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Street violence across the capital continues to grow and so does Waltham Forest College's commitment to keeping learners safe by hosting practical seminars that protect learners and their friends from being drawn into vulnerable positions.
The College delivered ' Protect Your Mate' week in February and held bespoke seminars on themed topics that directly affect young people. Over 400 learners engaged in the practical seminars arranged by the College's safeguarding team, supported and delivered by professional agencies and the in-house security team.
Seminars included ways to defuse confrontation, self-defence, basic first-aid and other awareness raising workshops that equip learners with the skills and knowledge on how to avoid being drawn into susceptible situations.
The week-long sessions proved to be a hit with learners, who were able to share and discuss skills that they learnt and how to embed what they learnt in their day-to-day life, feeling more empowered to look out for their friends.
Students Union Vice-President, CiCi said: 'The sessions were very engaging and it encouraged me to think about what active role I can play when my friends are making poor decisions.'
Principal, Dr Joy Kettyle commented: 'College's play a crucial role to support young people not just academically but through personal and social development. Our learners are fully aware of topics that affect them and their friends. As a result, the College delivered seminars that challenge learners to think twice, allowing them to become self-assured, ambitious and motivated, enabling them to grow in confidence and make decisions that lead to positive outcomes.'
The week of activities forms part of the overall awareness campaigns embedded into the College calendar to tackle topics on youth crime.
Dr Kettyle said: 'Ofsted described that our learners' behaviour is exemplary during our last inspection and we want to drive this further and empower our learners to create better futures. There are so many positive role models here at Waltham Forest College and our role is to ensure our young people are prepared well for life in modern Britain and are making the best decisions for their future.'
On Friday 8 January, Leyton Orient Trust College Study Programme held an awards ceremony. The event recognised and rewarded the outstanding achievements of learners since the beginning of the year. The College study programme is delivered in partnership with Waltham Forest College.
The event celebrated learners from ASDAN Level 1 Certificate in Employability, BTEC Level 1 Diploma in Sport and Active Leisure; NCFE Level 2 Diploma in Sport; BTEC Level 3 subsidiary Diploma in Sport; and BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Sport.
Teachers Joshua Seal, Chris Middlemas, Alex Leslie and Lloyd Boateng handed out the awards with Leyton Orient Trust's Head of Education, Andree Selner.
There were four winners of the Progress Award, nominated by their teachers. This award recognises a great attitude, good commitment to work, a positive approach and being a good role model to other learners. Winners were presented with a certificate and a £20 voucher for Westfield, Stratford.
There were also awards for 22 learners who achieved 95% attendance or above as part of the Three Week Attendance Challenge. All learners received a certificate and were entered in to a prize draw to win either £100, £75 or £50 vouchers for Westfield, Stratford.
Andree Selner, Leyton Orient Trust, Head of Education said: 'It's always good to regularly reflect on the progress the learners are making. Now we are halfway through the year, it's important to reward those that still have excellent attendance, are excelling in their grades, and showcase the effort they are putting into their learning.'
Waltham Forest College organised a visit to the National Grid's gasholder site for a live demo of a demolition site. The site in Leyton is currently being dismantled and industry experts from the National Grid and their demolition partners were on hand to help facilitate the session.
The future engineers were invited to witness the experience first-hand and discuss the process involved which included a detailed tour of the gas site. They also learnt how the gasholders were once used to supply energy to the local community.
Samantha Rendell, National Grid's Land Regeneration Manager, said;
'We were delighted to host students from the College and provide a unique experience for them. National Grid is always keen to have a positive impact on the communities in which we work. It was also a great opportunity to highlight the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) skills in addressing the UK's shortage of engineers, and actively encourage them to consider a career in this industry' .
Engineering tutor at Waltham Forest College Zartosht Atropatene, said; 'The interactive session was a great opportunity to get our learners to think about how the skills they are developing here at the College can be applied directly to the industry. Learners were excited with the visit as it allowed and motivated them even more to consider a career in engineering.'
Councillor Mohammad Asghar, a representative for Lea Bridge at Waltham Forest Borough Council, attended the session and said, 'It was great to see National Grid involving young people from the local college and providing a beneficial experience to get people into STEM careers. Many of the learners I spoke to were passionate about the subject and knew exactly what pathway to undertake to reach the end goal of getting into their career.'
