New and returning students have been breaking the ice, making new friends and getting a taste of the skills they will develop on their courses during a lively first week back at West Nottinghamshire College.
T Level in Education and Childcare students take on a fun team-building balloon chair challenge
From building bamboo bridges and balloon chairs to creating scarecrows, experimenting with global cuisine and taking part in "Dragon's Den"-style challenges, students across the college have enjoyed a packed programme of activities designed to help them settle into the new academic year.
The first full week saw curriculum teams put learning aside from the traditional timetable to give students opportunities to get to know their classmates and tutors, become familiar with their surroundings and build confidence through practical challenges, teamwork and problem-solving.
For many students – particularly those joining the college for the first time – the activities provided a relaxed introduction to college life while giving them an insight into the skills and knowledge they will develop over the coming year.
In catering, Level 1 students put their taste buds and numeracy skills to the test by comparing well-known branded products with supermarket alternatives. They considered differences in weight, price, quality and taste, before calculating potential savings and discussing how purchasing decisions and value for money relate to working in a professional kitchen.
Philip Hartshorn (left) and Rebecca Gascoigne (right) from the Beginners Certificate in Food Preparation and Cooking learnt more about testing different food brands with chef production teacher Mark Jones (centre).
They also explored foods and dishes from countries around the world, discovering the variety of cuisines and career avenues that their catering studies could lead them towards.
Assistant storekeeper in the college’s Refined restaurant introduced students to a range of fruit and veg in the ‘What’s in the Box?’ challenge.
At the Old Brewery construction campus, students wasted no time getting hands-on. Budding plasterers set up tools and equipment before preparing a solid wall and attempting a basecoat of sand and lime, while carpentry and joinery students prepared work areas, identified tools and practised cutting basic wood joints. Bricklaying students put their developing skills to work by constructing brick pyramids.
Teaching head of the Old Brewery construction campus Jamie Higgins measuring plaster board with new student Oliver Thomas-Nicholls.
Students Jack Burrell (left) and Kane Deabill getting to grips with the tools for the Beginners Certificate in Carpentry and Joinery.
Meanwhile, T Level Surveying and Design students at Mansfield Ambition Exchange were challenged to create bridges from bamboo sticks and straws which could successfully carry a 10g weight.
Student Lily Litchfield said: "This kind of challenge is great because it's got us all talking to each other – students who have never met before – and it's helping us to break down communication barriers, get to know each other and work effectively on a construction-based project.
"It's a really good welcome into college and the classroom."
T Level Survey and Design students Emily Coupe, Ciprian Calimanus and Lily Litchfield were tasked to build a bridge from bamboo slats, to withstand a small weight.
Communication was also firmly on the agenda for health and social care students, who worked together to construct pyramids, towers and buildings from paper straws and tape. They faced another unusual challenge when they had to work out each other's birthdays without speaking, relying entirely on mime, body language and hand signals.
Health and social care student Milly Merrington joined classmates on the straw structure building exercise.
There was plenty of laughter among early years students when teams were tasked with creating chairs entirely from balloons. Their creations faced the ultimate test when teacher Amanda Johnson attempted to sit on them to discover which design was the sturdiest.
Early years teacher Amanda Johnson tested the students’ balloon chairs.
Students also designed birthday cards, tried their hand at juggling and storyboarded popular nursery rhymes, helping to familiarise themselves with the stories and activities they could one day use when working with young children.
Beauty therapy students enjoyed an equally creative introduction to their studies, learning waxing techniques and practising facials in pairs, including superficial eye and lip cleansing. For their ice-breaker, they were challenged to create bridal looks using only tape and toilet roll – resulting in some imaginative designs.
Students on the Intermediate Certificate in Beauty Services joined in the creative ice-breaker to make wedding dresses from tissue paper.
Intermediate in Beauty Services students Lexie Wood (therapist) and Kelsey-Mae Lochead (model) practiced eye and lip cleanses on each other.
Level 3 hairdressing students got straight down to practical work on mannequin heads, developing techniques for straightening Afro-Caribbean hair using the appropriate tools. They also experimented with creating their own hair colours and practised shampooing and blow-drying techniques on one another.
Abbey Defer was one of the Advanced Diploma in Women’s Hairdressing students who were practicing straightening Afro-Caribbean hair.
Business students found themselves in a boardroom-style activity as they delivered "Dragon's Den"-style pitches to their classmates, developing ideas for products and considering everything from pricing and styling to how they would market them to customers.
A scavenger hunt around Mansfield Ambition Exchange also helped them become familiar with their new surroundings while getting to know their classmates.
Animal care students combined learning with some friendly competition through their "Five Welfare challenges", using various team building and problem-solving activities to make the five welfare needs, contained within animal welfare legislation, memorable.
Back in the classroom, their creativity was unleashed with a scarecrow-making competition. Their colourful creations included interpretations of Sir David Attenborough and Jeremy Clarkson – as well as some familiar members of the teaching team.
The winning scarecrow will go on to represent the college at the annual Southwell Ploughing Match later this month.
Animal care students’ scarecrow creations will see a winning design entered into Southwell’s annual ploughing match competition.
Vice principal for quality and curriculum Diane Booth said: "The first few days of college is a big step and can feel daunting, particularly for students who are entering a new environment and may not know anybody in their class. That's why activities like these are such an important part of welcoming them to college
"They give students a relaxed and enjoyable way to start conversations, build relationships and find their feet, while at the same time introducing some of the practical skills, teamwork and problem-solving that will be part of their course.
"Returning to a timetable after the summer – or starting college for the very first time – is a big transition, so we want students to have the opportunity to grow in confidence and feel comfortable in their surroundings and make new friends.
"Most importantly, these first few days help them to understand that they are part of a supportive college community and that their teachers and wider support teams are here to help them throughout their journey with us."