Tin tức từ Bellerbys London

Bellerbys’ Top Students Win Well-deserved Prizes

The Bellerbys London teachers have had a few sleepless nights recently. They had a lot on their minds and some tough decisions to make. Is it because this is the time of year when they have to mark the students' exams and coursework? No, it wasn't that at all. The reason they have had a tough time is that each teacher had to choose their best students to be awarded prizes at the annual prize-giving ceremony. To only choose one student from each class when we have so many great young people in every class was an almost impossible task!

Anyway, after a lot of thinking the teachers did choose the students they felt had performed outstandingly throughout the year. One extra special person was selected from each Foundation, A Level, Pre-Masters, GCSE, and ELPP group in the college. The prize-giving ceremony itself was held in a large hall at the University of Greenwich, with students, teachers and the college’s management team walking down together in the morning sunshine.

With all the students packed into the hall, eagerly awaiting the announcement of who would be the best student in their class, the teachers came up one by one and called the top students to the stage to receive a special certificate and an academic book selected especially for them. The teachers also made a little speech each, celebrating the hugely impressive qualities of these students. From a high level of personal ambition and drive, to a real curiosity for their subject, each of them demonstrated something special in their studies this year and it was great to get a chance to really give them the credit they richly deserve.

During the ceremony, college Principal Andy Quin and Academic Director Paul Langman also made memorable speeches. Andy told the students how proud he was of them for taking on the difficult challenge of living and studying abroad, and succeeding brilliantly. He even told some funny stories of when he was in Italy as a young man, making some silly cultural mistakes as he initially struggled to learn the language and customs! As Andy highlighted, our students do deserve a great deal of credit for having the positive personalities to really make studying abroad such a rewarding experience for themselves.

What would you do if you had the keys to the world’s most powerful computer? This was the question Academic Director Paul asked the students during his speech. Paul’s point here was that the students really do have the keys because the world's most powerful computer is the human brain! This was an inspirational idea that reminded our learners of the need to fulfill their potential and realise how they are capable of academic excellence, both at Bellerbys and once they go off to university.

Unfortunately, the list of prize-winning students is too long to publish here. But their names will be up in lights soon as they will no doubt keep working towards further outstanding achievements in their fields of study. Besides this, there were also so many of their classmates who didn’t win prizes on this occasion, but also performed tremendously throughout the academic year just gone. Year after year the Bellerbys students are making it harder and harder for their teachers to choose only one winner from a class of champions. It looks like more sleepless nights for the teachers again next year!

Read our Life After Bellerbys College blog and see how some of our graduates are doing at university

The ceremony took place at the University of Greenwich

Students with their certificates of achievement

Bellerbys London 2010 Graduation Ball Boat Party

It looked just like an exclusive premiere for a Hollywood film... elegant dresses, slick and stylish suits, cameras flashing everywhere and lots of lovely smiling faces. However, the stars of this party were not Hollywood's A-list celebrities, but Bellerbys London's A-list of students and staff! This was one of the highlights of the year – the 2010 Graduation Ball to celebrate the achievements of students finishing their A Level, Foundation, and Pre-Masters courses.

As always, everybody made a wonderful effort to look their very best and both guys and girls impressed with their stylish suits and dresses. The ball took place on board a boat the college had hired for the evening and we cruised romantically along the River Thames for a great early summer evening under the stars.

The students provided some fantastic entertainment in the form of dances and musical performances, highlighting again their creativity and energy. The creativity and energy we will miss as many of them will now be leaving to start their new adventures at university.

It is always sad to say goodbye to our students when they leave, but what a great way to do it! To share an evening like this together and create memories that all of us will be able to look back on fondly. Business Foundation student Tatiana from Russia, who helped to organise the event along with teacher Sara Bewes, said "It was such a special evening. Everybody looked amazing and just getting us all together like this makes you realise what a great little family we've had here at Bellerbys".

It's great for the teachers too to be able to take off their strict and professional faces off for a few hours and just hang out with their great students! Economics teacher Rene Bradford certainly values this. "It's just lovely to spend time together and relax after all the hard work everyone has put in throughout the year", says Rene. "I'm definitely going to miss these guys – as well as being excellent students, they are truly lovely people that have given a lot to the school".

Pre-Masters student Pouria from Iran, who will also be leaving Bellerbys to start a Business Masters in September, shares Rene's sentiments. "There are a lot of cool people here", says Pouria. "The boat party was an excellent way to let our hair down and hang out together before everyone does their own thing after the summer break".

Maybe a boat party is perfect in another way too – just like water, everyone's lives need to keep flowing in new and exciting directions. We will miss them tremendously, but can't wait to see them when they visit us next year. We are also already looking forward to next year's celebrations for the next generation of cool, Hollywood style Bellerbys celebrities! After all, this is the most exclusive club in town!

Students enjoy a Thames River Cruise at the 2010 Graduation Party

The Thames Cruise passes London's Tower Bridge

London Media Student Takes Prize in Film Competition

The first Bellerbys College Student Film Competition was recently held across our four colleges. The students were given the brief of making a film on the subject of; "A Day in the Life of a Bellerbys College Student" and were given free reign to be as creative as possible.

The aim of this competition was two-fold: to give our creative students a platform for exercising their film making skills and also to demonstrate to new students what life is a like as a Bellerbys student - as told from their perspective.

In addition, the competition also offered the winner and two runners-up prizes of Amazon vouchers (totalling £350) as well as the prestige of having their work showcased on the web.

The panel of judges were extremely impressed with all the students' creativity and enthusiasm.

Ngo Hong Vinh from Vietnam, an 18 year Media Foundation student at Bellerbys London produced an innovative and humourous film and took the second prize in the competition.

Vinh and Media Foundation tutor Rui Vinh said: "It was great fun to be involved in the project and it's cool that I get a prize even though I didn't finish in first place! It was pretty challenging shooting the whole thing from a first person point-of-view (POV) style as I couldn't always get realistic angles. I got around that obstacle by sticking the camera into a box and putting the box on my head! I'm now known as Mr. Boxhead! I think the film gives a good picture of how dynamic Media Studies can be. It's really creative and it's cool to be able to see your finished ideas."

Bellerbys London Media Foundation teacher Rui da Silva said: "I'm really proud of Vinh. He is an awesome student; always full of ideas and always extremely funny too! When he first came to me with the idea of shooting a POV film, I told him it would be challenging, but I think he more than met the challenge and created a great little film. It's really fun and shows the character of our students here. I can't wait to see Vinh's future projects!"

Vinh plans to study Media & Communications at the renowned Goldsmith's University in Greenwich, London.

Well done to all the students who took part in the competition. See Vinh's entry below:

Bellerbys College Student Film Competition - One Day in Bellerbys

Watch more videos on the Bellerbys College YouTube channel

Chinese Students can see more videos on YouKu

Bellerbys Students visit London's Design Museum

Just down by the River Thames, not far from London Bridge, is a wonderful little hidden treasure. The Design Museum might not be as well-known as other museums in the capital, such as the British Museum or the Science Museum, but it certainly has many charms of its own. Luckily for some of our students, they got a chance to visit last week thanks to teachers Rene Bradford, Andree Jenni and Rui da Silva, who set up coursework tasks which linked in with the museum's current exhibitions.

The first floor gave the students a chance to check out the Brit Insurance Designs of the Year, highlighting some of the world's most innovative design projects. For example, the latest EyeWriter technology, which allows people with physical disabilities to draw graffiti only by moving their eyes. And the amazingly slick BMW Gina Light Visionary car, made from, would you believe, fabric! It was a fascinating insight into contemporary design and it was difficult for students to choose only their two BMW Car at Design Museum favourite designs to take notes on.

"Personally, I really liked the hydrogen car and the electric superbike", said Alex from China. "It's interesting to see how designers are trying to solve environmental problems in these ways, and still making the designs look so cool". Alex's choices highlight how our ELPP students have recently been studying the topic of the environment and the museum visit was chosen because these exhibitions linked in so well with this.

In fact, the second floor exhibition was titled 'Sustainable Futures' and focused even more directly on eco-friendly design projects, including the world's first carbon-neutral city in Abu Dhabi. "That was cool, but what stood out for me was the new Puma shoe bag", said Alex's classmate Nikolay from Bulgaria. "It's a nice, attractive design and so people might change their buying habits, especially with the World Cup in Africa coming up soon". Puma's eco-friendly bag was just one of a number of very exciting initiatives which we will all probably be hearing more about soon.

In the meantime, students will be producing their own projects, in the form of coursework based on their visit to the Design Museum. Some of their work (posters designed on the Eduglogster.com website) will be shown soon on this news page. So, from a teacher's point of view, what are the benefits of such a trip?

English teacher Andree thinks there are many. "Not only does it get students out and about exploring all the cultural treasures in London", says Andree. "But it also inspires their own creativity and helps them apply the things they learn in class to the real world out there." Andree’' comments remind us that education is not just about what you learn academically in the classroom, but also about how you develop yourself creatively and socially.

We'll definitely be planning more interesting and useful trips in the next few weeks and months… especially with the summer sun just about to welcome us. Then maybe we can be solar-powered too!

London's Design Museum is just five kilometres from Bellerbys College London. Find out more about current exhibitions at the Design Museum Website.

Bellerbys Teachers win Football Battle

Some of the teachers at Bellerbys College London were all smiles last week as they came into the staffroom. Was it because summer is just around the corner? Or because their students are such a funny and lively bunch? All that is true, but there was also another special reason for their good mood… their crushing 10-4 victory in a football match against sister school Embassy’s teachers!

Before the game, there had been a lot of staffroom talk about who would come out on top. Jokes about the other team were flying around all week. The Embassy teachers looked fitter and stronger, and the Bellerbys teachers were not exactly confident. When the match kicked off, however, they played a great tactical game, with English teacher Jules Perdikou the star man as he scored four goals and set up numerous others.

Bellerbys College London Staff after winning Even college Principal Andy Quin got involved in the action, although he couldn't find the net even after taking about 17 shots! "It was great game", said teammate Rui da Silva, our Media teacher. "Maybe next time we should play the Embassy girls, they might give us more competition!"

With that kind of competitive talk, it won't be long before another game is scheduled so Embassy can get their revenge! There has also been talk of an upcoming match between Bellerbys teachers and students and Embassy teachers and students. With World Cup 2010 in South Africa just around the corner, our international students are feeling the football fever. Let the games (and the talk) begin!

Meet some of the staff at Bellerbys London

Nowruz – Happy Iranian New Year!

Lunchtime is always pretty lively at Bellerbys College London as people find time to relax and have fun between classes, but this week was even livelier than usual, with our Iranian students celebrating Nowruz, the Iranian New Year.

Our catering manager Donald Sweeney planned a special menu with a beautiful Iranian lamb dish to help the students get a taste of home. "It's great to get a chance to celebrate the different cultures we have at the school," says Donald. "Food is a big part of any culture of course."

And not only did we have food, but also many other wonderful symbols, traditionally associated with New Year celebrations in Iran. Students at Bellerbys celebrate Nowruz with symbols of rebirth Translated into English as 'new day', Nowruz is a time of rebirth and growth. Our students brought many things to school, and displayed them in the canteen to celebrate this ‘new day’. We asked one of the students, Behnaz (who is studying on the Foundation Art & Design course) to explain what each thing symbolised.

"Well, the plant represents rebirth, with the colour green giving feelings of growth. The garlic is like a medicine to get rid of sickness and be strong. The coins symbolise wealth and the apple is a sign of health," explained Behnaz. "Besides that, the candle brings light of course, while the water brings purification for the new year."

Especially in a school context, where students need to keep mentally focused and positive to do well in their studies, it was wonderful to be able to celebrate all these wonderful messages of growth and positive energy for the year ahead. But what happens back in Iran at this Students at Bellerbys celebrate Nowruz time of year?

"Well," says Behnaz. "One thing is that we visit older people in our families and they give us money!" That sounds pretty good to us! Maybe we should all go to Iran for next year's celebrations! Nowruz lasts for about two weeks and on the 13th day people go out into nature to get rid of the bad luck normally associated with the number 13.

It was certainly lucky for us to learn more about Nowruz this year. Here's wishing everybody health, wealth and happiness for the year ahead.

Join the Bellerbys London Facebook group for more news and pictures

It's an Emergency… Get Me Some Paper!

Have you ever seen somebody wearing a jacket made from brown paper, or a dress inspired by seahorses? Well, at Bellerbys College London we have, thanks to the latest project from the Foundation Art & Design students. Why such interesting and strange creations?

Teacher Rosie Montford gave the students a very specific and challenging task: to imagine there was an emergency situation and make some kind of shelter using only easily available materials. Rosie termed these designs 'wearable shelters', with students actually wearing their creations in a fashion parade at the college last week.

There were some great designs, not least Billy from China's fantastic paper jacket, complete with beautifully designed buttons and pockets for emergency supplies! "It was really interesting to make clothes for the first time and I feel great in this," Bellerbys London Art Foundation student Qian in her design says Billy. "I'm actually going to study 3D design at university, but I think doing a variety of different projects really helps to bring out all our creativity."

More specifically, Rosie set this up as a crossover project between fashion and architecture, encouraging students to understand the multidisciplinary nature of Art & Design studies. Before getting their own hands dirty, the class went to see the work of well-known contemporary designer Ron Arad to get some inspiration. They were then each given a box by Rosie and had to design something which represented the concept of 'home' to them.

Judging by their fantastic designs, the students responded well to all these ideas and came up with their own innovations. Qian from China's wonderful seahorse-based dress really stole the show. Hoping to study fashion design at university, Qian says "This kind of project really appeals to me as you have the freedom to base your clothes on anything, from architecture to sculpture to nature. It took me ages to make it, but it would be nice to look glamorous even in an emergency!"

Bellerbys London Art Foundation students Areej from Oman also drew inspiration from nature and architecture for her dress design. "Basically, I combined some building shapes, with floral patterns to come up with my finished piece," she says. Both Rosie and school principal Andy Quin were really impressed, not only with the level of innovation shown, but also with the way the students worked together during the week's project. As Rosie nicely puts it, "For a teacher, it's really a great feeling to see students working together like this, supporting and inspiring each other all the way."

So, if you're ever in an emergency, just call on our Art & Design group and they'll be sure to help... and to make you look pretty cool at the same time!

Find ot more about Foundation Art & Design at Bellerbys College

Move Over Hollywood… Make Room for Bellywood!

Yes, it is true that we recently had The Oscars ceremony in Hollywood, but who cares?! At Bellerbys London we've had a far more interesting event to keep us entertained: the 2010 Student Film Night!

Six short films entirely written, produced and directed by our Foundation Media students were shown to an audience of over 100 students and teachers, alongside three films kindly sent over from Cambridge by Media teacher Peter Jenkins. It was a truly wonderful night and the students should be extremely proud of their efforts.

College principal Andy Quin was taken aback by the quality of their films stating, "These are some of the Students watch films at the Bellerbys London film night best student-produced films I've seen in my time at the college. Especially considering this was their first time ever making a film, you have to say they did a great job in only two months."

We all had a really great time, with many laughs, cheers and moments of sadness as the films took us on a journey of different emotions. At the end everyone got to vote for their favourite film – won this year by The Click, made by Vinh from Vietnam/Ukraine, and Nastya and Ksenia from Russia. All the films, however, demonstrated the students' understanding of a wide range of film techniques and editing skills, developed during the Film Module on their Foundation Media course.

Teacher Rui da Silva thoroughly enjoyed working with them and watching their projects grow from initial ideas to the finished products shown at the film night. "It was a pleasure working with these guys," says Rui. "They showed great Students presented with awards at the Bellerbys London film night creativity and applied their theoretical knowledge and technical skills really well to their films. This is one of the great things about teaching and studying Media: we have something tangible to show people and to keep beyond the course."

Maybe you are curious about the films…? Well, fortunately we have now put them on the Bellerbys channel on YouTube. Check them out on the links below and please leave comments for the students to know what you think. You can find all the student names on YouTube under their films.

1. The Click
2. Blind Love Part 1 and Blind Love Part 2
3. Farewell My Dear
4. A Second Chance
5. Leaves Fall
6. Love Virus

Enjoy the films and take a note of the names – these students will be doing great things in the future we're sure.

Sweet Tooth Students Enjoy Teachers’ Cakes!

Every year there's a day at Bellerbys London when students rush out of the class at break-time as fast as their legs can carry them. Is it because their classes are so boring that they can't wait to get out? Of course not! There’s a more interesting, sweeter explanation… the annual cake sale! This is the day in our calendar when teachers make cakes and sell them to raise money for our school charity Building Futures.

This year's event was a great success, with all the teachers' cakes sold during the two break times! There was a wonderful, colourful range of sweet treats on display and students wasted no time in finishing off every crumb. Interestingly, many of them chose their own teachers' cakes to try out! But how were they really? "My teacher James Arteaga's banana chocolate cake was really good", said Mehdi Students at the Bellerbys London Cake Sale 2010 from Iran. "And I’m not just saying that to get good marks!"

In fact, English teacher James' cake was so popular that Lei from China bought all the remaining pieces in one go! Stiff competition came from Business teacher Greg Clifford's cheesecake, however, with Kubra from Azerbaijan calling it "Absolutely lovely!", and Nao from Japan saying how "I want to eat cakes like this every day, but I really put the weight on so I'm glad this is only once a year!"

Apart from the taste sensations provided by the teachers, the cake sale also managed to raise a tremendous £316.89 for our charity. Study Group then doubles this amount, so the final figure for the event was £633.78. We really appreciate the generosity of our students. This money goes to projects in developing communities which focus on building schools for underprivileged children. So far, the Bellerbys London Cake Sale 2010 Building Futures scheme, in partnership with the charity Plan International, have risen well over £200,000 which has been used to build and develop schools in China, Brazil, Indonesia, and Benin. The latest project is in Vietnam.

Sara Bewes, our Extra Activities Coordinator who organises the cake sale every year, was really pleased with how things went. "It was a fantastic effort from everyone and the teachers' cakes were the best yet", she said. "I would also really like to thank Gaini from Kazakhstan, Danny from Hong Kong, and Saeol from South Korea who gave up their time to help us sell the cakes on the day. They made a great team!"

We all made a great team in fact. Some baking, some eating, and everybody benefitting! Except for those extra calories and kilos Nao was worried about! Maybe next year we should have a health food sale instead… although I'm not sure the students will be rushing out of the class for that!

Certificates and Inspiration for Our New Scholarship Students!

One of the great things about being in a successful academic environment like Bellerbys is that you don't have to look very far to find positive inspiration. Bellerbys London recently held a small certificate-giving ceremony for it's newest scholarship students. These highly impressive young people, full of potential and about to study their A Levels are:

Pei Hwa SIM (Malaysia)
Nhat Ha NGUYEN (Vietnam)
Adrian LAU (Malaysia)
Bernice BOON (Malaysia)

Bellerbys London scholarship presentation A presentation ceremony was held where each scholarship student was presented with a certificate from Bellerbys London principal Andy Quin. The event was opened by A Level Programme Manager Erin Robinson, who first presented a picture of some other high-achievers... last year's scholarship group! Erin wanted to show the new guys how their predecessors had lived up to our high expectations of them, having finished their first year of A Levels with outstanding results.

From last year's group, Aigul from Kazakhstan achieved As in every subject and has university offers to study Engineering at Cambridge, Imperial College and UCL. Similarly, Danny from Hong Kong recorded straight As and will have to decide whether to study at Cambridge, Durham, UCL or Warwick. Not wishing to be left behind by her friends, Diep from Vietnam has offers to study Management Science at LSE and CASS Business School (City University).

Bellerbys London scholarship presentation So, it is clear that our new scholarship students have a lot to live up to. This is not a source of pressure, however, but a source of inspiration, as our Academic Director Paul Langman pointed out in his speech to the students. "What makes last year's scholars so successful is not only that they are trying their best to do well, but that they have a real passion for and deep interest in their subjects", explained Paul. "Only the very best students have the focus to always pursue further knowledge and it is this kind of inquiring mind that will help you achieve great things at university and beyond".

We certainly have high hopes for our new scholars. Not only that they will achieve outstanding individual success, but also that their hard work and overall contribution will enrich the life of the school and inspire the future generations of scholars who will come after them.

Find out more about scholarships at Bellerbys College.

Bellerbys London Media Teacher Falls in Love with Russia

Our Foundation Media teacher Rui da Silva is feeling a little sad as he has just returned from a trip to Russia and misses everything about the country, from the beautiful snowy landscapes to the exceptional warmth of the people and even the amazing soups!

"It was a really memorable experience", says Rui. "It's such a fascinating place, with so much culture and diversity. Of course the people are always the highlight of any positive travel experience and I was lucky enough to meet a lot of students, parents and teachers, as well as my tremendous colleagues in Moscow. Oh, and I can't forget the great food, especially the soups. I really didn't know that Russian food was so good!"

Rui with Ekaterina and Irina Rui began to cheer up once he started reminiscing about his travels! His trip included a number of school visits, education fairs and meetings with students who are interested in studying in the UK. Along with his colleagues, Ekaterina Bryzgalova and Irina Pyatashikhina, he first travelled from Moscow to the Urals region, visiting the cities of Ufa, Chelyabinsk, and Ekaterinburg.

"It was great to visit some of the places that our existing students come from", says Rui. "I taught some lessons in a number of schools and met some really impressive young people. I hope they join us in the future! Both their English and their energy were outstanding and we had a lot of fun". The aim Rui teaches the students about concepts in journalism of these masterclasses in each school is for the students to be able to experience a typical lesson at Bellerbys College. Rui found these lessons gave the students a valuable insight into the kind of interactive, student-centred teaching style favoured in the UK.

