Universities, law firms and other educational institutions have been among the many voices offering their congratulations to students from The Sixth Form College after a record-breaking year of A Level results.

Nearly half of students gained the high-end A* - B grades to help them onto the next step in their educational, vocational or occupational lives; over a quarter of the 400+ students who applied to university are now set to join the prestigious Russell Group universities.

The Universities of Cambridge, Nottingham and Manchester have all sent their best wishes to our students who are set to spend at least the next three years with them, along with the London School of Economics and Chester University. Elysium Law LLP and Hill Dickinson have also offered felicitations and The Sixth Form College Association hailed the College’s ground-breaking year within the UK’s 93 specialist sixth form colleges, which is the highest-performing sector for 16-19-year-olds.

Local media were out in force at the College during the day too, with the Liverpool Echo (click for article), Wirral Globe (article), Wirral Radio and Bay TV Liverpool all eagerly covering the students’ incredible achievements.

Sam Killcross’s A*AA grades earned him a place to read History at Trinity College, Cambridge, and the university extended their praises.

A stunning three A*s mean that Joe Bowly heads to Manchester to take History & Politics. The red brick institution took the opportunity to welcome Joe on the start of his journey.

Ellie Blakemore's nigh-on perfect A*A*A means that her first choice of studying Chemical Engineering at Nottingham was more than secured, and the Engineering Department at Notts’ hashtag suggests that her performance was never in doubt.

Elsewhere, Emma Donnelly is to take up employment with international law firm, Hill Dickinson, and the College’s Bar Mock Trial barrister mentor, Rick Grey, and his company, Elysium Law LLP, sent their best wishes to her at the beginning of her legal career.

Parents of out-going students were also vocal in celebrating their sons’ and daughters’ achievements, while advocating the College’s academic and pastoral qualities which supported them to succeed in their A Level and equivalent qualifications.

Class of 2016 Head Girl, Ellie Jones, heads to Chester University in September to begin a degree in Adult Nursing, having scored the best possible grades in her treble award Health & Social Care BTEC– an outstanding triple Distinction*.

Ellie’s mum, Chris, said: “The College has been fantastic for Ellie. The teaching and support have played a massive part in helping her do so well in her results. I know she really, thoroughly enjoyed her time over the last two years.”

Chris, who’s been a nurse herself for 25 years, explained that the nature of the Level 3 HSC BTEC at the College has set 18-year-old Ellie up perfectly to follow in her mother’s footsteps: “The way the course is structured is fantastic. The placements gave her the chance to get a feel for what it’s actually like to work with people in a care setting, and see whether it’s really for her. Obviously, it turns out that it has been, and the blend between the practical and the academic has been brilliant.

“I’m absolutely delighted with what Ellie’s achieved.”

Sophie Hatherly earned an unconditional offer to her first choice university of Aberystwyth to study Maths & Physical Geography, having traded sixth forms after her first year in search of a more independent yet supportive option.

Sara, Sophie’s mother, described her daughter as a ‘whole new person’ since joining the College, and said: “I’ve been blown away by the level of support that’s offered in terms of her personal tutoring by Jen (Foden, Sophie’s Personal & Guidance Tutor) and her UCAS application for university.”

Although Sophie’s chosen the higher education path for her next step, mum Sara said: “I loved the fact that the university option wasn’t forced upon students. In other places, it’s viewed very much as the only avenue but knowing that tutors encourage investigating all the options was really pleasing. I’ve been incredibly impressed with the whole system.”

Fellow proud mother, Paula Blakemore, celebrates her daughter Ellie’s success (mentioned earlier) from the unique position of also being The Sixth Form College’s Head of Law.

Paula said: “I’m delighted that Ellie chose to come to the College from a grammar school. She’s excelled in her A Levels and received first class teaching and pastoral support that’s enabled her to go to her first choice university. She took advantage of the wealth of extra-curricular activities too: debating at the Wirral Youth Parliament and completing her Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. She’s really benefitted from the whole experience of The Sixth Form College which is a proper stepping stone to university.”

Donning her Head of Law cap, Paula continued: “Results in Law have been, once again, outstanding. A2 high grades (A* - B) of over 60% reflect all the hard work and dedication of the students and the staff. Results have been well above national average and the success is down, in part, to the wide range of extra-curricular activities available. The College’s Bar Mock Trial team competed in the national final at the Old Bailey this year, and four students had work placements at national firm, Weightman’s. Plus, a number of students have been shadowing barristers from Chambers in Liverpool.”

Former Lawyer, Paula, concluded by detailing that over 200 students are expected to take up Law classes at the College this year, and she welcomed the newest member of teaching staff, solicitor Jane MacKenzie, who will join the Law department in September.  

The Summer may be a time to relax and recuperate for students but, for some of the wisest, it’s an ideal time to take up work placement opportunities to expand their burgeoning CVs.

A new social inclusivity scheme by international professional services firm, Grant Thornton, presented a perfect chance for six of our students to get a foot on the ladder of the accountancy profession, with the company opening its Royal Liver Building doors to bright and driven Merseyside teenagers.

Arranged through the College's Enrichment department, Luke Fay, Carl Kelly, Geena Marshall, Lucy Murray, James Ross and Ed Williams fended off stiff competition to gain places on the scheme, and spent a week working alongside accountancy professionals within a group of 15 students from across the area, enhancing their employability and industry skills before returning to College for their A Level year or moving on to university.

Now about to start his second year at Birkenhead Sixth Form College, Carl Kelly said: “The scheme was amazing. It was well structured and gave a great insight into the career of an accountant and all the different areas it has.”

Carl, who completed AS Levels in Business Studies, Economics, Law and Politics this summer, continued: “Grant Thornton seem dedicated to helping young people into a career by keeping them close to the company, which is proven as each of us has been given a mentor who is a senior person in the company. We can contact them if we need any help with anything like writing UCAS applications. I learned so many new skills that are essential in every work place and we were able to make lots of new contacts, and friends, on the scheme as well.”

Fellow Birkenhead Sixth Form College student, Ed Williams, explained: “It was a really busy week and well organised with some useful training on presentation skills. Throughout the week, we had to work in teams from the Liverpool office, researching and preparing a presentation. On Friday, we travelled to the Manchester office to deliver the presentation to one of the directors.”

