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Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College

Report for the Student Committee of Governors

October 2008

Students have been involved in a wide range of activities since the last report in April. Some activities have

been arranged by subject areas; others have been organised by students themselves. Individual and group

achievements have been celebrated and community links have been developed.

Student Association

• Leavers marked the end of their studies by having fun at a

`Cocktail Party' at Blackwell Grange Hotel. It was a

sophisticated, chic event with live jazz musicians and a

casino where revellers used `funny money' to place their

bets. The evening was extremely successful.

• Chetan Kotur, ex-President of the Student Association, was nominated for the title of Student

Governor of the Year for his outstanding work representing the views of students to the Board of

Governors of the college. In June, he travelled down to London to a glittering awards ceremony

held at the Kensington Roof Gardens to hear if he had won the national title. To be short listed in

the Leading the Learner Voice Awards, organised by the Centre for Excellence in Leadership, is a

superb achievement as competition is intense. Chetan was pipped at the post and came away from

London as runner up.

• Students have continued to be involved in the selection process for staff appointments, including

forming part of a panel that listened to presentations from and then asked questions to candidates

for the position of Assistant Principal (Community and Students).

• During A2 Week, in June, the new Student Association Executive had lunch with the Principal who

presented them with their official College name badges. They were congratulated on their new

positions and responsibilities, and other key members of college staff explained the finances of the

Student Association and the vital role the Executive has in developing a vibrant atmosphere within

college. The students also experienced a team building session with Melanie Barker, Student

Services Co-ordinator. Fun activities occurred to develop trust, communication and negotiation skills

between members of the team.

• All members of the Student Executive gave a series of talks to prospective students during Bridging

Week. An up tempo presentation, including music and a lively PowerPoint, outlined the contribution

of the Student Association to the life of the college and advised the prospective students about how

they could get the most out of their experiences at QE.

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• Before the summer holiday, the charity team held a Cake Sale and raised £147 for two QE students

going to Lesotho to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS.

• At the beginning of the Autumn term, the Student Association played a vital role in the induction of

new students. They helped with meeting and greeting new arrivals, providing welcoming faces and

directions to those who might be lost! SA Executive members had a high profile in the Student

Common Room and around the college to answer any queries.

• Community Links Officer, Nat Stephenson, forged links with local businesses and created a student

discount card for all college students.

• Students were involved in the promotion and organisation of Freshers’ Fair which proved very

successful with large numbers of college students attending and signing up for supplementary

programme activities. Various community groups were also present to explain how students could

be actively involved in a range of projects.

• Members of the Student Association attended a ceremony to mark QE’s participation in Teesside

University’s Passport Plus scheme. Principal, Tim Fisher and the University’s Vice Chancellor,

Professor Graham Henderson signed a partnership agreement and the ceremony enabled senior

members of staff at the university to speak to QE students. Passport Plus is designed to give

additional assistance to colleges in the Tees Valley and marks the tenth anniversary of the

University’s original Passport scheme which provides a range of support to students considering

higher education. Passport Plus institutions

will enjoy extra benefits such as student

shadowing opportunities and the provision of

higher education modules for sixth formers. It

is one of a number of partnerships that QE

has with local universities and all serve to

raise the aspirations and achievements of

students.

• At the end of September, the first full Student Association meeting was held. The turnout was

excellent, with approximately 90 students in attendance. Various issues affecting students were

discussed and those present were requested to provide feedback to the other students in their

tutor groups. Some members of the Student Association Executive also had a meeting with the

Principal and other senior members of staff to discuss the issues further.

• Justin Ramsden, Victoria Armstrong and Sarah Harrison of the Student Association Executive

formed a focus group to discuss social networking sites and how the council communicates with

young people. The discussion was held with Alison Lewis, Communications Officer at Darlington

Borough Council.

