STUDENTS were celebrated for their dedication, ambition and persistent hard work at Andover College's annual awards ceremony. 

Sparsholt College Group’s Andover Campus hosted its annual Achievers’ Awards at The Lights Theatre last week. 

The Achievers’ Awards sum up an excellent academic year with Andover College achieving a 99.7 per cent A-level pass rate. In addition to this the college has been placed in the top five per cent in the entire country for Value Added, giving a powerful indicator of the quality of teaching and support the college provides and demonstrating that students are getting the most out of their time at Andover College.

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Ben Stokes, vice principal, said: “We are so happy to host these awards in person this year, for the first time since the pandemic. The Andover Achiever Awards are a wonderful and richly deserved celebration for Andover students, parents and staff. It was fantastic to see so many families and friends there to support our students, and we can't wait to see what this year's cohort go on to achieve. Andover Campus is committed to providing a platform of high educational standards and credibility which we continue to uphold and can be seen in every single student who has won an award tonight.”

The Guest of Honour Speaker was Amy Jade, a past student who studied a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Performing Arts and is now a successful singer/songwriter, she gave some advice to current students.

She added: “There will be hard days and failures but only hold them lightly, see if there is a lesson to be learnt but then let them go, and for every success on your good days remind yourself to celebrate and be proud of yourself. Thanks again for having me, I am proud that Andover College was part of my life, and for a lot of the students here tonight I am sure the same will be true for you too.”

The Nigel Spackman Sport Achievement Award was awarded to Harriet McRae, Fitness and Personal Training Level 3 BTEC student. Last year she represented Team England in various competitions and this season she has gone from strength to strength, winning the English Championships and being selected for Team GB for her debut.

Harriet said: “I’m really happy and amazed that I’ve been given this opportunity and thank all my lecturers as they have been so supportive of me, in my Judo as well”.

The Alan Guyatt Mature Learner Achievement Award was awarded to Priscilla Owusu.

Priscilla’s nomination read: “Priscilla stands out from the crowd with her positive attitude and supportive nature. She always encourages her classmates and committed her own time to supporting those around her, helping them with research skills and planning for assignments. Alongside this she works long hours for the NHS, she pushes herself constantly and always wanted to know how she could improve in her work.”

The Entrepreneurial and Business Award was awarded to Jhamar Brown, Jhamar achieved Distinction in BTEC Business, A in Politics and B in History. His next steps are Business and Management at Bournemouth University.

His nomination read: “Jhamar was an outstanding student. Was able to lead the class in terms of discussion, independently discuss case studies both on topic and ones that related through his own research. Jhamar has been performing exceptionally throughout the year.”

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Zachary Marshall was one of the brightest stars of the evening winning two awards. The Academic Achievement Award and the coveted Principal Award which is presented to the student who has demonstrated an outstanding achievement or contribution to the college. Zachary Marshall who achieved B in Sociology and A*’s in English Language and Film studies, he is now off to the Oxford Brookes University to study a degree in Film.

His nomination read: “Zach has consistently excelled in English Language, often achieving incredibly high marks in all his work across both years of the course. Zach’s attendance and punctuality has always been outstanding, and he never misses a deadline or hands in work late. His work ethic is just as impressive, often completing additional work on top of that set-in order to push himself to do the best he can. We wish him the very best for what we’re sure will be a bright future!”

The final winner of the night was Suzie Oostendorp, Curriculum Lead Foundation who won the prestigious Teacher Award.

She said: “I am really honoured to have worked with such a supportive team. I am referring not only to the wonderful staff in the Foundation Department, but across the whole college. It is so important that everybody can access our educational facility and progress with their goals and staff from every corner of the college have played a role in ensuring that Foundation students can be included. Throughout the year so many departments have helped us including management, teaching, ALS and Wellbeing, Premises, Reception, IT, the Library, and restaurant staff."