Now with AS Levels in Biology, Business Studies, Economics and Law, Ed concluded: “All the staff were really helpful and that will continue with the mentors we’ve been given. I’ve already asked Grant Thornton if I can spend a little more time shadowing some staff in the Audit department too.”

Grant Thornton partner, Emma Stoddart, told the Liverpool Echo: “Hopefully, they will have been inspired to enter our profession and will also have acquired new skills as they embark on the start of their career journeys.”

Birkenhead Sixth Form College is officially in the national top ten percent for progress and value added to students’ grades and performance at A Level, according to a highly-respected, independent industry report.

The Advanced Level Performance System (Alps) findings for 2016 results cover nearly three quarters of all A and AS Levels taken across the country in over 1550 colleges and schools, using official Department for Education data. The College’s output has been qualified as ‘outstanding’ and within the top 10% in the country

Alps is a nationally trusted and comprehensive study which analyses data to show a quality indicator between expected results and actual results for each student in each subject, emphasising treating students as individuals that have unique value.

Deputy Principal at Birkenhead Sixth Form College, Mike Kilbride, said: “Every one of those grades represents an opportunity. We’re able to put young people in the position to apply for courses and have futures that they may not otherwise have had access to; it’s one of the many benefits of being a specialist A Level provider, and the results have proved that once again.”

Mike concluded: “We’re delighted with the hard work of all of our staff and students and these tremendous results are the next step on a continuing journey for the College.”

The Alps report adds yet more prestige to the College’s superb set of results for 2016, with a record-breaking 45% of students gaining the top A* - B grades at A Level, adding to a pass rate of over 99%. More than 400 students head to university in September with over a quarter of those set for places at the esteemed Russell Group universities.

More Birkenhead Sixth Form College students are going on to read Law in Higher Education this September than any other Wirral Sixth Form, with nearly 100 venturing into the legal realm with several others earning highly-competitive apprenticeships and national and local firms including Hill Dickinson.

A recent Birkenhead Sixth Form College graduate who is headed for Trinity College, Cambridge has scooped a prestigious writing prize from ‘rival’ university, Oxford, as he starts his higher education tenure with a bang.

Samuel Killcross beat elite competition to claim Oxford University’s St Hugh’s College 2016 Julia Wood Prize: a History essay writing contest for sixth form students with a winner’s purse of £250. The victor also has the honour of their essay being published on the college’s website after a special presentation at an Oxford lunch in October.

Over 230 papers were submitted for the consideration of Oxford History Dons, and Sam’s effort, which at 2000-4000 words was a significant undertaking along with college work, came out on top.

Sam said: “I entered as a sort of challenge to myself. After reading through the essays of previous winners, I felt that I could produce something just as good as them, but there was certainly no shortage of competition. The committee was impressed with the ‘sophistication and maturity’ of my essay, and I would say that the fluidity of my prose combined with my thorough treatment of the subject matter was what secured my win. The fact that a judge, Professor Garnett, is a self-confessed devotee of Tarkovsky probably didn't hurt my chances either!”

With an open-ended subject remit, 18-year-old Sam, who’s set to read History at Cambridge this year, elected to concentrate on the somewhat niche topic of cinema and its role within Russian history with emphasis on lauded directors Eisenstein and Tarkovsky. Not coincidentally, it also happened to be his topic of study in History while at Birkenhead Sixth Form College.

Sam, who gained A Level grades of an A* and two As in History, English Literature and Religious Studies respectively, explained: “Word limits of A2 coursework restricted the amount of depth I could go into with the theme, so I used the Julia Wood competition as a means of writing the essay I had wanted to write all along. It was quite a cathartic experience for me on a personal level as well as an exercise in academia."

“My History teacher, David Simpkin, had encouraged me to read around the subject (courtesy of his bookshelf) and also re-affirmed the importance of historiography in class: something which I made sure to implement in my essay.”

Heading to Cambridge at the start of October, Sam feels that his hard work over many years has paid off as he begins his distinguished path at one of Britain’s oldest and most renowned universities, concluding: “I’ve been mentally preparing myself to go to Cambridge since I was about 10-years-old, so my mood for these last few weeks has been one of eagerness and appetency rather than apprehension. I’m absolutely ready for it.”

Birkenhead Sixth Form College’s Class of 2016 were given a grand send-off at their Graduation Ceremony at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton.

Along with recognising each student’s achievements in graduating from the College, the night saw individual prizes for outstanding contributions for some individuals, and was topped off by an inspirational talk from special guest speaker, former College student and Olympic medal gymnast, Beth Tweddle MBE.

Some 25 academic awards were issued by different departments to students whom their teachers felt deserved recognition for their hard work, with all winners congratulated by former World Champion, Ms Tweddle.

The three most honoured prizes were reserved for the Team of the Year, Scholar of the Year and finally the extremely prestigious Student of the Year.

Ellie Jones scooped the revered Student of the Year award: acknowledgment of not only her triple Distinction* in the Health & Social Care BTEC (equivalent to three A* A Levels) but also her contribution to the College community, where amongst other charitable endeavours, she set up a group for any students feeling lonely or struggling to make friends who wanted a peer to talk to along with their Personal Tutor.

Joe Bowly’s incredible three A* grades at A Level saw him claim the Scholar of the Year award, and he leaves the College with shining references from every staff member who has taught or interacted with him over the last two years.

Team of the Year went down to a three-way decision on the night, with the College’s Regional Champions and national finalists for the Bar Mock Trial coming out on top. The team of Law students beat local grammar school competition to win the Chester region contest, and did the College proud in the UK final at the Old Bailey in London.

They narrowly edged out the Boys Football First XI, who lifted the Wirral Cup for the fourth time in five years after beating Neston 3-2 in an action-packed Final at Tranmere Rovers’ Prenton Park, and the Student Ambassador Team. The Ambassadors, led by Student of the Year, Ellie, and fellow Head Student, Breandon Fawcett, were unerring in their help with College events and activities, and conducted themselves with aplomb as representatives of the student body.

After presenting students with their graduation scrolls, Ms Tweddle regaled the audience with stories from her gymnastic career, focussing on overcoming the many hurdles that can come your way.

