Open to all learners thinking of applying to top universities.

This academy will not only help you to successfully apply to the top-ranking universities in the country but will also enable the development of a wide range of academic and personal skills that will help turn you into a more rounded learner.

You will gain valuable experience and insight into the process of applying for elite Universities including Oxbridge, Russell group universities and other high-ranking institutions.

You will complete activities that will improve your critical reasoning, research and presentation skills. You will also have opportunities to develop your interview skills so you can be more employable in the future.

Open to all learners thinking of applying for medicine, dentistry or veterinary science degrees.

Thinking of following a career path to become a doctor, nurse, dentist or vet? The medical academy is designed for those who are wanting to go onto one of these highly competitive degree courses after your A Levels.

This academy will explore the specific skills needed to enter these industries and make yourself stand-out as a candidate to universities.

There will be guest speakers, help with putting together your university application and guidance towards finding relevant and beneficial work experience whilst you study. Alongside this, you will learn more about how the healthcare industry operates.

Open to learners in their second year of study who want to gain an additional qualification.

The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is a challenging yet rewarding qualification that helps you develop your research skills. The EPQ helps prepare you for University by developing your independent study skills. You will be responsible for setting your own research question, then through research you will be supported to write a report or create an artefact.

You will need to express your interest in undertaking the EPQ towards the end of the first year and complete the preparatory work over the summer period before enrolment in the second year of your studies.

Open to learners studying Business or Economics

Are you studying Business or Economics and want to put your skills to the test? In the Business Academy learners start their own company and register it with companies house. They are given a cash injection by the sixth form to design, develop, market and sell a product. Learners in the Business Academy are given specific roles within their company, each fulfilling a different role like in any business organisation.

Everything you study in the classroom can be applied and developed in this academy which is run by external advisors from the world of Business who share their expertise with you. It is a fantastic opportunity to put your learning into practice. Previous years have seen the Business Academy make enough profit to donate over 100 trees to reforestation efforts with the profits made.

Open to those learners studying English Language and Literature

The English Academy will broaden your understanding of the world around you as we discuss a variety of texts from across the globe.

You will explore key contemporary concepts through the medium of personal essays, short stories, speeches and more. You will also have the opportunity to enter a range of essay competitions as we level up your academic writing skills.

This academy is especially useful those those interested in careers in journalism, teaching or marketing and for those studying English Language

Open to all learners

The History Academy will essentially equip you with the skills to ask 'What is History and why do we study it?' You'll develop your research skills, use source work and explore how fields of history affects perspective.

There will also be an opportunity to consider the history around us, and to explore how history is presented in the public space. It will also introduce ideas such as heritage, collective memory and national memory. There'll be a chance to consider controversial histories, such as the Colston statue and you'll use documentary and film media to enhance your understanding of the taught curriculum. There is also a range of speakers who come in to speak to you about different aspects of history, in the pas this has included speakers from the SS Great Britain.

Open to students studying Law, Criminology and Forensic Science.

In this academy you will dissect and analyse a new legal case study each week - with a focus on miscarriages of justice, American and British crime.

The academy is discussion based and you will need to consider the evidence and be prepared to get involved with each case.

You will also dive into and investigate a series of cold cases; reviewing the evidence and exploring new lines of enquiries.

In addition to this, the legal academy also has talks from a wide variety of different speakers. Such as university lecturers from our university partners, police officers and legal professionals.

Maths Academy is a weekly session with a purpose to provide extra help and support with any maths you have covered in any subject, whether that’s maths, or science, or psychology and beyond.

As your exams draw closer it will also be a great chance to attempt past papers and get help with revision and exam techniques from a subject specialist. For both those who either love maths and can’t get enough, or those who loathe it and need some more support!

Help and support is provided by both teaching and Sixth Form staff as well as second year maths students working to offer help and support to first years.

This academy is open to any learner.

In this academy, you will learn and develop skills around media including discussing the landscape of the media today, current news stories and the different slants different media outlets have on them and developments and trends in social media.

In addition you will develop skills in products, such as Adobe Photoshop, which are useful for a wide-range of careers in media and publishing and extremely useful for those studying Media as these are needed for the NEA element of that course.

Open to those learners studying Psychology.

