Our Class of 2020 have faced unprecedented challenges in their final year of study at The Canterbury Academy. To have worked hard towards a variety of qualifications, at a variety of levels, over a period of one, two or three years, and then to lose the opportunity to sit final examinations could have been a devastating blow for many. But, the resilience, focus, determination, care and empathy which our post-16 students have shown throughout this pandemic, both towards each other and their wider communities, has been truly humbling and served as an inspiration to all of the staff that have worked with them.
Today, despite all of these setbacks and the undoubted anxieties they will have caused, we are incredibly proud to celebrate another highly successful year, congratulating all of our post-16 students upon their successes in the many qualifications taken, allowing them to progress on to a variety of positive destinations.
The Canterbury Academy Sixth Form is one of the largest in the country and the largest in Kent. It is a comprehensive Sixth Form for all the talents, which believes all students are good at something, and in which all gifts, abilities, aptitudes, attainments and achievements should be recognised; offering students an academic pathway; elite programmes in sport; specialist provision in the performing arts; and, a variety of vocational, applied and enterprise qualifications to industry standard.
We are delighted to announce that this year, in our Academic Pillar, Tom Garwood Southon will be joining Sussex University to study Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence; Abigail Connolly will go on to study Bio-Chemistry at Leicester University and Eleanor Cooke has gained a place at the University of Kent to study International Legal Studies. Louis Gibson will be studying a Real Estate degree at the University of Reading and Mongo Yetunde will be studying psychology at Brunel University London.
In our Vocational Pillar, Lily Van Petegem has been accepted by Norland College in Bath to study Early Years Development; Harvey Latter will join Brighton University to study Primary Mathematics Education and Jessica Craske will be studying at Brunel University London to become an Occupational Therapist. We would also like to celebrate Johnny Hobbs, who has achieved a Double Distinction on the Peter Jones Enterprise Education course, and, at the same time, gained a place in the coveted final of the ‘National Entrepreneur of the Year’ competition, where he will be pitching his business ideas to Peter Jones himself!
In our Sports Pillar we have had numerous successes, including two students from our Elite Basketball Academy, Jon Fakile and Chester Morrell, joining Loughborough University to study Sport with a foundation year on the Elite Athlete Pathway. Stiliyan Shterev has been accepted to study Sport and Exercise Science at Anglia Ruskin University and James Leather will be attending St Mary’s Twickenham for a Strength and Conditioning Science Degree. The University of Derby have accepted Alexander Page on to their Sport and Education degree and Bailey Waters will be attending the prestigious University Campus of Football Business at Wembley Stadium, whilst Will McColl has been offered a contract to play at Canterbury Rugby Club alongside a scholarship from Canterbury Christ Church University, where he will be studying Sport and Exercise Science.
We are also delighted to recognise the many successes of our singers, musicians, dancers and actors who attended our Elite Performing Arts Institute; many of whom are going on to some of the most prestigious performing arts universities such as Rose Bruford, The Place, Performers College and The Central School of Speech and Drama. Ellen Louise Chelepis is delighted to have been accepted into The University of West London to study Acting and Theatre Making. Martyn Gibingie will be studying Acting for Film at Chichester University; Luke Hughes has gained a place at BIMM (British and Irish Modern Music Institute) to study a Popular Music Performance degree; Todd Uden will be starting a Creative Music Production and Technology degree at Canterbury Christ Church University and Bethany Fulcher has been accepted at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama to complete a Stage Management degree. Finally, Matthew Walker will be going to the University of Birmingham to study a Professional Dance and Musical Theatre degree. All of our students were successful in gaining professional representation whilst in the Sixth Form and gained parts on stage, screen and TV including call backs for a new Danny Boyle film and working with Dynamo on a new magic TV show!
Likewise, we wish to congratulate all those students who achieved work related qualifications. We are delighted, also, for the number of students who will continue in education and those who have gone onto gain employment, in trainee management positions and various apprenticeships, or who will set up their own businesses.
The Canterbury Academy, as part of The Canterbury Academy Trust, will continue to provide a comprehensive Sixth form for all the talents and it will grow again this year to around 700 students. Anyone interested in our range of programmes and provision should contact the Academy, visit our website on www.canterbury.kent.sch.uk or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
