Peter Symonds College is a sixth form college in Winchester, Hampshire, in the south of England. Founded as a boys' grammar school, it is one of the few specialist sixth form colleges which is also a boarding school. It serves Falkland Islands residents for sixth form. It is the biggest sixth form college in the UK.
Curriculum
Most students at Peter Symonds take three A levels, with some taking other vocational courses. General Studies was taken as a compulsory AS and A level on top of this until 2014, when the school dropped the subject. However some students take four or more A levels in their first year and continue with either three or four A levels in their second year. The Level 3 Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is offered at the college.
Amongst the subjects on offer at the college are Fine Art, Photography, Three-Dimensional Design, Textiles, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Classics, Computing, Criminology, Dance, Drama, Economics, English Language, English Literature, Environmental Studies, Film Studies, French, German, Geography, Politics, Graphics, Health & Social Care, History, ICT, Law, Italian, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Media Studies, Music, Philosophy, PE, Physics, Product Design, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Spanish and Statistics. The college is also somewhat unusual amongst state sixth form colleges in offering Latin at both AS and A level.
Courses are available at AS Level, A-level, BTEC Level 2 National Certificate, BTEC Level 3 National Certificate and GCSE at the college.
Admissions
It has some 4000 students aged 16–18 mainly from central Hampshire, but also British Forces teenagers from Germany and Cyprus, and residents of the Falkland Islands, who live on campus in one of the two boarding houses (Falkland Lodge and School House). The Falkland Islands Government pays for each student to board at Peter Symonds if they achieve at least five "C" grades in their GCSEs. Therefore, in 2005 principal Neil Hopkins described the institution as "the official sixth-form college for the Falkland Islands". The college also has a separate site in Winchester where it provides courses for some 2000 adult students (see https://ahed.psc.ac.uk/website/psapps/).
In 2005 it had 2,700 full-time students, with about 15-20 from the Falkland Islands; the overall figure is an increase from the 1,200 students in 1993.
College life
Extra-curricular activities
At one time the college produced an online magazine named The BUZZ, written and edited by students, which replaced Converse in 2008 but has since ceased to circulate. There was a student produced college radio station, 7Radio, operating until roughly 2014. This was revived in 2022, establishing the student-led Symonds Radio, who currently produce ad-hoc programming in partnership with Outreach Radio.
All students at the college must take part in at least one activity, including sports and societies. There are also some accredited activities offered by the college. Students also must take part in a set number of "workshops" each year – these are additional time spent doing work in each subject outside of lessons with teachers. In addition, all students attend the "Symonds Lecture Programme", a replacement for General Studies, in which information is delivered in university-style lectures.
The UK Rock Challenge, Duke of Edinburgh's Award, First Aid, Practical Wildlife Conservation, Choir, Harry Potter Appreciation Society, Libra Foundation, Fencing, Debating and Fantasy Football are all activities on offer at Peter Symonds College.
Sports
The college has teams in the following sports: athletics, American flag football, badminton, basketball, cheerleading, cricket, cross country, equestrian, football, hockey, lacrosse, netball, rugby, squash, swimming, tennis, skiing, sailing, and volleyball. The college also enters individual players and teams into competitions for the following sports: Golf, table tennis and trampolining.
Students' Union
The Peter Symonds College Student Union works in conjunction with Student Services to promote student interests alongside organising events for the student body, such as diversity festivals, guest speakers, charity events, concerts and end of year balls. The SU consists of the Executive Committee (President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary) and other officers (Canteens and Environment, Entertainments and Charity, Communications, Equality and Diversity, Officer without Portfolio and others). The Students' Union also has a history of organising and coordinating protests and demonstrations on behalf of the student body.