Castleford College Foundation Learning Newsletter Spring 2025 by Heart of Yorkshire Education Group

Department Newsletter

Welcome

Greetings from

the Foundation

Learning Department at Castleford College!

I am thrilled to welcome you to read our departmental newsletter. I hope you enjoy reading about the amazing things that happen within our Foundation Learning Department.

In this edition, you can expect to find a wealth of information. We’ll bring you the latest news from our department, keeping you up-to-date with current trends and departmental achievements.

Our main focus is to provide our students with the core skills and confidence which will prepare them for their next steps in life. That’s why we arrange for our students to participate in a rich variety of activities and experiences alongside their learning to ensure they can successfully progress onto their next steps.

We also believe in the power of real stories to inspire and guide and you will be able to read about some of our student success stories in this newsletter, including some of our current and former students. These stories serve as a testament to the supportive and innovative environment that Castleford College offers.

Students Practice their Barista Skills

Our students get to use and work in our onsite SEND café which includes a brand-new barista machine, recently donated by the Conservatory Outlet. Students are able to gain new skills and

Our current students recently hosted their first coffee morning where attendees got to enjoy a barista-style coffee and learn all about the delicious cakes before sampling some tea and biscuits!

Deborah Moss Head of Inclusion castleford.ac.uk

Hear from our Students

Zane

After attending an Open Event, I decided to apply for the FLEX course. I like the artistic parts of the course such as art, drama and music. We have been to Xscape and Leeds Museum which I really enjoyed too. After this course, I am going to study Art and Music at Wakefield College.”

Lucie

This is my seventh year at Castleford College and I love being close by, having friends here and my tutors are great. I enjoy going to the Arc to catch up on work and play games, and I’ve had fun visiting Castleford Tigers and the RSPB. I’m excited to start my placement working outdoors and in a café soon!”

Octopuses have three hearts

Two pump blood to the gills, one to the rest of the body. That last one stops when they swim.

Sharks existed before trees

Sharks have been around for over 400 million years. Trees showed up around 350 million years ago.

Lewis

I was previously home-schooled due to my autism but I’ve found Castleford College much more laid back compared to school. I am studying on the FLEX programme and particularly enjoy Maths, English and the employability side of the course. We have also learnt how to bake pizzas, muffins and biscuits and have been bowling at The Hut.”

Building Your Skills and Confidence

Our Foundation Learning students take part in a range of sessions and workshops designed to help you build the necessary skills for an exciting future career. Our students have been taking part in a weekly Preparing for Adulthood session, which most recently included a guest workshop from HSBC Banking where they learned about accessing online banking safely, avoiding fraud and making successful payments.

The Eiffel Tower can grow over 6 inches in summer

Heat expands metal. That’s thermal expansion at work.

There’s a species of jellyfish that can potentially

live forever

Turritopsis dohrnii can revert to an earlier life stage and start over.

You can hear a blue whale’s heartbeat from 2 miles away

Their hearts weigh over 400 pounds.

Celebrating our Students’ Successes

We love to celebrate the personal and academic achievements of our students at our annual awards ceremony.

Our Foundation Learning students held an entertainment-filled end-ofyear awards ceremony, with a party, buffet and performances from a range of students. The department handed out awards for each student to celebrate their hard work this year, alongside some special awards to mark exceptional progress in English, Maths and ICT.

OPEN EVENTS

FIND

OUT MORE ABOUT...

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT...

A LEVELS* FOUNDATION LEARNING

* Wakefield College only

WEDNESDAY 15th OCTOBER 5pm-7pm WEDNESDAY 11th FEBRUARY 5pm-7pm SATURDAY 15th NOVEMBER 10am-12pm SATURDAY 13th JUNE 10am-12pm EVENTS 2025 EVENTS 2026

WEDNESDAY 16th OCTOBER 5pm-7pm WEDNESDAY 12th FEBRUARY 5pm-7pm SATURDAY 23rd NOVEMBER 10am-12pm SATURDAY 14th JUNE 10am-12pm

All events will take place at Wakefield College and Castleford College

Events taking place at both Wakefield College and Castleford College