A veteran of three Olympic Games, her debut in Athens in 2004 led to a drive to not just compete but to win a medal at Beijing 2008 – a dream that was shattered by the tiniest of faults pushing her back into fourth place, missing out on a medal by 0.25 of a point.

She said: “Since I’ve retired, my coach has been honest with me and said that she thought, at that moment, that I might not walk back into the gym again.

I went on holiday and halfway through that holiday, I said to my best friend: ‘I can’t give up. I had that dream in Athens, I’ve got the opportunity to go to London so I can’t give up on that dream’. I phoned my coach and said that I’d be back in the gym on Monday. She gave me one condition: that I walk in with the same attitude as I did when I was 12-years-old.”

Having to work for four more years to eventually realise her Olympic dream with a bronze in her home country in 2012, Ms Tweddle continued: “Beijing was something I learned from, that I’d gained experience from so I put it in a box because there’s no point dwelling on it. There’s nothing you can change about it now, you just have to use it to work on for the future.”

She concluded with some inspiring words of advice for the Class of 2016: “If you’ve got a dream, don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot achieve it. There were so many people on my way that said ‘you can’t do it, you’re the wrong height, you’re the wrong shape, you’ll never be an international gymnast’. I’m not going to say it’ll be an easy road, because it won’t be, but if you’re willing to give it that little bit extra, that extra hard work and determination, then you really can achieve your dream.”

The ceremony was rounded off by incoming head students, Emily Wagstaff and Louis Earley giving some words of thanks to all involved.

Birkenhead Sixth Form College has launched a unique life-skills programme aimed at tackling the increasingly recognised issue of mental health and wellbeing.

The College is implementing a ground-breaking six week scheme for all its 700 new first year students, which will include sessions on challenging negative thoughts, the importance of sleep and diet and using gratitude to build resilience.

The ‘BePART’ programme, which stands for being positive, ambitious, resilient and thoughtful, is borne out of scientific research, expert psychology and the practice of Mindfulness, which has been proven to improve academic performance and mental wellbeing in students across the country.

With a recent Department of Education study suggesting that, despite ‘worsening’ mental health in teenage girls, initiatives to combat such issues are difficult to identify, Birkenhead Sixth Form College’s ‘BePART’ is a direct, structured and pragmatic response.

Liverpool John Moores University is also involved in the scheme, assisting in research and evaluation of the impact of ‘BePART’.

Former College student and internationally decorated gymnast, Beth Tweddle MBE, has added her endorsement for the scheme.

Ms Tweddle, an Olympic medallist and World Champion who now works with assisting children in sport, said: “It’s not just about teaching kids the specific subjects, it’s about teaching them to be well-rounded people and integrate that into everyday life. In my own experience in gymnastics, whether learning or teaching, winning medals is not the sole focus; it can be all the life skills involved, whether that’s something simple like time management, or it’s motivation and setting goals or dealing with disappointment.”

Guest speaker at the Class of 2016’s Graduation Ceremony, Ms Tweddle continued: “People tend to naturally pick up on other people’s strengths and only identity their own weaknesses. They can think that they can’t do this or can’t do that, but their best friend is brilliant at it. Learning to appreciate your own strengths while accepting your weaknesses and improving them where you can gives you the best chance of succeeding.”

She concluded: “The staff at the College were always so supportive with me. I was very lucky to have a great support network at home too, but this scheme can only go to help students from any walk of life.”

Professor and psychologist, Dave Putwain, from the John Moores Faculty of Education said: “I am delighted to be involved with the BePART programme. Birkenhead Sixth Form College has devised an innovative and forward-thinking approach, designed to improve the physical and emotional wellbeing of their students. My role will be to help the College use data to analyse the impact of the programme and how it can be improved in the future.”

Principal Kathryn Podmore said: “We are proud to be at the forefront of combatting such an important issue that any student from any background can face. The scheme is entirely the product of scientific work by College staff:  Psychology teacher and expert in the area, Roy Owen, and fellow psychologist, Deputy Principal Mike Kilbride, have tirelessly led our efforts to ensure that every aspect of the programme has its basis in robust research and methods.”

The Principal continued: “The welfare of our students is of the highest priority and, with BePART’s grounding in proven science, we are confident that the programme will lead to improving young people’s lives both in their academic work and outside of the College. We are in the top 10% in the country for A Level provision and this scheme is yet more proof of what our specialist Sixth Form can offer.”

Health & Social Care teacher and the College’s resident Taekwon-Do instructor, Helen Bennett, has claimed her second gold medal at the Veteran World Championships for the martial art in Italy.

Despite suffering a major knee injury just over a year ago, Helen recovered to claim a gold medal in patterns and a bronze in sparring at the bi-annual International Taekwon-Do Federation event in Andria, Italy.

Although Helen, who instructs Taekwon-Do at Birkenhead Sixth Form College as part of our Enrichment programme, didn’t  manage to defend her title as World Champion in the sparring from two years earlier, she stepped up her patterns performance to go from silver to gold, and was also honoured with an unexpected ‘Female Veteran Technical Award’ trophy.

Just shortly after her victorious 2014 Championships, Helen snapped the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her knee, requiring major reconstructive surgery and a recovery prognosis of around a year.

Representing England at the Championships, Helen said: “I has surgery 14 months ago and I worked really hard on rehab, making the most of the excellent gym and fitness facilities at the College along the way. Johanne Male, the College’s Well-Being Coach and Learning Support Assistant, was great with motivational help and I was back in training with the national squad just seven months later.”

Helen continued: “I was delighted to be selected again and hoped to do well despite the break in my training. I was unsuccessful in defending my world title in sparring but was very happy with the bronze, and with the gold in patterns.

"It's an amazing feeling standing up on the first place podium at the World Championships with the whole stadium standing as they play ‘Land of Hope & Glory’ just for you!"

Taekwon-Do is one of a multitude of Enrichment activities available at the College, and we’re very fortunate to have such a well-qualified instructor in Helen, with medals to prove it.

Over the summer, nine students from the Class of 2016 (and one from the Class of 2015) joined volunteering organisation, Camps International, to travel some 6,000 miles to volunteer in Cambodia. College Learning Support Assistant and Wellbeing Coach, Johanne Male, went with the supervising staff, and spent four weeks with Madeleline Atherton, Hannah De Pauw, Faye Dean, Rachael Husselbury, Niamh Kennerdale, Jessica McDonald, William Mellow, Bethany Williams, Lucy Would and Jack Turner on a life-changing journey.

