Meet Our Colleges

The Advance Colleges Trust (ACT) is a partnership between Franklin Sixth Form College, John Leggott College and Wilberforce Sixth Form College.

ACT utilises the skills and resources of the group to offer the best possible resources – and outcomes – for its students. Each college within the ACT group enjoys an excellent reputation locally. However, by joining forces as ACT, the individual colleges unite to give every student the best chance to achieve or exceed their potential.

The three members of the ACT group are committed to improving the life chances of young people across the Yorkshire and Humber region. The group supports students through outstanding academic and vocational courses taught by experienced, dedicated teachers and support staff. ACT champions a modern, mature learning experience to ensure that post-sixteen students are engaged and challenged accordingly.

£ m

Investment in New Facilities and Equipment

£ m

Investment in New Facilities and Equipment

"Best in the Region" for Student Progress More

Fantastic Facilities, Great Results and Bright Futures More

over 52 years of supporting students achieve their dreams More

Achieving your potential – academically, professionally and personally

ACT support does not stop in the sixth-form classroom. Students have links to first-class universities and prestigious medical, dentistry, veterinary schools and more. Students that study with ACT can expect to receive all the help and advice they need to find the right pathway to employment for them.

Whether via higher education, further training or directly into employment, ACT supports students every step of the way to a brighter future.

Across the three colleges each year, students benefit from high pass rates (typically 100%), high grades (typically over 65%) and a high percentage chance of gaining a place at their first choice university (typically over 90%).

By choosing to study at a college within the Advanced Colleges Trust, students have access to:

A broad range of academic and vocational courses
Dedicated specialist teachers and support staff
Best in Region student progression provision
Bespoke programmes and professional development support
Mature learning environments, designed to engage and challenge students

So, the question is not Why you should choose an ACT group college, but why not!

Strives to achieve more

After Wilberforce I completed a 4 year degree in Chemistry at the University of Warwick, which included a year in the Netherlands as a Research & Development scientist for DSM, a multinational company specialising in health, nutrition and materials. I graduated with a 1st Class Master’s degree in Chemistry. This qualified me for the Science Graduate programme with Thames Water, where I am currently working in environmental regulation as part of this programme. I am also working towards further qualifications to be a Registered Scientist. I will always look back on my time at Wilberforce as a place that enabled me to discover my field, provided a platform for me to succeed and left me with a mind-set that strives to achieve more.

David Robson, Environmental Scientist, Wilberforce College

Some of my best memories

I chose Wilberforce because of the supportive teaching staff and the welcoming feel of the college. My favourite memory of Wilberforce would be the heart dissection that we did in A Level Biology; I had so much fun and the staff let me stay after class to further explore the anatomy of the heart.

The Excellence Programme along with the excellent Careers advice really helped me weigh up my options and supported me through university applications. Our trip to the Oxford and Cambridge open days really stuck with me. My time at Wilberforce has provided me with some of my best memories of education; I made friends for life and loved the college so much I went back as a university student for two years to mentor and help Biology students with their revision.

Emily Stonham, Biomedical Science student, Wilberforce College

More than happy to help

Throughout my time at Franklin Sixth Form College I was always interested in the sciences, and in particular the fantastic Biology course at Franklin. Having gained A-Levels in Biology, Chemistry, Psychology and Law at Franklin College, I first went on to the University of Sheffield to study a BSc in Biomedical Science. I then gained experience in many different departments of the large teaching hospitals in Sheffield and spent time locally in Grimsby hospital. From this experience, I decided that I wanted to become a diagnostic radiographer. I, therefore, got back in touch with my old tutors at Franklin, who were more than happy to help me reapply for a degree in Diagnostic Radiography.

Claudia Foster, Franklin College

Are you interested in studying at one of our three colleges?

If you would like to find out more about ACT, get in touch with us today…

Get in touch