Frome College wows parents at open evening

Frome College welcomed everyone in Frome and the surrounding areas to an open evening last week.

The college said the aim of the evening was for visitors “to come and see what a vibrant school it is and to see first-hand all that it offers the students who attend.

“The evening began in our campus Merlin Theatre with an address by principal, Gavin Ball, who spoke to a full house about the current trend of successes, the best ever exam results this summer and the aspirations of the school looking ahead.

“He inspired the audience with a confident speech on student self-belief, ‘every child counts’ and the opportunities on offer at the college giving the best life chances and support needed for their chosen paths. He said there are more choices in the important key areas of maths, English and science and a five-year programme which begins in Year 9 through to Post-16 and spoke with passion about the college’s programme of ‘employability ‘and how important it is to offer students the life skills needed for the next step when leaving school.

“Mr Ball spoke warmly of the commitment of the staff, who enjoy working at the college and the good staff development plan in place with many training sessions on offer including the successful Olevi training which is now offered by college staff to other schools.

“Head boy, Fynn McLennan,  head girl, Adrianna Seviour and the student leadership team followed by talking about their experiences at college, the constant support from staff and the large range of activities available, such as trips, drama productions held in the theatre, inter-house competitions, rewards and the great ‘Gifted and Talented’ programme at school.

“Pre-16 students, Macy Mourant, Charlie Parker, Lianna Denwood, Isobel Jones, Milo Herbert and Lianna Denwood all spoke about their chosen areas of interest they are involved in and the wide range of extra-curricular activities on offer at the college.  Mrs West, pastoral manager finished the session with information to parents about the evening ahead and offering  the audience  personal student guides to accompany them around the site to see points of interest.

“Everyone had a tour the site and participated in many activities in design technology, PE, maths and English. Food technology staff and students offered superb hot food to guests, and in science the Mayor of Frome, Kate Bielby, who was also attending as a prospective parent, volunteered to take part in a controlled experiment with ignited chemicals. The art department displayed their superb student exhibition and the music department students set up all around the site supplying a variety of accompaniment.

“The feedback from the evening was outstanding and many parents said that they had looked at other schools in the area but Frome College stood out as a committed school with a community feel where they felt their children would flourish.

“Mrs Thelwell  from Frome said, ‘I have no doubt in my mind that my children will be happy at this school, I attended Frome College when I was young and it is amazing to see how much it has changed in that time, it was a great evening and I feel reassured hearing how it continues to develop’.

“Mrs Cornish from Wiltshire said, ‘I thought the evening was fantastic and we all enjoyed it. I can see how much effort has gone into the evening and how passionate the teachers are about their subjects. The quality of students’ work on display was outstanding and I was very impressed by everything I saw, my daughter is looking forward to coming to college next year’.

“Mr Thomas from Beckington said, ‘I feel very happy about what I have seen tonight and how much the development of the college has enhanced the students’ learning.  The new Post-16 and maths buildings are an impressive working environment for the students to study’.”

The college says, “If you were unable to attend either event, please don’t hesitate to contact the college on 01373 465353 to arrange a tour.”