Pupils at local primary schools were last week treated to two action-packed stage adventures thanks to talented performing arts students from Windsor College, part of the Windsor Forest Colleges Group. Putting their own twist on the classic pantos, Pinocchio and The Wizard of Oz, the students delighted the young audiences with professional shows full of colourful characters and comic capers.

Now in its 14th year, the festive panto tour saw the College students deliver a series of 45 minute pantomimes to groups of between 40 and 300 children at various primary schools, including Marish Primary School, Ryvers Primary School and Eton Wick First School.

Both productions had all the elements you would expect from a classic panto, such as adventure, music, dancing, colourful costumes and plenty of audience participation. The tour was created as part of a module of the College’s Performing Arts BTEC Level 3 Diploma course and students have spent the term developing their skills in this area of performance.

Lecturer Natalie Jones said: “The response at every show was tremendous and the students thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The tour provides our students with an insight into what it is like to be part of a professional touring company, with some early starts, creating characters, improvising and adapting their performance to fit different spaces.”

The performing arts department at Windsor College have been visiting Ryvers Primary School in Langley on their panto tour for the last fourteen years.

Jane Alameddine, School Administrator at Ryvers School, explains: “The students from the College do such a good job, it is all very professionally organised and our pupils love the shows. That is why we ask them back every year. In fact, they now put on two performances for us.”

The College’s performing arts department has an excellent record of success with many students progressing onto successful careers on the stage and screen or behind the scenes. Former students include actor David Gyasi, who has appeared in Interstella, BBC2 drama White Heat and E4 drama Containment.

Windsor College is part of the Windsor Forest Colleges Group, which was formed in 2017 following a merger between East Berkshire College and Strode’s College in Egham. For further information on Windsor College and its wide range of creative courses, please visit www.windsor-forest.ac.uk/courses or call 01753 793000.

This apprenticeship is mainly for progressing from L2 site carpentry or a good knowledge of carpentry and requires you to be working in the industry, on a building site or in or on a domestic dwelling. You will learn various aspects around carpentry such as, prepare and install complex and often bespoke components, fitting high quality doors and shaped linings, staircases with turns and complex roof structures.

This apprenticeship consists of one or two days a week at college studying a variety of units such as: Health, safety and welfare in construction and associated industries, Knowledge of construction technology, Manufacture routine joinery products, Mark out from setting out details for routine joinery products, Prepare and use carpentry and joinery portable power tools, Produce setting out details for routine joinery products, Set up and operate cutting and shaping machinery, Understanding information, quantities and communication with others. This college day incorporates both practical and theory lessons enabling the students to learn the skills and knowledge needed to pass the certificate.
The rest of the week learners are working in the appropriate environment to ensure they cover these mandatory units; Conforming to General Health, Safety and Welfare in the Workplace, Conforming to Productive Working Practices in the Workplace, Moving, Handling and Storing Resources in the Workplace, Manufacturing Routine Architectural Joinery Products in the Workplace. They then need to pick one of these optional units; Marking Out From Setting Out Details for Routine Architectural Joinery, Products in the Workplace, Producing Setting Out Details for Routine Architectural Joinery Products in the Workplace, Setting Up and Using Transportable Cutting and Shaping Machines in the Workplace.

This apprenticeship consists of one or two days a week at college studying a variety of units such as; Health, Safety and welfare in construction, Principles of building construction, information and communication, Construction site barriers, Laying domestic drainage, Constructing foundations, slabs and paths in concrete. This college day incorporates both practical and theory lessons enabling the students to learn the skills and knowledge needed to pass the certificate.
The rest of the week learners are working in the appropriate environment to ensure they cover at least one of the following pathways to achieve the NVQ: Non-structural concreting, structural concreting, modular paving, laying kerbs and channels, general building operations, drainage construction, general construction and excavation and reinstatement.

This covers a range of units which include cold water and hot water systems, heating installation and maintenance of systems. The course also covers all the health and safety aspects related to industry.

This qualification is ideal if you are working in production engineering and have a great deal of technical skills and knowledge. You work with minimum supervision and have a good record of safety, fault correction and ensuring that work meets the required standard.

The framework consists of the following elements

• • L3 NVQ Extended Diploma in Mech Man Engineering
• -BTEC L3 90 Credit Diploma in Engineering
• -FS English L2, FS Maths L2, FS ICT L2 -Employment rights and responsibilities (ERR) and personal learning and thinking skills (PLTS).

This qualification is ideal if you are working in production engineering and have a great deal of technical skills and knowledge. You work with minimum supervision and have a good record of safety, fault correction and ensuring that work meets the required standard.

The framework consists of the following elements

• • L3 NVQ Extended Diploma in mechanical Manufacturing Engineering (Competency)
• • BTEC L4 HNC Diploma in General Engineering (Knowledge)
• • FS English L2, FS Maths L2, FS ICT L2
• Employment rights and responsibilities (ERR) and personal learning and thinking skills (PLTS).

Hydraulic principles and practice. Pneumatic principles and practice. Electrical principles and practice. Health and safety GOLA. Materials in engineering GOLA. Principles of maintenance installation and commissioning.

The Higher Apprenticeship framework for Advanced Manufacturing Engineering at Level 4 has been designed to provide the manufacturing and engineering sector with high grade technicians and engineers who have practical skills, combined with a higher education qualification