“It’s different, but a good different,” – students on the safe return to College
Staff at Exeter College have been working hard to ensure that students can return to a safe environment, while continuing to provide an outstanding college experience.
“The one-way system and making sure everyone has face masks on has been good, I feel safe,”
Dom, Exeter College student
As students return to our classrooms for the start of the new term, we caught up with some of them to ask how they are feeling about being back in education after months of being home.
Matilda, who travels from Somerset and is studying Health and Social Care said: “It’s been different but a good different. I was ready for the change when we finished school to be a bit more grown up. I get the train and it’s been good; I was quite nervous about it, but it’s been smooth sailing and I felt safe.”
Dom gets the train from North Devon and is studying Sport. He said: “The one-way system and making sure everyone has face masks on has been good, I feel safe.
When talking about meeting new people with the restrictions in place, Dom said: “It’s still been easy, I find it easy to make friends, so it’s been good.”
Leah gets the bus to college and is studying Make Up Artistry. We asked if anything has made her feel safer at college and she said: “The one-way system, 110%. Everyone has their own space and because there is a one-way system around the building, it’s just easier for people to get their own space and feel more comfortable.”
Shar, who is in the same class as Leah said: “I wasn’t initially looking forward to coming back but now that I am actually back, I am really enjoying it. It’s nice to meet new people and make new friends, meet the lecturers and learn new things.”
If you’re an adult looking at your future career options then the Exeter College Adult Course Guide will give you the information and clarity you need to take your next steps in your chosen career.
Whether you want to change jobs entirely or want to progress in your current sector, one of our part time adult courses could be the key you need to unlock your future.
Adult courses with us are designed for direct application to the workplace and aim to give learners the confidence and qualifications to improve their prospects and achieve their professional goals.
Inside the Adult Course Guide, you will find full information on the wide variety of courses available for adult learners, including entry requirements and eligibility for free GCSE courses in English and Maths if you haven’t achieved these qualifications before.
Guidance is also available on funding and finance options – including information on Advanced Learner Loans that are only paid back when earning over a certain threshold (currently £26,575 per year). And Low-income concessions (anyone earning under £17,000 a year). Many adults are also eligible for Government-funded grants and bursaries to help with the costs of childcare or associated study costs; full eligibility information can be found inside the guide or on our finance page.
What’s on offer for adults at Exeter College?
Professional Courses. These are courses that provide training and skills-based knowledge in specific professional areas. These can be used to change career or improve prospects in a current role.
English and Maths pre-GCSE and GCSE courses. These are free courses from Entry Level to Level 2, designed to help adults get these crucial qualifications for future career aspirations.
Access to Higher Education. These courses help those without traditional formal qualifications or who might have been out of education for some time to have the skills and qualification to move on to degree level study. These are especially popular with adults who now want to progress on to study at university or are looking to retrain.
Higher Education. Get degree-level qualifications with Exeter College with our Centre for University Level Studies. Students choose us for our smaller class sizes and commitment to helping you to achieve your personal goals throughout study. Our higher education provision is rated as ‘Gold’ in the Teaching Excellence Framework, putting us alongside some of the top universities in the country.
Higher Apprenticeships.These courses involve part time study with us alongside a formal Apprenticeship with a company in industry.
Contact our specialist Adult Advisers on adultadvice@exe-coll.ac.uk or 01392 400170 for a chat about your options. They can also guide you through the application process for joining a course or getting your funding sorted.
Exeter College Announces Free Tuition for Students Retaking Summer Exams
Exeter College has announced a suite of support for its further education students who wish to retake their exams in the autumn after academic results were revealed, and then adjusted by the Government, earlier this month.
After the latest Government guidance, all students receiving grades this summer will be awarded either their centre-assessed grade or their exam board grade – depending on which is higher. Exeter College’s grades have continued their legacy of success, with the vast majority of A level learners able to progress to their first-choice university. However, as happens frequently with exams in a normal year, some learners would like a chance to re-sit to improve their grade.
