education plus 04 march 2014

1W

DP-E01-S4

2 POST-16 EDUCATION TUESDAY MARCH 4 2014 WESTERN DAILY PRESS WDP-E01-S4

Students taking their GCSEsin the summer will have moreoptions than their prede-cessors. With a difficult de-cision to make, many willfocus their minds by concen-trating on where they wantfurther education to takethem. Are they targeting aplace at a particular uni-versity? Do they want the nextcouple of years of study toleave them well placed tosecure a job in their preferredfield? Are they unsure about avocation and hoping to keeptheir options open?

In the Bristol area, there area growing number of sixthforms opening which are at-tached to secondary schools.

Students are faced with de-ciding whether they want tostay on at school in a familiarenvironment surrounded bytheir friends or go to a collegewhich may prepare thembetter for university life andgive them the chance to meetnew people.

Students taking theirGCSEs can now also considera new type of school which hasopened in Bristol – a Uni-versity Technical College. Thecollege, called the BristolTechnology & EngineeringAcademy, opened in Stoke Gif-ford last September and catersfor students aged 14 to 19 withan interest in a career in en-gineering.

To prepare them for life asan engineer, students work amuch longer day than most oftheir peers, with lessonstaking place between 8.30amand 5pm.

Another type of institution

coming to Bristol is studioschools, which are academiesdesigned to equip pupils aged14 to 19 with the knowledge,skills and experience neededto succeed in life and work.

The model has been de-veloped with employers, edu-cation agencies, governmentand other partners. Theschools offer academic qual-ifications, with studentsspending time each week inwork placements.

There are plans to create astudio school on the site of TheGrange School & Sports Col-lege in Warmley and at Well-sway School in Keynsham.

As well as institutions, qual-ifications are also changing.Education Secretary MichaelGove wants to alter the A-levelto make it more academicallyrigorous with fewer modulesand more riding on a finalexam. at the end of the twoyear course.

The International Bacca-laureate (IB) is becoming in-creasingly popular and can bestudied at more and more col-leges and sixth forms. Stu-dents are opting to take the IBfor numerous reasons. Forsome, the qualification allowsthem to continue to study abroad range of subjects andintroduces an internationalperspective to their learning.Others are choosing it as theybelieve universities are begin-ning to favour it over A-l eve l s.

Careers advisors will be onhand to guide students butthey have to grapple with a fewkey decisions themselves.

Cliff Shaw, deputy principal

at City of Bristol College, be-lieves taking a course with aview to a preferred career canprove to be a sound move. Butin this fast-moving digital ageit can be hard to predict whichindustries will have longev-i t y.

Mr Shaw, who has vast ex-perience in post-16 education,recommends researching em-ployment sectors which areexpanding.

He said: “Bristol is a citywhich seems to be boomingand there are all sorts of in-dustries associated with that –leisure and tourism, retail, en-gineering, digital technologyand visual arts. It has a greatcultural history, with musicand performance. I would sayto students ‘Have a look atap p re n t i c e s h i p s ’ when thereis growing employment.

“Think about the opportun-ities locally and regionally.T here’s Hinkley Point (nuc-lear power station) – t h e re ’smore investment going intothat than the Olympic site inLondon. There will be a wholemanner of skills needed forthat – from civil engineeringto catering and security.

It seems to be getting harder for school leaversevery year. Just when 16-year-olds think they havea grasp of the qualifications and institutions opento them when they finish secondary school, thegoal posts are moved. And this year is nodifferent. Marc Rath reports

With so many options youneed to choose carefully

CONTENTS

Abbeywood Community School ................ 4

Ashton Park School ..................................... 6

Badminton School ....................................... 9

Bradley Stoke School .................................. 4

Bristol Grammar School ............................. 8

Brislington Enterprise College ................. 10

Clifton College ............................................ 3

Clifton High School .................................... 7

Colston’s Girls’ School ............................. 11

Colston’s School ......................................... 5

Royal High School, Bath ............................ 8

St Bede’s Catholic Sixth Form College ... 10

South Gloucestershire and Stroud College..................................................................... 12

Warminster School ...................................... 6

CONTACTS

Advertising

Marc England 0117 934 [email protected] Pipe 0117 934 [email protected]

Editorial

Marc Rath 0117 934 [email protected] Edser 0117 934 [email protected]

“It’s worth being aware oflocal opportunities and what’shappening in the city. Bristolis creating jobs in a diverserange of areas – its food cul-ture and restaurants is out ofproportion to the scale of otherc i t i e s. ”

Apprenticeships are a grow-ing area for the college, whichnow has 2,346 in 150 place-ments. The college also offers28 different A-level subjects.

Health and social care isalso a booming sector for thecolle ge.

Mr Shaw said: “T here’smuch improved awareness ofthe care industry, which isgrowing because of the agingpopulation. There is lots ofinterest in childcare as well,which is popular and a grow-ing area.”

Mr Shaw, who was appoin-ted by the college in April,recommends school leaversvisit the colleges or sixthforms they are considering at-tending.

Mr Shaw said: “The bestway of making choices is ex-periential – going into theworkplace or college to sampleit. There is a greater choiceand more to choose from –there are open evenings andtaster days.

“A website or prospectus isone thing but talking itthrough helps form the de-cision.”

And he says there is a safetynet at the college for studentswho find themselves on acourse they are unhappywith.

