Nelson and Colne College has been named as Provider of the Year in the Skills Awards 2020 for its outstanding GCSE resit provision.

The college, which is first and third nationally in performance tables for the progress students make in Mathematics and English GCSE resits, has been announced as the coveted category winner of the Skills Awards 2020.

Judges found that the college displayed excellence and effectiveness in Mathematics and English learning outcomes, in deciding on the winning nomination.

Nelson and Colne College has consistently been the leading college in the country for GCSE Mathematics progress for three consecutive years, and in that time has always been in the top three places nationally for GCSE English progress too.

In 2018, Nelson and Colne College was named as a Maths Centre for Excellence to support improvement in the college sector. The college has also been approached to support English and Mathematics improvement with Newcastle Colleges Group, and speak on the topic of GCSE provision at the Association of Colleges’ Annual Conference.

Assistant Principal for Academic Curriculum at Nelson and Colne College, Fionnuala Swann, said: “I’m thrilled that we have won this award for our GCSE provision. While we are well-known for our outstanding A Level, vocational and Apprenticeship provision, we also offer exceptional GCSE resit provision and support for those students who do not quite achieve their target first time around.

“The sustained success in GCSE resits is a result of a whole-college approach to improving Mathematics and English, combined with a range of other factors including exceptional teaching, engaging lessons, rigorous monitoring and assessment of student progress and innovative collaboration work with secondary schools in Pendle.

“By recruiting and developing a passionate, knowledgeable and enthusiastic English and Mathematics teaching team who are committed to improving teaching and learning, we really are best placed to kick start a student’s progression onto a high quality, career aligned study programme at College, and then onto university, an Apprenticeship or employment.”

Nelson and Colne College is the number one FE college in the country for A Level progress, and is number one in Lancashire for 16-18 Advanced Apprenticeship timely completion. In addition, the College is also number one in the country for student satisfaction, based on the latest FE Choices Learner Survey.

Applicants looking to apply to Nelson and Colne College still have the time. If you would like to apply to study at Nelson and Colne College, contact 01282 440272 or visit www.nelson.ac.uk

If you are looking for a career at Nelson and Colne College Group, please visit the college’s designated careers website at careers.nelson.ac.uk/

The highly successful Burnley FC Shadow Youth Team programme that mixes football skills and academic study is coming to Accrington and Rossendale College from September.

Benefiting both male and female footballers aiming for a career in the industry or wider sports coaching and performance sector, the programme’s launch is part of a campaign to bring the extraordinary to Accrington and Rossendale College, after its merger with Nelson and Colne College – one of the leading colleges in the country across a range of academic measures.

Since the BFC Shadow Youth Team launched with Nelson and Colne College in 2015, 408 young people have completed the programme, with a further 32 completing the female equivalent, the Girls’ Post-16 Academy.

Last season, 117 students studied on the programme, and alongside their BTEC qualification, 28 Shadow Youth Team graduates secured their FA Level 1 Football Coaching award. Players have progressed onto impressive destinations both in the UK and overseas including university, employment, Apprenticeships, semi-professional and professional football.

The launch also comes at a time where the campus at Accrington and Rossendale College is undergoing £4 million of improvements, to ensure students have access to the best industry standard facilities to help them develop vital skills for their future.

Steven Buckley, Head of Division for Sport at Nelson and Colne College Group, said: “I’m delighted at this development, and it brings a high-quality, established programme with a track record of positive results to strengthen the vocational offer at Accrington and Rossendale College.

“The practical element of this full-time programme is delivered by an experienced team of UEFA licensed coaches, while the academic element is delivered by our brilliant teaching team within the Nelson and Colne College Group.

“As a student on the Burnley FC Shadow Youth Team – male or female – you can not only expect the highest quality of training from industry experts, but also a wide range of fantastic opportunities to enhance your learning, leading on to exciting futures.”

Olivia Riley, 17, is one of the existing female Girls Post-16 Academy players on the Burnley FC programme. She said: “I’ve played football from the age of 10, and this programme is absolutely perfect for me. As well as training and playing competitive football games, it is supporting my career aspirations of becoming a physiotherapist or a coach.

