David Gartland has been appointed as Principal of Abbeygate having previously been Principal at Lowestoft Sixth Form College. David was at the College from its inception and oversaw the building of it and then led on Curriculum and Quality as it’s deputy, for a number of years, before becoming its Principal. Lowestoft Sixth Form College has an impressive record of academic excellence, in 2017 it was the highest performing sixth form college in the country for academic attainment and A Level progress and in 2018 has equally impressive results.
Abbeygate Sixth Form College will work closely with One Sixth Form College in Ipswich, an Ofsted outstanding institution, which has a track record of excellence and West Suffolk College and King Edward VI both of which have an outstanding reputation for high quality education within Bury St Edmunds.
Abbeygate Sixth Form College will open in September 2019 and our Principal and fantastic team of teachers, who bring with them a track record of outstanding results and excellence, look forward to welcoming our new students, as well as existing year 12 students, who will transfer to Abbeygate Sixth Form College to complete their A Levels.
In the first instance, Abbeygate SFC students will be accommodated in the bespoke facilities at the University of Suffolk, at West Suffolk College. We are continuing to work closely with our partner school, King Edward VI, which currently offers sixth form provision in the town. These arrangements will be in place until the new state of the art Sixth Form College building is ready to accommodate students, enabling us to move seamlessly at a time when it is in the best interests of students to do so.
David Gartland, the Sixth Form College’s Principal said, “I am excited that Abbeygate Sixth Form College will be opening in September 2019 and we will be accepting applications from October 2018. The opening of the new building will be a landmark moment in post 16 education for West Suffolk. In the meantime, we will be using existing facilities in the heart of Bury St Edmunds which will enable us to continue to give our students a fantastic A Level experience. The transition to the new building will be smooth and cause no disruption to the student experience”.
He continued, “I look forward to working with my team of dedicated and committed teachers and support staff, who have consistently delivered outstanding outcomes for their students, in providing an unrivalled curriculum offer of over 30 different A Level subjects”.
Lee Walker, Headteacher at King Edward VI School, said,
“We are delighted to be working so closely with Abbeygate Sixth Form College in this exciting venture which will offer such a rich academic experience for the young people of West Suffolk”.
Abbeygate Sixth Form College will be represented at all local post 16 evenings in schools to meet prospective students and parents. An open event will be held in November, the date will be published shortly. In addition there will be an Abbeygate SFC information area at the forthcoming West Suffolk College open events on Saturday 3 November 2018, Thursday 15 November 2018, Saturday 2 March 2019 and Tuesday 2 April 2019.