Maria-Andrea dela Cruz, 16, joined the Hospitality, Food and Enterprise Career College at London South East Colleges (formerly Bromley College) in Year 10 to study for her GCSEs.
She was delighted to find out in August that she had achieved an A* in her GCSE Hospitality course and A-C grades in all her other subjects. With such excellent grades in combination with the practical skills Maria has learnt at the Career College over the past two years, she is now progressing straight onto a Level 3 Patisserie and Confectionary course.
Maria-Andrea says:
I decided to join the Hospitality, Food and Enterprise Career College because I thought that it was an amazing opportunity to start working in really advanced environments at such a young age. I have learnt so much from such experienced and talented Chef Lecturers. Working in BR6 Restaurant has taught me a lot about being professional and has prepared me for working in the real world.
A lot of team working is involved, which is great and I have also taken advantage of the small class sizes. I have had lots more one-to-one time with my tutors than I got at school and have felt really supported. When I received my GCSE results in August, I was left speechless. I was definitely proud of my results and so were my parents and teachers. I received an A* in my Hospitality course and A*-Cs in all of my other subjects.
I was glad to find that all of my hard work had paid off, but I couldn't have done it without the help and support from all of the members of staff at the College.