STUDENT BLOG: Caroline Spelman MP visits

Blog from Alice Bettis March, Year 12 student at The Sixth Form College, Solihull and former student of Swanshurst School:

Caroline Spelman, previous Conservative Party Chairman visited The Sixth Form College, Solihull on 6th February to discuss her time as Secretary of State for the Department of Environment and on being, “the 6th woman in the history of British Politics to sit in the Cabinet”.

After delivering a brief overview on her time in Parliament; what it was like being a new Conservative MP in 1997 and working in a “cohesive coalition”, the MP for Meriden began to take questions from the floor. One such question was from Year 12 Politics student Ewan, who asked: “What made the Conservatives stand out as a party to you, over Labour or the Liberal Democrats, for example?” In response, Spelman stated that when deciding on a party for you, “You’ve got to think, where do I broadly align,” before continuing onto describe how poignant moments from her youth, such as the ‘three day week’ distanced her from the Labour Party particularly.

The majority of the questions asked focused specifically on legislation Spelman had worked on during her time in Parliament, such as the ‘Modern Slavery Act’. Her responses to these questions engaged the students into the importance of creating and amending legislature, as well as an insight into the lifestyle of a member of Cabinet.

Last chance to visit the College

Have you applied for your college place yet? It's getting close to the time that colleges and sixth forms stop accepting applications. Our deadline is 31 March 2015.

Ideally, we would like all students to visit the College before they make an application. By doing that, reading our prospectus and researching course content on our website, students can make applications armed with all the facts and ensure they make the right choices for them. Open days are a vital way for prospective students and parents to find out if a place is right for them. We had an Open Day in October and an Open Evening in November. We're sorry if you missed them, but there is just one more chance to visit us...

Information Evening
Thursday 5 March 2015
4.00pm - 6.30pm

Information Evening event is similar to an open evening, but on a smaller scale. We will not be opening up the whole campus for this event, but will instead be set up in our Sports Hall, with staff from all curriculum areas available to answer questions from prospective students/parents.

Principal Paul Ashdown will also be giving talks in our Dance Studio at 4.30pm and 5.30pm. He will have lots of useful information about what we can offer to students, but probably most helpful of all, he will explain the changes happening to A levels over the next three years. You can start your research on this by reading what is on our website.

Pre-registration for this event is now open. Pre-registering helps us to prepare for student/parent needs, but booking an appointment (as it says in the prospectus) is no longer necessary, and visitors are welcome to attend without having pre-registered. Pre-registration will remain open until 12.00 noon on Thursday 5 March.

If you have questions ahead of this event, ask us when you pre-register or get in touch via Facebook, Twitter, email or call us on 0121 704 2581.

Team Gambia 2014

The Sixth Form College, Solihull participates in a Team Gambia project. The 2014 project has just concluded and staff and students are celebrating a highly successful venture and cherishing many wonderful memories.

First and most importantly is the great work this project has achieved. This is a project set up and run by Pete Evans at Hamstead Hall School. He built the Jemus Jungkung Jammeh Memorial Nursery School in Abuko and is responsible for paying the teachers and developing the school. We are just grateful to be able to be a part of it and to do anything we can to support the amazing work he has already done.

This Team Gambia 2014 project (which follows our first involvement in 2013) was 9 months in the making and students had to work hard before the trip to raise money for the school. The final fundraising total exceeds £8,500, which is a tremendous total and really good use will be put to that money. The school needs help paying teachers wages and buying resources and work is already under way to build new classrooms, which is much needed. There are still lots of kids not going to school at all in The Gambia because there is not room for them, so building these additional classrooms will ensure these kids get an education.

The trip itself has really enhanced the lives of the students who went. All have spoken of having their eyes opened by the sights they saw. It has made them all realise how lucky they are to have what they have. They have all built up their confidence, team working skills and gained valuable teaching experience too.

The students also got to experience a different culture. As well as working at the school, there was time for the students to experience more of the local culture, as a demonstration of traditional Gambian dancing was put on. They also went to a local crocodile park, a monkey sanctuary, the Albert Market in Banjul and the Parliament building. They visited a medical centre and another school, as well as enjoying some rest and relaxation at the hotel and on the beach.

All in all, the trip was a great success and the project as a whole continues to go from strength to strength. We look forward to doing this all over again next year!

To see some photos from this amazing trip, visit our Flickr page or view the Album on Facebook.

Roughing it for St Basil's

When staff and students get behind a good cause, there is a lot that can be achieved and that is exactly what happened this November, as the College staged a Big Sleep Out in aid of homeless charity St Basil's.

