CONNECT February 2022

Disability awareness on display page 8

Professional development opportunities on page 12

Recognising colleagues with eCards on page 15

Connect N E WS | U P DAT E S | D I A RY DAT E S | D I S CO U N TS

L-R Cheryl Needham and Paul Hamblin from TBCG, David Benge and Fiona Bradley from The Prince’s Trust

Paul Hamblin has received recognition for having worked with 75 Prince’s Trust Teams and supporting more than 1,000 young people in his 22 years of service. Read more on page 6

February 2022

Connect

Casey Essom

Corporate Communications Assistant cessom@bedford.ac.uk

Editor’s Note

Your February Issue of CONNECT Magazine In this first issue of CONNECT Magazine for 2022, find out more about Prince’s Trust achievements, learn how to show your appreciation with an eCard, and discover Professional Development opportunities available.

If you would like to add your staff news to the next issue of CONNECT, please send your article and photos to cessom@bedford.ac.uk no later than Tuesday 15 February 2022.

Dates For Your Diary NC4M Open Event (Virtual)

Thursday 3 February 2022, 5:00pm-7:00pm

National Apprenticeship Week w/c Monday 7 February 2022

Half Term

w/c Monday 14 February 2022

Tresham College Kettering Open Day Tuesday 15 March 2022 5:00pm-8:00pm

Tresham College Wellingborough Open Day Wednesday 16 March 2022, 5:00pm-8:00pm

Shuttleworth College Open Day

Contents Pg.2

Key Dates

Pg.3

Principal’s Update

Pg.4

Wellbeing Update

Pg.5

Corporation News

Pg.5

Group News

Pg.10

BCS Offers

Pg.11

Job Opportunities

Pg.12

Quality Update

Pg.14

Equality. Diversity and Inclusion

Pg.15

Staff Perks

Saturday 19 March 2022, 9:00am-12:30pm

Bedford College Open Day

Tuesday 22 March 2022, 5:00pm-8:00pm

Tresham College Corby Open Day

Thursday 24 March 2022, 5:00pm-8:00pm

Bedford College Open Day Tuesday 18 January 2022, 5.00pm-8.00pm

Tresham College Wellingborough Open Day

Thursday 20 January 2022, 5.00pm-8.00pm

NC4M Open Day

Thursday 31 March 2022, 5:00pm-7:00pm

For more diary dates visit www.bit.ly/collegecalendars Pg.2

February 2022

Connect

Principal’s Update

Ian Pryce CBE

CEO The Bedford College Group ipryce@bedford.ac.uk

Principal’s Update

The rise and rise of BCPS Ltd

Carry on regardless

Most of our Group professional services staff and almost all our associate teachers are employed by BCPS Ltd, already one of the largest employers in Bedford. Since its inception in 2016 the company has grown very quickly. It currently employs 234 core staff and 240 associates, and the total staff costs it controls have risen from £1.7m p.a. in its first year to £7.4m p.a. last year.

The pandemic has made us all weary but as we start 2022 I thought it would energise us all to remind ourselves of just some of the main projects we have undertaken as a Group since the merger four years ago.

Covid hasn’t slowed us down one bit, and the next few years promise to be just as exciting. I don’t think any other college could match these achievements so thank you to everyone for the hard work that has made such a difference to the prospects of so many.

Graph shows staff costs since the Group’s inception

Jan-ewe-ary January is always an exciting time for students and staff at Shuttleworth College, with the start of lambing season. Students took the sheep to the farm barns ready for lambing to begin on 18 January. As we said at the recent staff meeting we are looking to develop our farm at Shuttleworth College to improve the facilities for students, staff and the sheep! We also want the farm to be a real asset for the whole College, enabling real-world science and engineering projects, construction work experience etc. We are really pleased to welcome Stephen Miller as our new Farm Manager too and have already seen some big improvements since Stephen joined us.

