CONNECT November 2020

Find out more on how the Group is supporting quality research on page 5.

More about access to wellbeing resources on our intranet can be found on page 6.

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U P DAT E S

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Read more about our success in being shortlisted for the Northamptonshire Business Awards on page 9.

D I A RY DAT E S

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D I S CO U N TS

Congratulations to everyone for winning the title of FE College of the Year 2020.

The Bedford College Group was awarded the title at the glittering online TES FE Awards 2020 held on 16 October.

Our Estates Team also won the coveted Professional Services Team of the Year which recognises their fantastic professionalism and commitment to us all.

BCS BEDFORD COLLEGE SERVICES

March 2020

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Principal’s Update

Olivia Morton

Ian Pryce CBE

Communications Executive

Editor’s Double the Success!

We have won the best FE College in the country as well as being recognised as having the best Professional Services Team for an FE College. Scooping these awards led to five trophies in four years for the Group and shows our commitment to being one of the leading providers of education in England. Please help share the good news by adding the banner to the bottom of your emails for all of our stakeholders to see.

If you would like to add your staff news to the next issue of CONNECT please send your article and photos to omorton@bedford.ac.uk no later than Wednesday 18 November.

Contents Pg.2

Key Dates

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Principal’s Update

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Corporation News

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Research

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Wellbeing

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Group News

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FE College Of The Year 2020

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Business Awards 2020

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Welcome To The Group

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Equality & Diversity

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Diversity Calendar

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Training Opportunities

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News

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Perks

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CEO The Bedford College Group

Your Diary GCSE Maths paper 2 - All Sites

Principal’s A Night to Remember The TES awards (the sector Oscars) for 2020 were finally held on 16th October. As communicated earlier it was a great night for The Bedford College Group, with our Estates & Capital teams winning the Professional Team of the year, and the group being named FE College of the year. That means we have won an astonishing five awards in four years.

The wins have generated lots of publicity in the sector but also locally, so please bask in our moment in the sun and I hope it provides some relief in these testing times.

5 November – 8.30am – 11.00am

Student Progress Grades (FA1) window closes 6 November

Winner

Shuttleworth College Virtual Open Day 7 November - 9.30am – 12.30pm

A Film to Remember

GCSE Maths Paper 3 - All Sites

9 November to 27 November

The annual #CollegesWeek took place 19-23 October.

We get asked each year to produce a song to mark the occasion. This year the song used was a version of “Always On My Mind”. We roped in 12 Principals from across the country to act as a lip-sync choir, and our marketing apprentice Cameron Smart expertly turned into one of the most-watched pieces of the week. If you want to check out Cameron’s work the link is below.

Bedford College Virtual Open Day

https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=1tfwQVqXgZA&feature=youtu.be

9 November - 8:30am - 11:00am

First Impressions Survey

9 November to 20 November

Progress Monitoring Review (PMR1)

10 November - 5.00pm – 8.00pm

The Bedford Sixth Form Virtual Open Day 11 November - 5.00pm – 8.00pm

Wellingborough Campus Virtual Open Day 12 November - 5.00pm – 7.00pm

National College for Motorsport Virtual Open Day

A Head to Remember Our excellent Head of The Bedford Sixth Form, Paul Clarkson, retires at the end of the calendar year.

The Sixth Form is still in its relative infancy but has made huge strides in that short period. Director Gail Cocozza began the adventure, helping set up the new Sixth Form after we acquired the former Bedford Girls’ School site.

Gail gave it a distinct identity, very different to the old college A-Level provision, and saw it grow quickly. Paul has continued that work, improving further our results (2nd best locally), our size (now the largest sixth form in the area), and progression to top universities. Paul leaves on a high with results and numbers higher than ever, and his successor has a great platform to develop our provision further still.

Some priorities This college year is one where we aim to maintain our high levels of service rather than try to make too many major developments. In most areas we plan for next year (202122) to replicate our curriculum for this year. This means our priority is to really focus on the student experience and to give our students great outcomes.

