Important information for returning students:

A Level results day – Thurs 17th August 2017

The progression team will be in college during the week AS and A Level results are released. Students may need help and advice with regards to their UCAS applications and what they need to do if their exam results are not what they expected. On A Level results day itself, the progression team will be available for one to one guidance in college, supported by our own higher education adviser who can give advice about the college’s own university level courses.

Clearing

Students need to login in to UCAS Track to check their places for University.

If a student does not have a place at their first or insurance choice they will be able to enter Clearing from 18th August to find an alternative course.

Adjustment

If students achieve better grades than they expected for their firm offer eg AAB and above they are able to contact other Universities to discuss potential places. This process is called ‘adjustment.’

Year 12 – Results and Help

For those students receiving AS results there will be a range of support and guidance available between 17th-25th August and all AS students will receive a phone call from their year one tutor on the afternoon of 24th August to discuss their results.

Year 12 Students Applying for University in 2018 – What You Need to Do This Summer Holidays

1. Research Courses and Universities: Students should be researching what subject they want to study at what institution. Open Days are a great way to find out what a course at a specific university is really like and to visit the accommodation and student facilities too. Book on for Open days in September as these often fill up quickly.

www.opendays.com

Please click here to watch a Progression HE Info Event presentation about what you need to do now and what resources can help.

2. The Big Sell – The Personal Statement

Once your son, daughter or ward has chosen their course and 5 potential universities they need to write their personal statement over the summer. This may take a few drafts and there is lots of advice on the Ucas website to help them do this.

Please check your son, daughter or wards personal statement – does it make sense? Does it explain why they want to do the course and then provide evidence for why they are suitable for it?

Click here for advice from Ucas.

3. Get Help with Personal Statements

If your son, daughter or ward needs help with your personal statement then they can email: progressionteam@exe-coll.ac.uk and also bring along a draft statement to our term time lunch time drop in service between 12.15 – 14.15 Monday to Friday in the Progression Hub.

4. Looking for something Extra to Boost a Personal Statement Fast?

Some students last year signed up for FREE courses on Futurelearn over the Summer holidays and claimed this helped them get offers from competitive courses. There are courses about all sorts of subjects from different cancer treatments, to archaeology in Egypt. These courses can boost your UCAS form as they are run by Universities and show that you have taken the trouble to do further studying about a specific subject area you are claiming to be interested in!

https://www.futurelearn.com/

September – Registering for UCAS.

Students register for UCAS in the first week back in September with their tutor groups and then can start to fill in the form. Student applications can be sent from September. Students must allow 10 working days processing time for a reference, predicted grades adding before the form is sent to UCAS. Universities make offers as soon as they receive forms and so make sure you get your form in by October half term to secure an offer on a competitive course.

Deadlines:

25th September – Students applying for Oxbridge, Medicine and Dentistry or Veterinary Science Courses must have completed their UCAS form by this date.

31st October – All applications for competitive courses and institutions should be completed by this date.

4th December – Internal College deadline for submission of completed applications to guarantee they are sent by deadline.

3rd January – Any form received after this date will not be sent before the UCAS deadline.

15th January – official UCAS deadline. Forms received after this date will not necessarily receive consideration.

Gap year Research

Is your son, daughter or ward interested in taking a Gap year after college? Check out this excellent website and database which links to trusted Gap year providers’ websites. It's not too early to start planning for this and can be a big post A level motivator!

http://www.independentgapadvice.org/

Do You want a Degree Without Fees? Apprenticeships for A level Students

Do you want to keep up to date with the rise of the new Higher and Degree Apprenticeships for A level leavers? Then check out the presentation below and also go here for a list of companies offering these for next year. Many of these companies will have early application dates.

http://www.careerpilot.org.uk/info/apprenticeships/new-degree-apprenticeships/

July is a month full of celebrations for the college. Many faculties take this opportunity to congratulate and celebrate the hard work of all their students. One of the highlights of these events is the AS and BTEC Awards. For students just completing their first year, this is an excellent way to recognise their hard work.

This year’s guest speaker was Joseph McShane, an alumni of Exeter College and ISCA, who has just completed his degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University. He talked about his experiences of university and how to stand out from the crowd. His advice to students to get the most from their studies was to “Be argumentative, be interested and to integrate.”

Congratulations to this year’s award winners, we look forward to welcoming you back to college for the autumn term.

