The "Best" in the City

At the onset of Spring, with 5 weeks before the end of term, there is a lot that is happening on the 'world stage’: the horsemeat food crisis; the trial of Oscar Pistorius in South Africa; the gunfight in Las Vegas; the launch of the new PS4; the 4G Auction and of course, the reform of A levels.  I am particularly saddened by the latter and cannot help feeling that returning to an examination system that was flawed will not help our students to succeed.  The madness of it all reminds me of Bobby Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues":

            “…Ah get born, keep warm

            Short pants, romance, learn to dance

            Get dressed, get blessed

            Try to be a success ....

            Don't wear sandals

            Try to avoid scandals

            Don’t wannabe a bum

            You better chew gum

            The pump don't work

            ‘Cause the vandals took the handles".

Since I last wrote, the Performance League tables have been published and once again, our College, as the largest A level provider, is near the top and the 'best' in the City.  This is contrary to what one would imagine after reading the advertisement headlines in the local papers, where some post-16 providers have decided to interpret the tables to put themselves at the top and Wyke Sixth Form College at the bottom.  Ah, there are “..lies, damned lies and statistics..“.

The success of our students continues to amaze me.  This year, for the first time, we have had nine students being interviewed by Oxford and Cambridge universities with three being made offers for Veterinary Science, Natural Science and English.  Five students have already had offers from Medical Schools, prestigious Dance courses, the Northern School of Music and the fabulous success of our Art Students in Cambridge.  It made me smile when I heard that during the interview, the interviewer of one of our outstanding art students went to fetch his colleagues because he wanted other staff to see the quality of our student’s portfolio.  This, combined with the highest number of Higher Education applications and our best set of results, makes me laugh out loud, when I see some of our competitors claiming that their points per entry is the best.  We might not have the best point score per entry but it is more important to be at the top of the Department of Education’s Performance League tables.  Using the football metaphor, it is more important to win the league rather than have the best goal difference.

I am thrilled about the success of our students.  You continue to be our best ambassadors.  Parents and prospective students never fail to comment on your enthusiasm, positivity and outstanding success.  I know that this reflects the tremendous hard work and support from all of you and the staff (teaching and non-teaching) at Wyke.  Long may that continue.

I am delighted that the staff and students who went to New York have returned safely and have been sufficiently stimulated by their experience (despite the inclement weather).  I hope that the Spanish students travelling to Seville and those Religious Studies/Classical Civilisation students travelling to Rome will also return similarly enthused and stimulated.

We have introduced a Parent Newsletter from this term through which we hope we can share some of our successes and highlights of the term.  Any feedback in relation to this would be most appreciated.  We have the elections for our Student Executive coming up.  I hope that as many of you as possible will get involved, either as candidates or to listen to the candidates during the hustings.  The modular results will be available on 7^th March and I hope that all of you achieve the grades that reflect your commitment and dedication.

Finally, I understand that the theme for the fancy dress during Rag Week on 18^th  March is Pop Culture.  I have already sorted out my costume.  Have you?  All I can say is that I have appeared on many "hit" movies.  As for my beloved Leeds, I'll save that for another day.

Welcome Back

Welcome back and a very Happy New Year to you all.  I hope that you have all had a wonderful break and are sufficiently rested and prepared for the forthcoming examinations.

As I reflect on the autumn term, I cannot remember a term that has been so busy,  frenetic and long.  As the term came to an end, we were all shattered and ready for a welcome rest.  However, the last few weeks in December were also full of positive rewards, fun and celebration.  This began with some wonderful comments from parents at the Consultation Evenings on the questionnaires and in person.  Clearly, I am delighted that so many of you have settled in well and are thriving in the Wyke environment.  For so many of you, it is almost as if you have always been here and that you are being inspired to reach your potential.