On the non-teaching side we must plan on the basis there will be very little face-to-face interaction with prospective students this year. As a result we are revamping our enrolment process to reflect this change, and looking at investing significantly in systems, including our telephone systems, to make them more effective and resilient.

18 November - 5.00pm – 7.00pm

For more diary dates visit www.bit.ly/collegecalendars Did you know you can follow Ian on Twitter?

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Rachel Nicol

Sam Jones MSc (Oxon)

Director of Governance and Clerk to the Corporation rnicol@bedford.ac.uk

Advanced Practitioner - Research and Scholarship Lead TES FE Awards - Teacher of the year 2019 sjones@bedford.ac.uk

Corporation The Corporation have settled well into their virtual meeting cycle for the academic year. They are missing being on campus but were able to access The Bedford Sixth Form Virtual Open Day. Members hope to tour more campuses and get to know staff through open events, taking place over the next few weeks too. If there are any events you would like them to be involved in please let me know.

We were delighted to hear that Vinod Tailor, who joined our Board in 2019, was awarded an MBE recently for his services to the community.

Vinod kindly agreed to share his experiences so you can get to know him better.

What community roles/activities are you engaged with?

I am a Trustee of Temenos Academy, this is an educational charity in London which aims to offer education in philosophy and the arts in the light of the sacred traditions of East and West.

I still mentor for Prince’s Trust, help Noah Welfare (a homeless charity), Keech Hospice, Signpost, Penrose and a few others.

What activities have you taken up to help out during the COVID-19 pandemic?

I have been coordinating food distribution to those in need, elderly and also offering supplies to Hospitals, Ambulance Service, Fire and Rescue, District Nurses and went shopping for the elderly.

Do you have a message for the staff and students of the Group?

Education is so important in life. As Teachers “GURU” you give a beginning foundation to the student’s future.

For students, the respect for the teacher is important to be able to extract more from them.

In this country, we are blessed with a fine education system and it is up to the individual student to make the most of this opportunity.

What is your background?

I came from Uganda in 1972 at the age of 14 as a refugee.

I joined Banking/Finance in 1974.

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

The Bedford College Group has recently created its own definition of ‘quality’ research: We are committed to supporting and producing good quality research that leads educational development within the Group and the sector as a whole. The Group believes that good quality research starts with well framed research questions that draw upon a review of previous research. The researcher will choose a methodology and data collection methods that are congruent with the research’s aims and questions, showing an awareness of the research tradition. The research will seek to explore contexts within and around the college, seeking to research and develop areas where little is understood about professional practice in the College or the further education sector. In this respect we would expect good quality research to draw on other data sets from within the Group and the sector more broadly.

All primary data will be collected following the Group’s research ethics policy. The Group believes good quality research explains how data has been collected and analysed. This includes well laid out answers to the questions posed, clearly presenting the data on which conclusions are drawn and also exploring different ways in which the data may be interpreted. All research will be published or presented in a manner that can be understood by its intended audience and that allows for critique by colleagues within, and whenever possible, outside the Group.

Within this are the ‘big five’ of ‘quality’ research.

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Well framed research questions that draw on previous research, this includes the practitioner work we holdas well as more formally published work

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Ethical issues, which includes the ethics of dissemination of use of practitioner work as well as the protection of participants

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Methodology, which is justified in terms of collecting the data best suited to answering the research questions

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Conclusions to be based on clearly displayed and explained data

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Dissemination, through academic posters, videos, in teams across the college and beyond. This year we shared our teacher ed poster conference both inside and outside our Group.

Whilst the statement and the ‘big five’ attached to it may require adaption and change over time and within context, we believe that they represent a marker in the ground for us. If we are working towards the sector influencing policy at the organisational and national level we need to begin to consider that our voices have more than just ‘passion’.