Award Winners 2017

Maths and Science

Academic Excellence – Sachin Chacko

Contribution to Faculty – Emma Kenyon

Outstanding Progress – Oliver Holdsworth

Faculty award – Amy Barker

Faculty Tutee of the Year Rosie Woodward

Art and Design

Academic Excellence – Greg Greenwood

Academic Excellence – Morgan Johnson

Outstanding Progress – Robin Falkner-Wedge

Outstanding Progress – Abigail Devey

Faculty award – Anna Bruendl

Faculty Tutee of the Year – Tom Brown

Business and IT

Academic Excellence – Louisa Bastin

Faculty award – Jay Warren

English, Languages and IB

Academic Excellence – Marcie Weeks

Contribution to the Faculty – Vincent Radley and Maria Rolla

Outstanding Progress – Caralee Ingham

Faculty award – Holly Kaufman-Hill

Faculty Tutee of the Year – William Tracy-Youngs

Humanities

Academic Excellence – Rosie Harwood

Contribution to Faculty – Kira Lewis

Outstanding Progress – Linus Uhlig

Outstanding Progress – Emma Webber

Faculty Tutee of the Year – Grace Zimbler

Sport, Tourism and Leisure

Academic Excellence – Caitlin Gallagher

Faculty award – Devon Jewsbury

Media and Performing Arts

Academic Excellence – Ellie-Maye Barbour-Gresham

Contribution to Faculty – Joel Munday

Outstanding Progress – Sonny Howes

Faculty award – Ella Brown

Faculty Tutee of the Year – William Jee

Staff from the Engineering and Automotive faculty recently represented Exeter College at Automechanika at the NEC in Birmingham. This is the biggest aftermarket exhibition in the UK, with over 800 exhibitors providing information and advice for people in the motor industry.

The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) put on a presentation for MoT testers and for training providers to find out what the changes from DVSA means for the industry. Darren Smyth, a lecturer at Exeter College, was there to answer questions from other training providers throughout the country. He also talked about our best quality teaching practices, the college has had a 100% pass rate for the candidates that have gone into industry. He discussed the new MoT training regulations for ongoing CPD training and annual assessment. Darren was interviewed by the IMI – you can watch the interview here.

Barry Williams, IMI Business Development Manager, joined the Exeter team onstage. He said; “Exeter College has some great kit for the 800 or so engineering candidates coming through the faculty every year. They have eight ramps, the latest diagnostic devices, and a bank of 50 PCs for the IMI online learning and assessment. To top it all they have full capability to run ULEV training courses, so they’re surely set for a bright future serving the retail motor industry.”

Andy Wells, Head of Faculty added; “Of course we had a head start, we were an MOT training centre for the DVSA before the recent changes were implemented. We were already well resourced before the new qualifications were introduced so we hit the ground running. Our training is competitively priced and accommodation in Devon is affordable too. It all adds up to a winning combination for us as a college and our customers.”

You can find out more about our courses here, or contact the faculty for more information on: 01392 400380.

You can now request our 2017-2018 Adult Training and Learning Guide online and find out about the wide range of Adult Professional and Short and Leisure courses we offer.

Our Adult Training and Learning courses offer something for everyone, including Short and Leisure courses if you want to take up a new skill or hobby and Professional courses if you want to retrain or improve your qualifications. Many of the Professional courses take part during day, but we also offer a wide range of evening courses to fit around your commitments. Courses typically start in September, January and April, depending on the length of the course and we also offer some “roll on, roll off” courses that you can join throughout the year.

The 2017/18 Adult Training and Learning Guide is now available online and to pick up from Exeter College’s receptions across the city.

You will also have the opportunity to come and speak to us at our University Level and Adult Learning Open Event on 20th June 2017, 5pm-7pm.

The Ray Kenny competition is run every year in memory of a chef who trained at the Dorchester Hotel. After his death in 2007, his family wanted to remember Ray’s passion for inspiring young chefs. The competition is open to 2nd year Full Time Catering Students within Further Education Colleges in the South West, the aim of the competition is to widen the horizons of budding chefs in the Westcountry.

Competitors are asked to produce a three course plated meal with a Westcountry theme for two covers, within two and a half hours.

This year's winner was Ellie Thuell from Kenton, Ellie is currently studying for a Diploma in Professional Cookery and a Certificate in Professional Food and Beverage Service.

Her winning menu was:

Crab tortellini with a crab bisque and sea vegetables

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Herb crusted rack of lamb with pommes anna, wild garlic, carrot puree and button onions

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Creme brulee with fresh raspberries

We spoke to Ellie after she won to find out what her plans for the future are:

To get into the final I had to write a letter to Mrs Kenny explaining why I wanted to win, what I would spend the money on and what my future plans are. Once I had been chosen I went straight through to the finals.

The feeling when I won was just incredible, it was such a shock because I thought I had cooked badly. When they said my name I burst out into tears because I was so happy! It didn't feel real that I had actually won a work placement at Lucknam Park and £2k!

