A level results at Richmond upon Thames College were a cause for great celebration for both students and staff. Principal David Ansell was understandably pleased with the results praising both the hard work and talent of the students and the commitment and expertise of the staff. “With 3,000 entries across some 58 subjects these results represent achievement on a grand scale. We expect once again that in excess of 1,000 students will be going on to university, one of the biggest cohorts from any single institution in the country, including to Oxford and Cambridge, other Russell group universities and various medical schools.”The overall pass rate was 97% with over 43% of students gaining the top A*, A and B grades. 36 subjects examined achieved a 100% pass rate across the Arts, Media, Humanities, Languages, Sciences, Mathematics and Social Sciences. Former pupils of borough secondary schools achieved 100% pass rates in 43 of their subjects with an A* pass rate of 8.5%, above the national average. The results for those students who came to the College with at least five GCSES at gradesA* - C with an average of B or better were massively impressive with a pass rate of 98.3% and an A* - B rate of over 72%, with an A* pass rate of 13.6%. Local students were amongst those who swept the board in gaining A*/A grades in all of their three or four subjects. Of those who had previously attended Grey Court, Orleans Park, Hampton Community College, Shene, Teddington, Waldegrave and Whitton schools, 16 students gained all A grades in their chosen subjects. Other advanced results already confirmed include those from the International Baccalaureate, a programme unique in this area to Richmond upon Thames College. Here the 88% pass rate is well ahead of the global pass rate of 78%. Chairman of Governors, Michael Lumley, was also delighted with the results, adding, “The College aims to widen opportunity and at the same time to promote excellence. This commendable set of results demonstrates that both the community of Richmond and the wider area are well served by this outstanding tertiary college.” Click here for full list of results.
Students completing the International Baccalaureate Diploma at Richmond upon Thames College this May have once again demonstrated the extraordinary level of success that has now come to be expected of the top state provider of this qualification in the UK. For the past two years, the College has enjoyed official recognition in the national press as leading state provider, easily outstripping its rivals, but it has been performing spectacularly since running its first exams in 2005.
88% of students received the full Diploma in 2010 compared to a global pass rate of 78%, and in 18 of the 25 academic courses of the College’s Diploma Programme, ranging from arts and languages to humanities and sciences, the pass rate is 100%.
Eight top scoring students gained 40 to 42 out of a maximum of 45 points and are enrolling at Oxford, Edinburgh, King’s College and Queen Mary University London, Durham, Bristol and Royal Holloway, with others destined for numerous universities across the UK and in the US, including Birmingham, Glasgow, Sussex, UCL and North Carolina.
Student Minerva Vanni, who scored the top mark of 42 in this year’s cohort which is worth 654 UCAS points (equivalent to over 4 A Levels at the new A* grade), said “Deciding to move to London from Milan and study the IB Diploma at Richmond upon Thames College could not have helped me more to develop an intercultural consciousness. What I enjoyed the most is that teachers encourage students to develop their own opinions and style. Thanks to very successful teaching methods I achieved 42 points in my exams and I will start studying English Law and European Law at Queen Mary University this September.”
Emily Iredale, an ex Teddington School student, achieved 41 points and is going to study English at Oxford University. She said, “the IB was a wonderful experience, with a fantastic community feeling and sense of social cohesion. It was also incredibly challenging, but definitely worth all the hard work.”
“This year’s results are particularly satisfying”, added Chris Perkins, Richmond upon Thames College’s Head of International Baccalaureate, “because they show that we can expand our annual intake of students – in fact they have tripled in number since 2006 – while maintaining the highest standards of teaching. We were one of the two state colleges to first introduce the IB Diploma to the London area in 2004, and we have built up a formidable professional team which attracts the very best, most committed and ambitious students”.
The IB Diploma students
This year RuTC was invited to join London 2012’s Get Set network, in recognition of their commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic Values earning the right to use the new 2012 education logo. Get Set is the official London 2012 Education programme that supports students to work on and run their own projects inspired by the Games and the Olympic and Paralympic values (Friendship, Courage, Determination, Excellence, Equality, Respect and Inspiration). As part of the network the College will also benefit from special London 2012 opportunities including exclusive competitions, access to resources and programs surrounding the games, potential for students to volunteer at the Games, visit to the Olympic Sites, work placement opportunities and exclusive access to merchandise and equipment. RuTC is the 11th college to join the Get Set network and the 3rd in London.
The official Get Set launch took place on Friday 9th July at the 2010 Future Stars International Basketball Tournament which is organised by RuTC in partnership with Kingston College. Gareth Smith from Podium presented the Get Set plaque to members of the College basketball academy and student volunteers. The tournament featured the national U18 basketball teams from France, Croatia, Sweden, Poland, England alongside a Richmond upon Thames College select team. The Luol Deng Foundation also ran a basketball clinic before the main tournament for young people to participate in. Sixteen students from Kingston College and RuTC gave up their time to volunteer at the 3 day tournament (9th, 10th and 11th July).
RuTC students are invited to join the Get Set action group and work on their own Olympic inspired projects to be delivered in college. Projects need to be linked to one or more of the Olympic values and within a minimum budget. The projects don’t have to be sport related and can be as big or small as students want, for example they could be linked to art, music, performance, business, enterprise, catering, hospitality, languages or history, as long as it connects to the values. The project could also be an expansion of a current project but with an emphasis on the Olympic values.
Last month Shadan Waziri, an ex Waldegrave School for Girls student studying a BTEC National Certificate in Business at Richmond upon Thames College, competed in the Windmills Taekwondo Open Championship in Holland. She came second in her age group which means she has qualified to join the training squad for the British Olympics team, and is also entitled to two years’ funding to cover her coaching.
Shadan has competed in Taekwondo competitions for the last two years and was British Champion in 2009. She also won a gold medal at the 12th International Open in November 2008. Shadan is a member of the Taekwondo Tigers.
Richmond upon Thames College held its annual Enterprise Week in June. The week provides an opportunity for students to enjoy a range of activities and work in partnership with local employers and universities. The Harlequins Exhibition Challenge, a joint venture with Richmond Education Business Partnership, Harlequins Rugby Club and Richmond upon Thames College was a particular triumph.