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• Members of the Student Association currently involved with the rE-view project joined members of

staff from the organisation in running a stall in the Common Room to encourage other students to

contribute. rE-view is an online newspaper with links to the Northern Echo and acts as a forum for

young people to write articles and to express their views on a range of topics.

• Student Association Executive members supported activities in Health Promotion Week by dressing

up in sportswear and encouraging fellow students to sign up for spinning, badminton, gym

sessions, self defence, boxercise, triathlon, rocket ball and 5-a-side football.

• To pay tribute to the memory of Liam Harker and to

raise money for Cancer Research UK, a number of

fundraising activities have been held. On September

11th, a group of students - led by Rachel Ashford and

James Deane -organised a rock concert featuring QE

bands. The students raised sponsorship money to host

the event at the Dolphin Centre’s Central Hall and then

collected money from the sale of tickets and a raffle, the prizes for which were donated by local

businesses. The bands that performed included Dial 9 For Juice, Counter Intelligence, Syndicate

Theory, The Hornosexuals and Panic In Style. The event raised in excess of £2000 and was a great

success. Also, at Freshers’ Fair, the Student Association held a cake stall and added a further £182

to the amount going to Cancer Research. The College also supported an evening of entertainment

and an auction of sports memorabilia on October 3rd. Liam died in May after losing his battle with

cancer. The seventeen year old was an extremely popular student, a talented musician and an

ardent Liverpool fan.

Business and Leisure

• In June, three Business Studies students represented the College in the Ogden Trust Enterprise

Business Competition. The students visited Teesside High School where they spent three hours

preparing a presentation for a new business proposal. The students also submitted their proposals

to three local business people who judged each business idea. The team performed very well and

thoroughly enjoyed the day.

• A group of 17 GCSE Applied Business students visited Darlington Building Society in October as part

of their preparation for their coursework for Unit 1: Investigating Business. Darlington Building

Society is very accommodating and has assisted in this visit for the past 11 years.

• A2 Leisure Studies students visited a round of the British Super Bikes at Croft Circuit in September.

As part of the course they are required to assess the impact of the media and sponsorship on a

sport. On arrival at the circuit, the students were met by Dennis Hobbs, a rider with Centurion

racing, who kindly gave a talk about the race series. Dennis then took the students to meet the

team and see how a race team operates in the pit lane.

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• AS Leisure Studies students participated in skiing lessons at Xscape Snozone in Castleford as a unit

of their course requires them to study the area of private sector leisure provision. As complete

beginners, it was a bit of an up-hill struggle for some.

• The double award GCSE Leisure and Tourism students visited Newcastle in order to gain a full

understanding of the make up of the leisure and tourism industry. The students both visited and

reflected upon key components of the industry throughout the trip. Sites included St James’ Park,

the Discovery Museum and the Quayside to see the Millennium Bridge, Baltic Art Gallery and The

Sage.

• As part of their outdoor leisure unit, A2 Leisure Studies students visited the Go Ape facility in

Grizedale Forest in the Lake District. Go Ape is an award-winning high wire forest adventure course

of rope bridges, Tarzan swings and zip slides up to 40 feet up in the trees. Students were fitted

with a climbing harness, given instructions, and then swung from tree to tree high above the forest

floor. This was followed by a visit to the Aquarium of the Lakes. It was a great experience for the

students and gave them an excellent understanding of how the countryside is changing to

accommodate leisure.

• A2 Travel and Tourism students travelled to the seaside in order to visit the Blue Reef aquarium at

Tynemouth. The students received a talk by the manager and looked at a range of strange sea

creatures. To provide contrast, the students then experienced Wet and Wild; a water park in North

Shields. The students undertook the visit to collect information towards a unit on human resources

and recruitment. Not only did they see two tourist attractions operating first hand, they also gained

an insight into all of the possible career opportunities in this area.

