Welcome to Cirencester College

freshers

As Student Union President, I would like to welcome you to Cirencester College. This year will definitely be a big change from secondary school but, speaking from personal experience, coming to Cirencester will be a fun, rewarding and an exciting change!

There are so many opportunities here. For me, the most rewarding was joining the Student Union. It’s great being able to talk to all the other students and hear their thoughts, so we can make your college experience the best it can be. If you need anything at all, we’re always available for a chat and we’d love to hear your ideas!

I hope you have a great Freshers’ Day, just like I did, and get all the information you need.

See you in September!

Nina HagerSU President

2012

Freshers’ DayTuesday 3 July 9am - 1.30pm Buses will run to suit this schedule

Enrolment 23, 24&27 August

Induction 3 & 4 September

www.cirencester.ac.uk

Appointment slots for Enrolment

and Induction will be posted to you

Sixth Form StatusYou may have heard that Cirencester College has been

awarded Sixth Form College status this year, making us one

of only three Sixth Form Colleges in the South West. This

is due to our high standards of teaching and learning, and

the outstanding results that our students achieve. Perhaps

most importantly, Sixth Form status is highly valued and

will add strength to your university applications and

potentially enhance your employment prospects.

The CastleIn the Town Centre you’ll find our Castle Campus which is home to our:

Tranquillity Beauty SalonThe students are always looking for willing volunteers to develop their skills under the supervision of their fully qualified tutors. Prices are very reasonable.

Castle cafe where drinks, meals and snacks can be purchased.

Some of our IT courses are also held at the Castle.

There is a regular shuttle bus for students between the main campus and the Castle. A timetable can be downloaded from our website.

need advice?

student servicescome and see Student Services with any queries you may have.

financial supportask to see Jenny Overal.

personal tutors make an appointment with your Personal Tutor to discuss any concerns.

transportgo to the Finance Office to find information about buses.

college information services (CIS)come to CIS with queries about your absences from College.

enrolmentsbook your place on trips at the Enrolment Office.

& for academic supportcontact Gill Thomas in Student Academic Support near the Refectory.

come to reception in the hub for initial advice

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the hub

We currently operate 26 bus routes to Cirencester College from the surrounding areas in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire.

All transport information can be found on our website or alternatively contact:

Rosa Hallett in the Finance Office on 01285 626147

Struggling with costs of full time education?The 16 - 19 Bursary Fund is here to helpPlease contact Jenny Overal for more information about what financial help is available:jlo@cirencester.ac.uk

Where are you all

coming from?

We have students from over 100

schools and colleges this year.

Here are the top 30:

Deer Park (163) Kingshill (134)

Bradon Forest (131) Thomas Keble (78)

Highworth Warneford (71) Malmesbury (68)

Isambard (62) Sir William Romney’s (58)

Kingsdown (55) Greendown (53) Farmor’s (48)

Katharine Lady Berkeley’s (36)

Maidenhill (36) Rednock (35)

Commonweal (32) Nova Hreod (32)

Royal Wootton Bassett (26) Balcarras (25)

Ridgeway (25) Archway (20) Marling (20)

Cotswold School (18) Dorcan (18)

St Joseph’s Catholic College (17) Stroud High

School (17) Carterton (13) Churchfields (13)

Faringdon (10) Burford (9) Westonbirt (9)

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Car ParkParking is available at our Fosse Way Campus; however, parking at our Castle Campus is limited due to lack of space, so a free shuttle bus runs between the two sites.

For further information and current prices check the College website or contact the Finance Office on 01285 626218

freshers’

Some great reasons for looking forward to Freshers’ Day GCSEs will be over!

You will meet your fellow first year students

You get a chance to have a good look around the College with very few second years around

You can chat about what you hope to achieve and share any niggling worries you have about coming to College

You will get to practise getting the College bus in the morning

There will be a long lunchtime out on the field with music, food stalls plus a Freshers’ Fair where you can see what clubs and societies are on offer and sign up to them ready for September

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day Tuesday 3 July

9am - 1.30pm

Get a taste of Freshers’ Dayand get answers to all your questions

Download a QR reader app, scan this QR code with your smartphone to visit our special Freshers’ website

www.cirencester.ac.uk/freshers

or visit:

Anyone for Quidditch?Look out for our Quidditch match taking place on the field during the lunchbreak on Freshers’ Day.

Broomsticks, Quaffles, Chasers and Beaters (even a Golden Snitch) will all feature, so make sure you come down and watch!

You can put your name down for Quidditch, and all our other Enrichment activities for September, at the Sign Up stand located at the centre of the Freshers’ Fair.

