There’s a body lying motionless on the floor with a mysterious handwritten message by its side: “We have the formula – bring £500,000 and await further instructions.”

This was the cryptic challenge which Telford College students had to solve during a ‘Crime Scene Day’ at the Wellington campus.

The aim of the day was to give students on the two-year criminology course a flavour of the role of a crime scene investigator, by simulating a real-life scenario.

Students were shown how to carry out forensic checks, and fingerprint test various items which were scattered around the crime scene.

It is one of a series of practical, interactive tutorial sessions on Telford College’s criminology courses, which are going from strength to strength and setting students on a pathway to a range of fantastic careers.

The course, which leads to a level three extended diploma, has become one of the most popular offerings at the college’s sixth form centre, and is a stepping-stone to jobs in the police force, legal professions or forensic sciences.

Holly Davies, head of academic at the college, said: “We launched this criminology course in 2017, and it has been growing in popularity ever since. We have consistently achieved results which are above the national average.

“The course is accepted at top universities, and can be studied alongside other A levels such as psychology, sociology and English which are all perfect matches.”

She added: “Lessons combine lecture-style delivery, small group work and project-based tasks such as the Crime Scene Day which strengthen employability skills.”

The criminology course covers four units over the two years – changing awareness of crime, criminological theories, crime scene to court, and crime and punishment.

It includes a mixture of internal controlled assessment and external examinations throughout the two years. Field trips also play a part in the studies.

For more details about the criminology course, and other full-time programmes at Telford College, click here