college voice
April 2022 Your staff magazine
Your staff magazine contents
Dear colleagues, Last half term was another busy period, and as we rapidly approach the end of the academic year, we are moving our attention to ensuring our students’ completion and success. We still have enough time to put measures in place to meet the agreed predictions, and need to ensure that these are implemented in a timely manner to allow us to plan for students leaving us and those returning in September. I’m sure you remember that just before we finished for Easter, we had our staff CPD half day, during which the focus was on teaching and learning and Ofsted preparation, since we know that we are due to be inspected at any time during this academic year or next. We need to keep the pace going with our improvement plans and the work that Kam Nandra (our Assistant Principal) is leading on with curriculum and support teams. We also had a scheduled visit from the FE Commissioner Team; thank you again to those who contributed to making it a success. I will be sharing more information about the visit in my Friday email. As we know, healthy enrolment numbers support our income for the following academic year. Currently applications for September are looking strong in some areas but are lower than we would have hoped in others, so it’s important we do all we can to improve the situation. The Enrolment Task Group has now started to meet and wider invitations will be sent out over the next couple of weeks. This year, we need to ensure that all staff support the critical enrolment period, so that we can move away from relying on agency staff; this will mean we can be as efficient as possible in
our use of resources, and more importantly, offer our learners the best possible experience during their first few days and week with us. I would also like to take this opportunity to request your support with our ongoing safeguarding efforts. There is a new visitor process which we all need to follow, and you can also help by challenging any students not displaying their lanyards on site. Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support and contributions. I am sure we will have another productive and successful half-term.
Rich Harris Chief Executive and Acting Principal
Easter 2022
Welcome
1
Marketing update
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Ofsted preparation
5
Digital tools
6
LinkedIn Learning
7
Travelwest Sustainable Travel Roadshow
7
90+5 campaign
7
Strategic plan
7
Reminders
8
eBikes offer
8
Teachers’ pension update
8
Focus on sustainability
9
Student support charities and local community
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NAMMS award for our Creative Community students!
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BusinessWest
11
Governor profile: Lis Anderson
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Togetherall
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New starters
13
New pastures
13
Upcoming events
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Marketing update
TOGETHER Ofsted preparation If you need help with displays, posters for your rooms etc. in advance of Ofsted’s visit, the Marketing team can help! What we cannot do is everything in a few days, so we invite you to contact us now so that we can get things started. We have a stock of various key information posters including safeguarding, the College Charter and ONTRACK, so if you would like any of these please just let us know.
Website homepage
Help us
We are pleased to say our new homepage has been performing well! We know changes can take time to get used to so are taking a staggered approach to the rest of the updates, and next will turn our attention to the course information pages.
We politely ask that notices are only placed on notice boards or official spaces; we will remove signs on walls. Please also take down signs when they are out of date ,and ask students to do the same if they are putting signs up. This helps us to ensure communication is effective and that the College stays looking good!
We are going to improve the content on these, make the application and enrolment information nearer the top of the page and streamline the enrolment process for courses that are full-cost and do not need an interview.
Thank you
to everyone who supported our Open Event in March
Although attendance is generally reduced at these events as we go through the academic year, we received positive feedback in the post-event questionnaire, and need to ensure that we continue to improve our events and put on a great showcase of what we have to offer. Displays and activities from
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Your voice matters
New prospectus and summer campaign After the Easter break, we will be turning our attention to producing the new prospectus and the summer campaign. We will be doing focus groups with students to see what they think of our materials, how they compare to other colleges and improvements we can make. This exercise generated some excellent ideas last year, and we know running it again this year will help us improve our promotions even more.
Branded merchandise Our online merchandise shop will be launching soon! The shop will sell a range of branded items for everyone to purchase, with profits from the sales coming into the College. Stay tuned for more details!
We are always keen to hear your opinions, so do let us know your views ahead of our next batch of changes!
curriculum areas are really important to this end, and we are happy to help put these on, so if you would like our help please let us know in plenty of time.
All-staff email reminder As you will know, our all-staff College Information email goes out every Wednesday afternoon. If you would like anything to be included, please ensure we receive it before 4pm on the preceding Tuesday; if we do not have it by this time the content will go in the following week’s email. ©Whats On Bristol
News Ofsted Preparation There is a lot of work being undertaken by many colleagues across the College to prepare us for the inevitable Ofsted inspection, taking place this or next academic year. An Ofsted Readiness Group meets on a regular basis, with colleagues invited to join on relevant topics. We have also hosted a number of external guests from colleges that have been inspected, to hear their experiences and receive their support. The call generally comes in at around 10am on a Thursday or Friday to say that Ofsted will be
Digital tools for PCs coming the following week, giving just one or two working days and a weekend to prepare. There is, of course, a limit to what can be done in four days, and additionally we should be ensuring that we are Ofsted-compliant at all times rather than just during inspection week, so we are commencing work now to get the information and logistics in place. As we know from experience and our CPD day, preparing for Ofsted requires a College-wide approach, and everyone can contribute towards our journey to Good. Teaching and support staff managers are working with teams on what they need to do, and we are all following a plan that the Ofsted Readiness Group lead on.