We need to ensure that our voices, experiences and conceptualisations have the requirements that others will expect, so they can be respected and engaged with. In this respect ensuring the ‘quality’ of the work we produce has to be central to our next steps as a sector.

More information or if you would just like to chat ideas through, please drop me an email at: sjones@bedford.ac.uk

Why did you become a governor?

As a young person, I did not get much chance to study and progress my dream of becoming a doctor, but my daughter fulfilled that dream.

I want to inspire the future generations with opportunities and make them better citizens. I want to share my journey thus far.

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November 2020

Shuttleworth saves

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Committed to

Caroline Biddle

Executive Director of Human Resources cbiddle@bedford.ac.uk

Pioneering work by staff and students at Shuttleworth College has saved the lineage of an ancient tree uprooted to make way for the controversial HS2.

Access to

Paul Labous has done much to grow the profile of Shuttleworth College as a national centre of excellence when it comes to the propagation of pear trees.

From saving the “Shakespeare” Old Warden pear for posterity, to ensuring the lifeline of the famous “England’s Tree of the Year 2015”, the Cubbington, Paul has been involved.

He is passing down that expertise to the next generation of horticulturalists and arboriculturists who study at Shuttleworth College.

In the Employee Survey carried out in the 2019/20 academic year, it was identified that wellbeing was a key area staff wanted developed across the College.

One of the outcomes from this feedback was the establishment of the Wellbeing Steering Group which is a cross-college stakeholder group who have been working hard on a number of areas to improve the support of our staff’s wellbeing.

One of these areas to improve is training resources available and so this month we wanted to highlight the Professional Development page on CONNECT where all staff can access a number of resources.

The page itself can be found here https://college.oak.com/Home/Index/4cf5c535-9a964ce0-bf74-5c14bf716635 Alternatively, from the intranet homepage you can click on the menu at the top left of the screen, select Departments in the drop-down menu and then select Professional Development.

Through the Development Catalogue, you can access a portal to Development Events that has current courses for managers and aspiring managers, specific categories of staff and a wellbeing section where courses are in development.

Courses can be booked via the Professional Development Training Form and a link to this can be found at the top of the Development Events page.

Through the wellbeing link you can currently find three videos relating to resilience and further development of this area is ongoing.

So, we would recommend you setting aside some time for yourself to go and have a look at the resources available – and have a look at all aspects of Professional Development available to you whilst you’re there as well, you never know what might catch your eye.

If you would like any information on any area please email professionaldevelopment@bedford.ac.uk

On the left hand side of the Professional Development page, you will see several boxes with different menus, one of which is the Development Catalogue and another under Prof.Dev.Pages has a link directly to wellbeing.

Using advanced techniques, the DNA of the tree, which was uprooted by HS2 train line in October 2020, will be kept alive through 100s of offspring created at the college greenhouses in Old Warden Park.

The original Guardian article can be found here https:// www.ecologyresources.co.uk/the-cubbinton-pear Earlier Paul had won Heritage Lottery funding and national coverage for the DNA analysis of the Warden Pear mentioned in Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale.

Paul and the team have been featured in local Press and radio, and in a wide range of learned articles. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucksherts-31416929 “All of this activity supports real scientific advances, our undergraduate learning, our Royal Horticultural Society relationship and our ability to recruit new students at all levels,” said Paul, “As well as winning Shuttleworth College a place in the history books.”

Gina Bubbins and Jo Baxter we asked to lead on establishing the Wellbeing Steering Group earlier in the year following staff feedback.

Further to the Wellbeing Steering Group being set up, the Group has reaffirmed its commitment to staff and students by signing up to a brand new national mental health and wellbeing charter - created by the Association of Colleges (AoC) in conjunction with mental health experts.

The 11-point document includes commitments to: • Promote equality of opportunity and challenging mental health stigma • Provide appropriate mental health training for staff • Provide targeted individual mental health support where appropriate Dr Jo Baxter, Director at The Bedford College Group, said: “We have a Wellbeing Steering Group to encompass mental health awareness across our organisation and are using the AoC Mental Health Charter to set actions and priorities.

