Education

Aspiring engineers at Northampton College are in pole position to get careers off to a winning start having taken top spot in the regional heats of a competition to find the next stars of Formula One. The Echo-NC team were crowned the overall winners of the regional heats of the global competition and will now take part in the UK finals to be held in Rotherham in March. F1 in Schools is a worldwide multi-disciplinary challenge in which teams use CAD/CAM software to design, analyse, manufacture, test and then race miniature compressed air-powered cars. The Northampton College team secured sponsorship and support from local employers including FESTO, Evertait and Goblin Games at The University of Northampton. Engineering teacher Andrew Garbutt said: “The students have done a fantastic job and were delighted to have won three categories at the regional finals ‘Best in Class’, ‘Best Engineered Car’ and ‘Best Verbal Presentation’ which..

A group of colleges in the South East Midlands has come together in a successful campaign aimed at further developing their work on meeting local skills needs. More than £5,000,000 was awarded to the group, known as the Colleges of the South-East Midlands (CoSEM), via the Department for Education’s Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF) with significant support from Milton Keynes and Northamptonshire Chambers of Commerce. Between them, Barnfield College, The Bedford College Group, Milton Keynes College Group, Moulton College and Northampton College educate and train almost 60,000 people every year, and work with approaching 9,000 different businesses at any one time. The funding was split over four projects around green skills, improving communication with employers, digital skills, and healthcare. The green skills project was led by The Bedford College Group, and has a strong focus on developing the skills needed as the country moves towards net zero, with many more..

The “passionate” and “inspirational” deputy principal of Northampton College has been honoured for dedicating his entire professional career to further education. Patrick Leavey was named the winner of the Lifetime Achievement category at the Northamptonshire Education Awards in recognition of his vision, passion and tireless efforts that have set a shining example for educational leadership, prioritising students, and raising the bar of teaching excellence. His relentless dedication to improving and maintaining excellent teaching and learning standards has created an exceptional student experience and enhanced the College's reputation for quality and success. Judges praised Patrick’s ‘open-door’ policy and were impressed with his approachable nature that has cultivated a supportive and inclusive environment. They said the award was given to celebrate Patrick “dedicating his life to education demonstrating innovation, advocacy and career achievements that have improved the education sector”. Patrick added: “I’m very grateful and extremely honoured to be the recipient of..

Moulton College students have been praised for their talents after creating striking floral displays for a prestigious event. The Association of Colleges (AoC) Annual Conference and Exhibition, which took place last month at the ICC in Birmingham, was attended by education leaders from all over the country. Students from Moulton College were awarded the opportunity to craft the table centrepieces, which saw the hard-working team design and create 65 individual displays for the event. Floristry Course Manager, Laura Kett, explains: “The brief from the AoC was ‘bright, eye-catching and impactful’ using a blue, yellow and orange colour scheme. Five of our students worked on some ideas, sketches, and mood boards before settling on the final design. We used a mix of Strelitzia, Gerbera, dyed Craspedia, Fatsia, and Icelandic Moss for the displays and were thrilled with the results.” The flowers received compliments from both the conference organisers and attendees alike...

One of Northampton’s best-loved landmarks is being given a new lease of life by staff and students from Northampton College, ensuring its inhabitants have a comfortable home for years to come. The aviary in Abington Park is a popular destination with families across the town for generations but running repairs are needed to ensure the continued safety of the birds. West Northamptonshire Council has now enlisted the College’s construction team to give Bird Cage Walk a much-needed makeover. Bricklaying apprentices are working alongside and full-time Level 2 bricklaying students to rebuild two old aviaries out of block work as the birds were eating their way through the old wooden ones. The new aviaries will be completed in the coming weeks, with Level 3 carpentry students installing a roof on them. Mark Bradshaw, curriculum manager for construction, said: “It is a huge pleasure for me to be a part of this..

Northampton College has been praised for its “culture of excellence” where students feel valued and able to succeed, with Ofsted officially rating the college as ‘good’. The college, ranked the fifth best-performing in the country in the most recent National Achievement Rate Tables, was the subject of a four-day inspection in October. Inspectors praised leaders and managers for creating a “welcoming, calm and supportive environment” while working with stakeholders “very successfully” to understand the skills needs of the local, regional and national economy. The positive inspection recognised the College’s continued drive to equip students with the high-quality skills they need to progress rapidly in their learning and future careers. Principal Jason Lancaster said: “We are delighted to see that the Ofsted inspection has recognised the incredible work put in by all our staff to ensure our students make exceptional progress. “We are fortunate to work in a college with a..

Northamptonshire primary schools have just 10 days left to enter an exciting competition for pupils to win a free interactive dinosaur experience. Giant Journeys, which provides educational immersive workshops for children, has opened a public vote on social media in which local primary schools can put themselves forward to meet Reggie – a five-metre-long animatronic T-Rex – in a special session. The prize has already generated a lot of interest with more than 1000 votes for more than 80 different schools. Giant Journeys was established in September 2024 by founder Darren Smith, who has a passion for creative education and a more than two decades of experience providing innovative experiences for children. The entrepreneur wants to transform how youngsters engage with learning. Darren said: “Our mission is to inspire and educate young minds by bringing history, science, and more to life using cutting-edge technologies like Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual..

