#LongRoadLife - May 2023

SPORTS STARS, SOCIAL SCIENCES & EXAMS ADVICE

Hello from Long Road!

In this May edition of our applicant newsletter we are introducing you to our team sports and celebrating our students who recently competed at the AoC Sport National Championships!

We are taking a closer look at our Social Sciences and Geography courses, hearing all about the amazing national and international trips that our students have been lucky enough to attend

We've also got some excellent tips from our Long Road Alumni to help you prepare for your exams and get the most out of your revision!

Happy reading!

Long Road

ADMISSIONS UPDATE

LONG ROAD ALUMNI TOP REVISION TIPS

AOC SPORT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

STUDENT SPORT & FITNESS

SOCIAL SCIENES & GEOGRAPHY DEPARTMENT

LONG ROAD SIXTH FORM COLLEGE APPLICANT NEWSLETTER

WE'RE HERE TO HELP

Our friendly Admissions Team are here to support and guide you through every stage of your Long Road application.

If you have any questions, please get in touch!

Julianna Sosnowska Director of Admissions

ADMISSIONS TEAM UPDATE

NEXT STEPS: ACCEPTING YOUR OFFER

If you are still interested in joining us as a new student in September 2023, please make sure that you accept your offer We can only invite applicants who have accepted their offer of study to our summer Welcome Days and we don’t want you to miss out on the opportunity to get a taste of what life is like as a Long Road student!

If you are no longer interested in studying at Long Road in September please use the above link to log into your MyLongRoad account and withdraw your application If you change your mind after withdrawing your application, you may be placed on a waiting list

ALREADY ACCEPTED? WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

Lydia Cottage Admissions Officer

Don’t forget, you can accept offers of study from multiple post-16 education providers before making your final decision on where you would like to study after results day

Please click here to log in to your MyLongRoad account and accept your offer of study.

Right now, you don’t need to do anything to progress your application (other than keep on regularly checking your emails for communication from us!)

KEY DATES:

6 & 7 July = Welcome Days

24 August = GCSE Results

Day

25 August = Applicants to submit final GCSE grades in preparation for enrolment

30 August - 1 September = New student enrolment

YOUR APPLICATION TIMELINE

Your application timeline will help you keep track of where you are in the admissions process and keep you informed of what happens next. Look for the arrow location to see where we are in the process!

OCTOBER 2022

Applications Open

JANUARY 2023

Applications Close. Applications made after the deadline may be placed on a waiting list

24 AUGUST 2023

GCSE Results Day

Good luck! We're keeping our fingers crossed for you

30 AUGUST - 1 SEPTEMBER 2023

New Student Enrolment

Welcome to the Long Road family!

SPRING & SUMMER 2023

Virtual Guidance Meetings & Conditional Offer

Discuss your options with an experienced member of staff You'll receive a formal offer via your MyLongRoad account shortly after your Virtual Guidance Meeting

6 & 7 JULY 2023

Auditions, Welcome Days & Summer Work

Spend the day as a Long Road student; try out your subjects & get a taste of Long Road life. Summer work will be available online & must be completed for your first lesson at college. Auditions for Performing Arts subjects will also be held during Welcome Days

6 - 7 SEPTEMBER 2023

New Student On-Campus Orientation

Time to start your Long Road life!

YOU RE INVITED - FOUNDATION ART EXHIBITION

The Foundation Showcase this year will be set at the Cambridge Museum of Technology. In true foundation ethos we identified this iconic building to present a mainly ‘cinematic conclusion’ their 2023 graduate show. The Building will also host an array of objects of art which explores the diverse specialisms untaken this year. Once again, graduates have won a range of excellent progression routes to leading universities as well embarking to study with a extensive range of specialist subjects such as Architecture, Special effects and make up, Fashion, furniture and Graphic communication etc

This year, the students have been on seven research based trips on the foundation course Research and concepts are evident in their works throughout the show and have informed their portfolios, final major projects and specialist practice They have used these as starting points for their concepts,

examples can be seen via the New York residential where our students set up and delivered publicly a ‘Pop up exhibition’ at the Climate Control Museum, as well as a photography based session targeting sustainability qualities.

