College of the Year Shortlist Cathedral Graduation Delight

Truro and Penwith College Magazine Spring 2018 It’s all about the Performancesee page 22 for details College of the Year Shortlist Cathedral Graduation Delight Apprenticeship Awards Get connected www.truro-penwith.ac.uk @Truro_Penwith truro.penwith.college Welcome to the Spring 2018 edition of your Truro and Penwith College magazine CONTENTS OPEN DAYS AND EVENINGS 03 Open Event season kicks off Penwith College Open Morning Sat 10 Mar 2018, 10am - 1pm. 04 Top of the leagues: Local and National Awards 06 Apprentices get geared up Penwith College Open Evening Wed 02 May 2018, 5pm - 8pm. 07 Students transform Penzance town centre 08 Alumni Truro College Open Evening 09 Students win awards Thu 03 May 2018, 5pm - 8pm. 10 Apprenticeship Awards feature Callywith College Open Morning 12 University Level Students Graduation Sat 10 Mar 10am - 1pm 14 Students capture the Cornish Essence Callywith College Open Evening 17 Sports, Health & Wellbeing news Wed 02 May 5pm - 8pm 19 Working the dream with part-time courses 21 Fine art students workshop 22 Performing arts showcase 23 Oncourse online 24 Foundation fundraising Get in Do you have any news or views you want to share with the College? touch Contact [email protected] or find us online on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 03 College open events highlight course range Future students and parents meet staff and get hands-on with activities as College enjoys busy start to open events Thousands of visitors have attended open While touring the campus, guests were also events at both Truro and Penwith College able to stop and talk to lecturers to get first- this Autumn and Spring. hand knowledge about courses. For those who have yet to visit, there are still Penwith College held their busiest Open opportunities as May sees this year’s open Day ever in November, with record-breaking event season come to a close. Full details numbers coming to check out the beautiful can be found on Page 2. ocean-view campus. Starting in November, College open events Senara Restaurant provided delicious have given prospective students and their refreshments such as pancakes with maple parents/carers an ideal opportunity to meet syrup and crispy bacon while the Inspiration staff, tour the campus and enjoy hands-on Salon was alive with colour as students learning activities. demonstrated all they had learned since starting in September. From archery and remote-controlled robots to experiencing virtual reality, visitors also Truro and Penwith College’s Director of took part in a high-quality photography studio Studies Cheryl Mewton said: “We have been workshop, learning the basics of how to take absolutely delighted to see so many people the perfect portrait. attend our College open events so far this year and we can’t wait to welcome them to There was also a range of exercise the College in September.” challenges, ring making workshops and tudor themed archaeology tasting sessions to give guests something to sink their teeth into. Visitors could try their hand at a variety of activities from archery and remote-controlled robots to experiencing virtual reality. 04 Health and wellbeing team College of the Year accolade for wins workplace award improving outcomes Truro and Penwith College has been Truro and Penwith College’s Health, Wellbeing and Sport (HWS) shortlisted by The Times Educational team have won the prestigious Active Workplace of the Year Supplement (TES) as one of the best in the country for its significant and award at the Cornwall Sports Awards held at the Headland distinctive contributions to Cornwall’s Hotel, Newquay. education and skills, its local economy, and a wide and diverse range of its The award was presented to Health, communities. Wellbeing and Sport Project Lead Assistant Mark Stevens, in recognition of Central to the College’s shortlisting was the success and impact of the project. its approach to improving outcomes for all students and its commitment to The Sport England and National Lottery raising educational attainment, as well funded HWS programme was developed as the College’s opening of the new £30 to create staff role models, change staff million Callywith College in Bodmin in attitudes to physical activity and to promote September. mental health and physical wellbeing. College Principal David Walrond said: With staff having access to over 50 “It is great to be nominated though different physical activities each week, we know the national competition for including gym sessions, exercise classes, the award will be tough with some badminton and climbing, and with over 300 exceptional work being done by some different members of staff participating last fantastic further education colleges in year, it’s no surprise the College walked the sector. away with the award. “What I think our shortlisting does is to recognise that a college that engages Mark Stevens receiving the award with stakeholders and partners can have a major impact on the fortunes not