"We did two media lessons on the use of ESPs (emotional selling points) in advertising and on writing attention-grabbing articles in a journalistic style, using the inverted pyramid approach", he says. "The students got a chance not only to learn these concepts, but also to get into groups and do some creative work of their own. Their ideas were really sharp and I'm planning to use some of them in my teaching! When we give them the opportunity to take creative responsibility like this, students gain confidence and produce really excellent work!"

Unfortunately for Rui, the lessons were over too soon and the day came for him to return to London. Luckily, he had the chance to visit Moscow again on route where he was shown around Red Square and various other well-known sights.

All in all, it was a great experience for Rui who highlights, "... how lucky we all are at Bellerbys to be working every day with people from all over the world. Learning from each other and sharing our cultures is surely one of the most fundamental aspects of international education."

Now bank in London, Rui is craving some of those soups and is wondering if his Russian students can make him some 'solyanka' or 'shi'. He says that would certainly put them in his good books!

Bellerbys College welcomes students from over 120 countries. Meet some of our recent graduates

Bellerbys Students Go To ‘Skins’ TV Premiere at the British Film Institute

Students met with the stars of Skins at the BFI premiere One good thing about being a Bellerbys student (and teacher!) is that you get a chance to go to a lot of cool events for knock-down prices. Thanks to Andrew Jackson, our social programme coordinator, students last week were able to go to the premiere of the new series of hit TV show Skins for just £5! It was a fantastic night out with a screening of the first episode of the new series on a HD cinema screen, followed by a Q&A (Question and Answer) session with the writers, the director, and two of the show’s stars.

Skins has become one of the most popular shows on UK Television. It follows the lives of a group of teenagers and is famous for showing teenage life in a much more realistic way than other shows in the genre. In fact, many of the writers are actually teenagers themselves, and the cast changes every two years, with young, inexperienced actors given a chance to ‘make it big’. This is a pretty unique way of making a TV show and it was fascinating to hear the writers, directors and cast explain the concept and how it works behind the scenes.

So, how did our students enjoy this unique event at the British Film Institute (BFI)? Leyla from Russia said “it was a great experience, especially as it was my first time visiting this kind of open show with a discussion at the end”. Rosanna from Hong Kong and Katarina from Serbia agreed with Leyla, saying how “it was so much fun and the actors were really cool”.

A very happy Bellerbys student meets Cook, lead character of Skins Some of the students who attended the evening are currently on the Bellerbys London Foundation Media course and this kind of experience is valuable to them as they learn about the TV and film industries, before going off to university. Those interested in studying journalism also benefit from observing the journalism techniques used in this kind of Q&A session.

And what about the show itself? What do our students think of Skins? Ksenia from Russia says “I like the idea, as only young people can create something as realistic as this about their own lives. It’s quite unique in this way”. Yeon Ju from South Korea is also a big fan, especially of main character Cook! “He’s so cool”, she says. “I’m in love with him!” In fact, Yeon Ju and friend Vivi from Hong Kong were able to meet actor Jack O’Connell, along with other cast members, after the show. We’ve never seen them so excited!

All in all, it was a really fun and educational night out. And this is the beauty of London: there are always cultural and artistic things like this going on. The Southbank is a great place to start with the BFI, the National Theatre and the Southbank Centre all within walking distance of each other. Films, plays, art and music for us all to enjoy in 2010. Bring on the next event!

Meet some Bellerbys London students

Get some advice about studying at Bellerbys College

The 2010 Young Enterprise Team is Ready For Business!

The Bellerbys London Young Enterprise group Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and for a smart group of our A Level and Foundation Business and Economics students, this means not only love, but also the chance to make some money… selling balloons!

Since last term, these students have been involved in the Young Enterprise Programme – a national and Europe-wide scheme run by the Young Enterprise organisation where young people in schools and colleges get a chance to set up their own businesses in a real-life context. As Business teacher Dan Anthony says, “the students go through real-world procedures of setting up a company, devising a business plan, thinking about their marketing strategy and actually making and selling their product”. To do this effectively, each student is given a specific role in the company and get together for regular meetings.

Our current Young Enterprise group had the great idea of making and selling ‘photo balloons’ where customers can get photos of their own or others’ faces on their balloons! Part of their marketing strategy is to launch the product on Valentine’s week, when love is in the air and gifts are given, so if all goes well they’ll be making a nice profit.

But apart from making money, what else do they get from being involved on the programme? “Well, it’s a great first experience”, says Christian from Moldova, who was appointed Human Resources Manager of the new company. “We are learning about business directly, as well as learning key teamwork skills, which are now in big demand in real business”. Christian’s friend, Nursultan from Kazakhstan, agrees that it has already been a really worthwhile experience. “This is my chance to see how it feels to actually run a business. I’m sure our mistakes will help us in the future.”

Christian and Nursultan are just two of the 16 students who make up the ‘photo balloon’ team and they are all currently busy organising things before the big product launch. They are being helped not only by teachers Claire Marcouse, Dan Anthony, and Sara Bewes, but also by a Young Enterprise representative and a business advisor who come in to advise them. However, the teachers take a hands-off approach to helping, as students are encouraged to make and learn from their own mistakes.

So, what’s next? Well, if all goes well, the team will be setting up a stall at the famous Greenwich Market (just down the road from the school) and selling their balloons to the public there. They’ll be competing against students from many other schools in South East London, however, so it won’t be easy! Young Enterprise representatives will choose the best business and the winning team goes through to the London-wide round. Following this, it’s the national competition for schools all over the UK, before the final round of competition at the Europe-wide level.

Let’s wish the Bellerbys London team luck in their business venture. As teacher Sara Bewes points out, “This is quite a unique opportunity for our students as it’s a risk-free environment to learn in. It allows them to use their initiative and to be innovative, as well as learning how to change their minds when they’ve made a bad decision”.

Certainly, the decision to join the programme was a fantastic one. Let’s hope customers in Greenwich make a good decision too and buy a ‘photo balloon’ this Valentine’s day! We’ll be keeping up with the team’s progress, so check out this news page soon for updates on the Young Enterprise team.

Find out more about studying Business Foundation and Business A Level at Bellerbys

Bellerbys London Celebrates Their Wonderful Homestay Families

Bellerbys Homestay is an accommodation service which places students with vetted host families. This provides our students with a secure and supportive home environment and also the opportunity to rapidly develop their language skills by practicing everyday spoken English at home.

Late last year, Bellerbys London invited all of its valued Homestay families to the annual college Christmas party. Lorraine Welham (Accommodation & Student Services Manager), Jennifer William (Homestay Accommodation Officer), and Claudia Corti (Accommodation Assistant) organised a superb buffet with the help of Donald Sweeney (Head Chef) and his hard-working team.

Dozens of our wonderful Homestay families came to chat to us and each other about this important part of our service. The school awarded prizes to the best Homestays, based on consistently high scores received in the year end course feedback.

Bellerbys Homestay Mother Lyndia Bowers with Andy & Lorraine The winners were Lyndia Bowers (pictured right, with pincipal Andy Quin and Lorraine) whose student Yigit Cirdi wrote in her questionnaire: "When I was ill Lyndia looked after me like my mum". Otehr winners included, Michael & Jackie Simpson, whose student Daria Zhgun wrote: "Jackie is a wonderful person and made my stay at her home unforgettable!"); June Magloire (Marlene Lopes wrote: "All the family is kind and understanding. I felt very special there and I am going to miss them a lot"); and Shirley Blake, who was also a winner in 2008 (Viktoriia Barkova wrote: "Shirley is friendly, cheerful, caring, supportive. You feel at home, in a family circle. Delicious and healthy food, clean and comfortable room.")

The Homestays were full of praise for our students and the support of our accommodation team. One said, "The vast majority of your students are very polite and well-behaved, even though they must feel very strange sometimes, especially if they've come from far away maybe for the first time and perhaps to stay here for a very long time. And what amazes me is that they are all serious students who are always asking for help with their homework!"

Find out more about Homestay accommodation at Bellerbys College.

See more pictures of our Homestay families party on Flickr.

A Level 'Dream Team' Come Third in the Senior Maths Team Challenge

What amazing students we have! Four of our A Level Maths students arrived back at the college recently with slightly sad faces even though they had just achieved a fantastic third place in the regional Senior Team Maths Challenge! This is an annual event where students from different schools in the area compete against each other. Danny, Chris and Rocky from Hong Kong, along with 'faster than a calculator' Khalid from Azerbaijan, made up the Bellerbys London team this year and certainly did us proud with an excellent result. So why the sad faces?

"We're a bit disappointed with third, to be honest," said Rocky. "We started a bit slowly in the first round and then we did great in the next Maths teacher John McDarby presenting a certificate two rounds, but it was just too late to catch up!" Maths teacher John McDarby, who along with fellow teacher Clive Cubitt helped prepare the team with lots of extra lessons after school, said this slight disappointment was a great sign. "It shows how they have set themselves amazingly high standards," said John. "It was an absolutely wonderful performance and it's amazing really that they were able to get ready in just a couple of months. The other schools have a lot more time to prepare and on top of that of course, English is not our students' first language, so it's absolutely brilliant what they've achieved."

The guys certainly had a great time, with Danny describing it as, "a really exceptional experience, especially getting the chance to compete with other students from different schools." He also said "It was cool to go in Clive's car!"

Maths Challenge students with Pricipal Andy and Maths tutor John Maths teacher, Clive drove the team to the event as usual. "I'm really happy," he said. "It's a great achievement and it shows them what maths is really about – tackling puzzles and problems. It's also fantastic for the students to get involved in a team project, as sometimes maths study is quite individual. It's a lot of fun when done socially." Khalid certainly agrees, saying how it was "Really exciting to test your knowledge in a live event like this."

Would the guys like to do it again? "Definitely, yes!" Chris says he "Would jump at the chance to have another go at this kind of competition... and finish first next time!" With this kind of ambition, we're confident the Bellerbys Maths 'Dream Team' will go on to a very bright future.

In the meantime, the Maths teachers and Bellerbys London Principal Andy Quin organised a prize-giving ceremony, with the students presented with certificates and books. Books about what? Maths of course! After all, we never stop learning.

Find out how you can study Maths A Level, Maths GCSE and Maths in the Engineering Foundation course at Bellerbys College.

Pre-Masters Students Present Their Business Ideas

After working hard and rushing around all term to get their ideas together, the day finally came last Friday for our Pre-Masters students: the day of their final Business presentations! In groups of three they worked on an original business idea to improve college life, do some market research, devise a business plan and the present all their findings to the class.

The results were pretty impressive, with innovatiove ideas ranging from The Laundry Co, a really convenient and well-planned laundry service for students, to a photo service called The Moments, where students could order well-presented pictures and yearbooks of their time at Bellerbys College. In order to pitch their ideas accurately, each team had to interview and survey other students at the school, as well as having a meeting with the Principal, Andy Quin, to get his feedback on their plans.

Bellerbys London Pre-Masters student presenting It looks like this work paid off, with the students producing some quite professional presentations, according to Business teachers Sara Bewes and Dan Anthony. The ideas were generally well thought out and the presentations themselves were delivered confidently, with some impressive research skills shown.

They might have looked cool and confident on the outside, but some of our student presenters were a little nervous behind the scenes! Chinwe from Nigeria admits that she found it, "A bit nerveracking at first, but luckily we got better by the time we did the last presentation." And did she enjoy the experience overall? "I found the whole thing really useful" says Chinwe. "It helped me develop more confidence and much better presentation skills. I would definitely do it again despite the nerves!"

Bellerbys London Pre-Masters student presenting Eva from Spain, one of The Laundy Co's presenters, echoes these thoughts and feels that these kinds of presentations are an important part of a Pre-Masters course. "They're obviously good preparation for when we go to university" says Eva. "You see what it's like to do research and how to work in a team. You get to see the strengths and weaknesses of each person and then decide how you can maximize everyone's strengths". These are key skills for academic life at university and it was good to see our students embrace the teamwork aspect so enthusiastically.

So, what else did they learn? "Well, during the research, you find out a lot of interesting things that you probably didn't know before" says Eugene, one of Eva's groupmates. "For example, you find out how often people wash their clothes! But also, more seriously, you learn how that particular area of business works, what the finances are like and how the market operates."

All in all, it seems this was a successful and enjoyable project for the Pre-Masters students. Learning in such an active and collaborative way can only benefit them when they go to university. That will be nerveracking too initially, but we're sure that by developing these practical skills, they will go on to do really well on their Masters courses in 2010.

Find our now how best to be prepared for Masters at a UK university, by taking the Bellerbys Pre-Masters course.

Foundation Art Students Draw Inspiration from Exhibition Visits

Just staying in the classroom or workshop all day can get a little boring, even for the best students! That's why it's important to do something different from time to time and seek some new inspiration outside the classroom. Luckily for our Foundation Art & Design students, they get to go out about once a week on study trips to the very best museums and art galleries in London and there have been some great trips this term to inspire their work and fuel their creativity.

One of the highlights was the Telling Tales exhibition at the V&A (Victoria and Albert Museum). This showcased contemporary furniture and ceramic designs based on fairy tales. "There was just so much originality and variety", says Behnaz from Iran, who started the Bellerbys London Art trip to the V&A museum Foundation course in September after successfully passing our ELPP course. "I particularly liked the chair designs; they were structurally really interesting, though you couldn't sit down on them!".

Behnaz's interest actually led to the design of her own chair as part of her coursework. This was based on the ancient Persian mythological figure of the Simurgh. "Well, Simurgh is a kind of bird", she explains. "It's a wise bird that goes around helping people, so I decided to base my chair design on the structure of a bird, looking at how they sit and stand." Using the sketches she made at the V&A, Behnaz then set to work back at the college and produced a great design of her own.

Teacher Rosie Montford organises the trips to work exactly like this. The students get the opportunity to Qian's Foundation Art - shoe design see a lot of the best art exhibited in London, to open their mind up to creative thinking. They take their sketchbooks and note down key ideas, before finishing these sketches off when they get back to Bellerbys College. "We get a lot of inspiration like this for our own work", says Behnaz's classmate Qian from China (another ELPP graduate). "For example, I designed a red shoe made from bin liner material [which was inspired by] some ideas I got on a trip. It's about opening your mind and experimenting." Qian's shoe, pictured here, is certainly an experimental and original design, we're sure you'll agree!

Speaking of red, another highlight of the term was the recent visit to the RSA (Royal Academy of Arts) for the highly-acclaimed Anish Kapoor exhibition. "There was red paint all over the white walls!", remembers Qian. "But it felt so perfect. His pieces are huge and really had an impact on me. People come and spray more paint all day and it's like the sculpture is alive and growing." Behnaz was also impressed, saying how Kapoor's work shows, "How shapes can change the way we see colours."

And that's exactly what these art trips are for: to help the students see things in new and different ways, and to find inspiration from all the amazing art there is to enjoy in London. After all, as Qian says, "We have to see more!"

Luckily, London is a pretty good place to do that. There'll be plenty more trips to come in the next term starting in January. Watch this space!

Find out how you can apply to study at Bellerbys College.

Bellerbys Graduate Now At LSE Returns to the Economics Society

At Monday nights Economics club we were visited by a very special guest, former Bellerbys student Chik Soon Nean, now a top student at London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Chik was kind enough to come in and talk to our current students to give them an idea of what life at LSE is like. Firstly he gave a presentation and then set up an open discussion where everyone could ask questions about his new life!

Many of our students aspire to go to LSE as it is one of the best universities in the UK. So, would Chik recommend going there? "It is an ongoing intellectual challenge, where you learn and discover from a diverse range of individuals" he says. "There is always something new to learn and discover at LSE, and Bellerbys has given me the best preparation to take on this new Bellerbys graduate Chik gives a presentation challenge!"

It sounds like Chik is relishing the new adventure and that life at LSE has already helped him develop as a student and as a person. But did his talk inspire our current Economics students to follow in his footsteps? Melina Arakelyan certainly wants to try her best! "Chik's visit was great" she said, "he gave us a lot of information about university life and it really made me want to go there!"

Economics teacher Rene Bradford, who set up the Economics society and has taught both Chik and Melina, was all smiles too! "Chik is an inspiration to other students", she says. "He achieved so much when he was here and I'm so proud of what he's doing now. It was also really great to hear from his point of view that the way we prepare students here is really helping them to do their best at top universities. I think Chik's talk made everything more real for our current students".

Chick and the Bellerbys Lonson Economic Club It was a great success then, but how did it feel for Chik coming back to Bellerbys for the evening? He says that "Coming here and being able to contribute to the Economics Society once again was wonderful. Bellerbys College provided me with the best support during my time here, and it felt great for me to be able to contribute back".

Chik also had a special word for the teacher that helped set him on his current path – "The Economics Society has always been a popular one, and it was touching to see how far it has gone since its humble beginnings. This could not have been achieved without the dedication of our Economics tutor, Rene".

We hope to see Chik at Bellerbys London again soon. In the meantime, our current Economics students will work hard to hopefully meet up with him again… at LSE!

A Level Economics is available at all four Bellerbys Colleges. See the full range of A Level subjects available.

All Aboard for the 2009 Senior Maths Challenge

Recently, 28 Bellerbys London Maths students decided to stay behind after school to do an extra exam! You must be thinking "They're crazy!" No, these young mathematicians were in fact all participants in the 2009 Senior Maths Challenge (SMC), a national competition open to all schools in the UK.

This is now the fourth year that Bellerbys London has taken part and our students have done a fantastic job so far, thanks in large part to the dedication of Maths teachers Clive Cubitt and John McDarby.

So, how does the SMC work then? Well, students have to sit a ninety minute multiple choice paper made Bellerbys London Maths teachers John and Clive up of 28 questions. The questions go from slightly tricky ones early on to really challenging ones in the later stages (you can see brains ticking away furiously at this point!).

Luckily, stress levels are kept down thanks to spring rolls! Yes, as the SMC takes place during dinnertime, Head Chef Donald Sweeney lays on a real feast for these hardworking students! Tuesday's dinner was made up of spring rolls, samosas, vol-au-vents, prawn parcels and other treats. And there was even table service too, with Clive and John serving the students as they wrote their exam papers!

However, food is not the only incentive for turning up of course. Through taking part in the SMC, students can test themselves against their peers from all over the country and achieve great things. In fact, Brain food for the Bellerbys London Maths Challengers the SMC is just the first stage in a series of national competitions and students who do well often go on to the next stage: the British Maths Olympiad (BMO).

Just two years ago a Bellerbys London student had the highest score in the entire country in the second round of the BMO. It is no surprise that he has since gone on to study Economics at LSE. Last year we also had three students make it into the top 100 nationally, based on their scores in the first round of the BMO.

None of this would be possible, however, without the amazing energy and passion shown by teachers John and Clive. Not only do they set up all these events, but they also stay behind after school to give extra lessons to students who want to prepare more fully for exam day. This passion can only inspire and energise their students - the next generation of wonderful mathematicians.

Good luck to the teachers and students involved in the 2009 SMC. Now I wonder, did they save us any spring rolls…? Or maybe that will be champagne in a few weeks when we get the results. Fingers crossed everyone!

Read Bellerbys London Maths teacher Dr John Darby's blogs at 'Studying At Bellerbys College'.

Making New Friends and Nano Machines in Russia!

Have you ever seen a Nano Machine? Our Foundation Programme Manager Chris Hovell has, thanks to his recent trip around the fascinating southern part of Russia. Chris visited a number of Russian universities in Kaliningrad, Krasnodar, Rostov and Volgograd. The purpose of the trip was to continue to build closer relationships with Higher Education institutions overseas and it was certainly a positive experience for all concerned.

Chris got the chance to meet university principals, staff and students and to check out the ‘Nano Machine’ at Rostov State Transport University! Meanwhile, students attended Business master-classes led by Chris on motivation theory and negotiation skills.

What's the thinking behind these classes? "Well", says Chris, "the idea is that students who are interested in studying abroad, especially in Chris and Natalia meet the principals of Rostov State University the UK, can get a taste of the teaching methods we use here, both at Bellerbys and at UK universities." These teaching methods proved really popular and the students enjoyed engaging in interactive tasks like role-plays and open discussions.

Of course, academic culture varies from country to country. As Chris points out, "It is important for us to understand where our students come from in terms of their academic backgrounds. This kind of trip is a great way to find out how they do things and what they want from their experience in the UK. It will help us to meet their needs."

Cross-cultural learning is also highly valued by the Rector of Rostov State Transport University, Professor Vladimir Kolesnikov. Professor Kolesnikov kindly showed Chris and Natalia around the university and made them feel most welcome. He also explained how he is interested in setting up closer contacts with UK education institutions in the coming years. This could be exciting news for the Engineering and Science students at the university!

Read the Bellerbys College guide to the British education system

Loving the London Film Festival!

Every October the whole world of film comes to London in the form of the internationally-renowned BFI London Film Festival. For two weeks cinemas around London show the best new movies from all over the globe and this year our Foundation Media students were lucky enough to join in the fun!

Along with Media teacher Rui da Silva, our lively group of 17 students recently went to the National Film Theatre to watch the critically-acclaimed Egyptian film One Zero. For most of them, this was their first time at a film festival! So, how did they find the experience?

Eric from South Korea is a big film buff and he had a great time! "It was fantastic to go to a film festival" he said. "It's amazing that you can see all kinds of different films from places like France, Russia, China, and Egypt all in the same city". Eric also said that it was good Students with Abol Naga of One Zero experience for his career in film, "...as we got to hear the main actor speak afterwards in the cinema and he explained some of the behind the scenes stuff."

A real bonus for the students was that the main actor of One Zero, Khaled Abol Naga was also at the special screening and gave a short talk after the film. This is the great thing about film festivals: you get to really celebrate cinema in a broader way and to learn about the contexts in which the films are made.

