Ambitious Caring Equal #proudtobeUCC 2
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Welcome Thank you for taking the time to find out more about Ullswater Community College. I couldn’t be more proud to be the Headteacher of such a wonderful and vibrant school. The students are our greatest asset and we make no apologies for expecting the very best from them in terms of effort and behaviour. In the prospectus you will find lots of useful information, much more is available from our website - www.ullswatercc.co.uk Our vision for the school is simple - to be “best in county” in everything that we do. Rest assured we will spend every day working towards this goal. We have big plans for the future and the role we can play in being the centre of our community. I thank you in advance for your continued support on behalf of all the students and staff and I very much look forward to welcoming you to UCC! Mr S Gilby Headteacher
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Ambitious Academic rigour is at the heart of all we do. Our broad and balanced curriculum is unique and built around the core of mathematics and English, science, modern foreign languages and the humanities. Few schools offer such a range of option subjects alongside a wide variety of additional enrichment. We have significant strengths in the arts, sport, personal development and our pastoral support programme. We challenge every member of the Ullswater community to bring the best versions of themselves into school and work every day. In the classroom we demand complete focus from our students so that they get as much as they can from every minute. This makes lessons purposeful and supports every student in making as much progress as possible. We create opportunities in the classroom, on stage, on the sports field and in the community to take individuals out of their comfort zone in order to support everyone in pushing themselves to achieve all they can.
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“This is a caring and supp well cared for, behave w being at this schoo opportunity to take p extra-curric 8
portive school. Pupils are well, feel safe and enjoy ol. Pupils relish the part in a huge range of cular clubs.” OFSTED
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Caring We work in close partnership with students and parents to support each of our young people at every stage. Our pastoral team works hard to support students as they confront the serious issues that affect each of us today. We are committed to safeguarding, preventing bullying and keeping our school a safe and respectful place, promoting the welfare of all in our charge. We are very proud of the bespoke support afforded to each of our students from our very experienced teaching, support and pastoral teams. We want every individual to progress as far as they can during their time in school. As well as academic progress we invest a lot of time in developing the whole person. Every student needs to be safe, happy and successful. That success is about getting every single student to be aware of what they are able to achieve, to raise their aspirations even further and to make sure we open as many different doorways into the future as possible.
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Equal We are all leaders at UCC. Every student, member of staff and parent has a role to play in making us the best we can be and maintaining our wonderfully inclusive environment. We are all role models, recognising our differences and challenging each other to do the right thing, always looking for ways in which we can improve even further. Our school councils and student voice mean that everyone has the chance to influence the school and to help us decide on our future direction. We are a fully inclusive school and welcome and respect students and staff of all faiths and none. Through our vision and values, we make it our mission to seek to improve the life chances not only of the young people we serve, but also of members of the wider community of which we are a part.
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“The support our daught learning support team a excellent. They’ve alway family, with the utmost c sensit 14
ter has received from the at UCC has always been ys treated our child, and compassion, respect and tivity.” PARENT
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Opportunity We provide our students with opportunities throughout the year to develop confidence. From day one, we support every student in becoming an independent, confident young person who has an opinion that matters. We work tirelessly to ensure all of our students are able to develop the knowledge, skills and experience they will need to succeed in life, whichever path they choose. Creativity is an enormous part of life at UCC, whether that is being part of our cheerleading national champions, our dance, sport, drama or music groups or simply contributing to the creativity that takes place in the school, every lesson of every day - there’s something for everyone at UCC. We hope you get the chance to see the creative talent of our students for yourself come to one of our superb musical or theatre performances, watch our successful sports teams in action, hear the recordings our touring musicians made whilst performing to packed audiences abroad on one of our many overseas opportunities. At UCC we do all we can to nurture and encourage the diverse and creative skills of our students.
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Sixth Form at UCC
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The sixth form at Ullswater Community College is ambitious for every student. We challenge each other to be our best, we care for each other and recognise everyone as equal. Through the high-quality teaching students experience, the broad range of courses we offer and the personalised pastoral support that runs through everything we do, our sixth form is a place where students thrive and achieve qualifications that give them lifelong opportunities. Mr. R Jackson Head of Sixth Form
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“Sixth-form provision is a Leadership is good, the cu and students are taugh good pr
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a strength of the school. urriculum is well planned ht effectively and make rogress” OFSTED
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Academic Excellence As a school we continue to be academically ambitious for all our students and our results are a testament to the high-quality teaching and positive relationships nurtured throughout the school. The progress sixth form students make is exceptional, with 99% of students achieving A* - E grades in every subject and many courses that are well above national averages. UCC prides itself on instilling students with a real love of learning and to see so many of them carrying on their educational journeys to university and higher-level apprenticeships is truly outstanding. Our students venture off to study a wide variety of undergraduate courses including paramedic science, midwifery, games design, law, history, chemistry, English literature, film studies, criminology, engineering, accountancy, biomedical science, biochemistry, social work, teaching, dance, business management, drama, policing, fashion design, fine art, veterinary nursing, sport and exercise science, nursing, pharmacology, sociology and psychology at the very best organisations in the country. The school performs very well in traditionally academic subjects such as history and English literature and exceptionally well in child care, health and social care, medical science and media. Our strong, historical links with many universities, apprenticeship providers and local employers mean our students leave UCC’s sixth form with confidence and in a strong position to make the most of their talents. 24
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Teaching, Learning & Pastoral Support Underpinning everything we do in the sixth form is the high-quality teaching that our students receive. The relationships built up over the years are strengthened and develop into meaningful working partnerships between students, teachers and families. Sixth form lessons are founded on the most up-to-date pedagogical research, a supportive and collaborative approach and backed up by well-resourced study areas for students to maximise the use of their independent study time. Our high academic expectations are complemented by an experienced team of tutors and a rich and diverse pastoral programme. Developing the whole student and supporting each and every one to play a full role in the life of our school is something we take very seriously. Sixth form leadership opportunities are wide and varied and are central to the experience of our students. They manifest themselves on a daily basis via the sixth form leadership team in the broad enrichment programme and personalised pastoral support, as well as influencing the wider school and supporting others throughout the school.
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Enrichment We provide an ambitious curriculum which allows all our students to be successful. Our bespoke curriculum meets the needs of our students, offering a large variety of courses to choose from at different levels. We also offer enrichment opportunities such as work experience and voluntary work, visits and trips (UK and abroad), paired reading, the community and higher Sports Leaders Award, the Young Enterprise Award, the Gold Crest Award – Engineering, Duke of Edinburgh awards, drama and music productions and a whole host of first-team sports. At UCC we also have a dedicated Sixth Form Centre, which acts as a base for quiet study and socialising. Students are also able to make use of the Library which is open all day and after school for private study. Students in the sixth form are treated as independent young adults and are therefore encouraged to take charge of their own learning, within a supported framework provided by a superb team of tutors and support staff.
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“Our community spirit, th wide range of opportun school for all kind all kinds o
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he great teaching and the nities at UCC make this a ds of students with of abilities” STUDENT
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Ullswater Community College, Wetheriggs Lane, Penrith, CA11 8NG #proudtobeUCC 01768 210206 admin@ullswatercc.co.uk 32