YEAR 10 TASTER DAYS
June/July 2016
SUSSEX DOWNS COLLEGE ALUMNA KATIE JONES COLLABORATES WITH SELFRIDGES TO CREATE SUSTAINABLE FASHION See inside for full story!
HELLO AND WELCOME TO SUSSEX DOWNS COLLEGE I am both delighted and excited to welcome you to our Year 10 Taster Days for 2016. Today is designed to give you a snapshot of life here at SDC, both inside and outside the classroom. Whether you’re looking to do a vocational based course, A Levels or a combination of the two, I really hope you enjoy sampling the subjects that interest you. With excellent facilities and a supportive learning environment, there is no better place to start your future. Whilst you are here you will have the opportunity to explore the campus and find out about extracurricular activities available. There is plenty to get involved in at College, from from sports to joining the Student Union Team. Hard work is a given, but it’s not all about studying. We have a range of activities and social events for everyone, whatever your interests or abilities. You have the freedom to choose what to get involved in. Keep an eye out for information about our Open Events. College is a big leap from school, but we can guarantee it’s an exciting one. Use today to ask questions, discover something new and take your next step with us. You won’t look back!
Mike Hopkins Principal and Chief Executive
@SussexDowns
College countdown
2016/17
september
october
NOVEMBER & DECEMBER
JANUARY
february, march & april
Check out the Sussex Downs College prospectus online at sussexdowns.ac.uk or pick up a copy from your school. Find out about all of the courses on offer and how to apply for a place. Study academic courses such as A Levels, choose a vocational course or follow an apprenticeship.
May
Our Eastbourne and Lewes Open Events take place in October, so visit us and check out what we have on offer! Lewes: 7th & 8th October Eastbourne: 14th & 15th October Make sure you have handed in your College application form to your school. They will then send us your application along with a reference. We’d really like to meet you! From November onwards, you’ll receive an email or letter inviting you to the College so we can find out more about you. This is your chance to shine! It’s also your chance to find out all about us and discover what’s right for you.
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JULY
And as you can’t have failed to notice, May is also the start of exam time! All of the hard work you’ve put in at school over the past few years will now be put to the test. June and July are the months to attend your Introductory Days taking place at our Eastbourne and Lewes campuses. It’s a great time to sample your courses before your September start, hear from tutors and get a really good feel of the College. (Remember you need to have returned your form to us to confirm you will be attending!) With your exams finished, your College place sorted and the excitement of what’s to come, it’s time to take a break for the summer holidays. Enjoy it – you’ve earned it! Make sure you are up-to-date with any assignment work or reading that you may have been set during your Introductory Days.
Need some more help? Don’t worry, visit us at our Spring Open Events: Lewes: 25th January Eastbourne: 1st February Decision and revision time! After your visit to College, you will receive your ‘offer’ letter from us for courses starting in September. This will include an acceptance form that you will need to fill in and return to us within three weeks to guarantee your place.
Keep an eye out for the post! This month you’ll receive details and a booking form for our upcoming Sussex Downs College Introductory Days. These take place at the College before you start your course and will prepare you for College life.
August
Keep an eye on the post – this month you’ll receive your official Sussex Downs College enrolment pack which contains all you will need to confidently start your course with us in September. Enrolment starts this month. And the moment is here… August is exam results time! Fingers crossed your grades are as you expected but if not, don’t panic – Sussex Downs College can offer you guidance on your next steps if you are worried. Contact details will be in your enrolment pack.
Spring also means revision time. Visit www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize for some great exam tips. The preparation you put in now will definitely be worth it!
September
The next chapter of your life begins with Sussex Downs College! Check your enrolment pack for your official start date, as some courses may differ. Remember, to guarantee your place at Sussex Downs College, you will need to have attended an enrolment meeting and registration session. See your enrolment pack for full details.
Still undecided about what to do next? Explore your options.