Besides this, Mr Abol Naga is a very friendly and good looking guy, and so was very popular with the female students! They even had their photos taken with him after the screening! Leyla from Russia said that he was, "Just my type", and is planning on watching more of his films!

But this isn't just because of his looks! His standout performance in One Zero also made him very popular with the students. The film itself was excellent and showed something different from the usual films they watch. "It was very good", said Vinh from Vietnam. "It was about how people's lives in Cairo are quite difficult, but how one special moment in a football match can connect them. They become like one".

And this is the magic of the London Film Festival too: we become like one as we gather in this multicultural global city to enjoy wonderful films from all around the world. We can't wait for next year already! We hope to see you there!

Find out more about Bellerbys London university preparation college for international students.

Welcome to Our New A Level Scholarship Students

Friday was a very special day for two of our new students – Siti Malihah Abdul Aziz (known as Malihah) from Malaysia and Zhang Jinge (Vicky) from China. Along with Chen Ying (Carina) from China, the girls have been awarded scholarships by Bellerbys College London. To celebrate this great achievement they were presented with certificates in a special welcoming ceremony at the school.

Unfortunately, Carina couldn't make the ceremony, but Sales & Marketing Director Brendan Webb, Principal Andy Quin, and Academic Director Paul Langman were all there, along with second year A Level scholarship students, to give the girls a well deserved round of applause.

Bellerbys student Vicky receiving scholarship Bellerbys offers scholarships to students from around the world with outstanding academic potential. The students are financially supported in their studies with us; a reward for their academic achievements in their own countries and the promise they show for the future. We currently have a fantastic group of ten, second year A Level students and three, first year students at Bellerbys London benefitting from the scholarship programme.

"It's really important to give outstanding students from around the world the chance to realise their dream of going to the top universities in the UK" says Sales & Marketing Director Brendan Webb. "As we saw today, this programme brings together a group of really top achievers and I think they will help each other move towards even greater successes here in London. I'm sure the competition between them will drive their own individual achievements."

Bellerbys London at the scholarship awarding ceremony Principal Andy Quin agrees that this opens up new opportunities for the students selected for an award. "Our scholarship programme makes it possible for any student who has met our criteria to apply to study here", he says. "Certainly, we have a great mix of students with us at the moment. They've come from a variety of different countries to make up a really great team."

Second year A Level student Maggie Tan, from Malaysia, is having the time of her life! "It's just a great experience that I think in a lot of ways has made us more mature", she says. Fellow student Aigul Aisautova from Kazakhstan wholeheartedly agrees, pointing out how, "The scholarship programme keeps you motivated to maintain your high standards."

In their time here, the scholarship students have already lived up to these high standards with both outstanding results and a great all-round contribution to college life. Academic Director Paul Langman is very pleased with their progress so far. Paul reminds us that, "Not only do these students benefit from the experience and expertise of our teaching staff, but they also contribute a great deal to the college themselves. Their level of ability and hard work can only inspire all our other students, and this makes them a great asset for us as we strive towards excellence."

The positive impact of the scholarship programme doesn't stop here, however. As Brendan highlights, "More and more, universities are also seeking to offer scholarships to Bellerbys students. These universities are increasingly looking for students from our colleges as they tend to succeed so well at university. I see this trend increasing significantly in the next few years."

There are exciting times ahead then for our fantastic scholarship students. With their great team spirit and individual abilities, we're sure that they will go on to do amazing things in the future. At the moment, they are certainly grabbing this great opportunity with both hands!

Want to know what life as a student at Bellerbys London? Read the blog of scholarship student Maggie Tan.

A Level Students Helping to Build Futures for Poor Communities

Studying A Levels is not for the faint hearted, it takes a lot of work and our students are often busy doing assignments and other projects (though they do have a lot of fun too!). It's even more impressive then to see our A Level candidates giving up their own time to help us raise money for our school charity – Building Futures. This charity raises money to build schools in developing countries, with projects so far in Brazil, China, Indonesia and Benin. A school in Vietnam is also being planned.

A Level students Aishat, Gaini, Linura, Mika, Elena, Melina, and Emma spent Friday afternoon collecting money for Building Futures from their colleagues and teachers. Why did they decide to get involved in this project? "I really like helping other people", says Gaini, "Especially Bellerbys London student donates to Building Futures poor children around the world." Aishat agrees, saying that, "We can help to better the lives of these children and it's fun doing it too! You get to chat to everyone!" The girls were certainly all smiles all afternoon and were a great advertisement for the Building Futures project.

So who are more generous, Teachers or students? "Probably teachers", says Aishat. Although just as she said this, a student from her A6 class dropped a note in her money box, a £20 note! Wow, now that is generous!

This money will go to a worthy cause and add to the almost £200,000 that has already been raised since the project got underway in 2004. Fundraising events are on the horizon too, with the A Level girls and the rest of us at the school aiming to make a real difference to the next generation of students worldwide.

Our own students also get to develop themselves of course by getting involved in these kinds of projects. It just goes to show that studying here is about more than just getting your qualifications. It's also about being part of an international community, developing our social skills, and learning to work together to achieve our goals. In this way, we're building our own futures too.

A True Londoner's Night Out

On Tuesday a group of Bellerbys London students visited the new home of Arsenal FC – the fantastic Emirates Stadium! It was a Champions League match between The 'Gunners' (Arsenal's nickname) and Olympiakos from Greece. Both teams played well, but in the end Arsenal were a bit luckier and won 2-0 in an entertaining game. Van Persie and Arshavin scored the goals.

"It was amazing" said Vinh from Vietnam. "I have been an Arsenal fan my whole life and I'm so glad I got the chance to come to London and watch them live!" The students even got to meet some Olympiakos fans, who were really friendly even though they lost the game! All in all, it was a really memorable night out.

There are lots of football teams in London, so there’s a game on pretty much every weekend. You should give it a go... even if you don't agree with Vinh when he says that, "Arsenal is the best team ever!" One thing's for sure: football in London never sleeps!

by Vinh Quang Huong, Media Foundation student at Bellerbys London

Read more about trips and events at Bellerbys London

London Principal back in the Classroom

One Tuesday afternoon, some of our Foundation Business students had a nice surprise when Principal Andy Quin came in to teach them in a specially arranged lesson! Andy hadn't been in the classroom for a while, but it looks like his old magic is still there as the students loved it! One group said that, "It was a very good experience because we'd never been taught by a principal before", while another group commented on how, "The lesson gave us a lot of insights", into how businesses work.

Regular teacher Sara Bewes thought it would be great if students were able to apply their learning to a real company and Andy offered to do a SWOT Analysis on Study Group, Bellerbys College’s parent company. Sara and Andy organised similar classes last year and Bellerbys London principal Andy Quin decided to reintroduce them this term. It's great for the students to get different views, as well as applying what they’ve been taught to real world contexts.

And how was it for Andy, being back in the classroom? "I really enjoyed it" he says, "You get such a buzz from teaching. It's also fantastic to get closer to the students as people than I can get just sitting in the office". So, is he considering taking up teaching full time again? "Unfortunately, I can't!" says Andy. "I did seriously think about doing a few hours a week, but I don't think my work schedule would allow for it!".

So, it’s back to the office for Andy and back to class for Sara and the students. Until next time!

Meet some of the staff of Bellerby London

Students Learn the Value of Volunteering

Greenwich Volunteer Centre recently returned to Bellerbys London to give a presentation to students about the many benefits of doing volunteer work. Media Foundation student Ksenia Lukina from Russia wrote this account:

"Work for no pay! Does it sound ridiculous and even incredible to you? Well, it is easy to understand your feelings, but volunteer work without any payment is very popular in the UK.

The other day we had a meeting for students who want to volunteer. Kippa Brand and his 'boss' from the Greenwich Volunteer Centre organised it for us. I must admit that the meeting room was overcrowded.

The majority of Bellerbys' students came to get some experience related to the courses they are studying. The other reason to join was that it looks nice on our personal statements.

Volunteering can also give 10 points to the 80 needed to get a British citizenship! To be honest, these were the main reasons to come as we Kippa gives a presentation about volunteering to the students didn't really know other opportunities that volunteering gives! That was until we heard Kippa's story.

Kippa is a young Australian guy with a lot of spare time in London. He decided to spend it efficiently and start volunteering. He says "it's an opportunity which you can't get anywhere else! It's fantastic! I love it!"

Kippa says that the atmosphere in the volunteer crew is rather different from an ordinary collective. He even tried to do paid work in one of Greenwich's bars but he couldn't get on with the people and left this place soon! Now Kippa works as a football coach and does it every day like a regular job. He also creates some ads as this is his main interest. So he's getting good experience for his future career. Good luck to him!

Volunteers are extremely energetic and creative people, always involved in some projects, working and enjoying themselves. This activity is also a great chance to improve your leadership skills, to meet nice people and of course to improve your English language skills.

So, why not? Why does your job have to be something necessary for survival? Why not just have a great time working? Besides, you are still a student. As for me, I am going to get my workplace as soon as possible... so watch this space for my reports, and why not get involved as well!"

Find out more about the benevolent work of the Greenwich Volunteer Centre.

Media Students in the Picture - A Night in Greenwich's Coolest Cinema

Bellerbys London Media students pose next to the Fish Tank film poster We're pleased to say that a team of Media Foundation students at Bellerbys London will be acting as roving reporters for the website over the coming months. They'll be reporting back to us from activities and events at the college. Below is their first missive about a trip
to their local cinema, The Greenwich Picturehouse.

How would you like to have fun and learn at the same time? London’s Foundation Media students did just that last week!

They went with their teacher to a cool little artsy cinema called The Picturehouse. It’s just a 10-minute walk from the school in Greenwich and well worth visiting.

“It's a kind of alternative cinema” says Anastasia from Russia. Meanwhile, Yeon Ju from Korea says that “The Picturehouse is really small, in a good way. It’s really cute”.

Bellerbys London Media students at The Greenwich Picturehouse So, what did they watch? Well, it was called Fish Tank – a brand new British film about a girl growing up in the tough Essex suburbs. Fish Tank was a big hit at the Cannes Film Festival this year. It won the Jury Prize and really impressed the judges. But did it impress our film-loving media students?

After watching the movie students shared their opinions and impressions. “It is quite well-made, with some good cinematography”, said Alex from Italy. Anastasia added that “The film shows another Britain. It is about reality”.

Of course it’s quite difficult to describe the movie here, I would strongly recommend watching it with your own eyes at The Greenwich Picturehouse. Meanwhile, the Media students will prepare themselves for the next great event coming soon – The London Film Festival!

See you there!
Written by Leyla Garaeva, Foundation Media student

London A Level and Foundation Students Achieve Best Ever Results

Studying at Bellerbys is like a bridge for our students; a bridge to their future aspirations and achievements. This year our A Level and Foundation students have crossed this bridge wonderfully well, with some of our very best results ever. All the staff here are extremely proud of them and can’t wait to hear about their upcoming successes at universities across
the UK.

Bellerbys London graduate Li Xiao (Lisa) A Level Programme Manager Erin Robinson believes this year’s students were “some of the best I’ve seen. They not only excelled academically, but also showed a fantastic level of maturity and a willingness to get involved in the life of the school. They fully deserved their excellent results”.

Erin is absolutely right to call these results “excellent”. Three of our students made it into the prestigious London School of Economics (LSE) thanks to their outstanding performances over the A Level programme. Our top student was Li Xiao from China who achieved 6 A grades and has just started a degree course in Maths and Economics at LSE. She is joined there by Chik Soon Neah from Singapore and Dmitry Sharapov from Russia, who managed to get 3 As and 2 As respectively.

Li Xiao (otherwise known as Lisa) is really looking forward to the LSE challenge. She says that “When I studied in Bellerbys, I usually went to LSE to listen to the speeches held there and I was always attracted by the strong study atmosphere there. I feel really happy that I can study mathematics and economics there which is the course that I am really interested in”.

Bellerbys London student Zhang Xin (Jessie) Cambridge University and Imperial College will also have former Bellerbys students attending their courses this year. Zhang Xin from China has chosen to study Maths in Cambridge after achieving a fantastic set of 5 A grades. Her friend Chen Chen was not far behind with 3 As and a B; great results that mean the dream of studying at Imperial College is now a reality.

Zhang Xin (we call her Jessie) is typically humble when talking about her success and says she will always have fond memories of her time with us. “ I love the course at Bellerbys” she says. “Clive and John were my maths teachers. They explained my questions patiently every time. They tried their best to provide me with extra materials when I was preparing the interview and STEP for Cambridge. They always supported me and encouraged me”.

We can’t forget another of our notable A Level students this year: Dai Ting Ting, who got 6 A grades to make it into St. Andrews, another top-tier university. Ting Ting will be all the way up in Scotland, quite far away from London, but luckily she can visit her friends in the capital whenever she has time.

Bellerbys London student Ting Ting Dai One of these is Yulia Markova, who with 4 A grades has just started at University College London (UCL). Closer to his new home, Ting Ting can also visit Lai Katie, who is now living and studying in Durham after achieving 3 As and a B in her time at Bellerbys.

A huge “Well done” to all our A-Level students!

But…they were not the only superstars this summer! Joining them at the top were our Foundation students, who managed to record the best set of scores we have ever had on the programme! As Chris Hovell, our Foundation Programme Manager, points out “statistically these guys were the best students we’ve ever had. We’ve never had so many distinctions (32%)! Just as importantly, they were lovely people. Very cheerful all the time and we had excellent feedback about them from their teachers”.

There was also excellent feedback from the universities they applied to. 19 of our students made it into City University, 17 into Royal Holloway, 9 into Aston and 3 into Goldsmiths. These are truly outstanding figures and they highlight what hard work and a good support system can achieve.

Alina Zhunussova was one of our top students with an overall mark of 80% in her Foundation Media programme. Now studying Creative Computing at Goldsmiths, she says that “the Foundation programme at Bellerbys really helped me get a good understanding of many different subjects and the school supported me with whatever I needed”.

Foundation Business student, Dorian Trecco, who achieved an overall mark of 78%, feels confident about this next step in his life. Dorian says that “my time at Bellerbys helped me to develop so many skills and to get a wide range of knowledge that I’m sure will help me here at Royal Holloway”.

All the staff at Bellerbys London share Dorian’s confidence. We are sure that all our wonderful A Level and Foundation students will continue to achieve great things in everything they do. For now, we’d like to wish them all the very best and to say a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS for their amazing results!

Read more about top A Level students Li Xiao and Zhang Xin

Join the Club – London Students Get Ready To Get Involved

Students at Bellerbys London sign up to join after school clubs. It’s new term time again at Bellerbys London and do you know what that means? It means
it’s time for our students, new and old, to decide what to do with their time outside class. Rather than staying at home all the time playing computer games (!), students can get up to all kinds of interesting things thanks to our student clubs and social programme.

In September we held our Clubs Fayre and it was great to see so many students signing up for extra-curricular activities. Ekaterina from Russia, for example, was quick to put her name down for dance classes, stating how “this is a good opportunity to keep fit”. Meanwhile Eric from South Korea signed up for the Media Club not only “because otherwise my teacher will kill me!” (Eric is on the Foundation Media course!), but also because it’s a fun way to extend his studies in a sociable and informal way.

Extra-Curricular Activities Co-ordinator Sara Bewes advises new Bellerbys students about clubs and societies they can join. Dance and media are only two of the options available. Other students will find themselves learning French, Spanish or Japanese this term, while yet others will be involved in the
already famous Economics Club, or keeping fit through tennis or basketball. New clubs can open up all the time, depending on what the students suggest. What will be next on the social menu we wonder…

Event organiser and Extra-Curricular Activities Co-ordinator Sara Bewes highlights how the fayre “gives new students the chance to know what’s going on non-academically. They get
to find out more about the local area and to meet like-minded people”.

It’s great to see our students get involved in different activities; activities which help them develop as people, not only as academic students. As Sara says, we should “work hard and play hard”. Check this news page out again soon to find out how hard we’ve been playing!

ELPP Students Celebrate the End of their Course and Great Results

The Bellerbys London ELP class celebrate their results with a Vietnamese meal It’s never easy to get down to your studies in the summer months, when the sun is shining and everybody is outside having fun, right? Only special people can stay focused on their study goals and this term’s ELPP students have been exactly that…very special! With a lot of hard work (as well as some great laughs!), they’ve managed to achieve fantastic results and have proved they’re now ready for their next steps.

For the ELPP 3 students, that means Foundation or A Level and their teacher, Rui da Silva, is super confident that they will be a great success. “I love these guys! I wish I could teach them forever!” he said, “they know how to work hard and play hard; making the most of life in London and at the same time bringing a wonderful energy to their studies. They’re going to do amazing things in the future!”. And Rui is not just being kind! The results speak for themselves.

The Bellerbys London ELP class go bowling The top student was Chen Sze Lok (or Rocky, after the boxer!) from Hong Kong with an IELTS practice test score of 6 and 79% in his coursework, which included online blogs, a Business presentation, an essay and work on the class wiki. A Levels are Rocky’s next challenge. He will be joined there by Andrei Zaika from Russia and Chuong Pham Ngoc from Vietnam, who got 5.5 in their IELTS practice tests and an average of 70% in the coursework. Foundation Art & Design will also have two fantastic new students this year: Behnaz Beikzadeh from Iran who achieved a 6 and 79%, and Qian Yang from China with a 5 and 77%.

The ELPP 2 class was equally outstanding. The top students here were Afsaneh Khakpoor from Iran and Yu Kumakura from Japan, who both got a test score of 5. What was impressive here was that they performed so strongly in all areas of their language: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Afsaneh is now looking forward to starting a Pre-Masters course, together with her brother Amir (family rivalry at its best!) and Xie Lina from China, both of whom got a 4.5. Meanwhile, Yu will be doing Foundation Business.

The Head of English at Bellerbys London, David Rowson, had this message for the students: “I was absolutely delighted with the great attitude of our ELPP students this summer. Overall, they have achieved very praiseworthy results. I wish them all the best of luck with their next courses and hope to see them achieving the same kind of success in the coming year”.

For now, they can relax a little though! In fact, they’ve already started with an end-of-term 10-pin bowling trip and lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant to celebrate. With these high-flying students, we can imagine they even got great scores in bowling too!

Read more about the Bellerbys English Language Preparation course

Bellerbys Students Enjoy Top London Musical

Chicago at The Adelphi Theatre, London Following all their recent hard work during this summer’s Foundation, GCSE and A Level exams it is only fair that our students also have the chance to relax and enjoy themselves! And what better way to unwind than to take in a world class show in the famous West End theatre district of Central London.

As part of the social programme at Bellerbys London students regularly have the chance to watch top shows, including Phantom of the Opera, Wicked and, recently, Lion King, which was seen by A Level student Danny Wang, who says “My brother Chris and I went to Central London to enjoy this thrilling show. Without a doubt Lion King is one of the best musicals we have ever watched. The emotion, every moving scene and all the laughter, brings the audience into the musical to be part of the story. It was not only enjoyable, but also a good opportunity for us to know more about English musicals, which we can never have a chance to watch in our country. And we can release stress accumulated from study, relax ourselves and have fun!”

Read more about activities at Bellerbys London

One-Third of Bellerbys London Foundation Students Achieve Distinctions!

Ng Shu Wai, also known as Jessica (pictured right) Students from across all our Foundation programmes have been celebrating their well-deserved exam success following the recent completion of their Foundation courses.

This year has seen Bellerbys London achieve its best results ever with nearly one-third of our students achieving a distinction (a final grade of 75% or above) on their Foundation course, including our highest scoring student, Yi Lin Fong from Singapore, who achieved an amazing overall score of 94% – including scores of 100% in Politics 3 and 99% in Politics 2 – on her Foundation Law programme.

Yi Lin, who has been awarded a place to study Law at the University of Bristol says that “Bellerbys London is a nice environment to study in, with good residence facilities and very friendly staff. The modular structure of the Foundation programme is good and
easy-to-follow, and is especially good for international students”.

London Foundation student, Arslan Akanov Yi Lin’s classmate, Steven Krisman was our second-highest scoring student with a final average of 93% and will also be studying Law at the University of Bristol next year, and this reflects just how strong our Foundation Law programme has been this year.

Foundation Business student Ng Shu Wai, also known as Jessica, (pictured right, top right) from Vietnam, winner of the Principal’s Prize at this year’s prize-giving ceremony, has also continued to excel academically, achieving an overall grade of 88% – including 99% in Accounts and 98% in Mathematics – and can now look forward to starting her degree in Finance, Accounting and Management at the University of Nottingham.

When asked about her time at Bellerbys London Jessica says “All the teachers are nice.
They are really helpful and friendly as well as responsible and eager to teach and help
solve our problems.”

Foundation Art student Lai Wing Yin Fellow Foundation Business student Arslan Akanov from Kazakhstan (pictured right) has also achieved an excellent set of results, averaging 86% overall. Arslan, who plans to study Economics at City University, says “I chose to study at Bellerbys London because of its reputation and the
quality of its facilities and location and I have very much enjoyed being here. There is a really friendly atmosphere and the teaching quality is excellent.”

Other top Foundation students include Li Ka Hei, also known as Agnes, from Hong Kong who has achieved a final score of 84% on Foundation Business – including 98% in Accounts and 97% in Mathematics – and has been awarded a place at Loughborough University to study International Business. Agnes comments that “I’ve really enjoyed being at Bellerbys College London. The teaching is excellent and I’ve learned a lot of important things. The way teachers teach here is really interesting.”

Foundation Art student Lai Wing Yin, who has completed her course with a score of 79% and who intends to study Interior Design at Manchester Metropolitan University, says that “Foundation Art has been really good. I was able to try out many different things and see lots of exhibitions and shows and this has helped me to draw inspiration for my art from many sources.”

