High achieving Level 2 students soar to success at City of Portsmouth College

More than 300 students are today (Thursday) celebrating success in their Level 2 programmes with another bumper day of results for City of Portsmouth College.

A 100 per cent pass rate was seen in 27 subjects as diverse as refrigeration and air conditioning, business, sport, professional cookery, art & design and barbering.

Binit Gosh is considering whether to study A Levels or T Levels next after gaining Distinctions in both Marketing and Business and Administration, alongside excellent grades in his English and maths GCSEs. “I am not sure whether to do a T Level in Marketing or Business, or whether to go for A Levels but I am very happy. The College has been really helpful with revision and provided really good support.”

There were also hundreds of students collecting their GCSE English and maths results.

A grade 5 in GCSE English was exactly what Parham Mokhtari Varnosferani needed to progress to A Levels this year. The aspiring physiotherapist, who relocated to the UK from Iran just two years ago, now intends to progress to A Levels in Biology, Maths and Psychology,

"Coming from Iran, I knew some English but the different accents and the culture took some time to learn. I needed this grade as my results from Iran couldn't be considered, so I am really happy and excited to start my A Levels!"

Also from Iran and celebrating fantastic results were couple Arash Solatzadeh, 35, and Kinnia Moloudi, 32, who have had to start their education journey again from scratch since relocating to the UK two years ago. Arash, who has a Masters in Biochemistry from his home country, got a 7 in Maths and a 3 in English, while Kinnia, a former teacher, got a grade 8 in Maths and a 5 in English.

“It’s been very different learning here compared to home,” said Kinnia. “I am working at a nursery now and there is room to study more, as I would like to a Level 3 in Early Years.”

“I am happy to take a simple job and maybe go into property development and renovation,” said Arash. “I think my time as a student is complete now.”

Meanwhile, Ruby Cealey said she had "never been happier in her life" after getting the grade 3 in English she needed to move on to a Level 2 Diploma in Childcare. "It's really brilliant. The College has been really supportive."

Divine Mushambadope got a grade 5 in maths and a grade 4 in English – his first GCSEs having moved from Zimbabwe to the UK just a year ago. A current Level 1 Health and Social Care student, he can now move on to Level 3 and continue his dreams to become a social worker. "I enjoyed my learning very much and I'm really happy. I cannot wait to tell my parents."

John Dyer, Lecturer in Maths, taught Divine and other students achieving their first GCSE results, and said: "The entire class was awesome, so supportive of one another and a joy to teach. I'm so pleased they've all done so well, but I shall miss them!"

Deputy CEO and Deputy Principal Matt Phelps said the whole COPC team were delighted by the results.

“A massive congratulations to our lovely 16-18 year old students, whose hard work and commitment has really paid off,” he said.

“Many of you will be progressing to higher levels with us and we can’t wait to see you continue to unlock your potential and achieve excellence in your chosen field.”

CEO and Principal Katy Quinn paid tribute and to ‘our talented lecturers who are so passionate about what they do’.

“Our lecturers are true dual professionals,” she added. “Not only are they experts in their chosen subjects, they’re also brilliant at passing on their knowledge and expertise to their students.”

Enrolment for the new academic year starts tomorrow (Friday 22nd August) and runs throughout next week. If you're not yet decided on what to do after GCSE results or where to study next, we're here to help you make those next step decisions. Visit www.copc.ac.uk to find out more.