Context and Place. Bexhill College is a Sixth Form College which operates in the eastern side of East Sussex. Its core purpose is the provision of high-quality education for 16 – 19-year-olds. The College recruits’ students from Rother (Bexhill, Battle, Robertsbridge, Rye), Hastings and Eastbourne. We also provide a post 16 education option to students from further afield locally as well as welcoming an increasing number of international students. In total, our students come from 53 different secondary schools. The College offers a broad range of courses to meet the needs of the local community. The core focus of the College work is with the 16-19 age group offering a broad range of academic and vocational courses across foundation, intermediate and advanced level including T levels in Health Care, Early Childhood Education and Business. The College attracts approximately 2200 full time, 16–19-year-old students of which approximately 90% are studying advanced programmes and the remaining 10% at intermediate/foundation level. The broad curriculum offer reflects the needs of the young people in the area and ensures progression opportunities are available for students from the wide range of secondary schools we recruit from, each of whom, have different pre 16 curriculum and outcomes. The entry requirements aim to ensure students are on the right course for their ability and future aspirations and so enables student success and progression. The College provides Study Programmes at levels 1, 2 and 3, with flexible combinations of academic and vocational options. In addition, GCSEs in English and Maths are offered, with significant numbers of students resitting these qualifications. All funded Study Programmes are full-time. As of September 2023, our average GCSE point score on entry is 5.41. The breadth of the curriculum with the opportunity for students to take almost any combination of subjects, along with the high-quality pastoral and academic support, is the unique selling point of the College. The College has a reputation for consistently high results. The College offers over 80 different courses across A level and vocational courses at level 3, 2 and 1. The College operates on a single site. The College moved to new purpose-built accommodation in August 2004. The College has excellent facilities including a sports hall, all weather pitch, film studio, dance studio, laboratories as well as general classrooms. Since 2004, the College has continued to develop the campus and f...
Context and Place. Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Keynes is situated in the South-East of England, between London and Birmingham. The following map illustrates its geographical position: Xxxxxx Keynes • In October 2022, Milton Keynes was awarded city status, which reflects the growing population and economy over the past 10 years. • In Milton Keynes, the population size has increased by 15.3%, from around 248,800 in 2011 to 287,000 in 2021. This is higher than the overall increase for England (6.6%), where the population grew by nearly 3.5 million to 56,489,800. • At 15.3%, Milton Keynes' population increase is higher than the increase for the Southeast (7.5%). • As of 2021, Xxxxxx Keynes is the 30th most densely populated of the South East's 64 local authority areas, with around seven people living on each football pitch-sized area of land. • There has been an increase of 43.6% in people aged 65 years and over, an increase of 11.6% in people aged 15 to 64 years, and an increase of 12.3% in children aged under 15 years. This compares with a 20.1% rise across England. • According to the latest 2021 census, the population in Xxxxxx Keynes is predominantly white (72%), with non-white minorities representing the remaining 28% of the population. • The median average age in Xxxxxx Keynes in 2021 was 37.8, with over 18s representing 79.7% of the population. • In 2021, the urban population of Milton Keynes was approximately 227,168 or 91%, while the rural population was around 21,653 or 9%. • The largest religious group in Xxxxxx Keynes is ‘Others’ who account for 44% of the population according to NOMIS data from the 2021 census. • English is spoken as the main language by 87.4% of people in Xxxxxx Keynes and spoken either well or very well by 11% of the population. 1.5% reported having poor English language skills, and the remaining 0.25 no English at all. This equates to approx. 1000 people. This number has potentially increased in the past two years due to an increase in refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine. • According to mid-year population estimates published by the ONS in 2019, males account for 49.4% of Xxxxxx Xxxxxx'x 288,201 population, while females made up 50.6% of the total. • Xxxxxx Xxxxxx'x age structure shows the working-age population to be 189,721 which is 65.8% of the population. People under the age of 16 represent 20.3% of the population, and over 65s represent 13.9% of the population. The percentage of the population that is of working-age has decreased over the last 1...
