Weston College Group Annual Report 2016/17 The 2016/17 academic year has seen massive In terms of the College Group’s developments, changes, not only throughout the Weston College the 2016/17 academic year saw some of our most Group but also across the further education sector. ambitious projects come to fruition....... Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Phd DLit EdD Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Phd DLit EdD Principal and Chief Executive Principal and Chief Executive Contents Welcome Weston College Strategic partnership page 4 page 32 £18 million 16-18 curriculum Working with over Overview of the Weston College Group page 12 Impact on students invested in a new 97% page 6 page 36 2,500 Law and Professional apprenticeship employer Adult and part time provision A catalyst for regeneration page 14 Impact on employers businesses Services Academy satisfaction rating page 8 page 38 Apprenticeships and university centre The resources to deliver for the region page 16 The year in headlines page 10 page 40 SEND page 18 The year in numbers page 42 Law and Professional Services Academy page 20 Coming in 2018/19 page 44 University Centre Weston page 22 Corporation page 45 96% 98% Inspirational Futures Trust page 24 average success rate for 99% of SEND learners offender learning A Level pass rate progressed to Teaching School Alliance page 26 vocational courses meaningful destinations Forward Futures Limited page 27 Inspirational Events and Investments page 28 Offender Learning Services 2 page 30 3 Welcome The 2016/17 academic year has seen learning provision; and Operations, which The year also saw some of the best exam massive changes, not only throughout the manages the back-office services such results to date. Across the College Group, Weston College Group but also across the as finance, estates, IT and marketing , as national benchmarks are consistently being further education sector. well as analysing the feasibility of new exceeded, and many of the results we are Alongside exciting and innovative opportunities and markets. seeing break previous College records curriculum developments in construction, The government has refocused its in terms of achievement. These fantastic engineering and sport, the College Group approach to delivering work-ready skills These new groups seek to utilise the results include A Levels, where 49% of has created inspiring new facilities that through education, introducing the significant experience and expertise of students earned the highest grades of B prove that Weston College is leading Apprenticeship Levy and announcing the the College Group’s leadership team, and above, and University Centre Weston, the field by creating the best learning new T Level qualifications which will seek strengthen the Group’s core business which was rated ‘Gold’ under the new environments for further education to add the recognition and respectability functions, and enables us to better adapt Teaching Excellence Framework. students, adult learners, apprentices and of A Levels to professional and technical and respond to the changing landscape in the students of University Centre Weston. courses. the further and higher education sectors. Although the 2017/18 academic year poses many questions and challenges, the Throughout 2016/17, the Weston College The Weston College Group has resiliently In terms of the College Group’s strength and resolve of the Weston College Group developed new partnerships with handled these obstacles while driving developments, the 2016/17 academic year Group, its leadership and governance many high-profile employers from the forward change and innovation in the saw some of our most ambitious projects teams, its teaching and business support engineering, public services, and health and region and across the sector. come to fruition. The year started with staff, and its students, is unquestionable. social care sectors. We have continued the opening of a £15 million academy, I am confident that together we can face to work closely with our higher education To do this, I have restructured the College developed by Weston College as part of these challenges and use them to further partners at the University of the West of Group’s leadership team and allocated sponsorship of the Inspirational Futures our ambition of ‘creating brighter futures.’ England in Bristol and Bath Spa University. them into three divisions, each looking Trust, and culminated in the completion after a particular aspect of the College’s of the Winter Gardens which will provide I look forward to the prospect of the business. This includes: Curriculum, which high-quality teaching spaces for our 2017/2018 academic year and the chance to oversees the creation and delivery of our students as well as a hub for community further develop the opportunities provided courses for young people and adults, activity for the people of Weston-super- by the Weston College Group. The ensuring that Weston College responds Mare. Plans are already being drawn up Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Phd DLit EdD enhanced offer to its students, businesses, to industry demand and skills shortages; for the development of more state of the Principal and Chief Executive and the community, driven by Dr Paul Commercial, which forges new business art facilities and resources, commencing in Phillips CBE and his leadership team, will connections, works with employers to 2018. without doubt lead to further successes for upskill, retrain and recruit new staff, and our learners. oversees our apprenticeships and offender Jude Ferguson Chair of Corporation 4 5 Weston College Group Weston College is a general college of further and higher University Centre Weston offers over 40 courses across Weston College’s Teaching School Alliance is a new initiative Weston College’s Offender Learning Services is a top- education in Weston-super-Mare, delivering education a number of vocational and academic subject areas in introduced in the 2016/17 academic year which supports performing provider of offender and detainee learning and vocational training to students aged 14 and up. It is partnership with Bath Spa University and the University teachers, support staff, leaders and governors across the recognised for excellent teaching, learning and assessment; regarded as one of the top FE colleges in the UK, and of the West of England, Bristol. UCW is rated ‘Gold’ in the region to gain the skills and experience they need to be as well as positive outcomes for learners and a partnership is the only college in the West of England to be rated Teaching Excellence Framework, meaning the learning, successful. It leads on the development of school-led initial approach to business planning which ensures that the ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted. The College provides education to teaching and outcomes it provides for students are of the teacher training through School Direct. curriculum meets learners’ and employers’ needs. approximately 30,000 learners across the UK. highest quality in Britain. Weston College Group aims to support its local schools Inspirational Events and Investments Limited is a Forward Futures Limited is the the College Group’s in-house and academies through a variety of means. In the 2016/17 subsidiary company of the Weston College Group which recruitment agency. It focuses on the provision of high academic year, the College Group acted as a sponsor of the runs the Winter Gardens Pavilion, Lasseter’s Restaurant, calibre associates to the Weston College Group and its key Inspirational Futures Trust. This multi-academy trust is in the Florentine Bistro, and the Lauriston Hotel. It was contracts such as offender learning. its infancy and aims to provide responsive learning across incorporated in March 2017 and has already made a a small number of schools and academies. While the Trust significant impact towards the regeneration of is independent of the College Group, Weston College has Weston-super-Mare. been happy to support its development. 6 7 A catalyst for regeneration Weston College is working in partnership voluntary, community and social enterprise On top of enabling regeneration through Nationally, only 5% of learners choose to with North Somerset Council and the West organisations across the region. The access to high-quality education and study at a university within 20 miles of their of England Local Enterprise Partnership to programme is funded by the European Social support initiatives, the Weston College home, however the impact of the College’s regenerate and rejuvenate North Somerset Fund and the Big Lottery Fund. Group has invested millions of pounds work in Weston-super-Mare has led to the and beyond through unparalleled in renovating, creating and enhancing Weston College Group accounting for 15% educational provision which expands the The College Group, in partnership buildings in Weston-super-Mare and Bristol. of degree-level qualifications in the local outlooks of learners across the region. with organisations such as North area. Somerset Council and Alliance Homes, This investment through ambitious building North Somerset is a generally prosperous launched Team North Somerset’s new projects has led to economic growth in These statistics are a testament to the area but last year was recognised as having accommodation in May 2017. Team North the local area and the enhancement of achievements of the College Group the third largest inequality gap in England, Somerset promotes economic growth, educational and employment opportunities. when it comes to increasing progression putting it on par