Our Leavers' Awards Evening on the last week of term was a wonderful event.  So many of the subject prize winners returned from their universities to collect their awards and met up with the staff who taught them as well as their peers.  To see such outstanding ambassadors for our College, to witness their confidence and humility, was a humbling experience.  Our guest speaker, Layla Guscoth, the Captain of the Under 21 England Netball Team and a third year medic at Oxford, was inspirational.  This is particularly because her message was so aspirational from one so young.  It proves that there is not necessarily a direct link between age and wisdom.

Other highlights during the last few weeks in December included the Christmas Concert at Holy Trinity Church in Hull; the Winter Showcase when so many of you performed for two nights in front of a packed theatre, (next year we will have at least two cross-College productions); the Wyke/Kelvin staff football tournament (which we won on penalties); the carol singing at lunchtime; numerous trips, visits and sporting successes in football, netball and badminton, and Wyke Gangnam Style!  I cannot remember much of this except that I was incredibly nervous and would not have been able to "perform" without the sheer enthusiasm of so many of you and Sol’s encouragement.  My wife is convinced that the reason why this site has had so many hits is because I have logged on so many times to laugh out loud.  Thank you to all of you.  The success of our College is a function of your enthusiasm, sense of fun, commitment and energy.  Long may that continue.

As I write this, I am delighted to receive news of the success of our Oxbridge and medical applicants; Macauley Davy's progression to the next round of the British Olympiad (one of only 200 students in the country), the selection of Duka Ombeni to represent England Under 18 Schoolboys and Sophie Haywood to represent British Colleges in football.  Well done and more on this later.

So what of the New Year?  The spring term is quite short and the focus must be on examination preparation and success.

Bob Dylan sang:

            "The line it is drawn

            The curse it is cast

            The slow one now will later be fast….

            For the times they are a-changin."  

Alas, my beloved Leeds were "thrashed" by the Tigers and the New Year will be challenging if we are to achieve success, but as ever, I am hopeful.

Good luck to you all and I hope that 2013 is even better for you.

Pleasure, Disappointment and a Sense of Trepidation

As I sit and write this before our second Open Evening, I have mixed feelings about a range of things: pleasure, disappointment and a sense of trepidation.

Our students continue to amaze me with their enthusiasm, sense of responsibility and effervescence.  Yesterday, I was delighted to learn that once again our netball team have been crowned County Champions (against the odds, on this occasion, with injuries to two key players).  I feel incredibly proud and want to congratulate the girls on achieving this outstanding feat.  I am absolutely delighted and know how hard they have worked in training and as a team.  Very well done.

Last night Mike Rogerson and I were present at the Vice-Chancellor's Celebration Event at the University of Hull.  We saw two of our former students receiving the Vice- Chancellor's Scholarship of £27,000 each.  I am certain that this will have a transformational effect on the students concerned and I am so pleased for them as they are both so deserving.

Positive comments about our students, which are unsolicited and unexpected, always make my day.  Whilst at the University, the Dean of the Health Faculty and the Pro-Vice Chancellor came over to me to tell me how brilliant our students and staff had been the previous night, when they attended an evening talk by a renowned geneticist.  I was thrilled to learn that the students and staff had been so "engaging, enthusiastic and enquiring".  Why am I not surprised?

On Monday, after the "Last Post" to commemorate Remembrance Day, once again the response of the whole College community was excellent.  I could have heard a "pin drop" as a mark of respect during the silence and I was particularly delighted with a round of applause for our student who played the cornet.

My pleasure in popping into lessons this morning and witnessing the outstanding learning taking place knows no bounds.  This is what Wyke Sixth Form College is about and I am so thrilled to be a part of this community.

Some of our PE students and staff returned from their week in Wales earlier in the term.  I believe that this was hugely successful and has had a huge influence on how they learn, work and support each other in achieving their goals.

Last week, like many of you, I too watched in amazement at President Obama's victory for the second term in the USA through the "mobilisation of the young and disadvantaged" as well as women.  I stayed up until 3.00 a.m. and was feeling quite smug until our Head of Social Science Faculty and 'political Guru' informed me that he had been up all night.  Wow!

