Testimonials
CHLOE
When I started at WSAPC, I had very low self-esteem, lack of enthusiasm for school and a real attitude towards teachers. My personal life was falling apart and quite honestly, I had no care for exams or education.
Throughout my time at WSAPC, I developed amazing relationships with the staff team, even referring to them as “family” members giving them nicknames.
The staff really understood what I was going through in my personal life and at the same time as helping me deal with this, they pushed me to be the best I could be!
My school “mums” and “grandad” supported me massive amounts leading to me sitting my exams, passing them with good grades and even pushing me towards applying for an apprenticeship in Nursery Nursing before I left!
I was successful with my application for the Apprenticeship which lead me to complete my Level 2/3 qualifications and becoming a Nursery Manager, helping my employer expand the business. I’ve been employed by the same nursery for 7 years.
I owe so much to the staff and the dedication that they gave me. I still regularly speak to the teachers, talking about my progress and sharing my family news with them. It’s lovely to be able to thank them for everything they have helped me become.
I am left with very fond memories of my last year at school, I have an amazing job, a beautiful family and have built some amazing relationships that I will treasure for years to come. I can’t thank WSAPC enough for all they have done for me.
LEON
I joined WSAPC at the end of Year 10 and stayed here until I left school in Year 11. During my time here, I was supported by the teachers and TA’s to complete my GCSE’s and to build my confidence and self-esteem, it was very low when I arrived.
It wasn’t easy being here, I didn’t want to be here but the staff supported me all the time, listening to what I said and they always encouraged me to be the best I could be.
I didn’t leave with lots of GCSE’s but I left being more confident and having a better idea of who I was and what I wanted to do with my life.
I felt confident to contact the staff at WSAPC a year after leaving to ask them for advice on how I could get my Maths and English qualifications as I needed them to become a Fire Fighter, something that I had decided I wanted to do by the time I left school. They offered me advice and helped me to find somewhere that would help me get the qualifications – I didn’t feel alone and they never gave up on me even though I had left.
In 2018, I applied to the Fire Service and asked the school for a reference, they gave me an amazing one and as a result, I am now a trained Fire Fighter with the West Sussex Fire Service.
The help and support that the staff at WSAPC gave me whilst I was at school and after I left helped me to be who I am today. I didn’t leave with GCSE’s but having re-built my confidence and self-esteem, I was able to work my way to doing what I wanted most.
I do wonder sometimes if my life would be as successful today if I hadn’t attended WSAPC, they were a massive influence to me and I can’t thank them enough.
JACK
School is hard for everybody sure, a lot of people struggle with picking things up and I guess you could say I was one of those people – easily distracted and not really interested to learn. I quite often carried an attitude that most teachers, if not all despised as I didn’t believe that I needed GCSE’s or any form of education to succeed!
I joined WSAPC after leaving another school where I was bullied and as a result I had developed a real negative attitude towards the educational system as well as teachers. I’d say things without thought, do things without processing the consequences and shut out most people as they always told me the same thing……I wouldn’t get anywhere in life and wouldn’t succeed in my passion – the Armed Forces – due to this I hated teachers!
The teachers at WSAPC changed this…..my tutor took the time to talk to me, explaining that it was my attitude that would prevent my success, not my ability. She made me realise that this was probably what other teachers meant when they said I wouldn’t succeed. It was from this point that I switched on and proceeded with a more positive attitude.
Before the chat with my tutor, she had arranged for the Army Careers Officer to come in and talk to me about a career in the Army and also about my current attitude, I thought that it had jeopardised my chances of getting into my dream career – being a part of the British Army. For many months, I disagreed and clashed with the staff at APC for their decision to do this but when my tutor knew I was ready, she talked to me in great depth about her reasons why and it was then that I realised the extreme extent that the APC had gone to, to accommodate myself, my dreams and my needs at school.
I thought that every school was the same due to past experiences but little did I know, the APC was the key to my success and they continued to support me every step of the way, even after I had left.
