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Weston College is an award-winning college of further and higher education in Weston-super-Mare. It provides education and vocational training to nearly 30,000 learners across the country.
We put the learner first and are entrepreneurial in our approach and innovative in our thinking. As a college, we are ambitious and aspirational and are responsive to the needs of students, staff, businesses, and the community.
We are Weston College. We are Creating Brighter Futures.
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Latest news and developments at Weston College
Learners from the T Level Digital and BTEC Computing courses recently took part in the Bebras Challenge. Bebras is a computational thinking challenge that is organised over 50 countries, in partnership with Oxford University and The Raspberry Pi Foundation. Learners answer questions that look at challenging their logical thinking and problem-solving abilities, both of which are vital skills required in computer science. This takes place in the 2nd week of November, with all that compete earning either a certificate of participation, merit, distinction or best in school.
Tom, one of the learners who had placed in the top 10% of achievers, told us about his experience.
“Our whole class entered the challenge together. Ben Hobbs, our teacher, put in the application for us all. It was great that we all entered as it meant we were able to revise together; we were given practice papers for the lead-up to make sure we were prepared for the challenge.
“I’d only found out about being in the top 10% of competitors when I was given the certificate the following week; it was definitely the highlight of the challenge!”
Those that achieve within the top 10% nationally, are eligible to take part within the Oxford University Computing Challenge (OUCC) in January, which looks to challenge them on their programming abilities within their choice of coding language, including C#, Java or Python.
Tom commented: “I intend on taking part in the OUCC; I think it will be much more difficult as it is focused on problem solving with coding, but I’m excited to face the challenge.”
Tom’s advice to anyone thinking of entering the Bebras challenge was to “try and manage your time and answer as many questions as you can – practice questions were the best and most effective way to improve on this.”
Ben Hobbs, the computing teacher who entered the learners into the challenge, said: “I am so proud of everyone who competed in the Bebras Challenge, particularly those who were in the top 10%; what an incredible achievement! Opportunities like these are the perfect way for the learners to put what they learn into practise, and the development in their confidence afterwards is astounding! Congratulations to everybody involved!”
Weston College have launched their new ‘Become an Inclusive Employer’ workshops, where employers are provided with the knowledge and skills to support neurodiverse employees and customers. This allows employers to access untapped talent in the workplace, and create an inclusive environment for customers.
Puxton Park are one of the many employers who have undertaken the workshop, and the impact it has already had on their business is incredible. The park, which attracts over 450,000 visitors every year, has made it their mission to ensure that new play equipment, infrastructure and daily operations are as inclusive and accessible as possible. Investments such as an accessible roundabout, which can be used by children of mixed abilities, as well as a state-of-the-art wheelchair accessible trampoline have already been made, alongside wide paved paths throughout the park for wheelchair access.
Since attending the inclusive employer workshop, new ideas and initiatives have been developed to best support the neurodiverse community. The concept of neurodiversity aims to reduce stigma around learning and thinking difficulties, and encourages viewing differences in the brain as differences rather than defects. One of the new additions to the park to support neurodiverse customers is an investment in Ear Defenders which can be rented out free of charge.
Georgina Francis, Operations Manager of Puxton Park, says: “Being an inclusive attraction has always been extremely important to us. We have worked closely with Weston College and have had the privilege of taking part in their neurodiversity training workshops. This training was enlightening and informative and opened our eyes to the opportunities and initiatives we can take part in to best support the disabled and neurodiverse communities. We continue to grow our business partnership with Weston College and thank them for their continued support.” Read their full story, here!
We are so thrilled at the impact of these workshops on the businesses who are taking part; sign up for the Inclusive Employer workshops, here.
Nicola Lace, the SEND Operations Manager, commented: “We are so thrilled at the long lasting impact this is having on the employers who attend our sessions, and how this is contributing to the inclusivity in their businesses. In 2023 we will be hosting 5 sessions, with the potential to add more with demand, as we seek to support businesses across the region to adopt best practice and create a more inclusive environment for their colleagues and customers.”
Last month our amazing Sixth Form learners took part in a Winter Market in Bristol as part of Young Enterprise.
Young Enterprise is a leading UK charity centred around empowering young people to discover, develop and celebrate their skills and potential. Their mission is to motivate young people to succeed in the changing world of work by equipping them with the work skills, knowledge and confidence they need to succeed.
As part of the Young Enterprise programme, our learners have had incredible talks from industry professionals at companies like Abatec and Brent Engineering to inspire and motivate them.
The Winter Market, held on 26th November near St. Nicholas Markets in Bristol, was an opportunity for learners to demonstrate everything they have learnt. Within teams, they selected and produced their own goods, which they then had to expertly pitch and sell to the public.
We caught up with Jack, whose team received a judge’s honourable mention at the Market. They did exceptionally well, successfully profiting on their unique, hand-crafted, metal Christmas ornaments.
Jack, who is a first year Economics, Politics and Business learner, told us:
“Young enterprise is an opportunity for young people to start a business that they run by themselves or with assistance from lecturers, creating and selling a product to the public. I got involved because my economics lecturer, who also teaches business, said it would be a great way to use my economic and business skills together.”
How did you find the experience?
“It was our first time doing this, so we didn’t know what to expect but thankfully it was a success and the judges liked us and we even got an honourable mention as a result. It turned out well and we were pleased with our results. We achieved what we wanted to do which was sell all the products through our use of an appealing stand and our high-quality marketing skills.
Next time we aim to improve our products and innovate. We’d like to go to more markets and become more successful than last time.”
Jack, who tells us he would like to go on to work in the banking industry after college, finished off by saying “I really recommend doing the Young Enterprise as it gives you an insight into making business decisions and the responsibilities of businesses.”
Amazing work from everyone who took part!
To find out more about A Levels at Weston College and the opportunities available, click here.
