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This week’s newsletter is absolutely packed with exciting updates! As we head into the half-term break, we’d like to wish everyone a relaxing rest. Highlights include Year 10s planting workshop, Enzo’s impressive 11-page comic book, and the Liverpool Arabic Teachers Council’s inspiring anniversary conference. Our students made a huge impact at BioInfect 2025 and the Royal Microscopy Society, while 3 Sixth Formers gained hands-on experience at Sony PlayStation. A huge thank you to all involved—enjoy the break!
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VEX Robotics Competition
We took 2 teams of Year 9 students to the regional VEX robotics competition on the 7th of February at North Liverpool Academy to compete in the Rapid Relay game. What an exciting day it turned out to be. The students really had to solve problems on their feet as our batteries died almost immediately and then one of our robots broke after the practice. At the end of the first round of matches, we were 3rd and 4th respectively and the excitement started to build as we entered the final rounds where our teams came close, but in the end didn’t quite make the national finals.
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The students were amazing and really had to think fast to change the strategy in each round, adding elements to the robot and changing drivers, etc. With a bit more practice and changing the robot, now we understand the game a bit more and we are sure we will be there next year. Well done to the L8 Robotics and Toxteth Technicians teams as well as the Year 10 team helping to manage them.
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Northern Automotive Alliance guest speaker
On the 7th of February, Paul Jones from NAA discussed his career in the automotive industry with our Year 11 and Sixth Form Engineering students.
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Computer Science trip to Paris
On the 5th of February, our Year 11 Computer Science students embarked on their trip to Paris for a Computer Science Conference.
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If you would like to find out more about this career pathway then please click here.
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Andrew Allshorn's visit
On the 7th of February, Andrew visited Engineering students to talk about Advanced Applications for 3D Printing, where he discussed the history side of 3D Printing, lots of hashtag #applications and also looked at some of the students' projects. Thank you Andrew for such an informative session!
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Degree Apprenticeship Week at the CUC
As part of Apprenticeship Week, Stefan from the company Jones AV delivered a session to Year 13 Computer Science students about a new degree apprenticeship they are setting up this year for one of our students. Jones AV are a medical systems integration company putting AV equipment into hospitals in 18 countries around the world from the small 12-person team in Birkenhead! Stefan, also one of our student's parents, wants to offer a software engineering degree apprenticeship to one of our students and came in to let them know about the company and particularly about the role that they are looking for.
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As a small company, it will be a multifaceted role requiring mainly office-based programming but plenty of travel for on-site integration in any of the 18 countries they are currently working in. The students were fascinated by some of the elements they have to think about when installing hardware into operating theatres. They need to have big buttons to allow surgeons to use touch screens with surgical gloves on, they need to be wipeable post-operation and disinfected. One of the most interesting areas was how they can save hospitals money by shutting down all their systems (remotely if needed) when not in use, something that is not common in hospitals. This not only saves energy but reduces heat from the machines in turn reducing the air conditioning. Thank you Stefan for such an informative session!
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Sickness procedure
From a safeguarding perspective, students who indicate they are feeling unwell will not be sent out of class as an unwell/injured student unaided may faint on the stairs or corridor. Staff will call first aid and first aid will go to the student. Students are not to contact home themselves when they are unwell, staff will call parents if needed.
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Royal Microscopy Society EM UKI meeting presentation
On the 7th of February, Michaela, Curator for Curiosity, Connie in Year 12 and Priyanshi in Year 11 gave a presentation to delegates at the Royal Microscopy Society EM UKI meeting about the CUC’s involvement in the Hitachi Scanning Electron Microscope loan scheme. They talked about the value of the scheme to our teaching and learning, and how the network of academic and business partners which we have built around the SEM enriches our students’ experiences and drives and facilitates aspiration and achievement.
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Connie spoke about how a SEM project led to her winning Big Bang Young Scientist of the Year in 2022, and how this, in turn, has led to a widening of opportunity and experience for her. Priyanshi talked about her project exploring using diatoms to reduce carbon dioxide levels in cities which is part of the Global Innovation in Sustainability Summit in Qatar and has led to her working alongside scientists from the University of Liverpool in their research laboratories.
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The talk was very well received, and the girls were absolutely superb. Delegates were very interested in what is happening at the CUC and a number of interesting opportunities were offered to us. Alison Beckett, the chair of the meeting, said “A big thank you for the fantastic presentation. Please also convey my gratitude and pride to the students, they really made an impact on the audience, and are a credit to you, the school and the Hitachi outreach programme.”
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Liverpool Arabic Teachers Council
On Friday 7th of February, the Liverpool Arabic Teachers Council marked its 1st anniversary with a second conference at Life Sciences UTC. The event brought together MFL Arabic educators from the Northwest and beyond for a day of insightful sessions, including Arabic gamification by Sara Mallo, Manal Mahjoub and Dalia Ahmed and preparing translators for the UK language sector by Dr Mariam Aboelezz, Director of MA in translations at the University of Liverpool.
