Academy’s Investment In Triple Science Reaps Rewards With Top Flight Careers
Tollbar Academy Year 11 students who will receive their GCSE results in all three Science subjects this summer. From left, Daylan Elford, 16, Jack Dixon, 16, Declan Rising, 16, Ruby Melling, 15, Casey Foyle, 16, and Emily Gray, 16. They hope to emulate former students who have gone on to top flight careers.
Fifteen students have gone on to study Medicine or Dentistry at prestigious Russell Group Universities in the last five years alone thanks to the opportunity to study three Science subjects at Tollbar Academy. The Triple Science option is creating a legacy of success on the pathway to top flight careers, with some of these students graduating now.
Not all schools offer this option, but at Tollbar Academy this year, 147 Year 11 students and 84 Year 10s have been studying all three Science subjects - Chemistry, Physics and Biology - at GCSE Level. Aidan Wilkins, Tollbar Academy’s Curriculum Leader for Science, explained why studying all three Science subjects at the Academy is a springboard to further study and work-related qualifications.
“Studying Separate Science subjects is highly valuable to anyone looking to take their studies further in Science or for anyone looking at a Science-related career,” he said. “The course demands high rigour, problem solving, analytical skills, practical completion, numeracy and literacy, and because of this it is valued in any sector due to the amount of transferrable skills associated with it. Separate Science allows students to understand the problems the world faces and, who knows, maybe one day these students will be involved in rectifying some of these issues.”
Biology, Physics and Chemistry are also perennially popular options for A Levels at Tollbar Sixth Form College, and a long track record of excellence in teaching and learning has produced outstanding results. A well-established academic support programme has helped students secure places at sought-after, research-intensive Russell Group Universities.
Samhitha Alavala is one recent success. She explained: “I’m currently a Medical student at Newcastle University and I’ve just completed my fourth year, and will be starting my final year in August. Studying Triple Science at Tollbar Academy was not only interesting and insightful, but also provided me with a strong foundation to build on in higher education, especially given the career path I’ve chosen to take, which relies heavily on Science.”
Former Tollbar student George Wales is studying Dentistry. He said: “I’m currently in my third year at the University of Leeds studying for my MChD/BChD in Dental Surgery. Taking Science at GCSE and A Level, alongside help and support from teachers at Tollbar, definitely provided me with the tools I needed to progress in my chosen career.”
Antony Antypas has just graduated from the University of Nottingham. He explained: “Studying Triple Science at Tollbar made me so much more prepared for A Level Science and made the jump to A Levels much more manageable. The fantastic teaching and support I received at Tollbar played a central role in getting me on the Medicine course at the University of Nottingham, where I have recently passed my finals.”
Current Year 10 and 11 students are hoping that studying three Sciences will help them to emulate this success.
Year 11 student Daylan Lee-Elford believes studying Separate Science is a great way of broadening his understanding of the world around him. He said: “Many careers require Science and/or the plethora of transferable skills that come alongside it, such as literacy, numeracy, practical and analytical skills. It also allows for a deeper acknowledgement of the world’s many problems and how we, as a population, can rectify these. Studying Science has given me the ambition to pursue a career in Medicine.”
Fellow Year 11 student Casey Foyle agreed: “The Sciences are some of my favourite subjects at Tollbar, and taking Triple Science at GCSE has allowed me to broaden my understanding of Biology, Chemistry and Physics to a whole new level.
“A lot of the skills learned in Science are transferrable to real world settings, such as data analysis and problem solving, and a lot of the theory we study at GCSE really interests me, with topics like stem cells and their potential to eliminate certain diseases. Because of my enjoyment of these subjects and the enthusiasm conveyed through every Science teacher I have, I’ve chosen to study Biology and Chemistry at A Level here, and I can’t wait to continue learning alongside teachers and classmates who are as eager to study these subjects as I am.”
Year 11 Science students Daylan Elford and Casey Foyle see the value in studying the Sciences for future careers.
Samhitha Alavala is studying Medicine at Newcastle University after taking three Science subjects at Tollbar Academy and Sixth Form College.
Antony Antypas has just graduated from Nottingham University with a Degree in Medicine. He credits studying three Science subjects at Tollbar Academy as the springboard to his success.
Successful former Tollbar student George Wales is in his third year of studies in Dentistry at Leeds University.
The GCSE and A Level Science Team at Tollbar Academy and Tollbar MAT Sixth Form College. They are: from left, Richard Howe, Jake Bulgin, Elle Anderson, Hannah Holden, Molly Wright, and Aiden Wilkins, Curriculum Leader For Science.