Forty students, who are all studying academic and vocational business subjects, took part in the Harlequins Marketing Challenge and visited Harlequins Rugby Club to meet staff and find out more about their activities in the local community. The challenge asked them to present ideas on how to market Harlequins to young people and attract more supporters and customers. In their teams, students designed an exhibition of ideas displaying how they would promote and market the club as well as designing original merchandising material for their supporters. Dressed in their best business suits, students showed off their stands and discussed their proposals with visitors and judges to the exhibition.
The exhibition was judged by the Vice Chairman of Richmond Chamber of Commerce, Zarina Naqvi and Marketing Manager for Harlequins, Gerard Kelly. The judges agreed that the winning team showed off a “simple yet clever” Loyalty Scheme, although this was closely followed by Harlequins Homely Collectibles merchandise and Strictly Joker casual clothing ranges.
The Principal of Richmond upon Thames College, David Ansell told the students that he was extremely impressed by the ideas and quality of work presented in such a short space of time.
Meanwhile, forty other students enjoyed an Enterprise Day at St Mary’s University College, Twickenham, as part of a widening participation scheme, to find out about what it would be like to an undergraduate for a day studying business or law. They enjoyed a series of “taster” sessions of lectures and ways of learning, found out about this local university’s resources and talked to current undergraduates about their experiences.
Surrey University also offered Richmond upon Thames College students an interesting business enterprise experience. By running a Share Trading Simulation game, where they were able to give students a realistic idea of what it would be like to be a real life city trader and how to make crucial decisions about buying and selling shares on the stock market. Winning team, Andre Gibbs and Tobi Ogunnaike won a substantial amount as a result of their trading.
Two members of the winning team, Ebenezer Asmah and Rachel Hare
Art students at Richmond upon Thames College got the chance to exhibit in the colleges annual Art Exhibition. Students from all the college’s art courses, both vocational and A Level, exhibited work they have completed whilst studying at the college.
Before the exhibition opened to the public, students and their parents attended a private view on Thursday 24th June and were joined by the Mayor, Councillor David Marlow, and the college Principal, David Ansell.
Ex Waldegrave student, Sharnie McCourt, who has just finished studying the BTEC National Diploma in Art and Design, was presented with a £25 voucher for winning the competition to design the exhibition flyers and poster.
Ashleigh Adabra, who is about to finish her International Baccalaureate Diploma at the college, was awarded a Wave watch and Daler Rowney acrylic paints for her contribution to the African Revival Art and Literary Festival, which is held at King’s College School, Wimbledon. Her artwork, ‘The Deepest Root’ was placed in a silent auction which in total raised £3892, with Ashleigh’s work being sold for £100. She also received a commendation from the judges. The money supports African Revival’s education projects in Uganda and Zambia.
Certificates were also presented to three other art students, Sophie Shickle, Alexander Paveley and Phoebe Gatehouse. Sophie and Alexander have each had one of their art works included in the prestigious Royal Academy of Arts A Level Summer Online Exhibition. They were chosen from over 1300 entries for the exhibition titled ‘Future Perfect’ and received a gold certificate. Phoebe Gatehouse, who was short listed and also appears on the website, www.royalacademy.org.uk/alevel was awarded a silver certificate.
Sophie came to Richmond from Elthorne Park School in Ealing and is studying AS Levels in history, philosophy, geography and fine art at the college. Alexander came from Christ’s School in Richmond and is in his second year, studying for his A Levels in fine art, maths and geography.
The prize winning students: Ashleigh Adabra, Alexander Paveley, Sophie Shickle and Phoebe Gatehouse
Thanks to the generosity of the Lensbury Club in Teddington, the Special Olympics Richmond football team now has its own kit.
Earlier this month at Richmond upon Thames College (home to the football team), Lacy Curtis-Ward, CEO of the Lensbury Club, presented Professor Dick Fisher, Chair of Special Olympics Richmond, with a cheque for £500 to use for a new kit. The Mayor of Richmond and the Mayoress were also present, together with David Ansell, Principal of Richmond upon Thames College. They were joined by several members of the football team, but there was one noticeable exception – Alec Barry, who was successfully nominated by Nuala Orton, Special Olympics Richmond Secretary, to be an England flag-bearer at the England vs Algeria World Cup match in South Africa.
Special Olympics Richmond is a branch of Special Olympics Great Britain and also of the worldwide Special Olympics movement. The Special Olympics are the third Olympics organisation and exists to provide sporting opportunities, training and competition for people who have intellectual disabilities and are age 8 or over. The Special Olympics summer games are always held the year before The Olympics – the last was in Shanghai in 2007 and Athens will be the host city in 2011.
Members of the team in their new kit
Members of the team with the Mayor of Richmond, Councillor David Marlow and Lacy Curtis Ward, CEO of the Lensbury Club.
Two Richmond upon Thames College art students, Sophie Shickle and Alexander Paveley, have had one of their art works included in the prestigious Royal Academy of Arts A Level Summer Online Exhibition. They were chosen from over 1300 entries for the exhibition titled ‘Future Perfect’. Another student, Phoebe Gatehouse, was short listed and also appears on the website, www.royalacademy.org.uk/alevel.
Two Richmond upon Thames College Construction Apprentices have been featured in this months 'Construction Training Bulletin'.
Local comedian Milton Jones paid a visit to Richmond upon Thames College last week to speak to students on the BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts course.
This year the students have studied comedians and variety acts from different eras and have also looked at classical comedic forms such as commedia dell’arte, originating in Renaissance Italy. Talking to a successful contemporary comedian gave them an insight in to the reality of the entertainment industry and provided them with food for thought and a role model for their future. Several students are interested in stand up comedy so the visit was very beneficial for them.
Milton Jones is a local resident and a favourite comedian amongst both staff and students. He appears on Mock the Week on BBC2 and has various shows on Radio 4. His style of humour is based on mainly one liners involving puns.
