Please take one Truro and Penwith College Magazine Autumn term 2018 Celebrating our students and staff Science goes Into the Platinum New teaching award wilds of is first in Cornwall the moor Public Services students cycle, canoe and walk across Cornwall Students celebrate record-year of results Higher education high-five National Student Survey puts College top for university student satisfaction Get connected www.truro-penwith.ac.uk @Truro_Penwith truro.penwith.college Welcome to the Autumn 2018 edition of your Truro and Penwith College magazine CONTENTS OPEN DAYS AND EVENINGS 03 New term off to a flying start Truro College 04 Results focus 2018 Sat 03 Nov 2018 Open Day 10am - 3pm 06 Awards success Thu 06 Dec 2018 Open Evening 5pm - 8pm 08 Arts exhibitions wow public Thu 10 Jan 2019 Open Evening 5pm - 8pm 12 Student achievements Thu 17 Jan 2019 IB Info Evening at 7.30pm 14 New fitness business is the ‘Bees’ knees Sat 02 Mar 2019 Open Morning 10am - 1pm 16 Learning from the best Thu 02 May 2019 Open Evening 5pm - 8pm 18 Students learn skills for life 20 Gold-rated University courses news Penwith College 22 Public Services students go into the wilds Sat 24 Nov 2018 Open Day 10am - 3pm 23 Oncourse online Thu 07 Feb 2019 Open Evening 5pm - 8pm 24 Sports news Sat 09 Mar 2019 Open Morning 10am - 1pm Thu 09 May 2019 Open Evening 5pm - 8pm Callywith College Sat 24 November 2018 Open Day 10am - 3pm Thu 7 February 2019 Open Evening 5pm - 8pm Sat 9 March 2019 Open Morning 10am - 1pm Thu 9 May 2019 Open Evening 5pm - 8pm 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 Off to a flying start As September arrives, so do the new and returning students at Truro and Penwith College. Induction Days started things off, providing their course with performances from former new students with the opportunity to get student Skye-Anna and current students things ready for the start of term. For IB Minty Hindu. students, Induction Days weren’t just about collecting student cards and bus passes Skye-Anna loved the opportunity to return as their Induction Day took them to the to the College to perform, saying: “It was Tomperrow Scout Camp where they took part absolutely amazing. Truro College and the in a variety of team building activities. course I was on was amazing. It gave me so many opportunities and I’m so excited to be From three-legged river racing to blind-folded back. I’ve really missed my teachers, they obstacle courses, the day acted as the were so supportive. I’m so excited to be here perfect ice breaker for the new students. with the new students and to watch them perform. It’s so exciting seeing new musicians Friendships were The first days of term were also filled with wanting to pursue music.” formed with creative creative ice breakers for students as lecturers worked hard to ease new students into life The first years were then invited to take to ‘ice-breaking’ activities. at the College. Art and Design students the stage themselves as part of an open mic were challenged to create shelters using session, giving them the opportunity to hear newspaper and tape, which not only tested each other’s music for the first time. their creativity but provided a fun and quirky start to the year. With such a varied and exciting start to the term, Truro and Penwith College is looking Students studying courses to do with music forward to another outstanding year. and live events were given a sneak peek into Live music kicks off the new year. Balance and logic were put to the test in team building activity. 04 Results focus 2018 0 Answering the career0 call Hundreds of students are one step closer to their dream jobs after completing vocational courses at Truro and Penwith College. Nearly 900 students successfully completed University Arts for London Extended Diploma their two-year Level 3 vocational courses this courses. summer with again most students achieving very high grades. Mark Arnold, Director of Quality at the College, said: “The exceptional achievements The majority of students on these diploma of our students on these courses means courses will be progressing onto degree they have the best possible progression courses in the autumn. A recent Universities opportunities onto university, into employment UK report indicated that over the past decade or Apprenticeships. Key to this success is the the number of students with vocational Level wide range of vocational employment-linked 3 qualifications progressing to university courses on offer at the College. Over the 25 has doubled. Students from Truro and years, since the opening of the College, we Penwith College, because of their high-grade have widened our vocational provision to achievement, are well