The College's STEM centre was officially launched by the Deputy Mayor of London, Jules Pipe backed by a £4m development funding from the Greater London Authority (GLA) in recent years. The STEM centre stands as a unique venue giving students access to state-of-the-art facilities and industry standard workshops and resources, designed to inspire them to succeed through its highly-integrated learning systems.
Waltham Forest College is proud to be crowned the number one London College for learner and employer satisfaction in the prestigious NICEDX league table for colleges published by FE Week.
This College now ranks in the top 3% of overall Further Education colleges in the UK, placing them ahead of all other London colleges with a high score of 87% in learner satisfaction.
In its most recent inspection, Ofsted confirmed Waltham Forest College as a Grade 2 college across all provisions and commented on how 'Staff are committed to the College's refreshed vision and mission, placing the needs of learners and the local community at the heart of the College's priorities.'
They also commented on how 'learners are prepared for life in modern Britain and supported to achieve their learning goals.'
According to the NICEDX league table, 93.1% of employers said they were satisfied with the overall quality and training that the College provides.
David Fitzgerald, Manager for Hillyfield Academy said, 'I have found working with Waltham Forest College extremely helpful. Always friendly and approachable, they are easy to get in contact with and very knowledgeable regarding apprenticeships ' I highly recommend them.'
The league table was established by FE Week editor Nick Linford, based on official performance measures determined by the Department of Education. Mr Linford said: "The NICDEX was an enjoyable intellectual challenge, to create an annual performance table from a mix of measures. Most importantly, NICDEX is transparent. The four measures that make up the NICDEX are published by the DfE."
Ofsted's Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman spoke at this year's Association of Colleges conference and recognised the 'notable improvement in performance' for Waltham Forest College.
Addressing sector leaders and governors, Amanda commented on a rise in the proportion of general Further Education Colleges rated good or outstanding and the College was singled out and recognised as one of them.
The education watchdog inspected the College in February 2018 and praised all staff and governors on their unwavering commitment to improving the College, securing a good-quality provision across all areas of the College.
Waltham Forest College has also been crowned the number one London College for learner and employer satisfaction in the FE Week league table for colleges.
David Fitzgerald, Manager for Hillyfield Academy said,
'I have found working with Waltham Forest College extremely helpful and staff are very knowledgeable around employer relations and apprenticeships ' I highly recommend them.'
This College now ranks in the top 3% of overall Further Education colleges in the UK with a high score of 87% in learner satisfaction and 93% of employers satisfied with the overall quality of training that the College provides.
College Principal, Dr Joy Kettyle said,
'The results from the league table clearly identifies the hard work and commitment of college staff and our priority is to ensure that the local community has a college it can be confident in.
'I am now consulting with our key stakeholders to review our strategic priorities and align these with the skills priority of the borough as well as London on a whole. We are working very closely with the London Borough of Waltham Forest and actively cultivating relationships with employers and developing partnerships to improve the life chances of our learners.'
The College has become the latest further education provider to be welcomed as a corporate partner of the Society for Education and Training (SET).
The agreement will see over two-hundred teaching staff at the college become members of SET, the only professional membership body dedicated to teachers and trainers working in further education. They will benefit from a valuable range of professional development opportunities.
Announcing the partnership, College Principal Dr Joy Kettyle said: 'This partnership will allow the College to be recognised as a corporate partner and by championing the quality of teaching and training, the professional development will allow our teaching staff to be further inspired by having access to high-quality teaching, learning and assessment resources and move us towards our journey to outstanding.'
As SET members, teaching staff at the college will:
- have the opportunity to study for Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) and Advanced Teacher Status (ATS). SET is the only passport to achieving both QTLS and ATS
- gain access to resources, training and teaching tools, research and expert views in further education
- enjoy benefits, such as the Society for Education and Training's mentoring service
- be part of a professional community of over 17,000 teachers and trainers in the education sector, with opportunities to share expertise and experience with their peers
- receive copies of inTuition, the most widely read journal for practitioners working across further education, vocational teaching and training.
