Spring newsletter 2017

Spring Newsletter

2017

Principal’s Welcome Dear friends,

As we approach the halfway point in the academic year, this is a great time to look back on what has already been an amazing year for Blackpool Sixth. We started the year with a fantastic boost from the summer’s brilliant exam results. We celebrated our new status as a STEM Assured college with a very memorable evening with Lord Winston as our guest. We then had a wonderful run-up to Christmas with the extraordinary success of our charity single ‘A Christmas Miracle’. This was then followed by the news that we have been shortlisted for the TES Sixth Form College of the Year and confirmation in the performance tables that we are the highest performing post-16 provider on the Fylde Coast.

We are looking forward to sharing even more great news, this year. We are rightly proud of all of our students and of our hard-working staff who make successes like the ones listed above possible. I hope you enjoy reading more about these stories and others in this newsletter.

Top of the Fylde for Value-Added Students and staff at Blackpool Sixth are celebrating further success in the 16 to 18 performance tables published in January 2017.

Our ‘value-added’ scores for both A levels and BTECs rose, showing that our students are making excellent progress during their time with us - better than students at any other college or school sixth form in the Fylde Coast area.

The college is also delighted by the achievements of its cohort of GCSE English and maths students. The proportion of students gaining C or above in these crucial subjects was significantly above national averages.

Best Sixth Form College shortlisting

Blackpool Sixth is in the running for one of the most coveted awards in the sixth form sector - ‘best sixth form college’ in the TES FE Awards 2017. We were selected on the basis of our work in building futures not only for our own students but for future generations of students through our school and community links.

The awards evening will be held on Friday 24th February at a glittering awards ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

Lord Winston praises Blackpool Sixth Professor Lord Robert Winston, one of the leading figures in British science praised Blackpool Sixth for its inspiring work in STEM education. Lord Winston was the guest of honour at an evening held in November at Blackpool Sixth to celebrate the college having received a major award for its science, technology, engineering and maths provision.

In July last year, the college was awarded STEM Assured status by the STEM Foundation. Launched in 2010, STEM Assured is the only standard that provides independent, industry-backed validation of the quality of an institution’s work in this important field.

In his entertaining and highly insightful speech, Lord Winston praised Blackpool Sixth’s work in STEM education and the way the college encourages students to combine science subjects with subjects from the arts and humanities. He said this approach was ‘absolutely right’ and added that there was ‘a fantastic buzz’ about the college.

The celebration evening, entitled ‘Building Futures in STEM’ was attended by over 200 guests from the educational, science and business community as well as school, college and university students.

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TV historian enthralls classics students Celebrated TV historian Professor Michael Wood brought ancient history to life for Blackpool Sixth students when he gave a talk at the college about the campaigns and lasting legacy of Alexander the Great.

His visit in November was a real coup for the college as the historian and broadcaster has a stellar reputation for engaging and ground-breaking documentaries for television including ‘In Search of the Trojan War’, ‘In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great’ and most recently ‘The Story of China’ to name but a few. Michael is Professor of Public History at the University of Manchester and together with his wife he runs the television production company, Maya Vision International.

Professor Wood took his audience of A Level Classical Civilisation students through an enthralling hour-long exploration of the Macedonian leader’s epic thirteen-year military campaign in the late fourth century BC. Drawing on his own personal experiences of making his TV series on Alexander, Professor Wood used photographs of amazing landscapes from the shores of Mediterranean to the Ganges in India which lay on Alexander’s extraordinary path to domination of much of the known world.

Event brings community together

Blackpool Sixth held a major community event on Saturday 14th January which was attended by a number of important dignitaries including the Bishop of Blackburn, the High Sheriff of Lancashire and the Consul General of India. The event, supported by Big Lottery funds, was jointly organised by Blackpool Sixth and The Fylde Coast Hindu Society.

The event featured presentations on the theme of community cohesion and the development of greater understanding and tolerance in society. There was an entertainment programme including a programme of Indian classical dance and a dance performance from Blackpool Sixth students. Guests also included Councillor Maria Kirkland, Cabinet Member for Third Sector Engagement and Development, Blackpool Council, and Paul Maynard, MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys. Blackpool Sixth music teacher, Ashley Goodinson spoke about the recent #BeTheMiracle song project which brought the community together through music.

In all, over two hundred people attended this unique celebration of diversity and togetherness for the community of the Fylde Coast.

Blackpool Sixth A Christmas Miracle

#BeTheMiracle

A host of Coronation Street celebrities and the comedian Peter Kay showed support for a campaign by Blackpool Sixth and local schools who released their Christmas single, ‘A Christmas Miracle,’ to highlight the issue of child poverty and to raise money for charity.

