TES FE Awards

Who has been winning what lately?

While all the recent media attention may have been on the Global Teacher Prize and UK winner Andria Zafirakou , an arts and textiles teacher from Alperton Community School, let’s not forget there have been other awards too.

The annual TES FE Awards took place last month at the Grosvenor House Hotel giving FE’s best the recognition they richly deserve.

With 17 awards up for grabs, this was an eventful, tense and exciting night that celebrated the fabulous talent, hard work and exceptional quality that thrives across the sector.

Here are just a selection of those winners:

Teacher of the Year Award went to Alison Scattergood who teaches barbering and hairdressing skills at East Durham College.

Since Alison took the lead for barbering provision at the college, dramatic changes have taken place. In the last five years student numbers have doubled, there is a 100% pass rate at level 2 and 3 and many students have competed in regional and national industry-recognised competitions. A real inspiration, Alison became the first woman to be named a British Master Barber in 2014.

Leader of the Year was given to Lowell Williams, principal at Dudley College of Technology.

When Lowell took over 11 years ago Ofsted rated the college ‘inadequate’ but his vision, remedial actions and relentless pursuit of excellence resulted in Ofsted rating it ‘outstanding’ in 2017. With raised expectations and aspirations of staff, students and stakeholders, Lowell has raised the profile of the college locally, regionally, nationally and internationally and now leads a college with high levels of student engagement, satisfaction and achievement.

FE College of the Year was awarded to Fareham College in Hampshire for a range of teaching, learning and assessment initiatives.

Innovative projects include  www.teacherstakeaway.co.uk, a website designed to increase collaboration between colleagues; the www.fareham.social.app to facilitate student communication and a military mentor programme giving young people at risk of NEET the skills they need for military and uniformed careers. Fareham also takes staff wellbeing seriously spending  1% of its turnover on staff development, and the holding of an annual “star awards” event to celebrate staff achievement. Little surprise then that it was highly commended in the “most improved” category of Britain’s Healthiest Workplace competition last year.

The Best Teaching and Learning Initiative was awarded to Barking and Dagenham College for its innovative and enriching STEM provision.

The judges said that the college was had “holistically and usefully” integrated STEM across wider curriculum areas and had also enhanced partnerships among staff and overcome workforce challenges. Assessment opportunities have been transformed and the STEM team work closely with staff to develop personalised practical activities and projects that fulfil the learner’s assessment criteria.

Overall FE provider of the year was a unanimous decision and this flagship title was given to Foxes Academy, an independent specialist college and training hotel for young people with learning disabilities.

The number of people in England who have learning disabilities and are in paid employment fell from 7.1 per cent in 2012 to just 6 per cent in 2015 but for the learners at Foxes, the employment rate has consistently been year after year over 85 per cent, a staggering achievement.

The judges recognised the strong mission, innovative working and the strength of the learner’s voice saying that the college’s engagement with local employers was exceptional.

The full list of the TES FE Awards winners are as follows:

You can access the winners e-book here

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