He gave the students a very useful insight into life as a professional comedian, telling them how originally he wanted to be an actor but got sick of waiting for the phone to ring and so decided to try stand-up. The students asked lots of relevant questions and it was really useful for them to hear his success story and to get first hand advice from a professional performer.
Milton Jones (centre) with staff and students
In May, Dave Prowse, famous as screen villain Darth Vader, visited Richmond upon Thames College to speak with students from the film making club about his career in film and TV.
Mr Prowse inspired students with anecdotes about his many screen roles which include A Clockwork Orange, Frankenstein and the highly successful Green Cross Code road safety campaign and three Star Wars movies.
The end of term treat was organised for students who have worked towards making various short films as part of their enrichment programme. These include a drama called ‘Rose’ which encouraged students with emotional problems, such as depression, to seek help. The club also produced an advert for the Young Enterprise students, who reached the regional finals of the Young Enterprise Innovation Awards this year for the very first time. Their product, the ‘Swaggabag’, is an innovative, multi-functional bag, designed by the students to organise and make whatever is placed into the bag easily accessible.
Students are already in pre-production for next year’s film club project where they will have the opportunity to write, direct, edit or act in a short film of their choice.
Richmond upon Thames College (RuTC) was one of 60 schools and colleges from across the UK to win the exclusive opportunity to visit the London 2012 Olympic Park. RuTC won the opportunity in a prize draw as a reward for joining the London 2012 Get Set network, a network of schools from across the UK which have demonstrated a commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic values by using the Games to add value to the life of the College.Students Rihanna Reynolds, Steffie Jimenez and Kenny Eshinlokun got the opportunity to see first-hand the work that is progressing on London’s Olympic Park. As part of the park tour they saw the major venues being constructed by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) including the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre, Velodrome and Handball Arena, and learn about the environmental and community programmes running on the Olympic Park. They then stopped at the Greenway, a walkway overlooking the site, to have a group photo taken.The students felt it was a real privilege to be invited to see the Olympic Park and the developments that have been made to the site and were excited to see how much had been done. They all left the site enthused and looking forward to the next couple of years.Seb Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), said, “I’m delighted Richmond upon Thames College won the opportunity to visit the London 2012 Olympic Park after they were successful in the prize draw available to Get Set network schools and colleges. I hope they were inspired to return to Twickenham and continue their work on the great Olympic and Paralympic projects as part of the Get Set education programme.”ODA Chairman John Armitt said, “We were delighted to welcome pupils from Richmond upon Thames College onto the Olympic Park site to see the huge progress being made to transform this part of east London. This tour was a great chance to show them at first hand the lasting legacy of new sporting venues, parklands and open space we are delivering for young people and future generations.”Get Set is the official London 2012 education programme, and is the main way for schools, colleges and other learning institutions across the UK, to play their part in the London 2012 Games. Currently more than 12,000 schools from across the UK are signed up to the Get Set website, which contains lots of free resources for 3-19 year olds to find out more about the Games and explore the Olympic and Paralympic Values. Schools and colleges that demonstrate a commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic values by using the Games to add value to the life of the school or college can apply to join the Get Set network. Richmond upon Thames College joined the network in March 2010 after embedding the Olympic values into a number of College projects and events such as; a dedicated award for student commitment to the values at the annual college awards ceremony in September, integrating the values into the cross-college tutorial programme and the College Sports Volunteer Programme.Being part of the Get Set network enables Richmond upon Thames College to gain access to exclusive rewards and opportunities from London 2012 including a plaque and a certificate and the right to use the London 2012 Education logo on the school/college sign, headed paper, website and newsletter.
Richmond upon Thames College drama teachers put their reputation on the line this month when they performed Harold Pinter’s ‘The Lover’ at the Brighton Fringe Festival. Teachers Jane Swift, Victoria Hancock and Gavin Fowler, who have met up every Thursday evening and Saturday for a year, set up their company ‘The Magic Bones’ in September 2009.
The decision to take the show to the Brighton Festival was made to allow them ‘put their money where their mouth is’ as they teach students about the industry and need to be as up-to-date as possible. Also, having a free creative licence is essential to keep engaged in the arts which then permeate into the teaching of their acting students.
Director Jane Swift said, “We have taught Pinter to our students on many occasions so it was exciting to put one play into a full production, taking on board all we have taught. Pinter is such an important playwright with a vital legacy to the world of theatre. Vicky and Gavin found ‘The Lover’ appealing due to the nature of this dark comedy of manners.”
The show was performed at James House, in a front room of a house. The audience sat around the edge of the room within touching distance of the actors.
Victoria Hancock and Gavin Fowler
Staff and final year students got the chance to bid each other farewell at the college’s annual Participation Awards.
Richmond upon Thames College Principal, David Ansell, was on hand to give out certificates to those who have contributed to college life in some way during their time here. Over 120 certificates were given out in recognition of students’ achievements and contributions to college life, over and above their academic studies.
Entertainment was provided by the college Jazz band and ex Cranford College student Hardev Khamba, who played the Dohl Drums.
Last week, Owen Ambrose, who is studying an Advanced Apprenticeship in IT Professionals at Richmond upon Thames College, was chosen as the college’s ‘Best Learner’. The award was presented to him at a ceremony at the House of Lords.
Each college in South London had been asked to nominate a student from their college by the Committee of South London Principals (COSLP) and Owen was put forward by his teacher, Mandy Reeson. At the ceremony each student received a certificate in recognition of their achievement.
Owen came to Richmond upon Thames College from Grey Court School in 2004, having enrolled on a course that was obviously not suited to his learning style, the outcome of which reflected this. Owen then progressed onto the Gateway to Using IT, the Gateway to IT Support and then Advanced PC Support course, before starting his apprenticeship, which he is due to finish in December.
Owen has been working for a small IT Consultancy company in Putney since he started his advanced apprenticeship where he has become a valued member of the team. His manager has rewarded his work by paying for his CBT motorcycle test and his Virgin Active gym membership and he has joined the company Zip Car Club scheme.
Owen said “After leaving college I had hoped that the qualifications I had would be enough to find work in an IT support role. Unfortunately, employers wanted more experience/qualifications so I couldn’t find work as an IT technician, which is what I wanted to do.”
