Students at Harrow College had the opportunity to mingle with some of the largest national employers’ todays at a speed networking event as part of National Careers Week.

 The young learners studying Science, Business, IT and Humanities were first welcomed to the session by careers staff from the college before being introduced to the employers – each of whom had specifically taken time out of their day to meet the Harrow College students.

Professionals from a breadth of organisations were presented including Google, BT, Home Office, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Saatchi & Saatchi, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, IBM, Carlyle Group, NHS, Crown Prosecution Service, Westminster City Council, BAE Applied Intelligence and many more.

One of the highlights of the day was a speed networking session, where students had 10 minutes per professional to ask questions, learn more about their profession and attain as much career advice as possible. As the 10 minute buzzer rang, the professionals rotated from group to group, taking quick-fire questions from the eager students.

Reflecting on the event, Nikki Flemming from Google UK said “this is such a great initiative. I’d have loved this opportunity when I was their age. It’s great to see so much enthusiasm and drive from the students at Harrow College and I wish them all the best”.

Kieran Tyler from BT Plc was also impressed by the passion shown by the students and recalled his own experiences as a young learner. He said “I was inspired towards my career choice by a similar event when I was their age so it’s fantastic to have the opportunity to give back”.

An Engineering student who attended the event was really impressed by what he learnt from the day. He said “today has been very insightful and has opened my mind to a number of opportunities I hadn’t previously considered. I was given some specific work experience advise relating to my course which I’ll definitely be pursuing”.

Today’s event is part of a series of career related activities taking places across Harrow College to mark National Careers Week.

As part of National Apprenticeship Week, Harrow College, Capgemini and The Careers & Enterprise Company hosted a special event to give young people information and guidance into a future career through apprenticeships.

The free public event called ‘Ask the Apprentice’ took place at Harrow College on Wednesday, 16 March. The event aimed to provide further insight into apprenticeships and explain how an apprenticeship can lead to a very successful career. This drive and positive endorsement is further supported by the Governments’ commitment of 3 million new apprenticeship starts in England between 2015 and 2020.

A number of leading employers and facilitators of apprenticeship schemes including Capgemini, Travis Perkins, Rolls-Royce, British Gas, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide Building Society, DWP, Barclays Bank and the NHS were in attendance at the event. As well as offering information about the apprentice schemes they offer, a number of their past and present apprentices also took part in a question and answer session to share their experiences and dispel any apprenticeship scheme myths or stereotypes.

The packed audience made up of young people, parents/guardians, employers and careers advisors listened as the panel session, hosted by Capgemini Chairman Christine Hodgson, spoke about what attracted them to an apprenticeship scheme, why it’s a great alternative to university especially for those keen to earn whilst they learn, the structure of apprenticeship programmes and how well organised they are to suit your career path and the many career opportunities that have, and continue, to open.

One of the panellists was former Harrow College student Andrei Furnica, 21, who has just completed a level 2 sales apprenticeship with builders’ merchants, Jewsons. He commented “after completing my college studies, I was not keen on doing more full time study at university, despite the wishes of my parent. Instead, I wanted to start gaining work experience whilst still continuing to achieve qualifications. I thought I would try an apprenticeship for 12 months and then review my options. A year later, I am now looking for another apprentice opportunity. The experience has been even better than I first expected”.

 Click here for more information about apprenticeships from Harrow College.

In mid-February 2016, the UK celebrated Random Act of Kindness Day. A day to celebrate those good deeds that make someone else’s life that little bit easier – even the smallest things, like holding the door open for someone or smiling at someone on the street.

However, for one Harrow College student, one day of kindness just wasn’t enough. Bobby Mill wanted to spread his kindness across twenty days leading up to his 20th birthday last week. After days of careful planning, Bobby commenced his 20 day mission.

From donating clothes to charity to giving roses to strangers, Bobby’s random acts really stretched across the kindness barometer.

