CONNECT June 2019

CONNECT N E WS

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D I A RY DAT E S JUNE 201 9

Tresham College Academy of Sport visited the AoC Championships at the end of April and the Boys Football Team returned as National Champions after ending the tournament undefeated.

BCS BEDFORD COLLEGE SERVICES

EDITOR’S NOTE

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 4 JUNE –

19 JUNE –

GCSE English Language Paper 1

Tresham College Open

(support required from all staff)

Day, Kettering Campus

Hello everyone!

6 JUNE –

(5:00pm - 7:30pm)

Welcome to the June issue of CONNECT Magazine with all the latest news from across the Group.

GCSE Maths Paper 2 (support

20 JUNE –

required from all staff)

Tresham College Open Day,

7 JUNE –

Wellingborough Campuses

The sun has begun to shine on a more regular basis which makes exams season a little more bearable! The latest issue of Connect hopes to keep you informed of all that is going on across the Group before the summer break.

Next months issue will be the last issue until we return from the summer break so make sure you send in your news and photos of what your areas are doing to in the final weeks of term.

GCSE English Language Paper 2

(5:00pm - 7:30pm)

(support required from all staff)

21 JUNE –

11 JUNE -

The Bedford Sixth Form

GCSE Maths Paper 3 (support

Welcome Day

required from all staff)

(8.50am - 4.00pm)

12 JUNE –

25 JUNE -

Bedford College Open Day

HE Offer holder Day (Bedfordshire)

(5:00pm - 7:30pm)

26 JUNE –

18 JUNE –

HE Conference (all HE staff invited)

Tresham College Open Day, Corby hosted at Shuttleworth Campus Campus (5:00pm - 7:30pm)

27 JUNE HE Offer holder Day (Northamptonshire)

CONTENTS OLIVIA MORTON

Corporate Communications and Events Manager

T: 01234 291026 E: omorton@bedford.ac.uk

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NEWS FROM THE CORPORATION

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PRINCIPAL’S UPDATE

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ILT NEWS

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NEWS FROM THE BEDFORD COLLEGE GROUP

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YOUR PICTURES

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EQUALITY & DIVERSITY

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SPOTLIGHT ON STUDENT SERVICES

Corporation News The summer term is always a busy one for the Corporation. The timetable of meetings continues with additional and more entertaining events such as the Hair & Beauty Show.

The Chair of the Corporation, Roger Marriott, retires in July and his long service and dedication to the Group will be celebrated at the Corporation dinner.

The priority for the Board in the forthcoming months remains the recruitment of new governors. More information has been posted on Bedford College Linked In and it would be great if you can help to further promote these opportunities and share the links.

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Student governor elections will be imminent for 2019-2020. A previous student governor who has now gone on to a successful career in finance said of the governor role; “ You can expect to develop public speaking, analytical skills, networking and most importantly being able to see the bigger picture”. Please talk to students about the opportunities available.

For more information please contact the Director of Governance & Clerk to the Corporation, Rachel Nicol on rnicol@bedford.ac.uk

RACHEL NICOL

Clerk to the Corporation T: 01234 291003 E: rnicol@bedford.ac.uk

Our communities love our college and show that again and again

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Did you know you can follow Ian on Twitter? @ipryce

PRINCIPAL’S UPDATE

#LoveOurColleges Week

It was Love Our Colleges week from 13th to 19th May. This is a national campaign to secure better funding for colleges in the next spending review. We are lucky in our area that our communities love our colleges and show that again and again.

On 16th May for example the Bedford business group Bedford BID not only sponsored our excellent Hair & Beauty Show at the Corn Exchange but then made a film about it too. Check it out at https://youtu.be/6u3eeQwsFt0

Hadlow Goodbye?

A new insolvency regime for colleges was introduced earlier this year, a sure sign that colleges are under real financial pressure.

This month Hadlow College in Kent became the first to be declared insolvent. The new regime means that, in addition to a traditional administrator, the DfE appoints an “education administrator” whose job is to ensure the educational provision continues, which means acting for the students, staff and community ahead of the creditors. It will be interesting to see how it unfolds.

Bedford Borough

Following the local elections in Bedford and the re-election of Mayor Dave Hodgson there has been a change in the responsibilities of his Executive. Education and Children’s Services now fall under Councillor James Valentine rather than Councillor Henry Vann.

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ILT IN THE CLASSROOM THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB When I work with teachers who want to improve their use of technology, my first question is always; ‘What do you want to achieve?’ You see I do not believe and will never be convinced that technology should be used in teaching and learning for its own sake. Technology is not inherently going to make your lesson any better or more engaging or ensure that learning is suddenly happening. Like any other resource, technology is a tool that should be selected purposefully.

So what do you want to achieve when you are using technology in your practice? Here are some ideas and examples to illustrate what I mean.