Context and Place. Hampshire, the home of FCoT, is a fairly affluent county. However, the College’s two campuses are located within the Borough of Rushmoor which has three areas of multiple deprivation that are in the 20% most deprived in the country: • Cherrywood xxxx (Ranked 3,693 most deprived of 32,844) • Aldershot Park xxxx (Ranked 4,053 most deprived of 32,844) • Wellington xxxx (Ranked 5,123 most deprived of 32,844) Amongst other activities, the College hosts meetings with elected councillors where participation and outcomes from our communities, are shared and discussed. Additionally, the UCF funded by EM3 LEP and FCoT, supports place shaping, raising aspirations and improving the number of residents retained locally through the level 4 and 5 skills needed by local businesses. Section 52B of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 (reinforced in the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill 2022) places a duty on governing bodies of FE institutions to review how well the education or training meets local needs. Governing bodies should also consider what action might be taken in order to meet those needs better. FCoT annually reviews its curriculum and takes steps to ensure it is responsive to local, regional and national needs. As an example, since 2016 the College has been embedding the use of LMI in annual curriculum plans, using: • Career Industry Advisory Committees (CIAC) and an annual Career Industry Advisory Board (CIAB) • Priorities for the Government, EM3 LEP, HCC, Rushmoor Borough Council, and Xxxx District Council. This approach ensures the stakeholder voice informs the College’s offer. As can be seen in the 16+ demographic trends below, 16-17 participation is expected to be broadly steady across the College’s combined catchment areas, over the next 10 years.
Context and Place. Xxxxx Xxxxxxx College is a sixth form college located in Winchester. Of its 4,394 full time learners, only a quarter are drawn from Winchester itself. The College draws students from across Hampshire, and has 70 boarding students. These are all ESFA funded students and we do not have Tier 4 status, so have no international students. The College’s intake spans Hampshire and the Southampton and Portsmouth unitary authorities, with small numbers of students from Dorset and Wiltshire. Our recruitment ‘heat-map’ reveals significant ‘hot-spots’ of recruitment some distance from the College with Salisbury, Basingstoke, Eastleigh, Southampton and Fareham seeing significant numbers of applications. In socio-economic terms, the College’s intake is well above average. Using the IDACI measure which looks at the income context of the communities from which students are drawn, 60% of students are drawn from the top 25% of districts nationally. Our three largest contributors are the 11-16 schools in Winchester: Kings School, The Westgate School and the Xxxxx Xxxxxxxx School. One thing that makes Hampshire unusual is the very small number of schools with a sixth form, and the fluidity of movement for post-16 study. Our location (200 metres from Winchester Railway Station) provides easy access for students from across Hampshire. 880 have railway season tickets (processed by the College) and we liaise with local bus providers to ensure bus provision matches student applications. 14% of our students were previously educated in the independent sector. The boarding provision at the College has its origins in the military connections to Winchester, and in the past many students were the children of forces families. The withdrawal of UK forces from Germany (in particular) has reduced the proportion of students from a military background, but boarding remains full. Much of the decision-making process around curriculum offer is driven by national intelligence about curriculum routes for 16-18 year olds derived from interaction with the Sixth Form Colleges Association, the Association of Colleges, the Wessex Group of Sixth Form Colleges and the Hampshire Principals Group. Senior Managers at the College are on the AoC Sixth Form Colleges portfolio group, the HE in FE group, the SFCA Curriculum and Quality Policy Group and the SFCA Governance Policy Group. This underpinning knowledge is complemented by interaction with students about course choices, direct interaction with universiti...
Context and Place. Essex is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the xxxx, Xxxx across the River Thames estuary to the south and Greater London to the south and south-west. Currently Greater London, along with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, are devolved authorities. Proximity to London is significant, with high levels of commuting to the capital or home-based working for London-based employers. Similarly, proximity to areas such as Cambridge, Hertfordshire and Suffolk are factors for people commuting in and out of Essex. In the context of the Local Enterprise Partnerships, Essex is part of the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (XXXXX). Although there are a number of high-profile large employers in Essex, the table overview illustrates the large presence of small and micro-businesses. Essex has a slightly larger proportion of micro-businesses than the regional average, with small businesses often requiring additional support to engage with the skills system and to provide opportunities such as apprenticeships. In general, the number of businesses in Essex has steadily increased, from 51,600 in 2011 to 66,800 in 2020. The Essex Skills Plan 2022-23 highlights that skills levels have improved but are still generally below the national average, although there are variations at district level. ACL Community Essex County Council commissions Adult Community Learning Essex (ACL Essex) to provide learning across the county, with Southend and Thurrock unitary authorities having their own ACL provider. Essex is a large county with a population of around 1.5 million (working age 16-64 910,000) . It has a wide range of communities spanning rural, urban and coastal areas with widely varying qualification levels and areas of significant social deprivation ACL Essex is primarily a direct delivery service and has nine adult community learning centres in most of the major cities/towns in Essex. In support of the levelling up agenda, ACL Essex also offers courses at other community venues across the county including libraries, community centres, schools and care providers. ACL Essex is graded as ‘good’ by Ofsted. The diagram highlights the spread of ACL Essex’s learner’s pre-pandemic, along with the indices of multiple deprivation across the county. This effectively highlights the uneven spread of deprivation across the county. Data from Essex County Council, Strategy In...
