Eastside Theatre at Luton Sixth Form College was full to capacity on Thursday 5th January 2012 as guests flocked to the College’s 13th Annual Awards ceremony to honour the achievements of students over the past year.
About 80 students received awards for their outstanding achievements, including Robert Grant and Rachel West who were presented with the Chair of Governors Award for Best Achieving Students 2011. Robert and Rachel both achieved the outstanding results of A* grades in three subjects and an A grade in a further subject. They were the best results at the College since the A* grade was introduced. Rachel is currently reading Chemistry at Warwick University and Robert is currently reading Biological Sciences at Jackson State University, Alabama, USA. The Principal’s Award was presented to Maahwish Mirza for her outstanding academic achievement and contribution to College life. Maahwish gained an A* grade in Government & Politics and A grades for English Literature and Philosophy. She is currently reading English Literature at Warwick University.
Addressing an invited audience of VIPs, sponsors, and proud parents, Simon Kitchener, Principal, said: “The reason for these wonderful achievements by our students is threefold. First, the students themselves, who we see work tremendously hard to develop their skills and knowledge – certainly far harder than many of us did at that age. Secondly, the 3-way partnership with you, their parents and supporters. So, thank you for everything you have done to support, encourage and fund them throughout the last year or two. Thirdly; the staff who make this College such an outstanding place for students to study, particularly our brilliant teachers, all experts in their subjects, in teaching 16-18 year olds and superb at preparing our students for their exams. As a result, 634 students progressed to university this year, 6 went to Oxford or Cambridge, 83% of final year students. This is a staggering number of young people from Luton gaining the opportunity to transform their life chances and many are the first from their families to do so.”
Graham Ryan, Chair of Governors said: “The College’s continued success is down to the hard work and commitment of its students, staff and parents. We have had a record breaking number of students join us this year and that is very much down to our academic reputation and proven track record in ensuring that each and every student gets the opportunity to reach their full potential across every area of learning”.
Among the guests was Professor Mary Malcolm, Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Bedfordshire, who described the evening as a “magical and hugely successful event”.
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Please contact Janet Jeans on 01582 432513