Truro and Penwith College - Truro

Oghenehero J. B.

Truro and Penwith College is highly regarded for its academic excellence and diverse range of courses, from A-levels to vocational programs.

With modern facilities and supportive staff, it provides a nurturing environment for students to thrive. Truro Leisure Centre is located within its premises. The Mylor Hall is host to Grace Church and Happy Day nursery is also located within the premises.

The college's strong emphasis on student success and progression to higher education or employment sets it apart as a top educational institution in Cornwall.

Mia A.

I attended this college for three years and in my final year it went completely down hill. Members in charge removed smoking areas, which I understand as they don’t want students to smoke. However, students are going to smoke whether you like it or now. Removing smoking areas meant that students would go off campus in order to smoke, resulting in them being late for lessons. Removal of the smoking areas also meant that students are limited in the number of friends they are able to make. I made the majority of my friends during my time at college at the smoking area, and it makes me sad that other students are unable to share that experience.
In addition to this, the college only cares about a level and IB students and getting their grades up, not about student development. I did a diploma in music and the music department was never really paid any attention to.
The college also outsourced their parking to an external company. This was prompted by their want for number plate recognition systems upon entry to the car parks. When they outsourced the parking, the company implemented student and staff parking areas, which somehow resulted in there never being enough parking spaces for students. Students would be forced to either park along the edges of spaces, or in staff parking zones, which they would get fined for parking in. This, in my opinion, is outrageous. Students should not be receiving parking fines simply for turning up to college.
Since I have left college, my sister has joined it. She has a learning disability, and the ld department is failing her. In maths, learning to count to 10 which is something she could do since the age of 5. In cookery… watching masterchef to learn knife skills. It’s really not that difficult to get a few knives and a courgette and show students how to use a knife and get them to have a go under supervision. She learns more about cooking and knife skills cooking dinner with me. College should be furthering her development, not boring her with things she can already do.
Overall I believe the college really has some things to consider if they want to keep students there. Yes it’s a good opportunity to make friends, but that’s all it really seems to be good for these days. Not learning.

Morgan A.

Before I started at this college, I was really nervous and had no idea what to expect (especially since I was told by a member of staff at my old school I would regret coming here). However this turned out to be the complete opposite as I settled into college really quickly. Within the first couple of weeks I already felt like I settled into college. My lectures were/are very supportive throughout my course and the quality of teaching is also excellent at this college. And if you need any help with work all the staff here are happy to help.
Also, there is a room called T2 (in the Tresillian building on the ground floor who the staff are very friendly) which is a nice quiet room where you can chill out, socialise with others and even do your work and I highly recommend any student attending this college to pop in as to T2.
I only have a few more weeks left here and will miss this college as it has been a pleasure to study here for the past 2 years. If you are considering studying here at Truro college I highly recommend you that you apply here.

Wellness W. A.

My son took the BTEC Drama course and the tutors decided on the students doing a Dennis Potter play about 7 year olds. Potter intended the characters to be played by adults but I don’t suppose he intended teenagers to do it. The students were paraded around outside the college buildings and told to act like 7 year olds. Other students thought they were the special needs children. This was just one situation among many where the course organisers really showed poor choices and clearly did not know their students. It was the final straw for my son who walked away in the last year. Acting is his passion but all the tutors, bar one were uninspiring and unprofessional.

Emma M.

During my time at Truro college I completed my GCSE maths and was finally able to achieve a grade 4 which was a huge stepping stone in terms of enabling myself to progress onto my integrated masters programme at the university of Exeter where I received the best level of academic support possible thanks to having fantastic academic lecturers and great classmates . Whilst I did very well in terms of achieving great grades I felt that the BTEC l3 in performing arts was mentally draining, a little runned down and affected my mental health especially being in too small groups which created a clique which I was not part of as well as having some lecturers who were clearly very unhappy in their jobs who occasionally would comment if I had lost weight which I found very unprofessional and unpleasant. However, I also had the opportunity to undertake part in LAMDA and EPQ which enabled myself to progress into a Russel group university but would have friends in different courses. My advice to any prospective student would be to plan your course carefully and also bear in mind that universities tend to be very flexible in terms of what degrees you can do at university as well as offering many rewards where you can progress into management related roles.

Tim V.

Some of the best times of my life was spent at this College. The tutors are really fun and engaging, while giving you space to think critically about your challenges, whilst removing the fluff when it came to hitting course criteria. They assisted me a lot in preparing for University with additional classes that I needed for entry exams. Overall an awesome college and feel very privileged to have been able to attend.

Natasha C.

I attended the Higher Education department of the college for 1 year and although I now study at the University of Exeter, I really miss the college. This is not just down to the location, but the quality of teaching offered.

If you live in Cornwall and are considering Higher Education, I seriously recommend you consider studying a University of Plymouth degree with Truro and Penwith College.

Kieron H.

The college is huge much bigger than i would expect a college to be. the facilities are great though i'm yet to try them all. Fast internet to keep up with the mass amounts of students using it at one time. The lectures are really helpful and encouraging and have many different ways they can help you.