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Don’t be afraid to stop and ask our Student Ambassadors (identified by their red T Shirts) for directions if you are feeling a bit lost; they are some of our most friendly and helpful students who remember all too well their first few weeks at College.

Student Ambassadors have a role to play all year round. This year the team has helped out at Parents Evenings, Open Evenings and have had the chance to go back to their previous schools to share their experiences of college life.

If you are interested in becoming a Student Ambassador just contact:

Chris Kelly School Liaison & Student Advisor ctk@cirencester.ac.uk

Student Ambassadors

...here to help you

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Making Your College BetterWe will be commencing some exciting building improvements over the summer. From September we will have a totally refurbished Refectory for you all. Other developments to follow include a new classroom block and sports hall.

We will have a range of fantastic food stalls on the field on Freshers Day whilst the Refectory is being redeveloped, so be sure to bring some money with you. If you prefer you can bring your own picnic.

Rooms for

Freshers’ Day

Shortly before Freshers Day

you will receive a letter with

a room number and a map.

When you arrive, please make

your way to that room where

you will meet your group for

the day.

There will be Student

Ambassadors (in red T shirts)

around campus who can

help you find your room, so

please just ask if you’re not

sure where to go.

Which school were you from?Bradon Forest

Why did you choose Cirencester College?I looked at all of the other places available to me but none appealed as much as Cirencester - it wasn’t like school, the courses seemed interesting and the location was ideal.

What subjects are you studying?History, Law and Politics at A2, and English Language at AS.

What have you enjoyed most at College?Meeting all the new people, and realising what it is I actually want to do after College has finished. Going on all the College trips to places like Washington and London have also been great.

What has been your biggest achievement?

Either being a Student Ambassador, helping people at Open Evenings or representing the College at the Model United Nations Conference in Bath.

What three words would you use to describe your time here?Worthwhile. Enjoyable. Helpful.

Where are you off to next?After College I am going to university to study law, and then hopefully after this I will become a qualified barrister.

Any words of advice?Keep up with your College work and homework so that you can enjoy your free time, and if you have any problems then speak to your tutor and teachers - that’s what they are there for.

with Claudia Reeves

Q&AMy Life at

Cirencester College

freetime?

You will have a lot of work to do at College, so why not use one of the fantastic study spaces during your free periods so you don’t have to take hours of work home with you?

You can study in the Library, the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) on the top floor of the Millennium Building, The Spotlight next to the Sundial Theatre, one of the computer rooms in the J Block, or even out on the field if the sun is shining.

Of course, in a week full of lectures and homework, you’ll want some time to relax too. Spend some time in the Refectory where you can buy a range of drinks, snacks and meals. Or head to The Spotlight for a coffee and a catch up with your friends.

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with Clarice Saloyedoff

Q&AMy Life at Cirencester College

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Look out in September for our newly refurbished dining facilities in the Refectory

Which school were you from?Ridgeway

What course are you studying at College?I am currently studying Sport and Exercise Science Level 3 Extended Diploma, AS Biology and AS Photography, all of which I will be continuing to A2.

Has this course helped with your training for gymnastics?The Sport and Exercise Science has definitely helped with my training as I know exactly what I need to work on specifically to enhance my performance within gymnastics, as well as the nutrition side making me more aware of health risks and convincing me to eat a lot healthier. What has been your biggest achievement in gymnastics this year?Our senior Rhythmic team won the Swindon Advertiser’s Team of the Year 2011, as well as the Display Team having the opportunity to perform at Bath University for the Great British Rhythmic Groups fundraiser for the Olympics. However, this is it with regard to competitions because they are later on in the year, usually around October/November time.

How regularly do you have to train? For the Rhythmic Senior Group we train once a week for 3 hours and for Display we again train once a week for 3 hours.

What are you hoping to do when you leave College?I am hoping to go to university to study Physiotherapy.

Don’t forget to keep your eye on the TV screens dotted around College too.

There’s always something going on, from cake sales and leg waxing (for charity!) to art shows and sports competitions.

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Students try and stay awake!

As soon as I heard the psychology team were conducting a study that involved being awake all night in College and included pizza, I was straight in the queue to sign up.

The study tested the effects of being awake all night, through a series of memory tests, maths questions and games of Bop It!. Eating pizza and staying up all night was brilliant, until it got to 3am and everyone wanted to just curl up and sleep! Of course being an experiment in sleep deprivation this wasn’t an option, so water pistols became involved, quickly waking any sneaky dozer.

I really enjoyed the study and the results were fascinating (I somehow managed to improve my Bop It! score after being awake for 24 hours!). I can also write about the experience in my university application.