• Travel and Tourism students visited Scotland’s capital as part of their course. The visit to Dynamic

Earth, an interactive science museum, in Edinburgh provided the students with the opportunity to

collect the information needed for the element of their course relating to customer service. The

students boarded the "Time Machine" and moved through the museum looking at the development

of the earth over key time periods. The visit concluded with the students making decisions about

how we live and the possible repercussions of these choices on the Earth; they were then shown

the impact of such decisions.

• Travel and Tourism students have had cause for celebration as they have all successfully completed

the Northumbria Tourist Board customer service qualification – Welcome Host. To achieve this

qualification, the students had to show proficiency in dealing with customers in a range of

situations including how to deal with complaints!

Creative Arts

• 30 Art Foundation students staged their final exhibition `On Show' in June. It was a lively,

engaging showcase of their work that included stunning Final Major Project Outcomes in a variety

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of specialisms including Fine Art, Graphic Design, Photography and Fashion and Textile Design. It

also celebrated successful participation in live projects and partnerships with other organisations.

The preview event was well attended and, in addition, `On Show' was used to launch the book

`Find a Feeling, Pass it On' which featured personal art work from all those on the course and was

professionally printed.

• Darlington’s historic yards have been given a facelift by

QE Art students. Alex McDonald, Isobel Watts, Callum

Whitely, Carl Richardson and Merlyn Griffiths were

asked to create artwork to brighten up the yards and

wynds, to make them more attractive and to

encourage people to visit the unique shops, cafes and

businesses within them. Their work - produced as part

of their final major project for the BTEC Diploma in Foundation Studies in Art and Design - is now

on permanent display in Buxton’s Yard and Clark’s Yard and has attracted great interest from the

public. The students’ art enhances the appearance of the yards and the public’s reaction has been

one of both surprise and delight.

• 31 A2 Fine Art Students visited 3 major galleries in Edinburgh and saw the following special

exhibitions: `Tracey Emin Retrospective' at the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art, accompanied by

Artist's Talk and `Vanity Fair', an exhibition of Impressionist Paintings at the Scottish National

Gallery. The study visit was to inform their Unit 3 coursework, a requirement of which is to see

works of art first hand.

• A research day in Whitby was enjoyed by 65 A2 Graphics and Textiles students. They collected

visual information through photography and drawing for use in their respective practical

coursework projects.

• 32 Art Foundation students spent a research day at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, looking

particularly at the special exhibition by sculptor/designer Noguchi. They also examined the work of

Sophie Ryder and Sarah Staton. The day was spent drawing and taking photographs within the

Park, which will inform their Critical & Contextual Studies coursework and will be developed in

various practical coursework projects.

• Darlington Arts Centre has given AS Fine Art and Art Foundation students the opportunity to learn

more about the artists and special exhibitions in its Myles Meehan Gallery. In September, Art

Foundation students enjoyed workshops on Judith Tucker's drawing and painting exhibition `Tense'

and benefited from a talk by the artist. In October, Art Foundation students also enjoyed a gallery

talk by sculptor Steve Newby, about his exhibition.

• Art Foundation students listened to a talk about the Fine Art degree course at Teesside, given by

lecturer Josie Bland.

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• The final concert of the last academic year was held on Wednesday 8th May. The programme

included the choir, orchestra, Big Band, various small groups such as a saxophone quartet and

numerous solo items. A brass group organised by the students played a composition by a former

student, Matt Roberts. As is traditional in this concert, a special acknowledgement was made by the

Principal to the students who were performing for the last time at QE.

• Music groups continue to thrive this term. The Big Band is well established with 4 trumpets, 6

trombones, 15 saxophones, 2 pianists, guitar, 2 bass players and 2 drummers. The orchestra is as

large as previous years and the violin section is better than ever before with 7 playing very well

together. The Choir has got off to an excellent start with 16 members including 4 male singers.

