The Role Of A Good College In Helping Students Achieve Their Academic Potential

By Author: Peter Jones
Total Articles: 7
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The support a student receives from a college plays a role in ascertaining the A-level performance. There are several factors that come into play such as low student-teacher ratio, effective teaching, appropriate learning activities and consistent monitoring of their academic progress.

Many students in the UK want to earn while learning. That is perfectly acceptable, but there is a cliché that they have to perform well in their A-levels.

Take the case of John Stewart, for instance. He wanted to take an apprenticeship with airbus, while studying for a degree. For that, he needed B’s in his A-levels. Thankfully, he surpassed that with an A* in Maths and B’s in Chemistry and Physics. John was a bit disappointed with the B’s, but invariably, he had reached what he had aimed for.

John attributed his success to his hard work and the support he had received from his college. The first reason he mentioned is something all of us are familiar with. So, let us focus on the second reason.

The college you are in has a big role to play in your education. A good college will be there to support students ...
... in achieving their potential. First of all, it will provide the students with a large variety of A-level subjects to choose from. It enables people to select courses they are interested in or want to pursue at degree level.

Student-teacher ratio at such colleges will be low, allowing teachers to give appropriate time to every student. Most studies show academic achievements are at best when the students are the right number for teachers to handle. Students who lack adequate parental support also benefit. Small classes do have a positive effect on students’ attitude and tend to improve classroom management as well as the morale of teachers.

That said, a small class alone is not enough to raise student achievement levels. It needs to be paired with effective teaching and appropriate learning activities to make a difference. A survey of high school dropouts found that most students said they would have stayed in school had they got better teachers and more individual attention.

Such a college will have a system to monitor academic progress and examination performance of the students. Pursuance of the students is assessed individually to find where teachers’ intervention is required. Examination Practice Periods (EPPs) are conducted regularly on each subject to give students a feel of the real examination session. They are also made to sit full mock examination providing their studies a final focus right before the exam.

It is also important that the college you choose offers A-Level retakes. This will help you go for retakes in case your performance has not been as expected. Otherwise, you may be forced to begin hunting for a new college.

Regular parents meetings with tutors are held to discuss a student’s academic progress. Parents are also notified about consistent absence. Senior management is always available to meet the parents or guardians for academic review.

While focusing on academic study, a leading college also recognises importance of a broad educational experience. To encourage the students’ all-round development, the college will offer them a wide range of activities. They will be provided opportunities to be involved in the wider life of the college.

The author of this article recommends Chelsea Independent College , a leading sixth form college in London. The college offers a wide array of courses along with an enriching academic environment.