just of individuals but of whole communities.” The winner of the TES FE College of the Year will be announced during the Spring Term at an award ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. Staff and students at Truro and Penwith College had cause to celebrate after an initiative to improve mental health and wellbeing received double recognition at a prestigious national awards ceremony. The Association of College’s (AoC) Beacon in this innovative programme that can be Awards were held in a glittering evening copied and adapted by other colleges and I ceremony in Birmingham to celebrate the hope that the recognition given by this award best and most innovative practice among UK will get other colleges following suit.” further education and sixth form colleges. Truro and Penwith College won the AoC’s Beacon Award for Mental Health and Wellbeing for supporting students with mental health issues to succeed, and for promoting a culture of wellbeing across all stakeholders, students and staff. The evening got better still for the College when it was chosen to receive the “Leading Light” Award, which is chosen from all of the award winners. Baroness Margaret Sharp, President of the Association of Colleges’ Charitable Trust and deciding person for the Leading Light Award, chose the programme because she: “Like[s] Truro College receives Mental Health the whole college approach. There is so much and Wellbeing award 05 Topping the league tables Truro and Penwith College has emerged again as one of the best performing state-funded 16-19 providers nationally in the official Department for Education 2017 post-16 Performance Tables for schools and colleges. Locally, the College’s results put it at the top support, underpinned by an inclusive ethos. of the Cornwall table for Academic points The College’s value added score confirms scores per student (A Levels and International this, with outstanding progress made by Baccalaureate) in all state provision across A Level students regardless of their different the county. The tables also show the College starting points and school track-records.” is by some measure the largest provider Gold award of post-16 provision of any kind, for both Truro and Penwith College was delighted academic and vocational courses. to be recognised as a Gold standard health award winner by The Cornwall and The national comparisons available in these Isles of Scilly Workplace Health Award for tables again confirm it has been one of the the fourth year running. most consistently high-performing colleges in England for over a decade. Special mention in the report went to Becci Smith, Personnel Assistant at the College. It Commenting on the College’s success, read: “The workplace health team would also Principal David Walrond said: “I am delighted like to commend Becci Smith on her efficient that the hard work in partnership of students and innovative approach in the professional and their teaching staff here is recognised delivery of wellbeing at Truro & Penwith in these tables. A crucial point to make is College.” that these exceptionally high scores are not secured by selective practices, or in other words by only accepting high GCSE profile pupils onto A Level programmes. What these results are based on is excellent teaching and A Level Maths students with their tutor Oxbridge bound for record number of students No less than 24 students from Truro and Penwith College, the highest number to-date, have been offered places at two of the most prestigious universities in the world, Oxford and Cambridge. This record number comes after the most The group of students come from across Andy Stittle, Director of Teaching competitive year ever, with Oxbridge Cornwall, with 20 of them attending and Learning for the College, said: applicationsAnother up by 7% nationally. Gold The Truro College and four attending Penwith “Nationally, applications to Oxford extensive and demanding application College, and are looking to study a and Cambridge surged this year to process of entry tests and interviews did number of diverse subjects at Oxbridge over 60,000, with increases across all nothing to slow the College down, with including Medicine, Psychology, subject areas. It is therefore remarkable the proportions of College applications Economics, Philosophy, History, that, despite the intense competition, securing offers reaching well in excess of Music, Languages, Physics, Maths students of this College have received the national rate. and Engineering. more offers than ever.” 06 Apprentices geared up for a car Computing students join fanatic’s dream weekend innovative A group of Motor Vehicle Apprentices from Truro College travelled to Warwickshire in order to spend two days living Google group the car enthusiast’s dream. IT and Computing students from Penwith College joined the first ever Google Developers Group Meetup at Falmouth After signing a confidentiality contract, the Geographic Channel’s Car SOS, the show University.

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