Photo shows sheep at Shuttleworth College

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Bedford/Tresham merger

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Zoological Education Centre (ZEC)

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Buchanan Centre, Bedford

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Salix energy-saving investments

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Kettering and Corby Learning Centres

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Brunel Road Motor Vehicle relocation

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Bid for Bedford Tower Block (Town Centre Fund)

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Bid for Corby Sixth Form (Town Centre Fund)

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Modern Methods of Construction Centre

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Redevelopment of Wellingborough campus

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Capacity bid for The Bedford Sixth Form

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Century Tech AI investment

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Matrix accreditation

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New student data system

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Migration to Microsoft 365

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Creation of the national Research College Group

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Acquisition of Aston Training Ltd

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Ofsted inspection of the Group

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Moving teaching online during Covid

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Setting up supervised Covid testing and organising LFT

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Zoo licence

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Tuition funding tutoring

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Partnership with University of Northampton

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Higher Technical Qualifications bid

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Stonewall Gold award.

Did you know you can follow Ian on Twitter?

@ipryce Pg.3

Connect

February 2022

Caroline Biddle

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

Wellbeing February 2022 At least one third of cancers are preventable, giving us every reason to champion healthy life choices and prevention strategies to reduce the risk of developing cancer.

Choosing your health Not every type of cancer is preventable but we do know we can prevent many cancers through lifestyle choices alone. According to the World Health Organisation, at least one third of common cancers are preventable through a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight and being physically active.

Smoking Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of cancer and stopping smoking is one of the best things we can do to reduce our risk of cancer. Use of tobacco has been found to cause around 15 different types of cancer including oral cancers, lung, liver, stomach, bowel and ovarian cancers, as well as some types of leukemia (cancers of the blood). Quitting at any age can make a huge difference, increasing your life expectancy and improving quality of life.

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Alcohol Alcohol is strongly linked with an increased risk of several cancers. By reducing and limiting how much you drink, you can reduce your risk of cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, bowel and breast, and may also reduce the risk of liver and bowel cancers.

Physical activity Maintaining a healthy weight and making physical activity part of your everyday life can help reduce your risk of several cancers, which include bladder, breast, colon, endometrial cancer, oesophagus, kidney and stomach cancer.

Ultraviolet radiation No matter where you live or your skin tone, moderate your exposure to ultraviolet radition from the sun and avoid tanning beds and solariums to help reduce your risk of skin cancer. Staying under the shade, covering up your skin and avoiding prolonged periods of exposure to the sun are some ways to help protect yourself.

February 2022

Connect

Rachel Nicol

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

Corporation News

Happy New Year from the Corporation!

2021 meetings continued to be impacted by Covid but with 2 meetings held in person towards the end of the year, one for the QSA Committee in reviewing the SAR and the main Board meeting in December. Both were distanced and the latter proceeded in full masks. I would like to offer my thanks to the staff in Buchanan, the IT team, Health & Safety, Estates and Customer Services for helping to facilitate this.

LGBTQ+ Staff Forum New year, new start! Everybody is welcome to join the LBGTQ+ staff community and allies in termly teams meetings, gatherings and hopefully socials later in the year. Come and join us to make a difference within the Group. For more details and meeting links, email or teams Phil pwells@bedford.ac.uk or Ashley aspiers@bedford.ac.uk

Meetings are all online at the moment but with a very full diary for the term.

Governors and non-Executive Directors were invited to a Sustainability presentation in December and the meeting to review the new Strategic Plan took place on 20 January 2022.

In other news, at the end of last year, Allan Schofield, Chair of the Corporation, was made a Fellow of the Chartered Institution for Further Education.

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

Photo shows LGBTQ+ Staff Forum poster

Photo shows Allan Schofield receiving his fellowship Pg.5

Connect

February 2022

A prince amongst team members

Student Book Club at Bedford

After more than two decades of working with The Prince’s Trust, Tresham College’s Paul Hamblin has received a certificate and silver cufflinks at a special ceremony held at Abingdon Avenue United Reform Church, Northampton on Wednesday 1 December.

We are running a weekly book club at the Cauldwell Street campus and are trying to engage more students and would like staff to encourage their students to get involved.