Assessment for learning: If you are looking for tools to effectively assess your students’ knowledge as a starter, a plenary or perhaps both; there are tons of tools for the job. Even here though you have to consider what you are assessing. I have seen loads of teachers using Kahoot (www.kahoot.it) in their lessons and to great effect, but we have to understand that this is really only assessing rote learning. Kahoot is great for assessing knowledge retention, but not very good for assessing understanding. Quizizz (www.quizizz.com) is perhaps one of my favourite tools for assessing knowledge as the reports are really powerful and if you have students that struggle to read under time pressure you can turn the timer off. Sporcle (www.sporcle.com) also has tons of pre-made quizzes on every subject you can imagine, this is really good for repetition and mastery of basic skills/knowledge.

If you need to assess higher order thinking skills then you need a different tool. Socrative (www.socrative.com) allows you to ask open ended questions which allow students to explain and even analyse. Google forms also have a quiz functionality which allows for open questions that you can mark and send feedback on. Creative use of Padlet (www. padlet.com) could also be a great way for students to gather evidence and reflect, explain and analyse their work or their choices.

If you want to use technology for assessment, start by considering what you want to assess, then choose a tool that meets that need. You would never set a matching activity for your group where they simply matched terms with their definitions and then claim they demonstrated an ability to apply those terms in contexts, the same is true for using technology as a resource.

Flipped learning: Like anything in education, it’s all about the buzz words.

Flipped learning, as doubt as many of you already know, is the concept that the delivery can happen outside of the classroom and the practice and application inside the classroom in the reverse of the traditional model. Again there are a number of tools that can do this well, but you need to

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consider which works best for the outcomes you want and for the way your students work.

One of my absolute favourites is TedEd (www.ed.ted.com) which allows you to build a complete lesson around any Ted talk, TedEd video or YouTube video. It has built in assessment with multiple choice, true false or short answer questions which you can go in and mark as a teacher. Some students, however, might not be very good at completing this work in their own time and would come to lesson unprepared.

This may take some practice to train students to go and do the work in their own time before it really starts to have an impact.

If you want to flip the classroom, but still give students a chance to share their own work, then Padlet (www.padlet. com) may be the perfect solution. Here you can create a framework for discovery for the group and they can share what they have found, post research, comment on each other’s work or simply share ideas. You could simply post your presentation or a video and instructions or worksheets onto a Padlet and create spaces for student feedback or work elsewhere on the page (Moodle would also work well for this outcome).

Flipped learning is really about differentiating for pace so students can complete the knowledge acquisition portion of learning at their own rate and repeat it as needed. This also allows for the more complex aspects of learning to happen in an environment where there is support available.

Ultimately, there are thousands of tools/resources that you can choose to use in your practice. My point is that technology is just like any other resource you use in your teaching, it is the way it’s used that is important. Do not fall into the trap of using technology to tick a box, if you want it to have a real impact on your work or on your students, then it must be used with a clear purpose. Start with what you want to do then choose the tool, it does not work the other way around.

MARK TINNEY Teacher Education Course Leader/ILT Development Coach

Tresham College

NEWS FROM THE BEDFORD COLLEGE GROUP FOOTBALL ACADEMY CROWNED NATIONAL FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS Students from Tresham College’s Boys Football Academy competed at the AoC Sport National Championships in Nottingham and came home as National Football Champions as representatives of the East Midland region.

A total of 24 students from Tresham College Academy of Sport travelled to the University of Nottingham to compete in boys football and girls volleyball. They battled against athletes from colleges across England, Wales and Northern Ireland during the three-day event in April.

With tough competition across the championship, the Tresham Boy’s Football team took on the best colleges and crushed their opponents by remaining unbeaten; without conceding a single goal in the tournament. Their performance ensured that there was no doubt in being crowned as the National Champions with all 12 squad members contributing to the overall victory.

Tresham Girls Volleyball team also competed at the championships, taking victories against colleges from Yorkshire and the North West to take 7th place overall following 3 wins out of their 6 games.

As well as their own success, teams were aiming to accumulate points for their region and win the prestigious Wilkinson Sword trophy.

Dan Burns, Head of Sport commented: “The AoC Sport National Championships is the flagship event in our college sport calendar and qualifying to compete at the championships is a fantastic achievement in its own right. For our Boys Football Academy to take victory and be crowned as national champions is outstanding and is just reward for their hard work and dedication. A large number of our students have aspirations to move into a career in elite sport and secure scholarships in the USA, so to experience the environment at the National Championships is fantastic for their own progression. Being able to experience and compete in the incredible facilities at University of Nottingham is a privilege and another great experience for the teams.”

The South East won the coveted title for the third year in a row, finishing with 210 points, ahead of arch rivals South West, who claimed the runners-up spot with 168 points.

West Midlands placed third with 160 points, six points clear of the Eastern region in fourth place.

During the event, more than 1,700 students from over 130 colleges took part in 13 different sports tournaments including football, squash, hockey, basketball and cricket at the University of Nottingham and surrounding areas.

AoC Sport Managing Director Marcus Kingwell said: “Sport is a great way to engage directly with young people. It’s been a privilege to help over 1,700 students enjoy the excitement, teamwork and friendship that comes from being part of this amazing sporting event.”

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NEWS FROM THE BEDFORD COLLEGE GROUP FIRST CLASS WORK EXPERIENCE An annual training exercise which sees a re-enactment of a plane crash where firefighters must evacuate a smokefilled fuselage, was recently staged at Tresham College’s Kettering campus.

