College News
St Brendan's news feed (RSS)
Articles on this page:
- Rachael Hayman: heading for the top
- Identical Twins Celebrate England Success
- War Crimes Mock Trial
- Silent Scream Film Competition
- Film Student Tracks Down Ken Loach
- Winter Production - The Freeze
- Tower of London
- Bletchley Park
- Advent Assembly 2011
- Mock Council Meeting
- 60 Years of A Levels
- Tea and Tinsel Party 2011
- Movember 2011
- Is Will Mullins on his way to the Ryder Cup?
- Anaesthetics and Occupational Therapy Road Show
- Luminites Inspire Music Students
- Farrah Seyedi to represent St Brendan's at the 2011 Regional Schools Trampolining Championships
- Twins Trek the Himalayas
- Children In Need 2011
- Students Charity Football Match for Injured Craig
- Whistleblower Visits St Brendan's to Shed Light on the Banking Crisis
- The Domino Effect Programme
- Former St Brendan's Students Applying To University
- St Brendan's Work with the Bristol Old Vic
- A Level Results Day 2011
News Items listed in date order:
Rachael Hayman: heading for the top
January 2012
Congratulations to Rachael for getting offered a place to read PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) at New College, Oxford University. Rachael nearly didn’t apply …she attended the Oxford UNIQ Summer school with Law in mind, but changed to PPE after talking with one of the alumni students she met.
Rachael is taking History, French, English and Accelerated Maths A-Levels, and, outside college, Japanese, which she started in Year 9 whilst at St Gregory’s. Rachael complimented work experience in a law firm, with an interest in politics which has grown through her involvement with an environmental group in Bath, where she’s developed her understanding of politics, power and the process of change making. A three week trip to Japan after the tsunami of 2011 gave her an insight into a different country at a time of crisis, and she noticed cultural differences that impinged on the distribution of Aid.
Rachael’s parents did not attend university and the UNIQ Summer School was just what she wanted to give her an insight into Oxford, to hear lectures and attend tutorials, as well as getting a feel for life in an Oxford College. As well as encouraging students to apply for summer schools, St Brendan’s also provides would-be Oxbridge applicants with advice and interview practice, in preparation for one of the most competitive experiences of their lives.
So what were the all-important interviews like? Rachael agrees UNIQ left her comfortable about applying, and the Connect 4 and Play Station in the Oxford Common Room helped keep her relaxed.
Applicants are told there is no need to “revise” - and this was one of the questions Rachael was asked:
“Two guys are told they will be tortured. One guy will have his mind wiped, and the other will have his body switched – who got the worst deal?”
What do YOU think? - Have you got what it takes?
Rachael’s advice for other Oxbridge candidates: “Work hard at your AS subjects, and understand that what the university is looking for is how your brain works. (Everyone that applies is on a similar par results wise anyway!) Reading up on and being passionate about your subject allows the conversation to flow freely with the interviewer, but not to worry about not knowing everything - they are experts in their field! -I got lots completely wrong in the interviews.”
Identical Twins Celebrate England Success
January 2012
St Brendan’s twins Alice and Samantha Shaw are celebrating today, after securing places on the Indoor Netball Association U21 England team for the World Championships in Australia this June. At just 17, the identical twins are two of the youngest players on the team and have been rewarded for years of dedication.
The girls started playing netball at the age of eight and immediately took to the game. They represented Stockwood and by the age of fourteen were playing at county level, travelling all across the South West to play against teams such as Bournemouth and Exeter. It was while at Stockwood that they worked with Coach Shirley Green who had contacts within the England set up and proved instrumental in the girls’ progression. While still playing at Stockwood, Alice and Sam were both fast tracked into the adult game and began playing with the Cosmos Woman’s team. They became immersed with the game of netball and were now training twice a week, as well as playing matches for Cosmos on a Saturday and playing matches for Stockwood on a Sunday. They finished playing for Stockwood at 16 and focussed their attention on the Adult game at Cosmos, where they have both been extremely successful, helping Cosmos secure promotion and taking them to the top of League Three this year.
The twins’ success and dedication, alongside Shirley Green’s recommendation insured that they were invited to a first INA England trial, which took place in Bristol last October. The trial was open to all ages from the region and focussed on fitness and strength training, alongside match play. Both Alice and Sam shone during this trial and were invited to a second trial in London during December. This took place in Canary Wharf and contained sixty potential players (this time from all across the country) who needed to be whittled down to thirty for a final third audition in January. The focus of this second trial was again on fitness and conditioning work, and the girl’s training and match regime proved pivotal in their success as they were invited back to London in January for the final part of the rigorous selection process. Twelve girls needed to be chosen from the thirty finalists who turned up at the final trial. The final trial was more intense and featured a combination of circuit training, fitness and game play against adult teams. Both Alice and Sam were confident that they gave one hundred per-cent and acquitted themselves well on the day, but were still unsure if they had done enough to be selected.
The twins joined St Brendan’s from Brislington Enterprise College and are juggling their sporting commitments with four different subjects each. They also represent the College netball team when their schedule will allow them. Both have another year left at St Brendan’s to go after this one, and University is definitely on the minds of both of them. It must be extremely difficult to juggle both the netball and study commitments but Alice and Sam’s hard work has really paid off. Both students found out today that they have been selected to represent INA England U21’s in Australia this summer. They will now begin training with the INA England camp every Saturday building up to the championships in June. The first training camp will take place this Saturday in London. After securing sponsorship and funding, the twins’ are scheduled to fly out on the 4th June, which coincidently happens to be their 18th Birthday as well - It will be quite a celebration and a fitting way to toast years’ of hard work and commitment to Netball.
