Adversity can be turned into exam success
THIS GCSE SUPPLEMENT – IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE MANCHESTER COLLEGE – CELEBRATES REMARKABLE SUCCESS STORIES ACROSS THE BOROUGH. HERE, PRINCIPAL LISA O’LOUGHLIN HIGHLIGHTS CRUCIAL ROLE COLLEGES PLAY IN HELPING STUDENTS ACHIEVE THIS IMPORTANT QUALIFICATION
WELCOME to this inspirational GCSE supplement.
As principal of The Manchester College, every day I see how education and training are the key to unlocking a better future, whether you are aged 16 or 60, and never more so than during exam results week.
Last week, our GCSE students were celebrating after achieving a 99 per cent pass rate in English and 95 per cent in maths.
Both pass rates were higher than previous years in what was nationally perceived as a challenging year for the GCSE grading system.
Our students come from different backgrounds and stages in their education, with many facing challenges in their lives and overcoming adversity to enable them to study.
For some, this may be the second or third time they have sat the GCSE and we are delighted for our students, who have finally achieved this important qualification.
Siena Gooderham, 17, achieved a grade 4 in her maths GCSE.
She sat her original exam the day after the Manchester Arena terror attack, where she had been watching the Ariana Grande concert inside, and narrowly missed out on passing by a couple of points.
She suffered with anxiety over the next 12 months, however, thanks to the support from family, friends and tutors at The Manchester College, Siena is now celebrating passing her maths GCSE resit. She will continue her studies at our College and start the second year of her Level 3 Extended Diploma in Creative Media Production (Film and Broadcast) this month.
Siena said: “I had a lot of anxiety last year. Attending the Ariana Grande gig really did throw me off my GCSEs … My tutor at the College helped me so much, she gave me time to understand the topic and did a lot of revision techniques with me.”
Konstantinos Pavlakoudis, 28, from Crete, was one of only an estimated two per cent in the country to achieve a grade 9 in English, which is his second language. Konstantinos, who also achieved a grade 7 in maths, has lived in Manchester since 2011 and says that “just studying hard” has been the secret to his success: “I was hoping to get an 8 in English, so to get a 9 has left me feeling very happy.
“The college is great and I’ve really enjoyed studying here. It’s not just the teaching staff who are great and supportive, it’s everyone who works here.”
Another fantastic example of success is determined 19 year old Jaycy Okpeahior, who passed his maths and English GCSE last week on his fifth attempt. He said: “It feels so good to finally pass! It’s such a satisfying feeling and it means I never have to take a maths exam ever again … every university course I looked at insisted that I have those passes to be accepted on to the course, so my career was dependent on these results. I’m so excited about the future now.” GCSE results day can be daunting for many people, but ‘success’ comes in many forms, so please don’t panic if you didn’t quite get the grades you were expecting. Vocational and technical learning is as important as academic in today’s world and there are lots of options available to you. At The Manchester College we’re enrolling now and there are many routes to success regardless of your background, age, experience and ability. To enrol, visit any of our campuses Monday to Friday between 10am and 4pm.
‘Success’ comes in many forms so don’t panic if you didn’t quite get the grades Lisa O’Loughlin, The Manchester College
● To learn more, visit www.tmc.ac.uk for college courses, ucenmcr.tmc.ac. uk for higher education, and www. totalpeople.co.uk for apprenticeships.