Firefighters from Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS) joined forces with Travel and Tourism students to recreate the scenario.

The simulated fire, which used synthetic smoke, enabled students from various courses including Travel & Tourism, Uniformed Public Services, and Drama to get involved and play a key role in the practice response to this incident.

NFRS, who were also supported by St John Ambulance, sent five fire appliances and about 30 firefighters to take part in the exercise.

Lucy Skipper,Lecturer in Travel and Tourism at Tresham College said: “This annual training event is a fantastic live action opportunity to gain experience in the roles and responsibilities for those wanting to pursue a career as cabin crew. Having our own aircraft on campus is a great training tool, but being able to work with Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service in a 999 exercise is an added bonus in terms of real life work experience.”

NFRS Watch Commander Garry Hodgkins said: “This exercise has become an annual event, which offers valuable experience to both students and firefighters in responding to an incident which is thankfully very rare.

The students really impressed us with their professionalism and the enthusiasm with which they took on the many different roles involved in this scenario. From our perspective, we were pleased to be able to support them in their learning and it also provides us with even more training in terms of working alongside different agencies in responding to a serious incident.”

This exercise also helps the students to gain their assessment and ultimately a qualification in Cabin Crew. Learning in a real life scenario helps them prepare for the challenges of the role and allows them to see how agencies work together.

The training exercise aims to give students, from multiple different courses, an opportunity to respond to a staged emergency. It also helps students to complete assessments as part of their course and gain a qualification in Cabin Crew. Learning in a real life scenario helps them prepare for the challenges of the role and allows them to see how agencies work together.

Taking part in the exercise also enables NFRS to practice large aircraft procedures and firefighting techniques such as using breathing apparatus to carry out search and rescue procedures in smoke and darkness.

INSTAGRAM STAR GETS HIS POSTER DESIGN PUBLISHED Bedford College student, Curtis Reeve, challenged himself to design a poster every week, for a year, using Instagram’s BlankPoster site. One of his designs based on the word ‘Impact’ has been selected to feature in Blank Poster’s book to be published later in the year.

Following on from his success, Curtis will continue to design a poster a week, this year inspired by playing

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cards. Once designed he uploads them to his Instagram @cr.eativedesign Curtis is studying in his third year for Graphic Communications BA (Hons) and already has a range of tremendous experiences behind him following his decision to retrain after a period of working in insurance. Now he is hoping to complete his BA (Hons) degree and work in a London agency.

NEWS FROM THE BEDFORD COLLEGE GROUP MAKING WAVES WITH HAIR SHOW Hair and Beauty students at Bedford College were “making waves” with their ‘Under the Sea’ show held on May 16th.

The annual event is always a trafficstopper in the town as nearly 100 models with weird and wonderful makeovers parade from Brooks training salon on the High Street to the Bedford Corn Exchange for the show.

A catwalk of nearly 100 models and style artists wowed the audience and the winners shared £500 worth of Love Bedford gift vouchers donated by the BedfordBID on behalf of town centre businesses.

Hair and Beauty Manager Kerry Attfield said:

“The show is the highlight of the year for students as it gives them a taste of the excitement of the world of high fashion as it exists outside of the local salon.

It is also a great showcase for Bedfordshire businesses to see the talent we are producing at Brooks training Salon.”

Christina Rowe, Director of

BedfordBID says: “These Hair and Beauty students, like 1,000s of others from Bedford College, are important customers in the town centre. They are also closely linked to the many hair and beauty businesses in the town centre and go on to work in local salons and spas.”

SAVING THE WORLD ONE BRICK AT A TIME Full-time Construction students from the Corby campus have been gaining real life work experience by helping to build the £3.65 Zoological Education Centre at Shuttleworth College, Old Warden.

modern construction industry for themselves where professionalism, as well as top skills, are vital.

Recent work has begun elsewhere on the site and the biome which

will create a tropical atmosphere and the alligator pool. This is the only one I know of for an FE college. This experience is not the usual housing estate or office block development for students!”

A group of twenty Level One bricklayers and carpenters worked in relays over ten days to help construct one of the facility blocks on the site.

This activity brought together students from Tresham College’s Corby campus in Northamptonshire to the Shuttleworth countryside campus in Bedfordshire.

Mark Eustace, Project Manager, who is overseeing the build of the Zoological Education Centre and the only one of its kind for a FE college in the UK said: “This very unusual development gives these students a chance to see the challenges of the

read more about developments here: www.shuttleworth.ac.uk

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NEWS FROM THE BEDFORD COLLEGE GROUP KEEPSAKE TREE – MAKE YOUR MARK To celebrate the opening of the new Zoological Education Centre at Shuttleworth College we are installing keepsake trees for those wishing to leave their mark as a student, staff or a partner and recognise their time with the college.

16 characters per line (including spaces and punctuation).

There is an opportunity to purchase a leaf or an apple that will be used to fill the trees installed within the Briefing Area and Aviary of the Zoological Education Centre.

The trees will be placed to make the best use of natural sun light and will be visible both within the building and to passing visitors through the glass exteriors.