The highest Foundation scores achieved by Bellerbys London students this year are:

Yi Lin Fong from Singapore - Foundation Law, final grade 94%
Steven Krisman from Indonesia - Foundation Law, final grade 93%
Li Ting Wong from Australia - Foundation Law, final grade 90%
Saifullah Akhtar from Singapore - Foundation Law, final grade 89%
Shu Wai Ng from Vietnam - Foundation Business, final grade 88%
Sin Ki Churk from Hong Kong - Foundation Business, final grade 88%
Janefar Soelaiman from Indonesia - Foundation Business, final grade 87%
Arslan Akanov from Kazakhstan - Foundation Business, final grade 86%
Mei Qi Ong from Singaporea - Foundation Media, final grade 86%
Yanxin Chen from Singapore - Foundation Law, final grade 86%
Peg Yee Chow from Netherland - Foundation Business, final grade 86%
Khoa Pham Viet from Vietnam - Foundation Business, final grade 85%
Jirapong Srupsrisopa from Thailand - Foundation Business, final grade 84%
Ka Hei Li from Hong Kong - Foundation Business, final grade 84%
Valeriy Barinov from Ukraine - Foundation Business, final grade 84%
Boris Borisenko from Russia - Foundation Business, final grade 84%
Yusuke Asahi from Japan - Foundation Engineering, final grade 84%
Fui Li Chow from Singapore - Foundation Law, final grade 84%
Ji Yoon Kim from Korea - Foundation Business, final grade 84%
Andrea Menzalin from Russia - Foundation Business, final grade 84%

Congratulations to all our Foundation students and good luck starting university this autumn – everyone at Bellerbys London wishes you well!

Find out more about the Bellerbys Foundation course

Bellerbys London ELP Students Use Web 2.0 in the Classroom

English Language Preparation students at Bellerbys London Students on the English Language Preparation course at Bellerbys London this summer have been taking part in an exciting project which has involved them using new web tools in the classroom.

Teacher, Rui Da Silva, hopes that using web 2.0 tools such as blogs, photo-sharing websites and wikis in the classroom will enable students to be assessed in a more formative way, build their skills and confidence through project work and also help keep them more focused on their next goals.

Instead of submitting coursework in the traditional paper and pen way, students are assessed by online means. For example, each student has set up a blog and makes a weekly post using all the language they've worked on in class that week. The teacher logs in and comments on the posts and provides corrections to their work.

One of the students on the Bellerbys College ELP web 2.0 course At the end of the course the students will then be assessed on five of their posts. Here are some sample posts from ELP classmates, Qian from China and Chuong from Vietnam. The class has also set up a group blog called Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down where both the teacher and the students share things they like and don’t like, and plan their trips for Monday afternoons.

Students have also created accounts on Flickr, the photo-sharing website. In groups, the students toured the college buildings taking photos which highlighted what they thought were the best aspects of studying at Bellerbys London. The photos were uploaded to Flickr and a description added, again integrating the language points learnt that week - see the results here and here.

The class have also just started a wiki called London Life, where they are working together to gather information about things going on in London, from cool restaurants and sightseeing places, to parks and the best places to shop. They have been going on trips with their teacher and by themselves to take some great pictures so that all the wiki readers can get an idea of what it’s like to live and study in London.

Another project this term has been the recent group presentations by students. They chose their own topics for these, with a focus on the courses they are planning to take after the ELPP course. You can see the PowerPoint slides for the Art & Design group here and for the Business group here on SlideShare.

Sounds like an interesting project which will benefit students in more than one way. We look forward to seeing the final results!

Find out more about studying English Language Preparation at Bellerbys

Bellerbys College London Twins with Danbo International College, Nigeria

Principal of Danbo College, Mr John Ogungbenro This year sees the start of an important new initiative by Bellerbys College which involves each of the four Bellerbys Colleges being twinned with international schools in Africa. As part of this process Bellerbys College London has been paired with Danbo International College in Kaduna, Nigeria. One of the key elements of this partnership is that staff from Bellerbys London will regularly visit Danbo College to meet staff, students and parents and to share teaching experience and provide on-site advice and guidance. Maths teacher Dr John McDarby has recently returned from the first of such visits, and this is his account of his time with Danbo College.

“It was a great honour to be asked to represent Bellerbys London in Kaduna and the week that I spent at Danbo International College was a wonderful experience which I shall never forget. The staff and students of Danbo College were incredibly warm and welcoming and I have never seen so many happy and enthusiastic students!

Students at Danbo International College I began with a tour of Danbo College and its sister schools, Danbo Primary School and Danbo Nursery School, during which the principal of Danbo College, Mr John Ogungbenro, introduced me to his staff as well as students of all ages – the nursery school even has a crèche where children as young as two months are looked after. Straight away I was struck by how
friendly all the students were and what a happy environment the Danbo schools provided
to all their pupils.

After my tour of the three schools, and a brief meeting with the Head of Mathematics, I was thrown straight in at the deep end and asked to teach a class of SS2 students who in a year’s time will be graduating from Danbo College and some of whom, hopefully, will be coming to Bellerbys College! In total that day I taught three different classes and although the students in each class were of varying levels of ability and belonging to different faculties, they all shared the same incredible enthusiasm for learning.

A class at Danbo International School, Nigeria As a teacher it is wonderful to be in a classroom full of happy and energetic students who are eager to get involved and learn and I feel very lucky to have had the chance to teach these students. I also had the chance to speak to students of all ages, as well as their parents, about studying in the UK and giving them advice as to which courses they may want to study and what life is like at Bellerbys College.

The staff at Danbo College made sure that I was involved in all aspects of school life,
including the daily school assemblies, parent-teacher meetings and even eating a local Nigerian dish in the staff canteen at lunchtime – one of the highlights of my visit! The vice-principal and Head of Mathematics even took me on a tour of Kaduna – including a visit to the main market in Kaduna, an experience I would recommend to anyone! On my final day Danbo College also took me out for a meal with the senior staff of the college – which was another opportunity to try some wonderful Nigerian food!

The students of Danbo College were amongst the most polite and enthusiastic students I have ever taught and I dearly hope that I will have the good fortune to teach some of them at Bellerbys College London in the not too-distant future! Moreover I hope that my time at Danbo College will have given these students some insight into the way maths is taught in the UK, so that they might be better prepared for an education at Bellerbys College. I also hope that I will have learnt a lot from this experience so that I might better understand the Nigerian students that I teach. The week that I spent at Danbo College has been a great experience for me both personally and professionally and I hope that I will have the opportunity to return to Kaduna before too long!”

Foundation Law Students visit the Royal Courts of Justice and the Inner Temple, London

Bellerbys London Law Foundation students at the Inner Temple Students on our Foundation Law programme have recently had the opportunity to visit both the Royal Courts of Justice and the Inner Temple in Central London.

The Royal Courts of Justice, home to the Supreme Court of England and Wales since it was opened by Queen Victoria in 1882, is a very famous and important landmark within the
English legal system and has been home to many famous trials. Visits such as this are an important aspect of a student’s training in Law, enabling them to see for themselves the
arena in which many important case studies and events in legal history have taken place.

The visit to the Inner Temple was a unique event, organised by Law teacher Sally Hawkes,
as we have some very talented and hardworking Foundation Law students, some of whom want to become barristers themselves in the future. The Inner Temple is a famous and historically important element of the English legal system and a key association involved in the recruitment and training of barristers. The visit enabled our students to see the library of the Inner Temple and learn about the functions of this important legal institution, as well as lunch with barristers in the dining hall of the Inn.

Find out about studying a Foundation course in Law at Bellerbys

Economics Students Attend Master Investors Conference 2009 & Visit the Bank of England

The Bellerbys London Economics Club Economics students from Bellerbys London have recently attended the Master Investors Conference 2009 at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London. Although the
conference is not specifically aimed at students this trip nonetheless provides an insight into the real world of finance and economics. It also gave students a chance to learn more about the stock market and how the economy works and this makes it useful preparation for
anyone studying Economics.

Student Jan Hoang Xuan says “Apart from speeches and presentations there were various stands of multinational companies and corporations, just waiting for people’s goodwill to trust and invest some money into their business. For that purpose they were attracting potential investors by giving out free goodies, such as pens, booklets, prospectuses, mugs and even chocolate. All in all, it was a positive experience and something new and refreshing. And mostly important it was for free!”

Students and staff from the Economics department have also recently paid a visit to the Bank of England – it’s one of the advantages of studying in London, having one of the world’s most important central banks so close by! Excursions such as this constitute an important element in the education of our Economics students, providing an opportunity to actually see, in person, one of Europe’s key financial institutions and gain practical knowledge and experience outside of the classroom.

Student Achievement Celebrated at Inaugural Bellerbys London Prize-Giving Ceremony

Best A Level Student, Xin Zhang (Jessie), left, with teacher Claire Marcouse and friend Jessie Wang This year has seen Bellerbys College London hold its first ever prize-giving ceremony to celebrate the success of all of our students.

To mark how special this event is, the prize-giving was held within the fantastic riverside grounds of the University of Greenwich within a building that was previously part of the historically important Royal Naval College.

The prize-giving was hosted by Foundation Programme manager Chris Hovell. Head of English David Rowson then gave a speech prior to the awarding of prizes to students on our English Language Preparation Programme (ELPP).

Next up was A Level & GCSE Programme Manager Erin Robinson who presented the prizes for the top GCSE students. Each prize was awarded by the relevant subject teacher following a brief speech telling everyone how wonderful their student is!

Foundation Programme manager Chris Hovell led the awards ceremony Extra special credit goes to GCSE student Nguyen Anh Minh from Vietnam who won the prestigious prize for Best Academic Performance by a GCSE student. Afterwards Amy said
“I was kind of surprised when I won my prize as I really wasn’t expecting it! I just try
to work hard and do what I need to do and I was extremely happy when I won. Next year I hope to stay at Bellerbys London and study A Levels in Maths, Further Maths, Economics and Psychology.”

This was followed by two prizes for the Pre-Masters/MQP students. Erin Robinson then returned to the stage to oversee the A Level prizes which began with awards for first-year students Teo Poh Ee and De-Zhi Wang for Excellent Academic Performance.

Next were the awards for the second year students. Academic Director Paul Langman then took to the stage to award the special Academic Director’s prize which was awarded
Best Foundation Art Student, Lai Wing Yin (Priscilla) to our top A-level student Xin Zhang (Jessie) who adds that “winning my prize made me
happy but also a little shy – I had to go forward in front of everyone, where they could all see me!”

Foundation Manager Chris then presided over the awarding of prizes to students on our Foundation Programmes including Yusuke Asahi who won the Foundation Engineering prize
and Li Ka Hei (Agnes) who won the prize for Best Business Studies Student. Afterwards Yusuke, who also shared the prize for Best Participant in the Weekly Maths Challenges
with A-level student Danny Wang, said “winning the prizes for Foundation Engineering and the Weekly Maths Challenge has made me want to ensure that I continue to achieve the high standards that I’ve managed so far” whilst Agnes adds that “I was surprised and happy to have won the Foundation Business prize – I’m really happy to see my efforts have been rewarded and that my hard work has paid off. Best Media Foundation Student, Ekaterina Malakhova, collects her award Special thanks to all my teachers!”

Chris then handed over to Principal Andy Quin to hand out prizes to our four ‘Student Ambassadors’ before announcing the winner of our top Foundation prize – the Principal’s Prize – which was awarded to Foundation Business student Ng Shu Wai (Jessica) from Vietnam who commented that “I couldn’t really believe it and I have worked very hard this year so I felt very happy when I realised I’d won.”

The full list of winners is:

Most Conscientious ELPP Student - Parisa Beirami
Most Improved ELPP Student - Tahmineh Safderi
Best GCSE Maths Student - Chen Yi Chun (Kristin)
Most Improved GCSE English Student - Amir Abedzadeh
Best A Level Accounting prize winner Dai Ting Ting with Best Economics/Business Studies Student, Li Xiao (Lisa) Best GCSE Economics Student - Alpamys Alpys
Best GCSE Business Studies Student - Armin Eshaghynejad
Best GCSE IT Student - Sergey Anisimov
Best GCSE Academic Performance Student - Nguyen Anh Minh (Amy)
Most Conscientious Pre-Masters/MQP Student - Liu Chong (Wilson)
Best MQP Student - Chen Mao Zhen (Katherine)
Excellent A Level AS Academic Performance Student - Teo Poh Ee (Elaine)
Excellent A Level AS Academic Performance - De-Zhi Wang (Danny)
Best A Level A2 Economics/Business Studies Student - Li Xiao (Lisa)
Economics A Level A2 Essay Prize - Meruyert Orynbassarova (Mika)
Best A Level A2 Maths/Further Maths Student - Chen Chen
Best A Level A2 Accounts Student - Dai Ting Ting
Best Foundation English prize winner, Valeriy Barinov, with teacher Cath James Best A Level A2 Psychology Student - Yulia Markova
Academic Director’s Prize - Xin Zhang (Jessie)
Best Foundation Accounts Student - Chan Ho Lun (Alan)
Best Foundation Art Student - Lai Wing Yin (Priscilla)
Best Foundation Business Studies Student - Li Ka Hei (Agnes)
Best Foundation Economics Student - Churk Sin Ki (Janice)
Best Foundation English Student - Valeriy Barinov
Best Engineering Student - Yusuke Asahi
Best Foundation IT Student - Luk Kai Hin (Derek)
Best Foundation Law Student - Steven Krisman
Best Foundation Maths Student - Kang Myung Ku (Min Woo)
Best Foundation Media Student - Ekaterina Malakhova
Best GCSE Student, Nguyen Anh Minh (Amy) Best Foundation Politics Student - Fong Yi Lin (Eileen)
Best Foundation Psychology Student - Ong Mei Qi (Rachel)
Best Foundation Science Student - Loretta Nwadinma Okpuno
Student Ambassador Awards - Akhtar Saifullah, Meline Arakelyan, Cong Jan Hoang Xuan & Magdalene Tan
Principal’s Prize - Ng Shu Wai (Jessica)

Congratulations to all the winners and well done to all our students for making this year such
a success for Bellerbys College London!

2009 Graduation Party: Probably the Best Yet!

Students board, Erasmus, the venue for the 2009 graduation party Staff and students from Bellerbys London gathered together to mark the end of the year and the graduation of many of our students who will be starting life at university in September. For the third consecutive year Bellerbys London Students’ Union hired the pleasure boat Erasmus to sail up the river from Greenwich to Central London, before returning back to Greenwich at the end of the evening. The party was organised by the Graduation Ball committee, part of the Students’ Union, who also arranged all the on-board entertainment and prizes that took place throughout the night as well as undertaking the less glamorous role of selling tickets for the party during the three weeks leading up to the big day!

As usual the Graduation Ball is a fantastic night with students having a chance to celebrate all their hard work and achievements from the year and have fun with all their friends and classmates. It’s also a great opportunity for staff to get to know their students outside of class and for everyone to have fun together!

Bellerbys London students in their best party dresses The evening began at 8pm as students and staff gathered at Greenwich Pier – just a short walk from Bellerbys College London – to meet their friends and board the Erasmus, where they were welcomed with a free ‘one hundred dollar’ note for use in the casino (it wasn’t real money unfortunately, just fake notes for use in the casino only!) and a glass of champagne!

Shortly after leaving Greenwich Pier the on-board entertainment began with Foundation Engineering student Yusuke Asahi and Foundation Law student Fong Yi Lin wowing everyone with their virtuoso violin and keyboard performance. This was immediately followed by a captivating and very popular display by our Dance Club, led by A Level student Maria Melnikova. Students and staff alike then took to the dance floor to party and have fun with their friends, with music provided by the on-board DJ. Whilst the top floor of Erasmus was dedicated to dancing and music, the lower bar played host to the casino area with a blackjack table and roulette wheel to keep everyone entertained throughout the evening.

The male students dress up well in their suits! Meanwhile, back upstairs, after everyone had been dancing for an hour or so it was time for our hosts, Foundation Business students Aygul Gabdullina and Dorian Trecco, to start awarding the prizes. First up was the raffle with prizes including vouchers and champagne given to the three students with the lucky winning tickets (each student got a free ticket for the raffle as part of their ticket for the evening). Next we had the prize for the best dressed girl, which was judged by Foundation Programme Manager Chris Hovell. Runner-up was A-Level student Diep Nguyen who was narrowly beaten by fellow A-Level student Ting-Ting Dai who won a bottle of champagne as her prize. Then it was time for Business Studies teacher Claire Marcouse to announce the best dressed guy with the first prize going to Foundation Media student Ian Yen and second place going to Foundation Business student Ngai Chun Wong. Not to be left out, there was also a prize for the best dressed teacher – which went to Senior Tutor Cath James!

Finally it was time to announce the King and Queen of the Ball – when purchasing their ticket every student had a chance to vote for the guy and girl they thought should be crowned King and Queen. This year, to everyone’s delight, Meline Arakelyan was voted the student Queen and Ndubisi Attah the student King. As tradition dictates, Meline and Ndubisi celebrated their coronation by dancing together to kick off the next period of dancing and fun as everyone retook their places on the dance floor!

Winners of the Best Dressed Student Awards By this stage the Erasmus had sailed up to Central London and many students, taking a break from dancing and the casino, stood outside on the decks admiring the views as the boat passed Canary Wharf, the Palace of Westminster and the London Eye. At 10pm we docked at Westminster Pier, with some students and staff choosing to leave to carry on their partying in Central London! However most students stayed on-board and continued to party as the boat sailed back to Greenwich arriving back at midnight.

As usual the Graduation Ball was a great success and whilst each year’s party is special, it’s been widely agreed that this year’s Graduation Ball was probably the best yet and a wonderful night out for all involved! Special thanks therefore go to the leaders of this year’s organising committee, Li Xiao (also known as Lisa) and Xujiao Wang (also known as Jessie), as well as the rest of the committee – Chen Chen, Xin Zhang, Meline Arakelyan, Andrea Menzalin, Alina Yatskevich, Stela Podlisnic, Janefar Soelaiman and Tatiana Maslennikova.

See more photos from the graduation party on the Bellerbys London Flickr pages

Foundation Art Students Display Indian Bar Exhibition

Art Teacher, Rosie Montford, with students in the Indian-themed bar As part of their coursework for Foundation Art our students, under the guidance of Art
Teacher Rosie Montford, had to design their own Indian themed bar. This project involved designing all elements of the bar, including the interior layout and features, the architectural structure of the building and even the wallpaper used inside the bar!

The students displayed their work in our meeting room during a special reception to mark the unveiling of the bar, turning it into a mini-gallery for one day. Staff and students were then able to admire and learn about the Art students’ coursework – with the Art students themselves on standby to show everyone around and guide them through their work!

One such Art student was Lai Wing Yin, also known as Priscilla, who comments that her favourite aspect of the project was “the amazing interaction of settings, lights and colours”. Some of the Art Foundation work on the Interior Design project Priscilla plans to study Interior Design at university and so, unsurprisingly, she chose to
design the interior of the bar, drawing inspiration for her work from the exhibition ‘Indian Highway’ which she visited at the Serpentine Gallery in Central London. Priscilla then sketched out her own ideas before constructing a detailed three-dimensional model of the interior of the bar using foam board, beads and Indian fabric.

As well as the designs for the bar itself, the students also looked at the design of the landscaped grounds in which the bar resides and relevant fashion and musical features suitable for an Indian-themed bar. All the aspects of the students work were proudly displayed for the whole school to enjoy, along with background music, sweets and even footage of the hit film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ – all of which were chosen to help create the perfect atmosphere to go along with the sights, colours and flavour of Indian culture that the students had worked so hard to create!

See more photos from the Art Foundation exhibition on the Bellerbys London Flickr pages

Elaine is the 2009 Richard Ryde Scholarship Candidate for Bellerbys London

Teo Poh Ee, the Bellerbys London candidate for the Richard Ryde Scholarship award, pictured with Principal, Andy Quin Each year, the best AS student from each Bellerbys school is invited to apply for the Richard Ryde Scholarship. The four students are then interviewed by the Principals of each of the schools along with James Pitman, the UK Managing Director. They are asked questions about their academic background, academic plans for the future, their extracurricular interests and their views about studying in the UK. The successful student is awarded free tuition for their second year of study at Bellerbys worth over £17,000.

London's nomination for the 2009 Richard Ryde scholarship was Teo Poh Ee ('Elaine') from Singapore, currently studying for A Levels in Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Further Maths and Economics. One of our most talented students, first-year Elaine, has achieved an outstanding set of results scoring full marks in all her January A Level exams.

Maths C1        100/100
Maths C2        100/100
Economics 1     100/100
Chemistry 1     120/120
Biology 1       120/120

This rare and remarkable achievement reflects Elaine’s hard work and ability and is thoroughly deserved.

Elaine's teacher report that in class she is quiet and modest but analytically extremely sharp. She is helpful towards other students in a non-condescending way and is a great pleasure in all respects to have in class. She has a near native standard of English with an IELTS score of 8.0.

In her spare time Elaine is involved in extracurricular economics and mathematics, but her main extracurricular involvement is in her membership of and activities for the charities subcommittee. She is also a keen musician.

Elaine is hoping to study Biochemistry at university next year. We look forward to hearing about Elaine's future successes.

Find out more about studying A Levels at Bellerbys

Singaporean Students Celebrate Exam Success

Some of the successful students from Singapore studying at Bellerbys Brighton Bellerbys London students from Singapore, pictured here with Principal Andy Quin, have had plenty of reasons to be cheerful recently. Not only has A Level student Poh Ee Teo achieved outstanding A Level exam results in her January tests, this year has also seen several
talented Singaporean students join Bellerbys London on a range of courses.