These are the steps that we can take immediately: !
Ensure that you are familiar with the last College-wide inspection report, as we will be judged on how we have improved compared to this report
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Telford College (grade 2) Click here to view
View report
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Southampton City College (grade 3) Click here to view
Ensure that official documentation such as registers, schemes of work, tracking of learner progress, records of one-to-ones and appraisals are up to date Ensure that classrooms look engaging, tidy and have up to date information. If they do not, then you should get the boards refreshed and place relevant materials. The Marketing team have rolls of coloured paper and borders for you to use, and are in the process of working with staff at each Centre to get a model of the ‘perfect classroom’ completed to help you get yours looking even better Marketing have produced a poster template for ‘You Said, We Did’ which will enable curriculum areas to promote the feedback from students and how we have acted on it. The Marketing team will manage the generic updates but curriculum staff can display the relevant posters in their areas
Read some of the latest Ofsted reports from other colleges
Cornwall College (grade 2) Click here to view
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Ask your students the questions that Ofsted will ask so they are prepared and used to giving answers: What progress are you making on your course? Are you doing well? How do you know? Do you get regular feedback from your teachers? Are you on track to achieve your predicted grade? How do you know? Do you know what you are going to do once the course finishes? Have you been supported in thinking about your next steps? Do you feel safe in college?
Our Digital Champions have put together some quick tips to help you get the most from your IT and save all-important time!
Application history
Shake it off!
You can quickly find your previously opened apps by pressing Windows + Tab – great for finding documents you were previously working on!
Grab the top of the window you have open and give it a little shake - all your other opened tabs will hide themselves out of the way.
HOTKEYS
You can save some clicks using these common keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl
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Ctrl
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Ctrl
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Ctrl
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Ctrl
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Ctrl
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Ctrl
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Ctrl
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Ctrl
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C X V
A F S
Z
Y P
copies highlighted text
cuts highlighted text
pastes the text you’ve copied or cut
selects all the text on a page or in a text box
brings up a search bar to let you find words or phrases on a webpage
saves your document
lets you undo your last action
will cancel your last undo
begins the process to print a document
Liked these quick tips? Check the Digital Training and Support Sharepoint for more!
Click here
News
Reminders
LinkedIn Learning LinkedIn Learning is an award-winning industry leader in online training, with a digital library of more than 6,000 courses covering a wide range of technical, business, software and creative topics. It provides the opportunity to develop your professional skills, learn new software, and explore other areas as you plan for your career growth. You can watch entire courses or individual videos (some are as short as four or five minutes). You can bookmark courses you’re interested in and keep track of the ones you’ve completed, and you’ll receive a certificate for every course you complete. LinkedIn Learning also carries potential for managers and employees to create development plans as part of the performance review process. As you work with LinkedIn Learning, we are very interested to hear your experiences and feedback. If you have questions about learning and development, please contact Rich Marlow. If you need assistance with the LinkedIn Learning login process, please contact Rich Marlow or Andy Hillberg.
Available now to all colleagues!
Travelwest Sustainable Travel Roadshow On 6 May at College Green, and 12 May at SBSA, Travelwest will visit us with their Sustainable Travel Roadshow! The roadshow will tell you everything you need to know about how to travel to work more sustainably, using public transport and other methods available. You can take advantage of personalised route planning, bike hire to try cycling for a month, one-to-one cycling training to build your confidence and more! No need to book – just keep an eye out for our all-staff emails for times and locations. 7
Lanyards
Electric scooters
All staff and students are politely reminded that you must wear your lanyard at all times in College, and asked to challenge anyone whose lanyard isn’t visible. This is an essential measure to keep everyone in College safe from people who aren’t authorised to be on site.
A reminder that electric scooters are not permitted on site as they pose a health and safety risk. Anyone travelling by Voi scooters should leave them outside College, and anyone riding their own scooter should lock them up as you would a bike.
90+5 campaign Our 90+5 campaign is an extension of the original “On Track” programme that we launched in September, and is designed to help everyone get the best from every student before their course finishes. You will see plenty of material on this around our Centres as the end of term draws closer! The campaign will focus on supporting our students to attain 90% attendance and 90% timely assessment completion, and an achievement rate of +5% above national average (based on individual qualifications). Please raise awareness of the On Track promise to your students, and of course if you feel a student isn’t on track to meet their attainment goals, put steps in place to support them as per the original On Track plan.
eBikes offer
Teachers’ pension update
We have partnered with The Big Issue Group to offer staff and students access to its new line of electric bikes throughout the city.
