Many thanks to all the parents who agreed to provide feedback about their experiences with the College and that of their children.
“The College offers a good transition from secondary school leading on to university or the world of work. The staff my son has had over the two years have been motivating and have inspired him to push himself. Our daughter has applied for the College for September and can’t wait to join.”
Mrs Kane (Parent)
“My wife and I did have concerns about our daughter moving from her previous school to the College. Our main concern was the time it would take to adjust and how, or if, it would impact on her learning pathway. We really should not have worried, she fitted in so well, teachers are focused on their subjects providing a clear progressive learning pathway, no such thing as a problem which cannot be resolved and both student and parents feel involved in supporting the high standards of education and training provided. Our daughter loves going to this College, she has become a confident young woman ready to move up to the next level on her education journey, she’s already been offered two unconditional places at London Universities. We know it’s going to break her heart to leave the College.”
Mr Groves (Parent)
“This is an excellent College. My daughter is comfortable at College and feels empowered. She has had great support and has made great progress in her studies. As parents, my husband and I have found Tyber to be a wonderful resource. We can keep track of our daughter’s attendance and progress in every subject from home and that has made us feel included as parents in every way. It is a very open way of communicating with parents and has exceeded our expectations.”
Mrs Lepheane (Parent)
“We would certainly recommend the College; it makes a good halfway house between school and university. The College has a caring ethos, whilst stretching students and preparing them for university. Our son has matured so much at the College and is really excited about being able to go to university.”
Mr & Mrs Trigg (Parents)
“We are very pleased with our son’s transition from school to College, which has been very well managed by all lecturers and the management team involved. Our son seems to be working well within the environment and this was something he struggled with in his later years of school. He has regained his focus and with the support provided over his first team we have seen real progress within his education.”
Mr McParland (Parent)
“I would like to acknowledge the support my son gets generally but especially the support from his additional support teacher. This support gives my son the confidence and self-esteem required to have faith in his abilities and to make decisions. No problem is an issue and she always appears to be there, which is a comforting thought for me, as a parent. Before my son applied, the information we were given at Open Day in relation to the support available was also very reassuring.”
Mrs Heath (Parent)
“My son has gained so much from choosing Solihull Sixth Form College; I’m so pleased he made that decision. He has forged good relationships with his teachers and made some friends along the way. The support offered from the College, particularly in his AS year, relating to workshops for Maths and Science, has been helpful. He had been unsure as to whether he wanted to study Maths, but was advised it would benefit his ambition to apply for Medicine at university his Maths Tutor was so enthusiastic about the subject that he has been inspired by him he now says it was a good decision and enjoys the subject, finding it exciting for the first time ever! Staff are always helpful, particularly his academic coach, who has helped him with his UCAS application. The environment at College being a place where he feels he is treated as an equal has increased his self-esteem and confidence. Although the decision to move from Secondary School was a difficult one, it was a good move and seems to be a good transition for him. As a parent, I have found being able to follow his progress online (via Tyber) very beneficial and I have not had any concerns about him attending College, as he seems to like it so much. He has settled in well and feels comfortable. He fits in with the like-minded people he is studying with and it feels like a good step in his future, hopefully leading towards a place at university.”
Mrs Biggs (Parent)
“I have found staff to be really good. I was very impressed when I went to the parent review meetings. I also look at the ILP (online Individual Learning Plan) regularly, which helps me keep in touch with how my daughter is doing. I have emailed staff a couple of times and I have always been really impressed to get feedback straight away. I even got an email from the Principal, which was very impressive. I think it’s great to have that avenue of information available to parents if they need it.”
Mrs Shepheard (Parent)
“As far as I’m concerned, the College has been brilliant. My son’s academic coach has been so helpful in guiding my child. She has been very determined and helped to get my son where he is now and she has contacted me at the right times. She is so approachable and it’s been great to have one point of contact, so I don’t have to speak to lots of different people and keep repeating myself. That parent/teacher communication is so important.”
Mrs Kaur (Parent)
“The transition from school to college can be quite difficult. At school, everything is spoon-fed to the kids, but it is not like that at College and it can be difficult to adjust to a new style of teaching. It is a big step up from school to A levels and there seems to be so much to cram in. Through all of this, my daughter’s coach has been marvellous. I can’t speak too highly of her and how wonderful a person she is. She has advised my daughter, pointed her in the right direction and she has been there for me too. I really think the coaching set-up at the College is excellent and very helpful to both students and parents. I also like the idea of the online portal for parents (via the Tyber), which I think is a good idea and very useful.”