Famous faces from the soap world including Tina O’Brien, Alan Halsall and Oliver Farnworth backed the Christmas song entitled ‘A Christmas Miracle’ that was released on Friday 2nd December on iTunes as well as other platforms, with all proceeds being donated to The Children’s Society.

On release day the song leapt to the top ten in the iTunes chart ahead of many renowned artists such as Ariana Grande and above the all-time Christmas classic ‘Fairytale of New York’. It was also the third most downloaded song on Amazon over the launch weekend.

The Blackpool Tower lit up in the colour of the song’s artwork to demonstrate the support of the whole Fylde Coast behind the song and its message and comedian Peter Kay was pictured holding the #BeTheMiracle campaign sign after his performance in Blackpool in early December.

The talented trio of staff Ashley Goodinson, John Stevens and Steve Spencer composed the song. Former student Danny Marland produced the song and another former student Gio Torralba created a video. Ten schools from across the Fylde coast of Lancashire joined up with Blackpool Sixth students and with a number of community music groups and local companies to record the single.

The song makes use of the Christmas story to deliver a hopeful message about how people can act together to ‘turn the world around’. The focus on child poverty has a particular relevance in Blackpool where the percentage of children living in poverty is 30.6% (against a national average of 21.4% and a North West average of 19.2%).

The money raised from this song will support the charity’s work to improve the lives of the most vulnerable 10-18 year olds across the county. The Children’s Society campaigns on many issues that affect vulnerable children and runs services in Lancashire and across the country for children affected by sexual exploitation and those missing from home. It also provides advocacy services and early family support.

We should know by the late spring exactly how much money has been raised.

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Christmas Craft Fair

The annual Christmas craft fair at Blackpool Sixth welcomed over 80 stallholders to the college’s openplan art space, The Frame.

The event raised over £1000 for Macmillan Cancer Support and Sands, the national charity which supports those affected by stillbirth and neonatal death.

Stallholders included renowned local craftspeople and artists, students, schools and community groups selling everything from jewellery, beauty products to cards, decorations and books. Visitors, numbering 600 plus, also enjoyed a series of workshops making samples and crafts to take away. Youngsters visited Santa Claus and enjoyed face-painting and visits from Disney’s Anna and Elsa from the film Frozen.

Cash for kids Collection Students and staff from the departments of business & IT and social sciences collected several hundred high quality gifts as part of Rock FM’s Mission Christmas - Cash for Kids appeal.

Carol Concert

Winter Showcase

Blackpool Sixth held its Festival of Carols and Readings at St. Chad’s church in Poulton on the 15th December.

Students from performing arts courses put on a brilliant Christmas show of dance, acting, singing and music.

POETRY DAY WITH MIKE GARRY

For National Poetry Day in October, Blackpool Sixth enjoyed a visit from Mancunian people’s poet Mike Garry. Mike, who has collaborated with Manchester band New Order and wider media such as Match of the Day, urged students to consider language and poetry as their passport to exciting and diverse experiences in life.

Mike held a workshop with pupils from three local high schools, Hodgson Academy, Unity Academy and Aspire Academy, then, later in the day he delivered a talk for sixth form students. He performed several of his poems and talked about his own experiences growing up on a council estate in central Manchester and how he has been writing poetry since the age of eight. Mike’s dynamic style of presentation and his humorous stories and comments helped bring the world of poetry to life for the students.

Students were encouraged to use language as a tool of expression and a way to do that was to read: “When you read, you are interesting and interested,” he said.

PUBLIC SERVICES REMEMBRANCE DAY

Blackpool Sixth public services students marked Remembrance Day with a special parade at the front of the college on November 11th.To mark the 11th hour, the students paraded to the front of college and were inspected by Principal Jill Gray.

Cadet students lowered the parade flag as the last post was played. This was followed by two minutes’ silence and readings from students. Local veterans also attended the ceremony.

The parade ties in with students’ work on their discipline unit. Students on the BTEC Level 3 Public Services course go on to join services such as the police, fire service and the armed forces.

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Chemistry Challenge Success Blackpool Sixth A level Chemistry students performed brilliantly in the Cambridge University Chemistry Challenge.

The students took on the challenging paper to help develop their problem-solving skills and stretch their knowledge of chemistry concepts and apply them to new and testing scenarios in preparation for university.

The competition aims to stretch and challenge students interested in chemistry, and provides excellent experience for anyone considering taking their studies further. Set by an experienced team of teachers and university chemists, the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge is designed to be accessible to Year 12 students but will take them significantly beyond the syllabus and encourage them to think about science in the way they would at university.

Nationally, only 14% of students take the paper in the first year of their A Level Chemistry course. Eight Blackpool Sixth students gained prestigious awards – Charlie Warburton and Lauren Atha won the gold award; Joshua Cunday and Kaitlin Reid won silver; Liam Wallbank, Dylon Grassie, Liam Hampson and Ellie McNamee gained a copper award.

