“Hills Road is very different to a secondary school, they treat and respect you like adults – it’s a completely different atmosphere! Everyone is so kind and helpful and it is hard to feel left out when there are so many extra activities and societies happening all of the time! The lessons are fun and engaging and you can tell the teachers love the subject they are teaching. My favourite lessons are Classical Civilisation and History; they’re very interesting. The best thing about Hills Road is I know I am going to succeed here and all my teachers have faith I will too.”

“I have found Hills Road really welcoming and a new exciting opportunity. The College is really well organised and incredibly well run. All the staff here at Hills Road are very supportive and help get the most out of your potential from the very first day. I have really enjoyed working with and alongside the PE staff here. They are extremely enthusiastic and encouraging. I am lucky enough to represent the College as a member of the football team and as a regular match official. This has helped me hugely meet new people and feel a part of the growing community. Enrichment activities are important as they provide an opportunity to meet new faces and expand your people skills. Everyone is here to work and enjoy studying therefore it allows you to settle in really quickly and efficiently.”

“I am a student who came from out of catchment which made it harder than expected. For the first two weeks I felt I didn’t fit in but then suddenly on the first day on my third week everything fell into place and now I love every minute of it. It is a challenge but there is so much support offered which is a big comfort. My favourite subject is Performance Studies and already I am very close with my peers in this subject in particular, due to a lot of excellent trips!”

“I’m settling really well into Hills Road; I had heard many fantastic things about it and am pleased to say that I have not been disappointed! Obviously, it is a big step up from secondary school, however the transition period is organised very well, and upper sixth students and teachers have both been especially helpful – you’ll definitely be in safe hands. I’m taking Geography, French, English Literature and Drama, and am loving all four. The workload is high, but if you are committed and truly interested in what you are doing, it will be manageable. You are expected to have a lot more independence than you probably were at GCSE level, however there is always someone to turn to if you are stuck on something – just don’t be afraid to ask. Enrichment is also very…enriching, and there are numerous social opportunities on offer, such as the Freshers’ ball. Overall, Hills gets full marks from me!”

“I found settling into Hills Road completely stress-free and fun as the students and teachers are all very welcoming. There is a lot of support available for you. The lessons and the College as a whole require you to be more independent and mature than secondary school, but by using your time and resources effectively you should be able to complete all your work on time. Students are extremely sociable and you will meet many new people through social events, clubs and societies. If you need help with a specific subject or need to catch up on a missed lesson, it is all available online, which I think is a great idea and very convenient. Despite the work, College is highly enjoyable and the two years will go super-fast so you need to make sure you make the most of every opportunity!”

“The hardest part was finding your way around the place and starting off talking to all the new people... However, the College isn’t as big as it seems at first, and EVERYONE here is friendly. Seriously. It’s strange...The lessons are completely different from secondary school, there is a great emphasis on trust and independence, and there is a whole different ethos, I found, to learning. All the students really want to learn. I am doing Ceramics for Enrichment, Ancient Greek and Humanist Society. The range of choices is brilliant. The best thing about being at Hills is that you can really be yourself. There are so many opportunities and you are bound to find some like-minded people.”

“The first few weeks are frantic but by the end of the first month everything is perfectly normal again, just like normal school (with a few more free periods thrown in for good measure). The work is just a natural progression, and if you’re having trouble there are endless resources to help you out. There are lunchtime surgeries, scheduled workshops and so much support from teachers and your tutor. There are so many ways to get involved in clubs and societies, through Enrichment and lunchtime sessions, that you end up making friends with new people that have similar interests to you almost straight away. The best thing about being at Hills is that you are treated as an adult but are given all the help you need to do well.”

“Hills Road isn’t as scary as I’d expected, all the teachers are helpful and friendly. There’s an increased independence in lessons: you get out what you put in, have a bigger say in how you learn and are treated as adults – it’s so much more rewarding! For me, the best thing about Hills Road is the amount of new and interesting people you meet in lessons, societies, tutor groups, Enrichments and through other friends. It can seem terrifying to start with because everyone else seems much cleverer than you but really they’re just normal, lovely people with similar interests.”