Read Johanne's account of their stay, working across two village camps and soaking up Cambodian life and history.

"We saw people change and grow, developing and nurturing entirely new character traits."

Four weeks in Cambodia was a trip of a lifetime where Birkenhead Sixth Form College joined forces with Nottingham Academy. Meeting at Heathrow Airport, we jetted off in the late morning for our 13-hour flight. Transferring at Singapore with a little stop off in Vietnam, we landed early evening in Siem Reap. As the evening was setting in we had the opportunity to stop off in a delicious restaurant before a good night sleep in a fabulous hotel.

Our first camp was an hour’s drive north of Siem Reap in Beng Mealea village.  The village was very basic, with little stores along the main street. Han, the camp manager, who had been there for many years, took all of us around the area.

The community was all so welcoming to us all! We visited the local temple, which was in ruins, and stopped off at the local markets before our hard labour began the following day! Our ten days in Beng Mealea started off in the local school, constructing:

• Waste disposal units
• Foundations for teachers’ accommodation
• Brick laying for flower beds along pathways
• Smoothing out the ground surface around the pond

The other two days were working in the local community school, teaching English to children from 6 – 12 years old, and then to the young adults aged 16 – 20.

Beng Mealea camp was designed as a community for the students to live in, with three meals a day to refuel. The students learned very quickly how to use the compost toilets, as this was used for the local crops! On our last day, it was a real shame to leave Han because we had thoroughly enjoyed our time with him and the rest of the welcoming community. The thunder and lightning while we were there was also a spectacular sight to remember.

Our subsequent four-day trek tested out the students and pushed them to the limits. Visiting temples and sculptures along the way, we headed through the forest to the top of the Kulen National Park called the Sacred Mountain. The first night, we watched the sun set and planned to see the sun rise over Beng Mealea. The challenging sleeping arrangements meant staying in hammocks, all together under an open shack, as the rain poured down throughout the night.

The second evening, we had the privilege to stay in the monk village on the mountain. Shacked up in tents where they pray, they kindly fed us and we had the amazing opportunity to pray with them before bed. The 04:15am gong, only 100 yards from us, woke us up for them to pray in the room where we were sleeping. Night number three was at the Kulen Mountain waterfall. For everyone to release their aches and strains, we all dipped into the waterfall. The little fish nibbled at your feet, but this felt ever so slightly different to the fish pedicures that used to be in shopping centres!

We landed at the hotel in Siem Reap after the four-day expedition for a well-deserved rest, but this gave us the opportunity to find out more about the history of Cambodia and visit the town. Seeing an ancient dance piece and the circus who performed an amazing choreography about the Khmer Rounge era were both mesmerising and eye-opening. The next morning, we were up early to watch the unforgettable sight of the sun rising over the Ankor Watt temple, and the temples around the area of Siem Reap.

After our very brief luxury stay, we headed off for our three-hour drive to our second camp, Beng Pia. Staying for only eight days, we set to work quickly. As this village had underground water wells, they were able to pump up fresh water, which hadn’t been the case in Beng Mealea. Upon our arrival, we had the opportunity to visit the local monks’ temple for a water blessing that nearly drowned us! Beng Pia camp was more open for the students and staff (while the tarantulas lived just outside our camp!). The projects we undertook as a team were designed to help the local area and included:

• Building toilets for two families to share. Digging down for them to flush out to wells behind the building
• Moulding to prepare for more toilets
• Reforestation around the village
• Teaching English in the afternoon with the local children who are learning their third language

Bidding farewell after our week-long stay at Beng Pia, our last journey was traveling to Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, for two days. Stopping off at ‘Spider Town’, where you could hold and taste delicious spiders (yes, delicious spiders), we settled into our hotel overlooking the city. We visited the haunting S21 Prison, followed by the Killing Fields– remnants of the brutality of the Khmer Rouge regime. These places gave a feeling of the visceral intensity of what this beautiful country, and its equally beautiful people, have been through, and how much it has taken for them to progress; the photographs of hundreds of people, and their scattered remains outside. As the rain slowly washed away the earth, more skeleton bones emerged with pieces of clothing they are still wearing. I think every single one of us had a very emotional experience.

Our last day was visiting the King’s Palace and seeing the riches that it holds, with rubies and jewels of the local land, before we boarded the final plane home.   

The students got home just days before receiving their all-important A Level results, which was a touchdown with the reality of life in the UK. The hard work that they’d all put in over the last two years to get such good grades was momentarily suspended during their time in the Far East, as they saw what life could hold if they just happened to have been born on the other side of the world. We saw people change and grow, developing and nurturing entirely new character traits. It really was a once in a lifetime experience, and any of our now-graduates would recommend it to anyone.

Now for Ecuador 2018…

Government & Politics students have been taking advantage of an opportunity to work with a US university in the build up to the American Presidential Election.

North Carolina State University invited UK-based schools and colleges to participate in a competition, which sees students exercise their knowledge of US politics – a crucial component of Government & Politics study at A Level this year.

In a week where the final two Presidential candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, go head-to-head in televised debates, students were to submit simulations of election pitches by chosen public figures in the United States from either side of the political aisle. Rules also stipulated that these speeches had to be of 150 words or fewer.

Government & Politics teacher, Jane Cavanagh, selected the best submission from each of the four A2 classes, which were then uploaded to the North Carolina State Uni website to compete against somewhere in the region of 100 other institutions’ efforts. Along with the filmed short speeches, other campaign material and visuals are tendered to bolster the students’ chances of winning.

Jane said: “This was the perfect opportunity for the students to get involved with the election and it blends in perfectly with our studies at the moment. Having to consider arguments from both sides, Republican and Democrat, has been a useful tool to help the students understand the full spectrum of political opinion and makes them consider the general psyche of the American public. Choosing the best from each group wasn’t easy because they were so many good submissions!”

Watch each of our four ‘Presidential candidates’ below:

2016 Democratic Presidential candidate and Senator for Vermont, Bernie Sanders, who was defeated by Hillary Clinton for the final party nomination.

Written by Laura Renshaw, read by Dominic Laverick.

