News Summer 2012

01223 507400 enquiries@longroad.ac.uk www.longroad.ac.uk

Ready for Business

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Politics students cross-question Julian Huppert MPJulian Huppert, the Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge, visited Long Road in April to talk to Politics students.He started with a short talk about life as an MP – both in the constituency and at Westminster. He explained that 13,000 people have contacted his surgery in Cambridge with questions or needing assistance since he was elected two years ago. At Westminster he sits on the Home Affairs Select Committee, which covers areas including policing, immigration and phone hacking, and is also involved in transport policy, science policy and computing and IT. He commented on the new ‘family friendly’ hours which mean that debates end at 10.30pm!

Julian then took questions from the floor on the de-criminalisation of drugs, whether there should be a referendum on the House of Lords’ reform, the Housing Benefit cap, the Budget, whether there should be a written constitution, the reduction in the 50p tax rate, bank bonuses and the future of the Liberal Democrats.

“I was really pleased with the variety and sophistication of the questions posed,” comments Politics teacher Philippe Harari, who arranged the visit. “The students made the most of the opportunity to put our local MP on the spot and to find out more about government policy.” Julian with students

Long Road Sixth Form College is entitled to use the Get Set logo because of our commitment to the London Olympics and Paralympics. We were awarded membership of the Get Set Network after the visit to the college by Lord Coe in May 2010.

Keiran Wakley Parish Councillor and Young Ambassador for the Prince’s TrustKeiran Wakley has made an early start to his planned career in Politics: he has just been appointed as a member of Linton Parish Council at the age of 18! Until last year Keiran’s family was living in Spain, which made the transfer to a GCSE course tricky. While waiting to join our Access to A level programme, he enrolled on the Prince’s Trust course. “The Trust was set up by Prince Charles to help young people develop the skills they need to find employment. Some of these have struggled at school, faced problems at home or been in trouble with the law.” At the end of the course, Keiran was appointed to the role of Young Ambassador. “This means that I act as a fundraiser and spokesperson for the Trust for the next year,” he explains.

As Young Ambassador, Keiran has been to the Houses of Parliament to give a talk to Baroness Royall of Blaisdon, the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords. He has also raised a substantial sum of money from local businesses, notably from law firm Towry.

Keiran’s father persuaded him to attend Parish Council meetings. “I have always been interested in Politics,” he adds. “I had to wait until my 18th birthday in February to join the council. One of the local issues which interests me is transport, and it will be interesting to see what happens at the local elections.”

Keiran is planning to take A level Politics, Economics, Business Studies and Sociology from September 2012. “I want to study Politics at university. I did consider taking AS Spanish as I speak and write the language fluently, but I wanted to focus on the courses which will get me where I want to go.”

Beating those exam nerves!It’s the summer term, and Long Road students are hard at work revising for their exams, finishing coursework and hoping that they’ll make the grade. But what happens if the sight of an examination paper makes your mind go blank?

Holly Robinson, who is studying English Language, English Literature, Philosophy and Art at AS investigates how Long Road helps students overcome their examination blues.

So, it’s exam time once again. And we all know what comes with exams: stress. First with SATs, then GCSEs, A levels and Degrees - it feels like it’s never ending. It’s as if as soon as you’ve forced your way through one bout of stress, the next set of exams come along to bring it all back. It just doesn’t seem fair!

Nevertheless, we grit our teeth and get on with it because we know, as our parents and teachers tell us, that we need to do well in order to succeed. But as much as I tell myself to get through it, it doesn’t alleviate any of my stress. No matter how much revision I do, or how hard I’ve worked in lessons, there is always that underlying self-doubt that likes to creep up on me just before an important exam.

When it comes to revising, I end up in a blind panic and spend the few days before the exam doing last-minute revision that doesn’t seem to want to stay in my brain. I just sit with glazed eyes staring at the text book in front of me, waiting for my brain to absorb some knowledge. Then, when I realise I have been sitting for an hour and have learnt nothing, I start to believe I’m going to fail all my exams. I don’t recommend this method of revising to anyone!

