College Awards Evening
Posted on Thursday 20 December 2007
First AQA Baccalaureates in the Country awarded at Farnborough
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The first students in the country to successfully complete the new AQA Bacc received their certificates at an awards ceremony at Farnborough Sixth Form College this week.
The first students in the country to successfully complete the new AQA Bacc received their certificates at an awards ceremony at Farnborough Sixth Form College this week.
The first trial of the Bacc took place at College in summer 2007. At the awards ceremony, which saw all students at the College receive their A-level certificates, 68 students were the first in the country to receive certificates for the AQA Bacc.
The certificates were presented by Dr Mike Cresswell, Director General of AQA.
Speaking about the new qualification Dr Cresswell said:
“The AQA Bacc makes a major contribution to the choice which will soon be available to young people after their GCSE examinations.”
“To achieve this award students have had to demonstrate planning, research and self-management skills alongside academic ability. In developing such important skills, AQA Bacc students are well placed for progression to further study or employment.”
He thanked the principal of the College, Dr John Guy, for the innovative approach which allowed the two organisations to work together on the development of a new national qualification.
Dr John Guy, Principal of The Sixth Form College Farnborough said:
“I have always thought that reporting the final achievements of young people at the age of 18 in terms of three for four A level grades is an inadequate reflection of their post-16 studies. The AQA Bacc reflects not only their A level performance but also their research and writing skills, as demonstrated by the Extended Project, their more general education reported through Citizenship, General Studies or Critical Thinking, and also their wider activities reported in the Transcript of Enrichment. It is by embracing all these aspects of their sixth form studies that the Bacc begins truly to reflect the breadth and depth of a challenging sixth form curriculum.”
Dr Guy added, “At Farnborough, we do not believe in a minimalist approach to learning. The AQA Bacc reports the sense of coherence in students' studies and their wider skills which employers find so valuable. It is very close indeed to the Tomlinson ideal which has inspired it.”
Dr Cresswell also presented special awards to a number of students whose achievements had been particularly outstanding and Mrs Maggie Willis, Director of Dell UK, presented the final award of Dell Student of the Year to 18 year old Nick Follett, of Fleet, now studying chemistry at Bristol university.
Speaking afterwards, Nick said, “I still can’t believe I have won this amazing award – Farnborough Sixth Form College has been a brilliant place to study. I can’t believe anywhere else would have given me the opportunity and support to achieve so well at A level.”