Context and Place. The City of Newcastle Upon Tyne Forty-four per cent (44%) of Newcastle residents have a degree level qualification and are doing very well economically. However, we still have a very large proportion of residents who need specific, additional support and training to ensure that all our residents have an equal opportunity and access to high quality, sustainable employment. The picture is very mixed within the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. Whilst there is much to be proud of within the city, there are clearly some less favourable statistics here. Many of our residents do need lots of support to ensure that we do have an inclusive economy and that all are able to access good quality employment opportunities within the city. The foundational economy, which creates and distributes goods and service that we rely on for everyday life, accounts for around 40% of Newcastle’s jobs with our hospitals alone providing 9% of our city’s employment. Other examples of the foundational economy are: care and health services and food. Our foundational economy spans public, private and community sectors to provide valuable goods and services that are essential for our daily lives. The city also supports a very vibrant night-time economy with many opportunities within the hospitality and leisure industries. To combat some of the divide detailed above Newcastle City Council have developed the Newcastle Inclusive Economic Strategy; Wealth that flows to all (published in March 2023) – Newcastle Upon Tyne. This strategy document states that: - ‘This economic strategy has been designed to ensure access for all to opportunities to improve their economic position as an individual or business, through education and development. The strategy includes provision for the most disadvantaged learners ensuring that all Newcastle residents have an opportunity to improve their life chances through securing good quality employment. We are a hardworking and resilient city, with real economic success stories to tell, and with communities that unite to support each other in hard times. But figures of 42% child poverty rates and a 13-year difference in life expectancy for adults between our most and least deprived wards, tell us something is structurally wrong with the way that wealth and wellbeing flows in Newcastle. We can all see the great potential in Newcastle. We need a shift in mindset so that we can all seize it and maximise it for the benefit of every person, no matter where they live in our...
Context and Place. The communities we serve The profile of the College’s student body is distinct from that of many other Sixth Form Colleges: the prior attainment of students is lower than average, whilst levels of disadvantage are considerably higher. Developing our students’ skills, so that they may progress successfully to the next stage of their education and career, is therefore key to addressing social disadvantage. For our sixth form students, we focus on progression to HE, apprenticeships and further training. Our sixth form curric- ulum is geared towards that objective and, as such, emphasises ambitious academic teaching, com- bined with a strong personal development and support programme that prepares students for both university and for adulthood. We offer a range of A levels and Applied General Qualifications at level 3. We also offer a bespoke ‘Access to Level 3’ course which provides students with a second chance to attain a grade 4 in English and Mathematics GCSE before progressing to Level 3. At Level 3, 56.4% of our learners choose to follow a mixed programme of study which is a combination of A levels and Applied General courses; 39.4% follow a purely A level pathway and 4.2% follow a vocational pathway. The College is inclusive and accessible to local 16-17 year olds. Our subject entry requirements are lower when compared to others locally. As of September 2022 our average GCSE points score for A level was 6.1 and 5.5 for our Applied General pathway. 7.6% of our students were in receipt of free school meals; 19.6% of our students were eligible for pupil premium in year 11 and 12.1% of our students are receipt of the college bursary. The proportion of our students from black and minority ethnic background was just over 24%. There are a small number of students with Education & Health Care plans (EHCP) and/or High Needs, and a large number of students with Exam Access and/or additional learning support needs. Our work at St Brendan’s focuses on progressing a large proportion of our students to Higher Education and then to employment or Higher level apprenticeships. In doing so we meet both the local and national skills priority to educate beyond NVQ level 4+ and to address graduate employment. The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) have a relentless focus on ensuring that all young people achieve their potential and we make a significant contribution to that objective. Approach to developing the Plan Our Curriculum is driven by national and local int...
Context and Place. We are a single site Sixth Form College that has c. 3,400 16-19-year-old students and c. 320 staff • Students come from over 60 different schools with 50% of students coming from Brighton and Hove and 50% from the wider Sussex community • We offer c. 50 subject courses at A Level and level 3 BTEC, Maths and English GCSE and a diverse range of portfolio and enrichment courses • We offer Adult Evening Language courses, full-time English for Speakers of Other Languages courses and facilities for hire • Overall, annual college income from all sources excluding capital grant is c. £18 million • Performance outcomes are strong: BHASVIC is in the top 1% of institutions for both exam results and Value Added. • Up to 75% of Learners regularly go on to University within one year of leaving BHASVIC As a non-selective, state funded provider, BHASVIC intends to be inclusive and accessible to local 16- and 17-year olds. Our subject entry requirements are set to be as low as possible whilst enabling student success and ensuring we are not setting students up to fail. We provide five main Study Programmes, four of which cover Level 3 academic pathways, one of which provides an entry, Xxxxx 0 or Level 2 educational pathway for students who have English as their Second or Other Language (ESOL). All funded Study Programmes are full-time. As of September 2020, just over 50% of our Level 3 students have an average GCSE point score of 6.4 or above; 37% fall within 5.5 – 6.4 with around 12% at <5.5; our average GCSE point score on intake is 6.4. We have a small number of students with Education & Health Care Plans (EHCP) and/or High Needs, and a significant number of students with Exam Access Arrangements and/or Additional Learning Support. Our specialist team for these students works in collaboration with our curriculum, exams, pastoral and admissions teams. our local partner schools and the three local authorities to remove the academic disadvantage these students might otherwise experience, and enable them to achieve their full potential academically, in their progression and destinations and in their personal development. We also offer evening language classes, aimed at adults over 19. These make an important contribution to local needs in terms of community-based provision whch is focused on supporting the visitor economy, as well as hospitality and cultural industries. The ‘local area’ is two distinct areas. Firstly, the city and unitary authority of Brighton and Hove and ...
