YOUNG ENTERPRISE 2012 comes to Regent College

In October 2011 Regent College agreed to enter a team of sixth form students in the annual Young Enterprise competition (YE). Participating schools and colleges compete in local area groups, with winners going forward to regional, national and international finals.

The purpose of the competition is for teams to organise themselves as businesses - complete with directors, staff and shareholders – and to develop products or services they can sell to the public. Individual team members may come from any academic background and, at Regent College, we have been successful in recruiting members from a range of subjects - not just from our excellent Business and Economics students. It is this breadth of participation which makes the programme so attractive to Regent College, because we recognise that enterprise is not simply about business expertise but is an expression of creative thinking and the practical application of ideas across all disciplines.

Like all the other competing teams in the Harrow/Brent/Ealing area, Regent College had to consider which products to adopt for the programme. At the most recent Board Meeting - on Wednesday 4th January 2012 – the Regent team selected two products to develop, from the current shortlist of ten. The decision was made to buy materials and make pieces of jewellery and to buy mobile phone cases, personalise them, and sell them on. After the January examinations, the Regent YE team will be focusing on developing our business strategy and will get down to the serious business of marketing our selected products. The Team will also be attending a number of sales events (eg Wembley Market and the retail centres at Uxbridge, Brent Cross and, possibly, Westfield in Shepherds Bush), as well as other sales and marketing activities, such as a website, product mailers local initiatives.

We are still in the start-up stage of the programme but the level of enthusiasm shown by the team members is very encouraging. Board Meetings are held every Wednesday in the Regent College Board Room and, at the last meeting, there was standing room only. Everyone is in it to win it and although it is far too early to judge whether we have a realistic chance of doing so, it is clear that what we lack in experience we more than make up for in enthusiasm.

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MP Gareth Thomas visits Regent Learning Exhibition

MP Gareth Thomas, who also holds the role of Shadow Minister of State for Universities and Skills and was the guest of honour when Regent College opened many years ago, came to Regent on Friday 24th June.

He had originally come to speak to some of our older students about progression to university but on spotting our huge marquee in the grounds decided to extend his visit to come and look at the splendid work carried out by our students that was being prepared for the annual Regent Learning Centre Speech Day which was due to occur the following day.

Mr Thomas was very admiring of the amount and quality of work done from children of such varying age ranges and abilities and took time in going round the various exhibits and reading some of the pieces of writing and looking at the various artwork that had created around the theme of A Traditional Fair.

For more information about Regent Learning, please call us 0208 966 9900.

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Young Art 2011

On 10th till 12th May 2011, The Royal College of Art welcomed a host of prominent artists, experts and crowds of proud parents and art fans to its annual Young Art Exhibition.

The Young Art Exhibition, which has been running for 21 years and is now the biggest annual art exhibition of its kind, takes place at the world-renowned Royal College of Art in central London and is held in support of Cancer Research UK with their theme being ‘Children helping children.’

Children may create a piece of work using a variety of materials on paper no bigger than A3 and may choose a theme of their choice. The entries are then sent in January to the Royal College of Art for judging which is done according to age by a selection of famous experts. Those fortunate enough to win, have their work professionally framed and mounted. Other entries which are deemed exceptional are mounted for display for the three-day exhibition in May.

The pieces of work are then auctioned off with all profits going to the very worthy Cancer Research UK. Postcards are also available to buy for those who would like a small memento of the exhibition. The money raised is then used to research into the genetic causes of cancer in children.

We are extremely proud to say that Jay Nathwani, aged 11 who created his entry in our Christmas Holiday School, had his work selected for the exhibition. He created a beautiful picture of an old fashioned steam train which was auctioned off to the highest bidder.

What’s more, this is the second year in a row that Jay has had work selected. Head of Regent Learning Centre, Emmeline Gordon Reid, commented, “Once again, Jay has shone and we congratulate him on his excellent perspective drawing.” Jay helped raised an admirable £75,000 for Cancer Research UK.

We look forward to next year’s Young Art which will be centred around the theme, ‘My London.’

For more information on the Young Art exhibition, please call 0207 438 5434 or visit the website www.young-art.org

For more information about Regent Learning, please call us 0208 966 9900.

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Regent Learning Speech Day 2011

The Mayor of Harrow, Councilor Mrinal Choudhury, and Mayoress, Mrs Rama Choudhury, were among many to attend our annual Speech Day on Saturday 25th June.

Parents, guests and students all arrived early on Saturday morning to come and enjoy the morning here at Regent Learning.

The Mayor and Mayoress arrived, and an expectant hush fell across the Hall as they walked in in their finery. Some of our children were chosen to make presentations to the Mayor and Mayoress including a donation from Regent Learning towards the official Mayoral charities, MENCAP & HAD.

The audience were then treated to an enchanting selection of poetry recitals, a rendition of the Holiday School song and a group dance routine which was eagerly participated in by children from Regent Nursery for the first time in Speech Day history.

Two lucky children were then picked from the Lucky Draw into which parents had been entering their children’s names all morning and those two children, Sophia Hasan and Elias Ahmed, will now be looking to their 2 free days of Holiday School.

All this performance worked up an appetite of course and so the Mayoral tea began and children, parents, staff and students alike gorged themselves on the spread laid out and posed for pictures taken by the local newspaper who had stopped by to enjoy the event.