The Teachers’ Pension final salary (legacy) Scheme is closing on 31 March 2022. From 1 April 2022, all active members will build up their pension benefits in the career average (reformed) section of the Scheme. Benefits built up in the final salary scheme up to and including 31 March 2022 are safe and will form part of your pension when you retire.
In partnership with ShareBike, the Big Issue launched the scheme in Bristol ahead of the rest of the UK which will boost green employment opportunities and transport options in smaller cities and across towns in the UK. We have entered a deal which gives all employees and students the opportunity to get a 35% discount on subscriptions for the use of the bikes.
Strategic Plan
Each user has to register with their payment card and use their work/student email to take advantage of the offer.
Our new Strategic Plan, which sets out the strategic direction of City of Bristol College from academic year 2021/22 to 2025/26 is now published.
You can access this benefit through our staff benefits portal You At Work.
The development of the plan took into account the educational character of the College, the external environment in which we operate, our current performance in various areas and the high-level aims and objectives which will guide our actions and decisions over the next few years. The Strategic Plan is our key document which steers everything from our other strategies and plans through to individual appraisals for every member of staff, so everyone understands how they contribute to our success. We hope you will take the time to have a read.
The offer Students and staff £12.95 a month Instead of the regular £19.95 a month
As a member of the scheme, you will not need to do anything. Your Teachers’ Pension record will change automatically and from 1 April 2022, all pensionable service will be recorded in the career average scheme. Teachers’ Pensions are contacting members directly to advise them of this change and directing them to their website for further information. Please ensure that you have registered for a My Pension Online account and that your contact details are up-to-date to ensure you receive updates from Teachers’ Pensions.
Register for an account at Member Hub | Teachers’ Pensions Register
Access here If you are a member of the Teachers’ Pensions Scheme, you are invited to take part in a very short survey about your thoughts and actions in relation to your pension. Your participation is incredibly helpful to shaping the way they engage with their members.
View Strategic Plan (PDF)
To complete survey
Click here
Click here
News Focus on sustainability We have made great strides towards meeting our net zero aims, with sustainability becoming a key part of the curriculum, a new e-bike partnership and plans for the renovation of one of our Centres. Our lecturers have embraced sustainability in their curriculum planning, with the Creative Arts and Media Department already including the theme in their classes. The Level 3 BTEC Art and Design took part in an exhibition reflecting on the impact we are having on our environment, with two winners being named from the multiple entries. Our Construction and Motor Vehicle Departments have also been exploring how they can contribute to achieving our lofty environmental ambitions,
with construction lecturers and technical support staff a series of masterclasses on net zero topics. The lecturers who attended the session will now be looking to develop a resource bank to launch a new unit, Sustainability in Construction, to embed into the curriculum of the Level 1 and Level 2 trade programmes from September 2022. The Motor Vehicle department is also getting to grips with the fast-paced world of electric cars, with multiple lecturers attending the IMI Level 2 Award in Electric/Hybrid Vehicle Routine Maintenance Activities course. They are due to be assessed next month. The qualification is designed to help training providers deliver modules on working with electric and hybrid cars and it is hoped the module will be worked into the curriculum once some electric and hybrid cars have been obtained.
Access student volunteers for suicide prevention charity
Vice Principal, Corporate Services and External Relations, Joanne Ward, said:
Access to Social Work student Rachael, aged 48, volunteers one to twice a week for Suicide Prevention Bristol with both patrolling and helpline. Her key responsibility is to hold face-to-face or over the phone conversations with someone who is experiencing suicidal feelings. She said:
“Joining the Good for Me, Good for FE campaign is enabling us to showcase the great work our students and staff already do to help people in so many ways. There have been lots of activities at the College and many more planned for the rest of the academic year.”
“I like volunteering as you can give something back but also voluntary work is about quality not quantity. Volunteering can give you confidence, lift your self-esteem as well as raise your profile on your CV. It can help you to choose your career path without being tied to a contract.”
NAMSS award for our Creative Community students! The co-creators of the College’s Creative Community were honoured with an award at the recent NAMSS Conference.
Students support charities and local community We have been supporting the nationwide Good For Me, Good For FE campaign which supports and promotes our staff and students participating in voluntary work. A recent survey of 80 students showed 37% of the participants carry out between two to four hours of volunteering each week with up to 400 hours completed by the students each week in total. We have already been celebrating the efforts of our staff members who dedicate hours of their time to volunteering each week, so now it’s time to celebrate the work of our students!
Sunflowers for Ukraine Our Health and Fitness students partnered up with our Floristry students at our South Bristol Skills Academy to cut, wrap and sell sunflowers to raise 9
money for those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. The floristry students cut and wrapped the individual sunflowers before handing the buckets over to the sport students to walk around the centre to sell the flowers, with both students and staff picking up a flower to show their support.