“In the classroom I’m learning a range of areas including anatomy, psychology and conditioning and fitness. On the pitch, female football is growing all the time, and the standard is improving with it. We’ve played and beaten Manchester City and Everton’s teams this year, so it is going really well.”

Harry Richardson, 19, was last year’s star award winner for the Burnley FC Shadow Youth Team, progressing on to Leeds Beckett University, where he now studies Science of Sport Performance.

Harry said: “The BFC Shadow Youth Team programme was definitely the best route for me. I love football and I always knew I wanted to work in sport, whether it was coaching, teaching, or in strength and conditioning. The fact I could study a BTEC and train and play football under high quality coaches was a win, win.

“In the classroom, the teaching was very good, and it really supported me to achieve my Triple Distinction* grade at the end of the course. Now I’m at university, I’m building on the knowledge I gained during my BTEC at College. Because I was from out of the immediate area when I went to College and didn’t know anybody, the progression to university has been quite simple for me as I had the confidence from doing it all before.”

Included within the £4million of improvements at Accrington and Rossendale College are brand new industry-standard Hair and Beauty salons, innovative study spaces, and a revamped specialist Learning Resource Centre.

There are also dedicated Learner Services and Careers areas and a remodelled and modern student Refectory. Coming soon is the redevelopment of the Construction and Automotive building and transformational green space creation to enhance the campus environment.

Applicants looking to apply to Accrington and Rossendale College still have the time. If you would like to apply to study at Accrington and Rossendale College, contact 01282 440272 or visit www.accross.ac.uk

Nelson and Colne College has maintained its place as one of the leading colleges in the country, across a range of academic measures.

This year, Nelson and Colne College placed as the number one FE college in the country for A Level progress, and the leading college nationally for GCSE Mathematics progress, and third in the country for GCSE English progress. This indicates that our learners achieve better results based on their GCSE grades than they would do in any other college in the country.

Now the college has been named as number one in Lancashire for 16-18 Advanced Apprenticeships and is placed second in Lancashire for 16-18 classroom achievement in the newly published National Achievement Rate Tables. These new results are all the more exceptional as they now combine Nelson and Colne College and Accrington and Rossendale College results, following their successful merger in November 2018. The performance at the Nelson campus exceeds that of the group overall.

The publication of the Government data confirms what has been another excellent year of academic performance at Nelson and Colne College, which saw it achieve a stunning rise in the highest A*-A grades at A Level in 2019, and a five percentage point rise in the number of students achieving coveted A*-B grades.

Record numbers of A Level students progressed on to Russell Group and other leading universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, from Nelson and Colne College in 2019. The figure could be higher in 2020, with an even greater number of A Level and vocational students receiving conditional offers from Russell Group and leading universities, including Oxbridge.

Students who enter the college without a high grade in Mathematics or English GCSE will resit those qualifications. The success of those students in achieving these essential qualifications for university entrance or to get a good job is more than twice the national average, unlocking many higher level opportunities throughout life. The college has been shortlisted for a national award for its outstanding GCSE resit provision and the announcement is due in October.

Principal Amanda Melton said: “When you look at what Nelson and Colne College has achieved over the last 12 months, it’s absolutely outstanding. We have consistently been at the top end of the National Achievement Rate Tables for classroom achievement and Apprenticeships for several years, and we have never been higher in the performance tables with our A Level and GCSE progress.

“The consistent high-quality standard of education we are renowned for has been successfully sustained during a period of significant change for the college too with our merger with Accrington and Rossendale College just over 12 months ago, which makes our achievements even more impressive.

“Our continued success is testament to a whole college effort, and in particular our phenomenal teaching team who truly are the very best in their field. They ensure that students who attend Nelson and Colne College exceed their potential year in, year out.”

As well as academic measures, Nelson and Colne College is also the number one college in the country for student satisfaction, according to the latest FE Choices Learner Survey.

Michael Bromilow, 18, formerly of Park High School, is studying Computer Science, Mathematics, Further Mathematics and Physics. He said: “I have offers from Bath, Edinburgh, Lancaster, and York and I’m looking at going to study Natural Sciences or Maths and Physics.

“Computer Science is probably the subject that comes to me most naturally, but there is something about Maths and Physics that I really enjoy – they are the foundations of everything.

