In years 10 and 11 between 40 and 60 of our highest performing students are invited to be part of our Platinum Academies. The Platinum Academies meet frequently during the year and are intended to support our KS4 students with the challenges of GCSE assessments, while also helping them to explore potential further education and career pathways. Many of the Platinum Academy sessions are run by former Durrington students, who come back to share their stories and provide advice on how best to prepare for life post Durrington.
What our students have to say:
“I believe the Platinum Academy is very good. They inform us on important life necessities and bring in lovely people to help us and lecture us. Also, another bonus is they give us breakfast sometimes at the morning meetings.” Freya
“I think the Platinum Academy meetings are very interesting and help to push us beyond our best.” Reuben
“I love the Platinum Academy as it gives you an insight into how to prepare for mocks, exams and even tells you about your Post-16 options.” Ashton
“I have really enjoyed the talks from former students.” Pavel
“I think the Platinum Academy is very interesting since we get a lot of speakers and help with revision.” Kristian
“It is informative and helps me with revision tips and opportunities. It also regularly meets so we are always being informed and helped. Also, the food is very good!”
One of our most recent guest speakers was ex DHS student James Barnard. James was among the first cohort of our Platinum Academy, and after finishing his GCSEs last year he went on to Worthing College where he is now studying A Level Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Geography, as well as an EPQH. James said he was happy to be invited back to talk to our current Platinum Academy students and he gave an extremely insightful presentation on revision techniques and how to prepare for exams.
Other ex-students who have returned to talk about their own journey since leaving DHS include Flying Officer Morton Woodburn, Head Boy at Durrington in 2016/2017. Morton is now a Fighter Co-ordinator based at the National Air and Space Operations Centre at RAF High Wycombe where he oversees the work of around 100 RAF staff.
Oxford Summer School
Last summer a number of our Platinum Academy students were invited to attend Oxford University’s Summer School. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, inspiring our students with a taste of University life, as well as making new friendships and incredible memories.
“One thing that I will take away from my summer school is the experience of being at a university and to enjoy all the things it had to offer. It was also great to meet with lots of students from other schools and have fun together.” Reuben in year 10
“The one thing that I have taken away from this experience is that St John’s College Oxford is a great place to stay and study at, with fun activities and lessons, but also positive and caring staff.” Riley in year 10
More of our students will be attending this summer, including Pavel, who said: “The thing I am looking forward to is experiencing what is the life like of a university student in one of the most famous places in the world. Specifically, I want to explore the resources available especially for science, maths and computer science.”