This challenge was many months in the planning and when staff were first approached about it back in July it seemed like a good idea. As the date drew closer and the weather turned, many staff were beginning to wonder what they had let themselves in for. By then, however, sponsorship had been sought and there was no backing out!

As with any challenge for charity, it is not supposed to be easy! If it were easy, why would anybody bother to sponsor you? This challenge - to sleep out in the cold with just cardboard and plastic to protect us - was not only difficult, but it also brought home to everyone who took part the difficulties that homeless people face everyday.

St Basils are the beneficiaries of this activity. They work with young people aged 16-25, who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. They help over 5,000 young people every year across Birmingham, Sandwell, Solihull, Worcestershire and Coventry. Their services include accommodation schemes, homelessness prevention and support services to help young people regain the stability they need to rebuild their lives. This includes developing the skills they need to stand on their own two feet, get training and find employment.

27 staff and 45 students took part and we can all now appreciate what real homeless people go through. The only thing we tried to do was keep warm and keep dry and in that sense we got a taste of what being homeless is really like. Building a shelter is not as easy at it looks. It has to stand up to wind and rain and not all the shelters did that - here is a case in point!

Sponsorship is still being collected, but the fundraising from the staff alone exceeds £2,000 and that gives every member of staff who took part a great sense of achievement. We know that this will help St Basil's to do more of their wonderfully worthwhile work for young people in the West Midlands.

All staff and students who took part deserve a big "well done" for their achievement.

Why are Open Days worth attending?

It's Open Day season for schools and colleges up and down the country. Some are on Saturdays, some on weekdays; some during the day and some in the evenings and there are so many of them! You're probably thinking you have better things to do with your time, but this blog is urging you to get to as many open days as possible!

The Sixth Form College, Solihull is holding two events this term and they are as follows:

Open Day - Saturday 11 October 2014 (9.30am - 3.30pm, last entry at 2.30pm)

Open Evening - Thursday 13 November 2014 (5.00 - 8.00pm, last entry at 7.30pm)

Although on two different days, these events are essentially the same. Both give you the chance to hear from the Principal Paul Ashdown. At the October event, he is giving talks at 10.00am, 10.45am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.15pm and 2.00pm. At the November event those talks are at 5.30pm, 6.15pm and 7.00pm. He will talk about what you can expect from the College and explain the nationwide changes happening to A levels.

Open Days also give you the opportunity to talk to curriculum specific teachers and students studying courses that you are interested in. The teachers can give you expert advice, because they are specialists in what they teach; not only in terms of the content of the course, but also this level of education because they do not teach other year groups. Meanwhile, the current students can tell you what studying these A level and BTEC courses is really like.

Attending open days is all about setting your expectations. You will doubtless visit with an idea of what a school or college is like already, but visiting gives you the chance to put those expectations to the test. Not only can you see the facilities and meet the staff, but you will get a feel for the campus as a whole and whether students currently studying there are happy or not. It will help you to decide if it's a place you will fit in.

Expectation are not only important about the College as a whole, but also about the courses on offer. You may have a clear idea of what you want to do for a career or what course you want to study at university. You may have no idea at all, but just think that certain subjects sound interesting. Whatever your situation in, it's important that you know what you are getting yourself into. This means doing your homework and finding out a bit about what the courses involve.

When you come to one of our open days, we will give you a prospectus and a few other marketing leaflets. You can read up about our courses on the website at www.solihullsfc.ac.uk/courses, but you can also pick up subject leaflets at open day too. This details what is taught on the course, how it is assessed and what entry requirements we ask for. This is important, because you need to make sure that the course is what you expect it to be and you need to know what grades you need to get to achieve a place at sixth form.

Of course, college life is more than just the courses you study. Our support services will also be showcased at open days. This means you can talk to staff about the careers support we offer. You can also find out more about the additional learning support we offer, which helps students with dyslexia, dyspraxia, Aspergers and many other additional support needs. You can also talk to staff about our academic coaching programme, which is the support we offer to every student at the college (a bit like a tutor). With information available about enrichment too, you can find out whjat a varied and rounded experience college life can be.

Moving on from school to College is about growing up. Come to our Open Day or Open Evening and find out how we treat our students like adults and encourage them to embrace our learning culture. We try to help students to develop into independent thinkers, who can leave college for university, training or employment not only with the knowledge their courses have given them, but also the skills and confidence to think for themselves and flourish in the big wide world.

In the end, your choice of school or college after Year 11 is up to you! All we ask is that you make sure you understand all the options open to you and one of the very best ways to do that is to go to as many open days as you can. In the long run it will be worth your while.

Pre-registration is open for the October Open Day from now until Friday 10 October at https://apps.bigtopapp.com/solihullsixthform. Pre-registration for the November Open Evening will open from Thursday 16 October. Go to http://www.solihullsfc.ac.uk/open-days then for more information.