There is also an opportunity to purchase a bespoke apple for individuals or partner businesses who have worked with the college to stand out from the leaves at £250 per apple which will allow up to four lines of up to 16 characters per line (including spaces and punctuation).

Leaves can be purchased at £100 per leaf for the Silver Finish Leaf which will allow two lines of up to

*Each line can have up to 16 characters per line -spaces & punctuation count as characters

To purchase your leaf please contact omorton@bedford.ac.uk who will be able to provide more information.

All leaves are 0.5mm thick.

Engraved leaves cannot be folded

*Each line can have up to 16 characters per line -spaces & punctuation count as characters

ANIMAL EXTINCTION - ACTION THROUGH EDUCATION Staff and students at Shuttleworth College have been praised by the Species 360 Conservation Science Alliance for providing vital information which is contributing to saving creatures from across the globe from extinction.

The animal welfare team have been recording data about creatures in their care since 2017 into a Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS). In total they have added information on 596 birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals of 302 species “making a huge impact on the understanding of these species’ life histories”.

A representative from Species 360 Conservation Science Alliance commented: “A paper published in the journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that uses data recorded by Shuttleworth College, and in collaboration with others zoos and aquariums worldwide, confirms that critical information is missing from global data for more than 98% of known species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.

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It’s a gap with far-reaching implications for conservationists seeking to blunt the impact of mass extinctions.

That changed when researchers added in date from a previously untapped source - ZIMS. Shuttleworth College records its data in ZIMS which is then curated by wildlife professionals working in 97 countries. It seems inconceivable. Yet scientists tasked with saving species often had to power through with ‘best guess’ assumptions.”

Thanks to our students and others adding the information Dalia A Conde, Director of Species 360 said: “Adding ZIMS was like turning on the lights in an otherwise very dim room.”

Incorporating ZIMS boosted the Species Knowledge Index (SKI) which was developed by scientists to map threatened animals.

Shuttleworth’s very own equivalent to David Attenborough, Carl Groombridge Head of the Zoological Education Centre and long standing lead on animal welfare said:

“Here in Old Warden, Bedfordshire we have been adding information into a system used around the world to fill in vital gaps about species which are under threat. The farreaching implications of the work shows that our students are really making a difference in helping to save species from extinction.”

Work at Shuttleworth is not just about collecting data, it is about caring for representatives of every family of animal on the planet and training young people for jobs in conservation.

NEWS FROM THE BEDFORD COLLEGE GROUP MATRIX REACCREDITATION The Bedford College Group has successfully been reaccredited with the prestigious Matrix standard following an assessment in April.

Staff from the group worked together to achieve the reaccreditation of this unique quality standard that recognises the information, advice and guidance offered by organisations to help individuals in their choice of careers, learning, work and life goals.

Immediate feedback from the assessor saw the teams being praised for its alignment of

services, clear understanding of where improvements need to be made, good investment in student feedback, strong evidence of CPD and good investments in PATS and careers teams.

During the feedback there were some areas highlighted for us to consider improving upon which will be taken forward by the various teams involved over the next few months.

A full report will be available in the next few weeks which we will disseminate out.

Well done to all involved.

999… WHAT’S YOUR EMERGENCY? Applied Medical Students from Tresham College’s Kettering campus had a behind the scenes (and on the scenes) tour of the accident and emergency department at Kettering General Hospital to see how patients are cared for throughout their time there; from admission to discharge.

This enrichment opportunity, as part of their Physiological

Investigations Unit, allowed students to gain a better understanding of a career within the NHS alongside contributing toward their BTEC applied science course. Students were shown real life applications of what they’d learnt in class for instance, taking blood pressure, pulse, and oxygen saturations as would happen for an accident and emergency situation.

After this, students got to take part and watch a simulated emergency of a patient with a gunshot wound which trainee doctors use for the practice exam.

The group were fascinated by the trip and some want a career in paramedic science, nursing, and midwifery.

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NEWS FROM THE BEDFORD COLLEGE GROUP VISIT TO THE RNLI AT SOUTHEND-ON-SEA Level 3 Uniformed Public Service Students from Bedford College recently visited the Southend-OnSea RNLI boat station as part of their introduction to a variety of Emergency Services visits which takes place throughout the year.

Students were made aware of the need to use teamwork, communication and discipline to enable the team to act effectively.

It wasn’t all learning though, after their visit the group enjoyed some free time on the sea front eating Fish and Chips and enjoying spring sunshine!!!

Students gained an insight into the variety of crafts available and what is involved during the rescues. The group of students learned how the volunteer staff needed to save lives and about the various rescues that have been carried out.

CHECK ‘ON YA’ MATE This month, Tresham College in Kettering welcomed The Battling Suicide Bus and their 5-a-side Chess boards.

They are a Social Enterprise determined to reconnect people in a disconnected world. Loneliness and social isolation, which often lead to poor mental health, have never been more prevalent here in the UK. To combat this, their giant chess sets are used as icebreakers to get people back into the ‘Art of Conversation’.

Some students commented on how the event enabled

them to open up and have a stronger understanding of issues surrounding mental health, with others having never played chess before, and being able to go away from the event with new skills.

