Dear Parent/Carers and Students,

I hope this finds you and your loved ones well.

Before we finish for the Spring break, included in this email is some key information & helpful reminders for next term.

Spring Update

Please read our new Spring Update, it is filled with the recent activities of our students and as always is really positive and uplifting.

Key information & helpful reminders

Key dates for the Summer term have been collated into a Quick View Summary.

Our latest term dates are now available to assist you with organising family time or holiday bookings.

The best reminder of all - term begins again on Tuesday, 22 April!

Upcoming Exams

Information on upcoming Year 1 Practice Exams can be found here: Year 1 A level Students - Monday 28 April - Friday 2 May.

As we approach the exam season, I know our Year 2 and Foundation students will spend some of the spring holiday revising and preparing for their final term and Year 1 students will be revising for their Practice Exams. I am resharing the folder of resources available to help. Revision Activities to prep for exams. All teachers have also provided a range of resources on Google Classroom to help with revision.

Our library is open to support students during the Spring break; Monday 14 April to Thursday 17 April, 10.30 am to 4.30 pm. A reminder that if students require help with their well-being during exam season, they can email wellbeingzone@varndean.ac.uk

Enrichment

The majority of enrichment courses end this week to allow teachers to offer revision sessions and coursework support ahead of assessments.

University Information Evening: 25 March

Many thanks to the parents and carers who visited the college to hear about the support students receive here when considering university. We offered a wide range of sessions, including a student finance talk from the University of Brighton, budgeting advice from current students, and optional talks on Aspire support for Oxbridge and Russell Group applicants, the Art Foundation course, and careers in Medicine, Veterinary Science, and Dentistry. Should you wish to revisit this please see this link for the main talk slides.and a link to the further information on our careers website.

New Student Union

Many congratulations to all the students who took part in our recent SU elections! This year's elections were the most competitive yet, with the highest level of student engagement we've ever seen. A heartfelt thank you to the outgoing SU for their outstanding dedication and for being excellent ambassadors for the College. Your contributions have been truly invaluable.

Upcoming Events

A few things worthy of attention:

Progression and Work Experience Week - All first-year students will have the opportunity to have work experience during their time at College. We have a progression week (Monday 30 June - Friday 4 July) involving university visits, work experience and employer engagement. If you can offer any placements from one day upwards, please do contact our Careers team on careers@varndean.ac.uk

Breaking Boundaries - Varndean College Dance students are performing at The Old Market in Hove on Friday, 25 April. The production features a selection of choreographic work from Year 1 students and ends with the debut performance of the Year 2 students' full-length piece that explores the theme of Endings and Beginnings. Guest performances from alumni will also feature. Tickets are available here.

And finally, I would like to highlight the consultation on Ofsted's proposed changes closes April 28th. From November 2025, Ofsted will implement a new school inspection framework featuring detailed report cards that assess schools and colleges across multiple areas, such as curriculum, teaching quality, and student behaviour, using a five-point grading scale. However, the current proposals still create inequities in how we will be inspected as a 'designated' Sixth Form College compared to academised Sixth Form Colleges or school sixth forms. We invite parents to share their perspectives on these changes and discuss their potential impact on our College.

I hope everyone can enjoy some rest and recuperation during the Spring holiday. I wish you, your family, and your loved ones a break that is happy, hopeful, and full of sunshine.

Best wishes

Donna-Marie Janson

Principal