3. AQA Award
for College/School Partnerships
Portsmouth College
Until about five years ago, Portsmouth College was a stable but slow-growing College located on
the edge of the City - both geographically and in terms of its limited level of engagement with the
city’s broader education landscape. On appointing a new Principal in 2005, the Governors set out
their vision of a College which would place itself at the heart of the wider community: ‘to become
the College that our City needs us to be’.
Since that time, the Principal has led the College with great commitment in working with Portsmouth City
Council and his headteacher colleagues at all of the City’s schools in an effort to raise aspirations and success
rates for Portsmouth students. These high-level efforts have been complemented by an ongoing programme of
curriculum, careers and enrichment links between staff at College and their colleagues in local schools. The
programme also includes specialist revision skills and examination support work with students and joint
curriculum and staff development programmes. Furthermore, the initiative exchanges ideas and expertise with
schools and communities in Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Spain and Portugal.
These efforts have contributed to consistently rising achievement levels in the City, higher student aspiration
and lower numbers of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET). A welcome additional
consequence has been a significant increase in students’ progression rates at 16, notably to Portsmouth College.
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
4. AoC Award
for Widening Participation
Faculty of Foundation Education, City of Bristol College
‘Education Unlimited’
City of Bristol College’s innovative ‘Education Unlimited’ project gives disengaged young
people the chance to overcome their barriers while developing personal, social and vocational
skills.
The project began in 2002 with the West of England LSC’s vision to inspire young people who were not in
education, employment and training (NEET). The College was asked to manage the project to ensure its
success and, as a result, has helped to significantly reduce the number of NEETs in Bristol.
The College delivers Education Unlimited through its own staff and a range of local third sector
organisations. This helps to reach non-traditional community sites and ensures wide accessibility and a
diversity of provision.
The project, which has been ESF-funded for several years, provides:
• Non-classroom-based engagement activities
• Opportunities to gain Skills for Life and ASDAN Employability qualifications
• Intensive one-to-one support
• Information, advice and guidance on progression opportunities
• Support into mainstream further education, E2E programmes or employment
Education Unlimited programmes are individual, flexible and measurable. ‘Buddies’ are used to identify the
young person’s requirements, to create a learning plan and to deliver some of the courses, including creative
arts, music technology, sports, young parenting, numeracy and literacy and job clubs. A budget is also
available to commission short projects in response to learners’ needs, such as vocational taster courses.
Since 2006, nearly 2,000 young people, including ex-offenders, young parents and substance abusers, have
benefitted. Of these, 80% obtained qualifications and 60% progressed to work or further training.
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
5. Becta Award
for Excellence in the Use of Technology
Directorate of Quality and Performance, Wakefield College
Excellence @ IT
Wakefield College has developed a reasoned ethos informing its attitude towards technology
which produces effects it hasn’t seen anywhere else. A whole College approach to Information
Technology is taken and even the College structure has been designed to ensure its success.
ILT features in the strategic priorities and is the responsibility of the Senior Team, led by a member of the
Principalship. It is promoted as a priority for all staff, not just teachers, and the College invests in key roles to
support systems development.
The College infrastructure means that ILT is ubiquitous and is a constant in quality improvement and problem
solving. Key systems are e-systems and staff interact with these routinely. As a result of the whole organisation
approach, staff and learners use reliable and accessible ILT confidently, staff and learner satisfaction is high,
teaching and learning is good and success rates are improving.
The newest campus, the skillsXchange at Glasshoughton, exemplifies the effects of these ideals through its
physical form, state of the art facilities and the learning activity the staff create within it.
But all of this has not happened by accident and the key to the success is in the College’s commitment to a
corporate vision for ILT which the College continues to implement passionately.
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
6. The British Council Award
for International Student Support
The Rhyl Campus, Coleg Llandrillo
Achieving Excellence in International Operationsllence in International Operations
In an area that does not traditionally have a strong international profile, Coleg Llandrillo has
sustained international recruitment through the dedicated care and support given to students and
through innovative marketing techniques including the development of sustainable overseas
partnerships.
The College offers international learners a range of unique advantages: outstanding quality, value for money,
wide choice of courses at all levels and excellent care and support structures.