Students Flying High With Thomas Cook Success

BTEC Travel and Tourism students got a taste of their future careers when Thomas Cook ran a bespoke training session in January about all the overseas opportunities available in the company.

Students from Blackpool Sixth and Highfield Leadership Academy gained hands-on experience of the recruitment process, job roles and workshops run by team managers from the travel agents.

Real-life workshop scenarios including customer service activities, numeracy quizzes and one-to-one interviews gave students valuable insights into possible career paths.

Additionally, four current upper sixth travel and tourism students passed the initial assessment and have been offered work by Thomas Cook in the summer.

Engineering Students’ Work on Tram Museum

BTEC Engineering students are working with Blackpool Heritage trams to create the layout and design of the new tram sheds historic space at the Starr Gate depot. The students will be working on the project for the rest of this year, giving them vital industry experience and can carry on with the work after they have left college as well.

The students pitched ideas for concepts for the new museum space and conducted market research into how to make the space interactive and modern as well as being able to preserve the history of the trams.

Bryan Lindop, head of Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours said: “It’s the biggest project we’ve worked on with an educational partner. I was amazed with the students’ fantastic concepts. They’ve created the perfect jigsaw with no missing pieces.”

Computer Game Competition With merlin Entertainment Merlin Entertainments’ Kate Shane attended a class at The Blackpool Sixth Form College on Thursday 31st October to judge a computer games design competition for its BTEC level 3 IT diploma course.

The students at the college were tasked with creating a computer game to promote the resort of Blackpool and the local tourism industry.

Merlin Entertainments, which operates a host of attractions at the resort including The Blackpool Tower, Madame Tussauds Blackpool and SEA LIFE Blackpool, visited the college to reward the students for their hard work and decide on the winning game.

The winner was revealed to be Alex Barlow, who was presented with four Merlin Blackpool BIG tickets, allowing entry for eight people into the seven brilliant attractions.

Two runners up Jordan Robbins and Jake Brennan were also awarded two Blackpool BIG tickets enabling them to bring four people each along for a fun filled day out!

Dance Students Casting For Comic Relif

Blackpool Sixth students strutted their stuff on the promenade recently as part of a Comic Relief short film to be broadcast during their Red Nose Day charity night in March.

In preparation for the Comic Relief film, the 26 Blackpool Sixth students rehearsed the choreography in college for several weeks beforehand. The dancers joined a casting call of 400 local dancers from troupes across the region on Thursday 13th October and the famous Funny Girls also lent a hand.

In addition to the dancers, two Blackpool Sixth BTEC Film and Television Production students filmed the process and gained tips from the professionals working on the piece.

Paralympian Visit

Inspiring paralympic cyclist Rik Waddon gave Blackpool Sixth sports science students an insight into what makes an athlete reach the top of their game.

Rik spoke to the students about the nutritional aspect of his training regime and how he has transformed his body after moving from indoor track racing to road competitions, losing 12kg of body weight whilst maintaining performance.

The 39-year-old, from Chester, was born with cerebral palsy and has been cycling since he was 14, after being inspired to take up the sport after watching the Tour de France. He has won two paralympic silver medals and won numerous time trials and races. He is aiming for gold at the Tokyo games in 2020.

AllStars Awards In December, Blackpool Sixth in partnership with the Gazette held the Fylde Coast’s annual celebration of youth sport. The winners were selected by an impressive judging panel of Gary Bowyer (Blackpool FC manager), Scott Cardle (British boxing champion), Lagan Makin (Fylde Ladies FC), Gretar Steinsson (Fleetwood Town FC technical director) and Isaac Towers (Paralympic finalist and European 800m T34 champion), whose votes determined our winners along with those of Blackpool Sixth’s Tim Craven and Andy Moore of Gazette Sport. The overall ‘AllStar’ award went to the Baines School golf team Tom Blackhurst and brothers Louis Talarczyk and Harvey Talarczyk.

Debating Success On Thursday 24th November, Blackpool Sixth hosted the first round of this year’s Schools’ Mace Competition.

The Schools’ Mace is the oldest and largest debating competition for schools in the United Kingdom. It offers students in Key Stage 3 and onwards the opportunity to discuss and debate controversial topics and current affairs. In the process of the competition, students develop their knowledge of the world, as well as their reasoning and presentation skills, in a fun and competitive environment.

Congratulations to our students Tara Choudhury and Ben Marriott who proposed reducing the voting age to 16. Against impressive opposition from Bolton Boys’ School they jointly earned their place in the next round of this prestigious debating competition and will compete in the North West Area round in the new year.

