Iftar is one of the religious observances of Ramadan, where members of the Muslim community gather to break their fast together.

Dear Students, Parents & Carers,

I would like to let you know the arrangements for Wednesday 5th July when some teachers at Connell will be taking industrial action or are affected by industrial action taking place at schools where their own children attend. Friday 7th July will be a Wellbeing Day and all students are encouraged to attend. This will not be impacted by industrial action.

Any student with a lesson on Wednesday will receive an email confirming arrangements for their lessons on Tuesday at 4:30pm.

We will be unable to confirm arrangements in a few cases – these students will receive a further message on Wednesday morning just after 8:30am when we will know for sure which teachers are taking industrial action/are impacted by decisions at the schools their children attend. We will send this by text and email and will also send a copy to parents/carers

Please note that any sessions with CITC coaching staff will not be impacted by industrial action and will take place as normal. 

Any student whose lesson does not take place will be awarded an attendance mark of X – not required to attend College for that lesson. Their attendance will not be impacted for that lesson. 

Students who normally have a full day of lessons may find that their morning or afternoon lesson is cancelled while the other goes ahead. They must still attend the lesson that is going ahead – failure to do so will be treated as an unauthorised absence. 

I would like to remind you that this is a national day of industrial action, in relation to a dispute with the Government about pay, which you will also have seen in other sectors. To be clear, this is not a dispute about the operation of our College.

I would like to remind all students to respect the personal and professional choices their teachers make with regards to this period of industrial action. 

Where lessons cannot take place, students will be directed to work independently. 

Some teachers may set specific work, others will expect students to choose how best to study on this day. 

If a student is not sure what to do during a cancelled lesson, revisiting previous lessons or assessments is always beneficial. Alternatively, students could use the time for research on university courses, apprenticeships, work experience or volunteering opportunities (see the Friday Notes for the latest information)

The College will be fully open to students who wish to come to College to study. The refectory, free college meals and all our usual pastoral support will be fully operational.

If you have an urgent question or concern, please contact us by email to info@connell.ac.uk.

Best wishes

Emma Soper

Principal

Come and join us as we host a party to celebrate reaching this milestone. 

We’re inviting alumni, former/existing staff and other key stakeholders. You’ll be able to mingle with former students and staff (and you can bring a plus one if you’d like). 

There’ll be speeches, presentations, videos, snacks, drinks, music and more…

When: Thursday 14 September 2023, 5-7pm

Where: Connell Co-op College, 301 Alan Turing Way, Manchester M11 3BS

RSVP to let us know if you can make it.

Do you have any ideas for the event? Or any photos, videos or other memories from your time at Connell that you’d like to share? Share them with us by email (comms@connell.ac.uk).

Jess studied BTEC Sport & Exercise Science at Connell, alongside playing for MCFC. She achieved D*D*D*, which is the top grade, as well as attending training and being a committed footballer. She said that she always knew she needed to focus at college and ensure she completed all her assignments to achieve the best grades possible. Football is not a guaranteed career, and she explained how important it was for her to have a back-up plan for the future. With her qualification, she will be able to go to university if she wants to, and study to be a nutritionist or go into sport rehab.

Jess told us about her football journey from playing initially at Hull as a child and teenager, to moving to MCFC when she was only 16. She had the opportunity to apply for a scholarship to the USA to play football there after she finished college, but ultimately she decided to stay at MCFC. Although she was on the first team, she was not regularly playing in matches and felt she was unable to improve. She was given the chance to go on loan to Everton, where she is currently playing, and will go back to MCFC at the end of the season. Since being at Everton, her performances have improved, and has now been called to represent England as a Lioness!

Jess spoke about all the careers in sport that are available, and how essential they are in supporting professional athletes. She said that the best football clubs have the best staff – including nutritionists, coaches and recovery staff. Sport Scientists work with athletes every day as coaches and trainers in the gym. Jess also works with a Sport Psychologist to ensure her mental health stays strong and she is able to stay positive and focus on her performance. 

