A group of Year 9 students from Colne Primet Academy have supported celebrity chef Jamie Oliver in setting a new Guinness World Record.

The Primet students were amongst 10,515 people who participated worldwide in an online cookery lesson, with the attempt covering six continents, 42 countries, and more than 500 UK schools. The previous record was held by the Partnership for Health in Poland, with 6,778 participants in 2015.

The cookery lesson was held by Jamie's chef Krzysztof Sumik, with Jamie also taking part.

During the online lesson, participants cooked up fresh pasta with a no-cook tomato sauce. After it was confirmed a new World Record had been set, Jamie said:

“We did it! I'm absolutely delighted that we’ve broken the Guinness World Records title for the largest cookery lesson (multiple venues) ever. It just goes to show what an impact we can have when we come together to celebrate the joy of learning how to cook. We couldn’t have done it without everyone who joined the class – so thank you, each and every one of you, and cheers to us!”

Professor Suzanne Rab has gone from performing in productions of The Card, Bugsy Malone and Guys and Dolls at Colne Primet Academy to donning a wig and gown as a barrister in London. 

Suzanne, who attended Bradley Primary School, was offered a scholarship to a private school to do her A Levels before attending the University of Oxford, Oriel College where she obtained undergraduate and post-graduate law degrees (BA, MA and BCL).  She has practised as a lawyer (first as a solicitor in international law firms and currently as a barrister) throughout her career and has also been a director of economics at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She has lived and worked over the world including in Brussels, Paris and Washington DC. 

Today, Suzanne practices as a commercial, competition law and regulatory barrister at Matrix, a leading public law and human rights chambers in London.  She teaches law at a number of UK universities and has public sector non-executive roles including as a Board Member of the Legal Aid Agency, the Press Recognition Panel and as a panel member of the Office for the Internal Market which was created post Brexit to advise the UK administrations on regulatory divergence across the UK nations. 

Suzanne said: “Primet encouraged me to believe in myself and not be limited by my background.  I grew up in a council house, my parents were immigrants, I received free school meals and was the first in my family to attend a UK university.  

“After Primet, I was offered a scholarship which further raised my aspirations. A lot of these were ingrained in me by inspirational teachers who went beyond the curriculum and who incentivised me to strive to do better. Perhaps it was the Modern Languages teachers who introduced me to French and Spanish who sparked my curiosity in understanding other countries and cultures and which later forged my career as an international lawyer. 

“Mine isn’t the background you would necessarily associate with being where I am today. I am proud to have attended Primet. Though I now live in London, I have retained my Northern accent, despite this being unusual – dare I say even sometimes slightly mocked in jest – at the English Bar. 

“I had very strong supporters from an early age and am grateful in that respect.  Whether my parents or educators. They raised my vision. They gave me the courage to challenge the idea that the so-called ‘elite’ professions were not for me. 

“My advice to today’s Primet students comes from experience of living and working in very different environments and countries over different stages in my own life. I encourage students to get involved in the activities and opportunities that are offered to them and don’t be afraid to try something new. You should be kind to others and yourself as building resilience will be necessary to get you through the tough times that come to all of us and take advice from those around you – they do have your best interests in mind even if it may be hard to see this at all times. Finally, have some fun!” 

Sonia Brownsett’s journey after completing her GCSEs at Primet has taken her to the an international boarding school in Norway, to the University of St Andrew’s at the same time as Prince William, to a degree in Speech and Language Therapy before a 20 year career researching the neuroscience of language. 

Sonia, a former Lord Street Primary pupil, earned a scholarship to the Red Cross United World College international boarding school in Norway after leaving Primet. Here she learnt to ski, scuba dive and kayak and made life-long friends from around the world. After returning to the UK, she began studying History and Anthropology at St Andrew’s University before switching to a course in Speech and Language Therapy at Newcastle University.  

After graduating, Sonia worked in London as a speech therapist before starting a PhD at Imperial College in Neuroscience. She has since spent almost 20 years working in universities doing research into the neuroscience of language. Sonia works with people who have had a stroke, epilepsy and brain cancer.  

She said: “I’m now living in Brisbane in Australia and leading a team in the Australian government that looks at the evidence of therapies, from speech therapy to psychology.

“I loved my time at Primet, especially the netball games and after-school sports, Young Enterprise and Whitehough Outdoor Camp in Year 7. Primet taught me how to learn independently, to take responsibility for my learning and to take opportunities that were offered. Growing up in Pendle, and going to school at Primet, made me a lot more aware of how disadvantage can impact a child’s access to education beyond school. 

