Totton College Students Celebrate Their Success

Totton College hosted its annual awards evening with its highest attendance and more awards and more sponsors than ever before.  Those attending included former College Principal, Ken Johnston and College Patron, Maldwin Drummond.  The Chair of Governors, Mike Hawker, opened the evening and introduced dazzling performances from the College’s Performing Arts Department.  This included an original song, ‘Mickey’s Song, expertly performed by Gabi Barnes, Mikey Webber and Ryan Beauchamp.  Ellie Price, Gabi Barnes and Tash Crump combined well to deliver a cover version of ‘Use Somebody’.  The BTEC National Dance students impressed everyone with a high energy version of ‘Step in Time’.

Mark Bramwell, College Principal, reported another outstanding year for the College.  This included its highest ever number of students, a brilliant Ofsted Inspection and its strongest financial position.  He pointed out the only dark spot to the year was the withdrawal of Learning and Skills Council funding for 200 new build projects for colleges, including Totton.  After two years of planning, he explained how disappointed everyone in the college was in the collapse of the LSC Capital Strategy.  The Principal highlighted that the College not only helped the most able students to success with record numbers progressing to universities including Cambridge.  He also reminded the 350 present that students could have a second chance if they were prepared to take it and accept personal responsibility for their work.

The guest speaker was Professor Jane Longmore, Pro Vice Chancellor, Southampton Solent University.  She reminded the audience that this generation of young people face, in the recession, the most difficult world for decades.  Allied to this were global concerns about the environment.  However, she invited the students to consider that if their generation overcame these problems they would be considered in history as one of the most dynamic generations for a hundred years.

In closing the evening, Sarah Bishop, student governor, presented a gift to Professor Longmore in appreciation of her attendance on a very successful evening.

^{Picture: front left to right, Mike Hawker, Chair of Governors and Professor Jane Longmore, Pro Vice Chancellor, Southampton Solent University, with the award winners.}