David Russell, Chief Executive of the Education and Training Foundation, said:
'Becoming a corporate partner of SET signals a college's commitment to high-quality development for its staff and to the teaching of students. We are delighted to welcome Waltham Forest College as a corporate partner and look forward to providing teaching staff with access to a host of CPD opportunities, expertise and resources and helping them strive for excellence in their professional journey.'
MP Stella Creasy and the Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith joins college campaign to highlight discriminatory funding of further education
Waltham Forest College hosted a series of activities as part of the ' Love Our Colleges' week showcasing all the brilliant work they do, day in and day out, as well as taking part in a national lobby of Parliament on Wednesday 17 October. Students, staff, parents, MPs and Union Reps all collaborated to help raise the awareness nationally.
The ' Love Our Colleges' campaign is a partnership between Association of Colleges (AoC), National Union of Students (NUS), Association of College and School Leaders (ASCL), University and Colleges Union (UCU), Unison, GMB, TUC and National Education Union (NEU).
Rooted in local communities, colleges are crucial in driving social mobility and providing the skills to boost local and regional economies. However, there is currently a reduction in education funding once a student turns 16 ' whether they are in a school sixth form or a college. ' Love Our Colleges' is calling on the government to increase 16-19 funding by 5% a year for 5 years. It is also asking Department for Education to provide exceptional funding, ring-fenced for teacher pay.
Waltham Forest College plays a vital part of the East London region offering career pathways to university, apprenticeship and employment. Each year it supports 4,500+ students offering over 200 courses across 37 subject areas.
Principal, Dr. Joy Kettyle, headed up the national lobby of Parliament on Wednesday 17 October, accompanied by students, staff and local MP Stella Creasy.
She said: 'Our young people are being short-changed compared with their counterparts in other countries and compared with previous generations. The hours of teaching and support, the choice they have and the enrichment they are offered have all reduced as funding cuts have bitten. This cannot continue if we are to secure the future of our nation.'
The Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith attended the College for a roundtable discussion with students from a variety of industry sectors. Students discussed their views on the importance of financial funding in further education, and how the College supports them to reach their career goals.
He said: 'FE Colleges are the forgotten sector where you have money in education at school level and money also following people into education in universities. It's as though FE colleges don't feature on the same level and I think they should as we head towards what is rapidly becoming the new industrial-technological revolution.
Many people who've gone through school will also need to re-skill and FE colleges are critical for that. There should be a greater investment as well as recognition of the important place FE colleges hold within the educational establishment.'
David Hughes, Chief Executive, Association of Colleges, said: 'Every single day colleges like Waltham Forest College provide a world class education and transform the lives of millions of people.
Colleges Week is an opportunity to celebrate the brilliant things that go on and a chance to showcase the brilliant staff that make it possible. It is simple, if we want a world-class education system then we need to properly invest in it.'
Waltham Forest College celebrated the exceptional success of its Higher Education students marking its 15th Graduation Ceremony.
The College continues to build a strong reputation for higher education as hundreds of graduates celebrated their achievements. The auspicious occasion transformed the campus into a lavish venue, attended by friends and family members, college governors and staff.
Special guests included The Worshipful Mayor of Waltham Forest, Cllr Sally Littlejohn who presented students with their graduation scrolls and guest speaker Ruth Pearson, Motivational Speaker and Author who shared words of wisdom outlining her journey to success and overcoming professional challenges.
Ruth said, 'I felt humbled by the response received and still in awe, I am pleased to offer healing and encouragement to others.'
Students shared their stories on how they overcame barriers to learning and how the College has supported their journey to pursue the next stage of their career.
Student Melodie Kiff said, 'Every great achiever is inspired by a great mentor - I was very fortunate to have four. The College staff genuinely cared about my future. The Graduation ceremony was a real boost to my confidence to pursue my next step. Overall an amazing night!'
Guests were treated to several music performances by the London Community Gospel Choir (LCGC), who performed during the Brit Awards and supported acts such as Justin Timberlake, Elton John and Madonna.
The Principal of the College Dr Joy Kettle, said: 'This is the pinnacle event of the year where everything we have all worked towards comes together. There is nothing I enjoy more than celebrating great achievements and today I am proud to be able to congratulate all our graduates and their remarkable journey.'
Waltham Forest College students celebrate their achievements, proving that vocational pathways allow progression to university and employment.
