City College Plymouth Annual Report 2011/12

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Annual Report 2011/12

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2011/12 Annual Report | 1

If you would find it easier to read this report in larger type or a different format, please call 01752 305300 or e-mail info@cityplym.ac.uk.

Welcome It gives us great pleasure to introduce the 2011/12* Annual Report for City College Plymouth. Although the year presented us with many challenges, the entrepreneurial spirit of the College has also brought many successes, with the College steadily achieving wider recognition as one of the top colleges in the country: • we are 1st in the South West and 6th nationally for the achievements of our students (Source: National Success Rates Tables) • we are the largest provider of A levels in Plymouth, and our students achieved an impressive pass rate of 97% in 2011/12

• we are one of the highest performing providers of Apprenticeship programmes in the South West, with the success of College apprentices 13% above the national average (Source: Qualification Success Rates).

Once again, the College gained many external awards and accreditations, including the coveted Arts Council England Artsmark. Impressively, the College is one of only 18 further education colleges in the country to have received this accolade, which is in recognition of the quality of the College’s arts curriculum. Further details can be found later in this report.

Contents College Vision, Mission and Values

5

Ofsted 2012

7

Celebrating Success

9

Finance and Quality Measures

17

College Statistics

21

Sustainability

23

Equality and Diversity

25

The Year Ahead - 2013

27 Gerry Cadogan, Chair of Corporation and Phil Davies, Principal

2011/12 Annual Report | 3

Phil Davies Principal

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Gerry Cadogan Chair of Corporation

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Phil Davies Principal

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Gerry Cadogan Chair of Corporation

College Vision, MissionVision and Values

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Welcome (continued)

Through our excellent links with employers, the fantastic support that they provide and our relevant industrystandard facilities we ensure that our students have access to really valuable vocational experiences. Further details Through excellent links employers, the 6. fantastic about theour Ofsted report canwith be found on page support that they provide and our relevant industrystandardforward, facilities there we ensure that our challenges students have access Looking are still many ahead to really valuable vocational experiences.

Further details of us, the economic and social landscape of which the about the reportlocally can be found on page 6.

College is Ofsted a part, both and nationally, continues to change. We must ensure that what the College does, Looking are stilltomany ahead and howforward, it does it,there continues fit intochallenges this landscape. of us, the economic and social landscape of which the We will embrace these challenges with a positive and College is a part, both locally and nationally, continues entrepreneurial outlook as together we strive to build a to change.

We must that what the College does, better Plymouth.

Withensure a committed Senior Leadership and how it does it, continues to fit into this landscape.

Team and Board of Governors, and the continued success We will embrace these with a positive and achievement of ourchallenges students as a direct resultand of the entrepreneurial outlook as together we strive to build a hard work and commitment of College staff, we will ensure better Plymouth.

With a committed Senior Leadership that the College comes through this testing time with Team and Board of Governors, and the continued success further success. and achievement of our students as a direct result of the hard work and commitment of College staff, we will ensure that the College comes through this testing time with further success.

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Additionally, the College’s nurseries, Curious Kittens, were recognised for their excellent support of communication and language development for young children and were awarded the ‘I CAN Early Talk Accreditation’. Later in the Additionally, the College’s nurseries, Curious Kittens, were year both nurseries were judged ‘outstanding’

by Ofsted. recognised for their excellent support of communication and language for young children and were Meanwhile ourdevelopment students continue to achieve excellent awarded the ‘I CAN Early Talk Accreditation’.

Later in the results at all levels across a wide range of courses, and year both nurseries were judged ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. many progress successfully both into employment and onto university. They demonstrate their entrepreneurial Meanwhile oura students achieve excellent skills through fantastic continue variety of to enrichment results at all levels across a wide range courses, activities - many examples are shown inofthis report.and many progress successfully both into employment and onto demonstrate their entrepreneurial A keyuniversity. feature of They the year was the opening of our newly skills through a fantastic variety of enrichment refurbished construction facilities, which included a highactivities - many examples are shown thisproviding report. tech energy centre.

