The Henley College launches first Virtual Information Event & Tour

The Henley College in Oxfordshire launched its very first live Virtual Information Event and Tour on Thursday 21st May.

The two-hour event, delivered via Zoom, included an extensive line up of speakers covering all areas of the College, both curriculum and pastoral.

Guest speakers included SVP and GM Customer Experience Group (CX) EMEAR at Cisco; Alistair Wildman who talked about industrial placements and the partnership Cisco is developing with The Henley College. Also speaking were Freya Ruparel, a former student who is now an undergraduate at University of Cambridge, Amrit Kaur, a current A Level student and Joe Gater, a Performing Arts student who has just been offered a place at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.

Head of Faculty for Business, Humanities and Languages, Tristan Arnison, talked about the history and origins of The Henley College and the Henley Quad – a series of principles that guide all teaching and learning. He also explored how our current staff have adapted to teaching on Microsoft Teams, adapting to new ways of working and preparing students for employment and their future careers.

Dr Julian Brinsford, Head of Faculty for Science, Technology and Media, talked about student destinations, both at universities in the UK and abroad, also degree apprenticeship opportunities with companies such as Rolls Royce, Microsoft, Cisco and Formula One. Julian also showcased the brand new aerial footage of the campuses which was shot in lockdown, along with a preview of the new virtual tour.

Kathryn Mogford, Head of Student Services, covered student support including the Personal Tutor system, enrichment, student leadership, pastoral support and the College Welfare Dog, Otis! An entire team of curriculum and support staff worked behind the scenes answering live Q&A.

Feedback from attendees included comments such as:

“The range of speakers was interesting, and quality of communication good even when over Zoom.”

“As a parent I watched this with my son – it was brilliant so informative. My son is looking forward to finding out more about the courses offered and his options. Thank you”

“It was very informative and reassured my concerns with the current circumstances and I now feel more ready to join in September.”

“For your first time at hosting something online I felt it was run very well. My son was sure he wanted to come – we had only been able to catch the end of an Open morning in Oct/Nov 19 and hadn’t listened to the heads re the ethos and feel of the college. The talk gave me confidence that it is the right place for my son. My questions were answered promptly. Obviously I am worried about the gap in his learning but you are doing everything you can to fill it. His friends have already been set sixth form work by his current school and I was worried he had 6 months with no learning – so the transition work is also very helpful. Thank you so much and I look forward to partnering with you from Sept 20 for the next stage of my sons education.”

“A triumph, really. Huge potential for the college, with or without lockdown.”

Principal and CEO, Satwant Deol, who introduced the event, said: “I am so proud of all our staff at The Henley College who have risen to the challenge of remote learning magnificently. They have truly adapted in such a short space of time, which is evident by our extensive use of Microsoft Teams helping students prepare for a whole new way of working. We are also enormously grateful to all of our special guests who took the time to share their knowledge and experience of The Henley College.”

Rhian Mason and Robyn Vitty, joint Heads of Marketing and Business Development, who organised the event said: “Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and we will now use this experience to plan future subject-specific sessions bespoke to each audience. We couldn’t do this without the support we have had from staff, it’s so rewarding to be part of such a brilliant team ethos in these challenging times.”