One such student is Yi Lin Fong, who is studying Foundation Law and currently averages 94% in her Foundation programme, including scores of 99% and 98% in Politics 2 and Law 2 respectively – an amazing achievement! Yi Lin, who is on course to fulfil her ambition of studying Law at Bristol University next year, says that “Bellerbys is a nice environment to study in, with good residence facilities and very friendly staff. The modular structure of the Foundation programme is good and easy-to-follow, and is especially good for international students”. Law teacher Sally Hawkes is singled out for additional praise: “Sally is an awesome teacher!” says Yi Lin.

Poh Ee Teo and Yi Lin Fong are not the only Singaporean students to have excelled academically this year; indeed we currently have several very talented students from Singapore studying Foundation Law alongside Yi Lin, and helping to make this year’s Law group one of the strongest and most successful we have ever seen at Bellerbys London.

Bellerbys London Welcomes New A Level Scholarship Students

Aigul Aisautova, Maggie Tan, Huong Lien Nguyen & Poh Ee Teo outside Bellerbys College London This year has seen 10 scholarship students begin their A Level studies at Bellerbys College London. These talented young students, pictured here outside the college building, have been awarded scholarships by the college to reflect their high level of academic success and future potential and were welcomed to Bellerbys London with a special greeting from Principal Andy Quin, Academic Director Paul Langman and A Level Programme Manager Erin Robinson.

Even during the short time in which our scholarship students have been with us they have already proven themselves to be a very talented group capable of the highest academic standards. For example Singaporean student Poh Ee Teo, also known as Elaine, achieved perfect scores in her January A Level exams whilst keen young mathematician Danny Wang, from Hong Kong, has already proven himself to be a remarkably gifted young student and a valuable member of our mathematics team, which achieved second place in this year’s Senior Team Maths Challenge.

Elvira Soshnikova, Ngoc Diep Nguyen, Phang Chew Tan & Thuy Trang Tran with their scholarship awards Principal Andy Quin adds “These students have been awarded scholarships on the basis of excellent academic results in their own countries. They have shown that they are potentially high achievers. We are delighted to have them here and sincerely hope that with our help
they will achieve the results they are capable of.”

Our scholarship students are Aigul Aisautova (Kazakhstan), Maggie Tan (Malaysia), Huong
Lien Nguyen (Vietnam), Poh Ee Teo (Malaysia), Elvira Soshnikova (Russia), Ngoc Diep Nguyen (Vietnam), Phang Chew Tan (Malaysia), Thuy Trang Tran (Vietnam), Danny Wang and Zhi Ming Huang (China).

Former Bellerbys London Student Shines at University

Maria Kosuchenko, one of the top A Level students at Bellerbys London in 2008 Congratulations go to our former A Level student Mariya Kosuchenko from Russia, who has recently achieved an outstanding set of results in her first year mid-sessional exams, scoring the second-highest scores in the whole year!

Mariya, who was one of our top A Level students in 2008, is currently studying Mathematics
with Economics at University College London (UCL) and it’s good to see that she is continuing to excel and prove just how talented she is!

London Students Attend Oxbridge Students Conference

Bellerbys students outside the Emirates stadium Sixteen first year A Level students and two of their teachers from Bellerbys London recently attended the annual London leg of the Oxbridge Students Conference, held at the Emirates stadium (home of Arsenal football club). The conference is an opportunity for students to learn more about life at Oxford and Cambridge universities and to hear directly from staff and students at these two prestigious establishments.

The event, which students from Bellerbys College attend every year, consists of six sessions covering a wide range of topics including advice on how to apply to Oxford and Cambridge and what interviews are like at these universities. There is also an opportunity to attend subject-specific sessions which are a great way to find out more about what your favourite subject is like at university. These sessions are often run by professors from Oxford and Cambridge and give A Level students a chance to hear directly from experts in their subjects and even to talk to them after the sessions.

One of the students who attended the conference, Diep Nguyen from Vietnam, had this to say: “Oxford and Cambridge are the top universities in the UK that everybody dreams about. I had never thought about going to Oxford or Cambridge, because as everyone knows it is very difficult to get into those two universities. So at first, I was not very excited about getting a ticket to the conference but luckily my teacher changed my mind and I signed up for a ticket at the very last moment and I felt very lucky and happy that I had a chance to go. It was an interesting and enjoyable experience for me as I was able to gain more knowledge and understanding, not just about Oxford or Cambridge, but also university courses and university life in general.

Bellerbys students at the Oxbridge conference Going along with my teachers and classmates was very exciting as it was also time for students and teachers to get closer to each other. I really liked and enjoyed the conference and also the "trip" as I could spend time with my teachers and my classmates. I hope that more people go to the Oxbridge conference next year and also feel happy and lucky like I was. Good luck!”

First year A Level student Trang Tran adds: “Brilliant, challenging, delightful and second-to-none - that is what I thought Oxbridge is meant to be like. If you are thinking about applying to Oxbridge, then I presume that you think like me. Last term, together with Dr. McDarby and Ms. Bradford, a group of A Level students and I had the chance to find out the truth about these two prestigious universities through the Oxford and Cambridge Student Conference. Having arrived at the Emirates Stadium since early morning, I felt the excitement of the crowd of teachers and students attending the conference.

With the aim of dispelling the myths that surround applying to and studying at Oxbridge, we went to hear seminars led by Oxbridge tutors and undergraduates about topics such as how to apply, degree course subjects, interview techniques and financial planning. All of those were delivered thoroughly and most of the questions raised were answered in detail by very nice speakers. I particularly found the interview section the most useful as I think not only can I apply it to the Oxbridge interview but also to any other important interviews in the future. Moreover, if you observed or talked to the current undergraduates, in a sense you may have recognized how a prospective student should be.

At the end of the day, each of us has a different perspective towards Oxbridge. I myself feel more well-informed about the application process and especially how tough and competitive it is to gain a place. If you consider yourself a confident applicant with good grades and attitudes but have not got the chance to join the conference this year, no worries! You can go on to either university website and find out about them yourself or wait till July or September for their open days to see whether the university suits you! But more importantly, work hard! Lastly, Good luck with your application, everyone!”

First Year Student Achieves Perfect A Level Exam Results

Poh Ee Teo with Bellerbys London Principal Andy Quin One of our most talented students, first-year Poh Ee Teo, also known as Elaine, has achieved an outstanding set of A Level results scoring full marks in all her January A Level exams!
This rare and remarkable achievement reflects Elaine’s hard work and ability and is thoroughly deserved.

Elaine, from Malaysia, is currently studying for A Levels in Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Further Maths & Economics, and sat exams in all these subjects in January, making her success even more impressive!

After receiving her results, Elaine, who hopes to study Biochemistry at university, said “I was pleasantly surprised with my results – I hadn’t expected them at all! I enjoy Bellerbys College, particularly the style of teaching. At my old school we were taught in big lectures and we didn’t get the level of personal attention that we get from our teachers at Bellerbys”.

Students Celebrate with Spring Boat Party

View of the London Eye from the boat party What better way to celebrate the arrival of spring and, for A Level students, well-deserved exam success than by cruising up the River Thames for London’s first boat party of the year? Our Friday night boat parties, which are becoming an important tradition of life at Bellerbys London, continue to be very popular attracting lots of students from both Bellerbys and our sister school.

One student, Elvira Soshnikova, had this to say: “This was the first time I’d been on a Thames boat party and it was really good! It was beautiful to see places like the London Eye and Big Ben from the river and I really enjoyed myself. The boat was beautiful too and we all had a really fun time!”

The boat party set off at 8pm from the pier at Greenwich – just a short walk from Bellerbys London – then sailed up the river to Westminster, taking in sights such as the Houses of Parliament, Canary Wharf, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, before turning around and sailing back to Greenwich, arriving a little after midnight. The boat party includes a dance floor and DJs providing music as students danced, chatted and generally had fun with their friends and classmates!

London Students Celebrate Exam Success

Yusuke Asahi, studying at Bellerbys London Students at Bellerbys London have been celebrating another excellent set of A Level exam results following all the hard work and effort they put into preparing for the January exam session. Congratulations go to all our A Level students and teachers for the results they have received and we now wish them good luck as they look forward to the June exam period, especially those second year students who will be taking their final exams.

Particularly impressive results include those achieved by first year student Poh Ee Teo from Malaysia and second year student Xin Zhang, also known as Jessie, who has received a conditional offer to read Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, and who has maintained her excellent progress, achieving 100% in three of her second year exams.

Credit also goes to Foundation Engineering student Yusuke Asahi from Japan who is studying for an A Level in Maths alongside his Foundation course. Yusuke, who hopes to study at the University of Bristol next year, achieved an excellent set of results averaging 99% in his first set of exams, with full marks in two modules.

Foundation Art Students’ Fashion Exhibition

Fashion show by Art Foundation students at Bellerbys London Students from our Foundation Art programme brightened up the school by modelling their fashion creations and turning the school into their own private catwalk!

The six students, Alina Andrusenko, Jang Yun Ji, Lia Kakiashvila, Vivian Luo, Priscilla Lai and Choi Jae Hyun, had to design a ‘wearable shelter’ as their coursework project for Foundation Art. Art teacher Rosie Montford described the project as “a cross-over between fashion and architecture” and was inspired by the work of artist Lucy Orta as well as school visits to the V&A Museum in South Kensington and to the Design Museum to see an exhibition by the artist Hussain Chalayan, whose work specialises in combining fashion with the latest technology – including LED lights and lasers!

The students drew inspiration from these visits to help develop their own ideas and design innovative and very personal creations – which you can see from the variety of final designs produced – which they were proud to display to everyone at Bellerbys!

London Students Compete in Cambridge University Essay Writing Competition

Bellerbys London A Level students Alisa Popova and Maggie Tan Essays written by first year A Level students Alisa Popova and Maggie Tan have been chosen for submission into this year’s Corpus Christi College essay competition for Politics, Psychology & Sociology. Schools are only permitted to enter two essays into each
competition and those written by Alisa and Maggie were selected as the best essays written this year by students from Bellerbys London, with the final choice made by Academic Director Paul Langman.

Corpus Christi College, part of the University of Cambridge, organises several annual essay writing competitions challenging Year 12 students across a range of subjects including Politics, Psychology & Sociology, Engineering, Classics, English and Philosophy. These competitions are a great way for students to practise their essay writing skills and compete against talented students from across the country. Alisa, who chose the essay title ‘Is democracy a universal human right?’ and who wants to study Politics and Philosophy at university, says “I chose to take part in the Corpus Christi competition because I wanted to see how well I could do and because I was interested in the essay title as it is such an important issue in the world today.”

Maggie, who is a student ambassador at Bellerbys London, also writes a blog about life at the college which you can read at http://blogs.bellerbys.com/maggie/index.html.

London Students Take Part in Game Theory Challenge

Game Theory with Bellerbys Maths Teacher, Dr John McDarby As part of a range of activities aimed at introducing our students to Game Theory, an important topic which blends key ideas in economics with advanced mathematical methods, over 20 students at Bellerbys London have recently been taking part in a special Game
Theory challenge, in which students and staff from across all our programmes have been competing against Maths teachers Dr John McDarby and Clive Cubitt in attempt to win as many sweets as possible!

Game Theory, which was made famous by the hit film ‘A Beautiful Mind’ starring actor Russell Crowe as the gifted but troubled mathematician John Nash, examines situations in which two or more players compete against each other. In economics Game Theory can be used to understand a wide variety of problems including how organisations compete with each other for resources and how businesses can attempt to outmanoeuvre their rivals and gain a competitive edge.

Game Theory Challenge at Bellerbys London This week’s challenge – the latest in our ongoing series of weekly maths challenges designed to introduce our students to new and interesting branches of mathematics – involved students playing a specially designed game, aimed at mimicking a problem in which two businesses were competing against each other. Students represented one company and had to directly compete against teacher John.

As well as relying on a little bit of luck, successful students had to both work out John’s tactics as well as devise a successful winning strategy of their own – something that first year
A Level student Timur Dailidonis excelled at, beating John comprehensively in the process!

Afterwards Timur said that “the maths challenge was really good fun, and very different to anything I’d encountered before. It has got me interested in Game Theory and I especially like the probability element and that a bit of luck was involved. At one stage, even though I had worked out the correct strategy to play, I still lost the game! It was also fun having to compete against my teacher, as well as trying to do better than the other students!”

Welcome to the Economics Club at Bellerbys London

Each Monday after school, students from across our A Level, Foundation and GCSE programmes meet with Economics teacher Rene Bradford to discuss a wide range
of important issues in economics and current affairs as well as to share ideas and news. The Economics Club, which is organised by Rene and A Level student Chik Soon Nean, is one of our most popular after-school activities and is an important forum for students to learn about major issues in today’s rapidly changing economic climate.

As part of the Economics Club students also take part in our regular economics essay writing competition which so far has seen students challenged to write an essay on such topics as “Does a free market equilibrium truly exist?” (won by second year A-Level student Li Xiao) and “Is the world essentially a centrally-planned economy?” (won jointly by first year A-level students Chris Wang and Cong Jan Hoang Xuan). This month students must answer the very topical question “Should mortgage lenders be nationalised?” and, for the first time, as well as competing with each other our students will be competing against students from Bellerbys Oxford.

The club also regularly plays host to special guest lectures, such as this week’s talk by
teacher Jerome Lee discussing the great depression of the 1930’s and the implications this
has for the current economic situation, and last term’s talk on Game Theory. It also gives our students the opportunity to apply the economics principles which they learn in class to more complex and advanced situations – a view shared by A-Level student Tatiana Maslennikova who says “I like the Economics Club because of all the extension material we cover. I also
go to the AEA classes for Economics and after these my A-Level Economics lessons seem much easier! It’s also more practical than A-Level classes and it’s really good to learn more factual information, like about the UK economy, and see how to apply the theory we learn in class. Rene is a very good teacher and I like that she is willing to give us her own opinion, especially as she often holds very strong-minded and interesting opinions!”

Bellerbys London After-School Activities Programme Continues to Grow

Japanese Club with teacher Claire Marcouse Following the start of the new term and the end of the January A Level exams Bellerbys London has seen a significant increase in the range and accessibility of after-school activities available to our students, as part of our school’s vision to make us somewhere that is an excellent place to be both in lessons and outside of class.

This term has also seen the introduction of after-school lessons in Advanced Extension Award (AEA) Mathematics and Economics, run by teachers Clive Cubitt and Rene Bradford, enabling our students to study for very valuable additional qualifications. Our extra-curricular
activities programme now sees various after-school activities taking place every evening –
for example, on Mondays you can now attend the Economics Club (see below) until 6pm,
have your dinner and be ready to start with the Dance Club at 7pm; whilst on Wednesdays students and staff can choose between our Debating Society, Japanese classes, the Philosophy Club or studying for an AEA in Economics!

Finally, and much to our students appreciation our library has now also extended its opening hours until 9 pm Monday to Thursday, meaning that our college is becoming as busy and lively after lessons finish as it is during our normal working hours!

Love and Charity in the Air at Bellerbys London

Alina Yatskevich and Kwang Min Joo sell Valentines gifts for charity As part of our St. Valentine’s Day celebrations, for the third consecutive year students from the Charity Society at Bellerbys London, with help from Extra-Curricular Activities Coordinator Sara Bewes, have organised the sale and delivery of Valentine’s cards and chocolates to students and staff.

For three days, members of the Charity Society, including Foundation Business students Alina Yatskevich and Kwang Min Joo, pictured here, staffed a stall in the school reception selling cards and chocolates to raise money for our chosen charity, Plan International. Rather than taking the cards and chocolates away with them, students had the option of letting the Charity Society deliver them to their intended recipient with students Zviad Aslanikashvili, Giorgi Andguladze and Jirapong Srupsrisopa going round the classrooms delivering chocolates and Valentine’s cards to all the lucky people!

In total, £179.30 was raised from the sales and this has been doubled to £358.60 by Study Group, parent company of Bellerby College.

Students Celebrate St. Valentine’s Day at Friday Night Disco

Resident student DJ, A Level student Maria Melnikova and friend

On Friday 13th February the school played host to our third disco of the year, attracting a large number of students from both Bellerbys College London and our sister school Embassy CES.

Everyone had a great time, partying and dancing in the school cafeteria until 11pm and helping to make the night a tremendous success. As usual music was provided by Head Chef Donald Sweeney and our resident DJ, A Level student Maria Melnikova, pictured right with friend.Food and drink – including spring rolls, strawberry and marshmallow sticks, jelly shots and mojitas – were supplied by Donald and his fantastic kitchen staff.

Meet some Bellerbys London staff

London Team Narrowly Beaten in Team Maths Challenge

Chen and Danny at the Senior Team Maths Challenge A team of Maths students from Bellerbys London were both ecstatic and disappointed following their second-placed finish in the regional final of the inaugural Senior Team Maths Challenge, held at Ravenswood School in Bromley.

The team, consisting of second year A Level students Chen Chen and Xin Zhang and first years Danny Wang and Timur Dailidonis, and accompanied by teachers Clive Cubitt and Dr John McDarby, were narrowly beaten – by just three points - but were all nonetheless overjoyed to have done so well and to have achieved such an outstanding team performance.

Afterwards Timur said “we were delighted when we heard we made it into the top five as we had no idea how we were going to do beforehand - but when we heard we only missed out on winning by three points we were very disappointed! Next year we are going to build a new team and go back and get our revenge!” whilst Maths teacher John commented that “it was an incredible achievement to beat so many top schools from across South London but most rewarding was seeing how happy and pleased all the students felt afterwards and I’ll never forget Danny’s celebrations when it was announced that we had come second! I’m very proud of the team and couldn’t wait to tell all my friends and family just how well they did – and it’s an even better feeling to hear how determined Danny and Timur are to work hard and make sure they win next year!”

More Maths Olympiad Success for Bellerbys London Students

Bellerbys London achieved its best ever results in the first round of the British Maths
Olympiad (BMO1) with three students – Chen Chen, Xin Zhang and Danny Wang – awarded medals and book prizes for finishing in the top 100 of this year’s competition. This success follows on from last year’s incredible performance by our student Thien Phung who won the second round of the competition!

Chen was our highest-placed participant finishing joint 23rd (out of 1,308 participants across the UK) and receiving a Silver Medal with a score of 40 (out of 60) whilst Xin and Danny both scored 31 and received Bronze Medals. In total six students – our highest ever number of entrants – competed in the Olympiad, a national competition involving schools and students from all across the UK.

Timur, Jessie, teacher Clive, Chen and Danny show off their awards At Bellerbys London the competition is organised by Maths teachers Clive Cubitt and Dr John McDarby and offers our strongest Maths students the opportunity to compete against the best young mathematicians from across the UK in a prestigious and very challenging competition.

Although the British Maths Olympiad requires a lot of hard work and dedication, the students involved enjoy taking part and find it a rewarding and exciting experience. In fact star second year student Xin enjoyed taking part so much, and was so determined to take part in the second round of the Olympiad (BMO2), that she went straight from sitting an A Level exam to joining fellow students Chen and Danny who had already started the paper!

Cambridge Success for Star London A Level Student

Xin Zhang, who has received a conditional offer to read Maths at Cambridge University Congratulations to Bellerbys London student Xin Zhang, from Beijing, who has received a conditional offer to study Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. Xin, who is also known by her English name Jessie, is currently in the second year of her A Level programme studying Mathematics, Further Maths, Physics, Economics and Accounts and is one of our most talented students.

Jessie is naturally delighted with the good news and describes her feelings as “excited, happy and relieved!” whilst her tutor and Maths teacher, Dr John McDarby, is also understandably thrilled and describes Jessie as “one of the most gifted Maths students I have ever taught”
and says that “Jessie’s attitude and performance has always been superb and she is an excellent example to other students. She has worked tremendously hard to receive this offer and she thoroughly deserves it”.

Charity Cake Sale a Great Success

Chocolate fudge cake and pineapple upside down cake January saw the first charity cake sale at Bellerbys London, organised by Extra Curricular Coordinator Sara Bewes, with staff, including Principal Andy Quin, baking home-made cakes which were sold during break time to raise money for our school’s chosen charity, Building Futures in partnership with Plan International.

As well as Andy’s Victoria sponge cake, students also rapidly devoured all the other cakes available – including Brazilian coconut cake, chocolate cake, pineapple upside-down cake and green tea cake – and helped raise £98.85, which will be doubled by Study Group, the parent company of Bellerbys College, leading to a total contribution of £197.70 to our fundraising efforts.

Thanks to all the hard work of Sara and the students involved in our Charity Society Bellerbys London has now raised £7,645.74 for Building Futures since we began fundraising in September 2006.

The project has so far raised enough funds to complete three schools in some of the world's poorest regions in Indonesia, Benin and Brazil. A further is underway in Liu Shu, China.

Student Union Welcomes New Clubs and Societies

The Japanese Club, with Business Studies Teacher, Claire Marcouse The start of the new term signals the return of our all our clubs and societies including the Dance Society, which this year sees A Level student Maria Melnikova teaching her fellow students how to dance Hip Hop and RnB, and the Photography Club which (as well as updating all the staff photos!) will be working towards an exhibition of their photography later this year.

This term also sees new clubs and societies offered to students and staff at Bellerbys London, including the Japanese Club – with Business Studies teacher Claire Marcouse organising Japanese language lessons – and the History Club, run by Programme Manager David Rowson, which reflects the introduction of History into our A Level programme. All our clubs and societies, new and old, continue to be very popular with a large number of students involved in the organisation and running of clubs as well as just taking part and enjoying themselves!

A Happy New Year from Bellerbys London Principal Andy Quin

Bellerbys London Principal, Andy Quin, in his office January sees a new year, and in Chinese terms, the Year of the Ox, which means that (hopefully) we will be prospering through fortitude and hard work. Given that we have the highest number of students ever in the school, our staff would certainly agree that they are working hard!