Once I leave college I really want to do a ski season and then travel around the world, working and experiencing all the different cultures but the end goal is to work at a Michelin starred restaurant.

Jordan Picot, Exeter College Level 2 Plumbing Apprentice, has once again displayed exceptional skills and training by winning the southern heat of the BPEC SKILLPlumb competition. This follows his success at the HIP plumbing competition just four weeks ago, where Jordan progressed to the national final.

Chris Bennett, Lecturer at Exeter College, said: “Jordan continuingly improves and strives for excellence in everything he does. Jordan’s eye for detail and practical ability are second to none and his relaxed approach is a real positive in high pressure situations.”

Jordan has taken the success in his stride, with the support from his employer Will Slatcher at Go Green Engineering. Will said: “Go Green Engineering would like to congratulate Jordan on his recent achievements, not only has he won this competition, but he has become an apprentice that is dedicated and hardworking, his ability is also exceptional for his level. He is a perfect example of a modern day apprentice for becoming a heating engineer of the future”.

Both competitions cover a wide variety of skills ranging from measuring and marking out to pipe bending and soldering.

Jordan says “I have been given a lot of support from my employer and Exeter college when training for this competition, I think winning it has helped my confidence in finishing a job to a high standard and within an allocated time, I'm so pleased that I won, all that hard work has paid off”.

Exeter College offer a wide range of apprenticeships, training and support. Find out more on our website.

It has been an award winning fortnight for Exeter College Apprenticeships. Following the double win for Apprenticeships at the Exeter Living awards, five Exeter College Apprentices have claimed wins in their individual industries for their excellent skills and hard work.

To begin the winning streak, multiple construction Apprentices entered SkillBuild. This competition gives Britain’s best construction trainees a chance to compete against one another and showcase their talents to be pronounced the best in their chosen craft occupation. James Cope, Apprentice at Gentlemen Builders claimed first place in the ‘new entrant’ category for his carpentry skills and Harry Colgrave, Apprentice at C.J. Chenery Bespoke Furniture and Joinery achieved a brilliant second place as a ‘new entrant’ cabinet maker in the South Devon heat. Both James and Harry came away with excellent points and a chance to compete in the SkillBuild final as a part of the Skills Show at the NEC in Birmingham.

The success did not stop here for the Construction faculty, as just a week later Jordan Picot, Plumbing Apprentice at Go Green Engineering achieved the winning position at the southern heat of the SkillPLUMB competition. SkillPLUMB is run annually by BPEC to promote skills across the plumbing industry and give recognition to competitors for their expertise. When the heats have finished, the highest scoring competitors have the opportunity to progress through to the competition to the WorldSkills UK final.

WorldSkills UK competitions bring together Apprentices from across the country to compete to be the best in their chosen skill. The competitions are designed to inspire and challenge the next generation to be ambitious in their pursuit for excellence, whilst equipping them with life-long world class skills. This is indeed the case for our next Exeter College star, James Parsons, a Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Apprentice working at Exminster Garage.

James scored the highest on his day across six tasks in the Skill Auto competition, run by the Institute of the Motor Industry, putting him in the running to become the WorldSkills UK National winner. The competition, similar to SkillBuild and SkillPLUMB, Skill Auto aims to find the top new talent within the automotive industry and has as a result named James up there with the best in Automotive Light Vehicle Technology.

Our final winning Apprentice is Tobias Cowan. Tobias is training as an Engineer at HepcoMotion and is the Exeter College student representative for Apprentices. He has been named the Radio Exe Pride of Devon Apprentice and Young Employee of the Year, for his enthusiasm and determination both at work and as an ambassador for Apprenticeships. We are sure that we will be hearing much more from Tobias and all of our brilliant award winning Apprentices in the years to come. We look forward to seeing their future successes and hearing about their further achievements within the Skills Competitions – we are sure to have some world class winners within the college in the next few months.

Exeter College alumna Lucy Banks never thought she would become a published writer when she enrolled on a Creative Writing course at Exeter College. Now her dream has come true with the publication of her first novel – The Case of the Green Dressed Ghost.

The book is aimed at adults who like light-hearted, supernatural stories, it was recently described by Publisher’s Weekly as ‘Ghostbusters with a British accent’.

Lucy, from Exeter, said: “I liked that it was something I could work around my job because I work full time and it was a nice convenient time. It seemed like a really interesting, relaxed, informal sort of course.”

Lucy’s book came out in March, with the next one due out in February (and two more in the pipeline).