Students used editing materials and reducing waste by initially targeting focal points in support of subject matter gathered and used cropping digital tools to support this process On the London residential trip, engineering and construction inspiration was observed as well as understanding was gathered surrounding the mechanics of the ‘Tower Bridge’s’ gate system, this inspired projects where waste was the focus, considerations into packaging and the disposable aspect has been enforced and discussed throughout these starting points. This has been a theme that not only has been echoed in studio sessions by

setting up a ‘student led sustainable weekly forum’ but by visits to the Saatchi Galley’s exhibit ‘Beyond the Street’ where practitioners recycled objects to dynamic practice and outcomesall in all a totally inspiring trip that was eye opening to each of the students It has also been encouraging to see that the impact of practitioners such as, Sarah Strachan an awardwinning artist and ceramicist, who presented her work to students and ran a workshop in support of reusing materials where they used naturally harvested clay for the environment

Students have once again have fundraised to support the hospitality of their exhibition and show which has given them an understanding of the professional constraints and needs surrounding such an event as well as engrained skills life skills such as teamwork and collaborations

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR EXAMS - ALUMNI TOP TIPS

DRAW COMPREHENSIVE DIAGRAMS FOR REFERENCE

As a visual learner, I would draw an annotated diagram with all details of a whole concept that I could recall and see in my mind when taking the exam. The act of collating relevant information helped strengthen connections in my mind between course content

DO NOT WRITE OUT CONTENT WORD FOR WORD

ASK YOUR TEACHER IF YOU CAN’T UNDERSTAND SOMETHING

I remember my teachers at Long Road being helpful and willing to explain something, as long as I had already attempted to understand myself.

REVISE DIFFICULT CONTENT WITH PEERS

STUART KEPPIE

Long Road Alumni

Class of 2012

PhD Interdisciplinary Bioscience, University of Oxford Life Science Consultant

W

hen revising, you should be transforming content from one form to something more condensed, accessible or helpful for you Copying text verbatim from a textbook is not effective for learning no matter how pretty or colour-coordinated you make it.

They may have their own specific tips. Also, if you can’t teach it, you don’t understand it enough

USE MNEMONICS

make sentences, arbitrary or relevant, to remember the first letter of each answer to a question

"I loved the enthusiasm of my teachers, the freedom to have a good gym session between lessons and the ability to revise with friends in the common room. Without the high standard of teaching, I would not have achieved my place at University."

Long Road Alumni

Class of 2019

Psychology BSc

Newcastle University

I chose Long Road because there was a lot of support provided to students. Long Road showed me that a college experience is there to prepare you for your next step in life whether that be employment, apprenticeship or university. It is about independence, community and perseverance.

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR EXAMS - ALUMNI TOP TIPS

GCSE exams are fast approaching, for some of you they may have already started! To help keep you on the right track we contacted our alumni (former students) to share their revision top tips!

FIVE MINUTE RULE

The hardest part of revision is getting started because it can seem so big, daunting and impossible. I use the five-minute rule Start a timer and just revise for five minutes then, if you feel like you need to, take quick break and then do another five minutes. Repeat that over and over Five minutes of revision will add up to a full revision session in no time!

FLASHCARDS

Use flashcards to study dates, names and definitions Just flashcard everything

USE PAST PAPERS

All of them!! Do them again and again!! Do them with your friends, you can explain and teach each other stuff so you will reinforce that information.

YOU ARE MORE THAN YOUR GRADES

No matter what your grade is, if you have put your best effort in you should feel proud because you are amazing. You are more than just a student sitting exams You’re a good friend, a good, a good sibling, a good child, you ’ re a hardworking employee, a caring volunteer, an artist, a musician, you have things you are enthusiastic about You have hopes and dreams and so much ahead of you.

