North West England Schools / Colleges
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Aquinas Sixth Form College
by pink_lady My years at high school are still one horrible blur of blazers, school ties, cross country and gym knickers. In short I hated my school, I hated the teachers and their attitudes towards their students. I hated the way that ever since the unfortunate haircut and braces I sported in the first year I had been labeled a geek. But ... most of all I hated the headmaster and the way that he was a sexist pig who wouldn't let girls wear trousers because it made them 'look too masculine', and yet in the same breath insisted that they wear ties and blazers!! So as soon as I could I left for Sixth Form College. A move that every teacher foretold would end up in disaster as I failed to get into any university and eventually ended up on the streets selling the Big Issue. All this was because I was one of the people who actually came to school to learn something and therefore got reasonable grades. They wanted me to stay to make them look good in the league tables. I chose to laugh in the face of danger (and quite a few of my teachers)and ignore all their prophecies of doom. It was the best decision I have ever made in my life of 'bad choices and stupid moves'. When you are young it seems as though 'old' people are forever telling you that 'these are the best years of your life', and that you should make the most of them. The sad thing is that you never really pay that much attention, and before you know it you too are one of those 'old' people wondering where time went. The years I spent at Aquinas truly were some of the best years I have ever had, obviously I have since gone to University and extended my knowledge of the floors and toilet bowls of various drinking establishments, and yes, even woken up with a few more regrets and a few less brain cells (all in the name of research and education of course!!) So on to Aquinas.... THE COLLEGE ITSELF, A BIT OF INFO Aquinas College is sit uate d just outside the town center of Stockport in Cheshire and is easily accessible via any form of public transport, personal car and on foot. I personally traveled every day from a nearby town taking a train and a bus and walking, it did get a bit tedious at times (especially the trains although they were a good excuse to get out of class when it began to snow). It was always worth it though when I thought of the alternative of being at my old school! The college itself is an old secondary school, from back in the day when hardly anyone continued their education past the age of 14. It is terefore quite a small college, but they are forever expanding and making modernisations. Although it bills itself as a Catholic Sixth Form, it is well known that everyone is welcome there, students from catholic feeder schools do get priority but you will find that there is a wide mixture of students. For those of you worried about the 'religion' side of things then you really have nothing to worry about at all. Nothing is forced down your throat, in fact the only time I ever heard anything vaguely religious was in R+P (religion and philosophy) classes that are mandatory for all students. These classes really turned out to be discussion groups talking about current social issues and events, not scary lectures about God and Jesus. The College really benefits from its Catholic beliefs in the way that students behave and act around the place. There was always a real feeling of community and friendship, even amongst students and teachers. TEACHERS The teachers at Aquinas are all really nice, friendly, down to earth people who will do their best to help you and are there to listen if you have problems. Most allow you to call them by their first names and a few will even join you down the local for a cheeky pint at dinnertime. The figure that truly stands out amongst them all, (apart from Eddie Moore who looks like Rufus off Bill and Ted), is the principle Ambrose. I don't think that I will ever have the pleasure of meeting a nicer or kinder man in all my life. Everything he does in the college, and it seems in his life, is for the benefit of the students. The man even refused a large pay-rise, choosing instead to channel the money into the college. He is loved by students and teachers alike and can often be heard quoting his favourite catchphrase from Julian of Norwich, 'All Shall Be Well, All Shall Be Well and All Manner of Things Shall Be Well'. CLASSROOMS AND BUILDINGS The majority of the building is an old secondary school as I mentioned before, but they have recently opened a whole new annexe that is almost the same size again, containing lots of modern airy classrooms with good layouts that benefit all pupils. The computer lab was often full but of a good size for the number of students in the college, and there is a priority system for people who need to do work or print out UCAS forms. The library is an excellent self contained building opened in approximately 1996,containing a wide range of books, videos and multimedia. A few classes were still held in mobiles when I was there but I think since then they have opened another new building. STUDENT LIFE My life at Aquinas was excellent. I was a member of the student council and there were always parties being held and functions to go to. The college also offers foreign exchanges to places like Romania, Italy and Prague, all of which are excellent. I personally would recommend the trip to Romania for an eye opening look at an Eastern block country, it really makes you appreciate what you've got. Many students spend