Former Students...

Durham Sixth Form Centre are always pleased to read about the successes of our former students.

Below are a few of our more famous achievers...

Matt Baker

BBC Presenter

"My truly inspirational teachers were at Durham Sixth Form Centre"

- Matt Baker talking to TES Newspaper, published in October, 2010

The new One Show presenter, Matt Baker, spoke about his education in the north east, and how it influenced his career. Talking to TES Connect, Matt spoke fondly about his time at Durham Sixth Form Centre.

"My truly inspirational teachers were at Durham Sixth Form Centre. It all started when I took part in a college production of Grease. My form tutor was running the show. He was outgoing and really funny - a brilliant character, forever cracking jokes, and a wonderful piano player."

Matt also talked about how he was given valuable career advice, which in his opinion, set him on the path he has found himself on today. With the support of his teachers, Matt was able to re-asses the A Levels he was doing, and benefited from this when he went on to audition for drama school.

"I ended up taking one of the bigger parts in the show and it went really well. As a result, my drama teachers encouraged me to swap my A-levels. They also helped me work through my audition pieces and I landed a place at Queen Margaret College (now Queen Margaret University) in Edinburgh. I'd been there 18 months when I heard Blue Peter was looking for a presenter. I auditioned and got the job."

Matt described his teachers at Durham Sixth Form Centre as being "really influential in helping me make a life-changing decision." He went on to add "If it wasn't for Grease and swapping my A-levels, I wouldn't be doing what I am today."

Matt presented 'Blue Peter' for seven years and as well as The One Show, presents Countryfile on BBC1. He won two TV Baftas during his seven years on Blue Peter, and came second in 2010's season of Strictly Come Dancing.

Durham Sixth Form Centre are very proud of the success of one of our former students. The Theatre Studies& Performing Arts courses at the Centre are going from strength to strength.

Stephanie Houghton

Footballer/Team GB Olympian

"When I scored my first England goal against South Africa a couple of years ago, it was a great feeling."

- Stephanie Houghton, earlier this year, on scoring while representing England in the Woman's Wold Cup, The Independent, May, 2011

Last summer, Durham Sixth Form Centre announced that one of our former students, Stephanie Houghton played for England Woman's Football Squad, in the World Cup in Germany.

Well we are now thrilled to report that her career has gone from strength to strength in that time, and this summer, she represented Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics.

However, she not only represented Team GB, she shone, as they made British football history! Steph scored three goals, in three games, and is now Team GB's record goalscorer, helping them win the group with a 100% record, progressing without conceding a goal.

Her first goal gave Team GB women a winning start to their first Olympic campaign. The 24-year-old Arsenal defender struck a 64th-minute free-kick to secure a 1-0 win over New Zealand, and then went on to score against Canada and football giants Brazil.

Of that special first goal she said "'It's definitely the highlight of my career. It was amazing. People are saying, 'You're making history. You've scored the first British goal of London 2012'. That's going to be something special for me and my family."

"We go through set-pieces in training before the game and I just fancied it. I missed one and I just felt I could score the next one and, thankfully, I did that."

It was some kind of redemption for the Durham born defender, who has twice missed out on major tournaments because of injury. She suffered two unfortunate injuries, and missed the 2007 World Cup with a broken leg, and the European Championships in 2009 with a damaged cruciate ligament.

Houghton was 'in shock' as the ball went in, an assessment the 24-year-old did not dispute. "It is almost impossible to put into words," she said. "I knew I had struck it well and when I picked my head up, it was in the back of the net. I didn't know what to do with my celebration!"

"'I was trying to head towards the bench but I got tired and tried to slow down because it was so hot. It was a really special moment for me, the best of my career without a doubt."

As we reported last time, thankfully her international career now seems to be flourishing, after bouncing back from those major injury setbacks.

Unfortunately, Team GB didn't manage to progress any further. They got beat 2-0 by Canada in the Quarter Finals, the same stage of the competition as the Men. However, we wish Steph the very best of luck in her career.

Durham Sixth Form Centre are very proud of their very own Olympian!

(Article adapted from newspaper report initially printed in The Daily Mail, July 2012.)