English, Media and Drama

• AS Media Studies students attended a master class and university taster day at the University of

Sunderland. The day involved a talk from Dr Angela Werndly and Dr Amir Saeed about following an

undergraduate degree from the media and cultural faculty. A detailed lecture on representation in

contemporary TV drama was delivered by Dr Angela Werndly and Vicky Ball, in the university’s

cinema, and students were given a tour of the other facilities in the media centre. The visit was a

huge success, with students benefiting from in depth coverage of the course unit “Key Concepts in

TV Drama” and from being made aware of the possibilities available to them after their A levels.

• AS Film students visited the refurbished Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle for a study day centring on

Shane Meadow's film “Somers Town”. Students explored the funding, distribution and exhibition of

this low budget British release and considered the validity of the methods used to raise its profile

and reach an audience.

• A2 Media: Communication and Production students have commenced work on real client

commissions from local employers. They produce advertising material in a year long project that

originates from a client sponsored brief and the clients periodically assess the students’ progress.

Clients this year include: Darlington Borough Council – The Local Motion Initiative (Brief: To devise

an advertising strategy that promotes sustainable transport, cycling and public transport); Show

Racism the Red Card (Brief: To devise an advertising strategy that promotes racial equality and

challenges racism especially of an Islamaphobic nature or racism directed at asylum seekers);

Darlington Primary Health Care Trust – the School Nurse Team (Brief: To devise an advertising

strategy that promotes awareness of HIV, teenage pregnancy, STI’s and obesity in the Darlington

area); Gay Advice Darlington (Brief: To devise an advertising strategy that challenges homophobia

and promotes the GAD office as a support service for gay people in Darlington); Mary Thompson

Fund (Brief: To devise an advertising strategy that creates awareness of refugees/asylum seekers

in the UK). Some clients will be using students’ work as real advertising material.

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• In October 15 A2 Media: Communication and Production students, in support of the Show Racism

the Red Card brief, visited the Darlington Mosque to interview Muslim people about their

experiences of Islamaphobia.

• 40 Media: Communication and Production students visited the Baltic Museum to participate in an

artist’s workshop to experiment with some print production techniques.

• English Literature students have participated in a discussion group every Friday lunchtime.

Members of TUFS (Thumbs Up for Shakespeare!) are studying “Troilus and Cressida” at the

moment. This group was formerly known as The Intertextuals.

• In September, 42 A2 English Literature students made the long but worthwhile journey to Stratford

Upon Avon to see the RSC’s version of “Hamlet” starring David Tennant and Patrick Stewart.

• 25 AS/A2 English Literature students went to see “The Bloody Chamber” at Newcastle in

September.

• Theatre Studies and Performance Studies students have benefited from various theatre visits

including: “Romeo and Juliet” and “Accidental Death of an Anarchist” at The Georgian Theatre in

Richmond; “Oh, What a Lovely War!” at Durham Gala Theatre and “The Taming of the Shrew” at

Newcastle Theatre Royal.

• A prize giving ceremony was held to celebrate the winning entries in the inaugural QE Creative

Writing Competition. The competition, open to all students, was organised by members of a

lunchtime creative writing group. Students could submit short stories, scripts or poems. 30 entries

were received and the winners were decided by New

Writing North. The first prize of £75 was awarded to

Rachel Clemmett for her two poems entitled “Day” and

“Night”. Sam Holtom’s short story “Freedom” earned the

second prize of £50 and the third prize of £25 went to

Kim Durbridge with a short story entitled “Perfect

Opportunity”. A new group has been formed this term

and a new competition will be launched soon.

Enrichment

• Students are currently attending a diverse range of courses on the Supplementary Programme

including Japanese, Mentoring, Teaching Observation, Cabin Crew, Alternative Fashion and Health

Promotion.

• The Amnesty International group highlighted the issues surrounding China’s record on Human

Rights with a display in the Library and the Atrium to coincide with the Beijing Olympics. Members

of this group have also set up a People and Planet society in college and recruited a pleasing

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number of new students at the Freshers’ Fair. People and Planet is a national student-based

campaigning organisation, concentrating on world poverty, the environment and human rights. The

group in college intends to raise awareness of the issues of climate change and fair trade

throughout the year.