Richard Caulfield, Mental Health lead at the Association of Colleges, said: “Every single day colleges like The Bedford College Group provide a world class education and transform the lives of millions of people. This includes providing support for both staff and student wellbeing at the right time, in the right place. This charter gives colleges the chance to publicly state their commitment to the mental health agenda.” Said fellow Director Gina Bubbins: “The CEO asked myself and Jo to look at wellbeing as part of the Directors’ Away Days in 2019.

“Since then he has asked us to lead on implementing a WB strategy for the Group, which forms part of the People’s strategy “One of the actions we identified was to gain the AoC Mental Health Charter. The next stage is to set up MH awareness training for managers.”

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November 2020

Northamptonshire Business Awards 2020

Staff are celebrating winning the coveted won the title of FE College of the Year in the prestigious Times Educational Supplement (TES) Further Education awards (16 October 2020).

Staff from Bedford College, Shuttleworth College and The Bedford Sixth Form in Bedfordshire, and National College for Motorsport and Tresham College in Northamptonshire have risen to the challenge to become one of the top FE establishments in the UK and a leading provider of employer-related education.

According to the latest DfE’s Overall Institution Achievement Rates Tables 2017-18 the College is first in the Eastern region with overall achievement at 89%. The Group is also above national average for achievement in GCSEs, English, maths and apprenticeships. In addition, 2019 recruitment for Tresham College exceeded targets by 15%, with 2,543 students enrolling against a target of 2,215 and overall Group recruitment for 2019 was 13,709.

“The awards night was a wonderful celebration of the work of our extraordinary sector. I’m still in shock.

The College evaluates professional practice through learning walks, drop-ins, observations, student feedback and assessment reviews. New staff are given teacher toolkits and are supported by Advanced Practitioners.

The Group invests at least 1% of total income on staff development each year, which helps develop teachers of outstanding calibre, who win national awards.

“The shortlist for College of the Year was very strong, so to be judged the winner is one of the best moments of my two decades at The Bedford College Group. It has been a very special year for us on so many fronts.

In 2017 Judith Larsen won TES FE Teacher of the Year, in 2018 Keith Haynes was named TES FE Assessor of the Year and in 2019 Samantha Jones won TES FE Teacher of the Year.

“The congratulations of so many friends and colleagues in the sector is overwhelming. I am so proud of our 1,200 staff and 16,000 students and so privileged to be allowed to be their Principal. I never thought an online event could be so emotional.”

At the 2020 event, The Bedford College Group also won the Professional Services Team award for the fabulous team who have overseen these developments.

Ian Pryce CBE, Principal and CEO, who has steered the Group to this success said:

Passion, determination and exceptional hard work from staff at all levels of the Group has culminated with Ofsted’s recent announcement that The Bedford College Group, is rated Good in all areas, with adult and young learners developing “excellent” study skills. The Skills Funding Agency has also formally confirmed the College’s status as Outstanding for financial health with a £1million surplus.

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Said Ian: “Our Estates Team is so unassuming, yet so committed to making the student experience special from the minute they arrive on campus. This year they have performed exceptionally in the most difficult circumstances, keeping us safe, yet still managing to complete three major construction projects on time and budget. I hope every college estates team will feel the award recognises their work too.”

Within her nomination for Apprentice of the Year, Kyra was highlighted for excellence in working with the Group’s CRM system, where initially she was updating and maintaining accounts. With a unique combination of skills Kyra is very technically minded and a great problem solver, whilst also being a strong people person. One of Kyra’s strengths is explaining complex technical terms to people who are less experienced with IT. So she not only understands and uses the CRM system exceptionally well but she is also able to train colleagues to use it well too.

