Hundreds of former students returned to The Sixth Form College Farnborough, on the evening of Thursday 18 December, to receive congratulations on their achievements at the annual Certificate Presentation Evening.

Parents and supporters gathered to celebrate the hard work and successes of those who left the College in July 2014 and provided a chance for students to catch up with friends and teachers. Music was provided by the College’s own Time Out Jazz Collective as people arrived for the evening and took the opportunity to catch up, sharing stories about the paths taken since leaving Farnborough.

The College was delighted to welcome Sarah Howells, Head of Frogmore Community College in Yateley as our guest of honour for the evening, who gave the opening address. Sarah is currently Interim Head of Cove School in Farnborough which she will lead until Easter this year.

In 2014 the College celebrated success in all areas of the curriculum with 25 subjects returning an exceptional 100% pass rate. Almost a third of the A level grades were awarded at either A* or A, with 81% of A2 taught courses graded A*-C.

Principal, Simon Jarvis said, “The achievements of our students in 2014 were exceptional. These young people should be applauded for their hard work and dedication to their studies – we are very proud of them."

As well as rewarding the achievement of the year group as a whole, Certificate Presentation Evening provides the opportunity for the College to recognise publicly exceptional contributions made by individuals through the Special Awards.

The Special Awards are made to those whose achievements or contribution to College life can justifiably be described as ‘outstanding’. The College is grateful for the generous support of the sponsors, many of whom were there for the evening.  

Those receiving awards for Outstanding Achievement were given a College Bear.

Outstanding Academic Achievement awards were presented to: Zoe Morris, Claire Sweeney, Oliver Dunkley, Samuel Tadman, Adam Gittins and Katie Tidd.

Outstanding Personal Achievement awards were presented to: Zachary Sutcliffe, Jacob Okello, Edward Rosier, Alexander Elkins, Jamila Ali, Bradley Alma, Kynan Fletcher, Fatmata Durkin, Louise Flew, Max Sears, Charlotte Aries and Liberty Cranham.

Outstanding Contribution to College Life awards were presented to: Victoria Moore, Laura Petley, Alexander Beynon, Elinor Doughty, Zoe Morris, Samuel Kavanagh, Samuel Broadey, George Bowden and James Daly.

Dave Adams spoke about why Toby Starling had been chosen to receive The Aldershot and District Athletic Association Award and Sarah Howells presented the award.

The Accelerate Young Driver of the Year Award is awarded to a student who has adopted a diligent approach and demonstrated safe, confident and competent driving. This year’s recipient was presented by Rob Tillier to Iona Sharma, who went on to achieve a BTEC in Driving Science.

Emma Higgins was awarded the N J Clarke Award for Accounting and Business 2014, her A* in Accounting was a particularly outstanding achievement in a subject which nationally produces very few grades at this level.

The Stephen Green Musical Volunteer of the Year Award went to Elliot Phelps recognising the many roles he undertook during his time at College including as musical director of the Time Out Jazz Collective.

The University of Winchester Awards this year recognised the achievements of Art and Design Students Lindiya Pun, Rebecca Ritchie, Alexandra Weager and Olivia Beresford-Evans.

Joseph Richardson received The University of Southampton Award awarding the student who has faced their own personal challenges with courage and enthusiasm. Joe is now pursuing his passion for Sports Journalism at the University of Central Lancashire.

Darriane Heron was awarded The Community Matters Partnership Project, Student Volunteer of the Year Award by Martin Sterio. Last year alone Darriane volunteered for more than 100 hours taking part in the 1-1 Buddy Scheme and volunteering at Grange Community School, Henry Tyndale School and a local youth club.

The Fujitsu Innovation Award went to Louise Lee who was always thoughtful, in depth and creative in her use of technology, specialising in animation.

Travis Dodkin was awarded the inaugural Fujitsu Progression Award.

Hannah Fowles was the Fluor STEM (Science, Technology and Maths) Student of the year, once again generously awarded by Fluor our CMPP partners.

Andrew Needham, Chair of the Corporation closed the evening and remarked afterwards “The exceptional achievements celebrated this evening reinforce the ongoing commitment of the College to provide an unparalleled source of support for its students - both academically, creatively and socially - to help prepare them for the next exciting phase of their lives. We offer each individual our sincerest congratulations.”