Bobby’s 20 acts of kindness included:

• Day 1: Surprising his mum
• Day 2: Giving clothes away to the homeless
• Day 3: Giving roses to strangers
• Day 4: Buying a full meal for a homeless person
• Day 5: Sticking pennies in random places for good luck
• Day 6: Giving away teddy bears to little children with their parents
• Day 7: Paying for a strangers coffee
• Day 8: Making an umbrella available to a stranger in case it rains
• Day 9: Giving a gift card to a stranger
• Day 10: Producing a song in a music studio for free
• Day 11: Donating clothes to a charity shop (part 1)
• Day 12: Donating clothes to a charity shop (part 2)
• Day 13: Donating clothes to a charity shop (part 3)
• Day 14: Wishing strangers an awesome day
• Day 15: Buying a McFlurry for a child with their parents
• Day 16: Sticking pound coins to vending machines for people to buy a drink
• Day 17: Giving a book to a stranger
• Day 18: Leaving positive messages for his neighbours
• Day 19: Paying for a strangers parking ticket
• Day 20: Donating blood for the first time

Bobby, who is also a recording artist/songwriter/music producer, is currently studying for a BTEC Level 3 diploma in IT. As well as marking his 20th birthday, Bobby said that his kindness was much more about inspiring others and fulfilling a wish to say thank you - to his family, friends, Harrow College and the people of Harrow, who have offered him so much since his arrival into the UK three years ago.

Bobby’s act has not gone unnoticed internationally and has gone viral across social media networks in his home country of Macedonia. Speaking on his 20th birthday, Bobby said “I was determined to do this so that I could show my appreciation and inspire other people. The 20 days went really well, gave me enormous pleasure and brought a smile to many faces”.

Click here to watch Bobby’s 20 Acts of Kindness video.

Click here for more about IT courses at Harrow College.

Four students at Harrow College have been rewarded for their hard work and dedication with an internship with Apprentice Winner Lee McQueen and his business Raw Talent Academy this summer.

The four students have just completed a six month, extra-curricular employability academy run by Raw Talent in partnership with Harrow College. The academy saw 14 students complete the 8-stage course covering topics including; self-motivation, communication & building relationships, interview techniques as well as into commercial business workings. The four successful students (pictured left to right with Lee McQueen centre) are Alexandra Langhe (18), Abdi Osman (18), Stacie Newman (19) and Rucha Joshi (18)

Earlier in the college year hundreds of students applied and were interviewed to secure a place on the course, all receiving detailed feedback from Raw Talent’s expert recruiters.

First year STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) student Rucha Joshi said; “The employability academy became a pathway to my dreams, where I not only made lifelong friends but also gained unique knowledge and experience.”

Raw Talent Academy founder Lee McQueen, who worked for Lord Sugar for two years after winning the Apprentice said; “I was hugely impressed by the quality of the students this year. It is the fourth time we have run the Academy process and it is a real statement of intent from the college in ensuring their students are ready for employment. Many businesses complain that those exiting education are not ready for the realities of business, we are doing something about that in partnership with Harrow College!”

Lee Janaway, Director of Student Experience at Harrow College added; “These students have all developed new skills and attributes during their time working with Lee McQueen and his staff and I am certain that they will bring value to his organisation, Raw Talent. The Raw Talent Academy has again provided students invaluable employability knowledge and experience that will ensure that those on the programme have a bright future.”

In November 2015, some of Harrow College's AS and A2 Maths students took part in the UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) Senior Mathematical Challenge. This is a nationwide competition which takes the form of an exam with interesting and unusual questions; no calculators are allowed!

Two of the students, Hao Chen and Viktoria Noel, were awarded silver certificates, while Farzia Hussaini and Adrian Kucharski were awarded bronze certificates (see photo).

The Senior Challenge is aimed at all 16-19 year olds studying mathematics. The challenge involves answering 25 multiple choice questions in 90 minutes and is sat in school under normal exam conditions.