Last month we received the fantastic news that we have been shortlisted for two categories at the 2020 Northamptonshire Business Awards taking place on Thursday 25 February 2021 and hosted by Sir Trevor McDonald OBE. The two categories we have been shortlisted for are:

Apprentice of the Year

Kyra Joy from our Business Development Team

Big Business of the Year

Tresham College, Part of The Bedford College Group based in Northamptonshire Last year we walked away with Marketing Campaign of the Year 2019 and so we are looking forward to seeing if we can make it two years in row with these deserving nominations.

Kyra provides a first line of support to the users, whether it’s the Business Development Team keeping track of employer accounts and apprenticeship recruitment or the Work Placement Team who deal with employers to set up student placements or managers and directors who need accurate reporting.

When new staff start at the College and if their role involves using the CRM system, Kyra provides them with full training. Since lockdown she has been doing that online via Microsoft Teams. Kyra has also taken the initiative to create a CRM training manual which includes how to guides and screen shots. This is now available on the intranet for every member of staff to access.

Kyra’s latest project is to audit the whole CRM system and manage a tender-like process to review multiple suppliers to ensure that the CRM is shaped in line with organisational needs and requirements.

Look out for the March/ April issue with news as to how Kyra and the Group get on!

*Ian is known in FE circles as the singing principal, having put his long-term musical hobby to good in re-writing lyrics of well known songs to contain educational themes.

The Dolly Parton character, serenading the e-audience at the TES FE Awards, made a special reference to Ian as part of the show. Well done to everyone for this success.

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November 2020

Job Lecturer in Maths

Connect

Welcome to Olayinka Adesina

Connect

Welcome to Michelle Housden

Cameron Stuart

Belynda Hunt

Clare Sugg

Location: Bedford Salary: circa £28,000 per annum Application closing date: 09/11/2020

Position: Trainee Lecturer - Science

Land Based Technician with Fisheries Specialism

Emmanuel Amissah

Roger Illingworth

Leigh Taylor

Rhys Badman

Samuel Jakings

Harry Tearle

Richard Bevan

Leah Johnson

Bethany Veale

Atif Kazi

Julie Wallace

Emma Luke

Richard Walters

Mqondobanzi Magonya

Helen Warmington

Kasia Mills

Daisy Watson

Nathan Moore

Jodie Weavers

Location: Old Warden Salary: £18,188 per annum Application closing date: 09/11/2020

Lecturer in Computing (Maternity Cover)

Location: Kettering Salary: Circa £30,000 per annum, depending on qualifications and experience Application closing date: 09/11/2020

English and Maths Tutors - Maths (Catch-Up) Tutors

Location: Kettering, Corby and Silverstone Salary: £35,000 per annum, pro rata Application closing date: 11/11/2020

English and Maths Tutors - English (Catch-Up) Tutors

Position: Teaching Assistant

Kay Almond

Position: Learning Support Assistant

Position: Technician - Hair & Beauty (Maternity Cover)

Position: Lecturer in Maths

Position: Lecturer - Music

Position: Learning Support Assistant

Position: Technician - Media

Position: Teaching Assistant

Position: Learning Facilitator

Jonathan Birkert

Position: Systems Accountant

Position: Trainee Teacher of Economics

Joanne Bolland

Position: Lecturer - Music

Position: Personal Achievement Tutor

Rachel Boyle

Position: HR Administrator

Position: Lecturer in AAT

Roy Butler

Position: HR Administrator

Position: Lecturer - English

Stephanie Capstick

Position: Learning Facilitator

Position: Course Manager - Outdoor Adventure

Location: Kettering, Corby and Silverstone Salary: £35,000 per annum, pro rata Application closing date: 11/11/2020

Helen Clarkson

Head of Foundation and Additional Learning Support

Position: Course Manager in Hairdressing & Barbering

Location: Kettering Salary: Circa £40,000 per annum, dependent on qualifications and experience Application closing date: 17/11/2020 » View and apply for our full-time and part-time vacancies via The Bedford College Group vacancy portal which can be found on CONNECT staff intranet.

