STUDENTS and staff at a Basingstoke college are celebrating after achieving exceptional results.

Basingstoke College of Technology (BCoT) has achieved a fantastic 98.6 per cent pass rate across all full-time Level 3 (BTEC) courses.

Level 3 animal management student Sophie Hawthorne achieved an exceptional three distinction stars and has secured a student keeper role at Longleat Safari Park, where she is working with a variety of animals from giraffes to otters to koalas.

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“I am absolutely delighted with my results,” she said.

“I’ve really enjoyed my course at BCOT, it surpassed all my expectations and has prepared me for my new role at Longleat. I’ve always loved animals but wasn’t sure what I wanted to do as a career. I started doing a performing arts course but felt something was missing. It wasn’t until I started at BCoT, that I knew this is what I should be doing. I’ve loved everything about the course, especially the hands-on experience working with different animals.”

Harry Herdman received a pass in Level 3 motorsport. He is now part of the car build team at McLaren F1.

"I’m loving my new job; I’ve been able to get stuck in straight away with the team and will have future opportunities to go trackside with the F1 team.

“My course at BCoT set me up perfectly for my motorsport career. During my time at BCoT, I had the chance to get hands-on experience in motorsport and to experience trips to Brand Hatch Circuit with the college racing cars. My lecturers were amazing and made the course enjoyable.”

Principal Anthony Bravo said: “Congratulations to all our Level 3 students on receiving their results – they’ve worked so hard and should be very proud of everything they’ve achieved.

“The past two years have not been easy for our students, but they have dealt with what has been thrown at them with perseverance and hard work. I wish all our students the very best as they take their next steps on their education journey.

“I’d also like to pay tribute to our amazing teaching staff and support teams for their tireless effort this year. The dedication shown by our staff and students is reflected in our amazing pass rate, and I’d personally like to thank each one of them for all their hard work.”

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BCoT has been offering advanced technical training in Basingstoke for more than 70 years, and the more practical and coursework-based nature of vocational courses allows students to be continually assessed throughout the year.