DANA NUGMANOVA

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR EXAMS - ALUMNI TOP TIPS

DO NOT STRESS

The more you stress, the more difficult revision becomes, and the more difficult revision becomes, the more you stress

TAKE BREAKS AND HAVE NON-REVISION TIME

If you ’ re constantly revising, I can guarantee you’ll end up stressed Have days off. See your friends. Do something fun.

GET EXERCISE

You can get exercise in your breaks or non-revision time. This’ll make a big difference to your wellbeing as it gets your heart rate up > blood pumping faster > more oxygen to the brain

START EARLY

You have to start at some point, so you might as well get on with it

DON’T STARE AT A TEXTBOOK FOR HOURS ON END

Try summarising a page or a chapter in notes Writing stuff down makes you think about it, and you ’ re more likely to remember it.

SPICE IT UP!

We all love a bit of colour Get your highlighters out. Coloured notes are 10x easier to memorise than boring black and white ones.

FINALLY… THINK POSITIVE!

There are plenty of people who did well in life without achieving 100% in every exam You can only do as much as you ’ re capable of Work hard You’ll do well

ALEX FARROW Long Road Alumni

Class of 2019

Film Studies

Brunel University London

I studied Media Level 3

Diploma and Musical Theatre Extended Certificate at Long Road.

"

Since leaving I have been successfully accepted as a student at Brunel University London where I am a working towards a degree in Film Production and Theatre."

HANNAH KELLY Long Road Alumni Class of 2017

Secondary Physical Education with QTS, University of Brighton

"From Long Road I moved straight to the University of Brighton to study BA (Hons) Secondary Physical Education with QTStraining to be a PE teacher. Long Road was extremely helpful to me on applying and going through the UCAS process so it was made as smooth as possible.”

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR EXAMS - ALUMNI TOP TIPS

FIND A REVISION TECHNIQUE THAT SUITS YOU Experiment with flashcards, mind maps, exam past paper/practise questions, coloured notes etc

DON’T OVERDO IT WHEN YOU REVISE

Set yourself realistic targets to revise for each day so it’s manageable and achievable!

BE STRICT WITH USING YOUR PHONE/TV WHEN REVISING Revise for 1 hour then 10 minutes break e.g. grab a cup of tea, a snack, get up and walk around.

CHANGING UP THE ENVIRONMENT OF WHERE YOU REVISE

You could revise for one subject in your room, then move and revise in the kitchen then the library

GET A REVISION BUDDY!

This may be your friend or parents/guardian or siblings, but this allows you to revise with someone and test and help each other as there are bound to be topics that you can help each other with.

WHEN MAKING NOTES, ONLY WRITE THE KEY POINTS

Get used to summarising each point so you know the key facts ready for the exam

MAKE USE OF YOUR TEACHERS! They are there to help you so make use of extra time in lesson or after lessons, bring in practise questions for them to mark etc

MAKE PLANS

Have things to look forward to after you have revised

SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS:

We're having a great year of Team Sports this year! We'd like to give a special shout out too...

Our Indoor 24 Cricket Team who won the AoC Sport Regional Tournament, our Women's Football team who came 2nd in the AoC Sport Eastern Region league and our new Women's Basketball Team who won their first ever home match 45 - 18 against Hills Road!

AOC SPORT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 2023

DAY 1: Friday 14 April

After a few hours on the minibus, we arrived at the University of Nottingham and got settled into our accommodation for the weekend Yize Gao and Tomos Jenkins are our two students this year, both competing as part of the Eastern Badminton team, we spent Friday afternoon with our team members getting to know them and sizing-up the competition. The evening was spent enjoying the opening ceremony before an early night ready for matches tomorrow.

DAY 2: Saturday 15 April

A busy day for us today, so after a tasty breakfast we got ready for our first round of matches. By 3pm we are placing 2nd in our group of 4: we lost 3 games to 2 against the South West Region, won 4 games to 1 against

Yorkshire and Humberside, and won 4 games to 1 against the East Midlands Region.