Fortunately, I know someone whose methods I can recommend. Tina Abbott not only teaches Psychology at Long Road, but also works in the Academic Support department. She runs exam stress workshops at College for people, like me, who find it hard to cope with the pressure that comes with exams.

The two main elements of dealing with stress, she says, are through personal control and social support. Not only do we need to believe ourselves that we can do something, but we also need the people around us to support our belief. If we can achieve this, we will be able to revise efficiently and reach our potential.

The best way to do this is to tackle our stress head-on. Tina holds weekly stress-busting workshops. She gives each student a ‘stress dot’

which is placed on the hand and changes colour depending on how stressed you are. This is a perfect way to see when you are most stressed. It puts you in control of your own mood, a good starting point to dealing with your stress.

Tina also explains that a useful method for calming oneself down is to think of someone (or something) that makes you smile. This instantly relieves stress and helps keep you calm. It is all about changing negative thoughts into positive ones, putting you in a positive frame of mind and building your confidence. Another suggestion Tina makes for keeping calm is to meditate. I know, it sounds obvious, but apparently it is a really good way of keeping your head clear and making sure you are in control of yourself. Just 20 minutes of quiet relaxation could really help when you’re wrapped up in stress.

What if, like me, you are so wound up you can’t physically sit still and calm down long enough to meditate? The best way, Tina says, is exercise. We may not love it, but it releases endorphins to reduce built-up stress.

I feel I’ve learnt a lot from Tina. If there is anyone out there who feels like I do and gets into a state over exams, then I would highly recommend Tina’s workshops and the advice she gives.

Holly Robinson

Revision for exams can be stressful

Tina Abbott, Additional Support, shows how to relax

The Stress Monitoring Sport

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Ready for business:Long Road students work with local companies to improve their skillsIn today’s competitive job market it’s more important than ever for young people to have the skills, confidence and business acumen to stand out from the crowd. Here are some of the projects run by our Business department.

GE Energy works with Long Road Sixth Form College Business Studies students“We work with local businesses to give our students excellent first-hand experience of devising business strategies, carrying out market research and delivering sales presentations,” explains Long Road Business Studies course team leader Nadia Cameron.

“We have a strong and continuing relationship with the Cambridge branch of multinational GE Energy, and were delighted when Software Manager Paul Cane agreed once again to help adjudicate our students’ e-business strategy presentations.”

The students’ assignment was to devise an e-business strategy and create a website for a fictional client, Gubbins.com, and electronic games, an application store and toys. Gubbins needed to introduce an e-business strategy in order to move away from the high costs and limitations of a high street store. The strategy had to overcome the difficulties of introducing and implementing online trading but it had to be usable for staff and suppliers. The students also had to draw up the concept of an Application that could be used as a marketing tool and which could be uploaded in principle to different platforms. The students then had to sell their strategy to the board.

After a brief presentation by Paul Cane on presentation skills, three short-listed students, Becky Tuck, Najim Hoque and Timmy Stenning, came to the Gubbins board room and sold their strategies including costings. They faced tough questioning from the board (Nadia, Paul and the other students, and their objective was to leave with a sale.

Najim Hoque was judged the winner for his well-designed site, integration of social media and the ability to connect to packages such as the Sage line 200 suites. His presentation was superb, his knowledge of the client’s needs was excellent, especially his App., and he went away with a sale that earned him a good profit margin and an ongoing business with huge potential up sell possibilities

Najim‘s prize was to have his name engraved on the GE shield, and he also received a cinema ticket voucher.

Paul comments: “I was particularly impressed with the quality of the students’ website design and implementation, particularly given that most of them are not studying ICT. They had identified suitable internet tools to enable them to build secure working websites that had the capability of handling online shopping, access for staff and demonstrated a

professional look-and-feel. In addition, they were able to present their business cases very effectively, conveying enthusiasm and a depth of subject knowledge.”

Nadia adds: “This is just one example of the excellent support our students have received from local companies. We have also had presentations by Deloitte and Chartered Institute of Accounting (see Hannah Bicknell’s article opposite ) and Brit Vic which gave our students an insight into their market sector and the career opportunities within. Deloitte is very kindly sponsoring our Step Up day in July as part of our summer programme for Year 1 A level students.