Mrs Eggleton (Parent)
“I think my son has received excellent pastoral and educational support from individual tutors, the Principal of the College and his Assistant Principal over the last two years. His individual needs have been addressed with flexibility and sensitively. I have been very impressed and much appreciate this important, skillful, and valuable creative work.”
Dr Williams (Parent)
“The support my son has received from the Additional Learning Support team has been excellent. It’s a weight off my mind as a parent, because if we ever have any issues I know I can phone up, get through straight away and the staff just deal with it for me.”
Mrs Ardron (Parent)
“I was thrilled with the College for both my sons and I really can’t speak highly enough. I must particularly praise the Economics and Chemistry staff. The teachers that my son had were amazing. They pushed him and really found a way to get the very best out of him. He loved his lessons and it is as a direct result of those lessons that he has now gone on to do Chemistry at university. In one of his modules he got 93 out of 100 and of course he worked very hard to achieve that, but it’s also down to the teaching, because they prepared him for that. At the start of his second year we came into College to talk to a member of the Chemistry department and it was inspiring! I wanted to do Chemistry myself after listening to him!”
Mrs Chaudhri (Parent)
“Everything to do with the College has been a positive. We attended a special parents evening about Oxbridge applications with the Principal and that was very useful. The Principal gave us some very good advice about Monya’s application to Oxford to study Medicine.”
Mr Mohammed (Parent)
“The support and advice that my son was given in a very crucial stage of his life could not have been better. His tutor played a vital role in his decision making and he would certainly not be looking at going to Oxford this autumn had it not been for the advice he received and the quality of the teaching. Although his tutor played such a crucial part in this process, he received support from all areas of teaching and administrative staff and I was very impressed at the superb organisation of the College.”
Mrs McGlacken (Parent)
“Solihull Sixth Form College is the best place my daughter has ever been. She suffers from Asbergers Syndrome and the support she has received from the Additional Support team has been fantastic. The great thing about the Additional Support team is that they don’t make mountains out of molehills. The staff are very genuine and they just do their jobs, which takes a lot of the stress away for parents like me.”
Mrs Shelton (Parent)
“Although being academically astute, my daughter has taken quite a while to settle into the new regime of college life after studying at an all Girls School for the previous five years. However, her Academic Coach has assisted greatly. I too have had many conversations with her coach and have found her to be professional, caring, emphatic, understanding, but most importantly of all, she has the best interests of the students at the core of what she does. My daughter has built a fabulous relationship with her coach and now feels that if any issues arise at College, she can talk to her about them. As a parent, I am assured that my daughter has someone looking out for her and monitoring things closely when something goes wrong. I am glad that the College has an individual like her on their pastoral team. She truly is an asset and I for one am very grateful to her for her hard work, tenacity and the personal touch she gives to her students.”
Mrs O’Neill (Parent)
“I have been so impressed with the coaching available at the College. It really is wonderful that students feel there is someone they can go to and talk things through with. My son’s coach has kept him on track and she genuinely cares about him and all the students she coaches. She understands parents too, because she has been there for me too. It’s so helpful to be able to call her and talk to her on the phone and if she’s busy when you call she will always call back. I can’t ask for more from her than she already gives.
“If parents are worried that the College is too big and impersonal they shouldn’t. The coaching means that students get that personal attention. The facilities are there, the teachers are there and the support is there.”
Mrs Ditta (Parent)
“We have been absolutely delighted; really so happy with the service from the College. All the tutors and teachers have been marvellous and so giving of their time. They have always been willing to answer any questions we or Alex has had about courses or anything else. They have allayed his fears when he’s had any and supported him so well. Alex has really ‘found himself’ at College and I do think the College is a good bridge to university. There is definitely the expectation of more independent study, but I think that’s a good thing and an advantage when going onto university.”
Mrs Tabrizi (Parent)
“From our experience of the College with both our daughters we have been very pleased. Both were very happy during their time at the College and both have liked the style of the College. We were lucky because both girls are self-motivated and enthusiastic and they warmed to the adult approach of the College.”
Mrs Harwood (Parent)
“The teachers have been fantastic. Josh has gone to all the after College workshops, even when he hasn’t really needed to. He has received great support with extra summer reading, which is helpful. Teachers have taken time to challenge him and to understand him as an individual. I would say they have really “got” him. The College has really brought out the best in him. Josh has particularly enjoyed the debates he can get into, he comes home and talks excitedly about the discussions he has had in class.”
Mrs Fullard (Parent)
“That is the real test of a College; how do they respond when your child is having problems? Staff at the College really did help a lot when my elder daughter had an issue and that was very pleasing.”
Mrs Gumbley (Parent)