STEM enrichment

A gold-Standard education

in stem subjects

PRIESTLEY College offers some of the finest Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths education in the country.

We were the first sixth form college to be awarded STEM Assured Status – the UK’s gold standard for education in these subjects – and this status has since been renewed proving the college’s ongoing commitment to raising standards.

Here are some of the things that make studying STEM at Priestley special!

Go far with our

amazing residentials

You will go far with our amazing residentials in STEM. This year our Biology students were due to the Amazon Rainforest to conduct research while previous STEM trips include CERN in Geneva, Geography and Geology got close to their subject in Iceland.

Enjoy many

Memorable moments

STEM students enjoy many memorable moments at Priestley, everything from taking part in Maths and Science Olympiads to winning national competitions for their ability to design an app. Our Engineers have the opportunity to work towards securing prestigious CREST Gold Awards while in IT this year our students built robots that competed in a national competition. We also organise for numerous guest speakers, workshops and industry leaders to visit college. Each year we partner with Solvay to stage a science conference and one of the biggest STEM events of the year is The Big Bang, where experts in their field visit college with different tech including LEGO Mindstorms robots and drones.

Learn from

INDUSTRY experts

At the heart of our achievements are the partnerships we have formed with business, which are helping to give young people the greatest of opportunities
including lectures, work experience and expert advice. Partners include Sellafield, United Utilities, Colas, the NHS, Environment Agency, NNL and Solvay to name just a few.

Our partners in industry appreciate that Priestley is an inclusive college that gives opportunities to many students who might otherwise struggle to further their education after high school.

Our students are regularly awarded highly sought-after Nuffield Placements, which sees them carry out actual research in industry. Lucy was just one of those students…

prepare for a career in the

medical profession

Our Pre-Medical enrichment programme will help you prepare for further studies and a career in the profession.

We work with a number of key universities – including Liverpool and Manchester – who will provide you with valuable information over your two years at Priestley about how to secure places on some of the toughest degree courses.

Medical practitioners, NHS nurses and former students regularly visit college to discuss their passion and knowledge of their field of expertise.

Their talks will not only inspire you, but also demonstrate what is possible, especially when you hear from Priestley alumni.

For years Priestley has welcomed Fastbleep Schools into college who have guided students through resuscitation, suturing and first aid. An A&E doctor run workshops on how to correctly apply bandages.

prepare for a career in

Engineering

Our Engineering students develop real life solutions to production problems. In recent years teams from Priestley have successfully worked with top engineers from Sellafield on a number of tasks developing team work, problem solving and presentation skills.

Through our links with leading Universities our scientists have benefitted from practical demonstrations from leading lecturers from Nottingham University and Computing students have benefitted from our close links with the University of Salford.