A-Level students win places at The Bartlett

Two A-level students, who participated in the ‘Accelerate into University’ programme run by Open-City in partnership with The Bartlett and Make Architects, today secured excellent A-level grades and a place at The Bartlett School of Architecture.

Manish Parsotamo (pictured) and Manpreet Riat celebrated A-level success, gaining three As, two Bs and a C between them.  They will be the first in their families to go to university.

Manish, from Alperton Community School in Brent got 2 As and a B in Maths, Biology and Art.  He explains the impact that the programme has had on him:

“I took part in the programme to understand and experience what it is like to be an architecture student and to work as an architect.  Through the programme I got to work with students and professionals and gain a hugely valuable insight that I wouldn’t otherwise have had”.

Accelerate into University is the first programme of its kind to support young Londoners, from less advantaged backgrounds, gain access to higher education across the built environment professions.

After just one year, it has provided 45 15-17 year olds with the opportunity to develop core skills required for studying architecture related courses at university, through 1 to 1 mentoring with a professional, peer-to-peer learning with Bartlett students and skills development workshops.

The programme is well on its way to achieving its aim of ‘architecture for all and not just a few’. 85% of participating students, receiving their A level results, had conditional offers to study architecture related subjects at universities including UCL, Westminster, Cambridge, Bath, Manchester, Nottingham and Cardiff.
David Sibbald, Head of Design and Technology at Fulham Cross School in Hammersmith, where two students participated in the programme explains the potential impact of the initiative:

 “For the students involved, often with huge creative potential but without an established support network or contacts in the city it allows them to begin their lives on a more level playing field.”  

Following the programme’s success, Open-City have launched a second phase of Accelerate for a new cohort of students during the academic year 2013-14.

Press contact: Emma Todd, 07415 866 721