British Science Week 2025 was an incredible celebration of science, innovation, and discovery across the Northern Schools Trust involving students from Liverpool Life Sciences UTC, North Liverpool Academy, The Studio Liverpool, and our Primary Schools Four Oaks Primary, Roscoe Primary, New Park Primary and Thomas Gray Primary.
On the last Friday of December 2024, the Northern Schools Trust welcomed all staff for the final CPD Day of the year at the North Liverpool Academy.
On the last Friday of June, colleagues and educators from across the trust gathered at North Liverpool Academy for a day of professional development. The CPD Day’s theme was "One Vision – The Future of NST," and designed to share best practices, and align on a vision for the future.
The day began with a warm welcome as attendees arrived, greeted by coffee and a breakfast spread. This initial gathering allowed colleagues from various schools to reconnect and catch up.
Nigel Ward kicked off the day with a heartfelt welcome and introduction, setting the tone with his emphasis on the significance of the trust's shared vision. Following him, our new Chief Education Officer Paul Smith provided an insightful session on "Our Educational Philosophy," highlighting the importance of fostering a nurturing and challenging environment for all students.
Paul Smith introduced himself and spoke about his journey from a student to where he is today using his early career as a case study, emphasising that a child's aspirations are affected by the roles you have in your immediate environment. He shared the importance of letting children expand their horizons and experience professionals in many fields.
Paul Smith, Mark Robinson, and Ian Mooney then introduced the "Raising Aspirations Programme," underscoring the trust's commitment to broadening students' horizons and empowering them to achieve their full potential.
The Northern Schools Trust (NST) Marketing Team recently hosted a group of work experience students from North Liverpool Academy.
Over five days, these students embarked on a digital marketing campaign challenge. They were each given a school part of the NST to focus their work on. Their mission was to create a fresh and engaging campaign to highlight their school's unique offering and attract new students.
The week began with an introduction to the NST's Marketing team and an insight into their roles and skill set.
Before they got started, the students were given a tour of the Contemporary Urban Centre (CUC) building home to Liverpool Life Sciences UTC and The Studio School. This was a brand new experience for the students and they were interested in the unusual location and innovative layout of the two co-located schools.
The students were then introduced to their challenge before diving into research about their school’s unique offerings and the local competitive landscape. They explored the school's website and social channels to identify what makes it unique, and they analysed what nearby competitors (schools and alternative education providers) were doing in their marketing efforts.
The focus then shifted to understanding the target demographic - potential students in the surrounding area. The students conducted a SWOT analysis to identify the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats associated with the school’s marketing.
The students also delved into the wants, needs and online habits of their target audience to determine the best platforms and messaging to use to engage with them.
Students who were given Liverpool Life Sciences UTC as their school chose to focus on popular social media platforms like Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) while students tasked with The Studio School chose to focus on live- streaming platforms such as Twitch and Discord.