Left to right: overall winner Najim Hoque, Pane Cane from GE Energy, Nadia Cameron, Business Studies course team leader, finalists Timmy Stenning and Becky Tuck

Long Road employers provide interview experience for our studentsLooking for a job is difficult at the best of times – bur preparing for interview can be even more daunting.

For Long Road Sixth Form College Business National Diploma students, the task just that bit easier when four local employers stepped in to offer our students invaluable practice in interview techniques.

“Our Year 13 students are just completing their Career Planning unit,” explains Abby Burt, Business National Diploma teacher. “We wanted to give them an extra boost, not just for their course work but also for their careers. With the help of the College Careers Department I was able to arrange four sets of highly relevant practice interviews.”

The four ‘jobs’ on offer were:1. Barclays Bank Sawston – Cashier2. John Lewis Cambridge – Selling Partner3. SmithLtd – Trainee Project Manager4. Cambridge Professional Academy – Trainee Marketing Executive

Students had to face an interviewer or an interview panel and then give a five-minute presentation on a range of topics, from

why they were the best person for the job to selling Long Road as a place to study. The fourteen students were interviewed for the job most suited to their career aspirations.

“Our students were extremely excited about the interviews. Some of them are planning to go to university after Long Road, but others are hoping to enter employment. In both cases, the experience of preparing for and taking part in an interview, and the feedback they received from the firms, has given them the extra confidence they need to embark on the career of their choice,” says Abby.

“The students and I are extremely grateful to the four firms for both the support and the time they gave us. We are lucky to have such helpful and farsighted employers in Cambridge. We couldn’t have had a more positive end to our Business National Diploma course at Long Road.”

Here’s what some of the students said

Shobnom Ahmed – I got a great deal out of this interview. I now understand the concept of an interview and how it should be done. I know how to present myself, in which manner to talk and what type of language to use.

I was nervous at the beginning of the interview but once I got started, I lost all my nerves and gave it my best. I felt that at the end of the interview, I was a very confident person and was proud of myself.

Matthew Charter – I enjoyed the interview, I think this was due to the preparations I’d made over the few days before. I was confident starting the interview as I knew what I was going to say and could tell the interviewer was listening and enjoying my presentation. I also enjoyed the questions they asked me. I thought of good answers and always changed negatives into positives which again made me more confident.

I got real life interview experience and I think my presenting skills were improved so I will be much more confident with giving presentations in the future. I was able to talk straight from my head using bulleted notes instead of reading a script.

Ali Mackay – I thoroughly enjoyed the interview. Even though I am going to university, I will still take on board the comments I received. This was the first job interview that I‘ve ever done, and I think that from this experience, I will be more than prepared for my next one, which might be when I finish university in 4 years’ time!

Back Row: Addam Morley, James O’Sullivan, Matthew Charter, Charlie Trim, Abby Burt (staff ), Michael Turner, Romana Assvadian, Laurence Searle.Middle Row: Amelie Begum, Liz Bailey (staff ), Shobnom Ahmed, Front Row: Olivia Cutmore, Becky Carse, Ali Mackay, George Betson.

Deloitte and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants meet our studentsHannah Bicknell is taking Business Studies, English Language and Literature, Sociology and Media Studies at AS level. She attended a presentation by Deloitte and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and wrote this report:

Thinking about your future? Consider Deloitte, a top accountancy firm with 22 offices in the UK and 140 globally. Deloitte came to Long Road to tell us what they do: provide business- and finance-related advice to help make companies and organisations more effective and more profitable.

During the talk we were able to meet two employees of Deloittes who told us about their work and the training and support offered by the firm. They recruit students post-A level (you should aim for 300 UCAS points if you want to apply) and then provide training in accountancy.

They give help to those who wish to go to university and still work for Deloitte, as one of employees, Kelly Stevenson, explained. “I didn’t need to take out a loan for university: Deloitte helped pay for my degree, so I have money to spend on other things rather than having to pay back my debts.”

