Acknowledging the academic achievements of its Sixth Form Centre students, Selby College hosted its first Academy Awards at River Mills Ballroom, in Selby on Wednesday 26th June 2024.
20 accolades were presented throughout the evening, including a ‘Best Student’ in each subject area, the ‘Best Student’ in both year groups and the ‘Most Improved’ overall.
Karen Ralphs, Head of A Levels and Applied Science, said: “we’re delighted to be hosting our first sixth form academy awards celebrate students’ outstanding achievements across the academic year. being a student at selby college is about more than just subjects you study, we want create an environment where students can flourish both personally and academically achieve their ambitions – it’s fantastic see so many shining examples of this around room.”
Karen Ralphs, alongside Sixth Form Lecturers Edward Sanderson, Kirsty Butterworth, Lyndzay Wetherill, Peter Turner, Rana Aamir, Shelley Young, Simon Kirby and Tom Lee, presented the full list of awards, which included:
- Best in Business - Henry Toye
- Best in Law - Bethan Broadhurst
- Best in English Literature - Keira Stapleton
- Best in History - Laurie Pool
- Best in Sociology - James Wood
- Best in Geography - Sam Rodgers
- Best in English Language - Eloise Chappell
- Best in Psychology - Felicity Doherty
- Best in Biology - Chloe Kozakiewicz
- Best in Physics - James Dawson
- Best in Maths - Tom Fox-Smith
- Best in Core Maths - Evie Farmery
- Best in Chemistry - Laura Sieniek
- Best in Criminology - Emily Brewis
- Best in Applied Science - Olivia Harris
- Best in Art - Joudi Alboush
- Best in Computer Science - Eloise Chappell
Awards were also presented for the ‘Best in the Year’ with Hollie Balderson winning Best in Year 1 and George Proud taking home the Best in Year 2 award.
Anna Tune, who is studying A Level Biology, Chemistry, English Literature and Core Maths, was presented with the ‘Most Improved Student’ award.
A Level student Anna Tune, said: “I really wasn’t expecting to win the Most Improved Student award, but I’m so pleased that my hard work has been recognised. Since I first visited the College at an Open Event, I’ve always felt it has a lovely atmosphere and liked how tight knit the classes are. I love Biology and Chemistry and have been able to build my experience in these areas through practical assignments, taking part in the British Biology Olympiad competition and visits to Russell Group universities.”
Karen Ralphs (left) with Most Improved Student award winner, Anna Tune (right)
The launch of the Selby Academy Awards comes after A Level Law and Criminology students recently visited Amsterdam to learn more about its legal system.
This enabled students to investigate why crimes that are illegal in the UK are socially accepted and decriminalised in the Netherlands, with the students’ drawing comparisons between the crime rates in the cities of Amsterdam and York.
Selby College’s Sixth Form Centre aims to provide students with a stepping stone between school and university, preparing them for further study or employment.
The College secured a 99.4% pass rate for its A Level subjects in 2023, with 44% of students achieving high-grades (A*-B).
It’s Mentoring for Excellence programme has also helped students secure places at some of Britain’s top universities, including the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, the University of Manchester and more.