War Crimes Mock Trial
January 2012
In an effort to help young people better understand the complexities of war crime and humanitarian law UWE and the Red Cross recently staged an exciting and innovative mock trial in the UWE courtroom. St Brendan’s law students played the roles of defendants, witnesses and even donned robes to play Judges and Lawyers in order to gain a better understanding of this complex legal system.
Alongside the trial there were also talks and workshops run by international law firm ‘Allen and Overy’ who worked with UWE international law students to organise this informative event.
St Brendan’s students were highly praised for their interest and enthusiasm and many were considered as potential barristers of the future. With more exciting events of this nature being organised based on the success of this one. St Brendan’s students will almost certainly have further opportunities to polish their advocacy skills.
Silent Scream Film Competition
January 2012
The Silent Scream is the product of a short film competition, ‘The First Light award’ in the young voice category, and the extensive work of twenty seven young women. This compelling and controversial film has been shortlisted by a board of prestigious judges such as Sam Mendes, Danny Boyle, Rebecca O’Brian and David Hayman and the winner is to be announced at the London Film Festival which takes place in March at London’s Left Bank.
In association with Zen Productions and Integrate Bristol this project ran over five months with young women, two of which, Muna Mohammed Hassan and Suzanne Nzamba, are studying at St Brendan’s Sixth Form, using exclusively their own time to create the story, the script and ultimately produce this hard hitting short film. The final product includes interviews focusing on the legal situation surrounding this complex and secretive issue, the psychological and medical ramifications of FGM and personal accounts which are both undeniably distressing and challenging for the viewer.
For this production to be short listed for a national award is a huge accolade and no doubt heralds exciting times for this aspiring film makers, but the true achievement here is the awareness of the film’s unpalatable and often ignored subject matter which focuses on female genitalia mutilation. Over 20,000 girls may be at risk from this atrocity in the UK alone with the figure worldwide potentially rising as high as 140,000. This controversial subject matter could easily have been sensationalised or insensitively portrayed but the young film makers have displayed sincerity and sensitivity in their creation of an unsettling and informative piece of work.
The Silent Scream will be premiered at Bristol’s Watershed theatre on June 30th and will no doubt leave audiences horrified into silence but hopefully more aware of a barbaric issue which feels like it should have been consigned to the history of centuries ago and not still continuing in a modern and informed world.
Film Student Tracks Down Ken Loach
January 2012
I must have pestered half the town in pursuit of an interview with film director Ken Loach to help with my coursework. At one point it seemed hopeless. The general consensus of people giving the look that says ‘ken who?’ One friend (who shall remain anonymous) even seemed under the impression Ken Loach sold clothes. Now, just to clarify for those whose favourite film is Transformers or Mamma Mia, Ken Loach is one of the most respected directors in the business. And most certainly does not sell t-shirts. He is commonly referred to in the industry as Britain’s leading social-realist film-maker. In other words, makes films that chart the everyday struggles of the plucky no-hopers in society.
Eventually, with a touch of persistence, I was successful in cornering the man for an interview. Twerton Park was to be the venue, home of Loach’s beloved Bath City. Needless to say, the prospect of interviewing a man who’s been at the forefront of British cinema for over 4 decades was an incredible opportunity.
This was never going to be an interview of Frost/Nixon titanic proportions. I had envisaged an encounter reminiscent of a Jonathon Ross style chat show. In the end it was neither of the above. Instead, merely a tale of a young pretender having the lecture of a lifetime with the Godfather of British film-making.
My first impressions of Loach were that he was a perfectly normal bloke. Albeit, no spring chicken being in his twilight, but an average Joe nonetheless. He spoke softly and quietly, forcing me to lean in attentively. In many ways his unassuming presence surprised me slightly. Normally, you would affiliate a director bellowing orders to prima donna actors. However, in this case I got the impression Loach had never gone above 50 decibels. During mid-conversation, a fellow admirer interrupted Loach to praise his work. His response was fairly muted. It became apparent there and then this is a man who makes films with no interest in fame and fortune.
His views were thought provoking with sophisticated points. Frequently he would go into depth with answers I expected to only last half a minute, ending on the quote ‘do you see?’ just to check I was still following on the same wavelength. I quizzed him on the auteur theory (a theory suggesting the director is the sole principal source behind the creativity of a film). It was a subject matter that clearly rattled him, describing it as ‘pretentious’ and ‘something that was made up by people who don’t know anything about film’. I sensed Loach wasn’t too pleased with what we were being taught in college. He spent a lot of time stressing the importance of film-making as a ‘collaboration’, describing his role of director as simply ‘welding everybody’s contribution together to create one single voice’. It was a delightful insight into precisely what is required of a director.
Perhaps what I found most fascinating about Loach was how the most critical person of his work was himself. When I asked him if he feels pressure from studios to make profits he responded that the onus is on him to ‘do good work and the rest will follow’. It’s a touching thought that can be applied to any stretch of life. In summary, I learnt a tremendous amount from my interview with Ken Loach; most notably it was his dedication to perfection that struck me as inspiring, and an experience I am unlikely to forget.
Written by Oliver Brunskill
Winter Production - The Freeze
January 2012
The newly formed BTEC Acting course at St Brendan’s has got off to a fantastic start with their first full production called “The Freeze”. The play was originally devised and written by Daniel Jamieson of Theatre Alibi, who very kindly gave our students permission to perform his play. The students worked extremely hard both as actors and members of a production team ensuring the performances ran smoothly. They only had 6 weeks to put on this show which demanded a high level of energy and enthusiasm throughout the rehearsal process.
The students had the opportunity to work with some Drama undergraduates from Bath Spa University as well as benefitting from some beautiful music/soundtrack specifically created for this show. Particular praise must go to Molly Wilcox, Shannon Reeves, DJ Coley and Jasmine Sorisi-Thomas who put an awful lot of energy into the backstage elements of the production including the creation of baby-Jane and other props, and also the high quality filmed sequences. Henri Scanlon created an endearing interpretation of “Lawrence” - the big brother to Jake Wallace’s “Mark” and the vibrant character of Mrs Jackson by Tajae Minott-Brown were amongst many wonderful performances in this production.