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A special mention too for Keiran Mitchell and Michael Head who stepped up at the last minute to form a ‘swing team’ to defend capping salaries in professional sports. They impressed the judges and gained valuable experience from their first ‘run on the field’.

Digital Marketing Success

#1

Blackpool Sixth went to the top of the Edurank listings in December for the quality of its digital marketing output (social media and website). We were ranked number one out of 422 colleges in the UK and Ireland based on the levels of engagement with the material produced by the college.

Former Student Top NYC Job

A former Blackpool Sixth Form student has landed a prestigious job in the heart of New York’s financial district.

Joe Lovell, 36, has been announced as the new managing director of the advisory service division at Perella Weinberg Partners after building up his career portfolio at Credit Suisse and Wells Fargo in America.

Joe studied German, psychology, maths and economics at Blackpool Sixth and keeps in touch with his former economics teacher, Lorraine Atkinson.

The college’s business and economics students visit New York each year on a trip and Joe gives talks to the students to inspire them in their career ambitions, offering advice on how to get their first job and how to impress in interviews.

After completing a degree in economics and German at the University of Nottingham, Joe started his financial career in the city of London. He then relocated to Manhattan in 2005 where he worked for Credit Suisse on their cross-border transactions.

Diy SOS Involve Public Services and Art Facilities Blackpool Sixth featured in an edition of the BBC programme DIY SOS Children in Need in November. The programme focused on the DIY SOS team’s work to renovate a large derelict property in Blackpool for use by the Blackpool Carers Centre, Beaverbrooks House. Blackpool Sixth was one of many local organisations who supported this brilliant project which will have a very positive effect on the lives of young carers and others.

Thirty of the college’s BTEC Level 3 Public Services students along with staff members provided two days of labour on the project. Additionally, the college’s visual arts studio, The Frame, was lent out so that Laurence LlewelynBowen could work with a group of young carers on artwork designs for the new centre.

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Gemma Shares Harvard Experiences

A former Blackpool Sixth student who is now studying at one of the world’s top universities dropped into college recently to share her experiences with current students and staff.

Gemma Collins, who attended Hodgson Academy before Blackpool Sixth, is in the third year of her studies at Harvard University in the US. She was one of only a handful of UK students in 2014 to obtain a full four-year scholarship to the famous Ivy League institution.

Gemma has taken mainly history courses at Harvard but has also had the opportunity to study in other subject areas such as archaeology and linguistics. Her archaeological studies involved a fascinating dig in the grounds of the university, uncovering artefacts from the earliest periods of European settlement in the area.

Alongside her studies she has involved herself very actively in the wider life of the university and she currently holds a coveted and highly responsible role as President of the Year Book. This role involves running a busy office and producing a prestigious 500 page book.

She has also undertaken two internships during her time at Harvard, one for the Fullbright Commission in London and one helping to organise summer schools at the university.

Gemma greatly enjoys the international atmosphere of Harvard with students coming from all over the world to study there. “There are students from different European countries, from south and central America, Asia and a number of students who are refugees.”

Living in the US during the recent presidential elections was an insightful experience for Gemma. The generally very liberal Harvard community was deeply shocked by the election of Donald Trump and Gemma describes seeing one of her professors in tears at the start of a lecture on the day Trump was elected.

Gemma has around a year and half left of her studies at Harvard. She is already contemplating taking a masters degree and she would like to pursue a career in higher education.

Her advice to current sixth formers is definitely to consider the US as a place to study, including the Ivy League institutions. “People should think about applying as there are great scholarship opportunities. You do need to do your research about what is on offer and be prepared to go to summer schools at the universities. I really do think that if students are interested, they should go for it.”

Gemma was the second Blackpool Sixth student to gain entry to an Ivy League university. The year before Gemma started at Harvard, Lucinda Denney from Fleetwood achieved a place at Yale University.

Blackpool Sixth runs an Excellence Programme for highly academically able students to support their applications to the top universities in the UK and internationally.

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Gemma outside Eliot House, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA

Dates for Your Diary February

15th - Open Evening 17th - Students finish for half-term 27th - College reopens to students

March

1st - Battle of the Bands 2nd - World Book Day - cosplay/dress up 14th, 15th, 16th - Annual musical, Miss. Saigon 29th - Building Futures - prestigious universities evening

April

7th - Students finish for Easter 24th - College reopens to students 27th - Musicians of the Fylde 2017 - at the White Church, Lytham St. Annes

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2016/2017

May

4th - Musical theatre showcase 11th - Dance showcase 18th - Performing arts acting showcase 26th - Students finish for half-term

June

5th - College reopens to students 14th - Drama production 17th - Young at Art - exhibition and fashion show 28th - Summer music concert

July

3rd - New Student Day 7th - End of term

August

24th and 25th - New student enrolment

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