So what am I disappointed with?  I guess the dismal performance of my beloved Leeds United, and the recent announcement that the Government had made the decision, "after consultation", that January exams for AS and A2 level will be scrapped.  Isn't it interesting that almost all of my colleagues and teacher friends had predicted that this would happen, almost a year ago, despite responding to the "consultation"?  As Bob Dylan would say in Ballad of a Thin Man,

            "Because something is happening here

            But you don't know what it is

            Do you, Mister Jones?"

So, what about trepidation?  I guess, without any doubt, being "asked" (press-ganged) to take part in the Gangnam Style promotional video next week.  I am really not sure whether it will be promotional or a humiliation.

I hope the Open Evening is a success and have a great month.

A Brilliant Start to the Year

The new academic year is well underway and already planning has begun for the new Open Evenings, Parents' Evenings, Flyers' Evenings….Staff are incredibly busy ensuring that students are settled, have begun to work hard and are enjoying their experience at Wyke Sixth Form College.

I would like to outline our successes:

• 99.9% pass rate at A2 level (only one student in one subject) out of nearly 1200 entries.
• 94.7% pass rate at AS level with over 2500 entries.
• At BTEC, out of 284 entries there were 152 distinctions or distinction*.
• In the EPQ, 28 out of 45 students achieved an A*or A.

More recently, we have learned that two of our students from Wyke have received the Hull University Vice Chancellor's Award (worth £27,000 each); one student has been selected for the Helena Kennedy Award, and one of our existing A2 students has received the Student Award for International Understanding.

What a brilliant start to the year!  Our best set of results and with a record enrolment we have every reason to be very optimistic.

The following lyrics from Bobby Dylan come to mind:

"How many times must a man look up

Before he can see the sky?

Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have

Before he can hear people cry?

Yes, ‘n’ how many times can a man turn his head

Pretending he just doesn't see?

The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind,

The answer is blowing in the wind."

With so many outstanding students at our College, our task is to ensure that you do reach for the sky, that we listen to you and we support and observe you going on to greater things.

            *           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           *

This is also the time when students in Year 11 begin to think about their options for the next stage in their academic career.  I would urge all prospective students and parents to be mindful of the following:

• Schools that refer to themselves as a School and Sixth Form College.  There are only two Sixth Form Colleges in Hull and only 92 in the United Kingdom.  All of the sixth form colleges are members of the Sixth Form Colleges' Forum.
• Research from the University of Southampton found that a sixth form college student was 7.2% more likely to gain an A or an A* at A level than a teenager of similar ability at a school.  This supports the findings of a report by the National Audit Office which concluded that sixth form colleges outperform school sixth forms in most areas.
• Be aware of Year 11 events that are planned which "accidentally" clash with our Open Evenings, interviews and Wyke Start activities.  Clashes on such important events require "purposeful planning".
• Negative advice about other post-16 providers needs to be treated with suspicion unless the other provider has the "right to reply".
• Ask about the AS achievement rates on every occasion.

            *           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           *

Finally, I am delighted about how you, our new students, have settled in and the enthusiasm and interest with which our students and parents have embraced the "Wyke" culture.  It is even better than the wonderful start made by my beloved Leeds.

Tremendous Effort and Commitment

The highlight of the summer must be the Olympic Games and the performance of team GB; their success; the way they conducted themselves, their humility and capacity to under-play their achievement.  I believe that they serve as outstanding role models and if we can only replicate their success to a small extent, we will have done well.

It is the end of my first year and the start of a new year.  I cannot help reflecting on many of the changes that have taken place at our college – some that are visible and others, behind the scenes.

The undoubted highlight has been the recent student success in the examinations which reflect their tremendous effort and the commitment of the staff.