The ‘family-centred’ approach of the international team ensures that students receive excellent support
throughout the enquiry, application, arrival, induction and delivery stages. Students, parents and agents receive
a responsive, first class service. Tutors and support staff work closely together to ensure students achieve their
qualification aims and progression goals.
Working closely with the College, local families welcome students to their homes and provide accommodation,
friendship and support. The College arranges visits, parties and activities for students on a regular basis.
The College has developed several institutional partnerships in the UK and overseas. Through these links
sustainable progression routes for international learners have been developed.
Students enjoy their learning experiences at Llandrillo and recommend it to others. The open, welcoming, and
sharing culture of the College is a key to its success.
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
7. CLA Award
for Promoting the Value of Copyright
Business and IT and Learner Services Team, Coleg Gwent
Development and use of plagiarism/plagiarism awareness OCNs
Coleg Gwent is Wales’ largest Further Education College and operates from five campuses and two
outreach centres, with 35,000 learners, 1,600 staff, and a turnover exceeding £50 million.
In support of its Core Values - Excellence, Trust, Honesty, and Opportunity & Shared Responsibility (ETHOS) -
the Business and IT Team developed two Open College Network units on Plagiarism and Plagiarism
Awareness. These were specifically developed to promote values of respect and honesty in relation to other
people’s intellectual property, to achieve more universal commitment and compliance with the College’s
Learner and Staff Malpractice Policy, and to develop an OCN curriculum unit for use in staff development and
for use as part of learners’ tutorial enrichment programme.
The two units have been used for staff development purposes, delivered as a pilot to all learners pursuing BTEC
National Diploma in Business and IT programmes, and is part of the Tutorial Enrichment Programme being
offered to 6,000 full time students.
All materials are available on the College’s Learning Centre On-line website, and a printed leaflet is distributed
to learners. RSC/JISC are utilising all resources developed in the Plagiarism Awareness and Copyright
Infringement Course for use by Welsh schools and Colleges.
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
8. CoLRiC Award
for the Effective Integration of Learning Resources Centres in
Curriculum Delivery
Department for Information and Learning Services, Exeter College
24/7 Learning Resources for the Web 2.0 World
The Department for Information and Learning Services was established in 2003 by combining
Exeter College’s IT and Library services. Now comprising three operating units; ICT Services,
Learning Centres and Learning Media Services, it has evolved to offer a fully integrated ICT and
Learning Resources service which extends from its five physical Learning Centres
to a whole-College, virtual environment which is the single point of access to information and
resources for all College stakeholders – students, teaching and support staff and
governors.
Accessible anytime – anyplace, via the Internet, the Portal offers personalised access to teaching, learning and
business resources. The Department provides support for the creation, capture and dissemination of generic
and subject-specific resources including audio, video and web-based content and applications.
This extended Learning Resources service plays a central role in the delivery of learning at the College. The
Department has developed unique approaches to curriculum integration, the acquisition and dissemination of
electronic resources, provision of Web 2.0 services and the promotion of ILT for directed, supported and
independent study for the benefit of all students.
Working closely with teachers and learners alike, the department plays a pivotal role in shaping the consistent
high quality learning experience offered throughout the College.
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
9. Churches’ Award
for Sustainable College Partnerships that Recognise Diversity and
Develop People and Communities
Leicester College
A Strategic Community Cohesion Action Plan
In serving one of the most diverse communities in the country, Leicester College has worked hard
over several years to bring together local communities and services to ensure that its provision is
inclusive and meets the needs of all students. The College takes every opportunity to raise
awareness of equalities issues, and to celebrate the diversity of its learners.
A cross-College Community Cohesion Strategy and Action Plan has been developed which contains several
complementary strands, which celebrate diversity and promote tolerance and understanding in the context of
supporting local learners.
These include:
• Establishing a Multi-faith Chaplaincy with Faith Ambassadors. Volunteers from 10 different faith
communities provide tutorials on faith related issues, participative faith celebrations, awareness events and
pastoral support
• Initiatives to encourage groups of learners and staff from different equalities groups to gain support and to
contribute their views and ideas for improvements
• A range of diverse enrichment activities stemming from community and learner demand, which bring
learners from different backgrounds and abilities together to promote awareness and mutual respect
• RESPECT Week, where there is a diversity fair, community based organisations and equalities groups are
invited to lead tutorials and workshops on aspects of community cohesion, and activities are developed to
enable students from different backgrounds to mix together and break down barriers
• A programme to re-engage young people at risk of becoming “NEET” in mainstream learning
• Collaborative work with local communities and innovative pathways into learning for non traditional
learners
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
10. City & Guilds Award
for Staff Development in Further Education
Burnley College
The Excellence Initiative: By the Staff for the Staff
The goal of the initiative was highly focused: to move the College from providing a good standard
of education for all of the students to an excellent standard of education.
