Welcome to Cirencester CollegeI agree with Nelson Mandela when he said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”, and here at the college you will certainly be provided with the resources, tools and support you need to realise that vision for yourself.

As with most new experiences you may find your first few weeks a little nerve-racking, but remember you aren’t the only one and there will be lots of support on hand from your personal tutors, lecturers and peers.

I urge you to take full advantage of all the excellent academic, sporting and artistic facilities this college has to offer, as well as immersing yourself in all the social and extra-curricular activities available.

Enjoy your time here and rest assured the Student Union and I will do our best to help make learning and your time here as enjoyable as possible.

www.cirencester.ac.uk

Diary dates:Freshers’ DayThursday 1 July 11am - 3 pm (buses will run to suit this schedule)

Enrolment Tues 24 - Fri 27 August

Appointment slots for Enrolment and Induction will be posted to you

Induction 2 & 3 September

See you all soon!

Adam BeasantStudent Union President

Look inside for some top tips for

revision and beating exam stress

from our Student Amabassadors

Good Luck

in your exams

starters2010

We arrange bus services to cover many different areas of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire

• We try to keep transport costs as low as possible by heavily subsidising the services

• The cost for an annual pass is £499 payable in July. Or you can pay in two instalments of £275 in July and December

• If you are eligible for EMA we will accept weekly bus pass payments of £20 for 25 weeks until the yearly price of £499 is reached

• Weekly passes are £20

• Passes and receipts will be available for collection during enrolment week

If you want a place on the coach, but you have not received a letter by 14 May, you should contact Rosa Hallett in the Finance Office on 01285 626147.

On the Buses

Where are you all coming from?We have students from over 100 schools and colleges this year. Here are the top 26:

Deer Park (182) Bradon Forest (115) Kingshill (107) Highworth Warneford (93) Thomas Keble (89) Malmesbury (75) Nova Hreod (65) Sir William Romney’s (64) Katharine Lady Berkeley’s (56)

Farmor’s (50) Maidenhill (50) Greendown (46) Kingsdown (40)

Rednock (39) Archway (31) Cotswold School (31) Balcarras (28) Commonweal (28) Stroud High School (28) Dorcan Technology College (23) St Joseph’s Catholic College (23) Wootton Bassett (20) Marling (18) Ridgeway (18) Burford School & Community College (12) Rendcomb College (12)

Don’t be afraid to stop and ask our Student Ambassadors (identified by their red T Shirts) for directions if you are feeling a bit lost; they are some of our most friendly and helpful students who remember all too well their first few weeks at college.

Student Ambassadors have a role to play all year round. This year the team has helped out at Parents Evenings, Open Evenings and have had the chance to go back to their previous schools to share their experiences of college life.

Becoming a Student Ambassador is easy; if you are interested please contact Hannah Luffingham School Liaison & Student Advisor hml@cirencester.ac.uk.

Car Parking

Students need to be 17 before

1 September 2010 to be

eligible to apply for a

Car Park pass.

If you are eligible, and would

like to apply for a pass, please

contact the Finance Office for

more details on 01285 626148

student ambassadors

...here to help you

3

Some great reasons for looking forward to Freshers’ Day

• GCSEs will be over!

• You will meet your tutor group and your fellow first year students

• You get a chance to have a good look around the college with very few second years around

• You can chat about what you hope to achieve and share any niggling worries you have about coming to college

• There will be food – so bring some money

• There will be a Freshers’ Fair so you can see what clubs and societies are on offer

• We hope the sun will shine so you can enjoy some music on the field during a l-o-n-g lunchtime

Freshers’ DayThursday 1 July

Get a taste of last year’s Freshers’ Day www.cirencester.ac.uk/freshers

need advice?

student servicescome and see Student Services with any queries you may have.

financial supportask to see Jenny Overal.

personal tutors make an appointment with your Personal Tutor to discuss any concerns.

transportgo to the Finance Office.

college information services (CIS)come to CIS with queries about your EMA payments or absences from College.

enrolmentsbook your place on trips at the Enrolment Office.

& foracademic supportcontact Gill Thomas in Student Academic Support near the Refectory.

come to the hub

2

Dress for Lessto ImpressDuring the Academies’

Money Week in March three

students were set the

challenge to ‘Dress for Less

to Impress’. Each received

£20 to kit themselves

out as fully as possible

for an interview. The

winner Hannah Jefferies

(pictured left) managed

to buy a quite staggering

array of clothes for her £20

including shoes!

A delighted Hannah said “I

am so pleased to have won!