Apprenticeships with Sussex Downs College We offer apprenticeships in all industries including:
Construction Hair & Beauty Accounting & Business Catering & Hospitality Health & Social Care The benefits: • Earn while you learn • Gain a nationally recognised qualification • Get training in the real working world • Progress with a forwardthinking company Apprenticeships work! For more information, call the Employer Engagement team at Sussex Downs College on 030 300 39474, follow them on twitter @SDCET or visit the Apprenticeships section of our website.
A Levels A Level Accounting is a challenging academic course but hard work has already paid off for a number of current students, with university placements already offered and apprenticeships with top global companies for five students already secured: Luke Pannett, 17, has been offered a place with Advanta; Ellen Gee, 18, has been offered a place with Price & Co; Eleanor Griffiths and Josh Cottingham, both 18, are headed to Humphry & Co. This proves that even the most academic of courses can provide students with a step onto the career ladder with the College’s links to industry professionals.
Vocational Courses Don’t forget to explore the options available: combine A Levels with a vocational course if that’s what you want to do. A Level English Literature students Sophie Stevens and Ellie Dodridge offer advice on choosing subjects. Sophie says: “Go with your instinct and don’t get pressured into courses by friends and family. I’m always reading, whether it’s novels or newspapers so English and Sociology are ideal for me. Choose whatever peaks your interest.” “Choose subjects you enjoy, even if they don’t seem to ‘sit together.’ Mix coursework based subjects with exam based ones; choose Maths and Art if that’s what you’re interested in,” says Elli. “And don’t forget that your choice isn’t the be-all and end-all. You can change your subjects early in the year.”
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For times and more information follow us on Twitter or like our Facebook page! @Sussexdowns Facebook.com/SussexDowns For more information on our upcoming events, visit: www.sussexdowns.ac.uk
COVER STORY!
Katie Jones, 28, from Lindfield, is a clothes designer working with Selfridges and the Centre for Sustainable Fashion as part of their Bright New Things campaign. Katie studied Textiles and Art & Design at Sussex Downs College, Lewes, before graduating from Central Saint Martin’s University of Art with an MA in Knitwear. She now crafts imaginative and sustainable luxury knitwear from her studio in Stratford, East London. Katie says: “My sustainable practices started when I was a student. I had to be thrifty, so I used end-of-roll fabrics and unravelled charity shop jumpers for wool. Gradually, this mind set became my brand ethos.” Katie’s label takes a waste-not approach to design by sourcing surplus materials from British and Italian design houses, proving that sustainable doesn’t have to be plain or unimaginative. “Attending Sussex Downs College was the turning point in my education where I learnt it was possible to pursue a career doing something that I loved.”
Katie isn’t the only young designer making waves in the creative industry. Fashion designer Alie Mackintosh, 24, from, Uckfield, studied Art & Design and Economics A Levels at the Lewes campus and now runs the online fashion business Boom Boom Boutique. Alie can now count one of the most photographed women in the world, Kim Kardashian, as one of her clients. This year, Alie won an order from the US reality star/ entrepreneur, with the design available in the Kardashian sisters’ USA stores: Dash. Testing the water of Alie’s designs, Kim had 83 million hits on Instagram wearing one of the young designer’s skirts.
DID YOU KNOW? Another one of our creative students has recently appeared on The Great British Sewing Bee!
SDC ALUMNI: SEE WHERE COLLEGE CAN TAKE YOU KALERA AGARD
GREG WILLIAMS
Marketing Intern, RBS Bank, New York City
Level 3 Plumbing Apprentice. Now partner in his own plumbing business
ALICE ROSSER
STEVE HASLIP
JOSH BABARINDE
Office Manager at Fortis Law in Brighton
Design Director for the Carbone Smolan Agency in New York City
A level Politics, Law, Sociology and AS level Economics. Now studying for a BSc in Government at LSE
ALUMNI AT SUSSEX DOWNS COLLEGE Launched in summer 2012, the Sussex Downs College Alumni Network offers ex-students the chance to keep in touch with the College and to find out what the College can offer students after they finish their studies.
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‘Alumni’ simply means a group of ex-students of a particular school or college, and the SDC Alumni was launched to benefit our students and our members by sharing knowledge, exchanging ideas and creating a community where past, present and future students can interact.
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