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Republican Presidential candidate and Senator for Kentucky, Rand Paul, who lost out to Donald Trump for the party nomination for 2016.

Written and read by Carl Kelly.

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Senator for Massachusetts and Democrat, Elizabeth Warren.

Written and read by Aaron Evans.

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2008 Republican Vice Presidential nominee and former Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin.

Written and read by Pippa Doolan.

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Ten adventurous College students braved the changing autumnal weather atop Snowdonia as they sought to pass the Expedition component of their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.

The students, who each returned successful in their task, spent five days and four nights being self-sufficient in food, clothing and shelter, which equated to them carrying approximately 15-20kg in their rucksacks on each day of the expedition.

Conducting a range of activities, including investigating erosion of footpaths and the changing use of the landscape and facilities in the Snowdonia National Park area, the students trekked for eight hours each day covering a total distance of 80 kilometres.

The expedition is both challenging and physically demanding, with students navigating their way frodukegold awardm location to location and planning their route through the National Park. Each participant rose to the challenge and worked formidably as a team, making informed decisions along their routes. The band of committed students had experience on their side, though, since their practice expedition in July, but this undertaking was a level up from their previous pursuit.

Birkenhead Sixth Form College DofE Coordinator and Business teacher, Steve Hafford, was pleased by the progress made during the expedition and how well the students did overall: “Each candidate performed exceptionally throughout the expedition. All the students interacted with each other well and had the opportunity to lead their team during the daily treks. It was a superb expedition with a lot of highs.”  

Birkenhead Sixth Form College played host to a member of the House of Lords on Friday, as the top tier of the UK government seeks to encourage students to become more engaged with politics and Parliament.

Life peer, Lord Storey, a former Lord Mayor of Liverpool and leader of the City Council, met with A Level Politics students to talk about the role of the House of Lords and helped in their understanding of the parliamentary system. This was followed by a question and answer session to allow a further insight into general life in Westminster.

The visit was part of a continuing outreach programme by the House of Lords’ Lord Speaker, ‘Peers in Schools’, which has been running across the UK since 2007 and has so far involved around 75,000 young people.

Addressing the students, Lord Storey, a Liberal Democrat peer, discussed how his background in education and political experience helped him to achieve his place at the House of Lords. He also demonstrated how a typical House of Lords vote is conducted and was delighted with how well this was received, saying: “The students were really wonderful, I was impressed with their enthusiasm and knowledge when getting involved and asking questions. I think it is important for young people to have an interest in Parliament and the way in which it operates, so it was fantastic to see so much interest in political topics.”

Birkenhead Sixth Form College Politics teacher, Jane Cavanagh, said: “It was an honour to have a member of the House of Lords visit our students and really helped bring to life what we discuss in the classroom. Lord Storey delivered an engaging and informative presentation which allowed our students to ask some challenging and intelligent questions at the end.”

The Government & Politics students at Birkenhead Sixth Form College will be following up Lord Storey’s visit with a tour of the House of Lords in Westminster, arranged by Lord Storey, following a political conference they will be attending there in December.

The first Sixth Form College Open Event of the academic year saw students, parents and families turning up in their hundreds from across Wirral and the Merseyside area to see what makes us a Centre of Academic Excellence.

During the evening, visitors were able to explore our facilities, teaching rooms across the college had the full range of equipment on show, and prospective students were given the chance to speak to our specialist A Level teachers’ about what they can expect on their A Level or BTEC programmes.

Principal, Kathryn Podmore, welcomed our visitors and outlined our key ethics and high expectations. Kathryn also highlighted our recent results success, which currently places us in the top 10% nationally for progression and the value added to students’ grades and performance.

The Principal's speech was followed by the Deputy Principal, Mike Kilbride who talked in more detail about our ethos and how, as Wirral’s number one sixth form, we support each individual student to achieve success through initiatives such as our recently launched Be PART programme. 

Check out the video below from our October Open Event, featuring Deputy Principal Mike Kilbride: 

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So, it's that time again. First year Sixth Form students have all arrived looking alert yet dazed, hurrying to lessons, clutching at folders and timetables like shields; while the A2 students have existential crises about revision and UCAS statements, usually bleary eyed and on autopilot. We’re all getting up early in the morning and are resiliently ploughing through our allotted lessons: either in a state of caffeinated-alertness (and therefore panic about our grades) or sleep-deprived-semi-consciousness (…yeah probably still panicking about our grades…) but we’re all here, and we’re all in the same boat. That boat may feel a little like the Titanic at the moment but things will calm down pretty soon. As normal and, actually, important as it is to feel a little bit stressed (because it motivates you to work), it’s also just as important to stop sometimes and remember that you need time to relax too, and that you’ll do fine as long as you’re putting the effort in to your lessons. If you let yourself get too worked up, it’s harder to concentrate and that’s not going to help you at all.

A lot of year 12s seems to think that it’s ‘better’ being a year 13. Well, I can honestly say that being a returning student does not make your lessons any easier, and I’m pretty sure that’s what a lot of people were referring to (yeeeah, sorry to burst that bubble; you’re always going to have to put in as much effort as you can). Like everything, there are pros and cons to being a year 13. Obviously, it’s great knowing where you are going and what is expected of you in your lessons (and outside of them), and you know more people so you’ll be more comfortable socially. When you first start College, it can be ever so slightly horror-inducing when you think of all the people and the maze-like corridors, but to be honest, things get worked out pretty quickly. As new students, you’ll probably already know that you end up making friends in no time and you only have to learn your way to five rooms to get your bearings pretty quickly. I can honestly say that it only took me a week to learn where my lessons and the Hub were in relation to each other, and that’s after going through five years of high school and STILL not knowing where the rooms were if someone asked me (I never did find room 23A).

I’d also say that going into second year is a lot more immediate: in your first year, you get eased in gently, but with A2, you come back on the first day and pick up right where you left off before summer. You can almost feel those long relaxing weeks condensing down until you feel like you never left. Revision is also something you have to start doing immediately, but that’s not something reserved entirely for A2. If you are a first year and you want my advice – I’m not just being nerdy- seriously, start revising now. I wished last year I’d have gone over everything I learned in my lessons each night, because it would have made everything so much easier to revise from and memorise (and this is bearing in mind I started revising in November!). This year, I’ve learned from my mistakes but it would have been great if someone had told me to start revision now so I didn’t have to make that mistake in the first place :P

The fact that A2 students have already sat one round of exams, and have received the results for them, also makes College a little different. Some people feel a lot more secure in themselves because their hard work really paid off – but others had a bit of a wake-up call. You’ll probably find that everyone is a lot more committed and focused right from the start of the year at A2 as opposed to AS.