The centre focusesinon training in environmentally friendly construction practices A keyrenewable feature ofenergy. the yearInwas the opening of our newly and addition, our hospitality kitchens refurbished construction facilities, which included a highhave been renovated and installed with state-of-the-art tech energy centre.

The centre focuses on providing equipment and a new demonstration kitchen. Our tower training environmentally friendly construction block atinKings Road has also received that longpractices awaited and renewable energy.

In addition, our hospitality kitchens ‘facelift’ - this has enhanced its external appearance, and have been renovated and installed with state-of-the-art more importantly, has significantly improved the working equipment and newstudents demonstration kitchen.

Our tower environment for aboth and staff.

Moreover, these block at Kings Road has also received that long awaited renovations have helped further reduce the College’s ‘facelift’footprint.

- this has enhanced its external appearance, and carbon more importantly, has significantly improved the working environment for both of students and staff.

One of the highlights this year was ourMoreover, successfulthese four renovations have helped further reduce the College’s yearly visit from Ofsted, in which they concluded that City carbon footprint.

College Plymouth is a GOOD college with OUTSTANDING features. Unsurprisingly we are extremely proud of this One of thenot highlights of this year was our accolade, least because it reflects so successful well on the four yearly visit from Ofsted, in which they concluded City achievements of all of our students and staff. Thethat Ofsted College Plymouth is a GOOD college with OUTSTANDING report noted that we are deeply committed to improving features.

Unsurprisingly extremely proud of this the employability skills ofwe ourare students, ensuring that they accolade, not least because it reflects so well on the are work-ready and have the skills and qualifications that achievements all of our employers are of looking for. students and staff. The Ofsted report noted that we are deeply committed to improving the employability skills of our students, ensuring that they are work-ready and have the skills and qualifications that 4 | 2011/12 Annual Report employers are looking for.

College Vision, Mission and Values

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Welcome (continued)

To be a College with a national reputation for promoting opportunity, enterprise and employability.

Vision

To be a College with a national reputation for promoting opportunity, enterprise and employability.

Mission

To be the South West’s leading provider of innovative, skills-based vocational education and training by supporting partnerships for growth, raising aspirations and enabling wealth creation.

To be the South West’s leading provider of innovative, skills-based vocational education and training by supporting partnerships for growth, raising aspirations and enabling wealth creation.

Mission

• W e put our students and our community at the heart of all that we do.

• We foster excellence, innovation and creativity.

• We celebrate diversity and inclusion and the • breaking We put our students and our community at the down of barriers to success. heart of all that we do.

• W e have high expectations of ourselves, our • students We foster excellence, innovation and creativity. and our partners.

• We celebrate diversity and inclusion and the breaking down of barriers to success.

• We have high expectations of ourselves, our students and our partners.

Values

* This report covers the financial year which ran from August 2011 to July 2012. The date of the publication follows the approval of accounts for that year. * This report covers the financial year which ran from August 2011 to July 2012. The date of the publication follows the approval of accounts for that year.

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2011/12 Annual Report | 5

Ofsted 2012 It is official. The College is no longer satisfactory. We are a GOOD college, and we have some OUTSTANDING features! This is no small achievement - especially as we were the first college to be inspected using the new Ofsted common inspection framework. Equally worth noting is that in the previous year the majority of colleges saw their grades fall. The Ofsted inspection report makes a good read. There are lots of really positive aspects of the College that have been highlighted, and overwhelmingly the reader gets a sense of a dynamic organisation that has the student at its heart.

The way Ofsted writes its inspection reports has changed, and the emphasis of the new style report is on teaching, learning and assessment. Listed below is the summary of key findings from the report: • the proportion of learners achieving their qualifications has consistently improved since the last inspection and is now high • provision for apprentices in engineering and learners in hospitality and catering is outstanding • teachers have high expectations and aspirations for learning, resulting in high standards of learner behaviour and mutual respect • teaching, learning and assessment are good and all learners take part in well-planned lessons • teachers make good use of their extensive industrial knowledge, motivate learners to do well and inspire them to progress to higher level courses and employment • high quality teaching and learning resources provide realistic working environments, which enable learners to develop very good employability skills • all staff are strongly committed to continuing to raise the quality of teaching and learning and to further improving the experience of all learners • the College provides a very inclusive environment in which previously under-achieving groups of learners enjoy high levels of success.

