News

Careers Fair for Waverley Federation Year 10 Students and Godalming College students

Albie Barlow is a student at Godalming College, studying Sport Coaching and Development BTEC Extended Diploma, which is equivalent to 3 A Levels. He’s also a highly competitive GB junior athlete, competing in international speed staking competitions, with his sights firmly set on the 2030 Winter Olympics in France. We managed to catch up with him and find out more about his busy and fascinating sporting life! 

We've asked our Student Union president how she balances Ramadan with college life.

As part of Women’s History Month at Godalming College, we had the pleasure and privilege to welcome Captain Imogen ‘Imy’ O’Brien and Corporal Emma Gibb, two of the four women who make up Force Atlantic, the British Army’s first all-female team to row any ocean. 

This week we celebrated Wellbeing Week for students and staff at College.

ClassAction’s second year Diploma Company staged this epic musical as part of their BTEC studies

Godalming College is delighted to report that, following our inspection in November, the College has once again retained its Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ status.

The annual Christmas Concert held at Godalming College was a spectacular celebration of talent and festive music. The event brought together talented musicians, vocalists, and performers from Godalming College, creating an enchanting evening that delighted audiences of all ages.

The Godalming College Ladies Rugby team enjoyed a training session and Q& A with red roses star Jess Breach. 

Our Christmas production by ClassAction here at Godalming College was a spectacular celebration of talent alongside important messages about sustainability and the environment.

Find out how our Sports teams did this Season.

We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Film Buddy to provide bespoke employability services for our students in the Film, Television & Creative Media Industries. 

The rugby programme has made a positive start to the year with over 85 players on the register for rugby; the standard has once again gone up another level.  

This year's True Adventure trip took our intrepid students to Zambia.  We started with a week undertaking a community project in a rural school near Lake Kariba after which we explored the wildlifde and culture at the Zambezi river and Victoria Falls.

"In receiving your results today it’s exciting to look towards the future, but I also encourage you to take a moment to reflect on the amazing journey you have been on. Throughout your education your year group has faced significant challenges, and you have demonstrated great resilience and determination to get to this point", saya Emma Young, Principal.

Just short of 90 students departed from Godalming College via coach on July 9th for their Gold DofE Qualifying expedition in the Elan Valley, Wales.

Find out how our Sports teams did this Season.

We  have some building works on site to expand our Student Hub (300s block). Read more below.

In November 2023, four of our Upper Sixth history students participated in the Holocaust Educational Trust’s ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ Project. This is a four-stage project that enables two to four students from Sixth Forms across the country to develop their understanding and knowledge of the Holocaust

For the first time since the Covid years, Godalming College Physics students went to  Switzerland to visit CERN and explore the world of particle physics.  

Godalming College has won the category ‘Outstanding School Drama Department’ in the Music & Drama Education Awards 2024. ClassAction was one of five shortlisted Drama departments nationwide.

The Biology department recently took 40 students to visit the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) open day. This was a two-hour programme of science displays and tours so our students could learn more about working on animal health research. The role of the APHA is to detect and control animal and plant diseases. 

Godalming College Director of Transition & Progression, Adam Duce was elected as the youngest Mayor of Godalming earlier this year. A few months after his election, and many engagements later, our Student Union caught up with him to find out more about him and his role as Mayor.  

Godalming College students had a rare opportunity to discuss hot political and economic questions with the current Chancellor of the Exchequer, The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt, just after his return from the Conservative Party Conference.  The Main Hall at Godalming was packed with students of Politics, Economics and other students who were interested in what he had to say.  In an hour-long session Jeremy took questions from the floor, not just about his current role as Chancellor but also covering topics that had been the subject of much debate in the press during the week.  

We are extremely proud of our students’ achievements both in A Level and BTEC Level 3, especially given this cohort did not sit their GCSE exams, and therefore this was their first experience of sitting public examinations.  Our students have demonstrated much resilience and determination in achieving these wonderful results.  They have been a pleasure to work with and should feel extremely pleased with their outcomes. 

Congratulations and well done again to the inspiring class of 2023.  We wish them all the best for the future.

Berlin was a popular learning destination amongst course trips in the spring term. German language students explored the culture, history, and language of Germany’s capital, while A-Level History students visited all the historical sights, like the Nazi concentration camp at Sachsenhausen and the site of the 1945 Potsdam Conference.

With the local elections coming up on the 4th May 2023, the Godalming College Student Union organised a debate of local candidates running in the local elections. Godalming College students got to meet and ask questions to Jane Austin (Conservatives), Paul Fellows (Liberal Democrats), Charlotte Taylor (Labour) and Clare Weightman (Greens).

It was an evening of music, fun and fundraising! The annual Godalming College Spring Benefit Concert in aid of the Dan Eley Foundation was a great success and exceeded previous ticket sales and fundraising. 

Holocaust survivor Marcel Ladenheim visited history students at the College as part of the Holocaust Memorial Day to talk about his early life in Nazi occupied France.  

Isabel Hardman, a former student at Godalming College is an experienced journalist, covering UK Politics. She is the assistant editor of The Spectator and presenter of Radio 4’s The Week in Westminster.  The Politics students at Godalming College gained a real insight into the ups and downs of Westminster during her talk.