Our college is an exceptional place to study, to develop intellectually, socially and to progress onto the next stage in our students’ careers.  We have had our best set of results:

·         99.9% pass rate at A2 level with 1082 entries

·         42%of our student achieving A*- B grades at A2

·         37 subjects with a 100% pass rate at A2 level

·         94.7% pass rate at AS level with 38% achieving grades A-B

·         At BTEC 152 students achieved at least one distinction or distinction star

·         On the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), 68% (28/41) of students achieved an A*-A

These are an absolutely superb set of results and as the largest A level provider in Hull and East Riding, I am delighted by them.

At this time of year, most schools and colleges celebrate the success of their students and statistics abound.  Rightly, all of the organisations wish to portray their statistics in a way which shows them in the best light.  However, beware of being ‘duped’.  As Harold Wilson said, “…you have lies, damned lies and statistics,” or as my friend Bobby D said “ …you can fool some people all of the time and all of the people some of the time.  But you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”

When these statistics are presented, ask yourself about the size of the cohort.  A 100% pass rate for a small number of students (50-60), becomes less impressive when compared to a large cohort like ours.  Furthermore, please look for the percentage of students achieving the top (A*-B) grades, the average points per candidate and the average points per entry.

A number of friends  and external colleagues have asked me why the results have improved and the only thing I can say is that they reflect the hard work of every one at the college, teaching and non-teaching; the focus in lessons; the tremendous support provided for the students; the revision classes at lunchtimes, evenings and during the holidays; the breakfast clubs; the extra-curricular provision; the outstanding facilities but most importantly, having the time to guide and talk to students as young adults and always having the highest expectations of them.  I believe that students rarely let you down.

I cannot help feeling a sense of excitement in anticipation of a new academic year and seeing enthusiastic, vibrant and conscientious students.  This must be what football teams and managers feel in anticipation of a new season.  Alas my beloved Leeds have had a mixed start but will have to strengthen the squad.  At Wyke SFC, we have a full and much stronger squad for 2012 – 2013.

Good Luck for the New Year.

An Exciting Time for Students

As I sit in my office reflecting on my first year as Principal, I cannot help thinking about what an exciting period 16-19 is in the life of our students.

Students come to Wyke from the security of their high schools and are naturally a little nervous and have some trepidation about the following:

1.         How will I fit in?

2.         Will I make friends easily?

3.         What should I wear?

4.         Where will I go during my free periods and with whom?

5.         How will I get to College in the depths of winter?

6.         Will I enjoy it as much as I did at my school?

7.         What will the quality of teaching be like?

8.         What are the results like and can I do all of the subjects that I want?

9.         How much extra work will I have to do?

10.       Where do most people go when they finish?

The last four questions are often the least important in September. 

These are natural questions and ones that should be asked.  In answer to all of these, I only need to refer back to the students who finished their AS levels about 3 weeks ago.  When they left, they were smiling, confident, mature young adults who were comfortable with themselves, looking forward to the holidays but also optimistic about their future at Wyke and beyond.  I could not help smiling to myself as a few of them said,

"You have a good summer too, Jay",

and one of them sidled up to me and said,

"… I've had a great year.  I wasn't too sure at first because the place is so big and there are so many students like me but I love this College and thanks." 

Wow!  It isn't often that I am speechless but….

It has been a really good year and I have really enjoyed being surrounded by so many enthusiastic, energetic, charismatic, caring, hard-working, conscientious people (colleagues and students) who are full of good ideas and positivity.  I am sorry about using so many superlatives but I cannot help it.  On occasions I have to pinch myself to remind myself that it is not a dream.

That is not to say that it has all been easy.  Sometimes the magnitude of the responsibility weighs upon me, particularly when there are difficult decisions to be made.  Ultimately, all of our work and efforts are judged by the quality of the results that you achieve, and whether you have reached your potential and are able to realise your dreams.  I can assure you that there has been a common purpose in enabling all of you to do extremely well. 