Unfortunately we lost the play off match to South East Region team, 3 games to 2 - but we were the only team to take any games against them so that itself is a win!

DAY 3: Sunday 16 April

Yize has just won the 1st match (Men's singles) and a win from Hills Road (Women's singles) means we are now 2 - 0 up... Another win from Tomos and our CRC teammate in the Men's doubles! A clean sweep of 5-0 meaning we finished 3rd out of 9 and secured the Bronze medal!! Everyone heading home with big smiles after an excellent weekend!

STUDENT SPORTS & FITNESS

It's important to us is that you ’ re able to take care of your physical and mental wellbeing, that’s why we encourage all of our students to participate in keep-fit activities using our extensive sports facilities.

STUDENT GYM

Our on-campus student gym was fully re-furbished just 3 years ago and provides a wide range of cardiovascular machines, weight resistant machines and free weights The gym is open all day for students to use at lunchtimes, independent study periods and even before and after college!

To join the gym you simply need to pay a one-off induction fee of £15 and attend a gym induction led by our Sports Services team.

CASUAL SPORTS

If you ’ re just in it for the fun try our Casual Sports programme

which runs throughout the week

You can turn up, play for fun and get involved with the social side of sport! The current causal sports taking place at lunchtimes are:

Badminton

Short Tennis Volleyball

Women's Basketball

5-a-side Football

Can’t find a sport that you love?

Let us know - we ’ re always happy to try and facilitate any sport based on student demand!

SPORTS FACILITIES

We can offer you a fantastic range of indoor and outdoor sports facilities Indoors with have a 4 badminton court Sports Hall, Sports Lab with fitness testing equipment and our student Gym. Outdoors we have an All-weather pitch, 2 Football pitches, 1 Rugby pitch, Tennis Courts and Basketball Courts.

OUR COMPETITIVE SPORTS TEAMS

Men's Basketball

Men's Football

1st Team

2nd Team

Men's Rugby Mixed Hockey

Women's Football

Women's Netball

Women's Basketball

Team sports information will be sent to you in the summer giving you the opportunity to sign up for any teams you ' re interested in playing for!

GEOGRAPHY A LEVEL: KEY INFO

GEOGRAPHY A LEVEL

Total students currently on course: 189

Geography is the study of people and their relationship with their environment, the impacts each has on the other and the challenges of managing those impacts

Current average class size: 19

Exam Board: Edexcel

Assessment: 80% Exam 20% Coursework

You will take part in at least four fieldwork days which will form the basis of your coursework You will have the opportunity to travel on residential field trips to places such as Iceland and Barcelona. Other visits and lectures have included the University of Cambridge Department of Geography and the Scott Polar Research Institute.

You will enjoy this course if you want to gain a deeper understanding of how changes to the planet affect you and others; and what you, as an individual and a generation, can do to manage change for a sustainable and stable future.

CHARLOTTE PEET Long Road Class of 2016 Senior Planning Officer

I attended Swavesey Village College before studying at Long Road; which I chose because I felt the friendly environment and supportive staff were a good fit for me

Long Road gave me the opportunity to develop my confidence and individuality, it was my first step into independence and adulthood I had to become responsible for my own learning and success with support from my teachers

I have since completed a Geography degree and a Masters in Town and Country Planning. I now work as a Senior Planning Officer for The Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service.

STUDENTS SEE NORTHERN LIGHTS IN ICELAND

In October, 34 of our A Level Geography students were lucky enough to spend 4 nights in Iceland exploring their beautiful landscapes, cities and evening seeing the Northern Lights!

Once we arrived in Iceland, we began the exploring almost immediately We drove to the ‘Bridge Between Two Continents’, where the students were able to see a fissure between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates

After we had explored the fissure, we headed straight away to see hot springs We learnt a lot about why the area smelt so strongly of egg (sulphur!).