The students are now currently embarking on a StoryTelling Unit, where they will perform to years 5 and 6 at Hillcrest and Broomhill Primary Schools. Their next public performance will be an exciting and innovative site-specific piece at our Summer Arts Festival.
Tower of London
January 2012
The tower of London has served many functions over the years from royal residence to formidable prison, from royal mint to celebrated palace of ostentatious coronations and tournaments featuring an exotic menagerie, and then even becoming a grisly site of execution and even the backdrop to one of history’s most notorious murder mysteries; the case of the missing princes in the tower.
As part of their A level history syllabus, St Brendan’s students are studying the ‘War of the Roses’ which was a power struggle leading to civil war fought within England from 1455 – 1457 between the House of York and the Lancastrians who both laid claim to the throne. Much of this civil unrest took place in and around the Tower of London, and many of the key events unfolded within its stoic walls, observed unnervingly by the ever present inky black ravens.
The tower stood for around 400 years by the time the War of the Roses unfolded. After his coronation in the late 11th century, William the Conqueror built a stone tower in a strategically defensive position, on the banks of the Thames. This structure has been added to and improved over the years by various monarchs such as Henry III and Edward I, including two defensive walls and a moat.
On a chilly day in December St Brendan’s history students travelled up to the capital city to visit this most infamous of historical sites along with a visit to the records office where students were privileged enough to access several documents dating back around 500 years, including a huge, leather bound chronicle containing pictures of both Margaret of Anjou and Elizabeth Woodville, both prominent female figures in the War of The Roses.
At the Tower, as Christmas lights burned against a blue dusk sky and an iron grey Thames slithered beneath Tower bridge, noses burned from cold, eyes watered and students jogged on the spot to keep warm whilst a guide cut a path around the various key buildings and sites including the infamous White Tower, medieval palace and the site of the execution of the Duke of Clarence, who was drowned in a barrel of wine. The notorious prisoners to have been detained in the tower are endless, apart from the two princes, Edward and Richard who disappeared from the White Tower in 1483, there was Anne Boleyn who was crowned and imprisoned in the tower and later executed on Tower hill. Lady Jane Grey was held here, as was Henry VI who was also murdered here, allegedly whilst praying, Elizabeth I was detained here by her sister ‘Bloody Mary’ and even Ronnie and Reggie Kray the villainous gangsters. The Tower of London has seen majestic splendour and unimaginable human suffering in equal measure and the blood of the many executed and murdered must have sank into the very foundations of the building. Still the collection of Towers and Palaces stand regal and omnipotent, peering over the frenetic traffic of London and the snaking black river beneath it.
It was a long demanding day with the mystery of the lost, but never forgotten, boys clinging like a mist around the tower walls and even seeping onto the coach bequeathing a hushed journey home where almost every one slept, overwhelmed by the intense layers of history through which we’d journeyed, brooding on the horrors to have transpired within those immense stone walls and pondering the ancient ghosts still grasping dissonantly to this monumental place.
Bletchley Park
January 2012
Last term, almost the entire computing department headed out on the bi-annual trip to Milton-Keynes, and perhaps more importantly, Bletchley Park. Bletchley is the historical site of World War 2 cipher breaking activities, funded, albeit secretly, by the secret services. It was also where the very first computer was invented and hence Bletchley also contains the National Museum of Computing, an entirely voluntarily run organisation funded entirely by donation. For the coach journey we were shown documentaries (Code Breakers and Capture Enigma) detailing the history of Bletchley Park and the war efforts surrounding it and after over two hours of coach travel, a computing test and countless bananas supplied by our teacher, Juan Zafra, the cohort arrived in high spirits and ready to experience the museum. We were split into two groups and took part in two different activities, a tour of the museum and a hand’s on demonstration of assembler code written on a BBC Micro’s.
Firstly, the BBC Micro was a very early microcomputer, built by Acorn Computers. The computers support code written in both machine code and Basic, so this was a good opportunity us, who generally write programs in Java, to work in a much more rudimentary language. Through a number of short exercises, based around simple data storage and access, we were able to compose one program, in both Basic and machine code, that showed how much faster machine code is in comparison to a more high level language. We learnt an important industry lesson, that for jobs where processing speed is important such as video game design or generating graphics, a good knowledge of assembler can make you really stand out to an employer.
The tour of the Museum was informative and at times baffling, taking the students from Computing’s origins in Maths with slide rules and hand wound calculators that actually require physical effort, to computer suites that comprise entire rooms and disk drives as big as a person holding up to 8 kilobytes of storage. We were shown the Harwell/WITCH dekatron computer; an original system from 1951which was designed to aid in the creation of buildings that would house nuclear reactors, safeguarding them against potential structural misadventure. A particular favourite was the games room, featuring many examples of classic games, with a kaleidoscope of colourful if crude games that were open for use by the public.
Having finished the tour, the whole group marched back into the cold and onto the waiting coach, ready to endure another long journey home, interspersed with yet more bananas from Juan’s, seemingly unending box of fruit.
Written by Jack Gill
Advent Assembly 2011
January 2012
The St Brendan’s Advent Assembly only comes around once a year, though when it does it evokes thought on what is the true meaning of Christmas. This year’s assembly aimed to reveal just that through a mix of enchanting music, thought-provoking readings, prayer and a dance oozing with elegance.
Christmas, when you deduct the materialistic commercialism, is about Christ being born who came to save humanity by dying for our sins; this is the underlying truth of Christmas – so being thankful for what you have and giving not just the presents for under the Christmas Tree, but love for one another, all links to this truth about Christmas.