Cerys Nobbs

Position: Work Placement Co-ordinator

Position: Teaching Assistant

Louisa Cooper Lucy Cox

Position: Teaching Assistant

Position: Teaching Assistant

Rhianna Deeble

Catherine Sandy

Position: Work Experience Co-ordinator

Position: Lecturer - Science

Theresa Donaghue

Naomi Scannell

Position: Counselling Co-ordinator

Position: Learning Support Assistant Position: General Assistant Position: Technician - Agriculture Position: Supported Employment Coordinator Position: Senior Assistant - Catering Position: Self Employed - Lecturer Position: Technician in Hair & Beauty Position: Centre Administrator

Position: Learning Support Assistant

Anne Williams

Position: Course Manager - Business

Ciara Wilmot

Position: Learning Support Assistant

Trudy Wiloughby

Position: Self Employed - Lecturer

Robin Wojdat

Position: Estates & Facilities Assistant

Position: Library & Learning Resources Support Assistant

Susan Douglas

Gillian Sedgwick

Position: Lecturer in Maths

Position: Centre Administrator

Naomi Silkstone

Position: Teaching Assistant

Position: Lecturer - English

Alexandra Hadland

Sarah Sivyer

Position: Lecturer in Maths

Position: Centre Administrator

Nicholas Hall

Natasha Skinner

Position: Counselling Co-ordinator

Position: Creative Artworker

Michael Hannan

Jaylen Smith

Position: Chef Manager

Position: Library & Learning Resources Support Assistant

Kenneth Hill

Alan Sparham

Position: Lecturer in Carpentry

Position: Course Manager - STEM

Catherine Hills

Diana Stammers

Position: Teaching Assistant

Position: Lecturer in Maths

Helen Hindmarch

Position: Lecturer in English and Maths

Position: Centre Administrator

Ian Price

Elizabeth George

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Claire Parsons

Position: Trainee Lecturer in English (Maternity Cover)

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November 2020

DIVERSITY CALENDAR

Anastassia Parsons

DIVERSITY

Diversity and Inclusion Advisor

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND WHAT DOES INCLUSION MEAN TO ME? Inclusion is being able to participate and have a voice on equal terms with everyone else. In practice this may require physical and other adaptations, changes to the way we chair meetings, organise events, and communicate with colleagues, students and visitors.

Inclusion is also how people feel about a place – whether they belong or exist on the margins. We continue this series of personal perspectives with a contribution from two colleagues: Saima Nasir, Student Wellbeing Manager: ‘Inclusion for me is very personal. It means being accepted by society for who you are and not being treated differently because you follow a certain religion or chose to dress in a certain way. It is about being treated as an individual and not being made to feel you are invisible or your views do not matter due to preconceived ideas someone may hold about your race, religion or gender.

Inclusion for me is about feeling safe in your environment whether that is at school, a workplace or out and about.

It’s recognising that a child with disabilities also has a voice that deserves to be heard and listened to. To not feel scared or worried about how people will stop and stare if your child has a meltdown because of a sensory overload when entering a supermarket. Inclusion is about going to a Sports Day and hearing the whole school cheer your son on in a school race even though he is last and started running the wrong way as they are accepting of his challenges.

What staff forums are there in The Bedford College Group?

Melissa Owen, Personal Achievement Tutor and Employability Coordinator: I wholeheartedly believe that everyone regardless of who they are should be treated fairly. However, I know this is not always the case sadly. One of my first realisations of the lack of equality for everyone was when I was a student quite a few years ago and we carried out a social experiment, which had a profound effect on me. I went in to a wheelchair as an able bodied person and had to carry out a few tasks and although much is now a blur, I do remember how I felt and the relief when it was over. I truly believe that this shaped my belief system that we should all be treated equally regardless of ethnic origin, gender, sexual preference and disability. At the end of the day, when we remove our labels, we are all just people! This experiment although short demonstrated that the way people treat people has a huge impact.