Are you exploring new school options for your child in the upcoming year? Look no further than Quinton House School, an independent all-through school in Northampton. Quinton House will be opening its doors for their highly anticipated Autumn Open Day on the morning of Saturday, 5th October, offering prospective parents and students a first-hand look at what makes their school a special place for learning and growth. Quinton House caters to children aged 3 to 18, from their nurturing onsite nursery right through to a robust Sixth Form programme, providing a seamless educational journey. Whether you're considering early years education, transitioning into primary or secondary school, or exploring sixth form options, this open day presents the ideal opportunity to see the school in action. The event is designed to give families a relaxed and welcoming environment to explore everything Quinton House has to offer. During your visit, you will: Meet..

Northampton College will tackle the UK’s acute shortage of construction workers with up-to-date ‘green skills’ head on with the opening of a £500,000 renewable energies education and training facility. The new Green Skills Centre at Booth Lane will provide up to 250 students with daily access to the latest green technologies each year, reskill adults who want to move into the construction industry and upskill existing professionals in the sector. It will also support a variety of green initiatives run by Northampton College, such as the Big Rig Low Carbon Challenge, which promotes sustainable construction careers to secondary school students across the county. Designed by leading decarbonisation specialist and renewable training provider Quantum, the centre features rigs and bays for air source heat pumps, ground source heat pumps, solar PV, solar thermal, wind generation, electrification of vehicles and EV charging and promotes sustainable construction methods and materials. Students will receive..

Ousedale School in Milton Keynes is set to embark on a new chapter as it officially joins the E-ACT academy trust. E-ACT oversees 28 academies across the UK, supporting more than 18,000 pupils and 2,500 staff members. Its portfolio includes two schools in nearby Daventry—E-ACT Parker Academy and E-ACT DSLV Academy—as well as three in South Buckinghamshire: E-ACT Bourne End Academy, E-ACT Chalfont Valley Academy, and E-ACT Denham Green Academy. Every E-ACT academy is rated by Ofsted as either 'good' or 'outstanding' for leadership and personal development, with 97% achieving a similar rating for behaviour and 93% for the quality of education. By joining the trust, Ousedale School’s staff will benefit from enhanced professional development opportunities, including access to best practice across E-ACT’s national network. This will provide valuable learning opportunities at every level, further enriching the educational experience for Ousedale’s pupils. Headteacher Andy Burton said: “Joining E-ACT marks a..

The delivery of the new 230-place school in Tiffield, Northamptonshire, has reached a significant milestone. Following the demolition and clearance of the site, which took place this spring, the steelwork for the school is now complete. Being built on St Johns Road, on the former St Johns Centre site, the construction project is being led by national contractor Willmott Dixon for West Northamptonshire Council, Greenwood Academies Trust and the Department for Education. The new school will provide additional special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) spaces in the local community. Set to complete in Summer 2025, the specialist school will improve access to education and increase the support available to families. Pupils aged four to 18 years old will benefit from a variety of facilities including specialist teaching spaces, a soft playroom, a sensory room and a rebound therapy room. A playground, outdoor soft and hard play areas, and staff and..

Creating an environment in which students can thrive as individuals has allowed Northampton College students to fulfill their potential and achieve grades that many thought were previously beyond them. Treating every student as an individual, with bespoke learning experiences based on their own particular circumstances, has been a key factor in Northampton College being recognised as one of the top five colleges in the country and this approach has reaped its rewards in this year’s GCSE results. Moldovan teenager Nicoleta Neculita was living in Italy but decided to embark on a new life in England with her boyfriend. Realising her existing qualifications would not be recognised in this country, she enrolled at Northampton College to sit her GCSE maths and English. Soon after, she fell pregnant but, thanks to the support she was offered by her teachers, was able to successfully manage all those external factors and excel in her..

The Hardingstone-based Northampton High School is celebrating an exceptional set of A Level results for Summer 2024, marking one of the strongest performances in the school’s recent history. This year's achievements further solidify the school’s accelerating academic momentum and underscore the courage and perseverance demonstrated by the 2024 leavers. Head of Northampton High School GDST, Dr. May Lee, proudly shared, "This year’s cohort is among the strongest we have seen at Northampton High School in recent years. Not only did 17% of all grades achieve A*, a significant increase from previous years, but over 42% of grades were A*-A, and 68% were A*-B. We have also seen some outstanding individual performances, with nearly 30% of the cohort earning three or more A* and A grades. It has been wonderful to witness the joy on their faces as they opened their results today.” Successful Cambridge applicant, Hattie,..

The new Principal of Northampton College has pledged to take the College to the next level having helped to secure a positive Ofsted result in his previous Vice Principal role. Jason Lancaster is preparing to succeed Pat Brennan-Barrett OBE, who is departing this summer having overseen a remarkable rise in the College’s fortunes since taking the reins a decade ago, transforming it into one of the top five colleges in the country. A former Director of an Institute of Technology, Jason has held a range of senior leadership posts, supporting colleges to develop and improve their provision, and previously served as Vice Principal for quality and performance at Northampton College, helping to deliver a ‘Good’ Ofsted grade at the most recent inspection. He said: “I am delighted to be coming back to Northampton College, having thoroughly enjoyed my taste of life in the county a few years ago. My time..

‘Persistent, resilient and dedicated’ students at Northampton College’s Daventry campus have been urged to take a moment to reflect on their achievements and take that memory with them as they prepare to enter the workplace. An awards ceremony held at the Badby Road West site on Wednesday, June 26 honoured dozens of students who have excelled over the past 12 months, both in terms of academic performance and personal progress. Jason Lancaster, the incoming principal of Northampton College, said: “We’ve performed extremely well as a college and all the exam results and statistics back that up but actually, the stories of our students are the real sign of our success. “They are growing in confidence and independence, thriving in this environment where they can learn skills for life and become the person they are capable of being. The achievements of our award winners are spectacular, and I would encourage all..