BUT ANYWAY: I know what you really want to hear is something useful, so I’ve collected a few tips for you from different people in our year just to help you out in your first few weeks. Hope this helps!

1. If you’re having trouble remembering your lanyard, either keep it in your bag or hang it over the handle of the front door where you’ll be able to find it; one of my friends even used to set her alarm name as “LANYARD” on her phone just to remind her in the morning.
2. Join as many clubs as possible because they look great on your CV and next year will be much busier than this year. You’ll also find you make loads of new friends if you do!
3. Use your frees to read over whatever you’ve learned so far in lessons. It’s good to refresh your memory so when you come to revise you understand/ at least vaguely remember everything. If you leave all your revision to the last minute and there is something you don’t understand, there might not be much time for someone to help explain it and go over it with you.
4. If you need help with anything, just ask! Pretty much ANYONE in College will be happy to point you in the right direction if you’re lost, or help you use the printer, and all the staff will always try to help as much as they can with anything - and the Ambassadors will too J We’re not scary I promise!
5. Try to make the most of your time here! It will go so quickly and this is the last chance you get at a free education. Try to enjoy every second and grab as many opportunities as you can!

Big businesses, universities and the armed forces were among those who joined us yesterday as Birkenhead Sixth Form College hosted its biennial Careers Fair.

Nearly 60 organisations, companies and educational institutions made themselves available to offer careers advice to both our students and others across Wirral, helping young people understand the options available for their futures.

Grant Thornton’s global professional services, the Royal Navy and 18 different universities were included in the local, national and international bodies represented.

Part of the College’s Enrichment activities, the Careers Fair allows students to explore all the avenues open to them after their A Levels, and possibly what can be done during their studies to boost their personal profile. Whether students’ interests take them down the path of higher education or vocational careers and apprenticeships, every angle was catered for.

The College’s Enrichment coordinator, Rowena Lovett, said: “These events are really important for students to meet professionals and people who work in the industries that they inspire to enter into, and find out about the opportunities available to them from actual people rather than reading about it. They can get a realistic impression of what that career is like and gain some insight that they didn’t have beforehand.”

Rowena said that one such example of broadening students’ views of the scope of a profession was displayed at the Fair in the medical arena. NHS representatives were available for students to speak to, not only about careers as doctors and nurses, but as radiographers, radiotherapists, dieticians, occupational therapists and speech & language therapists too.

Rowena explained: “It’s vital that students have all the options in front of them for their future, so having nearly 20 universities coming to the College to give careers advice was complemented by big businesses who offer apprenticeships such as Unilever, Jaguar Land Rover and SP Energy Networks, to name but a few. It was fantastic to have creative companies like Lime Pictures and Handstand Productions as well. We’d like to say a big thank you to all that came to the College.”

Three such people that took advantage of the Unilever apprenticeship scheme were returning Birkenhead Sixth Form College students Rebecca Darlington, Holly Nelson and Robbie Perkins, who came to the Careers Fair as official delegates for the multinational company.

The three ex-students all left the College within the last five years and each decided that, despite good A Level grades, university wasn’t the path for them, so instead applied for Unilever’s apprenticeship.

Holly, part of the College’s Class of 2014, said: “We’re in a position here of being able to offer genuine advice that students can relate to, because we’ve all been through the same thing very recently.”

2011 leaver, Robbie, explained: “When I came here, I attended one of these events and that’s how I found out about the Unilever apprenticeships. If I hadn’t have done that, I don’t think I would be in the position I am now. I’ve got a great job and even better career prospects.”

The full list of Careers attendees:

Seven Birkenhead Sixth Form College students have been accepted onto a prestigious programme that encourages those from less privileged backgrounds to take up careers in Law.

Chloe Carr, Yasmin Davies, Jamie Finch, Abigail Fowler, Olivia Liston, Megan Martlew and Michael Powell all have their sights set on jobs in the legal field via university, making them ideal candidates to take advantage of the Sutton Trust’s Pathways to Law scheme.

The Sutton Trust, whose missions include improving social mobility through education, established the programme in 2006 with the Legal Education Foundation charity and leading law firms and universities.  Pathways to Law has already helped 2,000 students. After research from the Trust showed that the top echelons of the legal realm were occupied by people from a narrow range of social backgrounds, and law firms were not making full use of the talents of students from non-privileged homes.

The seven College students will start their sessions with Pathways to Law in November at the University of Liverpool and those sessions will last into their second year. The opportunity involves working with Law academics and undergraduates to better understand specific aspects of Law and what it takes to study the subject at university, before taking up work experience placements at well-respected law firms across Merseyside. All activities and travel are fully funded by the Sutton Trust.

First year Law student, Olivia Liston, said: “I thought it was a really good opportunity so I applied and I’m really happy to have got on the programme.”

Olivia, who studies Psychology, Religious Studies and Sociology along with Law, continued: “Law’s always been an interest of mine but there was never the option to study Law at GCSE at my high school, so I had to wait to come here. When I came to the Open Evening at the College, the Law teachers all seemed to be really good as they’d all been lawyers or solicitors before. That was one of the main reasons that I chose to come to the College because Law’s something I definitely want to go into.”

The future lawyer explained: “These kinds of programme are really important for people from less privileged backgrounds. We’ve not had many opportunities where I’m from to do things associated with universities – even going to look around or go to open days because travel has been an issue. Being the first person in my family to go to university, getting involved in the Pathways to Law was an opportunity that was too good to miss out on, especially because it’s through the College so you can feel more prepared before you get there.”

Fellow first year Law student, Abigail Fowler, who is aiming for a career at the Bar, agreed, saying: “Neither of my parents went to university, and at one point, I was saying to myself ‘well, my mum and dad have done alright for themselves without it, so why should I go’? But then I realised that, if I want to be a barrister, going to university would give the best platform for my own career.”