6 | 2011/12 Annual Report

The report also gives the College a very clear steer on what we need to work on to become an outstanding college.

• Learners on a minority of courses make less than expected progress.

• A minority of lessons still require improvement and not enough are outstanding.

• Learners do not always have the opportunity to develop their English and mathematical skills to a higher level.

• The College’s own evaluation of teaching and learning is not sufficiently reliable.

• Governors do not yet have detailed reports and training to monitor outcomes and the quality of teaching and learning.

Aspect

Grade

Overall effectiveness of provision

2

Outcomes for learners

2

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

2

Effectiveness of leadership and management

2

Sector Subject Area

Grade

Health, care and public services

2

Engineering and manufacturing technologies

1

Construction, planning and built environment

2

Hospitality and catering

1

Leisure, travel and tourism

2

Literacy, numeracy and ESOL

2

1 = Outstanding

2 = Good

2011/12 Annual Report | 7

Celebrating Success College College’s Hi-tech Energy Centre Launched by Charlie Luxton TV presenter and champion of sustainability, Charlie Luxton, was the VIP guest who officially launched the College’s state-of-the-art ABB Energy Centre. Passionate about both the green agenda and architecture, he was the perfect choice to open the new centre, which is at the heart of a £1.84 million redevelopment of the College’s construction faculty.

Nurseries Receive ‘I CAN’ Status In acknowledgement of their excellent support of communication and language development for young children, and especially for children from English as an Additional Language families, the College’s Curious Kittens nurseries were awarded the ‘I CAN Early Talk Accreditation’. Both the Kings Road and Goschen nurseries submitted portfolios and had external evaluations to receive the accreditation, which is a quality assurance award that highlights outstanding early years provision.

Peter Jones Enterprise Academy The College celebrated the news that it had become part of the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy network. The Peter Jones Enterprise Academy is an opportunity for aspiring entrepreneurs to realise and achieve their business dreams. It was founded by entrepreneur and star of Dragons’ Den, Peter Jones CBE, with a view to encouraging more entrepreneurial activity within the UK, based on a philosophy of ‘learning by doing’.

8 | Charlie Luxton with College representatives at the launch of the Construction Centre

Artsmark Gold The College was awarded Artsmark Gold by the Arts Council England.

The Artsmark is a national award that accredits quality arts education and is the Arts Council England’s flagship programme to enable schools, further education colleges and youth justice settings to audit, celebrate and develop high quality arts education. The College is one of only 18 further education colleges in the country to receive this accolade, which is in recognition of the quality of its arts curriculum.

College Recognised for Being ‘Healthy’ The College was recognised for its tireless work of promoting health and wellbeing to both its students and staff, and was awarded ‘Healthy FE College’ status by the Learning & Skills Improvement Service. The College takes a proactive role in highlighting healthy living through awareness campaigning on issues relating to smoking, healthy eating and the dangers associated with drugs and alcohol.

Outstanding Nurseries The College’s nurseries were judged as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. Curious Kittens has two settings - one at each of the College’s main sites and each one was inspected and judged on its own merits. The inspectors identified similar good practice at both settings, such as highly productive partnerships with parents and other agencies, the professionalism and dedication of staff, and the enthusiastic and confident engagement of the children.

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Celebrating Success New State-of-the-art Training Kitchens Catering students started the 2011/12 academic year in the College’s new industry standard training kitchens.

The newly refurbished kitchens were designed with a chef tutor demonstration unit and workstations for each student, with individual equipment and preparation areas. Additionally, the College installed a 45-seater demonstration theatre kitchen, which is used for chef demonstrations and master classes. The new training facility was officially launched by celebrity chefs, Chris and James Tanner.

Chris and James Tanner launching the new kitchens Colleges’ Week Hospitality and catering students served up a lavish lunch for residents of two local care homes to mark Colleges’ Week, which celebrates the opportunities colleges create for individuals, business and Britain. 16 residents from local care homes, Thorn Park and Charlton House, enjoyed a selection of main courses and desserts which were prepared and served by the students.