As part of the project, we were fortunate enough to receive a 5-a-side chess board, which will be kept in Student Services - if there are any students interested in finding out about the game or the work of 5-a-side Chess, then please pop along to Student Services for more information.

Summer Season

H un d r e d s of S t u d e nts , T hous an d s o f I d eas !

Bedford College Art & Design Exhibitions

Diploma & Foundation 7 and 8 June

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Extended Diploma 14 and 15 June

Higher Education 21 June to 5 July

NEWS FROM THE BEDFORD COLLEGE GROUP NICE DAY FOR A WEDDING A recent collaboration between departments has seen two Level 3 Hairdressing Apprentices from Brooks Hair & Beauty and six Level 3 Photography students working together to create a bridal themed photo shoot to demonstrate their skills.

It was lovely to take a step back and watch as the hairdressing and photographic students combined their skills and worked so well together.

Guiding models, using lighting and bouncing off one another’s ideas.

even making up a fresh bouquets of flowers to support the students with their activity.

The photo shoot allowed the students to express their creativity and showcase their skills whilst gaining images for their personal portfolios to promote themselves, Brooks and Bedford College. It was a great opportunity for photography students to work for a client with a specific brief and for the hairdressing apprentices to consider models, make-up and working as part of a team.

I was also astonished by the generosity of the local businesses that were more than happy to donate/lend bridal gowns, grooms suits

Local suppliers, Magic Garden florist and Sue Ryder donated flowers and clothes for students to use on the day.

As the event was such a success I will be looking to do something like this again next year on a larger scale.”

Sinead McTernan, Trainer/Assessor at Brooks Hair and Beauty commented: “The whole day was fantastic from beginning to end. Starting in the Brooks hair salon, where the models were styled and dressed in their bridal wear, over to main site making use of the studio as well as the new Buchanan Centre for a contemporary feel.

ROOF WITH A VIEW Tresham College art students have been taking part in a Sketchbook competition hosted by the Rooftop Arts Centre in Corby.

Their work was included in an exhibition and more importantly provided “live brief” experience for the Level 1, 2 and 3 Fashion and Graphic Design students who had to create a 20 page A5 sketchbook as part of the project.

There will be a public vote for the favourite three pieces of the work, the results of which have yet to be announced.

Steph Bebbington, Course Manager Art and Design, Creative Arts said: “We arranged for over 70 students to participate. It was a great opportunity for them to engage in a live exhibition brief creatively responding in their own individualised way.

Other skills students learned along the way were: collaborating with a professional gallery, meeting deadlines, pricing of art work and producing a working title for their final outcome.

The students had the opportunity to invite friends and family to the private view to show off their hard work and input seeing their work presented in a professional setting.”

The Rooftop Arts Centre is a not for profit organisation offering exhibitions, events and workshops.

The Sketchbook project was a call-out to creatives explore the possibilities of a sketchbook.

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NEWS FROM THE BEDFORD COLLEGE GROUP CONSTRUCTION STUDENTS AT CORBY GAINING INSIGHTS THROUGH ENRICHMENT Construction students from the Corby campus have enjoyed over 30 enrichment events and activities, with yet more to add before the end of the academic year.

The activities have covered a range of subjects to provide students with additional knowledge and skills to support their learning. With fantastic help from local employers, large and small, the team have organised tutorials, presentations, masterclasses, site visits, team building exercises and industry based trips.

Keepmoat Homes delivered employability tutorials within the first month of the academic year as well as welcoming them onto the Kings Park housing site in Corby. Other site visits have included five separate tours round the Volker Fitzpatrick project on the Midlands Logistics Park in Corby, a massive and amazing project and highly motivating for our students who may have aspirations to become site or project managers.

Flameport Enterprises, David Savery Electrical Enterprises, and DWatts Training. The Electrical Installation students also attended presentations from Weetabix, RS Components, Tata Steel and Beneleter Automotives during National Apprenticeship Week, with a significant number applying for apprenticeship vacancies as a result.

Product demonstrations from Oxtools, Edmundsons Electrical Ltd, and Collingwood Lighting have raised awareness of the resources available within the industry.

Anthony Foley from Foley Tech Ltd helped our plumbing students to develop their interview skills, resulting in the offer of work experience for some.

Tingdene Homes, inspired our Painting and Decorating, and Plumbing students, when they toured the manufacturing plant and visitor centre and saw the state of the art techniques and materials used.

In addition to site visits, many guest speakers have given inspirational presentations about the profession and how they progressed through their training and into their successful careers. Speakers have included included Billy Cox from Metcalf Commercial Decorators, Darren Stanniforth NICEIC’s Technical Development Manager, Allan Haynes, Trainee Development Manager with LJConstruction, Steve Hurrell from Aroura Lighting, and Paul Meenan Founder of the e5 group and a fellow of the IET. A range of masterclasses have been delivered to our Electrical Installation students including Thomas Nagy, well known youtuber and Electrician who has visited the college twice this year, Luke Witchard self-employed electrician, John Ward

Level 1 Carpentry, Electrical Installation and Plumbing students had an interesting day at Worldskills Live at the NEC in Birmingham in November, and Plastering students enjoyed amazing training and hospitality when they spent a day in March with Weber- Saint Gobain in Flitwick learning new skills in Monocouche plastering techniques.

