Great work from our Photography students – proud and pleased to see their work published as part of the JPM Annual calendar – pride and place on many a desktop in the area!

See the attached images from our Roaring 20’s Jamboree event held earlier this month.

Watford UTC is part of the UTC Cyber group, a collective of 20 cyber UTCs across England, supported and guided by leading organisations in this sector.

Schools within the UTC Cyber group deliver specialist cyber education, either within the curriculum, or as an enrichment activity, and build the capability to deliver a steady pipeline of young students with accelerated technical skills into apprenticeships, degree apprenticeships, and specialist degrees.

About cyber security

The cyber security industry is one of the most exciting, fast-paced, and progressive technological environments in the current economy. It is of critical importance to the safety of our country.

Government and industry are seeking highly-motivated young people to focus on cyber security skills.

What a Cyber UTC does for students

A Cyber UTC offers students the opportunity to develop these skills in a safe environment, whilst connecting with industry professionals and gaining an insight into the industry.

Students…

• can start on a cyber career from the age of 14
• gain access to leading-edge training labs and build a tech-centric CV at a Cyber UTC
• learn from industry professionals so they can also build their professional network, taking part in five technical workshops every year
• understand the many specialisms available within the cyber industry
• develop cyber skills in a safe environment
• have full access to Immersive Labs Digital Cyber Academy, as well as professional vendor qualifications where offered by the cyber UTC

You can find more information on the UTC Cyber Group website www.utccybergroup.uk

We were really pleased to host Watford Mayor, Peter Taylor this morning as he visited our students, staff and robots!

Last month, Watford UTC opened its doors once again for the annual Showcase event. The whole school welcomed their parents, guests from other schools, local businesses, industry partners, new students joining us in September and new applicants.

Our students impressed visitors with interactive displays and activities in the classrooms and work spaces, including; robotics in the VEX arena, naming countries in our Travel Agency, Escape…

…feedback studio in the Mac Suite with Media students, science experiments in the Labs, puzzles and quizzes in Maths…

…Wellbeing demonstrations in the Sports Hall, Modern Foreign Language displays…

… Year 12 Business hosted their Around the World event in Refresh Cafe offering food and drink from various cultures and cuisines, and entertainment including themed quizzes and a raffle…

…Year 10 students showcased their published novel ‘Feud of Fire’ with a set up from their launch event hosted by Waterstones Watford.

The students professionalism and subject knowledge made the event a success for the third year running.

Well done to our Year 12 Business students on the success of their event Shaken Not Stirred yesterday, and many thanks to all who joined us at Micklefield Hall and to those who generously donated in aid of our chosen causes DEMAND Charity and The Amelia Richards Fund:
DEMAND is a local charity that changes lives of those with disabilities through unique equipment solutions; and Amelia Richards is a Year 11 Watford UTC Student selected to represent England in Judo at the CP (Cerebral Palsy) Games in Spain this Summer.

Guests enjoyed a Prosecco reception at Micklefield Hall’s beautiful events venue, The Great Barn in Sarratt

Luxury afternoon tea finger food was supplied by Cucina, served alongside tea from Fortnum & Mason’s “Famous Teas” collection: Royal Blend, Earl Grey and Vanilla Nougat

Students also served signature cocktails and mocktails titled Spectre and The Golden Eye, specially created for the event in association with The Grove

Entertainment included Bangra performers, a photo booth and live music from the Watford UTC Band

Lucky guests won prizes in the raffle including: a Fortnum & Mason Champagne and Chocolates gift box; Men’s skincare from The Refinery and a father and son spa experience; and a signed Manchester United shirt

Thank you again to all our guests, sponsors, supporters and contributors for making this one of our biggest and best student-led events yet!

Listen below to guest John Darin of Heart Radio’s mention of the event in his drivetime show that evening:

The Watford UTC is delighted to announce a public masterclass with our physics teacher, Alom Shaha.

Alongside teaching at the Watford UTC, Alom is a writer and film-maker and regularly performs live science shows.

Book your free ticket at www.sciencevsmagic.eventbrite.co.uk and join us for an interactive exploration of the science behind “magic”.

Caption: These 5 students gained over 50 GCSEs between them, over 20 of which are at A*/A grade!

Following on from terrific A Level results last week, today we celebrated with Year 11 students receiving their GCSE results.

100% of our Computing GCSE students attained Grade A or B

Over 95% of all our students gained a GCSE equivalent qualification in Computing

Over 95% of all our students gained a GCSE equivalent qualification in our Specialisms of Travel, Hospitality or ICT – way above National Averages.

Over 95% of our Additional Science students gained a good GCSE pass score.

Lochan scored a 9 grade in Maths, putting him in the top 2% in the country!

Above National Average scores in the new English and Maths GCSEs too.

Well done to everyone!

Celebrating some great results from left to right – Lewis O’Shaughnessy, Paul Quinn, Fabrizio Beardwell

We are really pleased that overwhelming majority of our students obtained their first choice University Course today following publication of the A Level examination results.

With a 99% pass rate and nearly 50% of these grades being A*/A equivalent, our students are well equipped for their next steps to University, Apprenticeships and Employment.

It has been a real pleasure sharing in their successes today!  There are so many positive individual stories including:

Lewis O’Shaughnessy – Computer Science at Southampton

Fabrizio Beardwell – Physics with Astrophysics at Leeds

Jacob Jackson – Computer Systems (Forensics and Security) – Nottingham

Aspen Phillips-Bidzinski – Mathematicss at Loughborough

Sophie Richards – Photography at Leeds

Joshua Ross – Mechatronics at Leeds

James Wood -– Mathematics at Reading

Kushal Satra – Software Engineering for Business at University of London

Josh Keenan picking up an extra certificate for his participation in the Kyocera Kyocodes competition earlier this year on his way to University of Leeds for Applied Computer Science

Are you interested in a career in IT and Computing, Events Management, Travel & Tourism, Business or Media?

Attend our Post-16 Options Drop-in Surgeries after collection your GCSE results to see what the Watford UTC has to offer: Thursday 24th August, 12.30pm – 3pm and Friday 25th August, 10am – 1pm

No appointment needed, just drop in with your GCSE Results and speak to Emma (our Principal) or Paul (our Associate Principal) about options.