Blogs
Visit to Brighton Waste House
Last week students from SML College visited the Waste House in Brighton. The Brighton Waste House investigates strategies for constructing a contemporary, low energy, permanent building using over 85% ‘waste’ material drawn from household and construction sites. Now fully completed, the building is Europe's first permanent public building made almost entirely from material thrown away or not wanted. It is...
How young people manage their own learning at SML College
Take yourself back to your schooldays. Did you learn everything that you were taught? Or did you sometimes daydream in class? Perhaps there were subjects that you didn’t like so you paid less attention to them - or you were even disruptive in such lessons. For whatever reason, it’s likely that the teacher ‘covering the syllabus’ did not always...
What is a 21st Century Education
Some people have suggested that the only change from Victorian schools to those of today is from black to white – blackboards have changed to whiteboards. We still have classrooms that are not much different from the 19th century with curricula that have progressed little since then and with lessons of standardised times delivered in (increasingly) large institutions. Indeed...
Student Voice
On Monday July 7 2014 past and present students and parents from the College attended a conference on student voice in London. They put on a workshop to show how the College works. A fascinating discussion occurred with school pupils attending making odd claims about what is possible. For instance some said that it would not be possible for...
Arts Award
We continue to use this excellent qualification that has been developed by the Arts Council. The advantage to us is that it allows students to create their own personalised portfolios of real learning and at the same time gain GCSE level qualifications. While older students generally do take their own selections of GCSEs such exams are often limited in...
Radio 5 Live
Ian Cunningham was asked to contribute to a phone-in programme on Radio 5 Live. As a result of his comments about education and about our College the radio station received many positive emails and phone calls. This resulted in them deciding to broadcast a proper slot on the College. A reporter came and interviewed students and tutors. The final version...
Local TV
Brighton’s own TV station is Latest TV. Their reporters came to the College in December and filmed students at work. Some of this involved David Allistone demonstrating the use of 3D printing by students and Megan Leckie and Joe Palmer showing students working on a project. Two programmes went out on their early evening show featuring this work.