Inspire-Governors Newsletter Issue 1

Inspire Bolton College

Bolton College Newsletter for Governors Issue 1 2019

Beacon of Success!

Bolton College has won an Association of Colleges’ Beacon Award – the equivalent of an Oscar in the Further Education sector.

The College picked up the prize for ‘Most Effective Use of Technology in Further Education’ for Ada, the College’s 24/7 on-demand chatbot. Beacon assessors described Ada as ‘potentially a game changer for the whole of the FE sector.’

Click here to read more.

The ILT team and senior managers at the AoC Beacon Awards 2019

Aftab Hussain at the Royal Garden Party

Part of the University of Bolton Group

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Olympic Gold!

Triumph for Bolton College student Kiera Byland at the Special Olympics

News

Get up-to-speed with all the latest stories from Bolton College

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10 more reasons to study at Bolton College Exciting details about Bolton College’s enhanced offer for young people

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The Anderton Centre Fantastic enrichment opportunities for Bolton College students

Part of the University of Bolton Group

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Celebrating Apprenticeships Updates from National Apprenticeship Week and more!

Picture This Dramatic images from our latest marketing

Social Update The latest facts and figures from our social media platforms

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What’s New in FE The latest developments in FE

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Directors’ Cut Updates from Bolton College Directors and Curriculum Leaders

What’s On Dates for your diary

Bolton College’s Early Years students reign supreme!

Bolton College students have won a prestigious Early Years competition.

Childcare learners competed against students from nine other colleges for the annual Greater Manchester College Group’s (GMCG) Skills Competition.

After completing a series of tasks testing the learners’ knowledge and expertise, Bolton College were crowned overall winners.

Click here to read more.

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Bolton College’s sports student and cycling champ Kiera Byland has won three gold medals at the Special Olympics World Games - bringing her haul of Olympic medals to SIX!

Kiera flew out to Abu Dhabi to represent Team GB in three cycling events. In 2015, she won three gold medals at the Special Olympics in Los Angeles, which means she’s equalled the feat of her hero Sir Chris Hoy and Bolton’s Jason Kenny.

Prior to travelling to the Games, Kiera was surprised by tutors and fellow learners with a good luck party, organised by the College’s Curriculum Lead for Sports & Public Services, Mike Bruns.

Kiera’s inspiring achievements mean that since returning to the UK, she’s made several appearances in newspapers and on national TV, inspiring a whole new generation of athletes.

What an achievement well done Kiera!

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NEWS

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Diversity Festival 2019 Bolton College’s vibrant Diversity Festival has become an annual tradition, enjoyed by staff and students alike.

This year’s Festival was no different; we were treated to traditional Somali, African and Afghan dance; listened to songs from around the world; rocked to the beat of the Steel Drum Band; and enjoyed show-stopping performances from our performing arts students.

An abundance of stalls filled the Atrium and corridors, with world food and free hair and beauty treatments on offer. MhIST, Smile of Hope and a selection of other charities also attended.

Click here to read more.

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Part of the University of Bolton Group

‘Good’ Ofsted

for adult and community education The council’s adult and community learning provision, which is delivered by Bolton College, has been graded ‘good’ by Ofsted in every category.

Ofsted praised the council and College for engaging and enthusing learners, with more than 2,500 adults attending a range of courses last year and many going on to get a job, gain a qualification, progress to university and benefit from self-development.

Click here to read more.

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College chefs dish up tasty treats

The Mayor of Bolton visited Bolton College in March to sample some delicious desserts.

The College’s catering students created sample desserts for the Mayor’s annual charity ball, based on the theme of ‘The Greatest Showman’.

The Mayor opted for an ingenious top hat cake, which was replicated for 200 guests on the night of the ball.

Click here to read more.

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Part of the University of Bolton Group

Hairdressing, Make-up and Barbering students make the cut!

Three Barbering and Hair & Make-up artistry students have secured top places in the finals of a national competition.

The students travelled to Blackpool’s Winter Gardens for head-to-head battles against students from across the UK. Click here to read more.

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Students vs Mountains! rs e n r a e l 0 nd a 15 t r pa k ! o 8 9 to 3 ÂŁ d e s i ra

Sports and Public Services students conquered Mount Kilimanjaro, then Everest, in aid of Comic Relief.

The kind-hearted learners climbed a whopping 14.7km using the College stairs.

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Part of the University of Bolton Group

Creative Showcase 2019 Hairdressing, Beauty, Visual Arts and Performing Arts students delivered a spectacular Creative Showcase last month.

Over 100 learners showcased their work to fellow students, tutors, members of the public and special guests, including the Mayor of Bolton, Councillor Elaine Sherrington, and Bolton FM presenter Tony Bridge.