• Over 20 students began working with Teesside University on the AQA Extended Project. This is a

new qualification which is highly valued by Universities. Students have chosen topics related to

their A Level studies varying from the scientific principles associated with catapults to the effect of

French colonisation in North Africa and the Middle East. Students have visited Teesside University

Library and are working with both Teesside and QE staff to develop their research skills.

Humanities

• In May, the prize giving for the annual QE History Essay competition

was held. 17 students participated and the winner of the £80 first

prize was Conor Slater with an essay on Napoleon and the Battle of

Austerlitz.

• Two Modern History students, Daniel Pearson and Lois Jermyn, will be visiting Auschwitz

concentration camp in Poland at the end of October, repeating a similar trip that was organised

last year. The students have also attended a seminar in Newcastle and will discuss their

experiences with other students in College after the visit.

• The History Club continues to be well-attended. Sam Woods, an ex member of staff, gave the

October lecture entitled “World War One at Sea - The Battle of Coronel and North Yorkshire’s

Forgotten Admiral”.

• Students, whether studying Politics or not, have been encouraged to have an interest in the topic

and to engage with democratic services. Paul Dalton set up a stall in the Students’ Common Room

as part of the Democracy Roadshow to promote registering to vote. He also gave a talk to students

in the Main Hall about “I’m a Councillor, Get me out of here!”; an on-line event in which students

can participate. Local councillors will set up their own websites, discussing their views/policies, and

students can choose to vote them “out” (like certain reality t.v. shows!)

• Darlington Borough Council held its cabinet meeting at the College. The meeting was open to the

general public and started with Politics students putting questions to individual cabinet members.

The meeting was held as part of the Council's initiative to increase participation and interest in local

politics.

• Two QE students “shadowed” the work of a local councillor for a day. The day allowed the students

to have a tour of the Council Chamber; to attend various committees and meetings; to accompany

the councillor on community visits and to have a meeting with Emily Christer, Darlington’s Youth

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MP and also a QE student. Above all, it gave the students an invaluable insight into the work of a

councillor.

• In September, 30 students attended a training session delivered by staff from Durham University

on the LNAT (Law National Admissions Test). This is a test that 11 universities require students to

take as part of their admissions’ procedure. Students were given practice questions and sample

answers and their feedback on the event was extremely positive.

Mathematics and Computing

• Three AS Further Maths students – Ruby Gliese, Jamie Kelly and John Buckton – worked with

teachers from the Mathematics department in delivering a mathematics competition for Year 9

students from six partner schools in June. The competition was part of the commitment of the

college and the programme area to work with gifted and talented students from partner schools.

The competition was won by Hurworth School with Longfield School in second place. Prizes were

awarded to both teams and all students received a certificate to recognise their participation and

achievement. The invaluable help of the QE students contributed greatly to the success of the

event.

Modern Foreign Languages

• In June, a group of 15 first year language students attended a Master Class at Teesside

University. They had a session in their A level language, followed by a taster of Italian, Spanish or

Arabic for Beginners. They enjoyed the experience immensely.

• During Higher Education week a delegation from Routes into Languages (including current first,

second and fourth year university students and ex QE students) delivered a presentation and

Question & Answer session for current first years contemplating studying Languages at university.

It was a very informative session and students appreciated the presentation, as well as the chance

to chat informally afterwards. This event was also accompanied by the annual foreign food tasting

buffet - samples of authentic French, German and Spanish food and drink went down well!

• A “Buddy” system was initiated enabling first and second year French students to meet together at

least once a week for oral practice, in preparation for their speaking exam. This was very

successful so it will be introduced earlier in the term in the future, especially in the cases of first

year students who might need extra help in addition to that offered by teaching staff and

Assistants.

