EVERY SCHOOL DAY IS AN INTERVIEW DAY AT LIVERPOOL LIFE SCIENCES UTC AND THE STUDIO SCHOOL
Both have an interesting career-minded philosophy that is at the heart of the education they deliver…
Liverpool Life Sciences UTC and The Studio School are two schools in Liverpool City Region’s Baltic Triangle, the creative district. They are part of the Northern Schools Trust and have an interesting career-minded philosophy that is at the heart of the education they deliver. We explore what these schools are about.
Liverpool Life Sciences UTC and The Studio School are two schools in one building.
Liverpool Life Sciences is a UTC. That means it’s a University Technical College, a government-funded school with a STEM focus. The school has aligned itself with the growing need for science and healthcare professionals in the region, particularly in the light of the Investment Zone. They work closely with employers to make sure their students have the skills that are most in-demand. These include life sciences businesses from Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine to Unilever and Sci-Tech Daresbury. Students at this school are pursuing a career in health, life sciences, engineering or medicine.
The Studio School students are planning a career in a digital world.
They are creative, entrepreneurial and passionate about technology. The Studio School has created an environment that inspires creativity and critical thinking. This is backed with industry knowledge from their partners in the digital industry across computing, games and animation. It equips their students with for employment, entrepreneurship, a new business venture or further study in the digital media sector.
So what makes Liverpool Life Sciences UTC and The Studio School different?
It’s the way the school’s run and their focus on the environment and way in which they educate their students. The environment is less like a traditional school and much more like a working environment. This focus is delivering results and the Studio School boasts the best art and design exam results in the city. In addition this year, Liverpool Life Sciences UTC and The Studio School students won six awards for their projects covering innovation, research, technology and medical science.
The schools take students aged 14-19 and deliver a secondary education that is designed to give them the practical skills, career coaching and real-world experience. “The beauty of our schools is that, yes, the national curriculum is taught, but it goes parallel with what we call PBL – project-based learning – which gives the students a sense of what companies are actually looking for, rather than just the theory,” Cristiana Costa, the Marketing Lead for Northern Schools Trust tells us.
At GCSE the core subjects are studied, but the choice of optional subjects is wider and there are specialised option choices to support career chosen career paths. Students are offered impartial advice to help them make their choices. Then project-based learning with relevant major employers support their studies in class.
In sixth form, students are encouraged to really specialise. This gives them a bespoke route into their preferred career, building a head start on students at more traditional schools.
Whichever subject combination they choose, students at Liverpool Life Sciences UTC and The Studio School are given access to a variety of Project-based learning, placements and masterclasses with major employers are still at the heart of the education being delivered. These companies are major players in the industry and include: AstraZeneca; Amazon Web Services; Ford; BAC; Sellafield Ltd; MAST group; Unilever; Next Gen Skills Academy; Sony; Creative Assembly and Lucid Games.
The ethos of the two schools is about preparing for work, from the subjects being studied to the environment in which students work. Students and teachers alike will tell you that the day-to-day atmosphere is more like that of a workplace than a school, with a busy, stimulating environment and a daily schedule of 9am-4pm. The schools’ mantra is ‘every day is an interview’ and gaining well-paid sustainable employment is the goal. This is even supported by the dress code. Sixth-formers are expected to come dressed for work, professionally presented, in smart clothes.