Click here to read more.

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Bolton College hosts Skill Build’s regional heats!

Construction learners from across the North West came to Bolton College last month, to compete in the regional heats of the Skill Build UK competition.

Skill Build is the largest and longest-running multi-trade competition in the UK, and Bolton College was selected to host this year’s event.

Click here to read more.

Sophie’s United Nations trip Business student Sophie Din has just returned from a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Sophie is a member of the National Alliance of Women’s Organisations (NAWO) and she represented a delegation of UK women and men under the age of 25, who are passionate about achieving gender equality. After landing in the US, Sophie attended three meetings at the Baha’i International Plaza for the Commission on the Status of Women.

Click here to read more.

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Bolton College and Bolton Wanderers Community Trust (BWCT) have forged an exciting partnership that will bring an exclusive Football Academy to young people in the North West.

Academy students will perfect their skills at Bolton Wanderers’ training ground, where they will receive expert coaching from Community Trust professionals.

Outside of training, learners will study for a BTEC in Sport, a qualification that can lead to an Apprenticeship, university or employment.

Click here to read more.

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Exclusive

football training kicks off at Bolton College

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10 more reasons to study at Bolton College From September, we’re offering our young learners a range of exciting benefits to enhance and complement their Study Programme or Apprenticeship:

The Bolton College Pledge Guaranteed places for all learners who have applied for a programme by 1st June 2019.

Pre-Professionals Programme We’ve rebranded! Pre-Professionals covers quality work experience, work placements and volunteering opportunities.

Free Travel Andy Burnham’s Opportunity Pass, giving young people a free ticket to ride in Greater Manchester.

Click here to read more.

Free Breakfast Fuelling our students for the day with free cereal, toast and a hot drink.

FREE Equipment They say the best things in life are FREE so…

FREE equipment for Beauty and Hairdressing students.

FREE CSCS card for Construction students.

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Bolton One Membership Student discounts available.

Click here to read more.

Duke of Edinburgh Award Students who go the extra mile will have the opportunity to apply for the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Click here to read more.

Anderton Outdoor Activity Centre Students will have access to the Anderton Centre, an inspiring outdoor centre in Rivington, Lancashire’s mini Lake District!

Learners will enjoy team building, leadership and exciting activities including archery, kayaking, canoeing, the leap of faith and much, much more! Click here to read more.

Gifted and Talented Programme Additional courses and qualifications for our students, enhancing their study programmes.

JS Aspire Card

Enhanced Offer

Progress to the University and receive a £500 JS Aspire card.

Click here to read more.

University of Bolton’s EXCEED Programme Bolton College students can enjoy a taste of university life with masterclasses, guest lectures, advanced facilities and study visits to the University of Bolton.

Application Opportunities Students will benefit from offer holder days and guaranteed places on the ‘Get Ahead’ summer school.

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Exciting

Ad

outside of the classroom Sport and Public Services students have taken part in a series of enrichment activities at The Anderton Centre, which has recently become part of the University of Bolton Group.

The centre provides outdoor residential activities for young people, helping to increase self-esteem, develop team work and build independence.

Click here to read more.

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g n i t a t r a b s e l p i h Ce s e c i t n e r e p g p e l A l o C n Bolto

National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) celebrations turned out to be a huge success in promoting our Apprenticeship provision.

We engaged with over 1,500 young people when Schools Liaison Co-ordinator, Ian Littlewood, visited eight local schools to promote Apprenticeships at Bolton College.

Ian was accompanied by motivational speaker and BBC Apprentice finalist, Adam Corbally. Schools visited included Essa Academy, St James, Harper Green and Rivington & Blackrod. Here’s Adam talking about Apprenticeships outside Atherton Community School:

We caught up with Plastering apprentice Chris Calderley!

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The senior management team made visits to the workplace of some fantastic apprentices.

A brush with success Four Painting & Decorating students are celebrating after landing Apprenticeships at Story Decorating Group in Salford.

Sharon Marriott, Director for 16-19 year olds, visited the apprentices at the companies North West headquarters during National Apprenticeship Week.

Click here to read more.

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Pic

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ctureThis

A fantastic selection of some of our latest photography!

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Social Update!

Activity Overview

Our social media at a glance...

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Keep up to date with us!

Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .eps

Facebook “f ” Logo

CMYK / .eps

@BoltonCollege

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What’s New in FE

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Augar Report – Post-18 review of education and funding Take a look at the much awaited report from the independent panel’s review of post-18 education and funding.

Click here to read more.