He went on to say, “After a long patch of having no work I reflected on what I had been doing and realised that if I didn’t do something positive soon I was going to get nowhere in life. It was then that I came back to college and applied for the apprenticeship, and thankfully I was signed up!”
Owen and his Dad at the House of Lords
Students and staff from Richmond upon Thames College (RuTC) came together to perform in a ‘Hope for Haiti!’ event to raise money for UNICEF's Haiti relief.
The evening featured a range of talent; students from the college performed comedy, musical numbers and powerful dances which raised a total of £350 for UNICEF.
The event was organised by ex Hounslow Manor student Maaknik Chadda, who is studying A Levels in English Language and Literature, Drama and Theatre Studies and Fine Art alongside the Extended Project Qualification. Maanik was devastated by the situation that Haiti faced after the earthquake in January. The poverty ridden country was hit with a magnitude of 8.0 causing over 220,000 deaths and more than 300,000 injuries. 30% of Haiti's population have been affected and around 1.3 million people are still in emergency shelters in need of desperate help.
Maanik said, “I could not believe that the country was in such debt, poverty and corruption before the earthquake. Like many, the disaster really opened my eyes to want to help as much as I could. It was heart warming to see so many people willing to help the cause by donating, performing and attending.'
The first act of the show featured several dance performances choreographed by RuTC students. There was a variety of musical acts, featuring solos, duets and a rock band. Finishing the evening was a performance entitled 'The Manor of Farce' by students studying Drama A Level.
Several local businesses provided refreshments for the two intervals. A raffle was drawn at the beginning of the third act with prizes donated by students and local businesses up for grabs.
The night ended with great applause and appreciation from the audience and performers.
Damson Idris, Isabella Shaw, Alice Boulton, Kezia Newson, Stevi Bourke and Maanik Chadda
This year’s Richmond upon Thames College’s Young Enterprise students became the first group in the College’s history to reach the regional finals of the Young Enterprise Innovation Awards 2010 with their exciting new product, the ‘Swaggabag’. The ‘Swaggabag’ is a bag which goes over a chair with two separate pockets on either side, allowing the user easy access to their stationery, books or other equipment, leaving them with more room on the desk. The bag comes in a variety of colours including red, brown and black and the students have successfully sold them for £20 to staff and other students.
The 8 students who took part in the Young Enterprise Company Programme worked hard to get their product produced to a standard that was both viable and of a good marketable quality. The students had their work cut out to find a manufacturer and then negotiate a deal that would allow for profit as well as a product that met their exacting standards.
After a series of interim competitions for the Richmond and Kingston area, the students were one of only ten groups to reach the regional finals which were held on 29th April at Surbiton Assembly Rooms. Richmond upon Thames College was the only state college in the final; the other 9 places were taken up by teams from Kingston Grammar, St Pauls’ School, Hampton School, Surbiton High School, Tiffin Boy’s School and Tiffin Girl’s School. The students had to give a presentation and set up a trade stand. The winners were decided by a board of independent judges who came from a range of local businesses including John Lewis, Bentalls and the National Physics Laboratory.
The Richmond team lost out to Tiffin Girl’s School, who went on to win the South London Area Finals.
Precious Chenjerai, who is studying AS Levels at the College, said; “I realised I should grab every opportunity because the Young Enterprise Company Programme has enabled me to learn I have a passion for business that I want to pursue. The programme really opens doors for aspiring young entrepreneurs.”
The presentation team: Aloka Chowdhury, Precious Chenjerai, Chandni Patel and Meera Patel
Students at Richmond upon Thames College have benefited from two events aimed at helping students into work or higher education.With university applications at an all time high, the College’s annual Higher Education Fair attracted 70 universities from across the UK and gave students the opportunity to find out about the vast range of undergraduate degree courses available to them after they leave college. University representatives were delighted by the interest shown by the students, and the afternoon was a busy and productive one. The College supports more than 1200 students into Higher Education each year, and this year 17 students have gained conditional offers to study at Oxford and Cambridge, with 8 being offered places at Medical School.For students nearing the end of one year courses at the College, a very successful Work and Training Fair was also held at the College. Employers and training providers, including among others John Lewis, the Richmond Hill Hotel, Nuffield Health and London Underground were represented. Anne De-Rios, Human Resources Manager at the Richmond Hill Hotel, described the event as “a great opportunity for a local employer to talk to students directly about the career opportunities in the hospitality industry, and to attract applicants with a passion for the industry.” Volunteering organisations, including the local Richmond upon Thames Volunteer Centre, were also invited to promote the value of volunteering in developing a range of skillsfor future employment.Jane Weake, Progression Manager at Richmond upon Thames College, emphasised the value of these events to students; “These Fairs open doors to further study and the workplace, and are great way of engaging students in making choices about their futures”.
Thursday 6 May witnessed the 47th staging of the Achilles Schools’ Relays, held at Radley College Track near Oxford.
Richmond upon Thames College fielded the same boys’ team as last year to contest both the 4 x 100m and the 4 x 200m. William de Torvy Ballou, Ainsley Campbell, Jordan Smith-Bent and Oweka Wanogho won the final of the 4 x 200m in 1 minute 28.8 seconds – some 1.5 seconds in front of Millfield who finished 2nd. This outstanding time was just 0.1 of a second short of the 1 minute 28.7 time set by Richmond upon Thames College last year, where the boys smashed the previous record.
Earlier, over the 4 x 100m distance, the same four boys qualified easily through the heats and lined up in lane three for the final. They crossed the line over one second in front in a new meeting record performance of 42.4 seconds beating Millfield, Eton, Harrow and Rugby respectively.
The boys’ team ended the day with the Harold Abrahams Trophy (4 x 100m), the Douglas Lowe Cup (4 x 200m) and were also awarded the Roger Bannister Performance of the Meeting Cup for the 4 x 100m victory.
