We've been invited to Buckingham Palace to pick up one of the most important educational prizes in the country: the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education.

The award is the latest of a string of successes that the College has seen in recent years since the appointment of Dr Paul Phillips CBE as Principal and Chief Executive.

What is a Queen’s Anniversary Prize?

The Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education are awarded to leading colleges and universities every two years, and reward excellence, innovation and positive impact on the community. It is generally thought of as equivalent to an Honour but applied to an institution. It is a nation-wide award that is considered to be the most prestigious in the education sector. For further information on the Queen’s Anniversary Prize please visit www.royalanniversarytrust.org.uk

What did we win it for?

The Royal Anniversary Trust judges acknowledged our pioneering approach to outstanding inclusive practice. They recognised that Weston College’s dedicated special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision had delivered impact at a local, regional, national and international level. The College has been recognised for creating world class facilities delivering aspirational provision to over 1000 students requiring additional support. Continuous high performance has been driven by strong leadership from the very top, which has placed empowerment and personalisation at the heart of the College’s strategic plans.

Judges could see that our excellent delivery has allowed the sharing of best practice in order to improve outcomes for other disadvantaged groups including ex-offenders and the long term unemployed. They also recognised that the College’s award-winning provision showed how staff, learners and employers have worked together to “value people” and to create inclusive social mobility for all.

Why is inclusive practice important to us?

Our focus on inclusive practice is led by our Principal and Chief Executive, Dr Paul Phillips CBE, who believes that our students should be put first and that all of our students should be able to enjoy the same high-quality teaching, facilities and support regardless of their background and abilities. He was inspired by the 2001 White Paper titled “Valuing People – A New Strategy for Learning Disability in the 21st Century”.

What does this mean for our students with SEND?

Students at the College can expect to achieve results that are consistently above the national benchmark, with 97% of learners with SEND progressing into employment, further learning or higher education. They can also expect to study in purpose-built facilities that enable them to fulfil their full learning potential. They are taught and supported by highly-qualified specialist staff through personalised programmes of study, which are dynamically and innovatively based on an empowerment model which promotes independence rather than dependency. 

A National Careers Service adviser is now available to provide you with one-to-one impartial careers advice and guidance at Weston College.

The National Careers Service provides free information, advice and guidance to help you make decisions on learning, training and work opportunities. The service offers confidential and impartial advice, supported by qualified careers advisers.

The sessions are available for adults (aged 19+) and Jobcentre Plus customers aged 18 and over between 9am and 5pm on Mondays at the Knightstone Campus. You don't have to be enrolled on a Weston College course to have access to this service.

The careers adviser can support you with advice on careers, writing a CV and job hunting.

Weston College has been awarded a prestigious accreditation after a comprehensive evaluation of staff satisfaction.

‘Best Companies’, who compile ‘The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For’ lists gave the College a two-star accreditation after carrying out an exhaustive survey of staff.

The survey is a set of 70 academically designed questions based on eight ‘factors of workplace engagement’. The questions are confidential, so respondents are free to be completely honest.

When the survey’s complete, organisations receive a Best Companies Index (BCI) score – which is Best Companies’ unique measure of workplace engagement.

To earn its rating, the College had to show evidence of ‘outstanding’ commitment to workplace engagement. The accreditation tells clients, partners, investors and employees that the organisation understands the importance of workplace engagement and genuinely values its people.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Weston College’s Principal and CEO, said: “Best Companies are the experts in gauging the multitude of factors that separate good employers from the rest.

“To achieve the two-star accreditation is a significant achievement and speaks volumes of what our staff think about working for the College. We are one of the top-performing colleges in the UK and my staff are key to that success.

“It’s no secret that FE providers across the country are feeling the pinch from repeated and prolonged budget cuts. But, nonetheless, we're continually investing in our staff.

"We understand the importance of remunerating staff who perform well, and making them feel valued – or you run the risk of losing them, to the detriment of your learners.”

Alongside this accolade the College has also been awarded the Investors in People (IIP) Gold Standard, which is held by less than 2% of UK businesses and demonstrates commitment to invest in staff to improve performance. The College is also an Investors in People ‘Champion’ – a prestigious award given to IIP role models.