“Offering this free tuition to students who are re-sitting their exams is just another way we’re trying to ensure that no student feels left behind by the complications that have come with awarding qualifications this summer,”
Jade Otty, Vice Principal
Exeter College has now announced that students who wish to take their exams during the autumn examination series will be eligible for free online tuition for each of the subjects they’re re-sitting. The subject-specialist staff at the College will deliver this bank of sessions specifically designed to focus on the needs of the autumn examinations. As a result, learners will be given the opportunity to improve their knowledge and understanding of topics they may feel less secure on from their own revision in advance of their exams.
Exeter College Director of Academic Studies, Dee Rowett, said, “We are fully aware that some learners may feel disappointed that they were unable to demonstrate their abilities through the cancelled examination series in the summer so we are keen to provide the very best opportunity to learners wishing to enter for the autumn exams.
“The teaching staff here at the College have become confident and skilled in the use of online technology to support teaching and learning so we believe our online revision sessions are the ideal way to help learners in advance of the October examinations.
“We are proud of the hard work and achievements of all our learners during this particularly difficult time and want to continue to do our very best to support the ambitions of every learner in creating this online revision offer.”
Exeter College Vice Principal Jade Otty, who leads on academic performance, said, “Offering this free tuition to students who are re-sitting their exams is just another way we’re trying to ensure that no student feels left behind by the complications that have come with awarding qualifications this summer.
“These free online revision sessions will really help students top up their knowledge if they’re feeling slightly out-of-practice after the summer break and should help give them the best possible chance of achieving the grades they want from their studies.
“I’m thrilled we’re able to offer this support for our students and I want to thank our expert teachers who will be helping to facilitate this offer.”
Students interested in taking an exam in the autumn series of resits can apply to do so now. The deadline for applying to take a resit in the autumn is midnight on 2nd September for AS/A Levels and 8th September for our current GCSE learners. The exams will take place in October and November 2020.
Travelling to college from outside of Exeter?
Exeter College have been working closely with Devon County Council and local travel operators to allow for social distancing on bus and rail services for travel to and from college. This includes introducing additional journeys that will run at peak college times to ensure extra capacity for our students to travel safely to college.
The extra services will operate as “closed journeys”, this means that they will only carry school or college students, creating a bubble and further adding to the safety. As with all travel on public transport face coverings will be required, unless students are medically exempt.
If you normally travel to college by rail, because of social distancing on trains capacity will be reduced, so we have worked to ensure extra coach journeys will be provided for college students. Once again these will operate as “closed journeys”, so will only carry Exeter College students.
Rob Bosworth, Deputy CEO of Exeter College said: “Because of our great partnerships with Devon County Council, Stagecoach and GWR, we have been able to ensure that our students are able to continue to travel to college as safely as possible. We can’t wait to welcome students back over the coming weeks for the start of the new academic year”.
This extra capacity will work with our Travel Scheme to ensure students can travel to and from college safely and comfortably. If you need more information about our Travel Scheme and details about where the new services will operate from you can contact our Travel Team by calling 01392 400100 or emailing us.
Please note that train tickets will still be valid for travel on services. However, we would recommend that you use the dedicated coach as this will enable us to support social distancing measures.
If you’re still considering a place at Exeter College, it’s not too late. We’re enrolling now and we would love to speak to you about your next steps. You can speak to our College Advice Team by calling 01392 400600 or emailing us.
Landmark Partnership for Exeter College and Exeter Athletic RFC
Exeter College and Exeter Athletic Rugby Club have announced a landmark new partnership that will see further significant investment into the club’s Bravelands facilities and the College’s Rugby Academy fixtures moved to be played at Oil Mill Lane on the planned improved pitches.
Exeter Athletic, who run a number of amateur sides for men and women, currently play their fixtures at Bravelands on Oil Mill Lane and now, with additional planned support from Exeter College, the pitches will see significant improvements and the clubhouse and changing facilities; creating an exceptional environment for rugby.
“We’re looking forward to sharing Exeter Athletic’s home and we can’t wait to welcome some of the best schools and academy programmes from across the country to Bravelands,”
Ross Morshead, Director of Vocational and Technical Education at Exeter College
The College’s hugely popular Exeter Chiefs Rugby Academy, which provides the region’s aspiring male and female rugby stars a route into professional sport alongside gaining formal qualifications, will soon play their fixtures at Exeter Athletic’s Bravelands ground, providing students high quality facilities for matchdays to go alongside their existing professional facilities at the College’s Exwick Sports Hub.