Over 100 new students arrived in January, and together with our returners we now have 375 students in the college, together with 270 students at our sister school, Embassy CES. Our current students come from fifty different countries – with substantial numbers from China, Russia, Vietnam and Kazakhstan, but also from places as far apart as Brunei, Belgium, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Norway, Brazil, Cyprus, Lithuania and the Maldives!

There is so much going on at the school at the moment that it is difficult to know where to start. We have created the new role of “Student Ambassador” and our four team members – Maggie, Akhtar, John and Meline – did a great job for us helping out with the induction of new students. You can read Maggie’s blog on http://blogs.bellerbys.com/maggie/index.html.

Maggie Tan, the Bellerbys College London blogger Our extra-curricular programme goes from strength to strength. Our students are also involved in creating our staff photoboard, making a YouTube film on the college, participating in a survey to say what kind of snacks and drinks from their country they would like us to sell in the cafeteria, and deciding on the type of classroom chair we buy from now on.

We are also equipping the school with more and more interactive whiteboards, building up a fantastic range of DVDs in the library, and creating a covered smoking area outside the college.

We’ve had a great start to the year and are positive about the future. In the words of the
new American president, “Yes we can!”

Andy Quin
Principal, Bellerbys College London

Winners of the Business Studies Essay Writing Competition

Bellerbys London Business Foundation students took part in an essay writing competition this month, with book tokens presented as prizes to the winner and runner up. The idea behind the competition was to get students to practice their essay writing, whilst writing on something topical - 'the recession'. The essays were marked by the students’ teachers, Sara Bewes, David Watson and Claire Marcouse, and the marks also went towards the students’ Business Studies coursework. The top four essays from each class were then given to Foundation Programme Manager Chris Hovell, from which to chose the winners. Of the competition, Chris said:

”This has involved a lot of work, obviously for the students, but also for Sara, David and Claire. I would like to say that I appreciate the Chris Hovell presenting prize to Irfan effort they put in to do all the marking. It's the first time we've tried this (as a competition), but I think it has been very successful. We'll do something similar for the January students. Maybe the recession will be over by then and we can choose a different topical subject, but maybe not!"

"I enjoyed reading the essays and hope that you found the research and the process of essay writing useful. There was good evidence that many students had made an effort to investigate the subject. In general, the essays were well structured and well-written. I think, on the whole, most students responded well to the challenge of producing an extended business essay on a difficult subject."

"It was not, easy to pick a winning essay. In the end I have chosen two. The runner-up is Irfan Esgun. His essay was enthusiastic, thoughtful and full of his own ideas. Although there were some limitations in his English, this did not matter as his writing was original and clear."

"The winning essay was by Arslan Akanov. I felt he addressed the question very intelligently, in concise, well-written English. He made reference to topical examples and showed his ability to plan and structure a piece of analytical writing. I have pinned his essay to the notice board and hope some of you will take time to have a look at it."

Congratulations to Arslan and Irfan and thank you once again for all your essays.

Exciting New Clubs a Hit with Students

Bellerbys London Philosophy Club The Student Union continues to offer students excellent opportunities to enhance their personal statements and fill their spare time with some very popular new clubs.

A Level Art teacher Josephine Roberts has begun teaching Art lessons on Thursday evenings, aimed at beginners to give those students not studying Art a chance to be creative and learn a new skill. So far, the students have been learning drawing skills and still life.

The new Dance Club, organised by AS student Magdalen Tan, has been very popular, with a professional teacher coming in each Monday to teach Salsa and other Latin American grooves. Even some of the teachers have been joining in!

Bellerbys London Dance Club The Photography Club, who meet on Tuesday evenings, is chaired by Foundation Business student Adriana Mihailescu. The group get together each week to show each other photos they have taken, and every other week give presentations, a recent example being a talk on Canon photo equipment versus Nikon by Pre-Masters student Viktor Gnativ. The students have also been given the responsibility of taking promotional photos – for example the prize-giving of a recent competition – and the new staff photos for the school notice board.

Foundation Engineering student Yusuke Asahi has started a Music Club. Having experience in teaching Violin in Japan, Yusuke was keen to keep his musical interests going here in the UK. The group meet each Tuesday evening to get together, sing, and play instruments. The club has even been given the go ahead to buy a keyboard for the school.

Finally, Psychology teacher Elizabeth Jackson has started a Philosophy club, also on Tuesdays. This popular club meet each week to discuss philosophical concepts, and try to answer those burning questions in life such as “What is Beauty?”, “Is there a God” and of course, “Why are we here?”

With the fantastic support of Sara Bewes, and all the enthusiastic students who have taken part in the plethora of groups, the Student Union and Extra-curricular programme has grown into an important part of school life here at Bellerbys London.

Study Group Students and Staff Raise Yet More Funds for Plan International

In a joint effort to raise money for Study Group’s nominated charity, Plan International, staff and students have collected nearly £1,400. The charity raises money to sponsor children in developing countries and build schools to provide an education for some of these children.

Three staff members, English teacher, Luke Fletcher, site Maintenance Manager, Jose Carvalho and Andrew Jackson, who is in charge of the centre-wide social programme, recently took part in the London Parks Half Marathon.

Not only did they complete the marathon with great times – Jose, two hours fifteen minutes, Luke, one hour forty minutes and Andrew, one hour fifty minutes – they also collected £1,141.27 in sponsorship.

In partnership with this achievement, the Bellerbys College Bellerbys London Charity Run Charity Group – freshly inundated with keen new students this term – collected money during lunchtimes in school and raised £235.52, which added to the staff’s collection, made a total of £1,376.79.

Study Group double all money raised for Plan International, so, within just a few weeks of term, Bellerbys London has contributed a massive £2,753.58 to the 'Building Futures' fund.

Volunteering Opportunities for Bellerbys London Students

Bellerbys students keen to learn about volunteer opportunities Bellerbys extra curricular activities provide an ideal way for students to develop and practice their English language skills whilst enriching their cultural experience and understanding.

The volunteering program at Bellerbys London, organised by Extra Curricular Coordinator Sarah Bewes is a vital component of the extra curricular program. Having been an important, but fairly under-represented branch of the extra curricular programme last year, Sara was enthused to see a staggering thirty to forty students attend the preliminary talk on volunteer opportunities, given by Karen Amas of the Greenwich Volunteer Centre.

Although not all students will necessarily go on to secure long term voluntary work, it was very encouraging to see such a significant number in attendance.

Extra Curricular Coordinator Sarah Bewes Karen’s talk gave the students a basic outline of what might be expected of them and the benefits they might receive if they were to engage in volunteer work. Greenwich Volunteer Centre manages youth projects which are aimed at getting young people engaged in volunteering.

Most students who find a position need only commit to volunteering for one or two hours a week, but stand to gain so much from the work experience. The students not only have the opportunity to practice their English language skills and meet new people but also to gain a reference from the centre. Previous students have worked in a variety of positions which included helping in charity shops, work experience in businesses, administration and working with children and the elderly.

Novel Way to Recognise A Level Success

Bellerbys students and teachers aboard The Lord Nelson Staff and students past and present on the Bellerbys London A Level Programme were involved in an exciting and unusual way to recognise this year’s A Level success this October
– a day out sailing on a tall ship!

Lisa Magill, who has organised residential sailing trips for students in the past, decided that a day’s sailing, eating and socialising would be a fantastic way to reward both students and teachers for all their hard work over the past few years, resulting in excellent A Level grades for many summers in a row.

The trip took place on Saturday the 4th of October, with a good mix of nine staff (Lisa Magill, Clive Cubitt, John McDarby, Chris Hovell, Rene Bradford, Claire Marcouse, Elizabeth Jackson, Jan Zawadzki and Erin Robinson) and around ten students. Indeed, some of the students on the trip were past graduates of Bellerbys London, all of whom are now studying at excellent universities: Le Nguyen, studying Economics at Durham, Maria Kosuchenko and Tracy Lam, both studying Maths at UCL and Edwin Lo, also studying Maths, at Warwick.

Students, Edwin and Maria The students set off at a yawn-inducing 6am to make it down to Portsmouth from London in time to set sail. As many of the staff had stayed over the night before and they were ready and waiting to greet the students – albeit with a slightly damp hello, the weather wasn’t very kind that day!

Despite the rain, staff and students wrapped themselves in yellow oilskin coats and boarded “The Lord Nelson” another tall ship, modified to have complete disabled access
and maintained by the Jubilee Sailing Trust, a charitable organisation promoting the integration of able-bodied and physically disabled people through activities such as sailing.

Determined to do some sailing, the crew set sail towards Cowes in the Isle of Wight.
Although the poor weather meant that they had to make an earlier return than perhaps everyone would have liked, the group still got a good couple of hours sailing in, with staff and students even getting a chance to steer the boat, which Business Studies teacher Claire Marcouse said was one of the “most fun things ever!”

Ready to climb the rigging The staff and students were provided with hearty British food such as jacket potatoes to keep them warm against the elements, and had a chance to practise with the sail ropes and even climb the rigging! Unsurprisingly, although all the students climbed right to the top, the teachers seemed less keen.

Erin Robinson, A Level and GCSE Programme Manager, thought that the trip was a real success. Of the trip she said:
“I really enjoyed getting to see the students in a social situation, doing something that they hadn’t tried before – it allowed me to see a new aspect to their personalities which was very nice. I also enjoyed getting to know some of the other teachers more – outside of an academic context when we’re not just talking about work!

Bellerbys friends What struck me about seeing the students work together was how close they had become over their time at Bellerbys. The current students all seemed to have such close bonds with each other, but what was really nice was that the past students had all kept in touch with each other too, and they were also really pleased to see the current students again.

The final thing that made the day so nice was that, in talking to the students who are now at university, I could tell that they were really happy in their new lives and enjoying their courses, and I was really interested to hear about their successes following their graduation from Bellerbys College”.

A Level Maths teacher Clive Cubitt also enjoyed the day. It was a new experience for him
and the students, and he was really pleased to see everyone enjoying themselves and having ago, despite the terrible weather!

Bellerbys London Welcomes their highest ever number of “Freshers” to the Fayre

New students mingle with teacher on the Bellerbys London Freshers Day This academic year Bellerbys London is at maximum capacity – with well over 150 Foundation students (a record) and nearly 40 new students on the A Level programme. The Foundation Business programme has been so popular this year that Paul Langman, Academic Director, has made the decision to open a sixth Foundation Business group – a first for Bellerbys London. The Foundation Law programme too, has had a record number of applicants, with
the current total of 20 students all enjoying getting to grips with a course which is, for many
a new and exciting experience.

To welcome the new students, two events were organised, with both being a resounding success. For the first time, our Extra-Curricular Activities Coordinator, Sarah Bewes, organised a “Fresher’s Fayre”. Similar to events held at universities around the country at the beginning of the academic year, the fayre was an astounding success, with a seething mass of students eager to learn about the exciting clubs, societies and organisations in which they could take part.

The Extra Curricular Activities notice board The event certainly did the trick too: All the returning clubs – such as the French and Spanish lessons, Chess, Debating and Film Societies – are more popular, with greater numbers than ever before, and several new clubs, suggested and run by new and returning students, have popped up, including a Philosophy Club, Music Group, Photography Club. New
classes are also starting – Art lessons, and the surprisingly popular Dance club. More about these new ventures next month!

The second welcome event was a staff and students “drinks and mingle”, combined with the timetable handout. Held on a Friday afternoon with nibbles and wine, this gave all the new students a chance to meet each other, but also meet their prospective teachers and find out
a little more about their courses and the college. Again the afternoon was a resounding success, with staff and students alike feeling that it was a good opportunity to get to know each other outside the confines of the classroom.

London Students Achieve Great A Level Results

Teachers at Bellerbys London are beaming with pride as students on the A level programmes leave for university with a record number of top grades to their names. Out of twenty-eight A2 students, eight achieved straight A grades across all of their subjects, with many more gaining AAAB. All in all, 25 out of 28 students gained a C or above in all their A Levels, an excellent achievement!

Many students phoned from home to find out their A level results, however, two of our top achievers, Svetlana Zaichenko and Stefan Panov came into school to collect their grades. Read more about what they had to say about their new courses at university and experiences of Bellerbys London: Svetlana Zaichenko & Stefan Panov.

The Bellerbys London Yearbook Goes on Sale!

Students selling the London Yearbook After months of hard work, the Bellerbys London 2008 Yearbook finally went on sale at the end of May. Members of the “Yearbook Committee” Alexandra Chervotkina, Mei Hui Jiang, Dias Kanafin, Ksenia Kassoni, Polina Klimenko, Aidana Kussanova and Wenwen You set up a stall in the college foyer, and could be spotted each lunchtime tirelessly selling the book, meaning that every student had a chance to purchase a lasting memory of their time at the college – a snip at £15 per book.

This year the Yearbook was bursting at the seams with photos, anecdotes, messages, letters from Principal Andy Quin and Academic Director Paul Langman. The book also included lots
of articles, to which many students contributed – be it to write about their favourite social activity such as the chess, film and debate clubs – or in the humorous ‘Teacher’s Reports’, where every student in the college was invited to grade their teachers and make helpful comments about the teacher’s catchphrases and teaching skills.

Josephine Roberts, teacher of A Level Art, was described as “an extraordinary teacher…very creative and full of ideas”. Her catchphrase was “Super”. Teacher of Accounts, Lisa Magill was described as someone who “explains everything clearly and cares about every student in the class”. The ‘report’ for Cath James, teacher of English and Senior UCAS Tutor, was very complimentary, describing her as a “lovely, easy-going and patient person” and a “forever helpful and understanding tutor”. Praise indeed! Other amusing catchphrases included Economics Teacher Rene Bradford – “Are you with me?” and Science teacher Angela Baffour – “We have to work, work work!”

Foundation Success Rewarded in a Prize-Giving Ceremony

On June 4th, just ahead of their final exams, students studying on Foundation programmes that started in September 2007 were rewarded in the annual Prize-Giving Ceremony. For each subject, the Foundation teachers decided on one student who had really excelled in their class. Sometimes it was a student who got the highest mark, sometimes it was a student who had a natural talent for the subject, and sometimes it was a student who had worked the hardest, or been the most pleasant student to teach.

At the ceremony, the teacher who chose each student to win a subject prize gave a little speech about the student, before giving the student his or her award – a certificate and book token. The subject prize winners were:

Most Improved Foundation Student, Jang Kyoung Jin (Aster) Accounts - U Kam Pio from Macau
Art - Mariya Kolesnychenko from Ukraine
Biology - Ufuoma Ederewhevbe from Nigeria
Business Mathematics - Zhuang Zhijie from China
Business Studies - Maria Sokolova from Russia
Chemistry - Nurlan Asylbekovitch Mansurov from Kazakhstan
Economics - Lee Ka Yan from Hong Kong
English (overall) - Mihaela Zop from Romania
English (most improved) - Kim Hyeong Gyu from Korea
Information Technology - Ji Guseon from Korea
Mechanics - Gulperi Yurt from Turkey
Media Studies - Alexandra Chervotkina from Russia
Physics - Muumin Amur Al-Hajri from Oman
Psychology - Cheryl Fernandez from Malaysia
Pure Mathematics - A Ram Jeon from Korea

As well as subject prizes, special awards were given to three students who had done exceptionally well all round. These students also received a certificate and book token as well as a special commemorative cup, and were as follows:

Most Improved Student - Jang Kyoung Jin (Aster) from Korea, pictured right
Most Conscientious Student - Kuan Ka Wai (Dorothy) from Macau
Principal’s Prize for Best Student - Tang Siu Wai (Alan) from Hong Kong

All these students were studying Foundation Business. The ceremony began with a few words from the school Principal Andy Quin, and after the prizes were given out, Academic Director Paul Langman made a short speech, wishing students luck for the future, and reminding them to come back and tell us how they’re getting on! After this, students and teachers made their way to the courtyard outside the school for heartfelt goodbyes and photographs.

Read more about the Business Foundation course

Charity Group Rally Together to Help the Victims of the Sichuan Earthquake

The Bellerbys London Charity Group with their banner After the devastation caused by the Sichuan earthquake on May 12th 2008, it didn’t take long for the ever active Bellerbys London Charity Group to spring into action in order to raise money for the 15 million people living in the affected area. Chinese students Tingting Dai, Xiao Li (Lisa), Meihui Jiang, Xin Zhang (Jessie), Yang Liu, and Xujiao Wang (Jessie) quickly put together a campaign.

Their main aim was to encourage as many students and staff to donate whatever they could spare to the cause. They drummed up support for their campaign by visiting classes to encourage people to donate and creating a large banner – upon which donators could write messages of support – which was displayed for over a week in the main foyer.

The students spent every lunch and break time maintaining a vigil by the banner encouraging more donations to the cause, they also sold flowers – the profits from which, of course, were added straight to the donation total. All in all, the students raised a massive £2,200 – a total which will be doubled by Bellerbys College to an incredible £4,400! The money is to be given to the British Red Cross China Earthquake Appeal.

Charity Group member Xiao Li (Lisa) is passionate about aid-giving. She said: “We decided to collect money because we wanted to help the people suffering from the earthquake and enable them build up their homes again as soon as possible. It was particularly important to us because we are Chinese and, being so far from home, we felt we could not just sit here and watch what was happening to our country. We feel that every Chinese person who is able, should do something for our country to help this situation. However, if such a thing happens in another country, we would definitely donate money to any the area that suffers from natural disasters as we believe that we should try our best to help any people who need it.

Raising money for charity is very common in China, for example, Chinese people have collected lots of money for the earthquake appeal, and nearly all businesses organise activities to collect money. Some members of the Bellerbys Charity group do extra charity work here in the UK, for example working in charity shops, hospitals and so on.

Students from other foreign countries – apart from China – are very friendly and they have supported our campaign too. Some of them bought flowers and wrote on the banner which was very kind of them! We made the banner in order to attract people's attention so that they could understand what we were doing. We let everyone who donated money sign their name on the banner in order to make everyone aware of this important cause and let them be proud of themselves as they have done a very kind and meaningful thing. Our next plan is to take a photo of the banner and upload it onto the internet to encourage more people to donate money to the earthquake area. We hope everything will become better soon!”

Graduation Ball Special!

The organisers of the ball waiting to get onboard at Greenwich Pier Friday 23rd May saw the arrival of what is, for many students at Bellerbys London, the highlight of the social calendar – The Graduation Ball. Organised expertly by Yi-Ping Tang (Ellen), Xu Guo (Yolanda), Kok Ming Choo, Xujiao Wang (Jessica) and Xiao Li (Lisa), with the help of Extra-Curricular Activities Co-ordinator Sara Bewes, the ball was a resounding success, with both students from A Level and Foundation courses, teachers, other staff and even returning students from previous years having an absolutely fantastic time.

For the second year running, it was decided that the ball should take place on “Erasmus”
a pleasure cruise boat situated on the Thames. At 7.45pm students and teachers decked
out in their finest gear, boarded the boat at Greenwich Pier, before setting off up the Thames, taking in the sights of Maritime Greenwich, the South Bank and the London Eye. At 10pm there was a stop at Westminster Pier, overlooked by Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, where some of the less hardy partygoers got off, then the boat turned round and headed back to Greenwich, where the rest of the guests partied the night away in style. de

The hip hop dance show During the cruise there was a whole host of entertainment and surprises. Guests were greeted with a glass of champagne upon boarding, and had the choice of a bar casino – including roulette and black jack – below deck, a disco, with a second bar, on the main deck, or chit-chat and sightseeing in the open air on the top deck. Party goers were also treated to a “hip-hop” dance display by Erepamo Warde – a Foundation Engineering student – and
A Level student Charles Ali, joined by a student from last year’s Foundation Media class, Victoria Akinlabi. Current Foundation Media student, Oseremen Stephanie Agenmommen,
had the following to say about her experience of the ball:

“I decided to go to the ball because I wanted to have fun with my friends, and because the majority of them were going. I wore a green silk strapless dress – it was really fun to get all dressed up! I really enjoyed the music and shows – it was very nice and entertaining. It was fun to see our teachers at the ball and it was cool having them around. I most enjoyed dancing and seeing other students having a few drinks! I would definitely recommend the ball to new students - I would tell them it was fun”.

The winners of the 'best dressed' prizes On top of all this excitement there were also a number of prizes given out. Some, such
as the best dressed prizes, were decided on the night by students at the ball. The King and Queen prizes were decided by a ballot box in the school foyer in the week preceding the ball
– so all students had a chance to vote! Here are the prize winners for this year:

King - Yang Liu – Foundation Business
Queen - Esin Isik Kalinoglu – Foundation Business
Best Dressed Male - Alireza Jaberi – Foundation Engineering
Best Dressed Female - Ioana Bercean – A Level Student
Best Dressed Teacher - Claire Marcouse – Business Teacher
Best Dancer - Fatima Mukasheva – A Level Student
Photo competition - Alex Rolbinov – A Level Student

The King and Queen of the ball This years “King” of the ball, Yang Liu, was extremely pleased to be chosen:
“I very much enjoyed boat party this year - it was a real success. I went with my girlfriend and two other friends, and wore a suit which I bought from China. I was really surprised to
be chosen as King I don’t think I was the most handsome boy at the party and the Queen was very beautiful! When I held the champagne that I won I felt not only lucky but like the winner of the Formula One competition! I have no idea who voted for me - maybe my friends?

The music on the boat was great, and I enjoyed talking to the teachers – British people are very open, and I think at the party we were all friends – you forgot who was a teacher and who was a student so it was a good chance to get know each other and make good relationships between us and our teachers. However, the best part of the ball was that everyone wore such great outfits – very smart girls and boys everywhere – I like the feeling of wearing a suit!”