their hard earned Saturday job money down at Stockport College's SU where drinks are cheap and you will be lucky to find anyone over the age of 18!!! On the academic side the college is really good at helping you out with university applications any other problems you may have, whether they be academic or personal. As I said before, a really caring environment. One of the wierder elements is that the place is next to the local cemetary and crematorium. You constantly see funeral cars and all that stuff, me and my friends used to joke that we would have inhaled half the population of Stockport (from the crem) before we had left, tasteless I know but we were young!! If you are reading this op trying to decide whether to go to Aquinas or not then I urge you to make the right decision and go there. I don't know anyone who has regretted it. I can guarantee if you choose it, in the words of Ambrose and Julian of Norwich, 'All Shall Be Well, All Shall Be Well all Manner of Things Shall Be Well'!! ENJOY COLLEGE 'they'll be the best years of yer life sonny me lad'!!!! from the ancient 20 year old pink_lady :)!! Read the complete review |
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North West England in general
by amazingtrade I have been studying at a major Manchester College now in its sixth form department for nearly two years (this is my second year). It has been an experience some good some not so good. I am doing an AVCE double award in ICT. The good things about the college is that is flexible, they treat like adults (except from a few bad ... tutors) and it has a wide range of courses. They also do some good units, which interest me on the course although you have no choice in this matter. I have met some good friends on the course. The downsides of this college are numerous though it has improved this year. Firstly some tutors don?t know the first thing about what they are teaching, in some cases I was teaching them! They mixed up the assignments last year so that they all had to handed at the same time thus giving me a lot of stress. The support is only average they have ridiculously out of date computers. Read the complete review |
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North West England in general
by Jonny Crossdresser The choice between college and sixth form can be big for a lot of people. For me it was relatively simple. My nearest college is only a short distance away, about 3 miles, and my school is about 3 miles in the opposite direction. The school is very good for A-levels, considering it's a lads school and so i stayed there in familiar ... surroundings. Now i've only been in year 12 for 4 days at the time of writing, but already the differences become apparent. We get a lot more respect from the teachers, most of whom we can call by their first name. The sixth form common room is very new and big and is a welcome change from having to blag a way into a classroom at break and dinner. I know who all the teachers are and who all the other pupils are, which makes the transmission to AS levels easier. Some of my friends have opted to go to college, but it is mainly the ones who didn't get the grades that they required to stay on - 5 C's at my school. The atmosphere is more relaxed, i am told, and the teachers don't seem to be as harsh. Still, in the sixth form we don't get detentions or anything and the teachers are more laid back. We have to wear a uniform, which is a major let down, as it just isn't cool, doesn't improve behaviour etc. and the girls across the road who i share a bus with can wear what they like, as is the case with college. Some people feel they have more freedom at college, especially with them not having to go in all the time. We are supposed to be in school all the time and should work during free periods, of which i have 6, totalling just 3 and a half hours a week, compared to over 8 hours a week of maths - normal AS maths, further maths and key skills application of number. That is another downside to sixth form. Key skills in IT, maths and communication takes up a couple of hours a week and really don't seem too special to me. All in all, i must say i'm happy with my decision to stay at school. I know the surroundings, the people and probably most important of all, the school is very successful for results at A-level. Had the school not been up to scratch i would have left for college. There i would have met lots of new people, not had to wear uniform and probably ended up like a typical uni student i.e. slob. As it is, i could take the courses that i wanted, we got the school to timetable further maths, which a college wouldn't have done. It all depends where you live, what the local sixth form/college is like, what you want to do later in life and which establishment suits your needs the greatest. Each individual has different requirements and so the choice between sixth form and college is a big one. Choose wisely and good luck. (The ratings below are for Sandbach School Sixth Form in Cheshire.) Read the complete review |
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1 review School / College / Aquinas College Nangreave Road, Stockport, SK2 6T Telephone: 0161-483 3237 |
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Bishop Heber High School has 1080 students, including 200 in the Sixth Form and serves three villages and surrounding hamlets in South-West Cheshire. There are approximately 65 teachers and 15 support staff. There are strong community links through Adult Education and joint adult / School / College / Sixth F... |
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