Unique formula of success
CARDIFF Sixth Form College ( CSFC) is a story of “East meets West” – it does not dwell on successes of the past, but strives towards future successes. This means preparing students to succeed in a rapidly changing, modern world.
The college was born out of both Eastern and Western philosophies and continues to honour these foundations. It aims to foster a disciplined approach to working, while embracing creativity and curiosity in an interactive learning environment.
By combining the best of British education with the educational work ethic of Asia, CSFC provides a broad and rich educational experience for its students, as well as a large range of super- curricula and extracurricular activities.
The college encourages students to engage in various competitions and to learn about and practise critical thinking, in addition to supporting creativity and organising a variety of work placements and volunteering opportunities both in the UK and abroad. The college co- founder, Yasmin Sarwar, reflected on what the college’s winning formula consists of:
“Our formula is simple; promote a teacher- led, curriculum- focused approach, with above average contact teaching time.
“We have created such a strong culture of expectation among students and teachers that everyone is aiming for 100% in every exam.
“There are a lot of core components to our curriculum apart from academia; what we are trying to do is to create individuals who can take on whatever adversities they will face in life.
“My vision is for our students to make a difference to the world.”
Fostering the development of an innovative spirit
CSFC believes multiple experiences in different contexts, as different levels of complexity foster the development of an innovative spirit and creativity.
These skills are best developed when integrated into the context of various situations so that students see the relevance of what they are learning.
Opportunities for independent research and intellectual risk- taking provide the ideal environment for new ideas to come to life.
As students develop creative thinking skills, they learn how to approach tasks in an unconventional, flexible and original manner. Yet, this innovative energy needs to feed from an equally powerful source of knowledge.
CSFC foresees future professionals and innovators will require both academic excellence and ability to think creatively and spontaneously.
Its teachers approach the academic curriculum differently, too. Instead of giving students pre- packaged answers that they can rote learn and that they can reel off in an exam, the teachers teach them thinking skills and improve their ability to react to unseen material.
This is essential in a society where jobs that don’t require creativity are increasingly being taken by artificial intelligence or being outsourced to countries known to provide cheap labour.
CSFC programme in Oxford
Due to a limited number of places, in recent years CSFC had turned down numerous applications from excellent candidates who, with necessary support, could have achieved equally outstanding results.
The solution came in the form of a partnership with Oxford International College ( OIC) and in September 2014 CSFCOxford welcomed its first intake of students.
OIC was established in 2002 by a group of academics from the University of Oxford and is one of the UK’s leading “Oxbridge”- style tutorial colleges.
By enrolling into the CSFC- Oxford programme students will:
> Benefit from the full spectrum of CSFC experience and expertise.
> Develop in a stimulating and inspiring educational environment and take advantage of the opportunities it provides.
> Be taught by committed teachers who are passionate about their subjects.
> Be a part of a friendly and supportive community, where every student is encouraged to achieve academic success and fulfil their aspirations.
> Take part in a variety of social and extracurricular events, including CSFC’s Goodwill Ambassador Programme ( GAP).
> Have the privilege to live and study in one of the most famous university towns in the world.
This partnership offers a limited number of scholarships to study in Oxford, under the supervision of CSFC.
Scholarships are awarded based on academic, leadership, super and extracurricular achievements.
With academic results and personal qualities being equally important, CSFC is looking for highly motivated and hardworking students, who are passionate about learning and thrive upon being challenged.
For more information, look out for the advertisement in this StarSpecial.