As 2022 draws to a close, Barton Peveril Sixth Form College celebrates a successful, record-breaking year, marking a period of continuous growth for the college.
This year, Barton Peveril students celebrated the highest number of Oxbridge offers that the College has ever seen! A total of 25 students had received offers in January, with 19 earning an offer from the University of Oxford and 6 from the University of Cambridge. The students came from various Secondary Schools, from all over the catchment area. The subjects that they have gone on to study range between Medicine, Mathematics and Computer Science, through to Law, Experimental Psychology, and Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic.
Former Principal Jonathan Prest praised the offer-holders:
“…Oxford and Cambridge symbolise the pinnacle of aspiration for those looking for academic and traditional subjects. I am delighted that 11 of the 25 being offered places are either the first member of their immediate family to go to University and/or come from more disadvantaged postcodes.”
February saw the selection of the next Principal. Rob Temple, who was at that time Vice Principal (Curriculum and Community), was appointed to the new position, with the tenure beginning in August. Rob Temple underwent a rigorous selection process against strong external candidates. His 23 year experience in the education industry, showed him fit to lead the Collage onwards, with him having 11 years experience at Barton Peveril demonstrating his capability and dedication.
Speaking on his successful candidacy, Rob Temple said:
“I am delighted by the opportunity to lead such an inspiring and aspirational College; Barton Peveril has a well deserved reputation for placing the student at the heart of everything it does”
Students embodied what pride and diversity means at Barton Peveril, celebrating the annual Pride Festival on 9th March. The student-led event included a range of stalls and activities operated by members of the College’s societies, including the Gender Sexuality Alliance and the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Thousands of students convened for the event, which was wrapped up with the College’s first ever drag show, performed by Quinn Blake and Bora Sin Paige. £105 was raised in the event for The Trevor Project, a charity that supports LGBTQ+ young people worldwide.
On 4th May, the Barton Peveril Sixth Form College’s Women’s Hockey Team were victorious in the Association of Colleges (AoC) National Hockey national final. The team won 1-0 against Richard Huish College, with Maddie Hilditch scoring the winning goal, after scoring in the quarter and semi finals. In March the team defeated Peter Symonds College 5-2 in the quarter-final before beating Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate in the semi-final, at the end of the month. The AoC National Cup is a competition open to all colleges across the country, with students competing in regional tournaments before nationally facing other college teams.
Summer marked a new chapter for the College, with a Steelwork Ceremony taking place on 13th July, commemorating the beginning of construction of The Business School. The new £9.5m building is set to contain 28 new classrooms, study spaces and a new reception for the College. It will be home to both the Business and Humanities Departments, and is due to be completed by Summer 2023. The 3000m² space will respond to rapidly growing demographics and also environmental changes, employing state of the art ground source heating and cooling, and photovoltaic panels on the roof. The building works have accompanied a College-wide renovation that has seen £500k invested into the campus, improving the student life on site, with a new cafe and various study spaces being the key improvements of the campus.
After a great academic year, Barton Peveril boasted its most successful results day ever, with improvements across all results. 85.2% of A levels were graded A*-C with 38.1% of all A levels being A or A*! Barton Peveril 2022 Graduates went on to study at top institutions around the world, including Universities in the United States and Italy and top Conservatoires here in the United Kingdom. The College saw 25 students go onto Oxbridge, with one of those, Lucy Miller, earning a selective place through the Cambridge August Reconsideration Pool earlier in the Summer. Speaking on the students’ unprecedented success, Principal Rob Temple said:
“This cohort studied for their qualifications during a uniquely challenging period and have endured significant disruption since 2020; their secondary education came to an abrupt halt before they could finish Year 11, meaning that the exams they sat with us were the first real exams they had ever experienced. I am delighted that they are able to celebrate such amazing results.“
At the beginning of the next academic year, the College welcomed 12 students from Ukraine, who left their home country to escape the ongoing conflict. Over the last few months, the College has been able to welcome them to the community, working closely with their students’ families to provide a comfortable transition to life in the United Kingdom. Teaching staff and incumbent students have made sure to support the new Ukrainian students, putting the high quality of education that exists at Barton Peveril first. The Ukrainian students are enrolled in typical study programmes, studying a wide range of A Level and Level 3 qualifications. Student Oleksandra Merkushyna commented on her journey to Barton Peveril:
“After I left home with my family and started to build my new life in Britain, I was given a unique opportunity to receive a quality education… I am proud to study at Barton Peveril, a place with friendly students, professional teachers and staff that are always ready to help and support Ukrainian students”
2022 has been a big year for Performing Arts as well. The Performing Arts department showcased various spectacular performances in the newly remodelled Rose Theatre, with the shows consecutively selling out. Students exhibited their musical theatre skills in Our House, Dance Company students blew away the audience with their rendition of Swan Lake, in May, students sold out 2 showings of The Addams Family, and at the end of the college year, students performed in their sell-out rendition of Beauty and the Beast.
In 2022, Barton Peveril saw multiple students get scholarships to aid them in their post-college studies. Students secured scholarships to study in the United States; Olly Cazaly, is now studying in Texas and Liv Austin is set to study in Phoenix next September! Sam Ward and Tobey Ferguson were selected for the Army Officer Sixth Form Scholarship, which guarantees them a place at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, and will financially support them throughout their undergraduate studies.