During his 22 years of service, Paul has worked with an amazing total of 75 Prince’s Trust Teams and supported more than 1,000 young people aged 1625.

Paul said: “It is an honour to work with the Prince’s Trust. At the start of every course there are some young people that can barely look me in the eye, but by the end of the twelve weeks they are able to stand up before an audience and give a professional presentation.”

The twelve-week Team programmes help young people to develop their communication skills, improve their self confidence and gain work experience. Previous participants, who have gone onto gain employment or run their own business, often come back to encourage the latest recruits.

Photo shows L-R Cheryl Needham and Paul Hamblin from TBCG and David Benge and Fiona Bradley from The Prince’s Trust

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Our current book club session is as follows: Date: Every Thursday (term time only) Times: 16:30 - 17:30 Location: Learning Resource Centre We are also able to set up new sessions based on student availability. Our sessions are light-hearted and fun, and based on books and themes chosen by the students. We’ve had great feedback on our book club from the students so far.

For more information, students can pop into the Library at Cauldwell campus or email us at learningresources@bedford.ac.uk

Photo shows student book club at Cauldwell Street campus

February 2022

Emission Zone Extensions

Further to an all staff email shared at the end of last year please can you ensure all Minibus drivers are aware of the following extended areas covered within the Transport for London’s ULEZ (Ultra Low Emissions zone) as well as other cities that have imposed Low Emission Zones outlined below.

We have received a number of fines since this was extended at the beginning of October 2021, as it now includes anywhere within the North and South circular inner ring road areas.

Our college vehicles & minibuses are non-compliant with the current emissions standards, which means that while they can still enter the zone, they are subject to a daily charge.

In the meantime the Estates & Facilities department will ensure that any new additions to the vehicle fleet will be ULEZ compliant as part of the wider low carbon transport plans for the future.

Connect

Bath

A CLEAN AIR ZONE applies to central Bath areas (Check the destination here) £9 daily charge Applicable 24hrs to vehicles which are not Euro4 petrol, Euro6 diesel, or electric.

The penalty for non-payment is £120 (reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days) Birmingham A CLEAN AIR ZONE applies to all areas inside the Middleway ring road. (most postcodes in B1, B10, B12, B15, B16, B18, B19, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, B9) £8 daily charge Applicable 24hrs to vehicles which are not Euro4 petrol, Euro6 diesel, or electric.

London

The penalty for non-payment is £120 (reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days)

CONGESTION CHARGE for inner London areas (Check postcodes here) £15 daily within the hours of 7am-10pm.

Planned for 2022

PLUS Ultra Low Emission Zone Charges inside the North and south circular roads £12.50 daily ULEZ charges apply 24hrs to vehicles which are not Euro4 petrol, Euro6 diesel, or electric.

Manchester - “Clean air zones” planned for spring 2022. Targeting older diesel and petrol vehicles taxis, vans, and other large vehicles to be defined.

Aberdeen - Planned for May 2022. Details not defined

The penalty for non-payment is £160 (reduced to £80 if paid within 14 days)

Dundee - Planned for May 2022. Details not defined

To be clear, being on the North Circular Road (A406) & South Circular Roads (A205) themselves will not incur a fee, but turning inwards towards central London means the low emission zone has been entered and the fee becomes payable.

Edinburgh - Planned for May 2022. Details not defined

Full details can be accessed via www.tfl.gov.uk/ulez We therefore request that when college vehicles are driven to central London, the fee is both allowed for, and paid.

Sheffield - Charge for older non-compliant vehicles.

Taxis & vans £12.50/day. Coaches, buses & HGVs £50/day

Glasgow A LOW EMISSION ZONE currently only applies to local buses

Newcastle - Older vans and taxis will be charged at £10/day

If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact the Estates and Facilities Team, however, it is recommended to plan for the charges when preparing your use of any College minibuses.

No charges yet, but after 2023 they will apply to all older vehicles which are not Euro4 petrol, Euro6 diesel, or electric.