Jess told us about playing in the Everton/Liverpool derby in March this year, and how amazing the environment was. She said the stadium was packed and there was such positive energy from the fans of both teams, with both sides congratulating her when she scored. 

Jess finished by giving some important advice to the students about social media. As a footballer, she often receives negative comments and trolling. She said that she doesn’t even read them, because other people’s opinions don’t matter. The most important thing is that you believe in yourself and you know you are doing the right thing. 

This is a fantastic achievement as there were over 6,500 applicants for a course that holds around 50 places. 

Josh explains the application process:

“I doubted myself at first, I thought I’d be at a disadvantage as some people already had degrees, and others were much older than me. I was the youngest in my interview group, so I thought that may count against me.

“We all had to complete assessments, and out of the 12 people in my group, only six of us  got offered a full interview after it. It was scary, as they took you into a room and told you one by one what was going to happen next.

“I was the last to be interviewed. This was the part that made me most nervous, as people before me were coming out of the interview room full of nerves, not knowing If they did well or not. Every interview was different.

“I was interviewed by the person who runs the course alongside a service-user, who had used the service for 20+ years. I was asked lots of questions to test my knowledge of the service, its structure and how it put its patients first in all aspects of care. I was asked questions about my personality, background and why I wanted to become a paramedic. 

“It took 16 weeks for them to get back to me and offer me a place. I was overwhelmed as I know how high demand the course is, with only 50 places for thousands of applicants. By far one of my greatest achievements in my life. I doubted myself, but pushed through until the end and was rewarded with a place.”

Great job Josh!

Dear Students, Parents & Carers,

Following the information that I provided last month I would like to let you know the arrangements for Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th March when some teachers at Connell will be taking industrial action or are affected by industrial action taking place at schools where their own children attend. 

Any student with a lesson on Wednesday will receive an email confirming arrangements for their lessons on Tuesday at 4:30pm. Any student with a lesson on Thursday will receive an email confirming arrangements for their lessons on Wednesday at 4:30pm.Copies will also be sent to parents and carers.

We will be unable to confirm arrangements in a few cases – these students will receive a further message on Wednesday/Thursday morning just after 8:30am when we will know for sure which teachers are taking industrial action/are impacted by decisions at the schools their children attend. We will send this by text and email and will also send a copy to parents/carers

Please note that any sessions with CITC coaching staff will not be impacted by industrial action and will take place as normal. 

Any student whose lesson does not take place will be awarded an attendance mark of X – not required to attend College for that lesson. Their attendance will not be impacted for that lesson. 

Students who normally have a full day of lessons may find that their morning or afternoon lesson is cancelled while the other goes ahead. They must still attend the lesson that is going ahead – failure to do so will be treated as an unauthorised absence. 

I would like to remind you that this is a national day of industrial action, in relation to a dispute with the Government about pay, which you will also have seen in other sectors. To be clear, this is not a dispute about the operation of our College.

I would like to remind all students to respect the personal and professional choices their teachers make with regards to this period of industrial action. 

Where lessons cannot take place, students will be directed to work independently. 

Some teachers may set specific work, others will expect students to choose how best to study on this day. 

If a student is not sure what to do during a cancelled lesson, revisiting previous lessons or assessments is always beneficial. Alternatively, students could use the time for research on university courses, apprenticeships, work experience or volunteering opportunities (see the Friday Notes for the latest information)

The College will be fully open to students who wish to come to College to study. The refectory, free college meals and all our usual pastoral support will be fully operational.

If you have an urgent question or concern, please contact us by email to info@connell.ac.uk 

Emma Soper

Principal

Dear Students, Parents & Carers

Following the information that I provided last month I would like to let you know the arrangements for Tuesday 28 February when some teachers at Connell will be taking industrial action or are affected by industrial action taking place at schools where their own children attend. 

Any student with a lesson on Tuesday will receive an email confirming arrangements for their lessons on Monday at 4.30pm. Copies will also be sent to parents and carers.