The announcement further strengthens the College’s Rugby Academy offer and continues to bolster the Women’s Rugby Academy ahead of the launch of Exeter Chiefs’ first ever professional women’s side later this year.
Exeter College Director of Vocational and Technical Education Ross Morshead said, “This is a terrific partnership for our learners and this facility will be a great asset to the community game in Exeter as well as to our students.”
“We’re looking forward to sharing Exeter Athletic’s home and we can’t wait to welcome some of the best schools and academy programmes from across the country to Bravelands. I know our students are really looking forward to the benefits this will bring them as part of their studies.
“Exeter Athletic is a terrific rugby club, offering fantastic opportunities in the amateur rugby game for people of all ages and abilities. It’s great to be able to work alongside such a great community club and be a part of their future plans.”
The Exeter Chiefs Rugby Academy students with Exeter College will continue to train at their specialist Exwick Sports Hub and will compete in official fixtures on Wednesdays at Oil Mill Lane. This new partnership allows both the men’s and women’s sides to run a number of fixtures in the same location on the same day.
Bravelands pitches will be getting an improved playing surface.
The Exeter Chiefs Rugby Academy with Exeter College has a long history of success, with many students going on to earn professional contracts following their continued education with Exeter College. Others have also used the programme to develop into a career in the sport industry, even if it’s not on the pitch.
Harry Langley, chairman of Exeter Athletic said, “Exeter Athletic are really pleased with this new collaborative partnership. Being a community based club with lots of pitch space, we want to see the facilities used as much as possible. With the drainage improvement this partnership will facilitate as well as the new clubhouse building plans that are in the final planning stages, then we expect the next year will see a major step change in the rugby played at Bravelands.”
The Rugby Academy is also set to welcome a fresh coaching set-up, with Keith Brooking joining as Exeter College Rugby Programme Manager and Ruairi Cushion appointed as First Team Head Coach. The addition of Keith to this role further strengthens the already outstanding quality of coaches throughout the programme which is overseen by Exeter Chiefs Academy manager Rob Gibson.
The full coaching team for the men’s programme can be seen below with the women’s set to be announced in September.
Rob Gibson – Exeter Chiefs Academy Manager
Keith Brooking – Programme Manager
Jon Hill – Head of Rugby
Ruari Cushion – First Team Head Coach
Jon Fabian – Rugby Coach
Ali Hill – Rugby Coach
Richard Middleton – Head of Strength & Conditioning
Harry Wright – Strength & Conditioning
Marc Dibble – Apprenticeship Manager
Salar Brock: From Exeter College to the Rick Stein Restaurants
As part of Exeter College celebrating 50 years as the UK’s first ever tertiary college, we’re talking to some of the inspirational students, staff and alumni who have helped make us the Ofsted Outstanding education provider we are today.
Before the lockdown, I had the pleasure of speaking to Salar Brock, Operations Manager at the Rick Stein Restaurants. During this interview, Salar talked to me about his Exeter College experience and discussed the details of being Operations Manager for one of the most significant influencers in all things seafood.
Born and bred in Exeter, and still living just around the corner from Exeter College, Salar studied the NVQ Intermediate course in Hospitality, noting that the College ‘always had a good reputation of excellence.’
Wanting to work in a restaurant or hotel environment from a young age, Salar said, “I always liked to engage with different people, I found it very fun. The course gave me an oversight of many different areas.
“If you go to one restaurant, you learn about what they do, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But if you go to college, you get a foundation of learning all skills for all restaurants. You have a better understanding of everything.”
Salar’s endless passion for food and hospitality was abundantly clear, commenting on his love for looking after people and how lucky he is to do it at the Rick Stein Restaurants.
He said, “I’ve also always loved being part of a team, striving to make things better both for your colleagues and for the customer. You get to work with great products and producers, and it is exciting!”
Working within the Rick Stein Restaurants since 2014, the biggest part of Salar’s job is building teams and connections, through working on internal and external relationships. Internally, there is a heavy focus on organising general managers and head chefs, ensuring that they pass their knowledge onto the teams, and making sure that they can take on any challenges.
Having now worked in an array of locations including Walkabout Bar, The Castle Hotel in Taunton, and a conference hotel, Salar was grateful for his college experience.
