Rachel Basnett

The City of Stoke on Trent Sixth Form College is a medium size, approximately 1,700 full-time students aged 16-19, attracted from a wide area of North Staffordshire, including all areas of the City itself. Established in 1970, the college was the first purpose built Sixth Form College in the country. In the summer of 2010, the college re-located to the University Quarter area of the City, at the heart of the regeneration area to a prestigious site clearly visible to all who enter the city by road or rail. The College’s mission is: A young persons’ college developing skills and inspiring excellence Where all students are encouraged to achieve their full personal and academic potential. The College provides effective support to boost the development, confidence and social skills of individual students. The College is the only Sixth Form College in Staffordshire. There is no such thing as a typical SFC, each has its own needs and culture. Unlike school sixth forms, they have the capacity to teach a wide variety of both academic qualifications such as GCSEs and A’Levels (the latter of which SFCs get better results in than schools), along with vocational courses. The combination options surpass many GFEs and schools sixth forms, with students having the opportunity for instance, to study an A’Level in Computing alongside a BTEC national diploma in Law.