ESOL students join gathering for refugees Some of our ESOL students joined a gathering on College Green to highlight the plight of refugees around the world, including those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. They carried orange hearts to represent compassion for people fleeing war and persecution. Inspired by the refugee national flag, and the colours of a lifebelt, the heart symbolises hope and kindness.
Jason Budd, Dexter Hill, Beth Moss and John Percival were presented with the Best Student-Led Initiative or Campaign Award at the conference, which was hosted in Liverpool on 14-15 March. The Creative Community has also been running a weekly Film Club and arranges regular off-site trips to cultural institutions such as art galleries, media centres, theatres, talks/events and more. It has created a basis for students to socialise with one another and work on things they may not normally get to work on. Dexter said:
“It’s amazing to have been presented with this award. The acknowledgement is fantastic and we never expected to get this or for the project to be as big as it has become, with more than 170 members – we still can’t quite take it in! Thanks really go to our members for being a part of it, Fergal for helping us set it up and our lecturers for letting us attend lessons to promote it.”
The students’ lecturer, Ali Grant, was over the moon with their achievement. She said:
“I’m so excited to hear the students won the award for setting up the Creative Community. They fully deserve it. The way they’ve brought students from different courses and departments together has resulted in some exciting collaborations which have not only created new friendships, but enhanced student work. I’m so proud that they are students on my course and hope that the Creative Community continues to grow and flourish for years to come.”
News BusinessWest
Chief Executive and Acting Principal Rich Harris said:
We were delighted to welcome members of Business West to South Bristol Skills Academy on 9 March for the quarterly members’ meeting. Representatives from across the region met to discuss the pertinent topics facing businesses in the South West and give updates on the city-wide projects which are currently underway. Attendees were greeted by our hospitality students and enjoyed a fantastic selection of dishes and cakes after the event.
“To host this prestigious event, which brings together senior business leaders and employers in our College was a real coup and a chance to strengthen our identity as Bristol’s college. We have fantastic buildings and facilities across our different Centres, and lots of good conversations took place on the evening with plenty of follow-ups to come.” In his presentation, Rich spoke passionately about how businesses can work with us at the College to further the skills agenda and achieve ‘levelling up’ in our region. This collaborative approach will be central to the achievement of our goal to increase the number of people completing high-quality skills training by 200,000 by 2030.
Governor profile: Lis Anderson Lis Anderson is a PR communications specialist with over 20 years in the industry. A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), Lis co-founded a Bristol-based PR communications consultancy business called AMBITIOUS and an award-winning PR agency specialising in corporate and B2B communications Lis currently serves as Vice Chair of creative industries network Bristol Creative Industries and provides PR counsel to Babbasa, a social enterprise organisation working to support and empower young ethnic minorities in Bristol.
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New starters
Upcoming events
Rebecca Coggins
Apprenticeship Trainer
Peter Martin
Facilities Officer
Leanne Harrington
Purchase Ledger Clerk
Andrew Hillberg
HR Systems Co-ordinator
Emily Sandell
Learning Assistant
Melisa Rivas Fontan
Learning Assistant
Sheralee Pullin
Student Engagement Assistant
Dawid Giermak
Videographer/ Graphic Designer
James Mengell
MIS Officer
New pastures
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Steve Harland
Lecturer
Sue Coleman
Senior HR Advisor
Emma Jarrett
Administration Assistant
Daniel Holley
Catch-up Coaching Coordinator
Bethany Lamont
Catch-Up Mentor
Shamiso Mahari
Catch-Up Mentor
Lorraine Ashworth
Learning Assistant/CSW
Jane Caradine
MIS Officer
Harpal Kaur
Study Coach
Zachary Reeves
College Counsellor
Abby Cox
Safeguarding and Welfare Advisor
Eleanor Peters
Safeguarding and Welfare Advisor
Jake Ruffles
Safeguarding and Welfare Advisor
Louise Harris
ALS Admin Co-ordinator
Geoffrey Iles
Director of Apprenticeships and Work Based Learning
Paul James
Vice Principal, Curriculum and Quality
Charlotte Phillips
Careers and Employability Advisor
Naomi Devine
Learner/Customer Service Advisor
Here are some important dates for your diary to keep you in the know of everything happening at the College and beyond in the next few months.
Event
Date
Culture day
5 May
Skills for Business Evening
6 May
Travelwest Sustainable Travel Roadshow at SBSA
6 May
South Bristol Jobs and Apprenticeships Fair
12 May
Staff ‘Walk and Talk’
16 May
Make It China
23 May
Masterchefs of Great Britain - Sea Food
24 May
Staff CPD
25 May
Hospitality employers’ evening
26 May
Skillbuild 2022 at SBSA/ACSC
1 June
Include Awards
16 June
Construction Question Time
22 June
Staff & Student Awards
30 June