This year Richmond upon Thames College was able to select a girls’ 4 x 100m team which comprised of Teishel Joefield, ex Orleans Park student, Isabella Juriansz, Latoya Alexander and Eniola Odebunmi. They performed admirably to qualify for the final and then finished third in 53.5 seconds only later to find themselves disqualified for making the 2nd changeover just outside the relay box. This team demonstrates great promise for next year as three of these girls have another year at Richmond upon Thames College.
A great performance by the boys’ team to beat such established public schools opposition.
Richmond upon Thames College recently took part in ‘The Big College Health Check’, a confidential survey that assesses the health and wellbeing needs of staff and learners in Further Education. The survey was conducted in association with the Department of Health and the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
Prizes were up for grabs for those who filled in the survey, one of which was won by student Abisola Ogunkeye. Abisola, who won the runners up prize of an ipod shuffle, is studying AS Levels in Government and Politics, Law, Sociology and Media Studies. She said “I am really happy to win the prize, as I do not have an ipod and will enjoy using it”.
Richmond upon Thames College has been officially welcomed in to London 2012’s Get Set network, in recognition of the college’s commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic Values.
Get Set is the official London 2012 Education programme that encourages and supports students to work on and run their own projects inspired by the Games and the Olympic and Paralympic values of friendship, courage, determination, excellence, equality, respect and inspiration. Students will be invited to join the college’s Get Set action group and work on their own Olympic inspired projects to deliver at the college. The projects do not have to be sport related and can be as big or small and could be linked to art, performance, business, catering, languages or history, as long as it connects to the values. Project ideas so far from students include ‘students teach day’, ‘face your fear day’ and a talent show.
The official Get Set launch will take place on Friday 9th July at the Future Stars Basketball Conference, which is organised by Richmond upon Thames College in partnership with Kingston College, when The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) will award Richmond upon Thames College with a plaque and certificate to acknowledge their involvement in the London 2012 education programme. The college then joins schools and colleges across the UK as members of a special London 2012 community, the Get Set network, and will receive access to exclusive competitions and 2012 Games related opportunities over the next two years. Richmond upon Thames College is the 11th college to join the Get Set network and the 3rd in London.
Sebastian Coe, chairman of LOCOG, said:“When London won the right to host the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, we made a clear promise to use the power of the 2012 Games to inspire young people. I am proud to welcome Richmond upon Thames College into the Get Set network for their exciting work around the Olympic Values of friendship, excellence and respect and the Paralympic Values of inspiration, courage, determination and equality.”
David Warnes, Enterprise and Skills Manager at Richmond upon Thames College said, “this is a fantastic opportunity to showcase how our students are demonstrating their commitment to the Olympic and Paralympic Values. With such a large and diverse college community there are some great ideas from students from all areas of the college.”
This is not the first 2012 mark Richmond upon Thames College has been awarded. The college gained the Inspire Mark in August 2009 for RSVP, a sports volunteer programme. Four Inspire volunteers recently visited the Olympic site and LOCOG offices. The students arrived at Stratford Station and boarded a London 2012 bus which drove round the site past the main stadium, velodrome and aquatics centre. Although the park is still a building site, with the help of the tour guide it was possible to visualise the plans for the site. The students were also invited for a tour of the LOCOG offices in Canary Wharf. The offices were right at the top of a skyscraper so it was possible to see the Olympic park and the dome where some of the Olympic events will take place. Students also had an opportunity to see the dress worn by Leona Lewis at the handover/closing ceremony in Beijing. To top off the trip and make it a truly Olympic themed event retired Olympic triple jumper Jonathan Edwards sat next to the students on the tube back to Waterloo!
Richmond upon Thames College has been rated as the best state college in the Financial Times International Baccalaureate League table (published March 2010). Overall the college was placed 26th out of 94 schools and colleges which offer the International Baccalaureate Programme, a massive jump of ten places on last year, where the college was placed 36th out of 81.For the fourth year running the college achieved well above the IB global pass rate, with 95.7% or 45 out of 47 students achieving the full diploma. The four top scoring students, with grades from 40 to 44, were expected to enrol at Cambridge, Durham, Warwick and the School of Oriental and African Studies in London (SOAS), with others destined for prestigious universities across the country in subjects including Medicine, Law, Marine Biology and Politics. Each year since the college started offering the diploma, students have found places either at Oxford or Cambridge, or both. Richmond upon Thames College is currently the only state funded tertiary college in London to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma, which is an internationally recognised broad-based qualification offered as an alternative to A Levels. Students choose to study a variety of courses over the two years, which allows them to retain the broadest range of academic subjects, develop their critical thinking and intercultural understanding. Stephen Winfield, the College’s IB Coordinator, said, “We are delighted that our students have, yet again, achieved such convincing results. They have gained 100% pass rates in the majority of the subjects offered in the programme.”Two of the top four highest achieving students came from Richmond Borough schools, Marie-Astrid Purton, from Christ’s school in Richmond, achieved 42 points and Samuel Trevelyan, from Hampton Community College, achieved 41 points. Samuel said, "The International Baccalaureate Diploma has been an unique experience and I found it a challenging course with an interesting international emphasis.” Samuel has gone to Durham University to study Law. Sergio Lamela came to the college from Phoenix High School in Shepherds Bush. He scored 40 points and will go to the School of Oriental and African Studies in London (SOAS) to study Chinese after his gap year. He said, “I was initially attracted to the IB because I wanted the opportunity to keep studying a wide range of subjects. On the whole, I found it an enjoyable experience although the course was quite challenging at times.” Anna Claeys, who came to the college from Tiffin Girls School in Kingston and achieved the top score in the 2009 cohort, with 44 points out of a possible 45, is going to study History at King’s College, Cambridge after taking a gap year in which she plans to travel to Cuba and Spain. She said, “I wanted to take the IB because I was undecided about which subjects to pick for A Level, which worked out really well as I enjoyed them all. I've loved the course and my time at Richmond upon Thames College, both of which I'll miss next year!” Chris Perkins, the College’s IB Director, concluded, “The students gained not only excellent results, but the course broadened their horizons and changed their lives. We are pleased to see an increasing number of these students are coming from local secondary schools, and that they are seeing the IB as a very worthwhile educational route to take. All of the staff involved in delivering the IB programme teach on a wide variety of courses and have given hours of preparation, training and individual supervision to students. We are particularly gratified that the College has maintained the high standards of teaching and learning it established during the first four years of the programme, and look forward to building on our achievements and expanding the courses we offer in the next few years.”