This was threaded in the words of the readings, reminding students that there are people not just in developing countries but right here in Bristol who don’t have a home to return to for Christmas, a meal to share with the family or even hope to get them to the new year.
Embedded around these strings of thought was the prompt that we can do something to help someone else this Christmas, even if it’s a simply action – like being grateful to unwrap Nan’s homemade knitted jumper for the 18th time in a row. This prompt was reflected in the dance performance that was reminiscent of the morals that was instilled in us from a young age – standing together makes you stronger, including the excluded, supporting one another – all disguised in the beautiful hypnotic movements. There was an emphasis on what Christmas means to each individual – presents and parties or giving and gratitude? The choir hit the point home with two carols that reminded the audience about the root of Christmas.
The assembly fell on the same date as World Aids Day and there was a collection at the end of the service for charity – a first step into helping someone else out this Christmas, so the students left with that imprinted on their mind – to think of others this Christmas and doing what you can to benefit them, completely selfless acts. Being a part of the assembly, reading and singing really made me reflect on what Christmas means to me – does it matter what presents are under the Christmas tree? Does it matter what’s on the menu for the Christmas feast? For me, no. What matters is my family, giving back to them and thanking them for what they’ve done for me. Being grateful for what I have, as it could always be worse.
What I ask is that this Christmas, while snuggling down to watch Doctor Who, or rolling from the table to the sofa after a 3-hour munching fest, take a moment to just be grateful of everything around you, and give thought to those who don’t have all these blessings. Be thankful, be generous, be content.
Written by Lana Campbell
Mock Council Meeting
January 2012
Last term in October, students from three Bristol schools (Gordano School, John Cabot Academy and St Brendan’s Sixth Form College) seized the opportunity to visit Bristol City Council House and take part in a debate with local councillors. The event was organised by Platform 51, who campaign to give women the chance to have their say and speak out about things that matter to them. Topics on the agenda were human trafficking, prostitution, drugs and alcohol.
The proceedings of the day were started with a warm welcome from the Chair, Cezara Nanu, Bristol Centre Manager for Platform 51. This was followed by a brief introduction from the Council Party Leaders and a synopsis of their party’s position on the agenda: Barbara Janke (Liberal Democrats), Peter Hammond (Labour), Peter Abraham (Conservatives) and Tess Green (Green). In addition, Helen Holland (Labour) and Peter Levy (Liberal Democrat) were also in attendance.
Steven McNamara, the council’s legal officer, gave an interesting talk about the roles and responsibilities of the council, talking about the importance of the councillor’s decision making in fulfilling their roles as public ambassadors. Councillors re-grouped and sat with their party members (comprising approximately ten young people per party, although the Green party were not unfortunately represented). Councillors supported the young people in organising their ideas before the debate began and gave ongoing input into proceedings. It was the young people, however, that led the debate. It was apparent that a great deal of research had been done by the young people who spoke authoritatively on a range of topics including: Bristol’s anti-trafficking protocol; the impact of the economic climate on migration, drugs and employment; the objectification of women; the role of a free market and its impact on trafficking, prostitution and drugs; the benefits of a living wage and the pros and cons of legalising sex work and drugs top name but a few. The debate went on just over an hour with the majority of participant speaking at least once.
The event was closed with an opportunity to directly ask the councillors questions and consolidate their thoughts about the discussed topics. At this point, the councillors also spoke of how impressed and encouraged they were by the level of engagement, knowledge and maturity that the students displayed. Finally, all the students were given a tour of the Council House.
Feedback on the event suggested that the young people had enjoyed themselves, learned something new, felt increased confidence in their abilities and felt as though they had had a chance to tell people what they thought. The packs given out in advance of the event, with useful reading materials and councillor’s details were largely seen to be helpful. Young people valued listening directly to the councillors but some would have liked longer with the party members. Meeting other young people from different schools was seen as beneficial and the opportunity to explore part of the Council House was welcomed. Some young people would have liked tighter chairing of the event, while others welcomed the way in which the discussion organically moved. Some young people felt frustrated that they had no chance to air their own opinions, as opposed to that of the party they represented and would have liked a chance to do so.
60 Years of A Levels
December 2011
Staff at St Brendan's Sixth Form College got together of Friday 16th December, the last day of term, to celebrate 60 years of A Levels. To mark the occasion, the college catering team Sodexo created a huge cake made up of nine parts, to represent each of the different curriculum areas in the college.
The A Level (Advanced Level General Certificate of Education) qualification came into being in 1951, replacing the Higher School Certificate, which had been running since 1918 and required students to study a range of subjects. It had become apparent that some students were failing the qualification because of weakness in a single area, the decision was then taken to develop examinations that assessed students in single subjects. Thus was born the A Level (Advanced Level) examinations, which could be taken on a subject by subject basis, according to the strengths and interests of the student. The A Level at first was graded as simply pass or fail (although students were given an indication of their marks, to the nearest 5%) but by 1963 rising numbers of students taking the exam made it clear that there needed to be more differentiation of achievement. Letters were therefore introduced to award specific grades of pass to students.
Here at St Brendan's, the bulk of our courses are A Levels, with prospective students able to choose between 46 different subjects. You can have a closer look at the A Level courses we have on offer by clicking here.
Tea and Tinsel Party 2011
December 2011
On Thursday 15th December, staff and students at St Brendan's Sixth College welcomed senior citizen's from the local community into the college to celebrate Christmas with their annual Tea and Tinsel Party
The colleges Cafe Max was transformed into a winter wonderland full of tinsel, crackers and Christmas cake. Student elves greeted the guests upon arrival and assisted them to their chairs for the carol service. Traditional carols such as 'Hark the Herald' and 'O Come All Ye Faithful' were sang alongside bidding prayers and a blessing
Tea was then served by our waiters and waitresses, who offered rolls, hot drinks and a festive mince pie. Students sat and chatted with the guests, pulling crackers and ensuring everyone was getting in the Christmas spirit.