When I think about world events in the news: the Civil War in Syria; Barack Obama's struggle to match the monies raised by the Republican Party in the Presidential Elections; the Libor scandal with the Banks; the difficult marriage of the Coalition; the debacle of the security arrangements for the Olympics and G4S; the increase in the population of the UK; the flash floods in Japan; the plight of the farmers in the UK and their returns on milk production; they all fade into total insignificance in comparison to the publication of results on 16^th August.  We wait with optimism and baited breath - almost as much as the proposed takeover of my beloved Leeds United and the start of the new season.

Bob Dylan's Dream

".… I wish, I wish, I wish in vain

That we could sit simply in that room again

10,000 dollars at the drop of a hat

I'd give it all gladly if our lives could be like that".

Have a great summer.

Talking of Success

This is the time in the academic calendar when the focus of our College community is on ensuring success in the forthcoming examinations.

This morning I learnt about the Breakfast Revision Session that our Media Studies Department had organised before the examination.  Croissants were provided for the students who attended but I believe the real inducement was the last-minute guidance and help that was available from the staff.  With over 50 students attending, I am humbled by the commitment and dedication of our staff.  As I stood near the entrance at the start of the day, I wish I'd had a camera to capture the look on the staff faces as they "buzzed" around trying to calm the students and ensure that all of the students were in the right place and at the right time.  In an age of accountability, one can easily forget how important the results are and also just how much it means to us to ensure that all of our students achieve their potential.

Talking of success, I was privileged in attending our annual Sports Awards Evening last week at the University of Hull.  There was a really vibrant, energetic and expectant atmosphere.  So many young people with their team managers and coaches from the PE Department were enjoying the evening and their outstanding success. I have never worked anywhere where every single team wins every league that they have taken part in.  I believe the exception was one league where two of our teams were entered and they came first and second.  Clearly, this is a result of the hard work and tremendous commitment of the students and all of the staff.  The line from Tiger Woods comes to mind when it was suggested that he "got lucky again".  His response was, "Isn't it funny that the harder I practice, the luckier I get?"

The Sports Awards Evening is an important event on the calendar and a highlight for many students.  I managed to 'slip out' at 9.30 p.m. but I believe that the celebrations continued till late.

The impact of very successful and high quality PE, performing arts, dance, drama and music at Wyke is very discernible.  For many students, this is the highlight of their college day/experience and motivates them to work harder in their subjects.  Certainly, on occasions, it is almost like seeing a completely different person when they are performing on the pitch, in the gym or on stage in front of an audience.  The old adage that "we all need something to succeed at" is absolutely true.

It has been an interesting few weeks in terms of world events: the economic and political crisis in Greece; the victory of Françoise Hollande in France; the local government elections and the fragile partnership of the Coalition Government; the mayoral elections in the capital; President Obama's endorsement of same sex marriages; the proposal of "no notice" Ofsted inspections; the prosecution of Rebekah Brooks and the consultation on the modular nature of A-levels.  The latter is one that worries me.  I am committed to modularity because it is an excellent way to learn "bite-sized" information and to have external feedback on your progress.  I fear that a return to a terminal examination at the end of 2 years will be a retrograde step and at odds with Higher Education where all courses are modular and the academic year semesterised.  The great thing about modular A-levels is that "If you get it wrong, you’ll get it right next time" (Gerry Rafferty, Night Owl), and we all make mistakes.

Whilst the main focus of our College community is on examination success, it is also the time of year when planning for the next academic year is in full flow.  Curriculum reviews, staff appointments, timetabling, budgets and other changes are being planned and costed.  On occasions, I do feel like the Leeds Manager and his plans to bring promotion and success for my beloved Leeds United.

Bob Dylan in "Bringing it all back home" writes "….  My love knows no success or failure but knows that failure is no success at all….”

I hope that all our students attain the grades that they deserve and, if the commitment of our staff is any reflection, then you should do extremely well. 

Good luck.