Annual Report 2012 - Highbury College

The Collegiate College
Highbury’s Collegiate College opens doors to higher
education, employment and self-employment for young
people in Portsmouth and the surrounding area. With a
wide choice of subjects, qualifications and activities, our
students are offered relevant, high-quality programmes
that enable them to achieve their goals, go to university
and obtain employment with good career prospects.
Among the year’s highlights were:
The 6th Form Academy continued to expand with an
increased range of A Level subjects and the creation of a
new centre providing dedicated common rooms and
study spaces. Science (STEM) subjects were popular, with
students opting to increase their knowledge and skills in
these growth areas. We partnered with Mayfield School
to develop a STEM Centre of Excellence to accelerate
learning and support progression to Highbury and on to
university.
Of school pupils aged 14 to 16 studying part-time at the
College, 90% achieved and almost all progressed to
courses, either at the College or with other learning
providers, or gained employment. The progression rate
to full-time study from the College’s summer schools
was 85%.
Our annual survey revealed that the vast majority of our
students enjoyed their courses and College life, with
satisfaction recorded at 97%. In the survey, students
confirmed that they liked the friendly and relaxed
atmosphere at Highbury, the excellent support from staff,
the interesting and stimulating lessons, the wide choice of
qualifications, the personal and job-related skills they
develop, the excellent learning facilities and the good
rapport between students and staff.
The College provided an outstanding range of support to
enable students to succeed. Pastoral and academic
support enabled students to improve, progress and
succeed. Group sessions, 1:1 reviews and online resources
helped students to develop independent learning and
study skills. Targeted support included education and
training for disadvantaged people and those with specific
learning needs including mental health problems.
Social enterprise activities enabled students to grow in
confidence and included students from our successful
vocational, Moving On and Prince’s Trust programmes
taking on projects for the benefit of the community.
Students from Business and Computing courses ran very
successful ‘Have a Go’ sessions in primary schools with
over 400 pupils taking part, and organised a popular
Women in IT conference for secondary school pupils.
These projects enabled students to make a contribution
to their communities, further developing their
employability skills.
Amongst the many enrichment opportunities were a
multicultural festival, a sustainability fair, the Highbury
Theatre Company, enterprise competitions and sporting
activities. In March, more than 400 students took part in
Barclays Money Skills week, which teaches young people
about money and how to manage it.
As part of the Skilled & Talented Academy, many of our
students were entered for and won local, regional and
national competitions, including WorldSkills UK.
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