Daily charges and non-payment penalties still to be decided Pg.7

Connect

February 2022

Disability Awareness In celebration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, students across the Group came together to create displays to inform and educate others on learning difficulties and disabilities. We received some fabulous work including anecdotes on how students have dealt with their learning difficulties and disabilites and drawings showing how they felt and written work with information on their own learning disabilites.

Thank you to all who contributed and to all who gave us space to showcase work. A special thank you to the STEPs group from foundation who put up all of the displays.

We asked our STEPs students for some feedback, which has been lovely to hear: What are your thoughts on the display?

It is important and nice to see other peoples’ work up on display Do you think it was worthwhile?

Photo shows students’ work If you did not manage to see the work, you can find more photos and digital copies of all students work on our sway page sway.office.com/7gqe8CRPzotfHHbw?ref=Link

Yes, I think it’s important for everyone to know about every disability Do you think it is important to raise awareness?

Yes!

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Photo shows the disability awareness poster display at The Bedford Sixth Form

February 2022

New visual identity guidelines We have updated our visual identity guidelines which can be found here within the Corporate Communications section on the intranet. We have also created PowerPoint templates with up-to-date logos and information for all staff to use. Please ensure you are aware of the updated visual identity guidelines and use the templates provided so we can maintain a consistent professional image across the Group.

PowerPoint templates have been created for the following: •

The Bedford College Group

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Bedford College

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National College for Motorsport

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Shuttleworth College

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The Bedford Sixth Form

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The Learning Centres

•

Tresham College

Connect

FE First Awards One of the final awards ceremonies we attended as The Bedford College Group in December 2021 were the FE First Awards 2021 organised by The College Marketing Network.

The Marketing Team were recognised at the awards as Highly Commended for their Event Management of the National College for Motorsport events that were hosted last year during the COVID-19 restrictions.

As one of the country’s leading specialist centres of vocational excellence for motorsport, the National College of Motorsport attracts students from across the UK and therefore another key objective is to continue recruiting students from across the country.

The marketing team were able to virtually showcase the world-class facilities in an inspiring and dynamic way with outstanding results. They did this by commissioning a three minute video virtual tour which was incorporated into the virtual open events. It included footage of the Silverstone race track where they are based and their highly specialised, technical facilities such as the workshops and dedicated bays which are fitted with industry standard equipment.

The Schools Engagement & Events Co-ordinator led the planning for these events creating an action group and holding regular meetings between the marketing team and the National College for Motorsport teaching staff. During the virtual events the Schools Engagement & Events Co-ordinator directed and co-ordinated all activities including monitoring the live chat Q&A and fielding prospective student questions to the appropriate staff.

Photo shows The Bedford College Group’s new brand guidelines

The National College for Motorsport 2021 virtual open events were an outstanding success. The marketing team achieved a 76% year on year increase in attendance - from 168 prospective students in 2020 to 296 in 2021 leading to a 46% year on year increase in applications from 320 in September 2020 to 467 in September 2021. This in turn provided a 24% increase in enrolments - from 184 new students in 2020 to 228 new students in 2021.

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Connect

February 2022

BCS Offers

First Aid at Work training

Lifeguard Training Course

We are very pleased to announce that we are now offering First Aid at Work training to any members of the public aged 16 or over. This is a great opportunity for those interested in developing First Aid Skills. The IQL Level 3 First Aid at Work Qualification covers a wide range of CPR and First Aid skills, equipping the first-aider to apply their knowledge to a range of specific injuries and illnesses. The course is 18 hours and requires 100% attendance. The qualification is Ofqual accredited and valid for three years, making it suitable for all industries and enabling you to meet HSE requirements. The courses will run between 8:30am-4:00pm and Group staff and students can access a £10 discount off the original price.

We are also offering the NPLQ Lifeguard course which covers all elements of pool rescue techniques, lifeguarding theory, first aid and CPR. The course is physically demanding and will include swimming to set times, lifting casualties and diving to the deepend part of the swimming pool. Training and assessment for the NPLQ is in three sections and all must be successfully passed to attain the qualification.