• In October, the Zaragoza-based Firewalk Theatre Company

came to College to stage a production of “El Camino de

Santiago”. The play was a mixture of the two disciplines of

magic and theatre and was delivered entirely in Spanish. The

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Company’s very visual style and many changes in rhythm, music, lighting and special effects helped

to get the message across so that even those who were not fluent in Spanish were entertained and

did not feel lost. The production was open to all schools and colleges in the region as well as

members of the local community.

• Three students – Gary Lodge, Katie Lamb and Caroline Baker - attended a ceremony in Nottingham

to receive their Youthbridge awards and cash prizes. Youthbridge is a charitable initiative of the

British-German Association which aims “to provide support for making German learning in English

schools more relevant, interesting and fun.” Penny Porter, Head of German also won an award but

an award with a difference. For her commitment and for motivating her students to be involved in

a variety of activities, Penny was awarded a special prize of an IXO Bosch Power Tool!

Science

• In September, 17 second year Biology students visited Newcastle University for a three hour

practical session in the School of Biomedical Sciences. Students attended three sessions looking at

Immunology, Biochemical assay techniques and Midwifery. The sessions gave the students the

opportunity to experience a University style lab class, and also the chance to use specialist

equipment and techniques.

• All 52 A2 Geography students, accompanied by Earth Science members of staff, participated in a

residential field visit to Wasdale in the Lake District

either in mid September or early October. The

weather was kind on both occasions and students had

the opportunity to collect data for rivers, clone

tourism towns and sand dune ecosystems. They also

examined aspects of tourism in the National Park and

the urban regeneration of Whitehaven.

Sport

• The annual Sports Awards’ Ceremony was held to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of

students. It was a lively occasion attended by students, their families, coaches and college staff,

with the awards being presented by Peter Barron, editor of the Northern Echo.

The Player of the Year Awards were presented to the following students:

Lewis Carr (Football A), Callum Tarren (Football B), Adam Crawford (Football C), Olly Chapman

(Football D), Rachel McKnight (Girls’ Football), Jess Baker (Girls’ Hockey), Nathan Young (Boys’

Hockey), Katherine Hobson (Girls’ Rugby), James Park (Boys’ Rugby), Becca Eldrington (Netball A),

Kathryn Hartwell (Netball B), Michael Lunn (Cricket), John Morgan (Basketball).

The Netball A Team was named Team of the Year, having enjoyed their most successful season

ever. Jake Henderson won the Services to Sport award for sporting prowess and the amount of

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volunteering he has done to promote sport to others; Daniel Anderson was awarded the Chris

Hope Memorial Trophy for commitment and improvement in rugby; Sophie Craggs won the Lewis

Gordon Trophy for her superb success in dance; John Springett gained the accolade of Sportsman

of the Year whilst Amy-Leigh Smith was named Sportswoman of the Year. John’s title recognised

his excellence in football, cross-country and athletics whilst Amy-Leigh’s award was linked to her

achievements in netball, athletics and basketball.

• The Darlington Sports Winners’ Scheme is designed to encourage and recognise sporting

achievement across the town. QE’s netball team was nominated for the team award and won the

July competition, beating strong teams from a wide range of other sports. This was the culmination

of a highly successful season during which they won the British Colleges’ Sport North-East Merit

League, defeating teams from as far away as Tyneside, Yorkshire and Humberside and winning the

Jill Bainbridge Memorial Trophy at the University of

Teesside in May. They also reached the quarter-finals of

the British Colleges’ Sport National Knockout Cup. This

was the furthest that QE has ever progressed in this

competition and to reach the last 8 in the country, only

going out to Cardinal Newman College from Preston who

became the national champions, was a

phenomenal achievement.