Described as being about the supernatural, Lucy credits the course with the idea for her main character saying, “It all stemmed from Sam’s class. We did a character exercise where we had to come up with a character from thin air and that’s where I came up with this character of Dr Ribero. It stayed in my head for about three months afterwards and then it turned into a book, so it is all down to Sam!”

Lucy said the idea for the book came from wanting to normalise the fears around the supernatural for her own children. “They can get scared of ghosts and stuff like that so it was more to sort of kill that stone dead and make humour out of it really.”

So how does it feel to be a published writer? “It’s been lovely, it’s quite weird because they're a US publisher so there's more going on there than there is here”.

Lucy says that her advice to fellow writers would be to do a writing course. “I think doing a course is a great idea that really did help and gave me a lot of confidence. When you share your work with other people you're sort of forced into that situation of getting feedback and I think that can be really helpful. Just keep writing as much as possible whenever you can.”

Lucy’s lecturer while studying at Exeter College was Sam Watson, who was overjoyed to hear of Lucy’s success.

She said: “Three pieces of her writing, in particular, stood out for me that term – one was a scene from a train trapped in winter weather which had the beginnings of a ghost story. The second was her entry to the class Flash Fiction competition. Of course, the final piece that has stayed with me was Lucy’s creation of Dr Ribero.

“During a particular session I had asked the group to start developing their own ideas of a detective. Lucy told us her detective was an elderly Argentinian, had a twirly moustache and carried a cane – how could we resist? I was so pleased to hear the fantastic news last year that Lucy’s first book (with her character of Dr Ribero) had been accepted by a publishing house and I made sure I went to get my copy signed by the author herself!”

You can read reviews about Lucy’s book and purchase online here.

Kester Lanner didn’t know what to expect when he followed his mother's dying request to contact the mysterious Dr. Ribero, but he wasn't expecting to find his long lost father. Nor was he expecting to join the family business: catching supernatural spirits. Kester is intrigued despite his fear, and finds himself drawn into an ancient ghost story that will test the entire agency. He soon becomes enmeshed in a struggle with the spirit, who is so malevolent and haunting that his first real case might just be his last.

Are you interested in an evening class? Please click here for our full list of courses.

Access student Nicola James, from Exeter, has been celebrating a double achievement. Not only has she been offered a place at the University of Exeter to study Liberal Arts but she has also just won a national poetry competition, the prize meaning her work will be published in an anthology.

“When I entered the poem into a competition, I never thought I would get picked, never thought that anything I write would be published by someone else. It makes me feel so amazing.”

So why did she sign up for an Access course at Exeter college? “I’ve been into a poetry for a while and writing is a big hobby of mine, I wanted to do English and I wanted to go to uni to do this so this was the perfect way to get in. I’m doing an English GCSE as well so it’s been a lot to take on but it's been really amazing, I love the access course. The other thing was that I wanted to prove to my daughter, whose ten, that it doesn’t matter what start you have. You can do anything you want and go after your dreams.”

Nicola says that the access course has helped her self confidence. “I never thought I had the ability to write essays and I’ve got distinctions throughout. When you get good feedback from your lecturers it just makes you feel really good about yourself. It’s been really fun as well, everyone’s great.”

She has now been writing poetry for two years and can’t imagine ever giving it up. “I first started writing as an outlet for how I was feeling and to help me come to terms with what was going on in my life. I just find that when I write it gets rid of all the bad feelings so I started a blog and started getting support from other writers. The more I write, the more it becomes my way of life.”

Nicola’s advice for anyone thinking of doing an Access course is to go for it. “The access course has helped me so much. I’ve made some really good friends and all the tutors and lecturers are really helpful. It is a lot of work, it is hard but it's definitely worth it.”

Nicola has now written over 200 poems and is hoping to get them all published into an anthology. “When I look back at what I’ve written it makes me realise that I was in a really bad place but I’ve turned that into something really beautiful.”

In the meantime you can read her work online at: www.nickitjames.com

If you’re thinking of studying an Access course then you can find out more here.

Exeter College BTEC Performing Arts students recently performed Dreams of Anne Frank by Bernard Cops at the Barnfield Theatre.

Winner of the Time Out award for best children's production during its London premiere, this imaginative play with music demystifies and humanizes Anne Frank's story of tremendous bravery.

75 years ago in 1942, Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl, was forced into hiding with seven others in a secret annex in Amsterdam. Dreams of Anne Frank, a beautifully re-imagined play by Bernard Cops, vividly brings her story to life in a poignant, beautiful and highly charged drama. Through movement, live music and song the play re-imagines and explores Anne Frank's hidden world; a world in which she lived, fell in love, and dreamt of freedom.