Therefore, I believe equality is very important and everyone has the responsibility to nurture it. I am lucky as I work in an area where my beliefs are shared. I work in a kind and supportive environment where everyone is valued, both students and staff alike.

If you’d like to share your perspective on inclusive practice, please contact Anastassia Parsons anparsons@bedford.ac.uk

8 – 15 November - Inter Faith Week This awareness week aims to strengthen good inter faith relations, increase awareness of the different faith communities in the UK, in particular celebrating and building on the contribution which their members make to their neighbourhoods and to wider society, and increase understanding between people of religious and non-religious beliefs. https://www.interfaithweek.org/

What is a staff diversity forum? Inclusive groups available to every member of staff (including allies) with an interest in equality, diversity and inclusion, regardless of own identity. Interested? Contact Anastassia Parsons anparsons@bedford.ac.uk for details on individual staff forums.

16 – 20 November - Anti-bullying week Everyone has a role to play in preventing and tackling bullying and harassment, including identity-based bullying. Is everybody in your team confident to recognise and challenge remarks / jokes / banter that are racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, disablist, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic, etc. and can use such instances to promote positive attitudes towards different identities? What actions do you take to prevent and deal with bullying consistently? How do you ensure that students and students are comfortable to report harassment / bullying incidents?

The 2020 theme is “United Against Bullying”.

Inclusion underpins my work in terms of helping students remove those barriers, ensuring they are supported and have their voice heard to help them achieve their potential. It’s about recognising that our experiences are all different as is our perspectives and privileges. We need to acknowledge this in order to ensure we are truly inclusive.’

Whether it is verbal, physical, online or in-person, bullying has a significant impact on a person’s life. By making small, simple changes, we can break this cycle and create a safe environment for everyone. Change starts with a conversation. https://www.antibullyingalliance.org.uk/anti-bullying-week

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1. Disability staff forum (new) - meeting hosted on 4 November 2. Women’s staff network - meeting 12 Nov 3. Ethnicity staff forum (new) 4. LGBT+ staff forum

November 2020

1 Nov - ALL SAINTS’ DAY Christian 3 Nov - THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S BIRTHDAY Shi’a Muslim 14 Nov - Diwali Sikh 14 -18 Nov - Diwali Hindu 30 Nov - ST ANDREW’S DAY Christian The Inter Faith Network has a more detailed list of festivals and short descriptions

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Connect

Training There are many opportunities for Professional Development in the workplace including, training courses and joining forums, groups and networks, etc. If you’d like more information please email nmorris@bedford.ac.uk

Support

We need you!

New pages include:

We are building a team of people that would be willing to support peers across the Group to undertake some research. You would take on a mentor/Knowledgeable other role and would receive some training to support you in this. We are looking for people who have experience of research themselves and who would be willing to support someone else through the process. If you are interested please email Natalie Morris at nmorris@bedford.ac.uk

We realise there are lots of changes this year. To help with the transition to the new strategy we have redeveloped the Connect intranet area for Professional Development.

We encourage you to visit.

Overview of Risk It and links to all other pages, as well as Key Documents and Policies

Catalogue of development opportunities

This is not an exhaustive list but is designed to help you find things that you might be interested in. This also includes a new Wellbeing offer.

designed to support Line Managers and new staff through induction. This area has all the Core Skills (mandatory) training hyperlinked to keep it as simple as possible.

Coaching and Mentoring

introduction to the APs and their areas of specialism, as well as how to contact them

- Development is more individualised and based on your own reflections, as well as college priorities - The records are shared electronically – the form is available here, https://college.oak.com/Home/ Index/4cf5c535-9a96-4ce0-bf74-5c14bf716635 - The Training Application form is electronic – and can be found here, https://college.oak.com/Home/ Index/4cf5c535-9a96-4ce0-bf74-5c14bf716635

Staff Lounge

The space we used to host the videos from Festival of Learning (where they will stay), but also the area where we will collect your short videos about what you are doing to develop your role. Please get in touch with us with things you are doing. We would love to hear from you. Grab a cuppa and enjoy learning from your peers.