Abigail, from Ellesmere Port, said: “The programme can give me a better understanding of Law itself. It’s still very new to me at the moment but it can only help my transition into the career that I want. I think it’ll help me at university too if I have a good basis of knowledge about the practices and what’s involved in everyday life in the job.”

Yasmin Davies concluded: “The programme offers a lot of opportunities. The work experience can give you a proper feel as to whether you can see yourself working in Law.

“Some people will look at those in the legal profession and assume a lot about their background or how intelligent they are. They maybe forget that’s it’s down to the hard work they put in and how much effort has gone towards the career. I think this kind of programme goes to emphasise that.”

More Birkenhead Sixth Form College students go on to study Law at university than any other Wirral sixth form, and it is the most popular degree subject chosen by our students.

A Birkenhead Sixth Form College student and medal-winning, expert martial artist needs your help!

Aaron Bretland has a Taekwon-Do Commonwealth Games medal to his name among many others, and now he needs help to travel to Canada to compete in the Junior World Championships in just two weeks’ time.

Having recently claimed gold in the Senior British -63kg Taekwon-Do National Championships at the age of 17, Aaron is raising funds to join the British team in Vancouver for the Junior World Championships– the toughest global competition for his weight class – as he looks to establish a career in the sport that he has spent nearly all of his life dedicated to. With Olympic fever still felt across the country, there is every chance that Aaron, with continued support, could be on his way to Tokyo with Team GB in 2020.

Formerly a student at Ridgeway High School, Aaron’s previous ventures have been financed by sponsorship from the Wirral YMCA along with fundraising by his biggest fan, grandmother Dot, who has also raised Aaron along with his grandfather, but his late selection for the British team this time leaves Aaron and his nan short on time to raise the requisite funds.

Aaron, who studies English Language, Applied Science and Sport at the College, said: “I’m pretty excited about the opportunity but I’ve been picked quite late so I haven’t had a long time to raise funds. It’s for flights, accommodation and fees – I can’t actually get there and compete without paying for all of these things.”

Explaining how his nan and her friends have been doing bag-packing in local supermarkets in aid of his cause, Aaron said that local press have also been supporting his campaign, including the Wirral News and Radio Merseyside.

As to why people should donate to his funding efforts, Aaron says: “You’d be helping just a normal lad from around where you live, but who’s actually achieved something and is trying really hard to get even further.”

Aaron’s nan, Dot, described how the family feel and what previous sponsorship has done for Aaron to allow him to flourish in Taekwon-Do at the highest level.

Dot said: “We’re so proud of him. He trains every night and works really hard. He’s missed out on a lot of opportunities to be with his friends because he’s so dedicated to the sport, but then he’s been to countries that he’d never have had to the chance to go to otherwise, like Austria, Sweden, Poland and Germany. He’s been to four or five countries this year alone.

“He did so well in Poland in September, getting the silver at a G1 tournament, which is where all the top fighters from all over the world go to compete. He lost out to the current World Champion in the final but we were delighted with his silver medal, and it just shows how far he could go.”

Birkenhead Sixth Form College’s unique new life-skills programme for all first year students has reached the halfway point of its six-week duration, and students are already feeling the benefits.

Devised by Psychology experts and teachers Roy Owen, Amanda Hoey and Deputy Principal Mike Kilbride, ‘BePART’ (Be Positive, Ambitious, Resilient, Thoughtful) is the product of scientific research and methods to tackle the issue of mental health and wellbeing in teenagers, which is nationally recognised as a growing problem.

Students who joined the College in September have received three weekly sessions so far, focusing on the importance of sleep & diet, challenging negative thoughts and a class on Mindfulness– a meditation technique which has been proven to help with young people’s academic performance and general mental wellbeing.

Liverpool John Moores University are also involved in the programme, helping to analyse data from a project that the Faculty for Education’s Professor David Putwain called ‘innovative and forward-thinking’.

Eleanor Adams started at the College last month, having completed her GCSEs at Pensby High School.

Now studying Biology, Chemistry,English Literature and Maths in her first year, 16-year-old Eleanor said of her BePART experience so far: “I’ve found it really therapeutic. It’s helped me with stress levels and eating habits – I’m much more aware of what I consume. I’ve struggled with anxiety before, especially around exam time, but this has made me take a step back and assess what I’m doing which makes things a lot easier and calmer.”

Eleanor highlighted that her sleeping habits have been measurably improved already, and what she found out from her fellow students about their lifestyles surprised her: “It’s been amazing to discover that some people my age are only getting four hours sleep a night or less, and not looking after themselves. Eating more healthily and being more aware of the importance of sleep has meant that I’ve gone from getting six hours sleep a night to eight.

“This kind of programme is so important. You may have the ability to get good grades but you’re never going to achieve that if you’re burnt out.”

Fellow first year, Abigail Fowler, has also felt the benefits of the programme, saying: “I found the parts about being positive really helpful. I can be a bit negative sometimes and it really made me think about changing my outlook. I find myself looking at things in a different light and from different angles.”

Abigail, from Ellesmere Port, explained that the sessions are helping her outside of College too: “I’ve got a part-time job with a caterer and it can be really stressful at times. BePART has helped reduce the stress by making me just take a step back and look at things from a calm and practical viewpoint.”

She concluded: “At this point, we’re all going through so many different things in our lives, whether it’s College, work, exams – the sessions have been a nice break from it all, to be honest. It’s relieved the pressures and it’s a good time to learn something about yourself, which can be difficult when so much is going on.”

Five of the College’s future lawyers flew over the Irish Sea to experience what studying at Ulster University could offer for their career paths after completing their A Levels.

Against the viscerally beautiful backdrop of Belfast, Ulster University boasts a place in the UK’s top five for Law, and the trip across to Northern Ireland was the perfect chance for our group of Law students to discover what makes it a leading centre of excellence.

Second year students Melissa Andrews, Laura Bridson, Megan Condliffe, Katie Lindon and Ryan O’Connor all have their sights set on legal careers after studying under the College’s expert A Level teachers, starting with undergraduate degrees in the subject.

Since the trip, several of the group have decided upon Ulster University as their first choice destination come September next year.