After tea, the senior citizens took their seat at the front and were treated to entertainment from our students. The choir enrichment group kicked off proceedings with a medley of songs that included 'ABC/I Want You Back', 'We Are The Champions' and 'Rule The World'. This was followed by Alex, an International Baccalaureate student studying at St Bede's, who performed some magic for our guests. The College's Music Performing group then lit up the stage with renditions of 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas', 'White Christmas', 'Rocking Around The Christmas Tree' and 'All I Want For Christmas'. The Musical Theatre Dance group wowed the audience with two inventive dances to the tune of 'Merry Christmas Everyone' and 'Sleigh Ride'.
Unfortunately, the afternoon had to come to an end, but before our guests left Father Christmas made a quick stop at the college and delivered everyone a present and some real festive cheer.
Movember 2011
December 2011
During November you may have noticed usually presentable, clean shaven fellows around you suddenly sprouting facial fluff. You have not been alone. From November the 1st onwards, otherwise facially bald men signed up to grow a ‘tash and raise awareness for men’s health, particularly prostate cancer. In that historic, selfless, momentous commitment they become... Mo-bros!
During this month men literally advertise these health issues and no doubt inspire conversations, every time they step outside their front doors with their developing whiskers. The month concluded with a day of fundraising to mark their gallantry.
November 24th was Movember day and the college attempted to get every member of staff and every student wearing a moustache, some real but mostly multi-coloured felt, including a fetching animal print design. The college caterers Sodexo made cookies with moustache's on as well and the whole day was a lot of fun. Alongside raising money the aim was to take a photograph of as many people as possible all showing their support by wearing a mo.
Is Will Mullins on his way to the Ryder Cup?
December 2011
First year student Will Mullins started playing golf when he was in Yr 8, at Knowle Golf Club, and last year captained the Gloucestershire u 16s at their last tournament of the season (against Worcester: Gloucester won 13 ½ to 5 ½ ).
Now Will has taken up a place on the England Future Regional Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE), which offers specialist training alongside Will’s college subjects of AS Business Studies, and a Level 3 Sport BTEC Diploma.
There are only 17 places on this prestigious scheme for the South and West of England, so at weekends Will is joined at the Cumberwell Park Golf course in Wiltshire by other keen young golfers from as far away as London. With coaches such Home pro John Jacobs, from Keynsham, Jon Cowgill (Farrington) and European Seniors’ player Gordon Brand Jnr, we expect Will to go far.
At the moment Will is working hard to get his handicap down, and with Derek Hughes, a national selector for the England Under-18 team, also involved in the AASE at Cumberwell Park, we are keeping our fingers crossed for him!
Anaesthetics and Occupational Therapy Road Show
December 2011
Imagine people running around in blues scrubs, a woman collapsed on the floor, ventilators and oxygen masks littering the side, ECG and cardiac monitors beeping whilst the right size cannula is being chosen to most effectively administer fluid to a patient suffering from extreme blood loss. Sounds like a typical day in Accident and Emergency right? Oh, and the register being taken. Well this is what happened all in the course of one biology class, And some people say science is boring?
Six anaesthetists with two occupational therapists set up 4 different workstations. Anaesthetics is all about putting people to sleep for surgery right? Wrong, as we soon found out.
An experienced anaesthetist demonstrated the range of equipment needed to ensure patients receive the oxygen they need, proving even Biology at A Level standard is directly applicable to keeping someone alive and breathing.
Where a woman lay passed out on the floor, (in reality Anne, a resuscitation mannequin), another anaesthetist took us through the 5 simple steps that can change a potentially fatal situation into one with a much happier ending.
At Station Three we had a different take on things, The occupational therapists clearly showed the effects different conditions can have on people’s everyday lives. A simple task such as trying to manoeuvre in and out of the disabled toilets and back to the classroom in a wheelchair took much more effort and strength than expected.
Finally at the station emitting the most bleeping we were able to monitor oxygen levels and blood pressure, carry out an ECG, and check different intravenous lines to decide how best to prevent blood loss.
Is anaesthesia simply about putting people to sleep? No – it is much more. From monitoring oxygen levels and the activity of the heart, to keeping a patient from going into shock due to blood loss, or keeping their heart going in an emergency situation- it is about keeping people alive. Not just in the case of anaesthetists, but all in a day’s work for an A-Level biologist
Written by Natalie Parker
Luminites Inspire Music Students
November 2011
Hot new band the Luminites, who are currently touring the UK, dropped into St Brendan's to perform a set and take part in a question and answer sesseion with music students. The young band who hail from Essex are made up of five members. A human beat boxer (R-titz), keyboard player (JJ), self-taught guitarist (Corey) and two female vocalists (Ella and Steph). They are managed by ‘Blue’s’ former manager, a producer who has managed with some of pop’s most famous creations and have recently been signed to Polydor records.
The Luminites are an up and coming band, which are keen to promote positive youth image and pride through a soulful blend of urban beat box, acoustic guitars and harmonised vocals. In front of an audience of young musicians from the BTEC Music Performing course and other music courses such as Music Technology, Music A level and Musical Theatre, the Luminites performed original tracks such as 'All Dressed Up' and 'Streets of London'. The performance was followed by a question and answer session designed to provide music students with an insight into the music industry. The group answered questions such as how they began in the music business, how they came to gain a record deal and how they go about creating their music. It proved to be a really eye opening and inspiring afternoon for the students.
This performance is the first of many events and workshops that are planned for the Music students at St Brendan’s including a performance by Zernell Fontaine scheduled for December.