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A key moment was the launch of Arabic Voice of the Youth, a collaborative project by Nour (Year 12 UTC student) and Ariadna (Former Studio student). This inspiring initiative, created by young people for young people, aims to teach Arabic and promote cultural understanding across borders and nations. The event concluded with productive networking and a strong sense of community. An inspiring celebration of growth and collaboration!
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Highlight of the Term
We have been blown away by the maturity and work ethic of Year 11 student Enzo who produced an 11-page comic book for his Graphic Personal investigation. It has been wonderful to see Enzo listen to feedback and push his work to such a high standard.
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Uniform and equipment reminder
I would like to remind parents of the uniform standards with regard to girl’s trousers. A small number of students are wearing fashion trousers – made of Lycra material and flared leggings in style. The expectation is for students to wear school trousers or a pleated skirt. As the weather is getting colder please ensure your child has a warm, waterproof coat. All students are required to have a school bag with them every day. This must be large enough to carry a number of A4 revision guides. We will provide your child with a suitable bag if they are unable to obtain one.
Jill Davies, Principal at Life Sciences and The Studio School.
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Planting workshop sees flowers blossom
On Tuesday 26th of November, Scouse Flowerhouse delivered a planting workshop with Year 10 students. The session was in collaboration with Liv Biennial using the planters repurposed from the sculptures created Alicja Biala: Merseyside Totemy and nearly 3 months later the flowers have blossomed.
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PlayStation Work Experience
Recently, 3 of our Sixth Form students secured 4 days of work experience placements at SONY PlayStation. We asked Daisy what she learnt during her placement, Daisy said “I gained insight into the various roles at PlayStation and Sony Interactive Entertainment, including Localisation, QA Testing, and Project Management. I learnt how to efficiently test games, identify different types of bugs, and accurately find incorrect uses of Sony’s designs (Images of controllers with the trademark removed). Additionally, I developed an understanding of project management methodologies, where we were put into teams and used the waterfall layout for managing tasks in a robotics club start-up project.” Lily expressed “I learnt what life in the industry looks like and that there are many job opportunities in tech that I would enjoy doing.” Laiken said “I learnt a lot of valuable information about the different departments in their office. We visited each department for a talk on their team, how they got there and what processes they are part of in PlayStation. Most departments had a task relating to their work for us to complete, for example in project management, we attempted to create spreadsheets managing what tasks were complete.”
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We asked Daisy what activities they participated in during their placement “We conducted a research task to analyse competitors, similar to how the PlayStation marketing team operates. In 4 groups of 2, we assembled some old PCs by connecting components like the disk drive, hard drive, and RAM with minimal instructions. We also tested games to identify bugs and participated in a project management exercise, where we planned the launch of a pizzeria business in 2 teams of four.” Lily expressed “We listened to different workers from different sections of the company. We also done some practical tasks like putting together a PC and game texting.” Laiken shared “Most departments had a task relating to their work for us to complete, for example in project management we attempted to create spreadsheets managing what tasks were complete.”
In regards to what our students enjoyed the most, Daisy highlighted “I enjoyed getting to have a tour around the server room, learning about the career journeys of the staff at Sony and PlayStation, and testing pre-released games such as Project Cars and Minecraft, which were in their early, buggy stages. It was also great to collaborate and connect with other individuals on the work experience programme.” Lily expressed “I enjoyed getting to talk to people in the industry so I could figure out what section I would like to go into and how to prepare myself for that role.” In terms of how it has prepared our students for the jobs of tomorrow, Laiken shared “This work experience has prepared me for the future by making me aware of the different job roles in the games industry that I was not aware existed. It has definitely motivated me to keep working hard so that I can work for PlayStation in the future on their XDev team.” Laiken said “My favourite task was when we spent the whole day with the Certifications Operations team, and tested a lot of old bugs on games that have already been released. It was really interesting to see the process these games had to go through before they could be certified and approved for release. My favourite department that we visited was XDev, or external development, who help smaller studios release their games on PlayStation.”
In terms of how their work experience at SONY PlayStation has prepared them for the jobs of tomorrow, Daisy said “This experience has given me a comprehensive view of the career paths available at PlayStation, including roles in software development, IT, and game testing. I now have a better understanding of the work environment and the skills required to work in the gaming industry.” Lily noted “It’s helped me understand that there are many jobs out there that I wasn’t aware of before that I would enjoy doing. Specifically, the software engineering and game testing sections.” Laiken expressed “This work experience has prepared me for the future by making me aware of the different job roles in the games industry that I was not aware existed. It has definitely motivated me to keep working hard so that I can work for PlayStation in the future on their XDev team.”
A huge congratulations to our 3 students on their achievement!
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Spine building for BioInfect 2025 - a scientific conference focusing on antimicrobial resistance
We took ten Year 12 students from the Baltic Research Institute to the conference to hear about some fascinating developments in the fight against AMR and to present their own ideas and findings about raising awareness of AMR amongst young people. It is estimated that AMR already causes over 1 million deaths per year and this figure is set to continue increasing as bacteria and other pathogens become more resistant to our antimicrobial drugs such as antibiotics. Our students presented their ideas for raising awareness of this issue and creating a youth movement to make people as aware of AMR as they are of climate change. Our students were unphased by the audience of around 150 scientists and delivered an important and inspiring presentation which many delegates commented was one of the highlights of the conference. We have since had multiple offers of help and support for the project from a range of delegates including a CEO of a Biotech company and a Professor of Microbiology.