The key to achieving this goal was through creating a winning staff culture: highly positive, participative and
aspirational with excellent skills. Staff development and organisational development are regarded as wholly
inter-locked with each being achieved through the other.
The staff development model adopted was elegant yet simple. It is based on the belief that while the College
should be actively open to best practice elsewhere, all of the essential expertise ultimately lies in the existing
staff team. The key components are three inter-related strands:
• Supporting Excellence (for support staff)
• Skills for Excellence (for teaching staff)
• Leading Excellence (for all managers)
Key Features:
• Planning and delivery teams are drawn from each of the groups of staff and changed annually
• The content of the programmes are based on staff-identified priorities
• Managed dissemination by staff to all of their colleagues
• Direct sponsorship of each strand by senior managers
• Direct linkage across all strands by the Staff Development Manager
In May 2009, Burnley College was judged by OFSTED to be Outstanding across all measures and in every
area.
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
11. DCSF Award
for the Successful Delivery of Level 3 Qualifications
Loreto College
Adding value in the inner city
The Award recognises Loreto’s outstanding delivery of Level 3 qualifications to 16-19 year olds.
Through advice, sustained support and careful monitoring of their progress, Loreto Sixth Form
College has helped students to achieve higher grades than the national average in their A-levels. It
also noted that 85% of Loreto students go on to higher education.
The AoC Beacon Award judges commended Loreto and said its belief that every child matters, together with
appropriate investment and hard work, has altered the lives of many young people and increased the
opportunities open to them.
Loreto has achieved:
• Outstanding results in the recent OFSTED inspection
• Strong results based on raw data at AS, A2 and vocational courses
• High levels of value-added measured through ALIS, ALPS and the LAT
• Highest rated sixth form in 2009 based on Contextualised Value-added
• Robust levels of student satisfaction
• Very good student progression
Loreto achieves this through:
• Detailed individual guidance on course choice
• Wide ranging academic and general support
• High quality teaching and learning
• Close monitoring at student, teacher and department level
• Pre- and post-College partnerships
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
12. DCSF, BIS and LSC Award
for Smarter Procurement
Finance Department, West Nottinghamshire College
Making money go further for the benefit of our learners
Students at West Nottinghamshire College continue to enjoy some of the best educational facilities
in the country, and much of this is due to the College’s strategic approach to procurement.
West Nottinghamshire College’s journey to make procurement a priority coincided with the 2004 Gershon
Efficiency Review, which proposed “procurement as the main source of efficiency savings in the public sector”.
The College adopted a procurement vision, “to promote leading procurement practices, at the heart of value for
money strategies, to reinvest and support our learners”, and a procurement strategy was written.
Robust tendering processes and monitoring mechanisms were introduced to the College, along with an
electronic procurement system to replace bureaucratic manual processes. Major contracts became subject to
regular formal review, while procurement cards for low transactions have saved over £70,000 to date.
The July 2008 Ofsted report stated, “The College provides outstanding value for money”.
Through a consistent and strategic approach to procurement, the College has delivered real savings of
£5million enabling it to reinvest in facilities for learners that have significantly transformed learning and raised
local aspiration. Notable examples are a brand new Construction and Logistics Skills Academy, visited by
Prince Charles; and the Ashfield Centre for teenagers who would otherwise not be in employment, education
or training.
The College plans to continue to promote leading procurement practices and to encourage collaboration with
other Colleges.
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
13. Edexcel Award
for Lifelong Learning
Department of Community and Lifelong Learning, Aberdeen College
Firing up lifelong learning
Aberdeen College’s Community and Lifelong Learning Team provides community-based training
and education to the people of the North East of Scotland, at over 110 locations. Together with
partners, Aberdeen College is committed to widening access and participation by providing
courses that meet the needs of local people in local areas.