10 | Colleges’ Week lunch

Employability Centre In its continuing commitment to enhance the employability of students, the College launched its new employability centre, theworkspace. The centre offers a range of activities to encourage students to achieve great communication skills, the ability to work as part of a team, self-confidence and self-worth. With the help of local and national employers, theworkspace benefits students by being able to offer work experience, employer talks and visits, mentoring, and pathways into volunteering and employment.

Pop-up Shop An empty shop space in Plymouth’s Drake Circus shopping centre was given a new lease of life by students from the College. Construction students spent a week refitting the shop to prepare the space for selling a range of goods and services to the public. Hair and beauty students ran a nail bar and offered Indian head massage. Additionally, cakes and bakery items were on sale alongside t-shirts, student photography, confectionery, healthy whole foods, plant pots and tickets for forthcoming student shows and performances. The shop was a huge success and gave students the opportunity to develop their business and finance skills, as well as showcasing their entrepreneurial flair.

Ofsted Inspection of Initial Teacher Training The College was commended for its initial teacher training provision during an Ofsted visit. Ofsted undertook inspections of a sample of centres and providers offering teacher training provision leading to awarding body qualifications in the lifelong learning/ further education sector. In particular, the College was praised for working well with local partners and using the links effectively to develop training and to offer progression routes for the staff of the College.

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Celebrating Success Paralympic Fun Event Students participated in an afternoon of fun to raise awareness of Paralympic sports. The sports day gave students and the local community the opportunity to come together to compete in mixed ability teams, and to experience a number of different sports. Special guests included Sarah Piercy, a long distance wheelchair racing star and winner of the 2000 London marathon women’s wheelchair competition, and Josh Steels, a junior wheelchair tennis star. The College was also delighted to welcome Mark Blackler who launched ‘Sonic Tennis’ for the Visually Impaired in 2009.

Students enjoying paralympic basketball College Tackles Unemployment Head On The College, working with a range of partners across the city, pledged to help people back into work. The College dedicated its city centre venue in Union Street to help adults improve their work skills, training and confidence.

The city centre venue, PACE (Plymouth Advice Centre for Employment), provides a one-stop shop to direct adults to the best advice and training for them. City College Plymouth, local employers, work clubs, training providers and community groups are all working together to join-up the offer for those that are out of work.

12 | College staff with partners at PACE

Students WorldSkills UK Event Engineering student, Sami Welhli, secured third place at the WorldSkills UK final for construction metal work.

Sami competed against eight fabrication apprentices from across the country, over a two-day period. WorldSkills UK is a framework of Sami with tutor, regional and national skills Nick Dawe competitions delivered each year around the UK for young people and adults. The judges were impressed with Sami’s scaled-down crane jib, which was a complex fabrication requiring a wide range of fabrication skills.

Medal for Excellence Catering student, Sarah Chapman, was awarded a City & Guilds Medal for Excellence. The Medals for Excellence programme recognises and rewards exceptional people whose work makes them really stand out. Sarah was awarded for her outstanding performance on the NVQ Level 2 Professional Cookery course.

Sarah Chapman Sarah is now working at the South Sands Hotel, in Salcombe, as a chef-de-partie, specialising in pastry. .

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Celebrating Success Regional Award for Plumbing Apprentice Plumbing apprentice, Ryan Walker, was recognised as one of the top trainees in the South West. He was awarded the South West and West of England Training Award for the Level 2 Plumbing and Heating Apprentice of the Year.

Catering Students Celebrate Medals Success Hospitality and catering students won a staggering 33 medals from one competition - 13 gold, nine silver and 11 bronze - plus nine certificates of merit! 44 students entered the Major Series competition, which is sponsored by the Craft Guild of Chefs and was held at South Devon College.

Students Excel in Painting and Decorating Competition Painting and decorating students excelled at a coveted competition, winning gold, silver and bronze.

Three students took part in the South West regional heat of the Skillbuild competition - the country’s largest multitrade competition for young students and apprentices.

Daniel Saltmarsh and Jenny Sibley were awarded gold and bronze in the senior category, respectively. Kaine Withers was awarded silver in the new entrant category.