They offer employees the opportunity to study for a variety of professional qualifications in Audit, Tax, Consulting and Corporate Finance. These qualifications can start you off on a great future career path – so it is definitely something to consider!

We also met a representative from CIMA – the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, who explained the qualification: CIMA “shapes the management accountants that the big name companies crave.”

We were shown a video about people who have studied the CIMA qualification as well as employers of businesses who need staff with this type of qualification. Sereena Malkani, Assistant Financial Analyst for SKY, who studied for CIMA, says:“At a time where the job market is so competitive, having a globally-recognised qualification will help in singling you out from other candidates.”

Attending this talk was defiantly a ‘must’ for anyone who wants to pursue (or is even considering pursuing) a career in any form of business. The representatives were well-informed and gave us great career advice as well as lots of food for thought!

Business students visit Thorpe ParkBusiness students need to study a wide range of industry sectors, so what better example of the leisure and entertainment could there be than a theme park? Thorpe Park, in Surrey, offers workshops for Business students – and a few opportunities to try out the product!

Bringing business to life….

Working on assignments in the workshop

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Year 2 Leavers’ Party 23 May 2012

After two years of studying hard, making the most of all the college has to offer and of course making new friends, our Year 2 students are ready to take their final exams and start university or employment. To send them off in style, our Student Supervisors, Dawn Masters and Julie White, organised a farewell party for them in the college grounds. There were three inflatables: Last man standing, where you had to knock each other off a plinth with a giant demolition ball, Bungee-run and a football pitch.

The Toss the Welly competition notched up some amazing shots: 32 metres by Michael Mclauchlin. For people wanting something more relaxing, there was a Guess the Baby competition in which members of staff brought in photos of their younger selves for students to identify. The winners of these two competitions received cinema vouchers.

To keep everyone fed and watered, the College Canteen was on hand with a barbecue and ice creams. Finally, there was a cake stall, with delicious home-made cakes and biscuits.

“We were really pleased at how well it went,” commented Dawn and Julie. “The students were very appreciative, everyone enjoyed themselves and best of all – it didn’t rain!”

Performance Studies students see Sweeney Todd at the AdelphiLaura Skuce went to London to see Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd with her Performance Studies group and wrote this report:This dark thriller (and apparently, comedy) consists of glaring immorality, tragedy and has some of the most breathtaking music I have ever heard, courtesy of Stephen Sondheim. The direction was inspired and the acting superb, and it was immensely satisfying for me to hear the songs sung with sound musical, technical ability...well, apart from Imelda Staunton, who was so funny as Mrs. Lovett that she is entirely forgiven.

For some of us this was our first visit to the West End, and I am pleased that our very knowledgeable staff at Long Road decided that this should be the first show for those few to see. It was a wonderful experience, and I am thoroughly glad I went. I am sure it helped those A2 Performance Studies students who will be writing about Sweeney Todd in their exams to see first-hand the intended effect on the audience. I am performing a number from the musical as part of my second year exam and was very keen to see the portrayal of Johanna. I was not disappointed by her performance and it has inspired my own performance of the character.

Laura Skuce (left) with her Performance Studies classmates

Michael Ball as Sweeney Todd and Imelda Staunton as Mrs Lovett in the production ofSweeney Todd. Photo by Tristram Kenton

Imelda Staunton (Mrs Lovett).Photo by Donald Cooper

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1. Evie Hibbert and Laura Ibanez ready to enjoy an ice-cream2. Who’s the Baby?3. Michael Mclauchlin, champion welly-thrower 4. Last Man Standing

5. Cake stall6. Bungee-run7. The barbecue

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French A level students polish up their skills on Easter revision course at Le VergerSeven Long Road French A level students visited France at Easter for an intensive revision course in the Dordogne. “We’ve worked with David and Michèle Lambert, who run the course, for a number of years,” explains Jo Carroll, Head of Humanities and Expressive Arts, “It give our students a fantastic opportunity to gain in confidence and fluency before their exams.”