This month students studying the International Baccalaureate at Richmond upon Thames College took part in a sponsored walk through Crane Park to raise money for the Uganda Schools Trust and FORCE (Friends of the River Crane Environment).
Anne Harrison from the Uganda Schools Trust came along and Rob and Anna Gray from FORCE led the 2.5 mile walk through Crane Park to the Shot Tower. Some of the students also volunteered to pick up litter on the way and will now be involved in more volunteering in future.
Anne Harrison thanked the students, commenting, ”We much appreciated their fundraising efforts for the Uganda Schools Trust and how well they did by completing the walk on a Saturday. It really proved to be an excellent choice of activity, being local, with a worthwhile destination. The River Crane was unknown territory to me despite working at the college for over 10 years!”
The walk was a great success due to the students’ hard work and determination. They organised the walk and promoted it using displays at college, posters and a Facebook page. Fifty five students attended along with six teachers, and they will spend the next few weeks collecting sponsorship, with everyone involved confident that they have raised a lot of money for the two charities they were supporting.
Student Thomas Eames, from Chiswick Community School, said, "The walk was great. Spirits were high, and everyone seemed to be having a great time. I think it really helped people bond more with each other as well as raising money for a good cause. We had people with instruments, and people who dressed up for the occasion, which all contributed to the overall success of an easy way to raise money for those in need."
Ex Waldegrave School student, Elle McGlynn, was one of the students who volunteered to do litter picking as they walked and commented, “The walk not only brought about awareness of the Uganda Trust, but also gave us a chance to see Crane Park and the need for volunteers to help keep it a clean and people friendly place. When I was litter picking during the walk, I realised the need for more volunteers like us to help clean up the park. We hope as a result of the walk more people will become aware of the Uganda trust, it is important to us because it's for other students who aren't as advantaged as we are, so it's incredibly relevant to us.”
The IB students before they set off on their sponsored walk
Richmond upon Thames College teacher Jason Arday will be taking on a momentous task this summer to raise money for two charities. His challenge is to run the London Marathon route 30 times in 35 days between July 19th and August 22nd to raise as much as he can for Shooting Stars and Shelter.
Jason is a sports and leisure teacher and is a former student of St Mary’s University College in Twickenham. He has been a dedicated fundraiser for over 7 years, and has set himself the target of raising £250,000 for charity by the time he is 50. He hopes this particular challenge will help him raise between £7,500 and £10,000.
He says, “Shooting Stars and Shelter are two charities that do a significant amount towards the maintenance of life for human beings. Both charities rely on donations to keep themselves in operation. By doing this fundraising challenge, my main aim is to raise the awareness of what these two charities do. If we are able to raise a substantial amount to be halved for these two charities this will greatly help them in continuing their great causes”.
He has been training since November and follows a gruelling schedule, running 7 miles from 4am to 6am and another 7 miles from 10pm to midnight, a total of 14 miles a day, which revolves around his day job of being a teacher at Richmond upon Thames College. Jason said, “this is the toughest challenge I have ever faced and in order to successfully complete these marathons, I need to focus on running everyday. Training is no fun, whatsoever, but hopefully the end justifies the means!”
For more information, or to sponsor Jason, go to www.justgiving.com/jasonjogs30in35
Two Richmond upon Thames College students, Emelia Korley, who is studying a BTEC National Certificate in Sport and Exercise Science and an AS Level in Applied Science, and Elizabeth Ibeh, who is studying A Levels in Politics, English Literature and Maths, have been selected to attend the Youth Sport Trust annual Step into Sport Camp. This is the third year that the college has nominated students to attend and been successful.
The annual 4-day camp at Loughborough University is supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Sport England, and attracts around 300 16-19 year old students from across the country. Young people are selected by their School Sport Partnerships to attend and the aim of the camp is that the students go away with a real sense of confidence, self-esteem and enthusiasm and that they can use the skills that they have developed to pass this on to other young people.
Emelia and Elizabeth were nominated because of their commitment and enthusiasm to volunteering. They are both actively involved with the Richmond Sports Volunteer Partnership, which is run by the College and provides students with sports related volunteering opportunities. They have received excellent feedback from each placement. The students involved in the programme receive awards depending on how many hours of volunteering they have logged. To date Emelia has completed 35 hours volunteering in a school setting and over 140 hours in the community and she has already achieved her bronze and silver awards but is eager for gold (200 hours). Elizabeth also has her bronze award and is on track for her silver. Their volunteering placements have included the London Youth Games, the Twenty 20 Cricket World Cup and ‘Footballs Next Star’ for Sky TV.
Elizabeth said, “I am so excited to be chosen to go to the Step into Sport Camp. I used to be trained competitively by great coaches so it is exciting to think I will be getting trained by ex-Olympic and Paralympic athletes to hopefully be able to become a great trainer myself in the future. Loughborough is my top choice of university so going there for a few days will give me a good flavour as what it will be like in October.”
Emelia added, “It is a privilege to be an ambassador for the college for this camp, held at the best sports university in the UK. I'm looking forward to learning from National Governing Body professionals as well as seeing new methods for coaching and portraying myself as a good role model.”
The girls have achieved a lot in their time so far at College and have been fantastic ambassadors.
Elizabeth and Emelia are off to the Step into Sport Camp at the end of March
Richmond upon Thames College recently held a very successful Work and Training Fair for students nearing the end of their first year at college.
Local employers, training providers and volunteering organisations were represented including John Lewis (Kingston branch), the Richmond Hill Hotel, and the Richmond upon Thames Volunteer Centre. The Fair was organised by the College’s careers staff to give students a flavour of the employment and training opportunities available to them when they leave College. In addition to this, volunteering organisations were represented to promote the value of volunteering in terms of personal development and future employment.
