My Junior College Experience – Florence, Year 11 

Florence is one of our Year 11 students at EKC Folkestone Junior College.  

Our Junior College provides those aged 14-16 with an exciting opportunity to focus on Art and Design, and Business, with smaller class sizes and a personalised approach to students’ needs and wellbeing. 

By studying in the Junior College, Florence is finding confidence in her studies and herself, alongside developing lots of new skills. 

We spoke to her about her experiences, what she loves about studying here, and what she hopes to do next. 

Why did you choose to study at Junior College?  

“My old school didn’t really understand everyone and their needs, and for me there was personally too many people in a class. It was loud and not as focused on subjects that I enjoyed.  

“I knew I wanted something different, so the Junior College being focused on Art and Business seemed really exciting.” 

What do you like about Junior College?  

“I like how focused the lecturers are on your learning, and how the classes are smaller than a traditional School. We get to spend more time learning as a group and there’s a lot of subjects we cover. It’s made me find confidence within myself and what I do. 

“Compared to School, I now feel that I’m actually getting an education that works for me.” 

What do you study in Junior College? 

“Last year we focused on Art and Design, looking into how our work can impact the environment, and seeing how creative we can be with the different types of art we can do. 

“As I’m now in Year 11, we’re focusing on Business, exploring how this links to Art and Design, and learning about areas such as tourism. 

“We are preparing for our Maths and English GCSEs as well and do extra subjects such as PSHE (Personal, Social, Health Education) alongside.” 

What would you say is a key benefit of the Junior College? 

“I would say the smaller classes have been a big benefit for me. Some of us don’t like big groups of people and it’s much nicer to get to know one another really well, unlike in School where you can have 30+ to a class. 

“My group (Year 11) are like one little family here and we all get on really well, which has helped me enjoy learning a lot more than I used to.” 

What would you like to do in the future? 

“I want to do Travel and Tourism somewhere – I just want to travel the world. We’re looking into Tourism as part of the Junior College, which has been a fun topic, and it’s helped me to realise that is what I want to do. 

Last year I did a lot of drawing in my art classes, particularly of locations abroad. It’s inspired me to see some of the areas in real life that I drew, and to see how accurate my work was.” 

What advice would you give to someone considering Junior College? 

“I think if you’re not feeling confident in a traditional School, and want to learn more about Business and Art, I would definitely come here.  

“Everything is well suited for you, with access to lots of great tools and projects. Again, I feel that being a smaller environment it will really help you develop like I have done. 

“Go to a taster day and get to know everyone, and then when you join, put your all into it. It’s a good environment to be in.” 

If you’re interested in learning more about Junior College after hearing Florence’s experience, visit our Junior College page, where you can also apply.