Below is one of the questions from the paper:

The Knave of Hearts tells only the truth on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. He tells only lies on all the other days. The Knave of Diamonds tells only the truth on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. He tells only lies on all the other days. On one day last week, they both said, “Yesterday I told lies.” On which day of the week was that? (click here to email your answers. We’ll let you know if you were correct).

Well done to the certificate winners from Harrow College.

Click here for more information about studying maths at Harrow College.

Students from Harrow College were awarded for their outstanding effort and achievement at the Jack Petchey Awards Ceremony that took place at the Rickmansworth Watersmeet Hall on Thursday 14th January 2016.

The ceremony provided an opportunity for the students and their family, friends and teachers to enjoy an evening of celebration and entertainment with other award winners from across Harrow.

Proud Harrow College award winners for the first term of this academic year were: Xiaoqian Chen, Roxana-Tatiana Ciocoi, Ahmed Haza, Nor Hamza, Simon Clack, Prachi Shah and Nerice Campbell-Forde. All took to the stage to receive their Jack Petchey Medallion from Cllr. Jean Lammiman, a past Mayor of Harrow, to loud applause from the audience.

The Jack Petchey achievement award scheme is given to young people who make a wholehearted, unselfish and dedicated contribution to their community.

The Jack Petchey Foundation was launched in 1999 by Jack Petchey CBE, himself an East End entrepreneur. On their website, a quote from Jack Petchey regarding his awards programme reads "We do it because we want to help young people raise their aspirations, believe in themselves and make a contribution to their society".

As well as their awards, each student winner also receives a grant of £200 which is to be used for the benefit of a group.

Hair and Beauty students from Harrow College have taken part in Superstars, a multi college Level 3 fashion and media make up competition, showcasing their creative flair to the highest standard - click here to view photo album from the day.

Hosted by the Harrow College Hair and Beauty Department, students from Harrow College and Oaklands College competed across a number of categories which included:

• Fashion Editorial makeup and hair
• Fantasy makeup and hair
• Horror Character

The students were set a brief which they then researched to help determine their final chosen designs. For the competition, students had to display a mood board of images and designs, create a full look consisting of makeup and hair style and also produce a costume. Their competition work was also assessed as part of their level 3 qualification.

Six judges, all professional makeup artists' including 2 former students', had the difficult task of choosing the winners. As well as the final makeup results, judges were also scoring points based on student professionalism, work station management, tidiness and mood board quality. Commenting on the students efforts, the judges stated that the quality of work produced was outstanding with many students already producing professional industry standard work.

SUPERSTARS 2016 RESULTS

Editorial
1st Anwar Farhan -Harrow College
2nd India Clayton -Oaklands College
3rd Susan Abdalla -Harrow College
Highly Commended – Robyn Sharp - Oaklands College

Fantasy
1st Tina Khatri -Oaklands College
2nd Corina Bodnarescu -Harrow College
3rd Elle May -Oaklands College
Highly Commended - Aya Al-Ameri -Harrow College

Horror
1st Estelle Pereira -Oaklands College
2nd Sophie Williams -Oaklands College
3rd Aisha Valiji -Harrow College
Highly Commended – Winnifred Joyce - Harrow College

Click here to view Facebook photo album from the day including all designs

Click here for more information abour Hair & Beauty courses at Harrow College

Plumbing and Electrical Installation students from Harrow College were interviewed by leading representatives from the world of construction on 15 April as part of a special mock interview careers event, organised by the Harrow College Careers team.

Employers including Wilmott Dixon – one of the biggest private companies in the construction and property sector as well as Young Crossrail, Farran Construction, Jeram Falkus Construction and RS+OC Ltd conducted mock employment interviews, just as they would in a real life situation, to ensure students received the best understanding of a formal work related interview process.

Students were assessed on their responses as well as other important competencies including their dress code, time keeping and body language. The employers were constructive with their feedback so that students took away productive insight from the experience including what they could improve on for future interviews and how their overall CVs could be developed.