All those involved in the event felt it was a very valuable day. Anne De-Rios, Human Resources Manager at the Richmond Hill Hotel, described the event as “a great opportunity for a local employer to talk to students directly about the career opportunities in the hospitality industry and to attract applicants with a passion for the industry.”
Seventeen students from Richmond upon Thames College have successfully secured conditional offers at Oxford and Cambridge Universities for this year’s intake.
This is an impressive increase on last year, when nine students were conditionally offered places, with seven of them attending the universities in October 2009.
Sixteen of the hopeful students attend college full time and one has left and is currently on a gap year. This year eight of the students previously attended Richmond borough schools – three came from Orleans Park School, two from Teddington School and one each from Whitton, Christ’s and Grey Court.
Thirteen of the hopeful students are studying AS/A2 levels and four are studying the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, an academically challenging course which is offered by the college as an alternative to AS/A2 levels. Richmond upon Thames College is the only state college in the whole of the London area to offer this course.
Stephen Wan, an ex Orleans Park student, said "I think Oxford will be a huge step towards my eventual goal of becoming a politician, and the course I am doing there, the PPE, is perfect for me. RuTC has given me huge support in getting a place, from practice interviews to preparation sessions".
The college sends more students to university from a single site than any other school or college in the UK and in 2009, 1124 students went on to higher education at universities all over the UK, 129 of these went to prestigious ‘Russell Group’ universities and 211 went to UK universities ranked in the top 200 in the world.College Principal, David Ansell said, “To gain a place at such sought-after universities is in itself a measure of the talent these students have and the hard work they have put in already. I wish them every success for what lies ahead and am in no doubt that they will be able to take pride in their future studies and careers”.
Earlier this month RuTC students taking part in the enrichment activity Young Enterprise attended a trade fair at Spitalfields Market in London to launch and market their product 'the Swaggabag'. The students have worked together in their spare time to come up with an original and innovative idea for a product, and have begun manufacturing their 'Swaggabag' to sell to their fellow students and teachers. Other schools and colleges were represented at the trade fair from all across London, and their products, stalls and marketing were impressive. However RuTC gained second prize for the most innovative product, missing the top place by only one mark, and also won third prize for the best sales technique.
Well done to our students!
Students demonstrate their 'Swaggabag'
Last week students studying on vocational courses in art and design at Richmond upon Thames College presented their work in the annual ‘Fashion Show’, with two evening performances in the colleges own theatre.
The exciting and diverse range of work included sculptural work, masks, body adornments and performance art responding to a variety of themes. The fashion and textile students modelled a wide array of garments and evening wear.
The event also included the projection of images produced by graphic students, highlighting the issues and problems experienced by young people in society today.
All performances were in aid of “Off the Record”, a Twickenham based charity organisation dedicated to supporting young people with problems, through the provision of counselling. Generous audiences showed their appreciation by donating over £290 and the students were pleased to be able to turn their hard work, creativity and enthusiasm into cash for a worthy cause.
Special Olympics Richmond, a branch of Special Olympics GB, was launched in Nov 2008 by RuTC in partnership with St Mary's University College, Twickenham.
Special Olympics Richmond currently runs several weekly physical activity sessions for people who have learning disabilities and who are aged eight or over. One of these activities is football and Special Olympics Richmond is one of the first branches in the UK to have a 'Unified' team, comprising players with learning disabilities and some without.
The first ever Unified Special Olympic football matches to be played in the Greater London Region of Special Olympics GB took place at Richmond upon Thames College on Sunday 31 January 2010 with Richmond playing Hammersmith and Fulham over two 7-a-side matches.
Nuala Orton, a supported learning teacher at RuTC, commented “RuTC is proud to be a joint founding member of Special Olympics Richmond, supporting the community both within and outside the college - "Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt" (Special Olympics athletes' code).”
Richmond upon Thames College is delighted to announce that its newly created state of the art hair and beauty salon ‘Stars’ was opened today by the Mayor of Richmond upon Thames, Cllr Celia Hodges.
Back in 2005, a partnership was set up at Oldfield Skills Centre in Hampton with the support of Richmond upon Thames College, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and the eight secondary schools within the borough, to establish hair and beauty courses for Year 10 and 11 pupils from local schools for students who were looking to follow a vocational pathway as part of their school curriculum. In the last four years over 200 young people have benefited from this experience.
Following the success of this venture the decision was made to relocate this provision to Richmond upon Thames College to meet the growing demand for such courses and to extend the facility to students aged 16-19 years and to adults from September 2010.
The Youth Parliament campaign trail kicks off this week, with the ten candidates taking part in a live hustings, during which they will debate their key election issues.
The event, which takes place on 27 January, will give candidates the chance to challenge fellow nominees and tackle questions from audience members. It is the centrepiece of the campaign period, with young people voting between 25 January – 8 February.
Cllr Liz Jaeger, Cabinet Member for Youth, Culture and Leisure on Richmond Council, said: “This is an excellent opportunity for candidates to make a real impact, and could prove decisive when votes are cast. I know they have been campaigning hard already, visiting local schools and setting up Facebook sites. This will give them the chance to set out their vision for younger people in the borough and the opportunity to challenge their opponents’ views. This is a fantastic opportunity for young people to get involved in the decision-making that affects them. I encourage people to get involved in the events that are taking place, and make sure they vote before the 8 February deadline.”
Debra Callow, Enrichment Manager from Richmond upon Thames College which is hosting the event said; "It is always a great pleasure to welcome students from the borough schools into our college, and to listen to their ideas and aspirations, along with those of our own students. Their passion, beliefs and values are inspiring and it is great that Youth Parliament offers them a voice."
Candidates have been visiting local schools and have produced DVDs outlining their ambitions if elected.
Throughout the two week voting window, people can cast their votes at their schools. Local youth clubs will be acting as polling stations for those who are educated outside the borough and there will be a mobile polling station provided by Richmond Youth Partnership.
Youth clubs will be screening the event live and offering young people the chance to take part in democracy workshops.