Neuroscientist and Lecturer Dr Guy Sutton visited our Biology and Psychology students for a couple of Brain Days.

Congratulations to Oscar Chowney who has reached the final of the Gresham College National Public Speaking competition for year 12 students in Great Britain.  He has been invited to take part in the final presentations held in London on the 24th January, which is Speak Up and Succeed Day.  The topics for the finalists are focused on the environment and sustainability, Oscar has chosen to debate ‘what more should the UK Government do about the environment to benefit your generation? 

At Godalming College we are dedicated to the wellbeing of our students. We know that wellbeing and health has a big influence on a student’s ability to learn and progress. That’s why we encourage a learning culture that emphasises the importance of wellbeing and provides students with a toolkit for their future.  

At Godalming College we feel that it is always good to reinforce aspects of safety in these challenging times, therefore we celebrate safety with a week of activities such as talks, videos, workshops and visitors to the College to help students stay safe in a range of situations. 

It has been a busy first term for those taking part in team sports this year as part of our +Active programme.   Over 140 students have played 60 fixtures so far this season, representing the College on a Wednesday afternoon in Surrey, the South East and beyond.   

Supporting students to fulfil their potential and succeed beyond College is a big part of what we do at Godalming College. Part of this is the annual Medicinal Interview Day, which is organised for students wanting to study Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Science/Medicine. 

Godalming College has always been committed to providing its student with the best opportunities for their future and this year we have made it to the top of the list. As many as nine students from our 2020/2021 have been accepted to Oxford and Cambridge universities. According to the data from the Department for Education that is the highest number of any state funded college or secondary school in Surrey.

The Godalming College community joins the Royal family, the nation and people around the world, in mourning Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.  We extend our sympathies to her family at this very sad time. We will always remember her outstanding sense of duty and loyalty during her reign which spanned an historic seventy years. She was a constant source of stability in an ever changing world.

Congratulations to all our wonderful students on their fantastic achievements today, we are so, so proud of you. As a College we pride ourselves on our strong sense of community and this is a day for the entire College Community to celebrate what are some of our best results ever!

One of our Upper Sixth students has had his final piece selected for the Royal Academy Young Artist’s Summer Show 2022 as part of their exhibition.

Consisting of a series of talks, fairs and resources our Future Fridays take place over four consecutive weeks, each focusing on a different pathway; Progression Pathways (week 1), Career Pathways (week 2) and Subject Pathways (weeks 3 & 4).

One of our very own has recently been elected as the youngest ever Deputy Mayor in the history of Godalming Council! Adam Duce is such an important member of our College, a fabulous English Teacher, Director of Transition and Progression as well as our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Officer… it seems like this man never sleeps! 

The Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA) Summer Conference is an annual event in every college leader’s calendar. The College submitted entries for both the Independent Learning and Enrichment & Employability categories. We are thrilled to say that WE WON the Independent Learning Category for our 50/50 learning model!

As part of the Performing Arts BTEC course, the students are required to take their skills on the road and tour a variety of local schools. This year the students performed a modern rendition of Romeo & Juliet, reimagining this tragic love story by questioning what the final death scene really achieved.

The Spring Term has seen the sports industry pick back up again and this includes sixth form colleges. This term our sports teams out outdone themselves in the leagues and worked together as players, we are so proud of everything they have achieved this term and we cannot wait to see what is next...

After a 2-year hiatus on College trips, we are excited to announce that we have seen the return of student outings this term! If you think we are excited about this… just ask the students how excited they are!

This term our STEM students have been flexing their skills at the Olympiads, a timed exam-style paper completed at College. The Olympiads are a great place for the students to practice their exam skills and subject knowledge before their A-Level exams. Completed in Maths, Biology and Chemistry this year our students did exceptionally well…

This year we have seen the return of campus events and fundraising, something we have greatly missed around the College. From ping pong in the piazza to staff karaoke… the creativity we have seen from our staff and students when it comes to events has been amazing.

Our new Student Union team for 2022/23 has been elected! The Godalming College SU has become a quintessential part of our students' College experience, giving them the opportunity to both run for the available positions and vote for their new leaders.

Culture Day was set and the team got to work decorating the Bistro with an array of flags, beautiful wall hangings and even a red carpet. A bake sale was organised to raise money for the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA) and our fabulous catering team organised Lebanese food to be served from this area of the College to bring in other students.

Ever wondered what it would be like to go to university in America? Promenading through palm tree's in California or powerwalking through crowds in New York... Starbucks latte in hand. We have all seen the movies but what is really like to study over the pond? We chatted with one of our graduates, James Casemore, who is currently in his second year at Yale University. James painted us a picture of what it is really like to study in the USA, what the application process is like, applying for VISA's and what he plans to do next...

One of our very own students, Fin Wells, has been presented an award by the High Sheriff of Surrey for his exceptional work as the High Sheriff Cadet. This well-deserved position saw Fin assisting Dr Julie Llewelyn, the High Sheriff of Surrey, at county visits and events, building trust and offering his professional support when necessary. When chatting with Fin he spoke very highly of his time as a Police Cadet and when asked about his position as High Sheriff Cadet he replied ‘it was an incredible opportunity and extremely enjoyable’.