Amy Poole

Introduction

In this report I will discuss in particular the important research I undertook when finding how about The Solihull Sixth Form College.I will then use this information as guidance how to structure my student magazine I will be making for the client which is Solihull Sixth Form.

Background Research College

When looking into the background research I found out important stages how the college had to adapt over the years through expanding its courses from 1974 when it was founded. The reasons why it had to expand was to meet the current student’s demands through the expansion of facilities and subject areas such as languages which needed more interactive resources in order for the students to fully understand the subject and reach the highest grade.I also found out that the college intake covers the age gap of 16-18.This information will be important when making the magazine as I will be able to establish my target audience range.

This was interesting to find out that the intake from 2,674 is lower to the current day which is 2,200 due to the fact the college has gone through rigorous restructure over the years which was quoted on the website highlights that entry requirements have changed to implement the colleges tougher and higher expectations of the student entrance to the college such as “At least two B grades at GCSE,At least a further three C grades at GCSE,You should have at least a grade C in GCSE English and Mathematics” This has had a direct impact on the college intake as the college as narrowed it expectations of it students which is important to understand as it hasn’t always been the case as over the years the college has been through various principals who have implemented their own stamp on the college through coming up with certain regulations. By understanding the different principals whom have manage the college through to the current principal Paul Ashdown , whom has been here for four years there has been a mass development through the diverse student community emerging within the college from students coming from the Solihull , Birmingham areas and beyond .This has had a direct impact on how the college functions and the services it provides it students’ needs to meet the students’ needs through the facilities it has invested over the years.

I also found out that some past students such as Gary Knight,Justin King, Shefali Chowdhury, Lucy Davis and Elizabeth Bower have become very known successful students that have attended the college.Justin King is CEO of sainsburys and Gary Knight is a professional war photographer while the other previous names are well known actresses staring in tv adverts,films and tv programme.It was important to find out this information so that I could establish whether the college has had a impact on certain indivdiduals as did it make people successful and aspire to greater things which it did.

Courses offered by SSFC

What I was able to establish is that college provides a wide range of courses such as popular courses mathematics, language, literature and culture etc to meet its diverse students needs. I have also found out that the college over the years has adapted and restructured it connection with its students and parents through a new interactive service via Tyber and Facebook.This service provides instant information regarding what’s happening within college regarding trips being organised by department heads whilst also recognising any other important information around the courses the

Page 1 of 4

Amy Poole

college offer to meet the students’ needs through another Interactive service Moodle. Moodle offers an extra reference to students which gives them better understanding of the subject to meet the tutors specifications as they do get given assignment briefs and work on modules which the student has to complete i.e in the Btec media course .This service interactive and effective and as it is used to identify what the students are working on by detailing the course online highlighting the units they will be completing.

There are also a mixture courses to meet the needs of the students whether is A levels that consist of both examinations and course work i.e Law etc or a btec Extended diploma qualification which are mainly based a students who like coursework and practical’s not exams i.e Btec extended diploma in art and design and applied science etc. What is important about Btec courses within the college is that are quite small therefore the college offers further academic course to the btec students to fully have better chance into getting university and have more UCAS points which is called the enrichment programme .

Within the enrichment programme they focus on various sectors such as both academic and hobbies such as general studies , extended project that has only recently been implemented by the current principal Paul Ashdown. Within this course extended project the student chooses any subject which they have to design and make with little help from the tutor, which enhances the students development and creativity. In the critical thinking it continues the theme of independence in the student development, whereas far away from academic studies is a physical enrichment course which can consist of sports as football, rugby etc which can be fun and rewarding as the college is known to be really successful in this area as they have won several trophies. This particular enrichment course has further raised the college reputation and has drawn students into wanting to come to the college to become part of that success story within their own chosen subjects.This important information to understand as I could interpret this within my magazine to highlight specific achievements people have achieved and key dates regarding certain trips that may arise in the future,whilst also I’m able to have a clear idea of what certain courses the college provide for their students.

Structure

There are student bodies and committees set up within the college to give the students ,governors and senior member of staff say on subjects that concern college i.e currently a student called Roxy is organising a petition in order to reopen the smokers corner within college which closed last year after the college brought in a no smoking policy. What is important to understand about this information is that when making my magazine I can bring my audience up to date with any changes and implements that principal has brought in that may affect the students within the college , as I’m making student magazine that effects them and needs their attention.

