Each year, we invite nominations by LASER approved centres for students who complete their studies during the academic year and show outstanding academic achievements or commitment to study. We award a winner and a runner up in each category who will receive a certificate and monetary prizes to aid their future study. Winners are then nominated by LASER for the national Keith Fletcher Memorial Prize.

Outstanding Academic Achievement

Students nominated in this category should have demonstrated exceptional academic study by producing assessed work of a consistently outstanding academic quality whilst on their Access to HE course.

2024-2025 Results

Winner: Jade Renee Drake, Healthcare Professions, Windsor Forest Colleges - Langley College

“Jade was very organised and determined to study since the beginning of the course. She overcame her personal difficulties and prioritised her learning and medical research with successful performance going above and beyond Distinction according with Laser Standards. Her friendly and supportive presence in the class motivated her peers; she has a drive to succeed. Her reflection and effective response to feedback means she has excelled on the Access to HE course. All her submitted work was a pleasure to mark demonstrating deep knowledge and understanding of medical, psychological and mental health aspects for nursing professionals.

Jade became a Royal Cadet Nurse committing to the Royal Cadets Nursing (King Charles Royal Cadets Nursing) programme which she had completed exceptionally at the same time as the Access to HE Course. She achieved all theoretical tasks for this programme, and she dedicate her assistance to learn from professionals during her one week of placement in hospital”. Oana-Antoneta Arotaritei, Tutor

Runner Up: Karen Overton, Humanities and Social Science, Chichester College

“Karen was one of the most enthusiastic Access to HE students I have met and that enthusiasm was infectious in her class. She was consistently able to produce assignment work that was not only clear in meeting the requirements of the assignment brief, but that offered further insight that left teachers feeling they had learned something new. This is rare and shows how Karen can think critically, how she takes time to further her own understanding of topics by reading thoroughly, and how she loves learning for sheer pleasure.

She will make an excellent student of anthropology as she can view both the minute details and the broader context of situations with all the nuance they need. She is thoroughly deserving of this award, though I could also have nominated her in the other category, as she achieved her impeccable grade profile of all 45 credits at distinction, while also facing challenging personal circumstances” Madeleine Bailey, Tutor

Outstanding Commitment to Study

Students in this category should have shown outstanding commitment to their Access to HE studies, perhaps in the face of difficult and challenging circumstances.

2024-2025 Results

Winner: Stephanie Heycock, Healthcare Professions, Tresham College

“Stephanie has shown such dedication towards her study, continuing to attend and submit work right up to 38 weeks pregnant, then returning to her studies and breastfeeding her baby during the college day. As a mum of 7, she never missed a deadline, receiving high grades throughout the course. We could not be more in awe of her determination and ability to juggle her studies with her home life”. Kim Laughton, Access to HE Manager

Runner Up: Ntombizodwa Mkhwananzi, Healthcare Professions , Milton Keynes College

“Ntombizodwa has been sincere, hardworking and a committed learner on the Access to HE course in the last academic year. She has proven her ability to complete a course overcoming all challenges. She attended the evening lessons regularly, sometimes after a long day of work in the care sector. She lived in Leeds, which is around 150 miles away from Milton Keynes. She used to drive for 2.5 hours each way, just to attend the evening lessons. She would drive back home at night and have early morning shift the next day. Ndombi is an example of commitment and dedication, where distance or challenges cannot overpower the learner’s willingness to learn”. Piyali Mandal, Tutor