Day 2 we headed to the Secret Lagoon - one of Iceland’s oldest geothermal pools!

After our swim at the geothermal pool, we hoped onto the coach to do the Golden Circle Tour! Here we saw spectacular geysers, waterfalls and had a very soggy walk through a rifting valley!

Day 3 was an early start as we were heading off to the Lava Centre! We arrived at the Lava Centre at 9am, which is an interactive museum where we were able to experience what an earthquake may feel like!

Our final full day of the trip was spent in the capital city of Reykjavik - exploring the city and trying local cuisine In the afternoon we headed to a lava tunnel. We put on our hard hats and head torches, and walked 500m into the tunnel, and experienced total darkness!

Thank you to Geography student Charlie Flower for taking so many amazing photos during our trip to Iceland.

If you want to see more of Charlie's photos please click here to visit our website!

POLITICS A LEVEL: KEY INFO

Total students currently on course: 127

Current average class size: 21 Exam Board: Edexcel

Assessment: 100% Exam

POLITICS A LEVEL

According to MP and conservative thinker Edmund Burke (1729-1797) society is ‘ a partnership not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead and those who are to be born’, therefore it is vital that knowledge is passed down to different generations Politics A level will allow you to understand and engage with the world around you whilst understanding how we got to where we are

This A Level covers both core and non-core ideologies and the relevant debates on how thinkers related to these beliefs have looked at human nature, society, the state and the economy.

There has never been a more important time to study Politics and to understand the societies in which we live, work and study!

TORRIN WILKINS Long Road Class of 2017 Think Tank Director

I decided to study at Long Road because the Politics department was highly recommended, so it was a no-brainer. The thing I enjoyed most was the supportive atmosphere, all members of staff always tried to help whenever they could.

After college I started my own think tank called Centre, its predecessor being something I actually started whilst I was at Long Road. My work has been covered by newspapers, I presented a paper to the largest All-Party Parliamentary Group in history, who encouraged the government investigate our proposals, and I’ve been interviewed by the BBC and LBC I wouldn't be where I am without Long Road.

POLITICS STUDENTS VISIT 10 DOWNING STREET

Last April, 31 of our A Level Politics students spent the day in London visiting 10 Downing Street and the Palace of Westminster

We were given an audio descriptive tour of the Palace which included witnessing some of the preparations that were underway for the visit of Queen Elizabeth II for the State Opening of Parliament on May 10th 2022. Following the route that the monarch would be taking, we were shown the House of Lords and then crossed through the central lobby to watch some of the ministerial questions for the department of Trade and Industry from the public gallery of the House of Commons.

We were joined by the Conservative MP for South Cambridgeshire, Anthony Browne.

Anthony visited the college back in January and joined us again to discuss his role and answer some questions on his work and opinions on that day’s business in the Commons. Anthony then accompanied our group down Whitehall to Downing Street, having arranged for us to have a photo outside one of Britain’s most famous addresses. On our way out of Parliament we were shown the Speaker’s House and crossed paths with veteran MP Sir Peter Bone, as noted by one of the students.

We returned to the Commons in the afternoon to witness some of the debate over the referral of the PM to the Privileges Committee over the ‘Partygate’ scandal

I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Parliament. We got to learn of the history of British politics from the Magna Carta right up to our current Prime Minister and Queen.

It's an amazing place that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime to understand the grounds on which most decisions and debates which affect our lifestyles occur

Maisie RozzoYear 2 A Level Politics student

PSYCHOLOGY

PSYCHOLOGY A LEVEL

Total students currently on course: 429

Current average class size: 22

Exam Board: AQA

Assessment: 100% Exam

We are all amateur psychologists in that we constantly try to understand the behaviour of people around us In seeking to understand human behaviour, psychologists look at a range of influences from early childhood experiences and socialisation to biological factors such as genes, hormones and brain structure These different viewpoints will have different implications and issues, which you will seek to understand as a student of psychology in addition to a range of fascinating topics and research methods.