Staff Medal for Excellence Training Officer, Debra Jory, was awarded a City & Guilds Medal for Excellence. The Medals for Excellence programme recognises and rewards exceptional people whose work makes them really stand out. Debra, who works in the College’s Work-based Learning Department, was recognised for her outstanding performance. Jade Reed, also a Training Officer, was highly commended in the same category.

14 | Ryan Walker

Olympic Staff A member of staff from the College was selected to be a ‘Games Maker’ for the London 2012 Olympics.

Lisa Thompson, a lecturer in sport, was selected after a gruelling interview process. London 2012 Games Makers were the face of London 2012 and played an integral role at the heart of the largest event ever staged in the UK. Lisa was selected as one of 70,000 volunteer ‘Game Makers’ after she applied to be an Olympic volunteer.

Lisa Thompson Cheryl Rewarded for her Hard Work The dedication and commitment of Lead Training Officer, Cheryl Powell, to improving her life was recognised when she won the regional and national rounds of the Adult Learners’ Week Awards for ‘Adult Learner of the Year’. Cheryl won the award for her hard work towards achieving a Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS). The judges were impressed with Cheryl’s story of overcoming a difficult start in life and working her way up to a management position, learning and training all the time, and culminating in the impressive achievement of her DTLLS. Cheryl attended a regional awards ceremony in Weston-Super-Mare and a national awards ceremony in London.

2011/12 Annual Report | 15

Finance and Quality Measures In what continues to be a challenging economic environment with pressures on government spending, 2011/12 has been another testing year for the College with a decline in adult enrolments particularly.

The College Group generated an operating deficit in the year of £2,248,000 and an historical

by Nicola Cove, cost deficit of £1,927,000 Deputy Principal (2010/11 - operating surplus of £600,000 and an historical cost surplus of £921,000).

The College has a subsidiary company, Achievement Training Limited, a private training provider operating in Plymouth. Any surpluses generated by the subsidiary are transferred to the College under Gift Aid.

Analysis of 2011/12 Income HE Funded Activity

The College Group attracted approximately 11,100 funded and 5,800 non-funded students.

During the year, the College Group invested £2,682,000 in building improvements and equipment purchases to further improve the infrastructure available to students and local businesses. This was split between land and buildings acquired of £1,689,000 and equipment purchased of £993,000. In the main, this related to the construction works for the refurbished construction building and tower block re-cladding.

At £319,000 cash outflow from operating activities reflected the operating deficit in the year from the shortfall in income against budget (2010/11 £288,000 outflow).

Analysis of 2011/12 Expenditure

Investment Income

Work-based Learning

Interest Payable Depreciation

Other Income Other Grants and Contracts

Tuition Fees and Education Contracts

Other Operating Expenses Other Council Funding

16 | 2011/12 Annual Report

Staff Costs

Funding Council Recurrents Grants

2011/12 Annual Report | 17

Finance and Quality Measures Income and Expenditure Account for the Year Ending 31 July 2012

2011/12 £000’s

2010/11 £000’s

Income Funding body income Tuition fees and education contracts Other grants and contracts Other income Investment income Total Income

25,077

27,669

6,210

6,561

729

722

1,303

1,223

23

77

33,342

36,252

Expenditure Staff

22,946

22,213

Other expenses

10,433

11,352

1,616

1,537

595

550

Total Expenditure

35,590

35,652

(Deficit)/surplus on continuing operations prior to costs relating to the property strategy

(2,248)

600

Depreciation Interest

Profit on disposal of assets

0

0

Taxation

0

0

(2,248)

600

321

321

(1,927)

921

(Deficit)/surplus on continuing operations after depreciation of assets at valuation Historic cost adjustment Historic cost (defecit)/surplus

18 | 2011/12 Annual Report

2011/12 £000’s

2010/11 £000’s

Fixed Assets

24,397

23,332

Current assets

4,179

6,357

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

(6,441)

(6,409)

Net current (liabilities)/assets

(2,262)

(52)

Total assets less current liabilities

22,135

23,280

Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year

(372)

(194)

Provisions

(969)

(967)

20,794

22,119

(21,255)

(16,354)

Net assets including pension (liability)

(461)