Of the ball and his prize, Best Dressed Male Alireza had the following to say:
The onboard casino “I went to the ball with my Persian friends, and wore a white suit, white shoes and pink tie.
I would say I was a bit surprised to win as everyone dressed very well on the day so anyone could have deserved the prize - luckily this year they chose me! I didn’t wear the outfit specifically to win, I chose it because I wanted to be smart, but I don’t like black suits – I thought a white suit suited me better. At the ball, the music was awesome and the DJ was fabulous. I also thought the hip hop dance show was impressive - I was surprised that my friends could dance like that!

The casino was great as the dealer in black jack was professional and played very well.
I was pleased that the teachers came - I had conversations almost with every teacher,
and it was interesting having them there too as I have never had any experience of having a party with my teachers. It was interesting to see my teachers outside of their usual college role. The best part of the ball was that it was on a boat – I really enjoyed standing on the deck and watching the view. I would definitely recommend the ball to future students – in my opinion it was so fun and I enjoyed it so much, if you want to have lots of fun go, as you won’t regret it”.

Some party goers, all dressed up The students weren’t the only people to enjoy the evening. Fifty teachers and staff members came along for the ride and had a fabulous time. Business and English teacher David Watson said that “the Graduation Ball is a great chance for teachers to get to know their students more outside the classroom, in a fun environment. This year was no exception - it was great to see the girls in lovely dresses and the boys in suits, laughing, dancing and enjoying themselves. One of the highlights was cruising under Tower Bridge - everyone on the top deck was shouting and cheering so loudly, we turned the heads of passers-by on the bridge itself, and even on the South Bank! It's also great to catch up with previous years' students, and find out how they're doing out 'in the real world' - one of the real rewards of all the hard work we'd put in together.

I’d like to say a big 'Thank You' to Sara and the team for organising another great event!” Art teacher Rosie Montford also enjoyed herself, commenting that she “thought it was really fun; it was lovely to see the students so transformed – they looked fantastic! I enjoyed the chance for us all to be part of an event together and it was certainly amazing to be travelling along the Thames and sailing under the different bridges.”

All in all, the ball was a resounding success – here’s hoping next year’s Graduation Ball can live up to it!

Students Work Hard on Yearbook as Deadline Looms

Ksenia and Alexandra working on the London Yearbook Each year, with the aid of extra-curricular activities co-ordinator Sara Bewes, students volunteer to be on the “Yearbook Committee”, with the express aim of creating a yearbook for all Bellerbys students in that academic year. The yearbook contains profiles of students and staff, interviews, articles about school events and plenty of photos!

This year, students on both the A Level and Foundation programmes have been working tirelessly to publish what they hope will be the best yearbook yet. On the committee this year are Alexandra Chervotkina, Mei Hui Jiang, Dias Kanafin, Ksenia Kassoni, Polina Klimenko, Aidana Kussanova and Wenwen You. Two students on the Foundation Media programme, Alexandra Chervotkina and Ksenia Kassoni, had the following to say about working on the project.

Alexandra: “We've been working on the yearbook since the first term. First, we began by planning: looking through the previous issues and then collecting information from the students (the most difficult part) and encouraging them to send us their photos and articles. Creating the book itself took us a week of extremely hard work. We stayed in the IT room till 8 or 9pm almost every evening. Now we are waiting for a copy from the publisher to check everything and see if any changes need to be made. Once it is approved we'll receive 150 copies ready for sale. At the moment we are planning an advertising campaign for the yearbook because we want to sell every single copy.

One of the most enjoyable things about working on the project is that you have an access to so much information about students and teachers as well as to IT room late hours and so on. I especially enjoyed working on the section for which I was responsible – writing the teacher reports. I wanted to join either the yearbook or the newsletter committee because they both are related to my hobby and future profession - Media. However, I personally think of the yearbook as a more useful thing to do. It presents people with memories. Being a part of the yearbook is useful for the future. First of all, I gained computer skills. I've never known how to design a publication for print before. What is more, interviewing students improves your English. For people from different countries to understand you need to speak really clearly without making any mistakes. Also, the yearbook teaches you to work under a real time pressure because you have deadlines from the publisher.

Ksenia: “Creating the yearbook is a long process. It includes planning, evaluating our resources such as time, budget, number of members etc. This is then followed by the collection of information needed and forming this information into articles and comments. The yearbook will include pictures of Bellerbys students and teachers. There will be information about the courses the students took this year and articles about our college. For me, the most enjoyable thing about working on the yearbook the access we had all the funny moments from teachers' lives. Through collecting the information we needed, we met a lot of interesting people too. In my opinion, a yearbook should be made about students by students. The most difficult was collecting information about teachers and courses as we all had busy timetables.

Working on the yearbook has been incredibly beneficial. First of all, working on the yearbook is an experience of working in team. Everyone had duties of a different sort because we had a lot of work to do. Everyone did what they could do best: for example, if someone enjoyed doing interviews – s/he was given that task. I enjoy writing, so I wrote about the different courses. For me, as a media student, the most useful part was designing the background and the overall style of the yearbook. Working on the Yearbook also meant meeting new people, finding out more interesting facts about our teachers. That is a possibility to learn how to work in a group, and to develop a sense of responsibility. I am looking forward to holding the finished yearbook in my hands, and being able to think that it was made by our efforts. I certainly think we well all be able to say to ourselves: ‘well done!’”

The Yearbook will cost £15 per copy, and will be published on the 23rd May 2008. All the students involved are very much looking forward to seeing all their efforts come to fruition.

Testing Times for AS and A2 Students as the Summer Exams Approach

Valeriy Barinov For the students – and teachers – on the five and six-term A Level programmes, only one thing is on their minds this month: the A Level exam period. Exams begin on Monday 12th May, and end on Wednesday 25th June and for both first and second year students, now
is the time for all their study and hard work over the last few months to be put to the test.

Students will be taking exams across a whole range of subjects, including Maths, Psychology, Science, Business and Languages. Students studying for exams receive a lot of support from their teachers, including extra lessons, revision classes and individual tuition – and it is a stressful time for teachers too, as they all desperately want their students to do well, and feel proud of their achievements.

Although they are all working hard, some of the students from the first year six-term A Level programme took time out of their busy schedules to share their hopes, fears and revision techniques for their impending exams.

Valeriy Barinov is studying Economics, Maths, Accounting, and Psychology:
“I started my revision at the beginning of the third term (January) but started revising more intensively over the last few weeks. I revise on my own, sometimes with music on because it helps me concentrate. My teachers have been very helpful, by going through the necessary topics again and giving us mock exams which are really useful. I feel fairly confident, but a bit nervous about the exams. I think I'm doing okay in most of my subjects and I can't choose the one I'm better at.

When I graduate from Bellerbys I would love to study sound engineering and musical production. There are a number of universities I want to apply to, but the main target is the University Of Birmingham because it has a very good course and is regarded as one of the best for my kind of profession”.

Qian (Mike) Wang is studying Maths, Business Studies, Accounts and Physics:
Yiding Zhang “I begin revising at the start of the year. I use my own study method and do test papers myself. I prefer to work without any noise as I need quiet to focus. I feel worried about my exams but I also feel prepared and ready to face the challenge, as my teachers have been
a great help.

My favourite subjects are Business and Maths, and I hope to study finance or marketing – definitely something Maths-related. My first choice universities are Lancaster, Durham or Loughborough”.

Yiding Zhang is studying Accounting, Physics and Further Maths:
“I started my revision several weeks ago, but now I wish I had started sooner! I revise
either by myself or with friends, we also revise in class – the teachers give us practise tests and always mark them swiftly when we’re done. I am worried about my exams, but of course I’ll try my best. My favourite subject is Further Maths, as Dr John McDarby is my favourite teacher – he has prepared me well for the exam, which is good as I plan to study Finance at university, maybe at UCL, Kings College or City”.

Roni Bagdu is studying Accounting, Economics, Maths, and Psychology:
“To prepare myself well, I revise by looking at past papers, reading up on the subject then
re-writing it in my own words to make sure I understand the key concepts. I actually started revising in the Christmas holiday to give myself plenty of time. I am nervous about the exams but the teachers are always happy to help. I am best at Accounting, so I would like to take this further by studying Finance at university. I am planning to apply to LSE, Queen Marry Kings College and Kingston University”.

Not to be forgotten, the GCSE students have also been preparing hard and their exams run from May 7th to June 23rd. Good luck to all concerned!

New Foundation Business Students (April start) Settle into the Course

Huang Qian (Analyn), Yeldos Zhexembin and Arman Kamaryan who joined the April Foundation course at Bellerbys London For students who haven’t managed to enrol on the Foundation Business course in time to
begin in September or January, Bellerbys London offers a second chance – a three-term Business Foundation programme beginning in April and completing in December. This gives students the opportunity to apply for university degrees beginning in January, or the following September which means that they don’t have to wait until the next academic year to begin their foundation course. The course includes all the same modules as those starting earlier
so students study the full range of Business related topics, as well as a comprehensive English course and IT classes.

This year, eight students have joined the course, and having spent the last few weeks settling in, are now well on their way to their first set of exams in June. Three of the students, Huang Qian (Analyn), Yeldos Zhexembin and Arman Kamaryan had plenty to say about their experience of the course so far. Yeldos, from Kazakhstan and Arman, an Armenia student, both began the April course as they plan to begin a university course in January 2009.

Arman studied on the English Language Preparation course at Bellerbys London to improve his English before beginning the Business Foundation. Both students commented on the usefulness of their English lessons so far, particularly as their main concern is the IELTS test, which they will be taking in August. Yeldos and Arman are both considering London Metropolitan or the European Business School as options as these universities are among several which have January start dates on Business related courses.

Analyn, a 19 year old student from China, completed school in her home country before starting the foundation programme. So far, her favourite subject is maths, she finds that the teacher really knows how to make it interesting. She is also enjoying the relationships she has built with her classmates. Of the tutorial classes, Analyn says she finds them useful in helping her apply to university – she hopes to study Business Management or International Business at Aston or City, so plans to apply for courses starting in 2009. It is her hope to find work experience in between completing the Foundation and going to university.

A Night with the Stars – Student Volunteers Invited to NME awards at the O2 Arena

The NME stage In September, the Greenwich Volunteer Centre came to Bellerbys London to recruit some of our students to do volunteer work in and around the borough. Of those pupils, the first two to donate their time to this worthy cause were A Level students Ting Ting Dai and Ellen Yi Ping Tang. This month their altruistic spirit was rewarded as, by way of a thank you, the Volunteer Centre invited the two girls to attend the NME Music Awards as VIP guests, at the O2 Arena Concert Hall (formerly the Millennium Dome), North Greenwich. The girls were also awarded certificates celebrating their charitable nature, before being whisked away for a night of music and glamour. The girls had the following to say, upon reflection of their exciting trip:

“We worked for a charity last term, so as a reward, Greenwich Council organised a prize-giving ceremony for volunteers. They invited us to London's O2 Arena for the Shockwaves NME Awards 2008 Big Gig On the 28th of February as our prize. We had a wonderful night seeing many famous rock music bands such as Manic Street Preachers, Kaiser Chiefs and so on.

One of the London volunteers as a VIP guest at the NME Big Gig At the start, we heard many famous songs from the Klaxons and The Cribs. This was
followed by Bloc Party’s electric performance. Before the Kaiser Chiefs took to the stage, the MC asked everyone to come down to the standing area. It was so crowded but very exciting as everyone screamed, shouted and clapped their hands.

The show approached a climax shortly after the Kaiser Chiefs finished their performance –
in the end the “Godlike Genius Award” winners, the Manic Street Preachers performed their greatest hits. We finally heard a song that was very familiar to us – Umbrella! We really enjoyed the performance by these bands and hope to have the chance to go to something
like this again one day. From this experience, we learned that without sacrifice, there is no victory, so, we hope more students join the volunteer network and other school activities as you never know, you may get a chance to go to the NME Awards 2009 next year.”

More Exciting Opportunities for Art Students

Getting messy at the workshop Continuing with the enrichment of Bellerbys Foundation and A Level Art Students’ education, Foundation Art teacher Rosie Montford has organised yet another excellent extra-curricular trip. This time, the students attended a workshop at the South London Art Gallery, held by a German set designer, and designed to explore the work of German artist Thomas Zipp,
whose installations were simultaneously being exhibited at the gallery.

Students on the September and January starting Foundation Art course, and students
studying A Level Art – accompanied by their teacher Josephine Roberts – went along to the gallery to take part in the workshop, designed to encourage the students to think about the use and negotiation of space within art projects. The research done by the students as part
of the workshop became part of assessed projects counting towards the final grades for their courses. As well as this workshop, some of the A Level students took part in a film course on four consecutive Saturdays, running in conjunction with the set design workshop.

Art students at the workshop Foundation Art student, Bertha Lee, had the following to report about her experience of the workshop:

“Our Art and Design Foundation Group went on an art trip to Thomas Zipp’s Exhibition at the South London Gallery for a workshop on 10 January 2008. Thomas Zipp is a German artist. In his exhibition, we saw his work based upon life and death. His works combine abstract painting, drawing and sculpture to create fantasy-inspired installations. Some of his sculptures had holes cut through them, there were also different pieces of material and
sheets of wood used to create various effects in his exhibition.

His work had a very gothic style – almost like dark fairytales. For example, he built a big wooden room inside which were mushrooms – it felt like it had brought us to into another world. I think his work is fascinating. After we viewed the exhibition, we had a workshop at the gallery. We were divided into two groups to work on different ideas, the first group worked in 3D design and the other group, collage. Lastly, we all had a brilliant day and enjoyed it very much!

Popular Annual Film Screening Event Returns to Raucous Applause

For the third year running, Foundation Media Studies students – with the help of their teacher Isabelle Bristow – have successfully orchestrated an evening of film and fun, in order to show students and staff some of what they get up to in their Media classes. There is often a bit of an air of mystery surrounding the subject of Media, and students on other programmes often pop into the Media classroom to have a look at what goes on in, so this was an excellent opportunity for members of the college to find out. As part of the Film module taken in the Autumn term, students are required to make two short films, the second of which counts for 50% of their mark for that module.

Film making is one of the most enjoyable parts of the course (take a look here for some student comments) and this years’ students took to the activity with gusto, really allowing
their creative juices to flow and producing some highly original and imaginative work. Once the Media pupils had planned, scripted and storyboarded their films, students from many different programmes – including A Level and Foundation Business – were recruited as actors, and filming began. Back in the classroom, the students used Pinnacle Studio to edit their films, cutting scenes, putting in effects and adding music.

On the day of the screening evening, three classrooms were opened up and transformed into a film theatre, with the students’ films being projected on a big screen. The event was very well attended, with upwards of eighty students and staff. Films shown included short non-verbal stories – where meaning was created without the use of words – and film openings, with the idea that the story could be continued. Styles ranged from comedy to thriller, romance to horror. Some notable examples of good work included “The Cheat” a comedy by Desislava Terziiska and Murat Sharapov, “Revenge” a thriller by Ksenia Kassoni, Alexandra Chervotkina and Polina Klimenko, and “Losing Jane” a drama by Cheryl Fernadez, Priska Febrina, Coco Ka Wai and Anzhelika Khalikova.

Upon reflection of the student’s work, Principal Andy Quin was very impressed stating that
“the films with the most simple ideas, but excellent camera work and editing” were his favourite.

Further Accolades for Maths Whizz Thien

Maths whizz Thien Having sat the second round of the national “Senior Maths Challenge” competition, and following his success in the first round, Thien Phung has achieved further glory by gaining the highest mark in the country – thirty out of a possible forty.

This competition, open only to the UK’s top student mathematicians, is designed to find candidates for the British team to take place in the British Maths Olympiad. The competition
is open to all students studying in the UK, sadly only students with British nationality can take a place on the Olympiad team.

Having gained a higher score than anyone else entering the competition this year, Thien
would certainly have been first choice for the team had he been eligible. Thien’s Maths teachers, Dr John McDarby and Clive Cubitt have been working with Thien to prepare him for the competition, and are of course staggered by the fantastic results that Thien has achieved.

Postgraduate Exhibition a Success with London and Brighton

Students at the Postgraduate Exhibition at Bellerbys London Students from London and Brighton had an excellent opportunity to chat to representatives from several major universities at the annual Postgraduate Exhibition, this year held in London and co-ordinated by Chris Hovell and David Rowson, programme managers at Bellerbys London.

More than twenty universities held stalls, including popular choices such as London’s City University, Bath, Lancaster, Nottingham and top centre for Business related courses, Aston.

Students studying on a variety of programmes designed for graduates wishing to study for Masters level degrees were invited to spend a few hours browsing the stalls, and chatting to representatives of the universities in which they were interested. Students came away armed with plenty of information, brochures and free gifts from their chosen institutions.

Students examine the university prospectuses Keyvan Estiri, a student studying on London’s Pre-Masters course, which offers subject specific and English classes for students wishing to go on to study for an MBA, had the following to say about the exhibition:

“I was familiar with many of the universities at the fair, however I knew which ones I wanted to speak to and – because the exhibition was set out well – it was easy to spot their stalls and make a beeline for them. I spoke with City, Aston, Bath and Lancaster, all of which are excellent institutions and gave me useful information. All the representatives had a friendly and welcoming attitude and gave all the worthwhile information to which they had access. I was looking for an MBA course and after chatting to the spokespeople, I think Bath is a good option for me. All in all I was grateful for the chance to speak with a good variety of universities”.

Bellerbys London Alumni Continue to be High Achievers

Hoang pictured in Durham Principal Andy Quin and Head of A Level, Erin Robinson were pleased to discover that previous A Level student Hoang Le Nguyen, who achieved outstanding grades of AAABb when she took her exams with us, has been awarded a prestigious prize after being recognised as one of the top first year students studying BA Business Economics at Durham University.

The 'Shell International prize' was awarded by the Board of Examiners in Economics, Finance & Business. Winners of the prize were chosen on the basis of academic performance, with special reference to an unsupervised project completed by Le in Economic Methods. Further to an excellent result in this project, Le’s first year consisted of six modules, in four of which she achieved over 80%. This brilliant performance contributed towards the prize – an accolade awarded to only four other students that year.

Hoang Le Nguyen has very much enjoyed her time studying at Durham so far, and had the following to report upon reflection of her first year there:

“I have been at Durham University for more than a year by now, if I had to describe student life in one word, 'amazing' would be the one. Due to the university being the third oldest in England, I have observed plenty of tradition which I might not have had the opportunity to do so in other universities, for example: the formal university and college matriculation at the beginning of my first year, the formal balls in colleges and so on.

I spent my first year living in college to experience the collegiate system, and I am currently living out in rented accommodation to gain a different taste of student life. Academically, compared to A-level, university degrees require more self-study, as for each module, lectures of up to 300 students are only one or two hours weekly, and we only have one one-hour seminar per fortnight in a group of sixteen to twenty students to further discuss topics that have already been covered in lectures through case study, problem sets and more. Because of this, students must be fully responsible for their own study and work ethic.

There are always so many exciting activities to join apart from studying. I have joined a student voluntary organisation: Student Community Action (SCA); participating in the Homework Club project. I spend a couple of hours each week helping GCSE students in a local secondary school with their Maths homework. I am currently a student ambassador, working for the Undergraduate Admission Office in the Student Targeted Aspiration Raising Scheme (STARS) programme that aims to motivate and inspire young people studying Year 9 to 11 in the North East to apply for any Higher Education Institutions for which they are academically qualified. Usually, pupils come to the university for STARS sessions and campus tours, however, sometimes, student ambassadors go out to regional schools to run the sessions, hence, I have had the chance to explore the North East, I have been to schools in Darlington, Billingham, Hartlepool, and Seaham. Both societies run social events in which all members meet up in a local pub and chill out. I have made a lot of friends from multi-cultural backgrounds, home students from different parts of the UK, and international students from all over the world. All of these experiences have made my time in Durham very enjoyable”.

Aspiring Business Entrepreneurs Test their Skills with Young Enterprise

Ting Ting Dai, member of the Spring Company Young Enterprise group Since September last year, Business Studies teacher Claire Marcouse has been working tirelessly to help a group of A Level students get their Young Enterprise company off the ground. After initial fundraising events last term, the company is now preparing to launch their first proper business, selling imported goods from their members’ home countries. Ting Ting Dai had the following to say about the project:

“The Spring Company is a newly established real business, taking part as a Young Enterprise Organisation. You may wonder: what is Young Enterprise? Young Enterprise is a UK registered charity on a mission to "inspire and equip young people to learn and succeed through enterprise". Each year, 291,000 young people like us get a head start on their working lives while they are still at school or university. We do this by taking part in a Young Enterprise programme where we gain knowledge and skills for business and enterprise either through a series of workshops and seminars or through setting up and running their own real company.

So, what kind of company is Spring? It is a young enterprise company consisting of 10 members (all students are on the six term A Level programme) whose aim is to run the business with the help of an advisor and a teacher. Our Spring Company decided to sell products such as Chinese knots, jewellery, purses, silk and other items imported from China and other countries. Our main focus was on products showing different cultures and arts to local citizens.

Now, let me introduce the different roles of our business. We have two Managers, making decisions and communicating with each member on a day-to-day basis. We have two Financial Directors as well, they need to be responsible for finance and resource management, keeping track of the money, recording every transaction the business makes. Marketing Directors are also included to identify markets and opportunities, carry out market research, design advertisements and so on. Other roles include an Administration Director, Sales Director, Production Directors and Human Resource Director.

As we can see, every member has their own responsibilities and experience as well as learning each steps of being a good manager or director. From joining the Spring company, I believe that everyone has fun, can learn to communicate, learn to think more, learn to be a member of a group and develop a range of skills.

Our most recent business project was to raise the money to pay the Young Enterprise registration fees of £80. After careful consideration, we planned to make crystal fruit (a kind of sweet snack made of sugar and fruit). In fact, none of us knew how to make crystal fruit, however, some members of the company investigated the method to make crystal fruit and put a lot of effort practicing making that snack. We did fail a lot of times, but finally made it. The crystal fruit was amazing.