Now that I get to keep the

clothes, I will be saving them

for my graduation from

Career Academies UK in

London.”

Which school were you from?Highworth Warneford

Why did you choose Cirencester College?Well deserved reputation as the best tertiary college in the country, offering all the courses I was interested in, staff seemed enthusiastic and passionate about their subjects and as a bonus the college is in a beautiful Cotswolds location.

What subjects are you studying?History, Philosophy, English Lit, Drama and General Studies, plus Politics AS last year.

Any regrets during your time here?I sometimes wish I could go back in time and select my A levels over again, but that isn’t because I regret what I took - it’s because I wish I could have done more! I’m sure if a lot of people were being honest they’d go back and try a lot harder in the first year...

What have you enjoyed most at College?Getting involved in the Student Union has been difficult at times but hugely enriching and given me lots of opportunities to meet people, organise and host events, make a difference to the college and challenge myself.

What has been your biggest achievement?Recently winning the best speaker award in a national debating competition was a big ego-boost, but more than anything I can still remember the day I won the Student Union election for President, and I’m really proud to look back over our time as SU.

What three words would you use to describe your time here?Challenging, Memorable, Invaluable.

Where are you off to next?Taking a year out to get some work experience before university, I hope to continue my work for the Liberal Democrats, as well as get some insight into different career paths for after university.

My Life at Cirencester College

with Sean Davey

LOOK OUT for

Miss Moneypenny

our very own

Financial Advisor!

Following the success of the

Academies’ online forum

in March, individual debt counselling

appointments, with one of our

Finance lecturers, are now available

for all Cirencester College students.

Please email Penny Spice to arrange an appointment pls@cirencester.ac.uk

Q&A

5

Don’t put it off... Either you do it today, or you

do twice as much tomorrow!�Revise everything - not just

your favourite bits!

Get organised... Find out what units etc are covered in each exam Make an exam timetable so you know exactly when

exams are happening Each day write down what you want to achieve - make

it realistic and work towards your target Even sorting through all your notes can be really

helpful in refreshing your memory!

Keep relaxed... Take regular breaks and do something in your breaks

to take your mind off the subject Don’t overload on revision - take it slowly, with breaks

every 20 minutes or so, to let the information sink in Try revising with friends (or even pets) as well as

by yourself Try and relax, exams are easier when you have a

relaxed mind

Put pen to paper... Summarise your notes on paper eg mind maps,

bullet points Do past papers - find out how the marks are awarded

and what they’re awarded for COLOURS...use lots of coloured ‘post it’ notes, flash

cards and highlighters - anything different from the norm - the colours especially help you organise your thoughts and its better than trying to revise by staring at pages and pages of black and white notes.

Try flip cards - write a question on one side and then the answer on the other. Great for learning snappy pieces of information...

Reward yourself... CHOCOLATE...ration it - a square for every half hour

revision you do Plan something fun to do at the end of your

revision session

from our Student AmbassadorsRevison tips

with Emily Law

Which school were you from?Kingsdown School, Swindon

Why did you choose Cirencester College? I have always had high expectations of the college, as everybody at school said it was the best. When I came to see the college I realised this was definitely true. I found Cirencester like a more grown up version of school, with everybody taking an interest in your learning and encouraging you forward, but letting you learn and progress how you want to and in your own time. This was good for me, as I often need some positive words and encouragement to keep me going.

What subjects are you studying?I am studying Biology, Psychology, Sociology, General Studies and Pre-nursing.

Any regrets during your time here?Not really, I just wished I had done more work in the first year as it would have made my second year so much easier! Getting used to the distance from home was weird, but it was not necessarily a regret.

What have you enjoyed most at College?I enjoyed meeting new people and the challenging level of work that has to be done to succeed here. Although it seems like a lot, I do like being challenged and I like feeling as though I have done my best to get where I am. I like the freedom college gives you during free periods, but I also like the boundaries in place when it comes to meeting deadlines and attending lessons.

What has been your biggest achievement?In my second year January exams I achieved my first A grades at A level, and managed to get an offer for medicine at university!

What three words would you use to describe your time here?Challenging, Exciting, Fun!

Where are you off to next?I have accepted an offer at the University of Glamorgan to study and become a chiropractor.

Q&AMy Life at Cirencester College

Sports LeadershipAcademy“The Academy has enabled me to experience and gain an insight into different aspects of the sports industry, from helping to run an activity day for local children to having guest lectures. I have found it useful in helping me decide to study Sports Therapy at University.