The course comprises practical work and theoretical classroom work, as well as a practical assessment on CPR and first aid. The course will be running on the following dates, please click to book a place on TicketTailor: Tuesday 8 – Thursday 10 February 2022 Tuesday 22 – Thursday 24 February 2022 Tuesday 8 – Thursday 10 March 2022 Tuesday 22 – Thursday 24 March 2022 Tuesday 12 – Thursday 14 April 2022 Tuesday 26 – Thursday 28 April 2022

All precautions are in place to ensure the course can be ran safely with social distancing measures in place during both the theory and practical parts of the course, this will include the use of mannequins during practical aspects of the course and PPE will be worn during these sessions. All PPE will be provided during the course.

The dates and times for the course are as follows: Monday 14 February - 9:00am - 5:30pm Tuesday 15 February- 9:00am - 5:30pm Wednesday 16 February - 9:00am - 5:30pm Thursday 17 February - 9:00am - 5:30pm Friday 18 February - 9:00am - 5:30pm You are required to bring the following items to the course: •

Photographic Identification (must be shown to the trainer on the first day of the course)

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A whistle

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Swimming costume

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Towel

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Shorts and t-shirt to be worn in the water

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Pen/pencil

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Notebook

Places can be booked onto the NPLQ course here

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February 2022

Job Opportunities Associate Lecturer in Health and Social Care and/or Childcare Location: Kettering, Corby and Wellingborough Salary: Associate – (Unqualified) £20.50 per hour.

(Qualified PGCE/Cert Ed or equivalent) £21.50 per hour Application closing date: 28/01/2022 Examinations and Achievement Administrator Location: Bedford Salary: £22,600 per annum Application closing date: 28/01/2022 Governance Coordinator Location: Bedford Salary: £25,000 per annum Application closing date: 28/01/2022 Lecturer in Health and Social Care Location: Kettering Salary: £25,500 -£32,000 per annum, depending on qualifications and experience Application closing date: 28/01/2022 Training Coordinator - Carpentry Location: Bedford and Corby Salary: £26,000 - £33,000 per annum, depending on qualifications and experience Application closing date: 28/01/2022 Coach and Mentor Location: Bedford and Corby Salary: £20,000 - £24,000 per annum Application closing date: 31/01/2022 Evening Cook Location: Old Warden, Shuttleworth Salary: £23,360.06 per annum, pro rata Application closing date: 31/01/2022 Teacher of Health and Social Care Location: Bedford Salary: £24,000 - £28,000 per annum Application closing date: 31/01/2022 Teacher of Law Location: The Bedford Sixth Form Salary: £25,500 - £30,000 per annum, depending on qualifications and experience Application closing date: 31/01/2022 Evening General Kitchen Assistant Location: Old Warden, Shuttleworth Salary: £18,584 per annum, pro rata Application closing date: 01/02/2022

Connect Associate Lecturer in Technical and Professional Location: Bedford Salary: Associate - (Unqualified) £23.00 per hour (Qualified PGCE/Cert Ed or equvialent) £24.00 per hour Application closing date: 04/02/2022

Welcome to the Group Trevor Barnett Estates & Facilities Assistant Melissa Dunkley Work Placement Co-ordinator - STEM Joanna Frak Sales and Marketing Executive Elaine Francis System Accountant Arlyn Gough Service Accountant Tom Griffiths Estates and Facilities Assistant Simon Maddocks Trainee Lecturer - Electrical Installation/Engineering Shabnum Popat Trainee Lecturer - Counselling Nawab Rahman Teaching Assistant Kim Reeve Data Returns Administator Karen Rowland Catering Assistant Neil Sampson Technician - Countryside and Fisheries John Sirett Work Placement Co-ordinator Shalane Stoute Assistant Accountant (Projects) James Tennant Course Manager - Business, Accountancy and Professional Course