Farrah Seyedi to represent St Brendan's at the 2011 Regional Schools Trampolining Championships
November 2011
Farrah Seyedi , who has been trampolining for a number of years, last year trialled, and was accepted on to the British Gymnastics National Trampoline squad for people with disabilities (GMPD = Gymnastics and Movement for People with Disabilities) Team GB.
She has now been entered into the “011 Regional Schools Tramolining Competition", to be held in Bristol on December 4th.
Farrah went on a Team GB training camp last half term in Poole, Dorset. She also qualified for the National Championships held in Birmingham and came 4th Place in the GMPD category for people with learning difficulties.
The National Championships were televised by British Gymnastics and Farrah can be seen on their website in the Women’s Cat 1. Follow the link here and click GMPD Cat 1.
As with everything, Farrah is keen to take part and is looking forward to representing St Brendan’s at the 2011 Regional Schools Competition. She recently came second at the competition held in Bath University, against others of her grade without disabilities.
Farrah will be trialling again in December to be a member of Team GB 2012. Unfortunately, at the moment, there are not enough Trampoline 'disabled' teams around the world to compete in the Para-Olympics but the Team GB Coach and others are working on that for future years!
Well done Farrah- this is a fantastic achievement and we wish you all the very best in this, and future competitions. Good Luck!
Twins Trek the Himalayas
November 2011
St Twins Brett and Adam Williams, along with Ollie Starbuck, had the experience of a life-time when they were included on a three week trip to Nepal with a group of 10 Gloucestershire Cadets.
Their Trek lasted 12 days through the spectacular Himalayas, and they climbed 3,000m up to 4,130m at the Annapurna Base camp. The trail included crossing precarious rope bridges, staying in basic accommodation in village “tea houses” and stepping aside for the local mule trains. “It was great to see the mix of different local cultures - a great contrast to being at home - and a much more basic life style – taking cold showers for example”. “By the time we were at 4,000m it was a bit tiring, having to catch your breath every few steps.” Bret told us. Adam agreed: “Better air, but less of it!”
In addition, the group spent two days at a village delivering supplies to the local primary school. As well as books, uniforms, and equipment for the school, they gave out playground equipment and small presents. In return they were presented with flower garlands from the pupils. “The local people were very friendly and happy to see us and the kids had a great time playing with the stuff we brought.” The twins found they attracted quite a lot of attention: “People often made friendly comments because we are identical” said Brett.
Children In Need 2011
November 2011
On Friday 18th November, it was that time of year again for big yellow bears to prance about in spotted bandana’s and for students at St Brendan’s to behave outrageously and have fun raising money for Children in Need.
The day was largely organised by the students on the International Baccalaureate course who set up a number of different activities that ran throughout the break and lunch time. The fun kicked off with ‘Pudsey Bingo’ during the break time. The college caterers Sodexo organised a giant game of bingo for the students with winners screaming ‘house’ walking away with food vouchers. Lunch time then saw a series of events taking place in the refectory and outside reception. Just outside the main reception students set up a track for ‘Space Hopper’ racing, which offered students (and some staff members) to get in touch with their inner child once again.
Inside the College, International Baccalaureate students organised face painting and Pudsey manicures which insured everyone had spotty bandana’s across their face and bright yellow nails. There was also a hula hoop challenge in the centre of the refectory, where hip twirling success was rewarded with chocolate goodies. To bring the lunch time fun to a close, a staff and student sponsored head shave took place. College security guard Malcolm Clarke bravely put himself forward to allow students to shave his hair into a Mohican.
The entire day was a resounding success and plenty of fun was had by all those involved. The College raised over £400 for Children In Need.
Students Charity Football Match for Injured Craig
October 2011
Yesterday afternoon, a group of St Brendan's students led by George Harding, Shannon Cushing and Shannon Roberts organised a charity football event at the college to raise money for their friend, and fellow St Brendan's student, Craig Nurse who is recovering in hospital with a broken neck. Craig was on holiday in Spain with his friends when he injured himself after diving into a pool at a private villa in July. He is currently still recovering at a hospital in Wiltshire.
Players from the college football team faced a group of Craig's friends in the match yesterday. Cakes were also sold to raise money and charity buckets were passed along the large crowd who came to watch and support the event. The money raised will go towards getting a laptop for Craig, who is communicating with his friends from his hospital bed via social networking sites such as Facebook. The money will also go towards organising a party for Craig when he leaves hospital.
Craig took part himself in a similar match last year, so George and his friends thought that this was a perfect way to raise money for him. George said that "Craig is so far away and it is hard for him to keep in touch with us. We wanted to let him know that everybody is still thinking about him and to make his stay better. It has been an amazing team effort from everyone, with lots of people helping out".
The college principal, Ann Barrow, added; "This is very much in the spirit of St Brendan's. Students are still in our thoughts when they are not well enough to be here. It does not surprise me as I know how enterprising our students are, but well done to those who organised this because it took a lot of effort. They have done so much"
The game itself was a huge success and the total money raised for the day was £668.17
Whistleblower Visits St Brendan's to Shed Light on the Banking Crisis
October 2011
On Monday 17th October, Paul Moore (a Bristol University trained lawyer, banker and former HBOS employee) visited St Brendan's for a conference with students on Ethical Banking. Moore was a senior banker who warned his bank, HBOS, about its excessive risk-taking, and claimed that he was fired as a result. Moore conducted a lecture in the theatre to Business, Philosophy and Communication and Culture students followed by a lively discussion on the cause of the banking crisis and what can be learned from the crisis going forward.