After the ultimate sacrifice of my own ego and the change in attitude from negative to positive that the APC worked with me to change, I finally got into the British Army and qualified for a job role that I wouldn’t have been eligible for if it wasn’t for the help I received from WSAPC – a job role I never thought about until they showed me my potential.
Thank you to all of the WSAPC for showing me my potential, for not holding me back, for allowing me to make my mistakes and learn in my own time and for opening my wings and teaching me to fly! I couldn’t have done it without you!
Max- Blended Learning Pupil
Without the APC, I would not have achieved the GCSE grades I did. The staff provided constant support which helped to keep me moving towards my goals. My personal tutor’s twice-weekly home visits served as the main point of contact with the college which enabled me to build up a much closer and more motivating relationship than is possible with most secondary teachers. I found that each subject leader on Blended Learning was very proactive in supplying helpful materials and even offered in-person lessons approaching exam season. It felt much more like the staff cared about their students’ success than you find in a typical secondary school.
My aim when joining the APC was just to mindlessly get through GCSEs, but the support of the APC has had a much more lasting impact than that. As a result of my experiences with the APC, not only did my wellbeing and happiness improve, but my mindset towards learning and education in general changed drastically and I now value the pursuit of education, self-learning, and all-round productivity much more highly. This has certainly changed my life, and I firmly believe that my time with the APC has had a strong causal role to play in cultivating that mindset. Despite an awful lot of much-needed support (from staff and parents), home/blended-learning helped tremendously in developing independence and self-discipline skills. Through learning with the APC, I have gotten a head start in developing these skills and have focused on improving them since leaving.
My experience with the APC has taught me not to fear learning, and now it is one of the things I value the most. This passion for learning has been instilled in me partly due to the safe environment the APC provides for students to learn how to learn and has manifested itself for me in the hobbies and formal education I’ve engaged in since leaving, such as: lots of reading, language acquisition, writing & producing music, learning instruments, learning programming, the 5 A level qualifications I gained and my current Economics and Finance BSc (Joint Hons.) degree course. All of these hobbies and projects require a mighty dose of intrinsic motivation, independence and self-discipline. The APC offered me the perfect incubator to develop these crucial ingredients for future success. I am incredibly thankful for the opportunities provided to me by the APC and sincerely hope I can make the most of the toolbox for success which they put me on the right course to acquire.
Make the most of your time with them; it can really make a difference, even if it takes some time to realise your potential.
Parent of APC Pupil
No doubt he will do amazing, I’m so excited for his future. We will never forget all the help and support you have given him/us.
When he came to you he was so isolated and hated school, for the first time since nursery he made proper friends and actually felt so comfortable and confident in school (which at times I thought I would never see). You’ve helped him grow in so many ways, I don’t think you all get enough credit for all the hard work you do with the children. *** will miss you all so much but I know he thanks you so much to. I asked *** what he thinks is the best thing about APC and he said all the teachers and his friends, he also said it makes people happy as soon as they walk in the door so new people don’t have to worry.
Parent of APC Pupil
I just wanted to write to you to express my gratitude and thanks for all that blended learning has done for *. As you are aware * has not had a proper education for the last six or seven years due to his many health issues. We were very fortunate to have Liz Pickett who took up *’s case. I cannot begin to express how much of a relief it is for * and our family for * to be learning again. It may sound very dramatic to say that it has been life changing for us, but it honestly has. To be able to see * slowly grow in confidence and have some belief in himself is amazing. David his tutor is absolutely wonderful, and he has been incredible with * and supported him in every aspect. Even on days when * is not feeling particularly well he pushes through and wants to learn. We know how incredibly lucky we are for * to have this opportunity, and we just want to thank you and your team for giving * and our family a lifeline at a time when we didn’t know where to turn.
I know that * also would like to write to you as well so I will forward that to a separate email to you.
Thank you once again for everything.