A levels are changing

There are big changes taking place nationally in education, designed to raise standards.  This means that the A Level and BTEC Extended Diploma courses we offer are undergoing reforms.  Not all the changes are coming in all at once, but they will be phased in over the coming three years.  This page provides an overview of the changes, but we have included more information on our website, which we would urge you to take the time to read.

The Department for Education is introducing new-style A Levels in three stages:  in 2015, 2016 and 2017.  The first phase of changes will affect students applying to start their post-16 education in September 2015.  All our courses are listed to the right and the schedule of changes is detailed below.

What are these changes?
A Levels are becoming linear two-year courses.  This means you need to study for the full two years to obtain the qualification.  We will ask A Level students to choose three subjects to study, although very able students may do four subjects. Hand-in-hand with this, we will be dedicating more teaching time to our A Levels in the first year, thus giving students more time with teachers to boost their learning experience.  As most universities and employers make offers based on a three A Level programme, we believe that the extra teaching time will help students achieve the best possible grades.

There will also be changes to the content of specific A Level courses, the amount of coursework, and to A Level examinations, not to mention more rigorous assessment for BTEC courses.  These changes are explained in more detail on our website.  “Old style” courses are still assessed using AS and A2 examinations and you can opt for a mix of old and new subjects.

What is changing?
• A levels are becoming linear 2-year courses – this means you need to study for the full two years to get the qualification.
• Coursework is being removed in all but exceptional cases and those courses that retain a coursework element will see it reduced from 40% to 20% of the final mark. In Sciences, assessment of practical work will not contribute to the final A level grade, but will receive a separate certificate of endorsement.
• A levels will include more synoptic assessment and more variety of questions will be asked.
• Examinations will be sat at the end of the two year course, not spread out over both years. Because of this, we cannot guarantee that re-takes will be available, as students will have to re-sit as external students, but we will try to support students who wish to re-take exams as much as we can. Please note that exam boards charge re-sit fees for each exam.
• There will also be changes to the content of specific A level courses and these are explained on our website on the specific course pages.

When are courses changing?
These changes will be phased in over three years, as follows:

Phase 1 – Students starting their studies in September 2015 should note that new-style A levels will be introduced for the following subjects:
English
History
Sciences
Art & Design
Business
Computer Science
Economics
Psychology
Sociology

Phase 2 – In September 2016, the following subjects will follow suit:
Mathematics
Further Maths
Modern Foreign Languages
Ancient Languages
Geography
Design & Technology
Physical Education
Dance
Drama
Music
Religious Studies

Phase 3 – In September 2017, the final round of changes will affect the following courses:
Classical Civilisation
Film Studies
Politics
Health & Social Care
 ICT
Law
Media Studies
Music Technology
Statistics

Don’t worry! Only the changes in September 2015 will affect you if you are starting your studies in that year. In other words, if you pick a course that is changing in 2016 (such as Mathematics), you will not find you are studying the old format in the first year and then suddenly change to the new format in your second year. The changes in 2016 and 2017 will only affect those students starting their A level studies in those years.

Why are these changes happening?
The Department for Education is aiming to raise standards by changing A level and BTEC qualifications. Changes are also happening to GCSEs from 2017, with this same aim in mind.  These new qualifications should better enable our young people to attain skills, knowledge and understanding comparable to the standards reached by the best of the rest of the world.

40th Anniversary Party

The College is 40 years old this year. Happy Birthday to us!

We marked the occasion by having a 40th Anniversary Celebration in the College grounds this week - a sort of garden party! Strawberries and cream, canapés and cupcakes were the order of the day as current staff mingled with many ex members of staff to celebrate 4 decades of offering outstanding teaching and learning in Solihull.

It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces, with lots of retired staff returning to wish the College well and catch up with old friends. Current Principal Paul Ashdown welcomed the Mayor of Solihull, Councillor Kate Wild, as well as ex-Principals David Jackson, John Korzeniewski and Colleen Chater. The four Principals were on hand to do a ceremonial cutting of the ribbon to officially unveil the new look to Hampton building, as this building has had significant refurbishments this year.

Existing students were on hand to offer tours of the campus, which were particularly interesting for former staff who left ten or more years previously. In the last decade, the College has added an Art & Design School and a Dance Studio, as well as refurbishing the Refectory, Science labs, Music and Drama studios, lecture theatres and all classrooms in the College main (and largest) building. The exterior of the main building has also had a ‘face-lift’ in the last year too.

We are so grateful to everybody who came along to help us celebrate the College's birthday. The sun was shining (thank goodness!) and a good time was had by all.

To see more photos from this event, visit the College's Facebook page.