The collaboration adds over 100 students to boomsatsuma, benefitting the experience of The Olympus Trust’s provision to 6,500 students across 10 Bristol schools. Boomsatsuma introduces a new College education centre, which has welcomed 70 students this September, at Portland Square, St Pauls, extending the links with and opportunities for young people.

Plans to establish a Post 16 creative technologies pathway for Olympus students have also been announced, with support from boomsatsuma, building on the model of the engineering pathway developed at Abbeywood Community School. The highly successful boomsatsuma suite of Post 16 courses will continue to run at their existing sites in central Bristol, with additional courses on offer in Olympus Post 16 settings from 2024, including at Patchway Community School, when it moves into its new building and state of the art facilities. This will widen opportunities for students in North Bristol and South Gloucestershire, giving access to courses not currently available locally.  

Details of these fresh opportunities for Post 16 learners will be shared at Olympus Post 16 Open Events taking place at the end of October and beginning of November, with boomsatsuma present to share details of their courses too.

Dave Baker, Olympus CEO said:

"Boomsatsuma’s track record is impressive, both in terms of courses offered and outcomes achieved by students. I am delighted that we are able to work in partnership to bring their offer to Olympus students from 2024."

The Olympus Trust partnership currently covers 16-19 year olds at Leadworks studying Games, VR and VFX, along with the established Level 3 Sports Media Production cohort at Ashton Gate Stadium.

Mark Curtis, boomsatsuma Creative Director says:

"This is an exciting expansion adding to our capacity, going from five to six College facilities (alongside our two additional Degree centres) to create opportunities for young people who crave an alternative education offering. Putting the boom into the Olympus Trust engine feels very comfortable, as they clearly share our values and endorse our philosophy to put the students at the centre of our educational practices. Bringing their engineering and our creative technology curriculums closer will be an exciting development for the future of Bristol."

Luke Fazackerley, boomsatsuma College Lead says:

"We will be sticking to our ethos of student focused education linked to the creative sector, with small class sizes and industry guided experiences for our new cohort. Aligning ourselves with The Olympus Trust builds on our successful partnership with Cabot Learning Federation, who will continue to support our delivery of our Film and Television course at The Bottle Yard Studios, among others. We are building on the excellent results of 2022/23*, when boomsatsuma again significantly exceeded local FE Colleges performance on all measures."

When boomsatsuma collected its second Bristol Life Award for Education in March 2023, the judges commented on the links across the city creating opportunities and progression for students - more than half of which are drawn from the most deprived wards in the Greater Bristol area.

There is a strong focus on inclusivity for all, with boomsatsuma selecting potential students based around attitude and educating for progression. Last year's student intake covered a diverse academic profile with GCSE grades ranging from 1 to 9, 20% have identified additional learning needs, 13% identify as gender fluid or trans and 15% identify as non-white British.

Beth Griffiths, boomsatsuma’s Head of Outreach states:

"It’s important that young people across the region are aware that the best option for them may be a route into a career in the expanding TV, Film, Photography or Games sectors. We run an extensive outreach program across 80 schools. Our focus has always been across Bristol, but now spans South Gloucester to Somerset and we have students joining us from Bridgewater this year.

"I’d encourage anyone who wants to follow a creative/digital pathway to get in touch via our website, boomsatsuma.com."

Pictured: Dave Baker and Mark Curtis with Olympus Trust and boomsatsuma staff at Winterbourne Academy.

*2021 - 2023 boomsatsuma cohort results for 108 learners:

92% retention<br/>Merit and above - 100%<br/>Distinction and above <br/>Distinction* and above - 49%