This academy gives you the opportunity to explore different aspects of Psychology beyond the classroom. From analysing the showmanship of Derren Brown in his Channel 4 documentaries to learning about careers in Psychology and additional research studies. You will
look at areas of psychology such as: forensic, health, clinical, educational, research, occupational, counselling, neuro and sports psychology. You will also have a chance to make links between these areas and the psychological research that underpins them, so they have a better understanding of how psychology is used in the real world.

Open to all learners studying a Science

This academy helps further your skillset in Science with additional experiments, talks and opportunities for trips.

This is an opportunity for you to explore the complex and sometimes adversarial relationship between the products we consume, the companies who produce them, how they are tested, and what impact they have on our health. Join this academy if you want to become a scientist and not a consumer!

Open to Sociology students

Take the sociological concepts you explore in class and apply it to the world around you and contemporary issues. This academy will develop your understanding and interest in global contemporary social issues, along with your analytical and evaluative skills which are an important factor in your success in the subject. The Sociology Academy is delivered in a series of workshops and guest lectures.

Did you know that there are over 151,000 users of British Sign Language (BSL) in the UK? This academy gives you an introduction to the basics of BSL and will give you the skills to hold basic conversations with members of the deaf community, their relatives and interpreters. This is a useful skill to have in any customer facing role or even just to learn for fun!

Over the twelve weeks the academy runs, you will be able to learn how to greet deaf people, learn the alphabet and numbers, say basic phrases and more!

The Careers Academy is guaranteed to give you some amazing tools to help you navigate your future.

In twelve sessions you will create an outstanding CV, build your digital profile, learn about the changing jobs market, understand how to ace interviews, search out the best Post-18 courses for your individual needs, discover entrepreneurship, and lots more.

This academy is designed to help you learn basic Chinese language skills such as greeting, introducing self, currency and counting, food and drink and shopping.

There are also some opportunities to experience Chinese culture through events, activities and celebrations throughout the year.

The ability to communicate effectively and back-up an argument with well-selected evidence is a key skill that universities and employers look for. The Debating Academy holds weekly debates on a range of issues. Sometimes you may be arguing for something you believe in, however learning to argue for something you don't believe in is a more difficult, yet rewarding task.

Membership of the academy brings with it the opportunity to enter local, and national, debating competitions which further help make members of the academy stand out as candidates.

The SGS DigiED academy is for any student who seeks to develop their digital skills. Advancing your digital skills will open doors for your career, and support your studies. At SGS college we have a range of Microsoft experts, and we would like to help you assess and develop your digital skills too. You will develop across a range of areas, including: Basic digital skills. using digital tools. finding information and resources, digital communication, digital creativity and more.

The Driving Academy is designed to equip you with the skills you need to pass your driving theory test, along with the opportunity to have a driving lesson too.

You will discover the rules of the road, how insurance works and how to fix common problems with a car, alongside crucial practice and guidance for your test.

Want to learn some basic Italian? Thinking of going on a holiday to Italy? Want to learn a useful additional skill? If so, then the Italian Academy is for you! The ability to speak languages is a really useful skill and something that looks really good on a CV or UCAS statement. Over the twelve week length of the academy, you will learn some basic phrases in Italian to be able to hold basic conversations, order food and will serve as the launch pad for future exploration of the language.

This academy gives you an introduction to plantsmanship; the knowledge of plants alongside the skill and expertise in planting. This year-long project will bring a community of like-minded and budding green fingered enthusiasts to plan, design and create wildlife spaces around our campus making it buzz and burst into life.

The horticulture academy has its own Polytunnel where plants are propagated ready to be planted around the Sixth Form site.

This academy runs on Friday lunch times and is open to all learners.

The LGBTQ+ Academy runs for our learners to meet and discuss in a safe space. The LGBTQ+ organises several talks and events throughout the year, with a focus on celebrating LGBT History month and Pride.

The marketing academy is for those interested in knowing more about marketing and how to create advertisements.
The academy will work on a series of short films about the Sixth Form to put onto our website working on creating impactful, well filmed, case studies about learners experiences in the Sixth Form.

This is ideal for those interested in film, journalism and marketing careers and helps to create a visible portfolio of videos that can aid in applications onto these types of courses, or, of course, just for fun.

Do you play a musical instrument? Are you interested in having the opportunity to play with others? Our music academy allows you the opportunity to jam, learn and put on performances for the Sixth Form.

Whether it is to help chill out, or for fun and friendship. The music academy is a group of like minded learners who enjoy playing and want the opportunity to play together.