“We spoke French all the time,” says Beth Francis. one of the students who attended. “We had formal classes in the morning, where we practised all the things we’d been finding tricky and also built up an amazing vocabulary.”

In the afternoon the students were given demanding French-language projects which involved visits to the local market, to the library and to an agricultural school. “I’m much more confident with my French now,” says Sam Mulvey (check).

“We were totally immersed, and I can use lots of vocabulary items more actively now. We went through everything very thoroughly.”

The students were full of praise for their hosts and the beautiful and comfortable accommodation and, not least, the food! “Luckily we were taken on a walking tour to the highest point in the Dordogne – we needed to burn off all the extra calories!” says one of the students.

“I really enjoyed the trip,” adds Temi Fajobi. “David and Michèle made us feel very welcome.” The students also agreed that they’d become much closer. “I didn’t want to leave,” comments Jade Glennon. “Before we went, we were all on good terms in class, but now we’re great friends!”

Studying with David

Long Road students outside Le Verger: from left to right – Temi Fajobi, Jade Glennon, Beth Francis, Thomas Holden, Chiara Cooper, Rachel Stephenson, Sam Mulvey, Sam’s cousin (not at Long Road)

Le Verger

Spanish work experience in SegoviaFrank Dobbs, who is studying both Spanish and French at AS, along with Art is History, went to Segovia for his work experience placement. He reports on his week.I’m studying both French and Spanish because I really enjoy languages, so I jumped at the chance of going to Spain for a week. Everyone expects Spain to be warm and sunny all the time, so it was rather a shock to find snow in Segovia – but it was February.

We were all staying in a hotel, which was very comfortable and warm. My work placement was in the local library, and I had to find my own way there – my first challenge! My job was to put books back on the shelves, but customers asked me where they could find books. I’m not sure if they realised that I’m not Spanish! I found it easier to speak to the library staff directly – I’m not so good at listening in to other conversations.

We went on a walking tour of Segovia – cold but beautiful – and I visited various places of interest.

I’m much more confident with my Spanish now and would recommend the experience to anyone who wants to increase their fluency.

Frank also went on a work experienceplacement in Bordeaux in April.

Sports round-upFantastic seasonfor Long Road Hockey teamsThere was a double cause for celebration this year for our Hockey teams. The Mixed Hockey team won the National British Colleges and Schools Final and the Men’s Hockey Team came a very respectable third in the Finals of the National British Colleges and Schools held in Bath in March. To raise money for the trip, make Sport staff bravely went under the knife, while team members endured an excruciating leg-waxing session.

Sport National Diploma students put through their paces in DerbyshireSport National Diploma students study three main areas connected with outdoor education for their coursework: understanding the legislation involved in outdoor education, understanding the operating procedures with managing these activities and experiencing the benefits.

Where better to experience the wilder and wetter side of outdoor education than at Edale YHA centre in Derbyshire? “We’ve been there before,” explains Sport teacher Pete Charlwood, “and know what a great opportunity it gives our students.”

Here are just some of the activities our students packed in – and on top of that there were workshops to pull together what they had learned.

Long Road Basketball Academy: Year 1 Squad defends Cambridge U19 LeagueThe Long Road Basketball Academy (Lions) Year 1 Squad defended the U19 Cambridge League title successfully in February finishing undefeated in the competition. The Lions produced some excellent basketball to retain the title, but it wasn’t all plain sailing.

Having come top of the league at the end of the regular season the Lions landed a tricky semi-final tie vs Ely College. In an exciting last Quarter, at the start of which the Lions trailed 10 points, we rallied late on in the game and went on a 13 – 0 run to steal the game away from Ely to take the win 71 – 67.

In the final the Lions found themselves pitched against The Perse. At the end of the first half we were in the lead 13 -5. The Perse fought back strongly in the second half, but we pounced on them to finish 56-31.

Coach Pete Charlwood says: “It’s been a good year for the Yr1 Squad with all players developing their skills and taking their games on to another level. It was a tough final, and the Perse proved difficult opponents but we just had a bit more consistency. Congratulations to the Yr1 players, who have been justly rewarded for their hard work this year. Hopefully they can take this on into next season where the challenges will become even tougher”.

