Treviglas

http://www.treviglas.net

Head's Letter to Students and Parents

Thursday, 25 February 2010 10:00

Dear Students, Parents and the Treviglas Community

It was with the greatest sadness and regret that I wrote to the Governing Body before half term in order to resign my post as Headteacher of Treviglas Community College and take up the position of Principal Designate at the Marine Academy Plymouth from April 2010.

As you might know, Treviglas has been my working life for almost 25 years; I have always worked to the best of my ability in the service of education in Newquay and I have always seen it as an enormous privilege and a real joy to be involved with so many wonderful people.  To be given the opportunity to lead the college seven years ago was something I had never expected but which I relished.  I hope you will feel that I served Treviglas well.

I would like to thank all the students and parents with whom I had the pleasure to spend time over the last 25 years.  I must also thank the governing body, past and present, for their friendship, support and hard work which helped me lead the college forwards.  I leave life-long friends all across the Newquay area, but particularly at the college itself and would wish, very much, to thank my colleagues for wonderful times together over all these years.  We have seen each other mature, marry, raise families, lose parents, send our children to university, seen them marry and endure all the other swings and roundabouts of life; some of us have even become grandparents and revelled, together, unashamedly, in the changes and intensity of experience that it brought. It is hard, indeed, to move away from somewhere I have been so happy but I absolutely relish and look forward to the exciting challenge of opening a new Academy in Plymouth and all the opportunities that it will bring to further develop the kind of education model we have been so successful in establishing here at this college.  The Marine Academy Plymouth will be the first of its kind and it is a great privilege to be offered the post.  I hope governors will allow Treviglas to work with me in the future so that we can, together, engage at the cutting edge of education for the benefit of all our young people.  I know that Treviglas will continue to be the happiest of places to learn and to work, to grow and develop and I wish it, and everyone in it, the best possible future.

With thanks

Yours sincerely

Helen Mathieson

 

"Treviglas College provides an outstanding quality of education. It is an exciting place to learn where all groups of students, whatever their capabilities and interests, are able to succeed." OFSTED REPORT 2009

Treviglas is a highly successful Business & Enterprise Specialist College – the first in Cornwall and now the Hub leader for the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust in the South West. Our focus is personalising learning; we treat each student as an individual and offer pathways and curriculum choices at every stage. We ensure that each one of our young people is challenged in every way to meet his or her full potential. All of us, within our community, are `Learning to Succeed'.

"At the heart of the college's success is the established culture of high expectation." OFSTED REPORT 2009

Every student at Treviglas has access to what Ofsted described as `an outstanding curriculum` which offers a first class enterprise education through all the different subject areas. Treviglas has also been commended on the access to technology for both students and staff, ensuring that independent learning skills can be developed at every stage. Enterprise learning is threaded throughout the curriculum, developing those skills which allow our students to add so much value to their educational experience, succeed beyond their potential and, above all, develop the skills of leadership and the confidence to lead. There is an intensive out-of-hours programme called eXtra@treviglas which gives every student access to a wide range of academic, sporting and recreational activities and which is supported by the Junior Leaders programme, allowing our young people the opportunity to develop their community leadership. Sport is a major interest in our community.

The college believes strongly in the beneficial advantages that the playing of sport and the taking part in extra-curricular activities gives to all its young people and it is for this reason that the college provides free after hours transport so that the majority of students can access master classes, study support and sports and activities including the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme as well as Junior and Community Leadership programmes. The college also has its own Air Scouts Troop. Another important aspect of the college is its partnership with higher and further education providers.

Treviglas is the only 11-18 school in Cornwall which is affiliated to the University of Plymouth and which delivers university courses on the college site as part of our curriculum, to our own students. The Business Academy, the ICT Academy, the Technicians` Academy, the Science Academy and the Surf Academy all run courses in conjunction with the university which give our students not only the advantage of working at a higher level but also the opportunity to visit the university on a regular and frequent basis to share facilities, resources and experience. This, we believe, gives our students the experience of learning which will support them in their future life and work.

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