With so much going on in our Sixth Form, the Sixth Form Magazine Academy aims to capture what is going on in our Sixth Form in one place to put this out to parents and other learners.

You will learn a range of really useful skills such as how to put articles together, how digital platforms, like Canva, can be used and how to market and promote news events in this Academy

This 24 week program will support you in developing a sense of self awareness and skills to support you in day-day life. Much of what we will cover will also help take you to a space where you are able to effectively perform in your personal and college life. We will explore areas such as resilience and problem solving and combine this with activities such as relaxation and yoga.

This activity, run in the Sixth Form, is an opportunity for learners to have some fun playing table tennis and receive some informal coaching.

Please note: This is not the Table Tennis Academy

With unparalleled player success, top level coaching and the ability to fit American Football around your studies, Bristol Pride, our American Football Academy is perfect if you play American Football.

To find out more visit: https://www.sgscol.ac.uk/academies/american-football for more information

We have teams that compete in the Elite Academy Basketball League (EABL) and the AOC South West League. SGS Sport and Bristol Flyers are fully integrated in our offer where we provide opportunities to compete in the Basketball England national basketball league (NBL) and the British Basketball League (BBL). The Basketball academy is open to both male and female players as we make the step towards entering the WEABL

To find out more visit: https://www.sgscol.ac.uk/academies/basketball

DiSE Boxing at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College works with the brightest talents from boxing clubs in the South West, at SGS College we have a proven pathway to being successful and we are the first step on the England Boxing Talent programme.

To find out more visit: https://www.sgscol.ac.uk/academies/boxing

The Cricket Academy are the reigning Association of Colleges (AOC) national champions. Led by head coach Luke Sellers run a player-centred programme that aims to help students develop both as cricketers and as young people. The Academy typically trains three times a week and also has access to strength and conditioning and physiotherapy support.

For more details visit: https://www.sgscol.ac.uk/academies/cricket

The Men's and Women's Football Academies allow you to combine your ability in football with your A Level study programme. With top coaches, amazing facilities and access to a wide range of support including sports science, sports therapy and strength and conditioning members are supported to become elite athletes

For more details visit: https://www.sgscol.ac.uk/sports-academies

Being part of the Golf Academy offers a wonderful, supportive, and competitive environment, to talented young golfers. The perfect blend of continual guidance and mentoring from highly experienced PGA coaches, alongside numerous elite level competitions, across the UK and beyond, equips the golfers with the skills and knowledge they need to reach the highest levels in the game.

For more details visit: https://www.sgscol.ac.uk/academies/golf

As one of the original sports academies, the Netball Academy has flourished over the years to become a well-established name in netball.
At SGS, we are proud to offer a range of top-class facilities, including a fully sprung sports hall, a strength and conditioning gym and an athletics track. By joining SGS Netball, you will be signing up to an elite netball programme that encompasses up to 16 hours per week of court training, strength and conditioning and competitive gameplay, as well as match analysis and theory sessions.
For more details visit: https://www.sgscol.ac.uk/academies/netball

With links to Bristol Bears Rugby Club, our Rugby Union Academy fields both male and female teams and is well known for their local and national success.

The SGS Rugby Academy has a longstanding reputation of developing aspiring rugby players since its conception as one of the original academies at the college. As an academy we are committed to supporting each student-athlete to achieve their personal best on and off-field.

For more details, visit: https://www.sgscol.ac.uk/sports-academies

Our student athletes are provided with the opportunity of practice and competitions, with primary squad training sessions timetabled for Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The facilities at SGS are state of the art, and Academy students get personalised programmes to follow during their supervised strength and conditioning gym sessions, in addition to access to full-time physiotherapists, who help with injury avoidance and rehabilitation.

To find out more, visit: https://www.sgscol.ac.uk/academies/table-tennis

The STEM@Lunch talks are an additional opportunity for any learner, particularly those who study the sciences, to listen to a range of academics and employers talk about their work and research.

STEM@Lunch talks are held monthly and attendance also contributes towards learners work placement hours.

Come listen to a varied range of interesting talks from experts and see what you could do on the next stage of your education journey!

The study skills programme is designed to support all learners who feel they need some guidance in organising the way they study, and the skills they need to be successful students. This academy will be delivered by our Library+ staff, who are experts in applying Study Skills to improve your academic success.