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Connect

February 2022

Quality and Training Opportunities Mental Health Newsletter Mental health and wellbeing continue to be top of the agenda for us all. We have put together some links to resources below which you may find usefu: Mindplan Complete a personal Mind Plan. Complete a short quiz on how you’re feeling and the NHS website will provide some simple ideas based on your answers that are easily to implement. eLearning The Charlie Waller Memorial Trust has a range of free e-learning sessions which are designed for all staff in college settings with the aim being to build confidence in supporting students around mental health. The sessions are specifically written for those staff who do not hold specialist roles in mental health in the college, such as counsellors, mental health advisers etc., but rather all other staff who offer day-to-day support to students in a range of settings, such as, in cafes, security staff, careers, libraries and in academic pastoral support, for example. We hope you find them useful. There are six sessions on key principles, signs to look out for, key skills, transitions, students at risk or in crisis, and a case study. Each session takes around 20-minutes to complete. Click here to access them.

Photo shows the NHS Mind Plan Research Supervisors Have you completed research to level 6 or above?

Have you had any work published? Are you interested in supporting others in their research? If you can answer yes to any of these we need you!

We are looking for a team of people who would consider supporting others who are on a research journey. Training will be provided and there is no minimum time commitment. If you are interested or want to find out more please contact Natalie Morris at nmorris@bedford.ac.uk

Connect Mental Health Resources We have created a page for Mental Health which is full of resources to help you to support your students, as well as helping you.

This page includes some really good tools that can be used and also key contacts and centres within the local areas to help our students that are living with mental health.

The page is being added to regularly so please feel free to contact Erica Knight at eknight@bedford.ac.uk with any suggestions of what you would like to see on there.

The Mental Health page can be found within the Safeguarding section of Connect or you can click here to view.

Professional Development have a range of CPD activities available in the field of Mental Health and WellBeing. They can be found here Pg.12

February 2022

Connect

Risk It! in conversation with... Alex Taylor Each month Professional Development hold a spotlight on Risk It activity that is taking place across the Group. This month Natalie met with Alex Taylor, a Catch-Up Tutor based in the English Department at Tresham College.

Risk It! Strand - Internal/External Sharing Natalie: Hi Alex, thanks so much for chatting with me today. I am really interested to hear what you have been working on for your Risk It! activity. As you know, Risk It! includes reflecting on the current situation/current practice. What was yours?

Alex: Hi Natalie, yes I would be glad to fill you in.

I am an ESOL specialist who has spent 24 years teaching ESOL in the Far East, mostly for the British Council, so have lots of experience teaching ESOL. When I joined the College I was surprised to see that there is no requirement to understand how to teach this group as part of teacher training, which is the case across Primary and Secondary teacher training too. This is surprising as most classrooms have students who speak English as an additional language, and this does require some knowledge of how to teach them. I realised that I could use my expertise to support other teachers with this.

Natalie: This is so interesting. So what did you do?

What was your Risk It! Action?

Alex: I developed a training session that I delivered during Golden Hour for the English department at Tresham College. This was really successful and as a result I have had teachers contacting me for ongoing support. An unintended outcome is also that my catch up classes are now really full of ESOL learners, because the teachers are referring them to me.

Natalie: Well done! This sounds fantastic. I can see the impact this project has had in your area already. What do you hope to do next? How will you share what you have found with others?

Alex: I am really interested in rolling this our further. I would be keen to deliver something to the trainee teachers and to other departments too.

I hope to make contact with other departments both here at Tresham College and also at the other sites to see if I can support their departments to better support our ESOL students.

Alex is keen to hear from anyone who would like to know more about his Risk it! To arrange to have him talk in your Golden Hour or just to chat about it, get in touch with him: Teams: Alex Taylor Email: ataylor@bedford.ac.uk

Photo shows Alex Taylor and Natalie Morris Pg.13

Connect

February 2022

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Update Sadly, we said goodbye to Anastassia Parsons in December and so to start the New Year we reflect on the good practice Anastassia has introduced to The Bedford College Group EDI Forums These are forums for employees at the Group and include: •

Disability Forum (Executive sponsor Karen Campbell, Vice Principal)

•

Race Forum (Executive sponsor Ian Pryce, Principal and CEO)

•

Women’s Forum (Executive sponsor Sarah Baxter, Executive Director of Marketing and Student Recruitment)

•

LGBTQ+ Forum (Executive sponsor Em Lowe, Vice Principal)

These forums provide a space for staff to discuss and share any concerns and experiences relating to the above. Please contact the relevant Executive Sponsor for further details of the groups. We would also welcome any ideas for new forums relating to protected characteristics.