Mr Shaw said: “We havesomething called a six-weekswap not drop. If young peopleare on a course and they sud-denly think the course isn’twhat they want, they have six-week window to transferacross to another course. Wecan give students advice andguidance and move themacross to the right pro-g ramme.”

EDUCATION ONLINE WITH THE DAILY PRESSwesterndailypress.co.uk

For the latest education news, from initiatives by Michael Goveto the secondary school league tables, from moves to ban theterm ‘dyslexia’ to the importance of school breakfast clubs toparents, log on to our website: www.westerndailypress.co.uk

Pupils must decide whether they want to stay on at school in a familiar environment or go to a college which may prepare them better for university life

‘The best way ofmaking choices isexperiential – goinginto the workplace orcollege to sample it.There is a greaterchoice and more tochoose from – thereare open eveningsand taster days’

Cliff Shaw, City of Bristol College

WESTERN DAILY PRESS TUESDAY MARCH 4 2014 POST-16 EDUCATION 3WDP-E01-S4

Clifton College

To help prepare students forexaminations in the summer,Clifton College will be holdingrevision courses from Mondayto Friday, April 7-11.

The courses target studentskeen to top up their subjectknowledge in order to max-imise their chance of exam-ination success. Courses focuson three specific areas:� Subject revision: coveringcommon areas, topics of dif-ficulty, and areas to focus onand revise. Students will beable to feel considerably moreconfident in their knowledgeand abilities.� Exam technique: under-standing that knowledge aloneis not enough, the coursesfocus heavily on how to in-terpret questions and writehigh-grade answers.� Exam practice: studentswill be encouraged to applytheir knowledge by answeringpast exam papers, improvingessay writing techniques andenabling students to experi-ence timed exam conditions.These papers will be checkedby the course tutor, identify-ing strengths and weak-n e s s e s.

The courses are made up ofsmall, intimate class sizes ofjust 10-12 students, with tutorsdelivering personal and inter-

For students taking two revision subjects on Clifton College’s revision courses, an option to board for the week is provided, offering students home-cooked and nutritious meals, and a variety of bedroom options

Summer ‘top ups’ toprepare for exams

active teaching methods andstudents enjoying one-on-oneat t e n t i o n .

With small class sizes comesthe worry that each studentwill be required to learn thesame topic, regardless of theircapabilities in that area.

The courses aim to eradic-ate that problem by encour-aging parents and students toinform staff beforehand aboutspecific educational needs andd e m a n d s.

Classes are taken by highlyqualified, experienced andmotivating tutors, who are notonly committed to deliveringresults, but are also experi-enced examiners.

Students can choose to takeone or two subjects over thecourse of the week, with eachsubject comprising 15 hours ofintense revision. For thosestudents taking two subjects,an option to board for the weekis provided.

Following dinner, studentswill participate in eveningstudy time, where they mayindulge in independent revi-sion in the library or consultwith the course tutors.

If you would like to book aplace on the Clifton CollegeEaster revision course, visitwww.ccsl-cliftoncolle ge.com, orcontact the course manager,Brad Clark, on 0117 3157 143, orbclark@cliftoncolle ge.com.

Revision courses at Clifton Collegetarget students keen to top uptheir subject knowledge in order tomaximise their chance ofexamination success

For further information:

0117 315 7143

[email protected]

www.ccsl-cliftoncollege.com

• A full range of GCSE,AS andA2Level subjects available

• Tutors with experience as examinersleading study sessions

• Individual assessments and coachingon exam techniques

• Advice in final preparations

• End of course report for parents

• Superb recreational facilities

• Residential stay available

Monday 7th - Friday 11th April 2014

Easter Revision Courses 2014

Prepare to achieve


Abbeywood CommunitySchool

Abbeywood CommunitySchool made further progressto consolidate last year’sstatus as one of the top twopost-16 centres in SouthGloucestershire last summer.

Abbeywood is a member ofthe Concorde Partnership,along with Bradley StokeCommunity School, PatchwayCommunity College andSouth Gloucestershire andStroud College, with whomthe schools share a timetable.Transport is provided for stu-dents to travel to other centresfor half-day timetable blocks.This has led to a significantincrease in the range ofcourses available to studentsin all centres and gives op-portunities for shared plan-ning and training for staff aswe l l .

Head boy at AbbeywoodCommunity School, ScottCousins“I am studying two of my A-level subjects at the Abbey-wood post-16 centre andthrough the highly successfulConcorde Partnership I studysport at SGS College. Last yearI surpassed my AS targets,gaining an A in maths in ad-dition to three B grades.

“A bb e y wo o d ’s fantastic A2results, a great ‘work hard,

Bradley Stoke School

Since opening in September2010, the post-16 centre hasgone from strength tostrength. Students learn in anew building with state-of-the-art learning spaces and ex-cellent pastoral care, whichensures each individual usestheir time as a springboardinto the future.

Working within the Con-corde Partnership, the schooloffers students the opportun-ity to study a wide range ofcourses in a way which suitsthem.

With specialist facilities, in-cluding dance and TV studios,pioneering music technologyequipment and a strong ITprovision, the school is ascommitted to traditional aca-demic subjects as it is to in-novative courses, which re-flect the modern era.

Last year, more than 70 percent per cent of the 2013 cohortsuccessfully applied for uni-versity or higher educationplaces. Again, this year, morethan 78 per cent have appliedfor higher education.