During 2008/09, one notable achievement has been the establishment of a trail-blazing partnership with
Grampian Fire and Rescue Service to deliver community courses in local rural fire stations. These stations
provide suitable learning venues in targeted prime locations where there is a high demand for
community-based courses.
As a direct result of this initiative, over 450 people have participated in education and training, who otherwise
may not have done so, and the employability of local people in rural communities has been enhanced.
Through this, and other pioneering projects over academic year 2008/09, Aberdeen College’s Community and
Lifelong Learning Team has seen a significant increase in the number of classes operating, the number of
student enrolments, retention rates and student achievement rates. This ultimately benefits all learners in the
North East of Scotland, who have access to a variety of high quality education opportunities in convenient
locations.
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
14. Edge Award
for Practical Teaching and Practical Learning
Vocational Academy of Hospitality and Catering, West Cheshire College
Real learning for real work
The excellence portrayed by West Cheshire College’s Vocational Academy of Hospitality and
Catering (VAHC) lies in its interpretation and adoption of the College’s vision to provide access to
opportunity for all.
The College’s learners come from all walks of life and the College welcomes those with disabilities, difficulties
and ex-offenders, supporting them in raising aspirations as they realise that employment is a real possibility.
Catering students want to cook and serve, not sit, listen and write! The VAHC is a commercial venture which
trains learners to professional standards and provides fine dining, bistro and refectory services to the public.
Learners can see their food being sold and paid for within days of starting in College, for example, last year our
new learners made a cake for 4,000 to celebrate 100 years of Girl Guiding in Cheshire. The College offers life
experiences such as out of hours working, paid work experience and travelling abroad, giving learners an
insight into employment opportunities across the industry to broaden their horizons and expand options.
West Cheshire College’s response to learner needs has resulted in FE success rates of 87% overall, up from 40%
three years ago with improved learner and customer feedback. VAHC learners are work ready and therefore
able to progress into employment.
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
15. FENC Award
for the Creative Production, Adaptation and Delivery of Learning
Resources
ILT Support and Development Division, Kingston College
KAPTIVATE (Kingston Access to Podcast Technology for Interactive Virtual
Assessment and Teacher Education)
Kingston College’s success in winning the FENC Award was based on a College-wide initiative to
harness the benefits of podcast resources and mobile technology.
The College’s activity in this area was based on the KAPTIVATE Project which formed part of the Learning and
Skills Network’s Mobile Learning Network (MoLeNET) programme during 2008/09. The intiative involved the
roll-out of some 600 iPod Touch devices to students in 15 curriculum areas.
The project was conceived in order to support and enhance learning, assessment and teacher training through
the use of handheld wireless multimedia devices integrated with pedagogically-focused multimedia learning
materials created, adapted and presented within a range of curriculum programmes. A key focus of the
initiative was a drive to engage learners in the processes of producing, delivering and accessing podcast
resources. Materials generated by learners, along with their tutors, were extensively and effectively used for
personalised learning, reflective practice and formative assessment. By concentrating on the interactive and
learner-driven dimension of media resource creation the project built on and extended the considerable previ-
ous experience that had been gained by Kingston College in mobile technology for learning.
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
16. Jardine Lloyd Thompson Benefit
Solutions Award
for Health and Community Care
Business Skills Academy, South Leicestershire College
NGH/SLC/Skillspoint partnership programme
Withdrawal of Health Workforce Deanery funding in 2007 jeopardised the work of the NVQ
centre at Northampton General Hospital (NGH) who had to source new funding to maintain their
delivery programme to 150 learners and to avoid staff redundancies.
Engage, the workforce training and skills team at South Leicestershire College, implemented an innovative
project that stabilised the situation, extended the range of development opportunities for hospital staff and
secured a future for the delivery team.
In conjunction with Skillspoint, a skills brokerage organisation, NGH entered into a partnership with South
Leicestershire College in the form of a secondment agreement where NVQ assessor staff costs were paid by the
College whilst management and administrative costs remained with the hospital.
By 2009, recruitment had grown to 400 learners and the success of the programme led to further work to meet
the skills development requirements of all non-clinical staff, including basic skills provision to achieve Skills
Pledge targets.
Six members of the NVQ delivery team are now directly employed by the College, benefitting from improved
job security and the wider training and development opportunities on offer.
