Case study Awards 2010: Students of the Year


The fi rst ever Delivering Diplomas Awards gave an insight into the number of individuals that have gone above and beyond to ensure the qualifi cations are a success in their areas. Dorothy Lepkowska brings us fi ve case studies, focusing on the winning employers, teachers, consortia, examination offi cers and, fi rst up, students


who opted to do the fi rst lines of learning in 2008 have shown confi dence and commitment, and recognised the potential in studying for these new, untried courses. Put simply, they have blazed a trail through which thousands of others will follow. And none more so than Parag Bhatt, a year


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11 student from Downend School, which is part of the Kingswood Partnership in south Gloucestershire. T e gifted 16-year-old was named the Student of the Year in the fi rst Delivering Diploma Awards, hosted in March, and his involvement in the Engineering Diploma means he has all but decided his future career path.


TUDENTS COMPLETING their Diplomas in the fi rst year of delivery are the real pioneers. T e thousands of young people


not fi t in one of his placements at the required time. So instead, he spent part of his Easter holiday at Rolls Royce seeing the work being done on new engines destined for the Hawk military aircraft. He worked on pressure tests and observed


how the engineers went about their work. Meanwhile, on a separate work placement


with Airbus, he completed tasks around the manufacture of a diff erent military aircraft, the A400M. T e experience made him realise how much


we all take for granted the ingenuity and invention involved in designing and building an aircraft. “Most people just get on a plane and don’t give a second thought to how it fl ies or what gets it into the air,” he told us. Parag’s enthusiasm for engineering generally is refl ected in his choice of the


He has surpassed all expectations in terms of the quality of work produced, the improvement in his presenting skills, his deeper way of thinking and his confi dence


Teachers have watched as Parag, who is


an EAL (English as an additional language) student, has grown in confi dence and shown great enthusiasm and perseverance in achieving everything he wanted from the qualifi cation, acting as an excellent role model for those who will come after him. “He keeps going until he sees things through,” was how one described him. “Studying for the Diploma has virtually


convinced me of my future plans,” Parag said. “I am considering a career in aeronautical engineering, having done placements at Airbus and Rolls Royce.” Parag showed great initiative and


commitment upon discovering that he could His service to the school community


includes being a student voice representative for his year group, helping to show visitors round the school and being a member of interview panels for staff appointments. Parag was one of a small number of students who were interviewed by Ofsted when they inspected the 14 to 19 curriculum in January 2009. He has also been a compelling advocate


for the Diploma, and championed the introduction of the partnership-wide sweatshirt to be worn by students on Principal Learning days, so that those travelling to other sites did not feel awkward wearing their own school uniform. Steyning Grammar School, in West Sussex,


is just as proud of its star student, Henry Keet, who was a runner-up in the Delivering Diplomas Awards Student of the Year category. Henry, who is studying for the IT


BTEC Specialist Certifi cate as his specialist learning, as well as DT Resistant Materials at GCSE. Prior to receiving his national award, he was acknowledged by his school as the Engineering Student of the Year in its annual Achievement Evening. T e confi dence he has gained through


studying for the Diploma is refl ected in his willingness to participate in the life of the school generally. While in year 10, he was elected “T e


’


Student Voice” TUC Representative by Kingswood Partnership Diploma students; he chaired the Partnership Diploma Student Group; and represented the students at meetings at Airbus.


qualifi cation at Level 3 and has just completed his fi nal year at the school, has exceeded all of his targets and shown remarkable commitment to his studies, despite losing a lot of study time for hospital and doctor visits. Henry suff ers from Nephrotic Syndrome and requires regular hospital visits and medication. Christopher Bush, the school’s director of


e-learning, who nominated him, said: “He has rarely missed lessons through feeling unwell, often attending school despite being in pain or having just had an infusion at hospital. “While other students might feel sorry for


themselves in similar circumstances, Henry shrugs it off and makes a major contribution to all class discussions and team exercises. He also gives up his free time to help others and sets an excellent example to his peers with his cheerful enthusiasm for ICT.” Henry impressed so much on his work


placement that the company he was working with – Feba UK – didn’t want him to go back to school at the end of the week. Mr Bush added: “I am delighted that we were able to off er Henry the IT Diploma


Delivering Diplomas • Volume 2 No 2 Autumn 2010


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