You may not know if you want a specific career in Psychology, but skills in Science and research are applicable in many other domains and the writing skills developed are attractive to any employer This makes Psychology a useful foundation for a wide range of careers.

DANA NUGUMANOVA Long Road Class of 2019 BSc Psychology

I chose Long Road because it had the best flexibility and variety of subjects. I also chose Long Road because there was a lot of support provided to students

Long Road showed me that a college experience is there to prepare you for your next step in life whether that be employment, apprenticeship or university It is about independence, community and perseverance.

I recently graduated from Newcastle University with a degree in Psychology and have now returned to Long Road to work as a Learning Support Assistant!

PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS VISIT POLAND

A group of 45 Year 1 and Year 2 A Level Psychology students finished the Spring term with an exciting, and at times moving, trip to Poland, just before the Easter holidays!

The trip started with a delicious meal, giving students the chance to try traditional Polish cuisine and participating in a Polish folk show - with lots of traditional dancing getting everybody up and on their feet!

Over the following three days, the students got to visit the Polish city of Kraków, one of the oldest and largest cities' in the country, went on a walking tour of the Jewish quarter and visited Auschwitz and Bikenau concentration camps.

The highlight of the trip was meeting Lidia, a Holocaust survivor who took the time to talk to our students and tell them her amazing life story

The trip gave students an insight into the historical background linked to the important psychological studies of Milgram, and created memories that will stay with them or a lifetime.

I came to Long Road because the staff are friendly, the subjects are interesting and the college as a whole has a good working environment.

I find looking at Psychological case studies and analysing them fascinating. The way in which an idea is explained engages me, and I want to learn more.

Different areas of Psychology are looked at in depth. Right from the start I found that I had absorbed a lot of information

CRIMINOLOGY

LEVEL 3: KEY INFO

Total students currently on course: 640

Current average class size: 22

Exam Board: WJEC

Assessment: 50% Exam

50% Coursework

CRIMINOLOGY

LEVEL 3 APPLIED

Criminology studies potential explanations of criminality. Explore how individuals, the Criminal Justice System, society and public agencies respond to crime Compare critical approaches of the Criminal Justice System and evaluate the effectiveness of crime control in England and Wales

You will have the opportunity to take part in a mock crime scene, meet members of the Police force, go on trips to the Crown Court, attend university taster days and meet relevant organisations that are tasked with fighting crime The skills learned will enable you to take this qualification into either employment, apprenticeships or on to Higher Education

BRIONY HATLIFF

Long Road Class of 2019

BA Criminology

I chose to study at Long Road because it was the only place I knew of that offered criminology and this was something that really interested me so long road seemed like the right place for me to go.

I always loved the strong sense of community at long road, it was somewhere you could feel confident To be yourself and the fact we were all treated like grown ups really helped me transition into uni life

I have now graduated from the University of Lincoln with a degree in Criminology!

PSYCHOLOGY

LEVEL 3 APPLIED

Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and behaviour. Applied Psychology focuses on how Psychology can be used to tackle real world problems and improve people’s lives. Unlike A Level Psychology, it is assessed using both coursework and examinations

You will gain transferable skills in critical thinking, exam techniques and revision. You gain skills in conducting research, report writing and academic conventions.

Many of our students go on to University, whilst others follow the apprenticeship route such as Police Degree Apprenticeships and Apprenticeships at Addenbrooke’s

Georgia Year 2 Student

Applied Psychology has been a fascinating subject, learning the different views of how the mind works and why people act the way that they do in different situations

This is my first applied course and I have really enjoyed doing the coursework aspect: researching, planning and carrying out a study all of which was really fun to do

Finally, I like taking the knowledge that I have gained from psychology and applying that to the real world as it has sort of opened my eyes to some behaviours that I see in day to day life

PSYCHOLOGY

LEVEL 3: KEY INFO

Total students currently on course: 360

Current average class size: 21

Exam Board: Edexcel

Assessment: 50% Exam 50% Coursework