The partnership, now in its third year, has extended into work with PCTs in Northamptonshire and
Oxfordshire.
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
17. Learning and Skills Council Award
for 14-19 Collaboration
Senior Leadership Team, Barnfield College
Great things happen when the right things come together
Barnfield College in Luton - Beacon College, graded Outstanding by Ofsted, an Investor in People
(IiP) Champion; recognised as being a dynamic and innovative organisation.
In October 2005, the College approached the DCSF (formerly DfES) with a view to sponsoring two
underperforming 11-16 secondary schools. In January 2006, a ground breaking decision was made by the
Secretary of State for Education to support this. The schools opened as Academies in September 2007, as part
of a federation; Barnfield College was the first in the country to initiate and achieve this objective.
These two schools had failed the students for many years and were listed amongst the worst in the country.
Both were in areas of high disadvantage and both were in special measures with a high turnover of
head teachers and were housed in old buildings. Approximately 30% of school leavers became NEET each year,
students/parents had low aspirations, staff morale was rock bottom and GCSE results were the worst in the
town. When joining the Barnfield Federation, GCSE results (incl English & Maths) stood at only 16% and 17%.
The College, led by the Principal/Chief Executive, believed it could transfer the College’s DNA into the schools
and make them successful. This also fitted with Barnfield’s vision/mission/values and corporate social
responsibility thinking.
Before becoming Barnfield Academies (2006/07), GCSE results in the predecessor schools were as follows:
School (a) Halyard 16% (5 A*- C; incl English & Maths)
School (b) South Luton 17% (5 A*- C; incl English & Maths)
By the end of 2008/09, GCSE results as follows:
School (a), now Barnfield-West Academy 55% (5 A*-C incl English & Maths)
100% (5 A*-C excl English and Maths)
The figures show results more than tripled and were the best ever in the school
School (b), now Barnfield-South Academy 40% (5 A*-C incl English & Maths)
56% (5% A*-C excl English and Maths)
These figures show results more than doubled and were the best results for 20 years.
Spring term 2009, Ofsted/HMI graded both academies as making “outstanding
progress”.
Barnfield West was named as the fastest
improving school in the country in 2007/08
and Barnfield South in top five most
improved.
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
18. Learning and Skills Council Award
for College Engagement with Employers
North Lindsey College
Employer Engagement
Employer Engagement is central to the North Lindsey College offer and is embedded in the
strategic plans, mission and vision.
The Employer Engagement strategy delivers accessible support, development and training to businesses.
The objective of the offer is to ensure maximum benefit with minimum disruption, addressing the operational
imperatives of the engaged business.
The Employer Engagement strategy is led by Kingsway Consulting, North Lindsey College’s wholly owned
business engagement unit. Offering a business to business approach and supported by colleagues in every area
of the College, the business unit provides a consultative approach utilising organisational needs analysis to
identify and deliver comprehensive support and training.
This bespoke methodology ensures businesses develop capacity to address challenges presented by the
recessed market and prepare for future growth.
The initiative focuses on engaging hard to reach employers and employees, delivering positive business impact
through training and learning in the workplace that encourages non-traditional learners to participate.
Achieving latent potential of individual employees is given equal status to the achievement of business objec-
tives including, growing capacity, increasing return and adding value to the economy by increasing skills in the
labour pool.
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
19. Learning and Skills Council Award
for Equality and Diversity
The Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education
Improving and providing an inclusive environment to the achievement of
everyone
The Grimsby Institute’s mission is to be a world class, customer focussed and dynamic provider of education
and skills.
The Institute is very serious about its place at the heart of the community in North East Lincolnshire.
Progress in working with the local LGBT community led the Institute to establish North East Lincolnshire’s first
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Forum (LGBT). This has enabled a range of activities including celebratory
events, web development, training opportunities and research projects.
The Institute also plays a key role in coordinating the local Employers’ Diversity Breakfast Forum and is
currently developing an Employers’ Group to look at equality issues, with the first strand in the cycle being
LGBT. Engagement continues to grow.
Working with the LGBT community adapts the model the Institute has followed for several years where it has
hosted a number of cultural events including Holocaust Memorial, Eid-al-Fitr, Vaisakhi, Diwali and Chinese
New Year. Representatives from the community work with staff and learners to make these events a growing
success.