In addition to enriching their students learning, personal enrichment and team building has included joining in the Football Tournament at Christmas, Bowling for the Painting and Decorating students, a skills competition for plumbing students, and orienteering for the Brickwork students.

Student representatives from all our C&BS courses have participated in Student Focus groups, providing useful and meaningful feedback, and six attended the Student Conference at Shuttleworth in April.

This has been a busy two terms and the team hope to arrange more informative, aspirational and motivational activities before the end of this exciting academic year.

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NEWS FROM THE BEDFORD COLLEGE GROUP COMPANIES OPEN DOORS TO SIXTH FORM STUDENTS Employers who have helped The Bedford Sixth Form A Level students to provide a taste of real life work experience were thanked at a special event organised earlier this month.

Organised by Laura Plava, one of a dedicated team of Work Experience Co-ordinators, the gathering celebrated over 200 placements undertaken by students since September 2018.

Laura commented: “Meeting employers and gaining insights into their working environment is vital experience for our students so they can make informed choices about how they want to progress after their A Levels.”

As additional experience, A Level student Jack Rodden, 17 of Olney assisted at the event.

Jack is hoping to become a bio-chemist after completing his

A Levels in Biology, Chemistry and Computing. He completed work experience at Headway, a charity which focuses on the rehabilitation of people after suffering brain injuries.

“It gave me an interesting insight into their work,” said Jack.

The Bedford Sixth Form sends more students on to university including sought after Russell Group destinations, than any school sixth form in Bedfordshire.

Another student, Phoebe Gallant, was able to blog about her experience at Keystone Marketing in St Neots: https://keystone-marketing.co.uk/ a-week-of-work-experience-atkeystone---phoebe-gallant-tells?i d=80&start2=0&hash=9e1e5f756 e9c6b96551f13aa81a4fcd0bbdfb1 460a2

PRINCE’S TRUST WINNERS The Prince’s Trust Team 3 recently celebrated the end of their programme with a finale held at Trinity Theatre in Bedford. The ceremony saw 19 young people complete the 12 week course and gain their qualifications. Following their time on the course, many of them are going on to further education or employment as a direct result of being involved in the Team.

Team Leader Mark Williams interviewed all the contenders, some of whom are young people living at the YMCA Bedfordshire. Others, by their own admission in a series of personal presentations, were lying

in bed, not leaving their house, not working and in some cases suffering mental health issues before deciding to join the Team.

“The transformation in these young people - standing up in front an audience of 100, telling their stories and explaining what they did during the 12 weeks, is incredible,” said Vice Principal, Mike Johnston.

As part of the 12 weeks Team programme the group of 19 took part in a week at a residential centre abseiling, zip-wiring and caving. They spent three weeks fund-raising and carrying out a

community project supporting the Bedford Opportunities for Learning Disabilities (BO4LD) and gardening at the YMCA Foyer. They also undertook a variety of work experience placements and visited Barclaycard in Northants for advice on CV writing and interviewing techniques. As a culmination they took part in a talent show called Living It Up. Mark Williams told the group at the presentation: “This is just the start, go onwards, and seize life.”

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NEWS FROM THE BEDFORD COLLEGE GROUP YOU’RE HIRED – APPRENTICESHIP SUCCESS STORIES As part of their programme, Computing students are encouraged to engage in work ready activities such as CV writing, interview skills and job hunting techniques. All of our students are expected to carry out a minimum of 20 hours work placement as part of their study programme which has been very beneficial to a number of our students and demonstrates we are preparing them for work.

An example of this is Theo Field. Theo has been involved in a number of enhancement activities this year including: The Have a Go activity which the Department ran at Worldskills, NEC Birmingham, from 16-18 November 2018. There were a number of different activities taking place on the stand (3D printers, BBC micro:bit robots, upgrading a laptop, and a Computing timeline activity), and students were involved working with members of the public on the activities.

In addition to this, Theo was part of one of two teams from the Computing Department who competed in the VEX Robotics Regional competitions at Goldington Academy in Bedford on 30th November and 25th January. Students had to build their VEX Robots and competed in matches played against other teams. 23 teams took part, with some from as far away as Stowe and Coventry.

Theo’s team were placed 8th. The Computing Department was sponsored by Lockheed Martin for the competition, who also provided the robotics equipment and tools required for the competition.

When Lockheed Martin started their recruitment drive for September 2019 intake they held an event at the College at the end of January to give an insight to anyone interested in finding out more about gaining an apprenticeship with Lockheed Martin. Theo went along to the event and impressed Lockheed alongside 3 others who attended and led to Lockheed commenting that they “wanted to keep an eye out for their CVs”.

In recent weeks Theo has received confirmation from Lockheed Martin that he has been successful in gaining an Apprenticeship with them. Theo will complete his Level 3 Extended Diploma and will then come back to the College to complete an HND in Computing.

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In addition to Theo, Engineering are celebrating a new partnership with Tracto-Technik UK Ltd. Alan Ashpole, Engineering Training Coordinator at Brunel Road, has assisted the company to sign up new Engineering apprentice, Ben Moody.