As part of a wide-rangingsupport system, each studentbenefits from the assistance ofa dedicated post-16 learningmentor. Although it is vitallyimportant to prepare studentsfor formal examinations, theschool also equips them with a

Sharing helpsschool be oneof best in area

Strength is incommunity and‘can-do’ mood

play hard’ attitude and a vastrange of opportunities haveenabled Abbeywood post-16centre to become one of thebest in the area. Please visitand judge for yourself.”

Head girl at AbbeywoodPost-16 Centre, FionaMor ris“I have attained excellent ASlevel results and have chosento continue studying in thishappy and friendly environ-ment, where I feel so com-fortable learning.

“I took part in amazing en-

richment programmes lastyear and have even startedrunning my own film club thisyear for the whole school. En-vision was a major charityproject for the school last yearwhere a small group of post-16students ran events to raise asubstantial amount of moneyfor a local mental illness char-ity. The post-16 centre hasprovided me with valuable lifelessons and skills that I willundoubtedly need when I ven-ture into the world of uni-versity and I will be foreverg rateful.”

range of essential life skills,from strong employability in adynamic job market, to theself-motivation and practical-ities of planning a life-chan-ging gap year.

Alex Shoferpoor, head boy,said: “I believe that one of themain strengths here at Brad-

ley Stoke is the cohesive, com-munity attitude with whichstudents conduct themselvesand the subsequent positive‘can-do’ thinking, something Ibelieve is reflected in the highlevels of student achievementand the friendly atmospherewithin the school.”

Abbeywood Community School has consolidated last year’s status as oneof the top two post-16 centres in South Gloucestershire last summer

With specialist facilities, including dance and TV studios, pioneering musictechnology equipment and a strong IT provision, the school is ascommitted to traditional academic subjects as it is to innovative courses

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT US AT:WWW.BRADLEYSTOKECS.ORG.UKOR CALL…01454 867940 FOR INFORMATION

DISCOVERYOURFUTURE ATBRADLEY STOKECOMMUNITY SCHOOLPOST 16 CENTRE

Fiddlers Wood Lane, Bradley Stoke,South Gloucestershire, BS32 9BS

Bradley StokeCommunity School

YOUR JOURNEYTO SUCCESSBEGINS ATABBEYWOOD COMMUNITY SCHOOLPOST 16 CENTRE

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT US AT:WWW.ABBEYWOODSCHOOL.COMOR CALL…0117 3075660 FOR INFORMATION

�e� �oad, Stoke Gi�ord, Bristol,South Gloucestershire, BS3� �SF

AbbeywoodCommunity School


Colston’s School

As they neared the end of Year11, Polly Woodbridge and JessGraham thought hard abouttheir choice of sixth form.

Polly, who lives in StokeBishop, Bristol, faced her de-cision in 2012 when she electedto transfer from single sexeducation to the co-education-al environment of Colston’sSchool where she is now in theupper sixth.

“I’d known for some timethat I wanted to changeschools for A-levels,” saidPolly. “After five years of allgirls I felt I needed to get backto a mixed school.

“Apart from the reassuranceof its academic record I knewthat Colston’s had a strongfamily atmosphere.”

Polly is studying Biology,History and Psychology at A-evel, and plans an Early Yearscourse at Birmingham CityUniversity in order to teachchildren aged 3-7 years.

“C o l s t o n’s have already en-abled me to gain work exper-ience at Henleaze Junior and

Good resultsand a familyatmosphere

Glenfrome Primary Schools,”she explained, “and one of thegreat bonuses here is that Ican gain classroom experi-ence at our own lower schoolwhenever I have free time.”

Jess, from Chipping Sod-bury, left her secondary schoollast summer to join Colston’s,following in the footsteps ofher brother Jacob.

He had joined Colston’slower sixth two years earlierand is now studying electricalengineering at LoughboroughU n ive r s i t y.

“I was settled at my previousschool with many goodfriends, but was worried aboutclass sizes and the fact that inthe sixth we would have totravel to another school forsome of the work,” she said.

In Year 12 Jess is studyingEnglish Language, Drama,Photography and Psychology.The school is currently help-ing her select from a range ofmedia courses at university,coupled with careers advice.

Polly added: “I have foundthat having a full time careersadviser at Colston’s is incred-ibly valuable. It makes such adifference to know that youcan talk one-to-one to anexpert in the school as often asyou need – it’s very much partof the sixth form experience.”

The school’s sixth form hasdoubled in size over the lastdecade to its current total of150 students. It says the in-crease in interest is due tomany factors, including itscontinuing academic success,its modern curriculum andthe ever-improving provisionof facilities for music, sportand drama.

Jess Graham, left, and Polly Woodbridge at Colston’s School. Both are full of praise for Colston’s, which theyjoined in the sixth form

‘I was settled at myprevious school withmany good friends,but was worriedabout class sizes andthe fact that in thesixth we would haveto travel to anotherschool for some ofthe work’

Jess Graham

‘Apart from thereassurance of itsacademic record Iknew that Colston’shad a strong familyatmosphere’

Polly Woodbridge

They could be considered in-decisive. But for a group ofstudents at St Brendan’s SixthForm College, a desire to keepall their options open was themajor draw of the Internation-al Baccalaureate.

The teenagers chose the IBas it allowed them to continuestudying a broad range of sub-jects, unlike A-levels, whichcall on students to specialisein three or four areas. The IBis an increasingly popularoption for school leavers andhas become a qualificationlooked upon favourably byu n ive r s i t i e s.