• QE students recently competed in the Clubs for Young People National Athletics Finals in Newport,

Wales and came back victorious. Representing QE partner-club, Darlington Spraire Lads & Lasses

Football Club, 7 QE athletes competed at the County Durham Championships in May and were

consequently selected for the Durham County Squad that travelled to the Nationals in Newport to

take on other County teams as well as a team representing Wales. In the girls’ competition, all QE

athletes won medals – Rachel Bird in the 400m, long jump and shot putt; Katherine Hobson in the

200m and relay; Laura Whaley in the discus; Katie McTague in the javelin and Becca Eldrington in

the high jump and relay. Their efforts won points towards Durham winning the Under 20 team

event. QE boys were also successful. Dan Halford won medals in shot putt, javelin, discus and high

jump, whilst Jack Outhwaite medalled in long jump, 800m and relay, again resulting in a team

victory for Durham.

• Lewis Henry recently rounded off a season playing for the England Colleges’ Football Squad with a

four day tour of Spain for some warm weather training and fixtures against two of the country’s top

professional youth teams. Staying in the beach resort of Benacassim, the squad enjoyed twice daily

training sessions at the first team facilities at Villarreal CF. Lewis had a highly successful tour. In

the match against Villarreal’s Under 18’s he scored with a great strike from the edge of the box to

help the team earn a 3-3 draw and the England boys then went on to beat Valencia’s highly rated

youth team 2-1.

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• Edward Hammond achieved a stunning third place in the European Inline Skating Championships.

• James Aiskew finished 123rd in the Great North Run and achieved a remarkable first place in the

Under 19 category.

Miscellaneous

• The Adults Learners’ Award Ceremony took place in May in the Mayor’s Chamber at Darlington

Town Hall. It was attended by award winners from local adult education providers, their guests and

local dignitaries. Hester Wall, a mature student on QE’s HEFC (Access) course won an individual

award. English is Hester’s second language, having been brought up in

an exclusively Afrikaan community until the age of 13. After working in

a bank, as a care home worker and supporting people with mental

health problems Hester enrolled at QE with a view to progressing to

university. Hester has been accepted to study Forensic Investigation

and Consumer Law at Teesside University. QE’s Improvers’ German

Evening Class won a group award to recognise their commitment to

the course and the way they supported one another. As a result of the

course, one member has participated in the Darlington and District

Town Twinning Association whilst another has been able to build on family relationships in

Germany.

• Jagjeet Singh Hans was named the Outstanding Achiever of the Year in the Celebration of Learning

and Skills (CoLaS) Awards 2008 organised by the Learning and Skills Council North East. To honour

his academic achievements, Gaby Logan presented a trophy and a £1,000 cheque to Jagjeet at the

award ceremony at The Sage, Gateshead on June 28th.

Jagjeet took A Levels in Biology, Chemistry and Further Maths

at QE and has gone to Newcastle University to read Medicine.

Earlier this year he became the first QE student to progress

to the second round of the Royal Society of Chemistry's

Olympiad, placing him amongst the top ten young Chemists

in the country. Jagjeet has also done extra academic work to

achieve qualifications in Deaf Awareness, an Open University

course in Molecules, Medicine and Drugs and has undertaken work experience at his local GP’s

surgery and St Teresa's Hospice. Jagjeet is the first member of his family to be born in England and

will also be the first family member to enter higher education. His award, voted for by the public,

was extremely well-deserved.

• 80 year old John Perks, an evening student at QE, was also short listed for a CoLaS award. He was

honoured in the Adult Learner of the Year category but, unfortunately, did not win the overall title.

Nevertheless, he was pleased with the recognition and enjoyed the evening at The Sage.

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• A variety of activities have been organised to support students’ progression to destinations of their

choice. First year students benefited from a programme of speakers from Universities and

Employment in the college’s HE/Careers week. Students chose the sessions most pertinent to them

and there was no limit on the number of talks they could attend. A large number of first year

students and their parents attended one of three HE/Finance Information Evenings in late June.

These sessions involved input from College staff and from Chris Turner; the Student Finance Office

at Teesside University.