Whilst being part of the Academy I also had the opportunity to volunteer in an activity club at a local school for disabled children, as well as helping out with numerous school sports events.

The Academy has given me the necessary skills and confidence to be able to coach at after school and holiday clubs and I’d like to continue doing so at University.”

Katie-Anne Salter

RugbyBCS Rugby regional winners5 players selected for regional trials2 players representing England collegesDorset and Wiltshire championsOver 35 players

Netball2 players in regional trialsBeat Hartpury 2sBeat Filton 2sOver 25 players

Hockey BCS colleges representative15 players

Ladies FootballParticipated in a number of Futsal and 5-a-side tournaments15 Players

Ladies RugbyTook part in the Rosslyn Park National 7s tournament for the first timeWinners of the Basingstoke 7s Cup12 Players

BasketballBritish Colleges Sport (BCS) cup championsFinal 8 BCS cup nationalGlos and Wilts ESBBA ChampionsGlos Under 19s ChampionsLast 16 Under 19s national champions losing to eventual finalistsEBL south coast 3rd place3rd in Euro Basket tournamentPhil Drewett Wales Under 18s Louis Fawl & Tim Smith South West Under 17sSean Marsland Under18s regional team22 Players

Interested in taking part?Other sports on offer include athletics & badminton and more may become available depending on interest. All teams are open to all students! Please email Chris James chj@cirencester.ac.uk

highlightsSport

Arrived early after a long journey. All the girls were apprehensive about the day ahead. Our first game was the hardest but every girl on the team, even those who hadn’t trained, gave it 200% and found their feet. Our confidence grew throughout the tournament, resulting in wins from awesome line outs, fully committed tackles and speedy play. The last game was by far the best as our determination, confidence and communication were on point, which led to a 38 - 0 win and resulted in us winning the tournament plate!!

Robin Lock

Interested in finding out more about the Sports Leadership Academy?

please email Scott Chappell sac@cirencester.ac.uk

Winning the Plate

Bournemouth 10s Tournament

Ladies Rugby

Enrichment

We have a wide range of activities on offer to enhance your studies from Debating Society, Law Club and Orchestra to the Outdoor Activities Club, Youth Theatre and the Environmental Action group.

Wish you were there?

a beacon college

2009-10

enrichmentenhancing your studies & your CV

a beacon college

2009-10

enrichmentenhancing your studies & your CV

a beacon college

2009-10

enrichmentenhancing your studies & your CV

Art & Design students in Venice

Historians

visit Berlin

Students get a real

Geography lesson in Iceland

www.cirencester.ac.uk/enrichment

6

Duke of Edinburgh Award

Music

Historical &

Archaeological

Society

Youth Theatre

Fund raising

Don’t miss the Freshers’ Fair during Freshers’ Day!

Czech Ski Trip

�

www.cirencester.ac.ukwww.cirencester.ac.uk/fresherswww.cirencester.ac.uk/facebookwww.twitter.com/cirencoll

web linksto keep up to date with what’s going on visit our internet sites

If you have any queries over the Summer you can also ring the College on

01285 640994

No SmokingThe College is a smoke free campus. Students, staff and visitors are only permitted to smoke in the designated area alongside the caravan park lane.

Help is available to anyone wishing to give up.

What’s onat the Sundial?

for more details about performances go to our website

The Wonderful World of Dissocia

Sundial Youth Theatre present

8-10 JulySundial Theatre

EMAs were introduced by the government

to help young people continue their education after GCSEs.

To apply for an EMA call the Learner Support helpline on

0800 121 8989 and ask for an application form.

Or log on to www.direct.gov.uk/ema for further details.

As well as your weekly allowance you could receive bonuses if you do well on your course or learning

programme, and meet certain targets - you’ll agree these with your tutor when you start.

Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA)

The fitness suite is available to all college students

and membership is growing fast. As a way to relax,

lose weight or simply get fit – whatever the reason,

students can use the centre during their free

periods. Membership is just £25 (valid while you

are a student at Cirencester College) and includes a

full induction.

If you are interested, please contact Denise Cleal (J1.30)

Footloose15 - 17 JuneSundial Theatre

BTEC Performing Arts Students present

Fitness SuiteDo you want a full or

part-time job?Sign up with

JobShop

www.academyjobshop.co.uk

Cirencester College is committed to equality of opportunity for all. If you need this leaflet in a different format please contact Sara Popp on 01285 640994 or email spp@cirencester.ac.uk. The information contained in this leaflet is believed to be correct at the time of production May 2010.