UTC Warrington students are celebrating receiving their GCSE and technical results this week.
UTC Warrington – which is Ofsted graded ‘good’ – is a technical school for 14 to 19-year-olds that specialises in engineering, digital and construction, with healthcare starting in September 2021. At the UTC, students complete technical qualifications and GCSEs.
Lee Barber, Executive Principal of UTC Warrington, said: “I am so proud of our students and staff who have pulled together and shown remarkable resilience this academic year. I’d like to congratulate them on their results and wish them all the very best as they progress to the next stage of their education.”
The UTC equips students with the vital skills that employers and the economy need, enabling them to go onto great careers. The majority of students have chosen to stay on at the UTC for another two years, to further develop their STEM skills and knowledge, so they are well positioned to secure top university places and apprenticeships.
Callum Prescott joined the UTC in Year 9 to study GCSEs in business studies, maths, triple science and IT. He is looking forward to continuing studying at the UTC in sixth form in September.
Callum is really pleased with his results achieving a grade 5 in maths, a merit in business and a grade 5 in sciences. He is awaiting his IT grade. He said: “I really liked being able to specialise in IT. My favourite project was coding Lego robot cars out of robo-technics. I did work experience whilst at the UTC with Cavendish Nuclear. We did team building and worked on a presentation about the company in groups.”
Talking about the skills he’s developed, Callum said: “I’ve developed in confidence at the UTC. We’ve worked a lot on speaking at interviews and with people higher up, and we’ve done lots of career prep too. I think I’m more resilient too, having worked on lots of different projects at the UTC.”
Callum has chosen to stay at the UTC for sixth form. He said: “I’m staying at the UTC to study A Level maths and specialise in cyber. The UTC work with Fujitsu and I’m excited to be able to work on projects like that with employers. That’s one of the main reasons why I stayed at the UTC.”
The UTC has prepared Callum well for his future. He explained: “It’s developed my confidence but also allowed me to experience the workplace. In future, I’d either like to go into an apprenticeship in cyber security or possibly university.”
To anyone thinking of joining the UTC, Callum advised: “I’d say it’s a good option. It was scary at first but it has opened up so many opportunities. You are all in the same position and you get to meet lots of new people and it’s really worth it. It has paid off for me.”
Nikola Nakrewicz has achieved GCSE and technical results including a grade 8 in art, a grade 7 in maths and a merit in her engineering design and manufacture. She said: “I’m really pleased with the results I’ve got. The teachers are really good and they’ve pushed me further than I thought was possible.”
She explained: “I liked doing all the extracurricular parts of the UTC too. We got to go on lots of trips to see universities, employer partners and career fayres. We worked with Jaguar Land Rover, testing fair ground toys in one of our projects, which was really exciting. You don’t get opportunities like that at your typical school.”
After sixth form, Nikola would like to get an apprenticeship in the NHS to do either nursing or midwifery. She said: “I’m really excited to go back to the UTC in September. I’m looking forward to doing tasks, having support with all my work, getting better and being the best I can.”
Students who have completed their sixth form studies this year are going on to a range of destinations including BMW, Boeing, Cavendish Nuclear, Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of Bangor, the University of Edinburgh, the University of Exeter and the University of Salford.