Tracto-Technik UK Ltd have been working with the college for bespoke courses for the past two years but following the strong relationship developed between Alan and Gary Preston, Training Manager at Tracto-Technik, Ben has been signed up as their first apprentice.

Further opportunities for work experience opportunities for Engineering students are being discussed with the company who develop, produce and market machines and accessories for the underground installation and renewal of pipelines.

Ben will begin completing a Level 2 engineering apprenticeship to start with, and then he will move onto the Level 3 engineering apprenticeship course and Tracto-Technik plan to take on a second engineering apprentice from January 2020.

Well done to both Theo and Ben for progressing in to apprenticeships in their chosen careers.

NEWS FROM THE BEDFORD COLLEGE GROUP NOMINATE FOR ACHIEVEMENTS CEREMONIES 2019 As students begin to complete their courses and exams season is well underway the time has come to begin nominating your students of the year for the achievements ceremonies taking place in Northamptonshire on Thursday 28th November and in Bedfordshire on Thursday 5th December.

Keep an eye out on the intranet for more details of how to nominate your students which will open from 3rd June 2019 and can be completed online.

Nominations close on Friday 7th July 2019.

When nominating your student of the year, please consider whether they would be suitable for Outstanding Student of the Year award too.

Each year, we are able to celebrate hundreds of success stories showing how our students have achieved over and above during their time at college.

STAFF AWARDS Do you know somebody that has gone out of their way to provide outstanding service?

Remember, one well-written nomination with plenty of supporting evidence is better than several which contain little or no information.

Do you know the best teacher in the group? Let us know!

Any member of staff can be nominated for awards, but staff cannot nominate themselves. All nominations must be received

by Wednesday 31st July 2019.

Nominees will be notified of their nomination after judging commences. Winners will receive their awards at the College Achievements Ceremony in the Autumn.

It’s time to take an opportunity to reflect on the fantastic work being done by our staff across the group and recognise their achievements. The nomination categories this year are: • 2019 Professional Services Staff of the Year • 2019 Teacher of the Year • 2019 Staff Innovator Award • 2019 Staff Customer Focus Award

• 2019 Unsung Hero Award Find out more about the awards including criteria for each award and how to nominate on the Staff Intranet college.oak.com

Keep an eye out on the intranet for the nomination form which will be accessible via the intranet from 3rd June 2019 and can be completed online.

Nominations close on Wednesday 31st July 2019.

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YOUR PICTURES Every month you send the marketing team wonderful images from our different campuses that we post on to our social media channels. Here are some of this month’s highlights.

#L W ove ac eek Ou ro C rC ss ele ol all br leg ca ate es m d pu se s

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450 Pheasant Eggs being incubated at Shuttleworth

r d he isite AID v e i R Ell u ing T n sit winn design i bank

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da ste atch o s h m 0lb rie ling a 2 e h g th Fis r an n wi rp a h 24 d wo n C o an mm Co

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PEOPLE NEWS CURRENT VACANCIES Here are the current vacancies available across the Group. Visit the Staff Intranet to find out more information on how to apply.

Teacher - French (plus additional language) Location: Bedford Application closing date: 26/05/2019 Student Registry Co-ordinator Location: Kettering Salary: Circa £20,000 per annum, pro rata dependent on qualifications and experience Application closing date: 27/05/2019 Instructor in Engineering Apprenticeships (Electrical) Location: Bedford Salary: Circa £26,500 per annum, pro rata dependent on qualifications and experience Application closing date: 27/05/2019 Associate Admissions Administrator Location: Bedford Salary: £8.21 per hour Application closing date: 27/05/2019 Associate Customer Contact Assistant / Receptionist Location: Corby Salary: £8.21 per hour Application closing date: 27/05/2019 Student Registry Co-ordinator Location: Bedford Salary: Circa £20,000 per annum, pro rata dependent on qualifications and experience Application closing date: 27/05/2019 Technician in Media Location: Bedford Salary: Circa £17,124 per annum, pro rata, dependent on qualifications and experience.

Application closing date: 28/05/2019 Associate Teacher of Chemistry (The Bedford Sixth Form) Location: Bedford Salary: Unqualified Lecturers/teachers £20.50 per hour, qualified Lecturers/ Teachers £21.50 per hour.

Application closing date: 28/05/2019 Associate Teacher of French Location: Bedford Salary: Unqualified Lecturers/teachers £20.50 per hour, qualified Lecturers/ Teachers £21.50 per hour.

Application closing date: 28/05/2019

BECOME A GOVERNOR

The Corporation seeks applications from talented prospective governors on an ongoing basis. The Bedford College Group serves an ethnically diverse community and our Board should be representative of the local community. In order to improve the composition of the Board in terms of diversity, the College welcomes all applicants and particularly applications from women and those from minority ethnic backgrounds.

It would be much appreciated if staff could promote the governor roles through their links in their communities and log any activity and feedback with me on rnicol@bedford.ac.uk or 01234 291003.

Below is a link to the website page “Become a governor”. www.bedford.ac.uk/about/corporate-governance/become-a-governor

RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS JUNE The Inter Faith Network website has a more detailed list of festivals with short descriptions.