The Year 1 Long Road Basketball Squad, winners of the U19 Cambridge League for two years running.

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1. Crate-building2. Abseiling from a bridge3. Rock-climbing4. Jacob’s ladder5. A well-deserved rest

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Lessons from AuschwitzLong Road students take part in thought-provoking project

I am studying History, Psychology, Sociology and ICT. I wanted to take part in Lessons from Auschwitz because I studied this era of history for GCSE, and because I wanted now to look at the Holocaust from a psychological and sociological point of view.

In the introductory seminar we were asked what we knew of the Holocaust and what we expected to see there. We then met an Auschwitz survivor, Zigi Shipper, who told us of his experiences. He is a Polish Jew who was moved into a ghetto before being sent to Auschwitz. He then was forced on one of the death marches towards the very end of the war. His friends helped him survive. They were taken to a port which was then liberated by the Allies.

On the day of our visit to Poland, we had to get up at 3am for a charter flight. When we arrived, the airline crew came as well, as did a reporter. We were taken to Auschwitz village where we visited the Jewish cemetery. The cemetery was defiled by the Nazis, but after the war, the remaining gravestones were used to make a memorial.

We then went to Auschwitz 1. I hadn’t realised that there was more than one Auschwitz. This camp wasn’t a death camp. It was a slave labour camp, although the end result was the same - death. When it was first opened, the Nazis kept details of all the inmates, and there are photos of them and their records in a corridor. In the end there were too many inmates for this to be possible. We were taken on a tour of all the buildings. At one point I went in the wrong direction and found myself in a room full of piles of human hair. I wasn’t prepared for this and was shaken by what I saw. There were also mounds of toothbrushes, pots and pans and other personal items. The people had believed that they were being relocated to the East and that they needed basic provisions.

We then visited the only gas chamber at Auschwitz. Ironically, the gas chamber at Auschwitz 1 is the only one remaining. It

was not used to the same extent as the others in the complex. There is a memorial in the middle of the room.

We then travelled to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the death camp. The concentration camp complex was enormous and stretched for several miles. We arrived at the gate with its well-known sign: Arbeit macht Frei: work frees you. We went up a watch tower to see the layout of the camp and then visited different buildings, including the barracks or quarters. The reason there are no gas chambers at Auschwitz-Birkenau is that they were immediately destroyed when the camp was liberated. Most of the camp was razed to the ground.

There were memorials not just to the dead but to specific groups of people, including some who managed to destroy a gas chamber. We then visited the Registry, where thousands of photos of the dead are displayed: wedding photos, photos of children playing, ordinary people.

In the post-visit seminar, we were asked how we had felt, and how we would make a memorial to the victims. I am now preparing a presentation for Long Road to show staff and students.

It was a few days after I came back that my visit to Auschwitz really hit me. I was sitting on a bus and the contrast between where I was and what I had seen was unbearable. People had asked me: “How was your trip?” How can you answer?

Meet our alumniWe always like to keep up-to-date with our former students and have started to feature past students on our website. If you’re a former student and would like to get in touch with us, perhaps reading about these three young alumni will inspire you.

Katie Whitton: Brainchild 2012Katie Whitton is celebrating winning Brainchild 2012, a prestigious competition run by NUCA (Norwich University College of the Arts). Katie studied Art, English Literature and Philosophy at A level and is currently studying for her BA(Hons) Textiles at NUCA.

“It was a Dragon’s Den-style competition,” she explains. “We were given an opportunity to attend professional business workshops with local business mentors, then to submit our ideas. I was one of the six students short-listed to face the panel, and was delighted to win, especially as I was on a two-week placement with Zandra Rhodes when I heard I’d been short-listed, so I had a tight schedule to prepare my presentation.”