• At the end of the Summer Term 11 students attended open days at Oxford University and 34

students visited Cambridge University. Both visits were residential and students were accompanied

by staff. The students enjoyed themselves and gained invaluable insight into life and study at the

two universities. Follow up debriefing sessions were held in college before the summer holiday and

students who have applied to study at Oxford or Cambridge have benefited from regular support

sessions. In addition, Helen Etty from Oxford University ran an interview preparation workshop at

college and this was very well received.

• Students attended talks from a speaker from Newcastle University about the “Partners” scheme

and from speakers from Teesside University about its “Passport” initiative.

• Twenty five students from the first and second year groups attended a talk from Corporal Simon

Brown about careers in the RAF.

• Staff and students took part in Darlington's Race for Life in aid of Cancer Research UK. The event

was held in South Park in June and the QE team braved very hot conditions to walk, run or jog the

three mile course. Prior to the race, a bucket collection in College raised over £150 to add to the

individual sponsorship raised by participants.

• David Ledger has been offered a place at the Rambert School of Dance in London to study for a BA

in Ballet and Contemporary Dance. David’s story and his success are remarkable. His interest in

dance started two and a half years ago when he

attended a workshop run by the Northern School of

Contemporary Dance. He enjoyed the experience and

impressed the organisers so much that he was asked to

audition and has been dancing and performing with them

ever since. In June, he was thrilled to have the

opportunity to dance at Saddlers Wells Theatre, London.

David’s ambition is to become a professional dancer with

a touring company such as the Phoenix Dance Theatre or

the Rambert Dance Company.

• The Padi Open Water Diver's course continued during the summer break. 6 staff and 6 students

completed a series of challenging theoretical and practical activities during the 4 day course. Two

14 Pc/.GovRep

days of classroom and pool based sessions were followed by 4 dives at the purpose built dive

centre at Capernwray in Lancashire where all had to demonstrate a good level of competence in all

the required skills.

• Duncan Mason won a place at the National Youth Theatre’s Summer School. He auditioned in

February and was thrilled to be amongst the few selected from more than 4000 young people

nationwide. Duncan travelled to London in August to spend two weeks with other aspiring young

actors from all over the United Kingdom and participated in intensive training in the disciplines of

the theatre. The National Youth Theatre was established 52 years ago as an educational centre of

excellence to enable the social and cultural development of Britain’s young people and has become

a recognised pathway for up and coming theatre professionals. Duncan’s aim, after completing his

A Levels, is to go to London and study at either RADA or the Guildhall.

• Laura Whaley, Rebecca Eldrington and Rachel Bird were selected to attend a Leadership week

organised by Durham Clubs for Young People. They were nominated after their participation in an

athletics event where they were commended for looking after younger performers.

• Kate Cassidy and Anna Thompson, second year QE students, travelled to Lesotho in October for

two weeks to take part in a campaign to raise HIV/AIDS awareness. The trip was organised by the

Church of England and the Durham Lesotho Link. The students have been involved in the project

for the past 20 months and have done all the organising, fundraising, etc. In Lesotho, they

undertook some English teaching to children in schools, as well as working on the HIV/AIDS

awareness campaign.

• Four students took part in the Institute of Ideas’ “Debating Matters” competition in Gateshead in

October. Matthew Jones, Emir Nader, Jennifer Grey and Jenn McGraw debated the need for a

privacy law and the congestion charge. The students performed well but, unfortunately, they did

not progress to the next round as only one team was selected from all the competitors.

• A Harvest Lunch was held in college in October for all members of the college community. Students

who attended brought food contributions and the event, led by Christopher Wardale the College

Chaplain, was designed to encourage members of the college to share and reflect. In addition, a

loose change collection was organised within tutor groups with the proceedings being donated to

First Stop; a charity which provides a drop in centre for people to access advice on a wide range of

issues such as housing, benefits and financial difficulties.

Laurence Job

October 2008