Mike Anderson

Flight Lieutenant

"It was an honour and an achievement to win the award."

- Flight Lieutenant Mike Anderson after receiving his 'Millie' Award, speaking in The Sun, December, 2011

A former student of Durham Sixth Form Centre was awarded a top prize at the 2010 Military Awards, organised and sponsored by The Sun.

Flight Lieutenant Mike Anderson, from RAF Odiham, received the Most Outstanding Airman prize which was broadcast on ITV1 in December.  He received the award for his bravery in airlifting Afghan children out of a firefight. 

It was presented to him by Chelsea and England footballer Frank Lampard and his fiancée Christine Bleakley at the star-studded ceremony held at the Imperial War Museum in London. The 31-year-old was also pictured meeting England football star David Beckham.

He was the captain of the Immediate Response Team based at Camp Bastion when he flew to the scene of an explosion, and received reports of heavy machine-gun fire.  While other aircraft fired at Taliban fighters, the brave pilot landed during a lull in firing and rescued four children. A fifth was evacuated on a US helicopter.

He told the local media: “It was an honour and an achievement to win the award but I didn’t do it on my own. There were four members of the crew, and as the captain, I was there to take responsibility if things went right or wrong, but really all four of us had jobs to do and we came together as a whole.”

Miss Bleakley said of Flt Lt Anderson: “It was obvious listening to his colleagues, just how special he really is.” Mr Lampard, who was on the judging panel, added: “The story of the Most Outstanding Airman was so outstanding that we were just taken back. It is very inspiring.”

It is not the first time his skills have been recognised.  Earlier this year, Flt Lt Anderson’s heroics were honoured with a Distinguished Flying Cross.

Flt Lt Mike Anderson was born in Durham, attending Durham Sixth form Centre between 1996 and 1998.  He later went onto University, and graduated from Lancaster with a BA (Hons) in Politics and International Relations.   

After spending two years teaching Kayaking and travelling, Mike joined the Royal Air Force in 2003.  Since then he has deployed to Afghanistan six times and completed various training and exercises in Norway and Africa.

Everyone at Durham Sixth form Centre wish him the very best of luck!

David Gartland

Vice Principal
Lowestoft Sixth Form College

"My experiences at DSFC shaped who I am today and gave me the confidence to go on to University."

I started at Durham Sixth Form Centre without really knowing where or what I wanted to do with my life.  From day one my Personal Tutor, James O'Leary, took a real interest in helping me get my GCSE’s (which I didn’t get from school) and then encouraged me to progress onto A levels. After three years with continual support and encouragement gave me the confidence to leave Durham and to go onto University, something that I had never considered throughout my school life.  My subject teachers and in particular, Norman Ferguson, as my sports teacher, was always supportive and more than happy to tell me when I wasn’t doing as well as I should be and what I had to do to improve.   

As well as getting a great education in all the subjects I studied the social aspect  of the sixth form was fantastic.  It provided the opportunity to meet so many different people from different areas, we put on memorable college productions including our own version of blind date and our leaving prom was a great end to a very enjoyable and productive three years.

I went to University in London where I studied Sports Science combined with a teaching qualification.  Since graduating I worked in an inner city Sixth Form College in South London for 12 years with my final position being that of Vice Principal.  In my earlier years as a Head of Sport I often brought up our College Football team (SFX) to play DSFC which were always great fixtures between the two colleges.  My job has enabled me to travel the world setting up international links in India and more predominately in China.   

These links have enabled students from both countries to visit one another and work on collaborative projects linked to the subjects they are studying at the sixth form.  I am currently the Vice Principal at Lowestoft Sixth Form College where I have been for the last 3 years – I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to set up this brand new sixth form college and be involved in working with the architects and builders in designing a state of the art £25 Million college.

My experiences at DSFC shaped who I am today and gave me the confidence to go on to University and to get a degree which has enabled me to work with sixth form students - I am thoroughly enjoying doing something that I was inspired to do by my teachers at the sixth form centre….. hopefully providing students, who are a bit like me, to go on and do things that they never thought possible.  My advice would be to make the most of the time you have at sixth form, listen to the advice given to you by your teachers and put yourself in a position to go on and do what you want to do.