Haywards Heath sixth form students scoop awards

Award winners Sarah Quartley, Greg Henderson, John Swift, Tom Folkes

17-year-old Greg Henderson, from Haywards Heath, was named ‘Sussex Learner of the Year’, sponsored by exam awarding body OCR.

Now in his first year of A Levels in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Computing, Greg has already astounded his teachers with his mathematic ability and level of achievement, not least because he is partially sighted.

Because of his disability, classroom learning is virtually impossible for Greg, so he puts in many hours of extra work often going beyond the curriculum requirements to push himself and remain on track to study for a PhD in Maths.

Student John Swift, 17, also from Haywards Heath, won the ‘Pearson Most Improved Learner’ category.

Since starting at the College in September 2013, John has flourished on his Level 3 BTEC IT course.

Despite at first struggling to cope with the reading and writing element of his course, John now consistently achieves distinctions.

His strong work ethic means that he is able to do this despite working up to 30 hours a week in his part-time job.

Tom Folkes was rewarded by Exam board AQA who named him ‘Sussex College Learner of the Year.’

He overcame dyslexia and serious health problems, which caused him to miss almost an entire year of college, to get back on track and score top grades in his A Levels in English Language, Drama, and Communication & Culture.

He also plays an active role in College life, is an elected member of the Student Executive, and has taken part in several College productions at The Hub theatre.

Sarah Quartley from Cuckfield scooped runner-up in the ‘Sussex A Level/IB Learner of the Year’, sponsored by FE Sussex.

She hopes to become a Doctor and is recognised for her exceptional achievements whilst at College, often in the face of adversity.

The ceremony is an opportunity for FE Colleges to showcase their high achieving and most inspiring students.

All the winners and runners-up attended the event with members of their family, each receiving a trophy, certificate and gift vouchers in recognition of their success.