The conference was an extremely topical and fascinating insight into the banking crisis and the regulatory measures that the United Kingdom's leading banks have to adhere to. Paul talked particularly about the HBOS crisis, and how to put faith and ethics into practice in the world today. Students were able to discover from first hand experience just how the bankers caused the economic meltdown and why HBOS wanted Paul silenced.
In 2009 Paul Moore was called up by the House of Commons to submit a memorandum of evidence to the UK’s Treasury Select Committee, which was investigating risks taken by UK banks prior to the credit crunch. Following revelations given by Moore to the committee, Sir James Crosby, formerly CEO at HBOS, resigned from his position as Deputy Director at the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Moore explicitly accused the leaders of Britain’s main banks, whom he holds responsible for the current financial crisis, of being out of touch and arrogant. Moore claimed that “I feel very sorry that people who are senior are so unable to see things as ordinary people see them”. He continued; “I totally stand by the allegations I have made and I have detailed corroborating evidence”.
Paul Moore was involved in UK financial regulation since it began in 1986. Between 1995 and 2002 he was a partner in accountants KPMG’s Financial Sector Practice in London where he advised a number of FTSE 100 clients on regulatory matters. Between 2002 and 2004 Moore was appointed Head of Group Regulatory Risk at HBOS where he had formal responsibility for the bank’s policy and oversight of executive management’s compliance with FSA regulation. Moore was dismissed by HBOS in 2004 and he claims this was because he told HBOS’s board that the bank was taking excessive risks with its aggressive sales culture which was out of balance with its systems and controls. Moore passed on his concerns about HBOS to the FSA who investigated the claims. He sued HBOS for unfair dismissal and the bank settled his claim for over half a million pounds in 2005.
Although Moore had agreed to a non-disclosure agreement as part of his settlement, he decided to speak out as he believed it to be in the public interest. With the financial crisis showing no immediate signs of easing, it was an extremely relevant and important time for our students to listen to someone who worked at the very top when the crisis happened, and has vast knowledge about the banking industry and the controls and ethics that are associated with it.
The Domino Effect Programme
September 2011
A Bristol-based drugs charity called Ideal exclusively invited St Brendan's students to design a logo for their pioneering project called The Domino Effect Programme. The programme is designed to facilitate change in the lives of ex-drug users by offering training in life skills. The crucial point of difference between Domino, and other training courses, is that the Trainers are themselves ex-drug users. The project has received funding to officially launch in 2012 from The National Lottery.
Nick Benson, Ideal Director and Domino Effect Founder, says:
"We try to use skills from the local area, and we were delighted to invite St Brendan's students to design our logo. Hopefully, working to a real brief for a real client has given them useful experience. The Domino Effect Programme will be up and running in 2012, drugs and welfare agencies across Bristol will be referring their clients to it. It has been really positive for us to see such vibrant and dynamic competition entries. Thank you to all the students who took part"
The runner up was Alice Howell, who created a rainbow wave design. The judges felt that while it was not literal to the idea of a domino or the domino effect, it still represented a domino effect in a unique and really interesting way. Alice has a lot of talent and has shown a great ability to work to a brief in a creative way.
The winning logo was designed by Samantha Miles who created an upright 'D' with the dots in Black and White. The design was chosen because it was possible to visualise it in a wide range of places from business cards to a stencil on a wall. The design is simple, powerful, easy to recognise, bold. The fact that you were able to photocopy the design without losing any of it's integrity was also considered important by the judges. Samantha received prize money and will now work with Domino in developing her logo still further, in order for it to be used in all their communication.
Former St Brendan's Students Applying to Univeristy
September 2011
Information for former students who are applying to University. Please contact your SSM by email or phone (0117 9777766) to let them know that you are applying to university so that your reference can be updated and gap year information can be added. Please apply through college using the college buzzword which can be obtained from your SSM. Please do not just turn up and expect to be seen as SSMs and careers staff will be busy helping current students with Ucas applications. Priority will always be given to current students so make sure that you meet the college deadlines.
All applications are made through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) using the electronic system ‘Apply’. Students can apply to a total of 5 courses, usually at different institutions.
Applications for Oxford, Cambridge, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and Dentistry must reach UCAS by 15 October. To meet this deadline they must be submitted to SSMs by 2.30pm on Thursday 15 September. We allow 15 COLLEGE WORKING DAYS for processing the application, writing and checking the reference once a correctly completed form has been received by SSMs. The latest date to hand your application into your SSM is Thursday 10th November. This is to allow suffient time for the application to reach UCAS by 15th January 2012. After this date applications are marked as LATE and courses may be closed
St Brendan's Work with the Bristol Old Vic
September 2011
St Brendan's Sixth Form College are really proud to announce that we will be working with the Bristol Old Vic as part of the National Theatre's 'Connections 2012' project. This exciting opportunity with give some of our drama students a chance to perform a specially commissioned play at the Bristol Old Vic next spring, and if successful, potentially at the National Theatre as well.
After working with St Brendan's students at a workshop last year and finding that so many of our current and ex-students are actively involved with the Old Vic, the theatre decided to select us, out of the whole of the South West, as their partner school in the National Theatre project. The 'Connections 2012' project is a celebration of new playwriting for young people. The National Theatre has commissioned ten plays by British and International writers and opened the event up to 200 passionate young theatre companies to take up the challenge of staging these scripts. The brand new plays have been written for actors' aged 13 - 19 and offers young people the opportunity to get their teeth into new writing and explore themes and stories that have been put to paper with them in mind.
15 students from the College will be selected to perform in the play and a directing team from the Bristol Old Vic will visit College and work alongside our current drama team and students from around November time this year. The play will be performed at the Old Vic next spring in front of judges from the National Theatre. If the production is considered particularly good, the production will be invited to perform at the National Theatre.
This is a huge coup for the College and it is a fantastic opportunity for our students to work with and learn from, such a renowned theatre company. Check back for regular updates on how the production is developing and we wish our students the best of luck with this exciting challenge.