Katie’s winning idea was to produce personalised fabrics which allow personal mementoes to be drawn then screenprinted to make a unique fabric for cushions, aprons and tea towels – perfect wedding gifts. “I really enjoy drawing and screenprinting,” she says. “I first got the idea when I was in Andalucia in Spain. I loved the local architecture and started drawing buildings which then evolved into fictional towns and cities. From this came the idea of fabrics personalised with people, animals, memorable objects and any other items related to a specific person. I am also planning to produce fabrics for the Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Olympics as well as items for the tourist industry.”

Katie won £1000 to help her develop her business, dedicated mentoring from local business people worth £4000 and a year’s free membership of the Norwich Network.

Josh Bunday: Business and Technology consultantJosh studied History, Computing and PE A levels at Long Road, then went to Bournemouth University, where he got a First Class degree in BSc(Hons) Business Information Technology.

“I then joined international pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline as a Software Engineer/Business Analyst 2010-2011, taking an ESkills Internship, for which I was nominated in the top 5 interns for my placement.

“I now work for Logica, the international business and technology service company, as a consultant.”

Alex Fraser: Broadcast JournalistAlex studied Media, Politics and English Language and Literature at Long Road and is studying Broadcast Journalism at Leeds University.

While at university, I have been able to get some paid freelance work, editing for E4’s ‘Sorority Girls’ and teaching people to edit on

Final Cut. I have also been lucky enough to pick up some excellent unpaid work experience. I work most weekends as a football reporter for Yorkshire DAB radio, having a press pass which gets me into all football league games in the region, covering everyone from York City to Leeds United and the Sheffield clubs. This includes interviewing fans and asking questions at the post-match press conference

Most recently, I spent some time at The Guardian in London, editing videos for their website; they were pleased with my work and asked me if I’d like to work on an investigative story in my second week, so I got to do the interviews, shoot and edit the footage and provide the voiceover for a story which became the lead on their website front page. The story investigates how protestors were arrested before doing anything during last year’s royal wedding and raises important questions about civil liberties.

This summer I will be spending two weeks with BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, two more weeks at The Guardian and a month working freelance for Reuters in Thailand, covering international news in Asia, before I go back for my final year at Leeds. I am enjoying the experience of learning to become a journalist from all kinds of perspectives, but I do want to thank my teachers at Long Road whose teaching and support was of the highest standard and who gave me both the confidence and skills to help me on my path.

Gareth Baxter: Rugby starGareth studied PE, Biology and Psychology at Long Road. The 19 year-old Lock, a previous winner of the Roy Burrell Sports Award, has just completed a winning season with the Bedford Blues Academy.

“I’m currently studying Sports Science at the University of Bedfordshire whilst playing for the Bedford Blues Academy. This May I played for Academy side that beat Ivybridge 31-15 to win the Investabroad Properties National Under 19 Cup at Franklin’s Gardens - the Northampton Saints Ground.

“I’ve now been selected to attend pre-season training with the Bedford Blues Senior Squad for next season 2012/13.”

This season Gareth has also played representative rugby for Eastern Counties U20’s in the National Counties Cup and from these matches was selected to play for London & South East in the England Counties U20 National Development weekend at Welbeck College, Loughborough.

Katie with the Principal of NUCA, John Last, and the Judges Panel Chair, Bev Hurley

The Holocaust Educational Trust works with schools, colleges and communities across the UK to educate young people about the Holocaust and its relevance today.

Every year it runs a project, Lessons from Auschwitz, and invites sixth-form students to participate. The project consists of a visit to Auschwitz in Poland, with an introductory seminar beforehand and a debriefing afterwards. The students are then charged with the task of informing their local community about their experience, thereby playing their part in combating the racial discrimination which led to the Holocaust. It is not easy to take part in the project: the trip to Auschwitz is harrowing and difficult to forget. The two Long Road students who took part this year were Year 2 student Roisin Young and Year 1 student Louis Nunn (pictured above). Louis reports on the project and the way it has affected him.

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1. Sleeping quarters2. Photographs of those who died3. The selection process on arrival4. The memorial in the vandalised

cemetary5. The camp6. Children’s clothes and a doll

Long Road Sixth Form College Long Road Cambridge CB2 8PX

Long Road Sixth Form College 2011/12 LR6FC