Internationally recognised,it is a challenging and well-rounded programme followedby students around the world.Until recently it was onlytaught in a minority of in-

International Baccalaureate students at St Brendan’s Sixth Form College: Maliek Curtis, Joe Pusey, Adam HinchliffWalz, Abi Miles and Phoebe Thomas

Programme followed worldwidedependent schools, but is nowan option in some stateschools. St Brendan’s is theonly state school or college tooffer the IB in the West ofEngland.

First year IB student JoePusey, 17, from Keynsham,chose to study the IB afterearning seven A*s in hisGCSEs. His six IB subjects aremaths, English, biology, chem-istry, Spanish and psychology.He said: “I wanted to carry ondoing a range of things. I likedthe variety of subjects with theIB. It’s hard work but I likeit.”

The IB is aimed at encour-aging students to think inde-pendently, and to explore theirc re at iv i t y.

At the University of the Westof England (UWE) there has

been an increase in applicantsstudying the IB over the lastfew years.

Keith Hicks, of UWE, said:“UWE was one of the first uni-versities to recognise a widerange of qualifications otherthan A-levels including the In-ternational Baccalaureate butthe university also recognisesthe achievements of those whohave other equivalent quali-fications from local colleges.”

Roseanna Cross, head of un-dergraduate admissions atBristol University, said: “T heuniversity accepts a widerange of qualifications forentry and the IB is now a well-established route to highereducation. In the last twoyears, we’ve accepted 200 un-dergraduate students eachyear who took the IB.”

Sixth Form

Scholarshipsand bursariesavailable

Registered CharityNo 1079552

First class learningEncouraging independence of thought and capacityfor self-motivated study

Bridging the gap between school, university and work

Producing confident and responsible young adults

Fostering imagination through performing arts

Tradition of excellence in drama and music

Strong sporting tradition – team sports andindividual pursuits

For further information contact Denise Sollis (Tel 0117 965 5207)[email protected]

Colston’s School, Stapleton,Bristol BS16 1BJ

www.colstons.bristol.sch.uk


Warminster School

Warminster is a first-rateschool with impressive pupilsand an excellent staff, writesheadmaster Mark Mortimer.

The ISI inspectors who vis-ited recently confirmed this inemphatic style.

Since my very first visit Ihave felt the warmth of com-munity spirit, the dynamic at-mosphere and the strongsense of loyalty and purpose.

It is an ambitious and for-ward-thinking school, yetproud of its heritage ande t h o s.

It is this mix that attractedme in the first place, because itresonates with my own be-l i e f s.

My educational philosophyplaces the individual child atthe heart of a school, with anemphasis on character, valuesand a rounded education.

Outstanding pastoral care isthe keystone of any successfulschool: a happy and securechild is far more likely to dowell, be that inside or outsidethe classroom.

All children enjoy, and aregood at, something, and as ch o o l ’s job is to help themfind and nurture it; a widerange of co-curricular activ-ities and opportunities istherefore essential.

Warminster is, and must

Caring school whereeach child matters

continue to be, an academicschool. Results are importantbecause they are the ticket inthe pocket, but they are not theonly measure of academic suc-c e s s.

An understanding of howchildren learn best and a focuson nurturing academic aspir-ation, a love of learning andintellectual curiosity areequally important.

As headmaster of Warmin-ster School I would like par-ents, both current and pro-spective, to consider what sortof person they want their sonor daughter to be when theywalk out of the school gates forthe final time.

What I would like for thepupils, as for my own children,is that they are well-rounded,well-mannered, self-confident,articulate and fundamentallydecent people with a sense ofduty, integrity and moral cour-a g e.

I also want them to possessimportant life skills such asemotional intelligence, per-sistence, optimism and resi-l i e n c e.

It is a great privilege toserve as headmaster and I amhonoured to have the oppor-tunity to enhance its strongre putation.

Warminster is an ambitious and forward-thinking school, yet proud of its heritage and ethos

Mark Mortimer: ‘My educationalphilosophy places the individualchild at the heart of a school’

Ashton Park

Choosing the right environ-ment and courses is a vitaldecision for young people.Here at Ashton Park SixthForm we are with you everystep of the way.

So what makes Ashton Parkstand out from the crowd? Theimpressive and diverse rangeof courses available enablesstudents to choose, specialiseand excel in the subjects thatwill help them in their future.2012 A-level results wereamong the best in the country(top 25 per cent nationally,ALPs analysis).

Students are engaged insuper-curricular activitiesthat build their confidenceand make the difference in acompetitive world. All takepart in work shadowing. forexample media students areinvolved in the Talent Ticketboot camp, business studentsare involved in the Shares forSchools competition and pho-tography students work along-side local artists at SpikeIsland. This shows universit-ies and employers that stu-dents are willing to go thatextra mile.

Head teacher Tessa Thomasbelieves that the successfultrack record in terms of sup-porting students to get intouniversity, including

Quality teaching andenriching activities

Oxbridge and the RussellGroup, is the result of highquality teaching and learning.However, university is not foreveryone, so her team invest agreat deal of time and energypreparing students for train-ing and employment.

Students are encouraged toget involved in a range ofextra-curricular activities loc-ally and further afield. Stu-dents regularly visit our linkschool in Kenya, tour thesouthern hemisphere to playsport, and Duke of Edinburghgroups are regularly out in themountains honing their skills.

Coupled with this is a thrivingleadership and volunteeringprogramme, with many of ourstudents developing confid-ence and enhanced skillswhilst on placements out inthe local community.