The #EdTech Leadership Group launched with a £4.6 million investment!

One of Britain’s most successful paralympians, Baron Chris Holmes, led a discussion on the use of technology in the classroom, and its potential to boost accessibility and inclusivity, at the first meeting of a new group of experts helping schools use technology effectively. In partnership with Nesta, they’re investing £4.6 million to support innovation and development of EdTech products, so that teachers can save time and pupils can improve their learning outcomes.

Up to 20 EdTech organisations will receive up to £100,000 to improve their digital tools across challenging areas such as essay marketing, parental engagement and timetabling.

Click here to read more.

Taking Teaching Further – the new national initiative, developed

by ETF and AoC, encouraging expert industry professionals to work in Further Education!

The project intends to raise the profile of FE teaching to industry professionals and also increase the number of FE teachers by helping them enter the industry. Additionally, existing FE teachers will also be able to benefit from industry-related CPD so that they are able to equip their learners with the very best skills.

Click here to read more.

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The T Level readiness self-assessment tools have been announced Self-assessment tools to help providers delivering T Levels consider upcoming challenges, identify priorities, and plan for the introduction of T Levels from September 2020 are live. These are available on the Education and Training Foundation’s (ETF’s) online learning website.

Click here to read more.

Your questions on the College Insolvency Regime answered by the AoC Issues relating to the new College insolvency regime have been considered in a note from the AoC. Click here to read more.

Department for Education’s Immersion Project 2017 saw the introduction of the Department for Education’s Immersion Project, which takes DfE staff into classrooms, so that they can better understand and meet the needs of FE colleges and providers more effectively.

Over 200 civil servants have signed up to the initiative, which sees staff shadow teachers, senior leaders and students over the course of three days. By observing in situ, the department hopes to better understand the day-to-day running of FE colleges and providers, and the challenges that they face, at all levels.

Click here to read more.

To find more current stories and developments in Further Education, take a look at the following websites: • www.fenews.co.uk/sector-news • www.aoc.co.uk/news • www.tes.com/news/hub/fe

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Directors’ Cut Sharon Marriott – Director of Curriculum (Young People) The New Functional Skills Qualifications are launched this summer!

Functional Skills are English and maths qualifications that apprentices take along with some learners attending College. The new qualifications are more closely aligned to GCSEs and worryingly, much more challenging. New content has been introduced, for example, in entry levels, English will be taught using phonics, and in maths, there are now three exam papers, one of which is a non-calculator assessment. Click here to read more.

College chosen to deliver ‘Gold Standard’ qualifications from 2021 I am delighted to announce that the College’s expression of interest to deliver T Levels from September 2021 has been successful and that we will be eligible to deliver T Levels within the following routes from the 2021 to 2022 academic year: • Digital • Construction • Education and Childcare • Health and Science This is a fantastic opportunity for the College to deliver the new Gold Standard qualifications and we are very proud to be chosen.

Lots more news to follow with this exciting development!

Peter Bembridge – Personlised Learning Leader A significant new initiative this year has been the Journey to Employment project!

Essentially, it’s designed to deliver two main benefits: • To act as a motivational tool for learners so they can develop and measure the skills, qualities and values employers are looking for, such as their attitude towards learning, professionalism and reliability.

• To offer learners, on leaving College, a portfolio and certification which they can present to employers during interviews.

Learners can earn Gold, Silver or Bronze certificates for attendance, engagement with enrichment activities, positive behaviour, work experience, attitude towards learning and professionalism. These certificates, along with vocational qualifications, English and maths qualifications and other achievements, together in a high-quality college-branded portfolio, establish a real advantage for learners when they’re seeking employment.

Jodie Cooke – Curriculum Leader (Hospitality, Catering and Business) The Bolton College catering department are now providing professional catering services for internal and external events!

It has been a really exciting year for the catering department as we have had the opportunity to participate in providing catering for a number of events such as Baldwin’s Accountants relaunch at the National Centre for Motorsport Engineering; Skills and Aspirations Breakfast Meeting; the College Adult Open Evenings; and the Adult and Community Awards, as well as the up and coming World Skills Construction Competition! Here’s to even more exciting events we’ll be taking part in!

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What’s

On?

Reading Ahead Awards Ceremony 27th June 2019

New Student Day 11th July 2019

Higher Education Graduation 16th July 2019

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Part of the University of Bolton Group

Adult (19+) Course Guide Available online now www.boltoncollege.ac.uk/adult-learning

What’s on offer!

600+ courses

Foundation Degrees, HNDs & HNCs

from Art & Design to Teaching to Assistants and Business Beauty

Improve your English & maths skills

Adult Earn while you learn!

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