“The catering course at Exeter College gave me early exposure to everything. For young aspiring managers, it is important not to settle and only do one thing. Explore other options,” he said.
“I think having that overall knowledge from the College course was great. To have that understanding of produce and how to create the end product helped me, as it meant I could discuss all aspects of the job. It gives you that underlying knowledge and confidence.”
One of Salar’s significant achievements in his career with Rick Stein is his progression, from his early role as the manager of their flagship seafood restaurant in Padstow, Cornwall, to becoming part of the senior management team.
Rick and Jill Stein started their first family restaurant in 1975, but today their company employs over 500 people across 10 restaurants and a cookery school. A big moment for the company was getting into ‘The Times 100 best employers’, where they came 54th in ‘Best Employer in Britain’ in just their first year of entering.
“We feel very passionate and proud about being included in this. It shows every level of the business working together and as a team,” said Salar.
Reflecting on his time at Exeter College, Salar shared his advice for any students looking to branch out into hospitality, “I came to Exeter College primarily focused on being a hotel manager, and actually I don’t work in a hotel at all now. Gaining experience in every part of hospitality, from Michelin Starred restaurants to working at your local café is important.
“Gain experience and work in as many places as you can. Use the resources when you’re at college and be open to ideas; you don’t know of the opportunities that may be available.”
This article was written by Amy Vann, member of the JAx Journalism Academy. Find out more about the different academies that are offered at Exeter College.
Exeter College is celebrating 50 years since being named as the UK’s first tertiary college. Although our roots date back to the 1800s, our status as a tertiary college marked a revolution in further education and 2020 marks our 50 years of excellence since that landmark. If you have a memory of Exeter College through the years that you’d like to share, contact marketing@exe-coll.ac.uk or get involved on social media using #ExeColl50.
Exceptional Results for Exeter College Access to Higher Education Students
Exeter College’s truly exceptional summer of results has continued with the stunning success of their Access to Higher Education (HE) students, who are celebrating a huge 96% achievement rate.
The results mean that the vast majority of students on an Access to HE course at Exeter College now have the skills and qualifications to move on to fully-fledged degree level studies at universities throughout the UK.
“They truly deserve these incredible results, and I can’t wait to see what they’ll all go on to achieve next,”
Lucinda Sanders, Exeter College Director of Adult Learning
For many adult learners, an Access to HE course is a route into a higher level of study for those who don’t hold many formal qualifications or don’t meet the current entry requirements for university level education. Having completed their Access course at Exeter College, this cohort of students can now go on to make applications to study at universities, safe in the knowledge they have the required qualifications to make a successful application.
Exeter College Director of Adult Learning Lucinda Sanders said, “It’s hugely satisfying to see the success of our Access students, especially during what has been a unique academic year for their studies with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m thrilled that they’re celebrating their achievements in their courses. It will certainly unlock their future ambitions when it comes to university level study.
“It was great seeing the way students and staff adapted to the pandemic to continue teaching and learning at an incredibly high level during difficult circumstances. I want to thank all our teaching staff and students for taking to the new way of working so well. They truly deserve these incredible results, and I can’t wait to see what they’ll all go on to achieve next.”
Exeter College Access to Healthcare student Amy Mulvihill, 20, achieved an incredible 45 distinctions, giving her the grade profile to be accepted to study Midwifery at the University of Southampton.
“I’m so happy that I’ve got the results to go on to study at university. When I last studied, I just missed out on what I needed to get in, so I’m really pleased that I’ve got what I wanted.”
The student from Exmouth wanted to pay tribute to the Exeter College lecturers that supported her during her year-long programme of study.
“From the start, they found out about our entry requirements for where we all wanted to study and what we wanted to do at university. This meant they could support each of us in the right way for what we wanted to go on to study in the future, and that definitely made it all easier to understand and relevant to our interests.
“It has been an enjoyable and sometimes intense year, but everyone is really supportive. Someone is always there to help you if you need them.”
Exeter School of Art launches a unique student recruitment campaign
Exeter School of Art has partnered with the marketing agency Astley Media to launch a new video-led campaign aimed at inspiring prospective students.
The fast-paced film, showcasing work created by Exeter School of Art students, forms a part of the ‘Get Creative With Your Future’ digital campaign.