What I also found out that that the college strives to give the students a voice regarding important decisions being made within the college through the student body, Student council, Student social network. Through having a student body this gives the students from a diverse background to have a say on matters that concern them through being elected by fellow students within coaching groups and around college which could then lead to a greater role within the student council. What this means to be on the student body as this will particular look good on the persons CV as it can show participation outside the academic courses within the college while also making a difference within

Page 2 of 4

Amy Poole

the college. Within the student council they have weekly meetings within the college through surgery where students around the college come and discuss concerns they have and changes they want to student council to implement to make student life at the college better. There is also a interactive service called the student network which allows students to write up any concerns they may have about college,whilst there is also alternative way of contact through the college official facebook page.

Current Student council

Chair- Joshua Fullard

Treasurer- Jen-Chi Pang

Student events officer – Abida Sultana

Charities officer – Connor Herron and Hamaza Sayed

Student voice - Roxy Duffield

What is important to understand about these roles within the council is that the student voice is when they act on other students behalf to share any views and concerns the students may have about in college. In order to have a direct impact on the college the student voice has to help bring this to the student council attention which then can be addressed to the principal in a meeting .An example of this happening was when the coaching lessons have been limited from a weekly basis to a term as people didn’t like having it weekly so the next coaching lesson is in February. This showed that the principal and the student council could clearly communicate and work cooperatively with one another to get the best result for the students and the college.

The treasurers role is to look after the money and budget regarding the student council can afford or can’t do in future events. The student events officer is someone who organises specific events around the college and often seen working with the charities officers to bring awareness to students and contribution to local charities .Such as in the past the college has been known to organise events for children in need and celebrating the Olympics which required the students to pay a small donation in which special fun events were being held in the college and prizes were won .This is in important to understand because I can include any future events the college within my magazine which will look effective and creative.

Organisational Structure

In this diagram there is a clear distinction of the how the college operates such as there is board which are made governors as parents, local businesses and universities. The reason why this is important to have a board is for them to give their personal yet professional opinions on serious situations that may arise during college hours that may affect the students wellbeing. It is then them who employ the principal to manage the college budget and education targets

Page 3 of 4

Amy Poole

which he can be answerable to the board if anything he decided for the college wasn’t to their satisfaction or in the best interest of the students at the college. The principal has high expectations and demands for the remainder the staff at the college as well as his senior management team who are at the core of the college as it they can have the power to dismiss any students who are not committed to the college.The senior members of staff at the college are categorised into specialised areas which they can help support the students learning and development during their time at the college. The importance of having specialised areas within the structure of the college is to provide the students with the upmost support and guidance through their time at college which can be difficult. It is also important noting that under the learning divisions that there are special coaching members of staff which provide support to students who are categorised into specific divisions not rating on ability but are made up of a diverse student group.

Facilities/Interactive services

Within the college they strive to provide the students with the highest standard of facilities which will further increase the students ability into being successful during their time at the college in their particular course and field. Over the years the college has gone through several transformations such as Art & Design School has been opened in recent years which has further introduced new courses to the college and increased students creativity within the college. While in certain subjects such as music and drama have had extensive refurbishment through special studios and recording equipment has been fitted within the college to give the students hand on experience and knowledge of the industry . This was important to include within the course as these skills being developed will be vital after they leave the college as they venture to going into certain industries.

The college also continues provide all of the wider subjects within college high quality of resources and facilities such as science subjects have specialist laboratories, modern languages boast multi-media language labs and dance operates in a modern dance studio. It has become even more important that every classroom has have IT facilities and data projectors in order to further maximise the students development within the course to achieve their potential grade.The college provides a Library with more than 30,000 resources, including books, DVDs, computers, and scanners for the students that like peace and tranquillity when trying to complete their work. Whereas the college also has accommodated the other ways student study through socialisation in internet café which leads onto the reflectory which has a Food Court, serving a range of hot and cold food, as well as a Coffee Bar.

Conclusion Throughout this report I have looked at various research methods such as Wikipedia and the official college website to find out this information, in order to make sure I had reliable and relevant information. What I have established within my report is that the college has evolved and is continuing to evolve as more and more subjects are adapting as well as technology is being created to fully make the learning process even more creative and fun for the students at the college.The main purpose of this report was to find out more about the client i.e The Solihull Sixth Form College which I will directly input within making a professional student magazine focusing on The Solihull Sixth Form college students, as I have to establish and incorporate the heritage of the college while also focusing mainly students news and stories that affect them in the process to meet their needs.

Page 4 of 4