At the end of November last year, we made a lot of advertisements to potential consumers (our target audience being people in Bellerbys College) and prepared to sell our products in the Canteen – this was our first product, the first real sales we’d ever made. Everyone was looking forward to raising more money. Finally, we made a profit of £17 which might not be a big deal compared to the £80 we needed – not to mention our expectations – however, at least, we tried, we succeed, and we found out what we should improve to make better profit next time. We learned a lot. Our Spring Company is still at the start of the game and we are certain will learn form every failure and ultimately, our success!”

Charity Group “harvest” the Profits of their Valentine’s Rose Delivery Service

Stdents selling flowers to raise money for charity Yet again the Bellerbys Student Union Charity Group have been raising funds for Plan International – a charity organisation involved with building schools in developing countries.

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, a group of ten students from both our A Level and Foundation programmes canvassed the school, advertising their rose bouquet delivery service. Then, for a week, the students gave up their lunch break to run a stall taking orders.

Customers could choose from a wide variety of roses in many different colours, and send their loved ones single blooms or custom made bouquets. The students attributed different meanings to the different coloured flowers, such as red for love, yellow for friendship – even black for passion! Prices for the roses were very good value, starting at £1.25 for a single flower. Students could choose any combination of colours to be made into a bespoke spray, the price of which depended on the number of blooms chosen.

Once all the orders were taken, the members of the charity group headed off to Columbia Road Flower Market in Hackney, East London, to buy both the flowers and decorative lace, ribbons and papers to decorate their product. Spending their weekend putting the bouquets together, the students then descended upon the classrooms the following Monday and Tuesday, making their exciting deliveries. Students from almost every class received gifts, and all were delighted with the result. Even some lucky teachers were awarded the privilege of a delivery! In total the charity group raised over one hundred pounds – not bad for a week’s work!

Further Success for A Level Student Following the Senior Maths Challenge

Thien with his gold medal and prize A Level student Thien Phung has impressed his Mathematics teachers even further. Not only did he reach the second round of the national “Senior Maths Challenge” competition, taking the exam this month with results to follow soon, he has also been presented with a prize, for achieving 7th place in the country for the original test paper.

Thien beat off competition from some 1,800 students from around the UK, the large
proportion of whom had English as their first language; only six students in the UK received a higher grade. In recognition of this achievement, Thien received a gold medal, certificate and a book by Ian Stewart – well recognised in the world of mathematics – “Letters to A Young Mathematician”.

His maths teachers, Dr John McDarby and Clive Cubitt are once again very proud of Thien’s latest achievement.

Two Gold Awards for A Level Maths Students

Thien Phung receives his certificate from Principal Andy Quin Having taken part in the “Senior Maths Challenge” competition last month, twenty-eight Bellerbys London students received their results and were invited to a prize giving ceremony with the Principal Andy Quin, and Maths teachers Dr John McDarby and Clive Cubitt.

The competition, designed to test students’ raw maths skills, included some incredibly difficult and complex maths, however the school received a record number of certificates this year, including two Gold Awards, which have never been awarded to students at Bellerbys London before.

The Gold Awards, which required a score of 75 or above, were presented to Thien Phung, in the second year of his five-term A Level programme, and Chen Chen, in the first year of his six-term A Level course. Thien Phung also took away the prize for “Best in School”, with an outstanding score of 85 out of a possible 125.

Chen Chen receives his certificate from Principal Andy Quin Because their scores were so high, both Thien and Chen have been invited to take part in the British Maths Olympiad. This national competition, run by the UK Maths Trust is only open
to a very small proportion of Maths students in the UK, and, if the students also do well in this test, they will move to round two of the competition, which is designed to find teams to compete on an International level. Also receiving certificates were seven A Level and Foundation Business and Engineering students, who all got a Silver Award, and eight A Level and Foundation Science students, presented with Bronze.

Further to the Senior Maths Challenge, for the past two years, Dr John McDarby has been running a weekly maths competition within the school, where students – and even staff – are invited to work out the solution to maths puzzles, differing in style each week. A Level
student Saman Farahbakhsh won a prize for submitting one of the most exceptional solutions so far this year.

Exciting New Opportunities for Economics Students

This term has seen the arrival of an exciting, and extremely useful, society for students, the Economics Club. Primarily aimed at A Level Economics students – although students from all programmes are welcome – the club was conceived by René Bradford, teacher of A Level and Foundation Economics and is designed to give students an opportunity to practise their skills
of analysis and evaluation – essential for the A2 exams. Each week, either René or the students decide upon a topic to research, then through presentations, discussions and debates, the subject is brought to life. Lectures are also given, with Jerome Lee, another of our Economics teachers, giving a recent talk on the Stock Exchange. A lecture on the Economies of India and China is also planned.

Although René is always on hand to facilitate, the club is very much student run, including the administration and promotion of the society. One second year A Level student, Amy (Boa Ngoc Lieu) has even created a website detailing which topics are being discussed each week and allowing students to chat on an online forum. Between 20 and 25 students meet each week on a Monday afternoon, with the aim being to have fun as well as learn. The society is definitely something that students can write about in their university applications. Another benefit is that club members can attend free lectures by some of the top professors and doctors in their field at the London School of Economics, Britain’s top university to study the subject, the most recent example of this being a talk on “Economics and Human Rights”. A Level student Leon (Chun Ki Chan) had the following to report about the club in general:

“First of all, I would like to introduce you to what we do usually and for what purpose we are aiming. Every Monday afternoon, we have a one hour discussion; normally one or more members may bring us some up-to-date Economic news. In addition, we start our discussion and go through those topics by using Economic key words which means that we learn them by applying them to the conversation. To some extent, we may use logical sense, statistics and evidence to back up our opinions. This is extra material that we are unable to learn from lessons which may not mentioned in books. In one meeting, there was a lecturer who participated in the Economics Club. He gave us expert advice about stock investment. There will be more guests coming in the future.

The Club started in October 2007. So far we have discussed Globalization, Financial Crises and the Economic Development of China. All these issues are related to our studies as well as our exams. Our Economics teacher, Rene, often provides assistance in order to guide us in discussing in the correct way and she always emphasizes that Economics is learned through discussions. At the beginning, members tended to be quiet and afraid to speak. However, after a few weeks, more members took the initiative to talk and express their ideas. The trend shows that it is certainly useful for those who do not speak often to improve their knowledge and also range of language.

So, the Economics Club not only solves Economic problems but also raises the standard of speaking and organizing. In conclusion, I think that participation in the Economics Club and things that I have learned are immeasurably helpful in my academic work and make me more concerned with the world, which I had previously not thought about. Moreover, I personally recommend to students who are studying Economics or Business to join this Club; it will be immensely helpful for your studies.”

The Art Foundation Course Goes from Strength to Strength

Art Foundation students Now in its fourth year, the Art Foundation Course is swiftly becoming an established and important part of the curriculum offered to our students. Indeed, the Art department has grown considerably, and for the first time, A Level Art is also offered here at Bellerbys London. Rosie Montford, teacher of Foundation Art here, and Module Leader for Art overall has worked hard to make the course as interesting as possible for her students. The class
are taken on regular trips to some of London’s most famous and interesting galleries and exhibitions. Recent visits have included trips to the Tate Modern, Royal Academy and the British Museum. Students were also recently taken to the London Design Festival, which this year was showcasing artists and designers from Deptford, a stones throw away from Bellerbys London campus. Rosie also organises an annual exhibition of student work, displayed in various locations around the school.

With a subject such as Art, making links with local organisations and universities is essential in giving students a rich and varied experience. The college has strong links with the University of the Arts London, a centre of excellence in undergraduate art, and a destination very popular with many of our students both of Art and Media related course. Representatives for the university regularly visit the college and provide workshops for the students on a variety of topics. Students have also recently worked with members of the South London Art Gallery on contemporary art topics such as film making. In January, the students will be taking part in an exciting project with a Stage Set designer, also through this gallery.

Foundation Art student, Mariya Kolesnychenko answered a few questions about the course:

“I decided to study Foundation Art because all my life I have been interested in drawing and creating things, and I want to develop my skills for the future. Most of all I like three dimensional art, for example model making. Sketching is also very interesting to me. I really enjoyed the recent mixed media project we undertook – I made a lamp. We always work with different materials, which I really enjoy. The trips we go on are very interesting and useful for our research, however my favourite one was probably a trip to the Design museum to the Zaha Hadid exhibition. It impressed me very much and I found her work very inspiring. It is my aim to study at the University of the Arts London. I want to become a product designer, so Art plays an essential role in my future plans. Students should study Art at Bellerbys, because it is a very good course. We have a lot of opportunities to visit interesting exhibitions in order to become familiar with modern artists. And also the style of teaching here is really nice, because students always have a choice in what do they want to do and what materials they want to use”.

Students Go To Work

In order to enhance their social skills, enrich their cultural understanding and, very importantly, give students interesting and relevant experience to write about in their
university applications, the Extra-Curricular department, headed by Sara Bewes, has been giving students the chance to do volunteer work. At the beginning of term, Karen Amas from the Greenwich Volunteer Centre came to talk to students that were interested in volunteering. Following that, those students still keen to take part went to the centre itself for an interview, and to discuss what sort of work they wanted to do. Karen then sought out placements for them.

Another, extremely important way of enhancing a university application is to gain appropriate work experience by shadowing people in the work place. Saman Farahbakhsh, a first year A Level student keen to study Dentistry at university, took the initiative, with the support of the college, to organise his own work placement at a local dentist’s surgery. He had the following to report:

“Volunteering can be one of those experiences that keeps on working for you. For recent high school graduates, volunteering can put you ahead of those who have only held minimum-wage jobs. Because it is unpaid, volunteering is risk-free. It gives you a time to learn, to develop a sense of self, and to figure out more specifically what it is that really interests you besides, mostly, volunteer work ends up being the most rewarding of all jobs because not only can it give you the opportunity to learn new skills, gain much-needed experience, and make some lasting contacts, but the work itself can also be hugely fulfilling. I’m working in a Dental Clinic as an observer. I was really keen to take part in observation and get some information about Dentistry before going to the university. Moreover, it is located directly opposite the college so, its easy to get there. I have learnt a lot so far, for example; basic principles of dentistry, communication skills, how to understand patients become aware of their expectations of their dentist. I observe twice a week on Mondays and Tuesdays. I think that doing work experience is very valuable. Students have to first know about their favourite career by doing a voluntary job, so that they can make informed decisions about their future career.”

Twenty-Eight Students Take Part in Senior Maths Challenge

Students take part in the National Maths Competition This November, twenty-eight students studying on the Foundation and A Level courses, took part in the “Senior Maths Challenge”, which was coordinated by Maths teacher and Oxbridge Tutor Dr John McDarby. The “Senior Maths Challenge” is a nationwide contest, involving 1,800 private and state schools from all over the country.

The students had been preparing for the challenge for the last six weeks, with specially organised extra classes run by Maths teacher Clive Cubitt. Of the competition, Clive said that it was “a very useful extra-curricular activity for students of Maths, as it incorporates a puzzle element, involving lateral thinking and application, which can often be neglected in A Level classes, with the focus being so much on the exams”. Dr John McDarby added that “it gives students who may not necessarily shine in exams, but still have very good natural
mathematic skills, the chance to be recognised for their interest and talents, and is a great thing for students to write about in their personal statements for universities”.

Foundation Engineering student, Alireza Jaberi, stated that the challenge was “hard work and quite difficult”, but that he got “an enormous amount of satisfaction” from seeing all the revision he had done come to fruition.

The students who took part in the contest will be receiving their results by the end of the month. As a follow up, the top four students from each of the four Bellerbys centres will then take part in an inter-college Maths challenge, also orchestrated by Dr John McDarby. The students will compete for a trophy, which will subsequently be named after the first winning student, to become an annual prize for this event.

New Equipment for Media Studies Students

As the Foundation Humanities course, incorporating Media Studies, continues to grow in popularity, Bellerbys London has been keeping up with the intake and invested in some new Canon digital cameras. Students have been using the cameras this term as they plan, shoot and edit their own short films, which will be shown to the whole school in the Spring Term in the form of our annual Film Screening Evening.

Practical film work – which makes up fifty percent of the film module – is one of the most popular parts of the Media Foundation, and really allows students to put into practice the analytical theory that they have learnt.

Media student Angela Sadriyeva, from Russia, says, “I like everything about Media as it is all new and interesting to me. I enjoy looking at films and discussing them. Future students, I think, should choose this branch as it is interesting and will be more and more important in the future as new technologies appear and develop”.

The Debating Club Returns to a Captive Audience

A debate in action at Bellerbys London After its success last year, the Debating Society has returned this year with growing
popularity – with debates increasing from once a fortnight to once a week. Rapidly becoming an important fixture in the social calendar, chairperson Shehzad Dorairaj has the following to say to students considering joining this popular club:

“The Debate Society was set up to allow students not only to practice their English skills, but
to allow them to express views of different arguments. Each week, us, the students, are allowed to choose the topic for ourselves. Every week we have two speakers for and against who attempt to prove their point to the floor - or audience, based on topics that affect the world around us. In the past we’ve had debates revolving around Abortion, Nuclear Power and more recently, Gender Equality. To make things fair, and much more interesting, after the speakers deliver their speeches, the floor is allowed to ask them questions and the speakers can then argue directly – raising wider issues and getting some blood boiling – and laughter from the floor. The members of the floor are then asked to take a vote upon which side argued the most effectively.

Each debate tends to get pretty dramatic, which is hilarious in its own way – whether it was A Level Jason trying to prove that men were better than women (which got some really angry looks from the women in the floor), to a teacher that laughed so hard she nearly fell to the floor. Whatever the topic, it tends to end with people laughing a lot more than they expected at a debate.

Why is the Debate Society good to join? Other than the fact that it’s fun and helps with English skills, it also allows us to view topics from different angles and contemplate the philosophy of it all – and of course, it looks good on your personal statement. Being part of the Society shows that you have the ability to argue and stand up for a side, and the courage to sometimes stand for the less accepted position in front of an audience. It also shows the ability to think critically and predict your opponent’s moves – and attack their weak spot (a handy technique in the real world!)"

Students Get Actively Involved in Sports

As part of the ongoing extra-curricular activities programme, two new sports clubs have been created, and both are becoming more and more popular as the weeks go on. The members of the tennis club, organised by A Level student Stefan Panov, who have been braving the English weather for the past few weeks on outdoor courts, will soon be relocating to indoor premises. The basketball club, founded by another A Level student, Albina Savitskya has been up and running for the past few weeks, making use of local sports facilities. Of the two sports clubs, Stefan has this to report:

“As a member of both the tennis and basketball societies, the thing I enjoy the most is the fun that we have. I enjoy exercise, and the fact that we can do it in a social situation is great. I have been interested in sports activities for most of my life, particularly the last 5-6 years, and have been playing tennis for the past nine years.

Being part of the sports clubs is a great thing to write about in your personal statement for university because of all the skills you can practice. The main one is team work – the ability to work with other people in the best way to achieve the best results. Communication is very important in team sports. We also learn to be tolerant to others. I think that future students should join both clubs because of the opportunity to meet other people and find new friends. It's also great if they are really keen on those sports or just on sports generally. I find the clubs to be great fun – they help me to deal with the stress of my studies, and keep myself fit and healthy”.

Second Tall Ships Adventure Another Great Success

Maria Kosuchenko steers the ship! For the second year running the Jubilee Sailing Trust Tall Ships Adventure trip - upon which various students on the A Level programme sailed - was a great success. A Level and Foundation teacher Lisa Magill once again organised this exciting residential excursion, which took place at the beginning of September.

The students involved - Maria Kosuchenko, Tan King Jun, Ting Ting Dai and Yi Ping Tang - joined Tenacious, which is one of the largest wooden tall ships of this kind, for a six-day trip around the English coast. The Jubilee Sailing Trust is a charitable organisation which
promotes the integration of able-bodied and physically disabled people through activities such as this one.

The students who took part in this trip all felt it was incredibly worthwhile, and had the following to report:

Great weather for sailing "Throughout the voyage we learned about British culture and managed to make a lot of new friends and improve our social skills. We realized the challenges that disabled people face during daily activities and how important it is to understand them.

While we were on this trip we participated in different tasks, such as carrying out watch duties, setting and furling sails, climbing the yard and many other things that a normal sailor would
do while sailing. We were told to climb the yard right on the first day! This was scary, yet at the same time, extremely exciting for us. It was freezing cold up there and we were not wearing enough warm clothes, as a result our legs were shaking when we stood on a platform. We would definitely recommend this trip to future students - if you are seeking for an adventurous and extraordinary holiday, then this is a perfect choice for you!"

Bellerbys London Welcomes 150 New Students!

Two new students arrive at Bellerbys London Bellerbys College London was once again inundated with new and familiar faces this September, with over one hundred and fifty new, and one hundred and fifteen returning students eager to start their various courses.

From day one an extensive social programme was offered, including trips to musicals, sports clubs and a drinks reception where students could meet their new teachers, as well as each other! After welcome talks and language testing, timetables were issued and students were able to get stuck into their new subjects within a week.

Meet one of our new students, Maria Kamilla Akhabayeva from Kazakhstan, who has just started studying A Level on the six-term programme.

As the college continues to expand and numbers steadily increase, we have welcomed a number of new staff to the school, who are all settling in well and enjoying teaching a range of classes. Meet William Glover, Clare Marcouse and Rui Da Silva.

London Students to Join Tall Ships Adventure

A group of students from Bellerbys London will be once again joining the Jubilee Sailing Trust Tall Ships Adventure in September.

This is the second year that the college has taken part in the Tall Ships Adventure. Last year students joined Tenacious, the largest wooden tall ship of her kind, for a six-day trip around the English coast, sailing from Southampton in Hampshire to Great Yarmouth in Norfolk.

The Jubilee Sailing Trust is a charity which aims to promote integration of able-bodied and physically disabled people through the challenge of tall ship sailing adventure holidays and associated activities.

brave students climb the ship Tenacious has been specially-built to cater for a disabled crew and includes wheelchair-friendly flat wide decks, powered lifts, a speaking compass for the use of blind crew members and bright track radar for partially sighted crew.

Upon their return, the students created an exhibition of their photographs of their trip and made a presentation to the rest of the college.

Take a look at the Jubilee Sailing Trust website for more information about their work and planned trips.

Media Studies Screening Event

a still from one of the student films In March Bellerbys London held its annual “Media Students Screening Evening”, an after-school event showcasing some of the best films made by students following the Media Studies (with Psychology) Foundation programme.

Films shown included “non-verbal communication” shorts – stories told without using words – and openings and trailers intended to give the audience a taste of longer feature films.

The event was incredibly popular, with over 80 people – both students and staff – in attendance. All the films were edited in class by the students, and will contribute towards their final mark in Media Studies.

The standard of work was very high, however, some students whose work was particularly accomplished were Natsumi Akasaka, Amy Liu and Victoria Akinlabi, with their horror film “Nox”. Another notable film was the comedy “A Fool’s Game” also by Natsumi, assisted by Arthur Shi, which had the audience in stitches.

Meet the Media Studies Teacher, Isabelle Bristow

Read about the Media Studies Foundation course

Bellerbys London Fund-Raising Group Raises £2,000 for Charity

Indonesian pupils celebrate the opening of Saney School in Aceh, Indonesia The Bellerbys London Fund-Raising Group, headed by A Level student Amie (Bao Ngoc Lieu), has raised over £1,000 for the Bellerbys College company charity, Building Futures.

In partnership with Plan International, the Building Futures charity raises money to build schools to provide an education for some of the world's poorest children. So far the charity has built two new schools - Saney School in Aceh, Indonesia and Zounzounkanme School in Benin, and has just started work on much needed extension and redevelopment work at the Rosalina Zaidan School in Northern Brazil.

The money to complete these projects has been raised by various events organised by students and staff at Bellerbys College and other parts of the parent company, Study Group. The company matches every pound raised by staff and students, so the £1,000 raised by Amie and her team has been doubled to £2,000.

Find out more about the Study Group Building Futures charity

Art & Design Foundation Students Exhibit Work

A student displays her art & design project Students on the Art & Design Foundation course recently held an exhibition of their work at Bellerbys London.

Work was displayed around the college and students gave walking tours to explain their projects. Staff and students alike were very impressed by the quality of the work.

Meet the Art & Design Tutor, Rosie Montford

Bellerbys London Prize-Giving Ceremony

Most Improved English prize-winner, Pham Tran My My The Bellerbys London Prize-Giving Ceremony took place on Thursday 7th June.

Principal, Andy Quin, awarded prizes for the best students to:

Anastasija Buldokova from Estonia - Best English prize-winner
Andrey Belizky from Ukraine - Economics prize-winner
Dimitri Ginzburg from Russia - Engineering prize-winner
Dinara Dyussenova from Kazakhstan - Pure Maths prize-winner
Jeslyne Ang from Singapore - Science prize-winner
Koo Ji-Eun from Korea - Art prize-winner
Leopold Singer from Germany - British Culture prize-winner
Liu Yi Fei from China - Media Studies prize-winner
Lu Yat Sie - Core Maths prize-winner
Mehkti Sadykov - Most Improved Student prize-winner
Oleg Gerasimenko from Latvia - Business Studies prize-winner
On Ki Hung from Hong Kong - Principal's Prize
Perizat Kurakbayeva from Kazakhstan - Law prize-winner
Pham Tran My My from Vietnam - Most Improved English prize-winner
Sibe Zykaj from Albania - Most Conscientious Student prize-winner
Victoria Akinlabi from Nigeria - Psychology prize-winner
Yoon Yong from Korea - Accounts prize-winner

Congratulations to all students!

See more photographs on the Flickr website

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