Head of section for Drama and Performing Arts, Nige Paul said: “Dreams of Anne Frank has been a fantastic teaching and learning vehicle for our students this year. It has allowed us to consolidate and further explore acting, movement and voice. At the core of our interpretation is the power and purpose of ensemble.

Our second years are about to move on to places at university, drama school, other courses at college, gap years or full-time employment. We wish all of our students every success when they graduate from us, no matter what direction they take.”

Student Rebecca Brabon-Bartlett who played Margo Frank said: “Studying Performing Arts at Exeter College has allowed me to gain confidence not only as a performer but also as a person. It’s also taught me how important it is to work as a team and to never be afraid to share my own creative ideas. Next year I hope to start auditioning for drama schools in order to continue my training in musical theatre.”

Chesney Fawkes-Porter, a student from Torquay, who played Peter Van Daan said: “I have really developed my ensemble skills and my ability to take and incorporate direction from others. In the future, I hope to live in London and appear in West End musicals. I have been lucky enough to receive an unconditional offer from the London College of Music to study BA (HONS) Musical Theatre in September.”

Members of the audience took to social media to praise the performance:

We really enjoyed your performance this afternoon, thank you so much! It was such a touching and tightly knit performance. All the cast put such heart and soul into the show , it moved myself and several of my family to tears. I would definitely watch another show by the BTEC performing arts students in the future. I also found the exhibition interesting. Good luck for the future to you all!”

I have just returned from seeing the Saturday matinee performance of Dreams. I have to say, I was expecting a competent and well practiced performance, but nothing could have prepared me for the excellent and intensely emotional spectacle I watched. Every cast member was fully committed to providing the audience with a first rate polished performance. The leads were excellent, especially Anne, and Margot. I didn't expect to be so touched, to the point of tears, by a BTEC level performance. Acting, singing, dancing, staging were all brilliant and contributed to a thoroughly satisfying and informative show. Thank you once again for a fine performance.”

Dreams of Anne Frank Cast and Crew

Cast

Otto Frank – Owen Thomas

Edith Frank – Holly Bowler

Margot Frank – Rebecca Brabon Barlett

Anne Frank – Grace Rowe

Mr Van Daan – Wilf Juett

Mrs Van Daan – Freya Hester

Peter Van Daan – Chesney Fawkes-Porter

Dussell – Maxim Wortley

Kitty – Sofia Freeman

Hannah Goslar – Lucy Jarvis

Danka Zajade – Molly Mae Courtney

Nanette Blitz – Hannah Mountain

Lenie Duyzend – Erinn Painter

Annie Eering – Maya Byrne

Bep Van Groot Battave – Sarah Parker

Letty De Levie – Phillipa Barrowcliffe

Jacqueline Van Maarsen – Jessica Tizard

Miep Gies – Eleanor Welch

Jan Gies – Seumas Mackinnon

Bep Voskuijl – Kim Mather

Johannes Kleiman – Cree Taylor

Victor Kugler – Jezz Janeiro

Grietje Scott – Hannah Berryman

Announcer – Eliot Alford

Producer – James Williams

Singer – Nadia Coles

Music

Violin – Florence Rutherfoord-Jones and Joel Munday

Viola – David Golby

Cello – Ella Golby

Music Arranged by David Golby

Production Team

Stage Management: Sarah Ford, Sophie Smith, Annie Williams, Heather Clark and Cliona Macleod

Set Construction: Jessica Hill, Jacob Madeley, Catkin Rawlings,Cameron Woolsey, Nicola Court, and Cameron Patterson

Crew: Bethan Bowden, Cameron Derry, Barney Furness, Carli Shaw, Matilda Stacey, Kian Gale, Emma Hodnett and Rhys Vowden

Wardrobe: Martha Adnams, Maisie Clarke, Georgia Mair, Chloe Murphy, Maya Goodall and Megan Hayes

Lighting Operation: Prue Howard and April Walters

Sound Operation: James Pike

Shadow Show Design and Construction: Freya Hester, James Pike, Ruby Bensburg, Roseanna Isaac and Toni Loveland

Creative and Production Team

Direction: Nigel Paul

Choreography: Emma Wyke

Singing and Vocal Coaches: Katy Baker and Colin Davey

Musical Director: David Golby

Production and Stage Management: Laura Fitzpatrick, Jane May and Victoria Morris

Set Design: Mike Reddaway

Lighting Design: Pete Goodwin

Sound Design: James Pike

Exhibition: Katie Scott-Hamilton

Thanks to the following for all their support, advice and kindness:

Theatre Alibi, Northcott Theatre, Barnfield Theatre, James King, Will Cosey, Steve Price and Ian Rossiter.