5,765

Deferred capital grants

4,840

4,784

Income and expenditure account excluding pension reserve

9,165

10,225

Pension deficit

(21,255)

(16,354)

Income and expenditure account including pension reserve

(12,090)

(6,129)

6,745

7,066

44

44

(461)

5,765

Balance Sheet as at 31 July 2012

Net assets excluding pension (liability) Net pension (liability)

Revaluation reserve Capital reserves Total

2011/2012 Annual Report | 19

College Statistics College Facts for 2011/12 • Number of full-time students - 4,132 • Number of part-time students - 12,432 • Total number of students - 16,564 which includes 859 higher education students and 141 non-EU ‘international students’ • Number of apprentices - 1,088 (including subcontracted apprentices) • Number of employees - 837.

Success • The College long success rate (courses over 24 weeks) was 85.6 %, exceeding the latest Skills Funding Agency (SFA) benchmark by 6.8%.

Retention • The College long retention rate was 88.4%, exceeding the latest Skills Funding Agency (SFA) benchmark by 1.8%.

Achievement • The College overall achievement rate was 96.9% exceeding the latest SFA benchmark by 5.9%.

Progression • In 2011/12, 387 students completing level 3 programmes progressed onto higher education via UCAS - please note these figures only include students entering higher education through UCAS who obtained their application form from the College.

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Sustainability

by Laura Wellington, Sustainability Officer

Champions in Sustainability The College has gone through another productive year, developing sustainability initiatives, thanks to the support of the Sustainability Working Group, Sustainability Focus Group and the faculty Sustainability Future groups.

The College continues to drive for change - educating staff, students and stakeholders on greening the College and influencing everyone to think about reducing their impact on the environment.

An end of year report (2011/12) has been produced by the Sustainability Working Group, outlining the College’s successes. Below is a summary of the College’s key achievements: • sustainability highlighted in the College Strategic Plan and progress monitored • sustainability targets set out in departmental Self-Assessment Reports • Sustainable Future groups continue to share best practice and embed sustainability into the curriculum • staff updated about continuing professional development sustainability opportunities through the working group • training programmes are responsive to low carbon skills requirements • students educated about sustainability through the tutorial programme • energy efficient equipment installed in the hospitality kitchens

22 | 2011/12 Annual Report

• the tower block and construction building refurbished to the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEM) ‘Very Good’ standard • through the Learning and Skills Improvement Service’s (LSIS) Energy Project resources developed allowing lecturers to use the College as a live case study (http://smart.tac.com/erm) • transport strategy improved by broadening the offer of discounted bus travel opportunities • the College’s Bike User Group reformed and green travel links made with Plymouth City Council • the College’s catering contractor, Aramark, making excellent progress in using local produce in their cooking and selling locally made products • Fairtrade status maintained and the range of products increased through the College eateries • business students coordinated a Fairtrade Festival during Fairtrade Fortnight 2012 • waste continues to be reduced and diverted from landfill • the College has calculated its carbon footprint and is on target to reduce greenhouse emissions by 35% by 2020 • form designed for minor capital and significant maintenance projects to ensure sustainability is considered in design and construction.

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Equality and Diversity

by Cathie Maddock, Equality and Diversity Coordinator

The College has a long standing and wide ranging commitment to equality and diversity. This was recognised in the 2012 Ofsted inspection which commented on the ‘high standards of learner behaviour and mutual respect’ and noted that our College ‘provides a very inclusive environment in which previously under-achieving groups of learners enjoy high levels of success’.

Starting from our policy of cascaded responsibility, the College embeds equality and diversity throughout our work and practices. Each year, to increase equality of opportunity, the College has set equality and diversity targets.

The targets in 2011/12 were set to improve the performance of underachieving groups by reducing achievement gaps between disadvantaged groups and their peers. Across the College achievement gaps have narrowed from 2010/11 to 2011/12 for disability, for learning difficulty and for ethnicity.

The gap for gender widened reversing the trend for underperformance by males. Further targets have been set to improve the performance of disadvantaged groups in 2012/13.