Director of Sixth Form SueCutts realises that it can be atough world for young peopletoday. She adds: “It’s our job tomake sure that we provide thebest education, delivered byskilled staff with great enrich-ment opportunities for all.”

This is what makes theAshton Park Sixth Form ex-perience so unique.

Student life at Ashton Park is an uplifting experience

‘All children enjoy,and are good at,something, and aschool’s job is tohelp them find andnurture it’

Headmaster Mark Mortimer


Clifton High School

A distinctive group of studentsleave Clifton High every yearwith clear ambitions andgoals. Many look outside thebox for their futures in ourever-changing and unpredict-able world.

Career plans range frommine clearance diving to cou-ture fashion; from musicjournalism and music therapyto the tough world of UK polit-i c s.

And with some of the bestreputed science and mathem-atics departments in the SouthWest, these careers always fea-ture highly in CHS students’sights; from neuroscience andpharmacology to veterinaryscience and software develop-ment.

Some take gap years to gainexperience through volunteer-ing or internships, othersmove straight into universitycourses or careers.

Whatever their choices, allare well supported and they goarmed with all the life skills,extra-curricular experiencesand academic successes theyneed to allow them to opendoors along the way.

The diversity is welcomedand appreciated by Dr AlisonM Neill, head of school, whosays: “There are no rules dic-tating what is right for every-one. Most important is thateach individual identifiestheir passions and chooses apath that will be driven byt h e s e.

“One beauty of the scale andpersonality of Clifton HighSchool is that we are able tohelp every individual studentdiscover what drives them,make their life-shaping de-cisions and bring their am-bitions to reality, be it via adirect route into their chosencareer, an immediate moveinto higher education or usinga gap year to increase theirexperience and consider care-ful decisions.

“Yes, of course examinationresults matter, but they do notdefine all that young peopleare or all that they will

Bringing out the brilliant in each individual

become. The road of life twistsand turns and our real learn-ing and education come alongthe journey.”

Making informed choicesabout education in the uncer-tainties of the current climateis a challenge for students andtheir parents.

Small class sizes, dedicatedpastoral care, excellent res-ults, attention and encourage-ment for the individual alongwith a myriad of extra-cur-ricular opportunities makeClifton High School an excel-lent option for A-level study; asixth form that realises thatthere is something brilliant inevery individual.

The Dish of the Day art installation unveiled at Clifton High School by former pupil Catherine Gray back in 2011,an example of the creative approach to education that the school adopts; top, a science experiment in progress

‘We are able to helpevery individualstudent discover whatdrives them, maketheir life-shapingdecisions and bringtheir ambitions toreality’

Head of school Dr Alison M Neill

0117 933 9087www.cliftonhigh.bristol.sch.uk

realising individual brilliance...

Find out for yourself:Open Morning: Thursday 12th June

Right from meeting staff at the

open dayat Clifton High School,

and ever since, our son and daughter havedeveloped in confidence and become

motivated & inspiredin their learning.


Bristol Grammar School

Recently judged by the Inde-pendent Schools Inspectorateas a “confident school whichmakes outstanding provisionfor pupils’ e d u c at i o n , ” BristolGrammar School is attractingmore and more students to itssixth form.

Director of sixth form,Justin Harford, explains:“Strong friendships and rela-tionships between students,their peers and their teachersunderpin our thriving com-munity. Students feel valuedand develop confidence, mo-tivation and aspiration.”

At A-level, nearly 83 per centof grades over the past fouryears were either A*, A or B,results which enable BGS stu-dents to go on the universityand courses of their choosing.Twelve members of the cur-rent upper sixth have receivedoffers from Oxford or Cam-bridge, plus one student fromthe class of 2013. Six are hold-ing offers to study at Oxford,

Royal High School, Bath

The Royal High Sixth FormCollege is a launch pad for lifefor young women. A-level: Ourresults improved yet againlast year with almost 60 percent of students achieving A*/A grades; 42 per cent of stu-dents achieved at least one A*and 13 students achieved atleast two A*.

These results meant thatjust under 90 per cent of leav-ers won places at their chosenu n ive r s i t i e s.

International Baccalaur-eate: Last year’s outstandingInternational Baccalaureateresults included five studentsachieving more than 40 pointsfrom a maximum of 45. The IBpoint average was 36, wayabove the global average of 30points. This is the only sixthform college in Bath to offerthe two-year InternationalBaccalaureate diploma, whichis a vital and integral part ofour broad sixth form offer, asan alternative study pathwayfor Years 12 and 13.

The IB is an internationallyrecognised qualificationwhich develops subjectbreadth and depth, a distinct-ive portfolio of personal at-tributes, an inter-cultural in-sight, key cognitive strategies,problem solving and inde-pendent research and writingskills that academic institu-tions and businesses demand.

But it’s not all about aca-demic success, as director ofcollege Andrew Melton ex-plains: “If you leave school,any school, with a string of

Communitywhere pupilsfeel valued

ranked the world’s sixth bestuniversity in the QS WorldUniversity Rankings, andseven offers from Cambridge,placed third. Fourteen offersfrom UCL and Imperial Col-lege mean the current total ofoffers from top six universitiesfor BGS students is an im-pressive 27. BGS is also rep-resented at the two institu-tions placed first and secondin the rankings, Harvard andMIT, with two Old Bristolianscurrently studying at Harvardand one at MIT.