placed to take full over 20 different Extended Diploma courses, advantage of the opportunities this offers. as well as many other full-time, specialist occupational and skills-based courses to On BTEC L3 Extended Diploma courses ensure that students are able to choose the nearly 450 students achieved at least a triple right course for them. Distinction (equivalent to three Grade A’s at A Level). This equates to 64% of BTEC “Throughout this growth, the quality has students, whereas nationally only just over a been maintained and students benefit from Molly Caudery third of students achieve these higher grades. excellent teaching and facilities and hence Indeed, over 250 students achieved the very are able to achieve these fantastic results. highest grade possible, the triple Distinction All staff here are delighted for these students achieved a Triple star. There was similar high achievement and wish them well in the great progression for students following creative arts and opportunities their success has made Distinction star media-based courses with over half of the possible.” 175 students gaining Distinctions on their while representing England and GB in multiple international athletics events. 05 Results focus 2018 Celebrating record-year of results Bryher Smith was thrilled with her A star, A and B after her D, D and C at AS Level pushed her to seek extra help at College. A Level students at Truro and Penwith passed Biology, 139 were successful in College had reason to celebrate over the Chemistry, and 121 in Physics. These summer as their results were some of the successes followed earlier results in STEM highest grades the College has ever seen, subjects at the college on the International with 90% achieving a Grade A*- C, which is Baccalaureate and in vocational Diplomas up four percent on last year and significantly such as Applied Science and Engineering. higher than the national A* - C pass rate of 77% . Many traditional ‘facilitating’ subjects also saw very high levels of entry, with 304 Overall, learners at the College secured students gaining an English A Level, 130 Left to right - Lara Hennings, Byron Wood, a pass rate of 99.2% at A Level, against a passing Geography and 136 History. Alanah Wickett, Sarah Frost and Cormac Miller. national pass rate of 97.6%. Speaking as hundreds of students attended No fewer than 35 subjects achieved a 100% both Truro and Penwith College campuses pass rate, including Maths, Further Maths, to collect their results, a delighted David Physics, English Literature and Spanish. Walrond, Principal, said: “These really are The College’s leading local and national role outstanding results. The rise in higher-grade in STEM (Science, Technology, Maths, and achievement is particularly pleasing in the Engineering) was evidenced once more, in context of the new, more challenging linear A both the high quality of student outcomes, Levels. I am delighted for all the class of 2018 and in the large and growing volumes of and I wish them well in the many exceptional entries. university and employment opportunities that now await them. I pay tribute to the excellent For example, 222 (46 in Further Maths) teaching and support staff here who have Bradley Copp is embarking on his dream students gained an A level pass, 139 worked with them to make this happen.” position thanks to a higher-level apprenticeship with the Dyson Institute in Malmesbury, who are funding his Electronics degree. Taking their place in the IB Results Day world Truro and Penwith College International Alanna Gardella from Truro, who will be going Baccalaureate students have continued to to Durham University to study Law achieved enjoy exceptional results this summer as 40 an incredible 45 points out of 45, which puts students graduate and prepare for their next her in the top 1% of students studying the steps. internationally recognised qualification. Caroline Keech, IB Coordinator at the College, “When I first saw my results I almost couldn’t said: “Our average points score this year of 36, believe it! I am ecstatic but I definitely didn’t which is equivalent to three A* grades and one achieve this with ease, I worked as hard as I A grade at A Level, reflects the exceptional could from the beginning,” Alanna began. hard work shown by our students and is well above the global average of 29.78. In addition “I’d say that although the IB was challenging, to academic study, students have worked on a it was a very rewarding experience which wide range of community projects both locally always required hard work and focus. As I and further afield with most visiting Swaziland wasn’t sure before starting college what I to support children orphaned by HIV/aids.