Lauren Cooper-TydemanPsychology Student

enrichyourself

Duke of Edinburgh

Award

Music lessons

Volunteering

Fund raising

Table Tennis

Pottery

Basketball British Colleges West Midlands Performance League Champions

British Colleges Non-Elite Regional Cup Finalists England Schools Final 32 Gloucestershire Schools Winners South West U17 Reps: Gabby Atenciana & Dom McDonaugh

West Midlands U17 Rep: Ben Colley Wales U18: Josh Reade

Badminton British Colleges West Midlands Mixed Doubles Champions British Colleges West Midlands Mens Singles Champions British Colleges National Championships (Silver Medal) Mixed Doubles British Colleges National

Championships (Bronze Medal) Mens Singles Rugby British Colleges West Midlands Performance League Gloucestershire U20 Rep: Keiran Stubley British Colleges West Midlands

Rep: Mike Goodyear Newport Gwent Dragons Rep: Sam Williams

Football English Schools Football Association Cup Winners FA Youth Cup 2nd Round (Proper) England Colleges U18 Rep: Josh Morse Netball British Colleges West Midlands Performance League Runners Up British Colleges Non-Elite Semi Finalists British Colleges England Rep: Jessie Loveless

One of the many attractions of coming to Cirencester College is the wide range of enrichment (or extra-curricular) activities on offer. As well as being good fun these activities also help you to boost your CV with life and employability skills expected by universities and employers alike. It is also a fantastic opportunity for you to simply try out new areas of personal interest. We provide a comprehensive enrichment programme with over 50 activities on offer, mostly conducted on Wednesday afternoons, covering: Sport, Job & Personal Skills, Arts & Music, Culture, The Environment, Volunteering in the Local Community, the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and Charity fund-raising.

Don’t miss the Freshers’ Fair during Freshers’ Day to find out more!

www.cirencester.ac.uk/enrichment

Active Health Fortnight

Sporthighlights

Women’s Rugby

Animal Management Students Go Wild!“Going to Cotswold Wildlife Park every fortnight gave me the insight I needed about my work experience placement there, by allowing me to get a head start about some of the key points at the park. With talks from their most experienced keepers and the educational organiser, it allowed me to make notes which helped me with the assignments which were based around the relevant topics of the animal management course.”

Billy FlorekAnimal Management Student

...and Iceland!

Geography students visit Chesil Beach...

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Travel & Tourism students arrange trip to Tallin, Estonia

trips

Classics Students visit Rome

Biology students at Genetics Lecture

London

Countryside students go paintballing

Public Services at Brize Norton

“In January, I went on the Classics department trip to Rome, which was an amazing experience. We visited the Colosseum, the old Roman Forum and Trajan’s Column, but best of all was the day trip to Ostia, where we could wander around the almost-unchanged part of Rome.

Actual 2000 year old mosaics, wall paintings and statues stood unchanged in the houses for which they were made, and there was a real sense of history which one cannot just get out of a book. It was a fantastic experience, giving me a special insight into what it must have been like to live as a Roman.”

Rebecca Redding Classical Civilisations Student

Cirencester College is committed to equality of opportunity for all. If you need this leaflet in a different format please contact Sara Popp on 01285 640994 or email spp@cirencester.ac.uk. The information contained in this leaflet is

believed to be correct at the time of production May 2012.

www.cirencester.ac.ukwww.cirencester.ac.uk/fresherswww.twitter.com/cirencollwww.facebook.com/cirencestercollege

weblinks

VirtualArt Show

Online art show featuring the work of our

Art & Design students.

Visit our website in July!

Do you want a full or part-time job?

Sign up with JobShop

www.academyjobshop.co.uk

How to Succeed in Business

Without ReallyTrying19 - 21 JuneSundial Theatre

Tickets £4 - £9www.sundial-theatre.co.uk

Thinking about Uni?If you’re thinking about going to University why not have a look at the Foundation Degrees and HNC/HNDs we offer? It could save you a huge amount of money, and set you up perfectly for your dream career. We run courses ranging from Computing to Criminology and Environmental Conservation to Art & Design.

For more info, check out www.cirencester.ac.uk/universitylevel

No SmokingThe College is a smoke free campus. Students, staff and visitors are only permitted to smoke in the designated area alongside the caravan park lane, or in the Castle car park. Help is available to anyone wishing to give up.

Fitness SuiteOur fitness suite is available to all College students and membership is growing fast. As a way to relax, lose weight or simply get fit, students can use the centre during their free periods. Membership is just £25 (valid while you are a student at Cirencester College) and includes a full induction. If you are interested, please contact Denise Cleal (J1.30)

If you have any queries over the Summer

you can also ring the College

01285 640994

and ask for Student Services

Cirencester College Performing Arts Students present