A-levels remain central tothe sixth form’s strong aca-demic curriculum, encom-passing 28 subjects. The Ex-tended Project Qualification ispopular with students, offeringthem opportunity to showcaseindependent learning skills.The qualification is coveted byleading universities. and com-plements the depth of studythey achieve at A2 level.

Getting involved in co-cur-ricular activities is a key partof life at BGS. One afternooneach week is devoted to anactivities programme whenstudents can choose to tackle aDuke of Edinburgh Award orgain a new skill such as pho-tography. The school offers anextensive sporting pro-gramme, with another after-noon dedicated to individualand team competition or re-creational health and fitness.

Prospective students can re-quest a prospectus, book anindividual tour or arrange apersonalised taster session bycontacting the recruitmentof fice.

A launch pad for life for our high-achieversimpressive exam results andnot much else, then somethingis wrong. Here, among like-minded young women, it’syour chance to shine, to excelat the things you love doingand to use these two years as alaunch pad for your future suc-c e s s.

“As new technologies unfoldin the global workplace, it’svital that young women areempowered, not only to playtheir part in today’s trends,but to lead new ones.

“We encourage, motivateand support girls to see thebigger picture, to become ad-venturers and to value self-reliance and independence ofmind; self-discipline and thedetermination to outstrip ex-pectations and the imagina-tion and courage to take risksand seize all the opportunitiesahead of them.”

Royal High School, Bath, is the only sixth form college in Bath to offer the two-year International Baccalaureate diploma, which is a vital and integral partof our broad sixth form offer, as an alternative study pathway for Years 12 and 13

‘As new technologiesunfold in the globalworkplace, it’s vitalthat young womenare empowered, notonly to play their partin today’s trends, butto lead new ones’

Director of college Andrew Melton

A-levels remain central to the sixth form’s strong academic curriculum

South Gloucestershire andStroud College is a new collegeformed by the merger betweenStroud College and FiltonCollege, which give studentsmore choice and a wider rangeof facilities – Page 12

Lansdown Road, Bath BA1 5SZTel: 01225 313877Email: [email protected]

Nursery • Junior School • Senior School • Sixth Form College

CLICK. CONNECT.SHARE. LIKE.

Get social and join us at our nextSixth Form College Open Day.

Thursday 24th April 1pm – 4pm

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endships

Adventure

Learning

Life changing

www.bristolgrammarschool.co.uk

Open MorningsWednesday 19 March 20149.45am–12.30pm

Whole School

To book your place or to requesta prospectus, please callHollie Skerritt on0117 933 9885.

Friday 9 May 20149.45am–12.30pm


Badminton School

Badminton sixth form’s pro-active and independent ap-proach to learning, togetherwith small class sizes and thepassion and enthusiasm of itsteachers, ensures that the vastmajority of girls are able tostudy at their first-choice uni-versity, many of which areamong the most elite and com-petitive in the world.

Central to the philosophy atBadminton is its holistic ap-proach to education, as head-mistress Rebecca Tea ex-plains: “Our girls often saythat, despite having to juggleuniversity applications,coursework and preparationfor exams, the sixth form isworth the wait.

“They get satisfaction frompursuing their own specificacademic interests. At Bad-minton, applying their know-ledge happens as much beyondthe classroom as within it.

“The sixth formers arealways busy with their re-search projects (last year sawone of the science researchteam publish an iBook on mo-lecular gastronomy and thisyear one of our girls was awinner in the National Coun-cil of Women Great Britain’sNational Competition) and en-gaging with nationwide de-bates and essay competitions.

Holistic approach toeducation is central

Badminton students celebrate A-level results, though head of sixth form Kate Dodd says there is far more to the school than academic studies, and information events such as careers seminars help the girls choose their future path

“It is these aspects of theirsixth form life, along withtheir enjoyment of sportingmoments or House competi-tions they are planning, thatthey enjoy chatting aboutwhen I catch up with themover a supper or breakfast.Encouraging and supporting

our girls to develop as indi-viduals and to expand and ex-plore their ambitions, both intheir academic work and co-curricular activities, is rightat the heart of Badminton’se t h o s. ”

Head of sixth form KateDodd expands on this bysaying: “Badminton not onlyoffers a wide range of A-levelsubjects, but we also organiseimportant informationevents, including careers sem-inars, an ‘oppor tunities’ f airand a ‘skills for professionallife’ afternoon to help the girlschoose their path and explorethe opportunities open tothem.”

The sixth form girls enjoymore freedom and, con-sequently, more responsibility,which helps to prepare themfor the transition towardsleaving school and succeedingwith their university courseor gap year challenge.

Girls leave Badmintonready to face the changing andchallenging wider world and,when they do, they take withthem a strong network oflifelong friends developedthrough a wealth of sharede x p e r i e n c e s.

An open morning is beingheld on Monday, May 5. Formore information, call 0117905 5271, or email admissions@b a d m i n t o n s ch o o l . c o. u k .

The sixth form girls at Badmintonenjoy more freedom and,consequently, more responsibility,which helps to prepare them forthe transition towards leaving

Aworld-classeducation in theheart of Bristol.

Open MorningMonday 5th May 2014Badminton nurtures intellectual curiosity and challengesenquiring minds in a supportive community. Our girls’enthusiasm for the arts, sport and their many activitieskeeps the School vibrant – come and see for yourself!