The College successfully attracts people from all sectors of its community. The College provision is substantial in 13 out of the 15 subject sector categories, offering a wide range of learning opportunities to suit the needs of local employers and the community. There is tailored provision for disadvantaged groups, including those with profound and multiple disabilities, disengaged young people and asylum seekers, for example. Every year staff training is given in supporting people with disabilities and disadvantages.

Students ranged in age from 12 to 76 years in 2011/12.

There were 14% more men than women, with 43% female

24 | 2011/12 Annual Report

and 57% male students. 10% of students declared a disability and 11% a learning difficulty. The black and ethnic minority percentage was 10%, slightly above the 7% estimated population for the Plymouth area. A growing number of international students (136 in 2011/12) contributed to promoting cultural diversity and awareness.

The College’s learning accommodation is highly accessible for people with motor and sensory disabilities. Details are set out in the annual ‘Accessibility Commitment’ and on the national DisabledGo website - www.disabledgo.com.

There is a College chaplaincy team which aims to provide spiritual support to students and staff of all faiths and none, and provides quiet rooms at Kings Road and Goschen.

There are excellent nurseries at Kings Road and Goschen and the 2012 Ofsted inspections for each site identified the effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity as ‘outstanding’.

The College meets its legal requirements for an equality and diversity policy with clear statements on preventing unfair discrimination for all the protected groups. There are published Equality Objectives and an Equality and Diversity Action Plan. The Equality Objectives are cross-College targets set to promote equality for our students, workforce and in our working practices. The Equality and Diversity Action Plan underpins the Equality Objectives and is updated annually.

We seek advice from local organisations, including the Plymouth Religious and Cultural Resource Centre, Fata He and the Race Equality Council, as well as national bodies such as the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Royal National Institute for the Blind, the Association of Colleges, the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Learning and Skills Improvement Service.

2011/12 Annual Report | 25

The Year Ahead - 2013 £4.5 Million Refurbishment of the College’s Engineering Facilities The College was awarded a £1.5 million Enhanced Renewal Grant and £100,000 Renewal Grant by the Skills Funding Agency. The grants were given to enable the College to further modernise its facilities and its estate. The next phase of the College’s property strategy focuses on a £4.5 million refurbishment project for its engineering facilities. A state-of-the-art and inspiring learning environment will be created for September 2013, which meets the exacting Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEM) environmental standards for sustainable building design. The newly refurbished engineering facilities will be very modern, bright and clean with glass and aluminum opening up workshops to create open-plan workspaces.

Studio school College Strategy for 2012-2015 By 2015, the College will be an outstanding and responsive college of further and higher education that is at the heart of its local community, delivering a range of provision from entry to university-level education. As an organisation, we will create a strong sense of community for our students and staff. This will be built around the principles contained within our core values and the College will be a place of opportunity and enterprise.

26 | Artists’ impression of the new engineering facilities

Proposed Studio School The College has submitted a proposal to the Department for Education to build a Studio School, in collaboration with the Akkeron Group, Plymouth Argyle Football Club and the University St Mark & St John. Studio Schools are a new concept in education for 14 to 19 year olds, pioneering a bold new approach to learning by teaching through enterprise projects and real work. They seek to address the growing gap between skills and knowledge that young people need to succeed and that employers are asking for, and those that the current education system provides.

The Plymouth Studio School, which if approved will open in September 2015, will focus on the areas of leisure, sport and the visitor economy. These have been identified as a priority employment growth sector for Plymouth and the wider area. The focus will include associated sectors - such as catering, hospitality, tourism, customer service and retail.

University Technical College City College Plymouth is proud to be involved in the development of UTC Plymouth, due to open in September 2013. The UTC will offer a unique opportunity for education and industry to come together to develop the skills that will be needed in the future. It will offer students aged 14 to 19 the opportunity to take a highly regarded, full-time, technically orientated course of study. It will create a great opportunity to inspire a new generation of highly trained young people with the skills required to meet the needs of local employers in the marine engineering and advanced manufacturing sectors.

The College’s involvement with the UTC supports our mission to build a better Plymouth through the delivery of high quality education and training which will enhance young people’s employability prospects and which is responsive to the needs of our communities.

2011/12 Annual Report | 27

Funded by

Š City College Plymouth 2013