As always, we want to hear from you!

Let us know what you thought of the Festival of Learning here: https://college.oak.com/Home/Index/ b345028d-7083-4ffd-b294-8c393b8bdc7d Get in touch to talk about your development or to let us know what you think of Risk It! By emailing professionaldevelopment@bedford.ac.uk To share your good ideas email nmorris@bedford.ac.uk to discuss how we could do this in a way you would feel comfortable.

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At the end of October, Executive Assistant, Erica Knight, held the clippers to her sister, and Faculty Administrator at Tresham College, Meg Knight’s head and shaved it for Macmillan Cancer! Meg was extremely brave whilst it was being shaved and Erica was more nervous having the responsibility of shaving Meg’s head - worried that she would give trail lines from how much she was shaking!

From Monday 2 November, all teachers and school staff will be able to claim a 10% discount on their shopping in Morrisons stores nationwide, as a special thank you from them for looking after the nation’s young people throughout the pandemic.

In total Meg cut just over 16 inches of her blonde locks off before she had her head shaved which will be donated to the Little Princess Trust.

To claim the discount, simply show your college photo ID card at the till. Terms and conditions include:

Meg has raised just over £1500 to date which is absolutely fabulous! Thank you so much to you all for all the donations - they were very much appreciated.

Risk It!

The main differences are: - You will take part in Development Discussions with your Knowledgeable Other (either your AP or line manager)

Meg Braved

10% Discount at Morrisons for staff

Professional Development Main Page

Core Skills

It has launched! The new Professional Development strategy is here. You may have seen some information about it during our Group Festival of Learning week, but just in case, follow this link to see an introductory video. https://college.oak.com/Home/Index/4cf5c535-9a964ce0-bf74-5c14bf716635

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November 2020

November 2020

If you wish to donate, no matter how small, the link is https://bravetheshave.macmillan.org.uk/shavers/ meg-knight. The page will be open to donate for a little longer so show your support.

• Offer open to UK residents aged 16 or over • Only valid in store only and not available online • Discount is not valid on Fuel, Spirits (England), Tobacco, Lottery products, Gift Vouchers & Cards, Infant/Formula Milk, Cash-back, Dry Cleaning, Fireworks, Online Games & Instant Tickets, Photo Printing, Saver Stamps, Postage Stamps, ‘Top-Up’ Mobile Phone Cards, Garden Centre & Pharmacy • Discount is not valid in Franchise stores – Morrisons Daily or Morrisons Select stores • The employee must be present for the transaction to claim the discount. It can’t be passed to a friend or family member • Teachers’ discount is available to anyone who works in private nurseries, local authority nurseries and pre-schools, primary, secondary, private and special education schools, sixth form colleges and further education colleges. This includes teachers, teaching assistants, office staff, catering staff and janitors, provided that are employed directly by the school and not a private company and they have an identification badge • Valid from Monday 2 November to Sunday 3 January 2021

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November 2020

PERKS Lynsey Travers

HR Manager - Human Resources

Top 10 Retailers by Spend in the last 12 months (October 2019 – October 2020)

Do you receive alerts about latest discounts and offers?

Once you are logged into your account, you can update your Communications Preferences as shown below, please ensure your email and / or mobile are enable and the offers will go straight to you.

Carphone Warehouse - Earn up to £100 Cashback on pay monthly contracts at Clarks - Save 10% in-store with Instant Vouchers Nike – Save 10% Aviva Car Insurance – Earn £45 BT – Earn up to £70 in cashback Please check the website or app for the latest offers bedford.rewardgateway.co.uk Pg.16

November 2020