“I’ve loved my time at College – the teaching is excellent, I find the resources very good, there are places to study or socialise, and I’ve made some really good friends. The extracurricular offer is great too. I found the robotics good for my learning and I’ve really taken to archery, which is something I’ve never had the opportunity to try before.”

Marium Shafique, 21, began her journey at College on an ESOL course in 2015, before progressing to Level 1 Business and then straight to Level 3 when her tutor saw her potential. She now has offers to study at Lancaster, Liverpool and York universities.

Marium said: “When my family first moved to the area, Nelson and Colne College was recommended to us as the number one college. I have loved my time here and I have progressed so much in that time.

“I will miss it greatly when I go to university. I’ve loved the course content in Business, my teachers are brilliant and I never thought when I started I would gain offers to study at some leading business schools in the country.”

Applicants looking to apply to Nelson and Colne College or Accrington and Rossendale College still have the time. Contact 01282 440272 or visit www.nelson.ac.uk or www.accross.ac.uk to apply.

Accrington and Rossendale College is continuing to go from strength to strength – boosting its position in the newly published National Achievement Rate Tables following its successful merger with Nelson and Colne College.

Within 18 months of the merger, the shared benefits of joining forces with a leading College Group are coming to the fore, as Accrington and Rossendale College now sits with its partner as number one in Lancashire for 16-18 Advanced Apprenticeships.

For classroom achievement, at all ages and levels, Accrington and Rossendale College now places in the top five colleges nationally, building further on the dramatic improvements the college made in the 2019 tables.

The higher placings come soon after Accrington and Rossendale College achieved significant progress in the three main areas of inspection during a monitoring visit by Ofsted in October last year – a requirement of the merger – and at a time when a £4million transformation of the college campus enters its final phase.

Included within the redevelopment are brand new industry-standard Hair and Beauty salons, innovative study spaces, and a revamped specialist Learning Resource Centre. There are also dedicated Learner Services and Careers areas and a remodelled and modern student Refectory.

Coming soon is the redevelopment of the Construction and Automotive building and transformational green space creation to enhance the campus environment.

Principal of Nelson and Colne College Group Amanda Melton said: “This time last year, I said there was further ground that Accrington and Rossendale College could gain following the merger with Nelson and Colne College, and I think we have achieved that in a range of areas in the intervening 12 months.

“Whether it is in classroom learning, Apprenticeship achievement, significant progress with Ofsted or the complete modernisation of the Accrington and Rossendale College estate, the whole College Group has pulled together during a period of significant change to deliver the required positive improvements, and I’m very proud of this achievement.

“Our job now is to continue improving and to bring the extraordinary to Accrington, one of the many shared benefits of being in a leading College Group led by Nelson and Colne College.”

Kian Wilding, 18, has risen up through the levels in Carpentry and Joinery and is now a Level 3 Advanced Apprentice at Frank Anthony Kitchens in Blackburn. Kian, formerly of Hyndburn Academy, said: “I’ve always been hands on and Carpentry and Joinery is perfect for me – it’s a passion and I love it.

“I fit kitchens, work on bespoke jobs, and I enjoy developing my skills. There’s nothing better than completing a quality piece of work for a happy customer. I work with some amazing colleagues and a good employer and if there is anything I need at work then help is there.

“When I’m in College, I find the facilities are very good, my tutors are experienced and supportive, and they are also organised. I feel like I’m always on track and progressing in the right direction. I would definitely recommend Accrington and Rossendale College.”

Former St Augustine’s RC High School student Molly Simmonds, 18, who is studying Level 3 Health and Social Work Professions at Accrington and Rossendale College, said: “I really like the idea of working with elderly people as I think it is a very rewarding career.

“Accrington and Rossendale College has been great as the course content has been ideal, and I’ve had excellent careers advice. I’ve also had two work placements – one in a care home and one in an elderly ward at hospital – and these have really helped shape my career goal. My next step is to progress to the University of York to study Social Work.”

Applicants looking to apply to Accrington and Rossendale College still have the time. If you would like to apply to study at Accrington and Rossendale College, contact 01282 440272 or visit www.accross.ac.uk