Amy Wales – A levels

Amy chose to come to the Sixth Form Centre because she liked the range of courses it offers and its location - she wanted to be close to the town centre. Amy had spoken to some previous Sixth Form Centre students who spoke highly of their experiences and the support they had received. Amy is interested in Law and is studying AS levels in Law, English, Philosophy and History. She enjoys all her subjects and has been impressed by how knowledgeable the subject specialists are.

She has really appreciated the support she has received from her teachers and tutor, saying ‘There’s always someone who can help. Even if my tutor isn’t available someone is always there to offer me some help or advice’.

Amy is looking forward to continuing her studies to A2 next year. She is hoping to become involved as a student mentor to help support new students who are coming to the college. She is also hoping to take the AQA Baccalaureate alongside her A levels.

Amy plans to go on to study Law at Oxford or Reading after completing her A2s.

Karl Hafeez - Performing Arts BTEC National Diploma

Karl is studying for the Performing Arts National Diploma, specialising in dance. Before coming to the college Karl studied various different subjects including Travel and Tourism and IT, before discovering dance.

He happened to go to a break dancing class and loved it and started attending that regularly and then branched out into other classes. His dance teacher recommended that he come and study dance full-time and so he came to study the National Diploma.

Karl enjoys being a student at the college and says ‘I love the social side of being a student – it’s a great experience. The teachers are very positive and there is a lot of freedom, but also the help is there when you need it’.

Karl would recommend the course and says ‘It’s well worth doing – you get a lot out of it. I improved my flexibility and have learnt about loads of dance styles including ballet, jazz, commercial, contemporary and tap - and there’s more to come!’.

Karl has performed in the college musical The Lion King and also took part in the Olympic handover ceremony in Slough where he performed as part of the flag-raising ceremony.
After the National Diploma Karl hopes to do a degree in dance and would like to be a professional dancer and choreographer.

Michaela Smith – English and Maths The Remix

Michaela studied hairdressing at another college before coming to Reading college to improve her English and Maths, as she didn’t get the grades she needed the first time around.

She likes the college and that there is a friendly atmosphere, with people from different courses all mixing in the communal areas and talking to each other in their breaks.

Michaela prefers college to school and as it was her choice to study here, it makes her more focussed as she is doing this for herself to help her future. She finds the English and Maths teachers really encouraging and likes the fact that they let you know when you have done well. She also likes the small groups as this means there is much more support if you need it.

She would recommend the course and says ‘if you want to boost your grades The Remix is great as you can decide what you want to do next and improve your grades at the same time’.

Raul Vidler - A levels

Raul decided to leave his school environment when he was offered the opportunity to study at the college and retake his Maths GCSEs along with his A levels. He feels that this definitely worked out for the best: ‘If I’d stayed in school, I wouldn’t have met the people I’ve got to know now and I wouldn’t have had this experience’.

Raul has really enjoyed his AS levels in English, Business Studies and History and intends to continue on to A2 level. He’s felt really well supported, especially by his personal tutor. He has also enjoyed the opportunities for activities outside his lessons such as theatre trips to London.

After finishing his studies Raul would eventually like to work in journalism and to prepare for this he’s considering either History or English at degree level. Before continuing to university he’s planning a year of travelling in Australia.