“If I was to give some advice to current student, it would be to work hard, get the grades that you are capable of getting so that you have more choices about what you want to do next. Go and live in other countries if you get the chance. Ask for help - there are lots of organisations and individuals that really want to support you to achieve and access opportunities.” 

1,000 children from Pendle Education Trust’s family of schools met with a wide range of local employers at the Trust’s annual Careers Day, which was held as part of National Careers Week.

Year 5 children from Castercliff Primary Academy, Casterton Primary Academy and Pendle Primary Academy, Year 9 students from West Craven High School and students from years 7 – 11 from Colne Primet Academy visited the event, held at Primet.

The Trust’s sponsor, Nelson and Colne College, brought along representatives from all of its curriculum areas at the Nelson and Accrington sites, from A Levels to Motor Vehicle and Hair and Beauty to Engineering. They were joined by employers including the RAF, Department for Work and Pensions, Pendle Leisure Trust, Teaching Personnel, Taylor Shaw, Burnley FC in the Community, the Army and Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust to discuss the wide range of career opportunities available in their organisations.

Jude Evetts, Pendle Education Trust’s Strategic Marketing and Development Manager, said: “This is the fourth time we have held our Trust wide Careers Day, but the first that we have tied it in with National Careers Week, a one-week celebration of careers guidance and free resources in education across the UK.

“We’d like to say a huge thank you to all of the staff from Nelson and Colne College and local companies who gave up their time to share their experiences with our children, inspiring them to consider a wide range of careers.

“As a Trust, it’s really important to us that we encourage all of our children to dream big when it comes to their futures and it was fantastic to see them all coming away from the event full of inspiration.”

Pendle Education Trust has created a pledge of opportunities which all of its children will complete before they leave school. One element of the pledge is to explore careers so all children who attended the Careers Day will receive their Careers certificate.

After being named runner-up in the prestigious Further Education Tutorial Network’s (FETN) Outstanding Tutor of the Year award, a former Colne Primet Academy student is encouraging current students to work hard, dream big and never give up.  

Emily Whitfield, who attended Primet Primary before Colne Primet Academy then progressed to a BTEC Extended National Diploma in Applied Science at Nelson and Colne College. Emily then gained a BSc (Hons) in Adult Nursing at Edge Hill University before a career in adult intensive care followed by urology.

Emily, who stull holds an active nursing registration, then decided to retrain as a teacher. Emily enrolled on a PGCE at the university centre at Nelson and Colne College’s Accrington campus, obtaining a PGCE through the University of Huddersfield in 2022.

She is now Nelson and Colne College’s programme leader for T-Level Healthcare Science as well as the Industry Lead for Vocational Science. She is also Personal Development Curriculum Leader for Vocational and Technical Education at Level 2 and 3.

Emily said: “I have some fantastic memories of my time at Primet including of the teaching staff and the friends I made as well as the trips we had the opportunity to go on. My time at Primet prepared me for my next steps by giving me a broad education and helping me build on the fundamental skills I had. Staff at Primet also actively encouraged me to take the next step in my education journey.”

“Don't be limited by your background, or, where you think you belong, or what you think you can achieve. Aim high and don't let anyone tell you that you don't 'belong' in your chosen career or training.”

This is the advice of former Sacred Heart and Colne Primet student, Pip Matthews, who is now a Professor of Accounting at Durham University and also Deputy Executive Dean of Durham University Business School.

Pip’s best memories of Primet, where her Dad was a Deputy Head, were the passion and enthusiasm of some of her teachers including Mrs Blackburn for Biology, Mr Timberlake for German, Mrs Mann for French, Mr Boborowski for Chemistry, Mr Ashton for Physics and her Dad. Pip said: “I was quite an academic child and hopeless at sport and music and drama! Primet made me a self-reliant, self-starting, learner - and that made the transition to college easier. I also had some great friends!”

After completing her studies at Primet, Pip progressed to A levels at Nelson and Colne College before studying Law at Durham University. After graduating, Pip worked for PWC and then EY as a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax adviser in Cambridge, before moving into professional exam training for Chartered Accountancy exams. Pip then moved from professional exam education into higher education and ended up back at Durham University.

Pip added: “I'm really proud of my career to date and what I have achieved, going from a comprehensive school to a top UK Russell Group University and also being a first generation university scholar (as neither of my parents had the opportunity to go to university).

“University is not the be all and end all for everyone - if your skills are academic, by all means go to university, but also explore other options if they would work better for you - there are great apprenticeships and vocational qualifications out there too.”