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Feedback from the audience included: "For me, the highlight was the presentation from the students. Such energy and enthusiasm!" "Please convey my congratulations to the students for their preparation, presentation and ambition." Student, Ava was interviewed for a podcast at the event alongside two important figures in the fight against AMR - CEO of ReNewVax Ltd Neil Murray and the Founding Director of iiCON and Professor of Tropical Medicine at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Janet Hemingway. Charlie and Henry from the BRI also recorded video interviews and audio from the event for the BRI website and social media and for a special edition of the BRI Podcast on the issue of AMR. We are incredibly proud of our students, thank you to Bionow for putting on this amazing event!
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Miss Allason's Maths Conundrum
https://ukmt.org.uk/
The answer to last week's conundrum was D.
This week's conundrum asks:
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Come back next week to find out this week's answer!
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Leave us a Google Review
We strive to provide the best experience for our students. Your feedback helps us improve and continue delivering quality education and care. If you’ve had a good experience with us, we’d love to hear from you.
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Leaving a review on Google helps others learn more about our schools and gives us valuable insight.
Liverpool Life Sciences UTC
The Studio School
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LJMU Student Finance Information Evening, Wednesday 5th March 2025, 6pm-7pm
LJMU is hosting a student finance evening in March to enable prospective students to understand the funding and support arrangements around study at university. This event will be suitable for students (particularly those applying for 2025 entry), parents and carers. The event includes a presentation which will demystify the student funding system and explain strands of funding available, register here.
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Marketing/PR/Media 2-day Virtual Work Experience, 3rd-5th of March 10am-2pm
Do you want to have the opportunity to experience the world of Marketing and PR and also Media with two different employers? Speakers for schools are working in partnership with Burson and Talk 2 Dan to bring you an exciting 2-day work experience in Careers Week. This amazing opportunity will give you an all-around deep dive into this creative sector with these two employers. Application deadline 19th of February, apply here.
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Edge Hill University, Ormskirk Campus, upcoming Open Days
These events are a fantastic opportunity for prospective students to explore Edge Hill’s beautiful campus, meet academic staff, and learn more about the courses they offer. Friday, 4th of July 2025, 10-3pm Saturday, 5th of July 2025, 10-3pm Register here.
Edge Hill Subject Taster Days – Spring 2025
- Law, Criminal Justice and Policing – Wednesday 12th of March 2025
- Engineering and Physics – Wednesday 19th of March 2025
These events give students a chance to explore their chosen subject, experience university life, and take part in hands-on activities designed to inspire and inform. To check availability and secure a spot, get in touch as soon as possible.
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Amazing Apprenticeships: Higher & Degree Apprenticeship Opportunities!
Amazing Apprenticeships has just released the January Degree & Higher Apprenticeships listings. There are over 2,400 vacancies from 80 employers including STFC, Bentley Motors, Airbus, AstraZeneca, BAE Systems, Amazon Careers & more! Click here to find out more.
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Youth Ambassador role vacancy
The Mason Foundation are setting up a youth panel which will include paid roles, and it could be great interview practice for students. For more information please email [email protected]
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The Writing Squad: Students interested in writing, free workshops and mentoring
Free workshops and mentoring in the North for writers aged 16-22. Closing date for applications is 31st of March. Click here for more information.
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Uptree half-term support
With spring half-term approaching, Uptree reminds you of its career-focused resources, making it easy to bring careers education into your classroom. From online courses to careers events, there’s something here to support all students on their career journeys.
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Amazing Apprenticeships – Webinars & Workshops
A series of informative webinars for teachers, careers advisers and parents that will provide an abundance of tips, advice, and information around the topic of apprenticeships. Each webinar lasts between 30 – 60 minutes and takes place on Zoom. Participants are required to sign up before the session and will receive an email confirmation and a reminder an hour before it begins. The webinars are recorded and shared with all registrants after the session, register here.
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Parent information sessions: Creating Careers Pathways
Designed to give parents and carers the information they need to help their young person find their best next step Each session looks at pathways into careers in some of the Liverpool City Region’s largest sectors and allows audiences to ask employers questions. Each episode comes with a downloadable information sheet containing key links to further advice and guidance.
View each episode here:
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Word of the Week - COERCION
Definition -The practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats. From Latin: coercere "to control, restrain" Usage - "our problem cannot be solved by any form of coercion but only by agreement"
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Vaping – We would like to remind you that we do not allow students to bring items such as cigarettes, lighters, matches or e-cigarettes/ vapes into school.
Zero Tolerance of Abuse - The NST has a zero-tolerance approach to abusive language, violence, aggression or harassment towards employees, governors and volunteers.
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