chief Executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said:
“The Fake News exhibition is a celebration of the arts and a recognition of the excellence in sixth form colleges, which are a vital supply pipeline of talented artists. But it also highlights how young people feel about having to navigate the vast amount of news and information that is available in the modern world, and at the same time, to discern what is the truth. Art has always played an important role in social and political commentary, and the students featured in Fake News have shown they have the talent to communicate their feelings about this important subject in a powerful and effective way”.
Students featured in the exhibition from Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College are:
Emily Thompson (Former Outwood Academy Bydales), Charlotte Everall (Former Caedmon College Whitby), Daniel Taylorson (Former Nunthorpe School), Malaika Hanif (Former Ian Ramsey) and Joshua Hudson (Former Outwood Academy Bishopsgarth).
Securing a university place can be tough but when it comes to competitive courses like midwifery the competition can be fierce.
Prior Pursglove College student Ollie Thrower has wanted to be a Midwife from the age of 6 and it’s a goal she has been working towards for a long time.
From volunteering at a local Care Home to being a therapeutic care volunteer and maternity volunteer at James Cook Hospital, Ollie has managed to gain valuable work experience in the field.
When it was time to apply to university through UCAS Ollie didn’t know what to expect but she was blown away when she discovered she had secured not one, but four conditional university offers.
The Former Freebrough Academy pupil said:
“I feel so incredibly lucky to have been given the chance to study midwifery, it’s a goal I have been working towards for what feels like forever and It feels incredible to finally be at this point.
“There are so many reasons why I want to be a midwife, but I would say what made me want to be one in the first place was the experiences of my Mam. The way she spoke about the care she received, both positive and negative, makes me want to be the best midwife that I can be, and be there in partnership with every woman in my care, no matter their circumstances.”
Ollie also wanted to offer advice for anyone who was thinking of studying midwifery at university:
“People will tell you that it is hard because midwifery is competitive. What I would say is that yes, it’s hard, but if you work hard, you can do it. If you feel like midwifery is the career for you, and you’re passionate about it, absolutely go for it and put your all into it, it is hard yes, but it is not impossible.”
She also went on to add:
“I’d like to thank my health and social care teachers Jill Woodrow and Carole Blades for being so supportive, and for helping me with my application. Despite the challenges of lockdown and online learning they have always gone out of their way to support me to get to where I am now, and for that I am so grateful.”
Four students from Prior Pursglove College have been offered places at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, after beating thousands of applicants to receive conditional offers.
The Sixth Formers impressed with their applications and at interview and now have offers to study a number of different courses at the two of the most elite universities in the world.
Successful Cambridge applicants include former Sacred Heart pupil Rebecca Brooke, who received an offer to study Computer Science, and Hannah Richmond a former Freebrough Academy pupil who received an offer to study Medicine.
Rebecca said: “I was surprised and excited to receive an offer from the University of Cambridge and I am very grateful for all the support that the staff at Prior have given me throughout the application process.”
Hannah said: “After such an arduous application process, it’s a huge relief to have succeeded especially with so much uncertainty with COVID. I’m thrilled to be able to study at one of the only remaining traditional medicine courses that put a lot of emphasis on the medicinal sciences.”
Successful Oxford applicants include Gracie Forrest, the former Huntcliff pupil who has received an offer to study Medicine, and Katarina Harrison-Gaze a former Caedmon College Whitby pupil, who received an offer to study Languages.
Gracie said: “I was really pleased to receive an offer from Oxford. During COVID restrictions it was difficult to gain work experience in Medicine but my local care home Lauriston gave me a chance to volunteer. I am really grateful to them and my college tutors for helping to secure an offer.”
Katarina said: “I am delighted to have received an offer, even though I am still slightly shocked. I’m very excited to be given this opportunity to study subjects I’m passionate about at the University of Oxford.
The college is not only extremely proud of the bumper crop of Oxbridge offers received this year, but equally of all of their students who are receiving offers from universities around the country, as well as apprenticeships and employment.
Former Freebrough Academy student Ollie Thrower, who is now studying Health & Social Care & Biology at the college has received 4 offers to study Midwifery which is one of the most competitive fields to go into.
Ollie said: “I’ve wanted to do this job from the age of 6 and have only ever been told it was too hard, and to choose something else! So, I’m blown away by my offers. If Anyone who is thinking of applying for Midwifery should go for it!”
Principal of Prior Pursglove College, Asma Shaffi said:
“It is an exceptional achievement for our college that so many students have received offers from such prestigious places. Credit is due to our talented and dedicated staff who support our gifted students, enabling them to reach their full potential and in some cases exceed their own aspirations.
“We are delighted that all of their hard work and dedication is paying off; they are a real credit to the college. We wish them every success.”
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Head of Centre, Olivia Wytcherley said, “I continue to be proud of the achievements of Prior Pursglove students not only in their academic studies but also for their willingness to engage in enrichment activities, volunteer work and playing an active role in their community. We celebrate success at every level and I would particularly like to acknowledge those students who have overcome personal challenges to achieve what they need for their next steps. Hard work and perseverance are the key to success, and we have seen staff and students demonstrate both this year to achieve these outcomes.”
Felicity says her years at Prior have greatly helped her to develop into the performer she is today. She played ‘Roxie Hart’ in the production of ‘Chicago’ in 2022 and also played ‘Carole King’ in the 2023 production of ‘Beautiful: The Carole King Musical’.
The coaches facilitated sessions on how the values you use in sport can be linked with the values you need in work and equipped our students with essential personal characteristics that build relationships based on trust, self-awareness, communication, resilience, and emotional intelligence, all of which are crucial for success in any area of life.
The day culminated in a ‘guess the flag’ competition with 30 flags being identified. Unbelievably there was 2 students who could name all 30 and went head to head on a tie-breaker round!, the winner being able to identify which country had the oldest flag as well as the date established! Well done, and big thanks to all the students for another wonderful day.
You may remember that during the summer one of our Career Ready students, Libby Gordon, spent her internship with the Aircon Group and in particular with Erica Johnson-Trumper and Ross Cousin in the Sales and Marketing Department.
The service, attended by more than 200 students and staff, culminated by collectively observing the Act of Remembrance from the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance in the Albert Hall.
Over the summer our Career Ready students have been building their skills on their work placements via our Career Ready programme.
Students at Prior Pursglove College in Guisborough are celebrating after being offered fantastic apprenticeship opportunities by leading businesses.
A group of students from Prior Pursglove College in Guisborough were working towards their A Levels when the pandemic hit last year. They quickly had to adapt to online learning and try to stay on track with their studies.
Securing a university place can be tough but when it comes to competitive courses like midwifery the competition can be fierce.