Context and Place. Loreto is a Catholic Sixth Form College. It is a single site institution with over 3500 students and approximately 300 staff. It is located in Hulme, Manchester but consistently draws students from across Greater Manchester and beyond. The majority of students complete a level 3 qualification (96% of provision by entry), but the college is justifiably proud of the achievements of level 2 and level 1 students whose qualifications allow them to progress onto further study, apprenticeships or employment. We regularly review our curriculum offer to ensure that we meet the needs of our local community, prospective students and local, regional and national skills needs. We offer 34 A level qualifications, 7 Level 3 vocational qualifications (equivalent to one A Level), 4 BTEC Level 3 Extended Diplomas (equivalent to three A Levels), 3 BTEC Level 2 qualifications, GCSE resits in Maths and English Language and Foundation-level qualifications through our Pathways to Independence Department, which offers provision to students with learning differences and disabilities. We are committed to maintaining a diverse intake of students and ensure we offer places to students from a range of ethnic, cultural, socio-economic backgrounds. We welcome students with varied prior attainment and maintain modest entry requirements, which align with our inclusive and aspirational approach. We have students with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) in both our mainstream and our Pathways provision and we work closely with students, families and external organisations to ensure the needs and aspirations of these students are fully met. We have a significant number of students with SEND and with Exam Access Arrangements; our Additional Learning Support department works closely with curriculum, pastoral, exams and admissions teams to support these students and meet their needs. Our pastoral provision ensures that each student has twice weekly tutorial lessons and a fortnightly Hall assembly, through which a centralised and sequenced programme of high-quality tutorial resources is delivered on themes of Student Life, Safeguarding and Wellbeing, and Careers. This helps to ensure all students’ access support and opportunities to develop their employability and transferrable skills and can make informed decisions about their post- college options. It also helps to ensure that the college supports students to achieve their potential and develop into well rounded and informed young adults w...
Context and Place. We are an Adult Education Service which is embedded within the Cheshire West and Xxxxxxx (CW&C) Local Authority. We deliver a wide range of programmes through our four geographically based work zones and commissioned partners. Our work zones are in Chester, Ellesmere Port, Northwich and Winsford. As part of this offer, we have created Learning and Skills Hubs, which are currently based in ten local primary school settings. In addition to these school settings, the Hubs also provide support in community centres, plus venues where demand has been recognised and requested e.g., Xxxx Barracks. The Hubs offer a range of Family Learning and Work Zone adult learning opportunities that support the schools’ parents, carers, and local residents to learn new skills, progress to further learning, find employment or improve career prospects. The Hubs also facilitate regular information drop-in sessions from Citizens Advice and the Council’s Housing department. Our programme of delivery is aimed at supporting adults to develop their confidence and basic skills, all the way through to delivering vocational programmes in line with local employment needs at Level 2. We also work closely with partners such as local Further Education Colleges and independent training providers, to ensure no duplication of provision and to encourage progression routes for our learners into further study where relevant. Recently we have also become responsible for the delivery of Multiply, aimed at supporting those adults without a Level 2 in maths, working closely with a range of partners including those in the voluntary and community sector. In addition to our Adult Education provision, we support an annual cohort of approximately 20 Supported Internship Learners, providing them with employability and basic skills and facilitating high quality relevant work experience through our extensive link to local employers. Our provision is contained within the Cheshire West and Xxxxxxx footprint, serving a population of approximately 350,000 people. The Services uses a broad range of intelligence to inform our provision which includes national data sets, such as the DWP Stat Xplore and the EMSI data supplied by the Cheshire and Warrington LEP, along with feedback from learners and employers that we engage with. Table 1 shows the labour force breakdown in CW&C in 2022. This table shows that there is a working age population (16-64) of 208,827, with 4,302 people currently classed as unemployed. Table 1...
