From the Principal #113
7th May 21
May and June are traditionally key months in the academic calendar and this year is no different. Getting back into the normal routine and being face to face, students have completed their Milestone tests in the past couple of weeks.
I wrote to you last month to give some details about the Teacher Assessed Grades “the TAG” which are replacing the summer exams this year. This month, all years 11 and 13 students are doing a variety of assessments which will complete the evidence we are gathering to support the teacher assessed grades. Unlike last year, the grades are not estimating what a student could have got if they had sat the exams. The grades must reflect the work produced by the students. Our IFP students are also getting ready for their final exams in June.
As I walk around college, it is pleasing to see students busy, getting on with their work. A level, BTEC and IFP students have received some fantastic and exciting offers from top universities such as UCL, King’s College, Imperial, Warwick, Bristol or St Andrews but, as is often the case at DLD College, despite attractive offers from universities from all over the UK, many of our students are choosing to stay in London. It is heart warning to see how well our students have done despite the challenging circumstances they have found themselves in the past two years. We are very proud of their achievements and resilience, a superb display of true character. Well done!
The GCE and GCSE results will be on 10th and 12th August respectively and we encourage students who are still to reply to UCAS to see their Director of Studies or make an appointment with Dr Daniel Woodley, Head of Universities and Careers, before finalising their choices.
Years 9, 10 and 12 have also a lot of work to complete, including their progression exams in the week starting 7th June 2021. The summer term is also a time to create new learning opportunities and students can look forward to an exciting schedule. We have a three-week programme of discovery and development with many fun trips (Harry Potter studios for instance) as well as inspiring university trips to Oxford and Cambridge. We want students to sharpen their entrepreneurship skills with our own Enterprise and Dragon’s Den. Our creative students will be thrilled with our London Screen Academy workshops and for our thespian enthusiasts “Play in a Day” is the activity to look forward to. Students might also be interested in Human Rights 101 Project, Motivational talks with Kam Taj, or discover the Imperial War Museum, the London Zoo, or the Freud Museum. Our scientists will get enhanced practical workshops for Physics, Biology and Chemistry. We all look forward to the Art Show and reading the entries for the whole college essay competition. It is really a programme not to be missed.
DLD College is again in the news for winning an award: I am delighted to announce that DLD College London is the winner in the Boarding Schools’ Association Awards for Wellbeing & Mental Health Initiative. This has been a fantastic year for recognition of all the hard work that is being done by staff and students. DLD College – truly a place to be inspired!
Wishing every success to all our students.
Marie-Do Reza
Vice-Principal (Academic)