Guests were then free to wander around the large marquee with an astonishing display of the children’s work, which this year, was centred around the theme of A Traditional Fair.

The day was rounded off by a series of performances including, live debating and writing, a musical procession, dramatic re-enactments, and a challenging obstacle course amongst others.

Head of Regent Learning, Ms Emmeline Gordon Reid, commented, “I am delighted that our children have the opportunity to excel in areas that compliment their outstanding academic achievements such as public speaking, concentration and confidence building.”

The day was a huge success; we were blessed with lovely weather, the children performed beautifully, and everyone, staff and parents alike, were very proud of their children.

For more information, please call us 0208 966 9900.

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Regent Group comes to Wembley

Regent Group, an educational group in north-west London, is pleased to announce that it will be opening a new college in central Wembley.

This college will be a multiple purpose establishment and will offer a wide range of course to students of various ages and educational backgrounds.

Regent Group plans to use the building to facilitate a full time college offering GCSE and A-Level courses to post 16 students, a college for Further Education, and a branch of Regent Learning, a centre which offers tuition and supplementary educational programmes to children aged 3 to 16.

Managing Director of the Group, Mr Selva Pankaj, commented, “We feel that this is an excellent initiative and we are proud that we will be providing services to a wide range of people within the community. We really hope it’s going to become a focus point, uniting the community.”

Regent Group is currently comprised of Regent College, an independent secondary school and sixth form college, Regent Learning, a tuition centre, Burlington College, a college offering GCSEs and A-Levels, Regent Nursery, offering childcare for children up to age five and Chesterfield Partners, an alternative investment management firm.

Regent Group was founded in 2000 with the establishment of Regent College. The college expanded rapidly with student numbers growing year on year as their reputation grew. Over the years as the student numbers increased, the College increased the range and breadth of its programmes.

The Group grew with the addition of new businesses and sites until it because the successful energetic organisation that it is today. Having recently celebrated the Group’s tenth anniversary, it is hoped that a new site in Wembley will mark the start of another fruitful ten years for the Group!

Press may contact, Mr Pankaj, on 0208 429 5630.

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The Metamorphosis of Regent Nursery

Regent Nursery, based in Rayners Lane is about to undergo a transformation and we welcome you to come and watch this momentous event with Guest of Honour, Mr Gareth Thomas, MP.

From Saturday 3rd September 2011 as the new school term begins, Regent Nursery will become Regent Nursery School.

Regent Nursery School will be taking a fresh and innovative approach to childcare. Rather than simply being there to provide traditional care to children, Regent Nursery School will have at its heart, a core aim of developing the basic academic skills that children need before starting school with an emphasis on preparation to independent schools.

Regent Nursery is part of Regent Group, an educational group based in north-west London. Its Managing Director, Mr Selva Pankaj, said, “We all know that people complain about worsening standards in education and of course it all starts from the bottom. If you haven’t had a solid foundation of academics, then of course there’s nothing to build upon. This is why we want to buck the trend and promote the academic blossoming of children from an early age.”

“Of course, we understand the importance of balance and we will be guided by the principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage in ensuring that every child comes home happy and fulfilled at the end of each day.“

As part of the re-direction of the nursery, Regent Nursery has undergone some recent physical changes including internal re-decoration, with more changes to come. We will also be introducing a termly structure to the nursery, with the option of breakfast, after-school and holiday clubs available and a brand new uniform.

To celebrate this, we will be holding an Opening Ceremony on the afternoon of 3rd September. We are delighted that our MP, Mr Gareth Thomas, will be joining us on this special occasion to celebrate the event.

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A welcome alternative for students

As summer draws closer students who have secured university place offers cross their fingers and hope that they receive the required grades to be admitted onto their chosen course. If the results aren’t up to scratch and they lose their place, there is a risk that they will end up having to re-apply next year and this of course means that they, and doubtless their parents, will get clobbered by the drastic increase of tuition fees to as much as £9,000 per year.

Regrettably, this is just out of reach for many families and this is a fact acknowledged by London based educational group, Regent Group. “Why should students be deprived of their dream of studying their chosen subject just because the government has decided to increase tuition fees?” queried Mr Selva Pankaj, the Managing Director of Regent Group.

Luckily, Regent Group has decided to offer an alternative to such students. Their solution is to offer qualifications at National Qualification Framework Level 4 and 5 such as the popular Edexcel Btec Higher National Diploma programme.

This allows students to follow a more targeted programme specific to their career aspirations. Many are of the view that there are far too many university graduates and that the employment market is swamped. Potnetial employers also often complain that graduates these days are not equipped for a transition to the work place.

Alternative, less traditional options such as the HND, allows students to enjoy a practical, real-world approach to learning without sacrificing the subject theory. The skills that they gain through this is invaluable to employers which makes these students a much more attractive prospect and as we know, in this tough job market, that is always very welcome indeed.

From 2012, Regent Group hopes to expand its provision through links with UK universities in order to offer students Level 6 qualifications. This means that whereas in the past, HND students often went to traditional universities to carry out their final year of the degree, they will be able to stay and complete the entire programme on the same site. This therefore removes any possible need to relocate and saves considerable time and money.

Mr Pankaj explained, “We hope that this will make people realise that there’s more than one given route through education, particularly given the current troubles that the Higher Education Sector is experiencing, surely it’s sensible to explore other options.”

For more information, please call on 0208 966 9900.