T: 0117 905 5271 • E: [email protected] • @AcorntoOakBriswww.badmintonschool.co.uk


St Bede’s Catholic SixthForm College

Staff at St Bede’s will dowhatever it takes to help bringabout success and enableyoung people to walk tall, withconfidence. St Bede’s is an out-standing Catholic Collegewhere students are encour-aged and supported to achievetheir full potential.

There is a calm and indus-trious environment whereyoung people are valued, stim-ulated and challenged to de-velop all their talents.

High standards are expectedfrom, and for, all within ourcommunity. Students are en-couraged to strive for excel-lence in a culture whereachievement and effort arevalued and celebrated. The cli-mate for learning within thecollege is vibrant, optimisticand confident.

Education is studentcentred so that those whostudy here can become active,enquiring, critical and open-minded thinkers and, ulti-

Environmentthat valuesyoung people

Brislington EnterpriseCollege

Brislington Enterprise Col-lege post-16 centre is a small,friendly environment wherestaff know their students per-sonally and focus on buildingstrong relationships withthem.

Courses are carefullychosen based on the specialistand high quality teaching,learning and facilities in thoseareas. There is a range of dif-ferent courses that fit into theareas of work that are vital tothe economy today. While thecollege recognises academic

Helping students toachieve their goals

mately, responsible citizenswho will live lives of integrityand service.

The learning environmentnurtures academic achieve-ment, preparing students withthe necessary skills for futurestudy. They are expected toconduct themselves in amature and studious manner,enabling personal growth andcommunity enrichment.

The staff see it as their dutyto nurture students’ spiritual,moral, social and cultural de-velopment so that they willgrow in the knowledge that, inGod’s eyes, each one is uniqueand of infinite worth.

St Bede’s offers a range of co-curricular opportunities toenrich and broaden horizons,developing skills and talents,equipping the young peoplewith the resilience to meetnew challenges with confid-e n c e.

Students have open access tooutstanding and extensivesporting facilities and takepart in a variety of sports bothonsite and beyond.

High standards are expected from, and for, all within the community at St Bede’s. Students are encouraged to strive for excellence in a culture whereachievement and effort are valued and celebrated. The climate for learning within the college is vibrant, optimistic and confident

achievement is imperative, itappreciates there are manyother ways to achieve personalgoals and successes, and sup-port students in achievingt h i s.

The careers adviser is partof the post-16 team and helpsstudents explore all the op-tions available once theyfinish their qualifications. Aswell as organising work ex-perience, voluntary work anduniversity visits, students re-ceive help with job applica-tions, CVs and interviews k i l l s.

The post-16 area is a sep-arate community within BEC,

designed to stimulate and mo-tivate students.

There are state-of-the-art fa-cilities for the subjects onoffer, and a large commonroom and lockers for all theyoung people.

Students in post-16 educa-tion relish the close knit com-munity and feel content andhappy with their surround-ings, each other and theirt e a ch e r s.

To receive a post-16 bro-chure, for an informal chat, orto arrange a visit, contact dir-ector of post-16 Sara Hayes on0117 377 2055 (ext 2030), oremail shay [email protected].

There is a range of different courses that fit into the areas of work that are vital to the economy today


Colston’s Girls’ School

The sixth form at Colston’sG i rl s ’ School combines a tra-ditional academic approachwith a strong pastoral systemto create confident, independ-ent and resilient students whoare ready to move on to highereducation and into fulfillingc a re e r s.

Students from Colston’sGirls win places at universit-ies including Oxford, Cam-bridge, Exeter and Sheffield,on courses such as mechanicalengineering, medicine,modern languages, mathem-atics and law.

Science and mathematicsare two of our most popularsubject areas with excellentprovision and results and, asone of the students stated:“The science facilities aregreat here and single sex is areal positive as it is easier tofo c u s. ” C o l s t o n’s Girls’ S ch o o lhas a languages specialism,which opens up additional op-por tunities.

The school offers both a be-

Girls gain confidenceto pursue ambitions

‘The sciencefacilities are greathere and single sex isa real positive as it iseasier to focus’

Colston’s Girls’ School student

The traditional entrance to Colston’s Girls’ School on Cheltenham Road, Bristol

Many former students of Cityof Bristol College have gone onto enjoy successful careers.Among them is Michelin-staraward winner Josh Eggleton,who owns The Pony & Traprestaurant in Chew Magna.

What did you like aboutyour time at the college?We were able to cook a differentdinner every day for the collegerestaurant, which was good fun,and it was great to get thepractical experience, too. I likedthe interaction with the otherchefs and meeting new people.

Describe your role at thePony &TrapAs the owner, I’ve got a numberof roles. I direct all parts of the

restaurant so I decide thedirection we’re going in andhow to move the pub forward. Imanage all the restaurant staff,including recruitment, and I’m inthe kitchen all the time. Whenwe do weddings I do the menu,meet the couple, do whatever

needs doing at the event andwill help clean up afterwards.It’s a very hands-on role!

What is the best piece ofadvice you’ve been given?Work hard and work smart. Ifyou’ve got a good work ethicyou’ll be fine.

What advice would yougive anyone wanting acareer in your industry?I’d say be prepared for putting ina lot of hours and hard work. Ifyou can do that you’ll be fine.Don’t think it’s going to be awalk in the park because it’snot. The amount of work andthe hours you have to put inisn’t for everyone. You eitherlove it or you don’t.

Star chef has some ‘great’ memories

spoke Oxbridge and a medi-cine preparation programmeand provides mentoring andcareers advice, encouraginggirls to pursue their ambi-tions. Specialist teachers havea passion for their subjects, alove of learning and a greatdesire for their students toachieve well.

