Bradford College

College Celebrates Prestigious AoC Beacon Award

Bradford College is celebrating receiving an Association of Colleges’ Beacon Award for the second consecutive year.  The College won the prestigious OCR Award for Functional Skills back in February for its innovative approach to developing and embedding Functional Skills in the curriculum and introducing the Foundation Learning Diploma. The Award recognises best practice in the delivery of Functional Skills in English, Mathematics and IT.

Lesley Young from OCR was delighted to present a cheque for £5,000 to College Principal and Chief Executive, Michele Sutton, OBE and Programme Manager: Skills for Life Martin Reed at the presentation ceremony held on 24th June.

The College worked with a consortium of schools on the development of Functional Skills as part of the Creative and Media Diploma and focused on staff training and development. AoC Beacon Award assessors commented on the students’ enthusiasm and their enjoyment of the Diploma and Functional Skills programme.

Former Further Education Minister, Kevin Brennan said: “The AoC Beacon Awards celebrate the greatest successes in the Further Education sector in responding to the needs of students, local businesses and the communities they serve. Colleges are vital to giving people the skills and qualifications they need and play an important role in creating partnerships with employers. It is right that these institutions are recognised for their hard work.”

Michele Sutton, Bradford College Principal and Chief Executive said: “We are delighted that this is the second year running that Bradford College has won an AoC Beacon Award. The award is a testimony to the team in the college that has led the development of Functional Skills for students over the age of 16 across the City's schools and colleges.  I am very proud of our staff and students who convinced the assessors that we were the best in the country in this area of work.”

John Plunkett, Stakeholder Relations Manager at OCR, commented: “Bradford College demonstrated its use of embedded learning and the range of the College curriculum to provide good progression opportunities for a diverse student population. We viewed the commitment, enthusiasm, strong leadership and capability of the teaching team dedicated to Functional Skills development as a key strength. On the day OCR visited the College an obvious rapport was present between students and staff, who are experienced and respected tutors. The students were extremely articulate and positive about what they did at the College and about the value of learning about Functional Skills that they can use in their work and life situations.”

The UK-wide Beacon Awards provide national recognition for excellence and innovation as well as acknowledging the talents of staff at all levels. They highlight the breadth and quality of education in the College sector.