In summary the Institute has, with a number of partners (such as Humberside Police, Fire Service, NHS,
private firms), adopted a collaborative and multi-faceted approach to aid and engage the community.
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
20. LSIS Award
for the Leadership of Innovation in Curriculum Development
School of Entry and Foundation Pathways, New College Nottingham
Keeping Warm
New College Nottingham’s unique Keeping Warm initiative has increased the College’s
application-to-enrolment conversion rates for young learners.
16 to 18 year-olds who had been offered a full-time place were invited to take part in a two-day programme of
teambuilding exercises and fun activities in July with College transition and curriculum staff; alongside
completing the NCFE Level 1 Award in Exploring Enterprise Capabilities. Current students were specially
trained as ‘buddies’ to meet and greet the learners, provide support and encouragement and help to build their
confidence.
Keeping Warm participant, James Halford, said: “After attending the sessions I felt a lot more confident about
coming to College and I have decided to train as a buddy this year to help new students settle in.”
As a transition programme, Keeping Warm is unsurpassed. In 2008/09, 86% of students who took part
subsequently enrolled on a full-time programme, compared with 53% of those who had not participated.
Attendees reported that they had enjoyed meeting fellow learners and tutors, that the scheme was a fantastic
way to achieve a qualification before they had even started College and they would recommend it to their peers.
Consequently, they were motivated, focussed and more confident upon starting their full-time courses in
September.
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
21. Make Your Mark Award
for Enterprise
Enterprise Development Team, The Sheffield College
Creating an Enterprise Culture
The Sheffield College is highly committed to the enterprise agenda. There is a clear strategic
plan led by the Executive Team, who has taken responsibility for this whole organisational drive.
Over a period of two years, the team has made significant progress towards its strategic vision. It is proud of
its achievements and has gained local, regional and national recognition for innovation in the area of
developing a culture that embraces the enterprise agenda. As a National Enterprise Academy, the College will
soon be providing qualifications in Entrepreneurship as well.
The College’s strategic vision is to
• Make a significant contribution to the economic prosperity of Sheffield by increasing the number of
successful new business start-ups
• Have enterprise at the heart of what the College offers (the ‘signature curriculum’) thereby helping to
promote the College as the post-16 provider of choice
• Impact on learners’ chances of success
- by increasing retention and achievement as a result of increased engagement on a course
- by improving chances of high quality, sustainable employment or self employment after College
• Be an enterprising College – flexible, adaptive and highly successful
The College has appointed Enterprise Development managers, who have facilitated the embedding of
enterprise across the curriculum, promoted enterprise as a career choice, worked in partnership with other
enterprise organisations and education providers in Sheffield, provided extra curricular activities on enterprise,
trained and involved staff in enterprise activities. With the business start-up support available in College, a
number of students have successfully launched their own business.
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
22. Mercers’ Company Award
for Science and Mathematics
Forensic Science Department, Bridgend College
Turning Students onto Science
In recent years, enrolments across the breadth of A level subjects offered within the schools
in Bridgend, has been in decline. Education providers were keen to encourage more
young people to pursue a career in science and the College responded well to
bridging the skills gap by developing a vocational alternative to A level
science subjects.
Initial research identified a skills shortage in the forensic science area and excellent partnerships have been
forged within Wales and South West England with scenes of crime officers, road traffic accident investigators,
forensic fire investigators, forensic laboratories and most significantly, with the new Scientific Support Unit at
the nearby South Wales Police Headquarters in Bridgend.
The College has invested significant funding developing innovative teaching resources, which include the
development of a ‘scene of crime’ suite and workshop areas, which allow the College’s external partners to
deliver their areas of expertise direct to the students – presenting real life scenarios, challenging their thinking
and effectively turning them on to science!
The results have been outstanding, with completion rates 32% above National Comparators and over 60% of
students progressing onto higher education to undertake forensic science or related degrees. The College’s
collaborative provision, now offers a BTEC National Award to all local schools - pupils can select this course as
part of their A level options. The Forensic Course Team is also sharing ‘best practice’, by assisting with the
development of similar courses, within three English Colleges.