Another student commen-ted: “The teachers are muchmore helpful and supportiveh e re. ”

The sixth form is a smallcommunity, with its own basein a refurbished Georgianbuilding with university-styleseminar rooms.

The Year 12 and 13 studentsplay an active role in the mainschool and are involved in awealth of co-curricular andextra-curricular activities, in-cluding Young Enterprise,Green Team, Envision volun-teering, robotics, publicspeaking, Duke of EdinburghAward, music, drama, charityevents, and sports such askarate, dance and fitnesscl a s s e s.

Students from Colston’s Girls win places at universities including Oxford, Cambridge, Exeter and Sheffield

A language lab at the school

City of Bristol College old boy Josh

T. 0117 942 4328E. [email protected]

www.colstonsgirls.bristol.sch.uk

Yes l can... study my chosensubjects at the best universities

Colston’s Girls’ School Sixth Form

study my chosensubjects at the best universities

Yes lcan


South Gloucestershire andStroud College

South Gloucestershire andStroud College (SGS) is a newcollege formed by the mergerbetween Stroud College andFilton College.

These two successful col-leges merged in February2012, to give students morechoice, greater opportunitiesand a wider range of facilitiesfrom a single, larger college.

At SGS, we have three maincampuses – Stroud, Filton andWISE – as well as many localcommunity venues.

And we welcome around15,500 full-time and part-timestudents of all ages everyye a r.

We also have sites in thecentre of Bristol, at the Westof England Academy of Artand at the Bristol Zoo & Gar-d e n s.

Our campuses are based instate-of-the-art buildings in

In November 2013, grade 1‘Outstanding’ Ofsted trainingprovider Icon Training wereawarded with ‘Training Pro-vider of the Year’ at the ActiveIQ Active Leisure Awards. Fol-lowing on from Icon Training’ssuccess with apprenticeships,the logical next step was to joinforces with the Government toprovide traineeships in theactive leisure sector. ThereforeIcon Training are pleased toannounce the launch of the‘future proof your life’ and‘future proof your workforce’traineeships initiatives.

The traineeship programmewas introduced by the Gov-ernment in August 2013 totackle youth unemploymentand help young people take

nouncing that traineeshiplearners will now be exemptfrom the ‘16 hour rule’ wh i chmeans that young people aged19+ will be able to enrol on atraineeship and retain theirJobseekers Allowance.

The fully funded trainingcan take around 14 weeks tocomplete and includes specificpathway qualifications, func-tional skills (Maths and Eng-lish), high quality work ex-perience and preparation foremployment including CVwriting and interview prepar-ation. Leading training pro-vider Icon Training believethat the flagship scheme is ahuge opportunity for youngpeople in the UK and an idealway to gain the skills and qual-ifications they need to become‘wo rk - re a dy ’.

Mac Cleves, managing dir-ector of Icon Training, said:“We believe that young peopleneed a platform to help ‘f u t u reproof ’ their lives; the train-eeship programme is an idealway to do this as once thetrainee has completed theirlearning and work experiencethey are guaranteed an inter-view with the employer andhave a high chance of con-tinuing onto an apprentice-ship or employment, even ifthey are not successful theywill have a reference for futureemployment and it will lookfantastic on their CV. Withoutexperience it is difficult to geta job and without a job it isdifficult to get experience.Traineeships are therefore theperfect solution.”

Traineeships in lifeguard-ing, fitness and customer ser-vice are currently being pi-loted by Icon Training inBristol, Hampshire and otherlocations in England. Formore information, visit: icon-t ra i n i n g. c o m / t ra i n e e s h i p s

Traineeships provisionin active leisure sector

Merger sees studentsgiven greater choice

Young people aged 19+ will beable to enrol on a traineeship andretain their Jobseekers Allowance

19+their first steps into the worldof work. Icon Training recog-nise the difficulties youngpeople face in gaining any sortof employment without relev-ant work experience and qual-ifications and that is exactlywhat a traineeship provides.Skills Minister Matthew Han-cock said: “We have respondedto this demand by providingadditional investment, and intime traineeships will becomethe clear route for youngpeople looking to get the cru-cial grounding they need inthe world of work.”

The Department for Workand Pensions recentlyprovided further good newsfor the flagship scheme an-

great locations – Filton andWISE are within easy reachof the centre of Bristol, whileour Stroud campus is based inthe beautiful five valleys, inthe county of Gloucester-s h i re.

As a merged college we nowoffer a vast range of courseswith an even wider choice ofsubjects – from business tosport, engineering to perform-ing arts – we probably have avocational or academic qual-ification for you.

What is more, SGS has anexcellent reputation for deliv-ering work-based pro-grammes such as apprentice-ships, higher apprenticeshipsand professional training; so ifyou are after a practicalcourse that will teach you theskills you need for yourchosen career, you’ve come tothe right place.

Our experienced and pas-sionate staff work hard to helpour students overcome anypersonal challenges andachieve their career goals.

We are proud of SGS, andcommitted to making the newcollege the best it can be forour students.

A strong partnership withthe University of Gloucester-shire also means excellent op-portunities for students whochoose to progress on tohigher education.

South Gloucestershire and Stroud College is a new college formed by themerger between Stroud College and Filton College

South Gloucestershire and Stroud College offers a vast range of courses with an even wider choice of subjects

Educa ion

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education plus 04 march 2014

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