29 A Level Dance and BTEC National Diploma Dance students returned from a trip to New York this week. Whilst in New York, the students took workshops at world renowned dance schools including the Martha Graham Centre of Contemporary Dance, Merce Cunningham Dance Company Studios and Alvin Ailey School and Broadway Dance Centre. There was also time to see some of New York’s best sights including the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and Ice Skating in Central Park.
The trip was a valuable experience which all the students enjoyed, BTEC National Diploma student Olivia Gregorian commented, “I understand contemporary dance better now”. Teacher Charlotte Porter, who accompanied the girls, said “it was an unbelievable experience for all students and one that will live in their memories forever. The trip has inspired and energised our students and they will now return to College with a refreshed eagerness to learn.”
Two of RuTC’s ex students are both currently appearing on prime time weekend television and some dancing stars of the future have just returned from a trip to New York.
Ruby Bentall, who came from Grey Court School in Ham, gained 3 distinctions in her BTEC National Diploma in Performing Arts and can now be seen in BBC1’s ‘Lark Rise to Candleford’, in which she stars as ‘Minnie’. Ruby has also appeared in New Tricks, Lost in Austen and The Bill, as well as in the theatre, in ‘DNA’ by Dennis Kelly and ‘The Miracle’ by Lin Cochran.
Chloe Campbell, who studied A levels in English Literature, Dance, Geography and Biology at college, made it into the final 14 of BBC1’s ‘So you think you can dance’ contest. To make it into the final 14 contestants she danced a duet choreographed by Mark Baldwin, artistic director of the Rambert Dance Company. She made it through to round 2, dancing a contemporary routine in week one and a broadway routine last week.
Twenty-one students from the School of IT and Computing at Richmond upon Thames College were recently recognised at an Awards ceremony. One student from each course was nominated by their teacher to receive a “Student of the Term” award; this was in recognition of their efforts and achievements to date. Students were presented with a certificate and a prize by Michael Rennie, Vice Principal of Curriculum and Quality.
Helen Nicholls, Head of the School of IT and Computing, commented “it was good to see so many of the nominated students at the ceremony, along with their friends and teachers who helped celebrate their successes”. It was also announced at the event that in 2010 there would be a ‘Most Improved Student’ award.
On 20th and 21st January 2010, Richmond upon Thames College will put on an ambitious production of Henry Purcell’s Baroque Opera, Dido and Aeneas, with libretto by Nahum Tate.This famous opera is told in the baroque style with soloists, a chorus, dancers and a string orchestra directed from the harpsichord. Based on the Roman legend, it features a tragic Queen, a classical hero, scheming witches, dancing sailors and cupids and tells the story of the brief but passionate love affair between Aeneas, the Trojan warrior who founded Rome and Dido, Queen of Carthage. Taking in scenes of majestic heroism, evil plotting by the witches, romance and tragedy, this rousing music drama works its way to its fateful end in one short hourRichmond upon Thames College’s production of Dido and Aeneas is being produced and directed by Caroline Heslop, who teaches music at the college. Initially Caroline had the idea of staging Dido and Aeneas in order to give the music A level students a chance to develop a real understanding of Baroque Opera and to appreciate the significance of this particular work. She became compelled to pursue the project and decided to tap into the talent of staff and students from all areas of the collegeCaroline comments, “I was excited to think that this project could give students and staff across college access to the skilled practitioners and resources of the Performing Arts department, as well as bringing together a diversity of students to unite in rehearsing and performing the piece”.She adds, “The character of this production has been shaped completely by the extraordinary individuals involved. Everyone involved is doing this because they want to; for whom singing, dancing, designing, playing an instrument and working together with others similarly driven, is something that gives them enormous satisfaction”.Dido and Aeneas will be performed at Richmond upon Thames College, Egerton Road, Twickenham on Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st January at 7.30pm. Tickets are available by contacting Caroline Heslop at cheslop@rutc.ac.uk and cost £5.00 (concessions £4.00).
This famous opera is told in the baroque style with soloists, a chorus, dancers and a string orchestra directed from the harpsichord. Based on the Roman legend, it features a tragic Queen, a classical hero, scheming witches, dancing sailors and cupids and tells the story of the brief but passionate love affair between Aeneas, the Trojan warrior who founded Rome and Dido, Queen of Carthage. Taking in scenes of majestic heroism, evil plotting by the witches, romance and tragedy, this rousing music drama works its way to its fateful end in one short hour
Richmond upon Thames College’s production of Dido and Aeneas is being produced and directed by Caroline Heslop, who teaches music at the college. Initially Caroline had the idea of staging Dido and Aeneas in order to give the music A level students a chance to develop a real understanding of Baroque Opera and to appreciate the significance of this particular work. She became compelled to pursue the project and decided to tap into the talent of staff and students from all areas of the collegeCaroline comments, “I was excited to think that this project could give students and staff across college access to the skilled practitioners and resources of the Performing Arts department, as well as bringing together a diversity of students to unite in rehearsing and performing the piece”.She adds, “The character of this production has been shaped completely by the extraordinary individuals involved. Everyone involved is doing this because they want to; for whom singing, dancing, designing, playing an instrument and working together with others similarly driven, is something that gives them enormous satisfaction”.
Caroline comments, “I was excited to think that this project could give students and staff across college access to the skilled practitioners and resources of the Performing Arts department, as well as bringing together a diversity of students to unite in rehearsing and performing the piece”.
She adds, “The character of this production has been shaped completely by the extraordinary individuals involved. Everyone involved is doing this because they want to; for whom singing, dancing, designing, playing an instrument and working together with others similarly driven, is something that gives them enormous satisfaction”.
Students celebrated the end of the autumn term and Christmas with the ‘X-mas Factor’, a karaoke event held at Skylights Youth Project. 25 students attended, many wore hand made outfits and others dressed in formal jackets to impress the crowd!
Skylights Youth Worker Hardip Dhanjal said, “Amazingly they all sounded good, well at least no one was booed off! It was a great event that built confidence for young people and developed good teamwork and group skills for the students. Inclusion was one of the aims and students from all backgrounds were encouraged to take part. Some of the students helped others who lacked confidence to join in and make them feel welcomed.”