One of those is Melissa, who said: “I really liked the fact that they do a lot of mooting (court hearing simulations in front of a judge), that’s particularly important if you want to be a barrister, which I do. They’re actually the only university in the UK that makes mooting part of your assessment.”

Melissa continued: “The university has great connections too. One of their former students is now the youngest judge in Ireland, and second youngest in the UK, whom we met. Just being able to have that type of person as a contact can open a lot of doors for work experience and enhancing your CV.”

Of Belfast itself, Melissa said: “It was amazing. The murals on the walls were beautiful and you could really feel the history. Everyone was so friendly; buskers in the street were being clapped and cheered – it reminded me of Liverpool in a lot of ways.”

Law teacher, Adam Hall, who led the trip to Northern Ireland, said: “We’ve had good links with Ulster University for a few years and they invited five of our students who were looking at careers in Law to come over, all expenses paid.

“Given its prominence as a Law School, it’s a difficult university to get into as far as entry requirements, and we wanted to inspire the five selected students to see what they could achieve once they’ve worked hard enough to fulfil their potential at A Level.”

After describing how the students were treated to a guest lecture from the university’s Head of Law, as well as meeting past students and present and former judges to garner advice, Adam explained that the students took part in a mock trial with other guests from other colleges.

He said: “All the students did extremely well. They only had a lunchtime to prepare but took on all the advice that was offered by legal professionals and performed excellently. Belfast is an incredible city anyway, and the experience was an excellent opportunity for all five of them. It’s great to know that they are seriously considering studying Law at top universities like Ulster.”

More students from Birkenhead Sixth Form College went on to study Law at university last year than they did from any other Wirral sixth form.

“It was inspired by my nephew being afraid of swimming. I wrote Sandy the Sea Turtle to help him to see that everyone gets a little frightened sometimes, and we just need good friends to help us along the way,” says the College’s Head of Psychology-cum-children’s author, Ashley Vallance.

Due for Amazon release on Friday 11^th November, ‘Sandy the Sea Turtle’ is Ashley’s 12^th book and her second to be published following her debut ‘Sniggles, Wiggles and Fuzz the Cosmic Fairy’ last Christmas.

Ashley takes great inspiration from her two young nephews when coming up with story ideas, and said: “The main reason for writing my own is that I was struggling to remember the versions of the classic tales, like ‘The Three Little Pigs’ or ‘Hansel and Gretel’, that my mum and dad had read to me years ago. Rather than struggle recalling those stories, I decided to develop my own – that way I could add in any characters I wanted to and make the tales more personal for the boys.”

"Reading allows children to escape to a world of fantasy where the only limits are within their own imagination."

Ashley, who has been a Psychology teacher at the College since 2009 and became Head of Department this year, explained that, despite her busy teaching schedule, she finds time to write the books because it comes very easily to her.

She said: “I’ve always enjoyed writing creatively. I took English Literature A Level and wrote for my college newspaper, and as a child my mum and dad always encouraged us to read. Story time before bed was always mine and my sister’s favourite time, as I think it is for so many children. I genuinely feel that reading allows children to escape to a world of fantasy where the only limits are within their own imagination.”

Like many of the best and longest-lasting children’s books, the new release ‘Sandy the Sea Turtle’ has a message at its core that can help to shape a child’s character and teach them valuable lessons in life.

Ashley said: “Each of the stories I’ve written has a theme and tries to impart a moral. It gives children the opportunity to discuss the tale and apply it to their own experiences. Also, with ‘Sandy the Sea Turtle’, I decided to use photographs of animals rather than illustrations. Again, my nephews always prefer to read factual books with animal photography, so it made sense to use photographs where children can observe the animals in their natural habitats.”

Merseyside Police and Birkenhead Sixth Form College have launched a new joint initiative to teach schoolchildren about the effects of antisocial behaviour, as a House of Lords peer and victim of the crime visited the College to give an emotional talk.

"When I was told what the students here were doing, I wanted to be here to talk to them so, hopefully, they can get a sense of what my girls and I went through first-hand.” - Baroness Helen Newlove

Baroness Helen Newlove lost her husband, Garry, in 2007 after he was murdered by drunken teenagers vandalising his car. Appointed Victims’ Commissioner in 2012, Baroness Newlove’s impassioned talk at the College about her and her children’s experiences came as Drama students and Neighbourhood Police Officers prepare a production to show to high school students across the Wirral, using theatre to highlight the impact and consequences of antisocial behaviour. The performance will be written by the College students themselves as they aim to engage schoolchildren on a personal level.

The Baroness, who hails from Warrington, was joined by Merseyside Police & Crime Commissioner Jane Kennedy at the College’s campus in Claughton as she addressed A Level students, police officers and students from The Birkenhead Park School. 

Since her ordeal, the Baroness has worked tirelessly in trying to educate young people about the pitfalls of antisocial behaviour and its escalating nature, leading to her appointment to the House of Lords in 2010.

Speaking at the launch of the joint venture between the police and Birkenhead Sixth Form College, Baroness Newlove said: “In a dramatic sense, the production will have a big impact and emotions will run high, but it’s also good because it will be the children’s peers performing to them. It’s not someone older that can’t relate to them so much. If it can even help one person in the audience to rethink their actions then it’s well worth doing.”

The Baroness, who stayed behind after the talk for a question and answer session with the College students and police officers involved in the play, continued: “I’ve only seen one production about antisocial behaviour before and I found it quite emotional, so when I was told what the students here were doing, I wanted to be here to talk to them so, hopefully, they can get a sense of what my girls and I went through first-hand.”

Neighbourhood Police Officer, Danny Murphy, who is at the forefront of the project, said: “Both the Baroness’s talk and the drama production help young people look into their consciousness and their attitude. It’s not about demonising the kids; it’s about making them realise the effect that something that they consider to be fun and harmless can have on other people.

“Baroness Newlove’s story is incredibly sad, but it’s also inspirational to see and hear what she’s done about the issue of antisocial behaviour ever since, and the help that she’s offered so many children.”

Birkenhead Sixth Form College Principal, Kathryn Podmore, said: “At the College, we endeavour to encourage all young people to be aspirational, positive and purposeful in their lives and to make enriched and valuable contributions to their communities.  We therefore very much welcome this opportunity to be able to make a small contribution to this valuable work of raising awareness in young people across the Borough.”