Firstly, it's spelt 'Aquinas'. Secondly, I've been attending for six months now, and I've been…read moreenjoying all of it. The staff are all friendly, the lessons are great and very well taught, add to that a plethora of extra curricular stuff like sports, College Magazine, Creative Writing, and even an Anime club.
The only real big problem with the college is 'Ethics', which is both annoying and pointless, and whats worse is it's an enforced part of the curriculum.
Aquinas College, in 2009 surpassed all other local colleges, including the non-state schools, and came out #1 in Stockport. It has close links with several European colleges and regularly partakes in exchanges, currently hosting the Romanian exchange (as of 5/2/09). Several trips are also part of the curriculum, including trips to Rome for Classics, Poland for History and India, for the colleges India project, of which a massive fundraising scheme has been held each year for the past 10 years. Opportunities are also present with talks from several institutions including Journalism talks from the BBC.
The latest Ofsted report described Aquinas as 'an outstanding college'. The adjective 'outstanding' was found to occur 26 times in the finished report. The report praised the friendly and positive environment for students to learn in. It was also touched upon that the use of IT was well applied to keep students engaged. Furthermore:
Teachers and support staff work very well together to provide outstanding guidance and support. The college's response to education and social inclusion is outstanding. A broad curriculum meets the needs of students very well. Alternative pathways are available for students not yet ready to study at advanced level and the college works hard to engage students who may otherwise not participate in further education. Extensive enrichment activities and voluntary work enhances students'skills. The Every Child Matters themes are embedded in all aspects of college life.
A list of Key strengths was drawn up:
- Inclusive college
- High success rates on many courses
- Very good value added on A2
- Excellent individual support for students
- Productive partnerships
- Outstanding governance
- Outstanding range of courses and enrichment activities.
Ofsted also criticized the present building as being too cramped for the current demand for students. In response, a new college is currently being constructed, with the old one being demolished upon completion.
Additional reading:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4016399.stm - Hundreds que for places at college
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominic_Monaghan - Aquinas alumni
http://www.aquinas.ac.uk/ - Aquinas website