Speaking after the event, the guest employers were full of praise. A representative from Wilmott Dixon said “I’m really impressed with the calibre of students – I would employ them. These students should be confident because they are learning useful skills. I have really enjoyed this”. Feedback from RS+OC Ltd was equally positive; “I learn more every time I visit Harrow College. All the students are inspired by you and they are being much better prepared for the future”. Farrans Construction added “A Lovely Cohort of students – seemed keen to learn and build on understanding”.

The event also resulted in some direct work opportunities. Young Crossrail have offered one student work experience whilst Farran Construction have offered to take students on for work experience.

Joanne Whitehead, Careers Team Leader at Harrow College commented “Many of the students will face interviews from employers in the future so specific preparation like this from within the sector is designed to give the young learners a head start on their career journeys”.

A second session of mock interviews is already scheduled to take place in May with further leading employers confirmed including Laing O’rouke and London Skills Development Network.

If you are interested in Plumbing, Electrical and Construction courses at Harrow College, click here.

A group of young learners from Harrow College have recently spent a day in central London to explore the capital and discover art and culture as part of their assisted learning course.

The Level 1 Art & Design group ventured out of their familiar Harrow surroundings to embark on a creative adventure taking in various sites including visiting Trafalgar Square and its two National Galleries.

Twenty students accompanied by teaching and support staff travelled by London Underground to a beautifully sunny Trafalgar Square where they were dazzled by the buskers, street performers and the general buzz of our busy city. For many it was their first time visiting the centre of town.

The students took up a task to search for some of the world’s most famous paintings and to stand up close to millions of pounds worth of Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Monet to name but a few. The research they did and the sketches they produced will go towards a major part of their ‘Exploring Drawing & Painting’ projects.

Reflecting on the day, Lizz Tattle, Foundation Learning & Entry Lecturer at Harrow College said:

“Our objective is to give our assisted learners the best experiences possible to help develop their skills and broaden their life learning opportunities. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day in London and we’ve agreed that we’ll make the effort to go back again soon so the students can explore further”.

Click here for more information about Foundation Learning and Skills/ Skills for Life courses at Harrow College.

Maths students have recently visited Bletchley Park, near Milton Keynes, the central site for Britain's codebreakers during World War Two, where the German Enigma messages were decoded.

The trip started with a short talk about the history of code breaking. This included the opportunity to see and use a genuine WWII Enigma machine. Students then took part in a practical game to decode a message.

After enjoying lunch in the sunshine, the group headed to the Mansion and explored the grand house that was the main building in Bletchley before extra huts were built to accommodate the growing number of workers. Inside the Mansion the students enjoyed various displays including some housing the props used in the award winning historical movie, The Imitation Game, which is set at Bletchley Park.

The tour continued into one of the huts consisting of various rooms and displays, some of them interactive. Each display highlighted an important factor in wartime communication, such as the use of pigeons. The students then had the opportunity to see more of the Victorian estate including the Polish memorial which commemorates the significant Polish contribution to breaking German codes. The tour concluded with a look at the world-famous rebuild of the first electronic computer, Colossus, built to help decipher the messages sent between Hitler and his generals.

Kathy Fry, a Maths teacher at Harrow College who accompanied the students, commented "As well as being a great day out, this trip showed our students a place where the application of Maths has had a huge global impact. Students gained a great deal from the trip and we look forward to repeating it for our new Maths students who will be starting in September 2016".

Maths student Aisha Gendra was one of the pupils who went on the trip. She said "Bletchley Park is a place one would never regret visiting".

For more about studying Maths at Harrow College, click here.

A special event to commemorate the official opening of a brand new centre for learners with learning difficulties and disabilities (LLDD) took place Harrow College on Wednesday 27 April 2016.

Spring House, was officially opened on a wonderful sunny morning, fitting for the new building name. The event was a celebration of this fantastic new building and also highlighted the work done by Harrow College to provide students with some of the best facilities to support their learning.

Taking into account published guidelines, the building has been designed to provide a protective space for young people. The new building includes a learning zone and courtyard, sensory room, Visilift interactive television, additional classrooms and increased facilities specifically for LLDD students including a social kitchen and dining area to promote independent living skills.