Diversity Ambassadors These are voluntary roles who support their teams to promote and ensure a sustained focus on equality, diversity and inclusion. Many thanks to all of those who have and continue to make positive impacts across the Group. If anyone is interested in this role, please get with Karen Campbell at kcampbell@bedford.ac.uk for more information EDI Committee

DIVERSITY CALENDAR IN DECEMBER

LGBTQ+ History Month LGBTQ+ History Month is a celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and non-binary history and rights, and the lives and achievments of the LGBTQ+ community. The theme for 2022 is ‘Politics in Art’. the theme references art in the national curriculum and celebrates the many achievements of LGBT+ artists.

RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS IN FEBRUARY Tuesday 1 February - Candlemas (Pagan) Tuesday 1 February - Chinese New Year Festival Wednesday 2 February - Presentation of Christ in the Temple/Candleman (Christian) Thursday 3 February - Setsubun/Bean Scattering (Japanese)

The EDI committee continues to work towards its EDI plans, challenging the Group on its approach and practice to EDI

Friday 4 February - Sarasvati Puja/Vasant Panchami (Hindu)

EDI Curriculum Standards

Monday 14 February - St Valentine’s Day (Christian/National)

These comprise of a set of standards, measured

by Curriculum Directors to ensure outcomes for students are equitable and fair Please contact Karen Campbell for any further information on EDI activities on kcampbell@bedford.ac.uk in the interim of the new EDI manager role commencing.

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Tuesday 15 February - Parinirvana (Buddhist) Tuesday 15 February - Lantern Festival (Chinese) Wednesday 16 February - Magha Puja (Buddhist) Monday 28 February - Mahashivratri (Hindu) February 2022

Connect

Lynsey Travers

HR Manager - Human Resources

STAFF PERKS Introducing eCards

Holiday Club Discounts

This month, we have launched a new way to recognise colleagues across the Group. Introducing eCards, a fantastic addition to The Bedford College Group Perks scheme that already offers staff great discounts through instant vouchers or cashback and access to The Wellbeing Centre that is full of information to support our wellbeing whether it be through fitness and nutrition, financial or our mental health.

Staff can access £10 off the currently weekly rate at Barracudas Activity Day Camps in Bedford. Visit www.barracudas.co.uk or call 01480 467567 and quote the code BEDCOL22 to access the discount.

Say it with an eCard! eCards are a brand-new feature available to send via The Bedford College Group Perks. With a whole range of fun designs you can send a personal message with each eCard. You can use eCards to say thank you for a job well done or to congratulate a colleague on a new role. Maybe give a warm welcome to a new starter, wish a team member a happy birthday, or show your appreciation for an employee that constantly lives and breathes The Bedford College Group values? And what’s even better is that they’re completely free, instant, and you can send as many as you like! A simple message goes a long way in letting someone know you value them.

So, what are you waiting for?

To send an eCard simply log in to bedford. rewardgateway.co.uk on any device and select the “Say Thank You” tile, type in your colleague’s name or email, choose the eCard that is most relevant to you, then add your own personal message and send!

It’s as simple as that. You can choose whether to keep it private or to post it on our brand-new Social Recognition Wall so that everyone will be able to comment and like your eCard.

Whether you’re recognising someone’s hard work, or just saying thank you, eCards are a fun way to make someone’s day! So try them out now!

And don’t forget to spread the word to keep everyone up to date with the changes we’ve made!

You can continue to access the discounts hub and Wellbeing Centre via The Bedford College Group Perks too.

Photo shows Barracudas discount poster

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