Weston College student Libby Bunker, 16, has qualified to compete in a national gymnastic acrobatics and tumbling competition in May. 

Libby, who studies Business at Weston College and is a member of its Academy of Sport, attended the South West preliminary completion for national finals earlier this month where she achieved first place in tumbling. 

The finals, organised by the British Schools Gymnastics Association, are happening in Stoke-on-Trent on 30th April-1st May where Libby will be representing the College in tumbling.

Libby said: “This is a great opportunity to represent the College in a sport that I am passionate about and have been doing for so long.

“I feel like all my hard work is starting to pay off.”

Paul Taylor, Sports Development and Performance Manager at the College, said: “It is great to see hard work and commitment paying off.  It is very challenging combining an elite athletic and academic programme.

“We are really proud of Libby’s achievements.”

The Weston College Academy of Sport provides students with outstanding coaching, training and support. 

The programme is aimed to develop the skills that the students already have within a professional and structured environment.  

Are you interested in filmmaking but don’t know where to start? To save you searching online through pages and pages of guidance we’ve boiled it all down into five key pieces of advice for filmmaking novices…

Get out and shoot something

This is a fundamental part of our film courses, and crucial for anyone who wants to learn the art of filmmaking. Shooting as much as you can means you’ll learn about your equipment, but it doesn’t matter what you record with - you’ll still be learning what works and does not work when capturing a scene. We encourage our students to go out and film as much as possible, they make an average of 12 films over two years.

Learn to edit... it’s more accessible than ever before

Most computers and laptops these days come with basic video editing software as standard, and even on phones there are apps which can be utilised to edit recordings. At Weston College, our students have access to Adobe Premiere CC, Final Cut Pro and a huge range of supporting software. We have expert in-house tutor support on hand to guide our students through the editing process.

Upload your footage and test audience reaction

This means you’ll get valuable feedback on your work which you could use to improve your filmmaking. Our students regularly present their films to peers and tutors for feedback. You could upload your films to YouTube, Facebook or your own website, and when you’re confident enough submit them to film or art festivals. Our students’ films have screened at local cinemas including the Odeon, Watershed, Arnolfini and the Cube in recent years.

Watch everything you can

We encourage our students to watch a lot of films. The more you watch, the more you will be inspired to create. You can also pick up on other filmmakers’ techniques by watching their films, and recreate them to enhance your creations. At Weston College most of the tutors are working filmmakers themselves, and are able to give our students further insight into the filmmaking process.

Don’t give up. Keep creating, learning and refining

Every filmmaker has things that go wrong or wishes they could reshoot certain films, and even the best directors have flops. The more attempts you make, the more you will learn about filmmaking and the greater your chance at success.

We offer our students every opportunity to hone their skills; working on their own, with their peers and on industry based projects throughout their time with us. This intensive exposure to filmmaking is the best way of preparing you for your footsteps in the industry, in whichever direction they may go.

Want to find out more? Our film and media courses cover the basics of filmmaking and more!

We've been invited to Buckingham Palace to pick up one of the most important educational prizes in the country: the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education.

The award is the latest of a string of successes that the College has seen in recent years since the appointment of Dr Paul Phillips CBE as Principal and Chief Executive.

What is a Queen’s Anniversary Prize?

The Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education are awarded to leading colleges and universities every two years, and reward excellence, innovation and positive impact on the community. It is generally thought of as equivalent to an Honour but applied to an institution. It is a nation-wide award that is considered to be the most prestigious in the education sector. For further information on the Queen’s Anniversary Prize please visit www.royalanniversarytrust.org.uk

What did we win it for?

The Royal Anniversary Trust judges acknowledged our pioneering approach to outstanding inclusive practice. They recognised that Weston College’s dedicated special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision had delivered impact at a local, regional, national and international level. The College has been recognised for creating world class facilities delivering aspirational provision to over 1000 students requiring additional support. Continuous high performance has been driven by strong leadership from the very top, which has placed empowerment and personalisation at the heart of the College’s strategic plans.

Judges could see that our excellent delivery has allowed the sharing of best practice in order to improve outcomes for other disadvantaged groups including ex-offenders and the long term unemployed. They also recognised that the College’s award-winning provision showed how staff, learners and employers have worked together to “value people” and to create inclusive social mobility for all.

Why is inclusive practice important to us?

Our focus on inclusive practice is led by our Principal and Chief Executive, Dr Paul Phillips CBE, who believes that our students should be put first and that all of our students should be able to enjoy the same high-quality teaching, facilities and support regardless of their background and abilities. He was inspired by the 2001 White Paper titled “Valuing People – A New Strategy for Learning Disability in the 21st Century”.

What does this mean for our students with SEND?

Students at the College can expect to achieve results that are consistently above the national benchmark, with 97% of learners with SEND progressing into employment, further learning or higher education. They can also expect to study in purpose-built facilities that enable them to fulfil their full learning potential. They are taught and supported by highly-qualified specialist staff through personalised programmes of study, which are dynamically and innovatively based on an empowerment model which promotes independence rather than dependency.