Branson

Welcome to NTC and to the Branson Learning Community!

When a student joins NTC they are assigned a Community and will remain part of that Community throughout their time at NTC.  I am very proud to say you have been assigned to one of the best Communities, Branson.

We are inspired by Richard Branson who is a British entrepreneur and investor.  In 1970 he founded the Virgin Group which is now made up of 400 diverse companies.   His first successful business venture was a magazine called Student at the age of 16.  Would you believe Branson is dyslexic and had poor academic performance as a student!  On 11 July 2021, Branson travelled as a passenger onboard Virgin Galactic Unity 22 at the edge of space, a suborbital test flight for his spaceflight company Virgin Galactic. The mission lasted approximately one hour, reaching a peak altitude of 53.5 miles (86.1 km). At 70, Branson became the third oldest person to fly to space. He definitely lives up to NTC’s school motto ‘ Going Beyond’

My name is Mrs Severns and I am the Head of the Branson Learning Community.  As well as your Learning Coach who you will meet in September, you will also be supported by Mrs Snashfold, who is the Community Second and a Pastoral Support Manager. They will  be working with you and your teachers to make sure that you reach your full potential whilst you are at NTC.

We do lots of things together as a Community including Community Hour, Assembly, Inter-Community competitions and raising money for and supporting charities.  The competitions are Football, Basketball and whole school Sports Day.  During Community Hour we work in groups of mixed ages from Year 7 up to Year 11 and we find out about our environment and the world around us, as well as finding out about our bodies and staying healthy.  We also celebrate achievement in lessons during our termly Achievement Assembly.  If you have worked hard or been helpful to others, you may be nominated by your teachers to receive an Achievement Certificate.

Branson is also known as the Red Community, as that is the colour of our Zone and the colour that we wear during Inter-Community competitions.  The animal we all chose to represent us is the King Cobra, and this appears on our flag as well as the sports vests used during competitions.  This  links to the continent with which we have chosen to be linked.  Asia is the world’s largest and most populous continent, located mainly in the eastern and northern hemispheres.  With approximately 4.3 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world’s current human population.  It is bound on the East by the Pacific Ocean, on the South by the Indian Ocean and on the North by the Arctic Ocean.  Asia differs very widely among and within its regions with regard to ethnic groups, cultures, environments, economics, historical ties and government systems and we do like to research and learn about some of these countries.

You are now part of the friendliest and kindest Community.  We believe that as long as we work together as a team we can achieve anything. I am really looking forward to you being part of the Community Team and hope that you enjoy your time at NTC.

Yours sincerely

Mrs Severns