During the event, a number of speakers addressed the invited guests and students including the Deputy Mayor of Harrow, Councillor Rekha Shah and Principal and Chief Executive of Harrow College, Pat Carvalho. Speakers on the day also included Harrow College’s Executive Director of Finance and Resources Judith Abbott, and former student, four-time World Paratriathlon Champion and three times European Champion, Faye McClelland.

Harrow College students Edward Mangar and Harry Dumont, stole the show as they spoke with great passion about their experiences of Spring House and their ambitions for the future. Councillor Simon Brown also spoke about his delight with the facility and the opportunities it would open for Harrow College students, before the event close by Harrow College Chair of Governors, Nick Davies.

Attendees also took part in a time capsule burial ceremony. The capsule, containing current photos, videos, newspapers and Harrow College literature, as well as predictions made by LLDD students of how they think the world will be in 25 years’ time, was buried in front of the centre with a plaque. The capsule is predicted to be reopened in the year 2041.

Speaking after the event, Principal and Chief Executive of Harrow College Pat Carvalho said “We’re delighted to be able to share with the community what we’re doing here with Spring House. The centre will support young people, develop their confidence and sense of pride to help secure a better future for them.”

Harrow College now looks forward to embracing the new space and facilities of the building, ahead of the new intake of students in September 2016. For further details about supported learning at the College, please call 020 8909 6000.

Level 3 Health & Social Care and Applied Science students from Harrow College recently attended an event held at Northwick Park Hospital called “Lets Meet” – aimed at informing young people about the role of support workers in the NHS.

There is presently a large demand for support workers in the North West London NHS trusts. The event also aimed to improve engagement between Human Resources and departmental managers in the NHS and students and staff in Further Education colleges. These networking sessions have been very successful in the past and the April event was hosted for both Stanmore and Harrow Colleges.

The Level 3 students gave an informal presentation about the skills and qualifications they have gained as part of their course, work placement and personal life. This was followed by the NHS managers as well as current staff employed in these roles delivering short talks on the wide range of support worker opportunities available in this sector and the prospects for further study and development as an NHS employee.

Speaking about the session, Joanne Whitehead, Careers Team Leader at Harrow College said “It was a very valuable opportunity for both staff and students to share knowledge and experience. We look forward to working closely with the NHS staff in the future and building a mutually beneficial partnership”.

Click here for more information on Health & Social Care are Harrow College
Click here for more information about Applied Science at Harrow College

Harrow College is proud to announce that they have been re-accredited the Matrix Standard.

The Matrix Standard is the UK quality standard for information, advice and guidance services. It is a challenging, outcome-based Standard that is not only a benchmark of the quality of services an organisation provides, but a business improvement tool.

The Matrix Standard consists of four elements, focusing on the management and delivery of information, advice and guidance services across all aspects of the college.

Element 1 - Leadership and Management
Element 2 - Resource
Element 3 - Service Delivery
Element 4 - Continuous Quality Improvement

Continuous improvement is at the heart of the Matrix Standard – an element which also lies at the core of Harrow College in providing excellent education and information, advice and guidance to its students.

Click here for further details on the Matrix Standard website.

Harrow College is delighted to unveil plans for the next phase of its estate regeneration, a new purpose-built building for teaching Health and Social Care at the Harrow Weald campus. As part of our public consultation, you are invited to have your say and let us have your views about this exciting development. The consultation will close on 26th May 2016.

For more details about this project and to provide your feedback please click on the links below:

Project details

Feedback Form - This consultation has now closed. 

Second year HND Business students at Harrow College visited the iconic Kew Gardens based in West London in early April as part of their course studies.

With many of the students keen to progress into Business Management, higher education or employment, the visit aimed to provide students with first-hand experience of business enterprise and management accounting in practice.