The film provides a snapshot of the experiences and opportunities offered by the school. It explores all aspects of the Foundation Diploma and Degree courses while communicating the many benefits of studying at Exeter.
The Gold-Standard accredited school is the perfect environment for kick-starting a career in the creative industries.
Exeter School of Art offers students the authentic art school experience through a variety of creative disciplines, from Graphic communication to film and TV production. The school provides students with access to experienced teacher practitioners. Additionally, the smaller class sizes help students flourish and get the support they deserve. With 18 studios, workshops, the latest tech and even a TV studio, Exeter School of Art are also able to compete with similar, but larger, art schools.
The one-year Foundation Diploma in Art & Design enables students to study multiple disciplines while deciding on their preferred area of specialism and refining their skills. A high number of previous students have gone on to study at the prestigious London art schools.
For prospective students interested in gaining real-world practical experience, specific to their chosen careers, the Foundation Degrees offer access to major employers and industry practitioners.
The two-year courses, offered in Fine Art, Film & TV Production, Graphic Communications and Photography, enables students to decide at a later date whether they wish to progress the course to BA Hons level at the University of Plymouth or enter the world of work with a vocational qualification.
Exeter College Head of Art and Design Nigel Watts said, “The ‘Get Creative With Your Future’ campaign is a great way of showcasing all that Exeter School of Art has to offer, in a fun and engaging way. We hope it really resonates with prospective students, who are probably swamped with the more standard university or college information and prospectus!”
Exeter College’s vocational students are celebrating remarkable success ahead of the College’s further investment in technical-based qualifications.
Students across the College’s broad range of BTEC and vocational subjects, from Healthcare to Construction, have achieved incredible results in line with recent years, cementing the College’s reputation for delivering an exceptional education for vocational courses.
“Huge congratulations to all of our learners who are celebrating their results and thank you for continuing our legacy of success,”
There was also great success beyond pass marks, as multiple subjects revealed high percentages of students achieving high grades. A massive 75% of BTEC Health and Social Care students achieved three distinctions or higher and over half of the cohort achieved the absolute top grade of three starred distinctions.
The success of this year’s vocational students reinforces the College’s status as a leading provider of workplace-designed qualifications, helping students to excel directly into industry, further study or an Apprenticeship.
Exeter College Principal and Chief Executive John Laramy said, “I’m thrilled for all our students who have worked incredibly hard alongside our staff to achieve these amazing results.”
“Once again, our students have gone above and beyond in their learning in extremely challenging circumstances. I’m so pleased that many of them have gone on to achieve the grades they need to move on to further inspirational opportunities.
“I’d like to thank each and every student for how they have adapted, worked and contributed to life at the College and to the staff who have shown once again why we’re recognised across the country for our Ofsted Outstanding provision.”
Exeter College Assistant Principal Sam Hillman, who oversees vocational and technical training at the Ofsted Outstanding College, said, “I am so pleased that in the majority of cases our learners have received the excellent results they so deserve, building on our legacy of outstanding success for vocational and technical courses.
“It’s also important to celebrate that many of our vocational and technical learners volunteered and worked alongside their studies to support Exeter and Devon’s Coronavirus efforts and of this, we are equally proud.
“Our vocational and technical learners leave us not just with amazing results, but we hope with the confidence, behaviours and skills that will enable them to continue to progress in their future. The resilience of our 2020 cohort has been incredible. We are super excited to see what they go on to achieve.”
The success of vocational students continues Exeter College’s long history of delivering these qualifications, a commitment that has strengthened in recent years with significant development and investment into specialist vocational facilities and provision.
Students on vocational courses with Exeter College could find themselves studying in the inspirational learning environments of the state-of-the-art Technology Centre, the recently developed £5.9million Sports Hall or in the professional workplace environments of the hairdressing salon or @thirty-four restaurant.
More recently, the College and the Department for Education has invested significantly for the delivery of new T Level qualifications from September 2020, with a new £1million mezzanine in the Construction Centre to aid in the delivery of the new technical-based qualifications. Further multi-million-pound investments have included providing learners with specialist industry equipment and learning facilities and revitalised learning and social spaces on the College’s Hele Road site.