A Level Results Day 2011
August 2011
Students at St Brendan’s Sixth Form College in Bristol have been celebrating another year of fantastic A-Level results. There were a total of 1699 A Level subject exams taken this year with 97.3% achieving pass grades. One subject that really stood out was Mathematics. Out of a 130 students taking Mathematics, almost 1/3 received A* or A grades.
A number of students have flourished in all of their respective subjects and 14 of them are toasting the fact that they have been awarded an A* or A grade for four or more of their A2 subjects. David Harris is St Brendan’s star student and his hard work and commitment paid dividends as he achieved A* grades in every one of his five A2 subjects, which were Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Further Maths and French. These sensational results will sit alongside the A grade he achieved in AS Critical Thinking last year. David is a budding scientist and is now heading to Cambridge University to study Physics. This is particularly rewarding given how much effort David has put in both inside and outside College. David undertook work experience at the BBC Weather Department, attended Oxford University’s Physics Summer School, took part in a six week research project at Bristol University and has just came back from spending this summer at the Weizmann institute of Science in Israel, where he was carrying out field work in the Judean Desert. Despite these extensive extra-curricular activities, he has still managed to secure the highest exam grades possible, which is a fantastic achievement.
Two sisters celebrating, are twins Helen and Jessica Davis. Both students took exactly the same five subjects; Physics, Chemistry, French, Mathematics and Further Mathematics. Helen was awarded an A in all those subjects and Jessica received an A* in Physics and A grades in the other four. Both Helen and Jess are particularly competitive and it seems that they have both pushed themselves to achieve some fantastic results. Both students are now heading to Birmingham University to study Physics. Jessica hopes to pursue a career in Patent Law while Helen hopes to work in Finance.
Another science star is Joanna Pearce who after receiving A*s in Chemistry and Maths and A grades in Biology, Physics and Further Mathematics (alongside a B grade in AS Critical Thinking from last year), will now head to Loughborough University where she will study Chemical Engineering. Rhiannon Teather received a clean sweep of A grades which will see her head to Bristol University to study History. Rhiannon was awarded an A* in History and her Extended Project Qualification, and A grades in English Literature and Language, Economics and Art and Design (as well as an A grade at AS Critical Thinking that she was awarded last year). Other students who received four or more A* and A grades in this years’ examinations were Adam Harvey, Hannah Cook, Chloe Parsons, Rebecca Parsonson, Linda Loterh and Kieran Plissonneau. Gabrielle Sheppard, David Scott and Patrick Flint achieved the equivalent from A Levels and BTEC Qualifications.
Kieran Plissonneau, after receiving 2 A* grades in Mathematics and Physics, and 2 A grades in Music and Further Mathematics, will be heading to Imperial College London where he will be doing a degree in Electrical Engineering. Kieran has been a strong environmental activist in his time at St Brendan’s and has been extremely prominent in the ‘People and Planet’ group, driving a campaign to lower the carbon footprint of the College, as well as fronting the awareness of climate week and the Copenhagen summit to the student body.
Holly Chivers will pursue her ambition of becoming a vet after being awarded A*’s in Chemistry and Biology, and an A grade in French and her Extended Project qualification. Holly also received B grades in Spanish and Critical Thinking from last years’ examination results. Holly spends a lot of her spare time looking after animals and produced a stunning Extended Project Qualification which explored emotions within dogs. She will be looking to develop her knowledge of the animal world further at University where she will be studying for her Veterinary Science degree at Bristol.
Megan Oaten has managed to juggle her studies alongside representing England Internationally at Rugby. Megan was an integral part of the England U20 Team during the spring internationals against France, Scotland and Wales. Despite the commitment and rigorous training regime that representing your country brings, Megan still focussed on her studies and received an A grade in English Language and Literature, a B grade in History and two C grades in Biology and Physical Education. These grades secured her enough points to go on to UWIC University where she will study Sport and Physical Education, as well as hoping to push forward her Rugby career still further.
Another student who has had to juggle a huge work load is Amy Qureshi. Amy is a young mother and has been at St Brendan’s for three years. She is determined to prove that young mums can be clever and inspirational and despite some ups and downs over the years, she has worked hard at her studies and bringing up her child alone. In this time she has gained A grades in English Literature and Language, and Photography. This year she has been awarded an A in English Literature and a A* in the Extended Project Qualification. Amy has also been an integral part of the College community. She was an executive member of the Student Union, holding the post of Equality and Diversity Officer and continued to be a major part of the Equality and Diversity steering group alongside staff and governors. Amy was also an instigator of a new buddying system for students with learning support needs and has mentored many students herself. She has had many offers to study English Literature but has decided to head to UWE as this fits in with her lifestyle and her career aim is to be an English Teacher.
Not all students are heading to University though. Fraser Babbage, who has received an A in Psychology and a B in Mathematics and Accounting, has been awarded a Kaplan Scholarship to undertake an accountancy apprenticeship. Fraser, whose sister Abigail won the same award last year, beat off hundreds of hopefuls from across the country and will now be paid while he earns. The £15,000 Scholarship will cover all the extra costs such as accountancy qualifications, and materials such as text books. Another student who has secured an incredible apprenticeship is Joe Bressington. Joe beat off competition from thousands of applicants to secure an accounting apprenticeship with Rolls Royce in Derby. Joe gained A grades in Accounting and Graphics, a B grade in English Language and a C in Business studies.
Ann Barrow, Principal of the college, said, “Once again we have been celebrating the fantastic achievement of our students. It is well deserved as they have been dedicated to their studies and are now reaping the rewards. I’m very proud of them all individually, those who have done exceptionally well but also those who have overcome personal circumstances and disadvantages. We wish them all well in the future”.