5th

EID-UL-FITR Muslim

16th

MARTYRDOM OF GURU ARJAN Sikh

20th

CORPUS CHRISTI Christian

21st

MIDSUMMER SOLSTICE Pagan / SUMMER SOLSTICE Druid / WORLD HUMANIST DAY

GYPSY, ROMA 17-23 JUNE 2019 AND TRAVELLER REFUGEE WEEK: HISTORY MONTH: ‘You, me and those who came before’.

The celebration of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller culture, history and positive contributions to society aims to tackle the negative stereotyping and prejudices.

The research ‘The last acceptable form of racism?’ published in 2017 highlights the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people’s experience of bullying in school, and of prejudice and discrimination in employment, health care and access to services. Cases of discrimination and bullying occurred at every level of the education system, from pre-school to university. The most prevalent areas where respondents described discrimination were the conduct of teachers and bullying by other pupils/ students. Teachers were frequently mentioned in the context of perpetuating stereotypes, poor engagement with parents and overlooking bullying and racism.

In the UK, Refugee Week is a nationwide programme of arts, cultural and educational events that celebrate the contribution of refugees to the UK, and encourages a better understanding between communities.

The theme, ‘You, me and those who came before’, is an invitation to explore the lives of refugees – and those who have welcomed them – throughout the generations. People escaping war and persecution have been welcomed by communities in the UK for hundreds of years, and their stories and contributions are all around us. From the Jewish refugees of the 1930s to people fleeing Vietnam in the 1970s, Kosovans in the 1990s to those arriving today; they are part of who we all are.

Local support Bedfordshire Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support https://www.brassbedford.org.uk/ For more details and inspiration go to Equality and Diversity on Connect intranet.

Customer Contact Adviser Location: Kettering Salary: £22,000 per annum, pro rata dependent on qualifications and experience.

Application closing date: 29/05/2019

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SPOTLIGHT ON...

STUDENT SERVICES WHAT DOES MY DEPARTMENT DO? Student Services deliver careers information, advice and guidance to students and potential students to encourage them to fulfil their individual potential. This is achieved through providing a holistic service and offering support or referral for pastoral health/welfare. We also support the development and delivery of the careers education programme to college students, as well as ensuring that all students have the money necessary to make college affordable and accessible. We can also help students with their application for University Loans.

WHERE ARE YOU BASED? The team are based across all of the Bedford college group sites throughout the week supporting 1:1’s, group works and department events throughout the year.

Coordinators/Careers Advisers; Fiona Nicoll, Kim Knight, Karen Thomas and Joe Perry across Northamptonshire.

Kal Amin, Sharma Abora, Lina Njoroge, Zhunia Zuze, Ruth Adams, Michael Worthington, Francis Kauffman and Mick Andreana in Bedford.

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO WORK IN YOUR DEPARTMENT? We are passionate about helping young people to make the right decisions for themselves and helping them to achieve their goals. This makes working in Student Services both challenging and rewarding. We are a small close knit team who support each other and who don’t take ourselves too seriously!

WHAT ACHIEVEMENTS DID THE TEAM ACCOMPLISH LAST YEAR? Recent achievements include achieving MATRIX Standard. During accreditations some of the strengths in identified were; strong evidence of impartiality and good investment of student feedback. Another notable change this academic year has been establishing a full-time presence at the Corby campus enabling learners to have direct access to a Careers Adviser.

CHALLENGES FOR NEXT YEAR? Students Services have already started planning for next academic year with the intent of running workshops and Careers Fairs Kettering, Corby and Cauldwell street campuses during in March 2020. During Careers Month Student Services will also run a wide range of 1:1 information, advice and guidance sessions aimed at supporting our student’s progression into; further education, higher education or employment. Another key aim, given the success this academic year, will be to invite back agencies such as the Yellow Bus Tour, The Battling Suicide Bus and local and National employers creating a through year programme of events.

WHAT ROLES DOES EACH TEAM MEMBER HAVE? Our team of qualified careers and finance advisers all deliver a combination of in-depth interviews and group sessions on a variety of topics including progression options, interview skills and job search. We

also offer an all-day drop in service.

The Careers Team organise employer talks and liaise with local companies.

We help students through the UCAS application process through group and drop in sessions. Other duties include publishing a regular Jobs and Opportunities Bulletin and designing careers themed displays. Financial advisers provide advice on financial support available within the college and from external agencies, as well as processing bursary application. We also deliver talks on university finance and money management.

ANY INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT YOUR DEPARTMENT AND THE PEOPLE IN THE TEAM? Members of the team have come to student services from interesting backgrounds. This has included: •

Working in TV and alongside a famous author.

•

Marketing for the Hilton and Account Manager at HSBC Group.

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Meeting celebrities including Take That when working in the hospitality trade.

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Working in Harrods and Hamleys as well as teaching English in Japan and Ecuador

•

Handing out fines as a parking inspector

•

Worked at the Queen Mothers Funeral as a Cap Bearer

•

Taken photos of leading Grime Artists and International DJs

To find out more about us visit our page on the Staff Intranet 18

June 2019