One of the recent student course assignments asked them to focus on a garden centre and so tutors felt that Kew Gardens would be a good outdoor organisation upon which to base their research, particularly as most of them had never been there before. The trip involved a tour led by one of Kew Gardens experienced tour guides, and students (and tutors!) were enthralled by the history of the gardens, the beauty attractions, sources of funding, details of current restoration projects, new projects and other planned key initiatives.

On return to the college, the students worked in small groups on both practical and written work, analysing the beauty attractions at Kew Gardens such as Palm House and the Princess of Wales Conservatory recommending ways in which these could be better utilised to increase funding for future projects. Students also produced written evaluative reports on the financial management of the restaurant facilities at the gardens suggesting ways of adding value and enhancing quality to the visitors.

Commenting on student progress since the visit, Lorraine Adepoju, Business Studies Course Leader at Harrow College said:

“The outcome from the visit has been very positive. The students have delivered some really interesting presentations on their findings and will be completing their written reports for their coursework assignments soon. They are expected to achieve high grades for these and subsequently high grades for their HND Business Diplomas".

Click here for more information on Higher Education at Harrow College.

Jay Valand, Business Lecturer at Harrow College will lead a team of young volunteers for three months in Accra, Ghana over the summer period to support small and medium sized businesses to grow and develop.

The project will aim to create employment opportunities, decrease poverty and empower communities. Jay will be volunteering for Challenges Worldwide – a charity dedicated to improving communities’ economic development through supporting local business and enterprise.

Jay will support over 30 young volunteers (from both the UK and Ghana) to live with local families, investigate the needs of the business they are supporting, conduct research and help the businesses to implement these new ideas with the aim of improving their prospects and their impact in the community. The focus of the project will be on businesses that work in or directly relate to people in poverty, agriculture, crafts and renewable energy.

Jay is currently fundraising to support this team of young volunteers in Ghana this June. He has set a target of £800 to make this project a reality. He recently lived on £1 a day for a week and has already fundraised over £400. His next challenge will be to climb Mount Snowdon in Wales to reach the next target of his fundraising. To support Jay and his team on this project you can donate via the JustGiving page by clicking here. Your donation will enable his team to achieve successful and sustainable development for communities in Ghana.

This project has been created by the UK Government through the Department for International Development to support development as well as increase the skills, confidence and cross cultural relations between young people in the UK and in Ghana.

We look forward to hearing the success that Jay and his team has had when he returns in September.

A student delegation from Serbia visited Harrow College recently as part of a programme to learn more about education in the UK and specifically about best practice at Harrow College.

The educational and cultural visit was organised in cooperation with English Books, an agency from Belgrade who has been working with Harrow College for several years.

Nineteen students and two English language teachers from the prestigious 10th Grammar School “Mihailo Pupin” based in Belgrade, spent two days at Harrow College visiting classes and meeting students from the college. Various lecturers presented to the group and provided further insight into the UK education system. Students took park in an EFL class (English as a Foreign Language) and also had a taster session from one the vocational classes within the Hair & Beauty department.

The educational system is different in Serbia and students were very impressed with the way lecturers at Harrow College interacted with students, their teaching style and their overall focus on student development. One of visiting student was Zarko Ivin who said: “The teaching style was more than comprehensive. Students in the class were so happy to be at the lesson and eager to learn new things and answer the questions posed by the teacher. The quality of teaching and atmosphere in the class, and the College itself, were outstanding. Everyone is willing to go above and beyond of ordinary and I am also very impressed with the quality of the facilities. My colleagues and I hope that our schools will stay in touch with Harrow College for any future projects.”

The visiting teachers who accompanied the students, Karmen Mefailovski Kustudica and Mirjana Vlahovic commented that they never expected such a warm welcome. They found the quality of teaching at Harrow College to be most impressive and found lecturers to be very dedicated to their students. They also found students to be very open, friendly and curious which made the College a great place to study.

Click here for more on being an international student at Harrow College.

The Communication Support Unit at Harrow College recently took thirteen deaf and hard of hearing students to visit the University of Wolverhampton.