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
23. OCR Award
for Functional Skills
Skills for Life Team, Bradford College
Developing Functional Skills for Bradford
Bradford College adopted an innovative approach to developing and embedding Functional Skills
in the curriculum in order to respond effectively to the 14-19 Reform agenda. The College
developed a number of key aims and objectives:
• To develop Functional Skills alongside the introduction of Diploma and Foundation Learning
• To give a lead to schools across Bradford
• To work collaboratively and share experience
• To develop an effective staff training programme
• To ensure successful Functional Skills achievement for learners
• To create an innovative curriculum for Functional Skills
The College worked with a consortium of schools on the development of Functional Skills as part of the
Creative and Media Diploma and also focused on staff training and development for staff in College and in
schools across Bradford. The College also developed Functional Skills as part of Foundation Learning. Learners
on both the Diploma and on Foundation Learning benefitted from the development of an embedded Functional
Skills curriculum. They were enthusiastic about their learning and many achieved Functional Skills
qualifications.
The College is now further developing its Functional Skills curriculum with a wider range of learners and is
also developing a Moodle site for Functional Skills. The College is seeking opportunities to disseminate its
experiences to other schools and Colleges locally, regionally and nationally.
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
24. RNIB/Mencap Award
for Students with Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities
Learner Support Employability Team, Lambeth College
Creative Partnerships to Support Progression to Employment
Since 2007, the College has brought together differing strands of work to form a cohesive
employability strategy for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities (LDD). The key to
the employability strategy has been partnership work, enabling the College to use the expertise
and skill of other agencies.
The aim has been to enable the maximum number of learners with LDD to progress to employment. To achieve
this, a range of strategies were implemented:
• Create a flexible personalised programme to meet individual learner need through improving their
indpendence skills and employment skills. This was facilitated by a partnership with two specialist
residential Colleges offering 4-6 week blocks where learners could practice their independent living skills
whilst on a work placement
• Set up real work environments within the College with two social enterprises ‘Student Accessories Shop’,
‘Healthy Gourmet Café’ and a receptionist opportunity for our Health & Fitness Centre to offer real work
opportunities for learners to practice and develop employment skills
• Set up partnerships with supported employment agencies – in particular, Camden Society on a project
‘ProWork’, and improve partnership with Lambeth Adult Services to ensure successful transition out of
College into employment
The outcomes have been that many learners have successfully progressed to employment during the last
two years
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
25. Welsh Assembly Government Award
for College Engagement with Employers
Innovation Team, Gorseinon College
The Knowledge Transfer Partnership programme
This award was achieved by Gorseinon College for its work with businesses throughout South
Wales via the KTP - Knowledge Transfer Partnership programme. KTP is a national knowledge
transfer programme sponsored by the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) in partnership with 17
other funding organisations including the Welsh Assembly Government.
During a KTP project, a College employed graduate (Associate) works within a company and is responsible for
achieving project objectives whilst undertaking an extensive personal development programme. A College
academic provides support for the project and facilitates the knowledge transfer process.
The KTP projects have benefitted companies through increased profits (average of £100k per company), the
development of new products and the implementation of improved internal management processes.
Gorseinon College has been very successful in delivering KTP projects to the extent that it has been the largest
further education provider of KTP (UK wide) for many years. In fact the number of projects delivered has
exceeded those from many higher education organisations.
To date, over 70 KTP projects have been approved and 36 projects successfully completed, with 2 recently
completed projects achieving an ‘outstanding’ grade from the TSB.
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
26. AoC Beacon Awards
National Presentation Ceremony
2009-2010
Wednesday 10 February 2010
PROGRAMME
12.00 – 12.30 Arrival of Guests
Reception in the Great Hall
12.30 Presentation of 2009-2010 AoC Beacon Awards in the Telford Theatre
Welcome and Introduction
Dame Pat Morgan-Webb
Chair, AoC Beacon Awards
Presentation of Parchments
The Rt. Hon. Kevin Brennan MP – Minister of State for
Further Education
Presentation of the Sixth Annual President’s Award
Dame Pat Morgan-Webb on behalf of Giles Long MBE
– President of AoC Charitable Trust
Vote of Thanks
Pat Bacon – President, Association of Colleges
13.30 Buffet Lunch in the Great Hall
14.30 Departure
Onwards
AoC Beacon Award winners 2009/2010
28. Association of Colleges
2-5 Stedham Place
London, WC1A 1HU
Telephone: 020 7034 9900 Facsimile: 020 7034 9950
www.aoc.co.uk