Telford College joined forces with the town’s Learning Community Trust to stage a development day for more than 900 staff.
The event, held at the college, was part of a thriving partnership between the two organisations to create exciting new learning opportunities for young people, and ease their transition from school to further education.
It began with a joint welcome from Telford College principal and chief executive Graham Guest, and the LCT’s executive principal and chief executive, Dr Gill Eatough.
Mr Guest said: “Everybody in the room has a passion for supporting young people, particularly those who are more disadvantaged. One of the fundamental problems in education at the moment is that pre and post-16 providers are not sharing intelligence and knowledge about young people.
“We have been working in partnership with the Learning Community Trust over the last few
months to tackle this, and our work is already having a positive impact on young people in the region.”
The trust has three secondary schools under its wing – Hadley Learning Community, Ercall Wood and Charlton – plus Queensway special school, HLC primary, and its latest arrival, Wrekin View primary.
Dr Eatough added: “The LCT is continuing to build partnerships such as the one with Telford College. Graham and I have got great plans for the future, working more closely to improve the transition between school and college.
“It is important that our young people are supported well with this transition, to minimise the number of students that drop out of the system.”
Topics for workshops and breakout sessions at the staff development day included
- metacognition
- supporting health and wellbeing
- an overview of Ofsted
- the use of data to support students
Telford College and the LCT have been working for the past six months on creating new curriculum pathways in four key areas – health, engineering, sport, and aviation.
Masterclasses have also been held at the college, giving secondary school students a taste of college life.
Mr Guest said: “Education is about more than just qualifications – it is about preparing people for the world of work.
“We are constantly looking at innovative ways to engage and inspire young people, preparing them for their careers, and adult life.
“This partnership gives secondary school students a chance to access our state-of-the-art learning facilities, including the new virtual and augmented reality suite, and capitalise on our strong links with the business community.
“At the same time, it also allows the college to forge even closer links with schools and their staff, ensuring that our post-16 curriculum is meeting their ever-changing needs and aspirations.”
Dr Eatough added: “Given our proximity to the college, we are the college’s natural partner in this part of Telford, and we see this as a win-win situation for everyone.
“A lot of time is spent ensuring that young people have a smooth transition from primary to secondary school, but I have long felt that more should be done to support them when they move from school to college.
“This partnership is a stepping-stone towards that, giving both our staff and students the chance to learn more about what happens at the college.
“We share the same aims – to make sure that we understand what sort of skill-set local businesses need, and make sure we are providing companies with the workforce of tomorrow.”
If you’re a parent and reading this and want to find out more about the transition from school to college, please register for our open event to speak to our staff and students