The university’s Student Enabling Centre arranged a fantastic open day specifically for the Harrow College students, tailored to meet their individual interests. Interpreters were provided for the entire day and students were equipped with electronic notes.

The students from Harrow were given a warm welcome by the university which included talks by university staff, a recent graduate who is deaf as well as current undergraduate students. This was followed by a tour of the university campus where the Harrow College learners were invited to sit in on a Deaf Studies lecture taught by a deaf lecturer using sign language. The tour also included an extensive visit to the impressive university Art and Design facilities. The Wolverhampton students were generous with their time staying with the Harrow College students during lunch and giving the group a personal insight into their courses and university life. During this time the students also met the university’s chef who is deaf and had the opportunity to catch up with an ex-Harrow College student who is now in his final year of university studies.

Following the lunch break, students were given a tour of the halls of residence before the day ended with a question and answer session with the head of the university Student Enabling Centre and current students.

Click here for more on the Communication Support Unit at Harrow College.

Harrow College student Hao Chen, studying AS Maths, recently attended a series of Maths masterclasses at Greenwich University. He shares his account of these sessions and the experience of rubbing shoulders with the UK’s young mathematics elite.

“I participated in the Mathematics Masterclasses held by the Royal Institution at the University of Greenwich. The university is located by the side of the River Thames and close to Greenwich Park. The view from the campus is incredible.

The masterclasses consisted of six sessions, taught on six separate days, and we were taught by a different lecturer each time. There were around a hundred students sitting in the hall. We concentrated very carefully when teachers were talking. Everyone’s brain was moving fast as we discussed our thoughts, shared our ideas and compared our methods.

In each session we were taught different and challenging mathematics topics including the Fibonacci Series, Perfect and Mersenne Numbers. I had not previously heard about these types of numbers. We solved some interesting puzzles. We also went into detail about integration and differentiation. This was really much harder than what we are currently doing in our A level course. We learnt about how mathematical skills were used to save the Cutty Sark. If I say Maths has a strong connection with music, you may not believe me, but it is true. We can combine sound waves to produce a sin graph or cos graph. People use the different wave properties to produce violins.

I used to think Maths is not very useful in our daily life, but after the Mathematics Masterclasses, I realised I was wrong; Maths is useful in every aspect. Engineers need Maths, architects need Maths and chemists need Maths. Maths is extraordinarily important in our lives.

It was a fantastic experience for me to broaden my view of Maths, study with other keen Maths students and challenge myself. This experience has enhanced my determination to study Mathematics in the future.”

Click here for more about studying maths at Harrow College.

A national conference to highlight the issues faced by deaf children in the UK will take place for the first time this month.

The NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children), in partnership with Harrow College and other organisations including Royal Association of the Deaf and the British Deaf Association will stage the first national conference of its kind called “Deaf Children – are we keeping them safe?”. The event will take place on 26 May at the University of Manchester with over 100 delegates expected to attend including managers from Local Authorities, Social Services, Police Services and Safeguarding Boards.

The Harrow College support of this event will be comprehensive. Tracey Critchley is Coordinator for Deaf and hard of Hearing Students at Harrow College. Tracey is also a member of the Advisory group on Safeguarding Deaf Children with the NSPCC, advising on access problems to Social Services, Mental Health Services and other public services.

At the conference, Tracey will be facilitating workshops to highlight and improve the barriers to child protection experienced by Deaf children and young people. Some of the Deaf students from Harrow College have made a film about this topic which will be shown at the conference. The student group chose to highlight the importance of communication as a tool to everyday access and well-being as the most important thing they would like to change about their life experience so far.

Research has found Deaf children are increasingly at risk, both physically and mentally, due to the severe lack of Sign Language awareness /provision in public services and a national shortage of Sign Language interpreters. This often means that Deaf people have to book appointment two weeks in advance in order to have an interpreter present and, even then, the interpreter often misses the appointment. This means there is no emergency access for Deaf children like for hearing children/people.

Click here for more on the Communication Support services available at Harrow College