We will be unable to confirm arrangements in a few cases – these students will receive a further message on Tuesday morning just after 8.30am when we will know for sure which teachers are taking industrial action/are impacted by decisions at the schools their children attend. We will send this by text and email and will also send a copy to parents/carers.

Please note that any sessions with CITC coaching staff will not be impacted by industrial action and will take place as normal. 

Any student whose lesson does not take place will be awarded an attendance mark of X – not required to attend College for that lesson. Their attendance will not be impacted for that lesson. 

Students who normally have a full day of lessons may find that their morning or afternoon lesson is cancelled while the other goes ahead. They must still attend the lesson that is going ahead – failure to do so will be treated as an unauthorised absence. 

I would like to remind you that this is a national day of industrial action, in relation to a dispute with the Government about pay, which you will also have seen in other sectors. To be clear, this is not a dispute about the operation of our College.

I would like to remind all students to respect the personal and professional choices their teachers make with regards to this period of industrial action. 

Where lessons cannot take place, students will be directed to work independently. 

Some teachers may set specific work, others will expect students to choose how best to study on this day. 

If a student is not sure what to do during a cancelled lesson, revisiting previous lessons or assessments is always beneficial. Alternatively, students could use the time for research on university courses, apprenticeships, work experience or volunteering opportunities (see the Friday Notes for the latest information)

The College will be fully open to students who wish to come to College to study. The refectory, free college meals and all our usual pastoral support will be fully operational.

If you have an urgent question or concern, please contact us by email to info@connell.ac.uk.

Dear Students, Parents & Carers,

Following the information that I provided last week, I would like to let you know the arrangements for Wednesday 1 February when some teachers will be taking industrial action (or are affected by industrial action taking place at schools where their own children attend). 

Any student with a Wednesday lesson will receive an email on Tuesday at 4.30pm confirming their arrangements. Copies will also be sent to parents and carers.

We will be unable to confirm arrangements in a few cases – these students will receive a further message on Wednesday morning just after 8.30am when we will know for sure which teachers are taking industrial action/are impacted by decisions at the schools their children attend. We will send this by text and email and we will also send a copy to parents/carers.

Please note that any sessions with CITC coaching staff will not be impacted by industrial action and will take place as normal.

Any student whose lesson does not take place will be awarded an attendance mark of X – not required to attend college for that lesson. Their attendance will not be impacted for that lesson. 

Students who normally have a full day of lessons may find that their morning or afternoon lesson is cancelled while the other goes ahead. They must still attend the lesson that is going ahead – failure to do so will be treated as an unauthorised absence. 

I would like to remind you that this is a national day of industrial action, in relation to a dispute with the Government about pay, which also includes other sectors. To be clear, this is not a dispute about the operation of our college.

I would ask all students to respect their teachers’ personal and professional choices in regards to this period of industrial action. 

Where lessons cannot take place, students will be directed to work independently. 

Some teachers may set specific work, others will expect students to choose how best to study on this day. 

If a student is not sure what to do during a cancelled lesson, revisiting previous lessons or assessments is always beneficial. Alternatively, students could use the time to research university courses, apprenticeships, work experience or volunteering opportunities (see the Friday Notes for the latest information).

College will be fully open to students who wish to come into study. The refectory, free college meals and all our usual pastoral support will be fully operational.

The next planned date for industrial action is Tuesday 28 February. I will be in touch again nearer the time to confirm arrangements for this date but I expect them to be very similar to those in place for this week.

If you have an urgent question or concern, please contact us by email to info@connell.ac.uk.

Make sure you follow our social media channels to see these updates (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn – #10YearsOfConnell).

We’re planning a celebratory event for later in the year. More details coming soon…

CALLING ALL ALUMNI

We want former students and staff to share their photos, videos and memories with us. Send them to comms@connell.ac.uk.

Find out more on our 10 Years of Connell webpage.