Sam continued: “We pride ourselves on providing our technical and vocational learners with the very best dual-qualified teachers, world class facilities and resources, all enhanced by exceptional employer partnerships. Our diverse curriculum is of the highest quality and has a direct line of sight to industry for our learners.
“Huge congratulations to all of our learners who are celebrating their results and thank you for continuing our legacy of success.”
2020 Students Keep Exeter College Top of the Class
Please note: This release was written BEFORE the Government revised how A Level results would be calculated for this academic year.
Exeter College students are celebrating success on A Level Results Day once again, with an outstanding pass rate of 99.5% and high grades (A* to B) of 56%, ahead of the national average for another year, continuing the College’s legacy of outstanding results.
In this unprecedented academic year, the College has now received results for students studying A Levels, the International Baccalaureate and Access to Higher Education courses, all of which have been based on some form of calculated teacher assessment. The professionalism and integrity of the College’s teachers and the talent of students has been recognised as the vast majority of results have remained unchanged from teacher submissions.
“I would like to commend the students for how they have adapted, worked and contributed to life at the College and the staff who have shown again just why we’re rated as Outstanding by Ofsted,”
John Laramy, Principal and Chief Executive
A remarkable 24 of the College’s A Level subjects achieved 100% pass rates, but it was high grades where some subjects truly excelled.
The College’s Graphic Design A Level boasted an incredible 82% of students achieving high grades, while Politics achieved 67% high grades and History 63% high grades. There was also huge success for the College’s maths-based courses, with high grades for 63% of Maths students, 72% of Further Maths students, 60% of Economics students and 57% of Chemistry students.
The results mean that many students from Exeter College will now be going on to study at leading universities, progressing on to further study with the College or moving directly into the workplace.
Reflecting on the results, Exeter College Principal and Chief Executive John Laramy said, “I have seen first-hand how hard students and staff have worked over the last year and I’m confident that our students have valid, comparable and accurate grades that reflect their commitment.
“I can’t pass any judgement on the picture nationally, but we at Exeter College will be celebrating these results with our students. They have once again delivered results that mean Exeter College remains one of the very best further education providers in the country.
“I would like to commend the students for how they have adapted, worked and contributed to life at the College and the staff who have shown again just why we’re rated as Outstanding by Ofsted.”
The A Level results continue to build on the College’s exceptional summer of results, following the success of International Baccalaureate students and Access to Higher Education students in recent weeks.
Today is also the day when many students get their advanced level technical and vocational qualifications and use these as their passport to university level study, an Apprenticeship or employment. There will soon be a further press release celebrating their achievements, which have continued at an outstanding level for another year.
The results confirm Exeter College as the region’s first choice, Ofsted Outstanding College, with impressive achievement across the broad curriculum offered, from Fine Art through to Sociology.
The outstanding A Level results this year were supported by the fact that the College continues to enter students into AS Level exams, with most academic students taking an externally set and marked exam in the vast majority of subjects during their first year of study. It’s hoped that this approach will be especially useful for new students this year, who will not have experienced externally set exams. This means that students will work towards exams at the end of their first year to help them prepare and excel in their A Level year.
This practice on this occasion has meant that only a minority of grades have been changed as part of the Government’s algorithm for calculating final grades, keeping the College’s exemplary results in line with previous years and reflective of the outstanding learning environment at Exeter College.
Exeter College Vice Principal Jade Otty, who leads on academic performance, said, “I’m thrilled the hard work of our students and staff has been recognised with these excellent results in extraordinary circumstances.
“Our decision to retain AS exams for the majority of courses has helped support and validate our calculated A Level results. I am so pleased that in the majority of cases our learners have received the excellent results they so deserve, building on our legacy of success for academic and vocational courses.
“There have been a lot of headlines recently about what this cohort may have missed out on, but today it’s important to celebrate and congratulate them on the amazing skills they have built up over the last months, with the support of their teachers, to continue their studies. They leave us with not just great academic results, but we hope with a confidence born of the fact that they have navigated so much so well. The resilience of our 2020 cohort has been incredible, and we are so excited to see what they go on to achieve.”
In line with new government guidance, some A Level students may have an opportunity to appeal their grade and receive a mock grade if they’re unhappy with their results. There will also be an opportunity for students to register their interest in an autumn series of exams to achieve a different result, should they wish. Further details will be revealed by the Government in due course.
