Callywith nominated for two student support awards

The Association of Colleges’ Beacon Awards celebrate the best and most innovative practice among UK colleges each year.

In association with Truro and Penwith College, Callywith College have been named as finalists for both the NOCN Group Award for Mental Health and Wellbeing and the Careers and Enterprise Award for Innovation in Careers and Enterprise, which are awarded to colleges for the important work they do to support mental health and wellbeing and for providing outstanding careers education and guidance.

David Hughes, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges said: “The work colleges do on wellbeing often gets overlooked. But institutions and especially these final three have shown a whole college mental health strategy that impacts on improving teaching and learning and effective support. All this great, much-needed work enables students to feel secure and able to learn.

“These colleges have shown great innovation in highly effective engagement with schools, employers and other agencies, to provide learners with excellent impartial careers education, advice and guidance. Enabling learners to make informed choices about their progression to further study and training, including apprenticeships will have a lasting effect on the rest of their lives.”

The College, which was rated Ofsted Outstanding in all areas in January 2020, was praised for their offer of high-quality individualised careers advice and guidance, with Ofsted making reference to both this and how well the College “raises the aspirations, achievements and life chances of young people” in the report.

The College’s Student Services Team Leader Jamie Crowle commented on the importance of support at the College: “When a young person joins our college, our aim is not only for them to achieve well in their qualifications, our bigger, and arguably most important aim, is for them to leave us as resilient, well-rounded and well-informed young people ready to take on the world. In order to achieve this, we have established a diverse and comprehensive, whole-college approach to the mental health support for both staff and students.”

Assistant Principal for Student Experience Jen Brown added: “We are delighted to have received recognition for our unrivalled offer of highly student-centred and individualised support at Callywith College whereby the holistic development of our students is of paramount importance in delivering high quality support and guidance. Our ethos is pro-active, with support tailored to meet individual and specific needs. This is something we are very proud of and actively endeavour to build upon on a daily basis.”

The AoC Beacon Awards finalists were announced at the AoC FE Summit on Tuesday 17 November and the winners will be announced in Spring 2021.

Online applications are now open for September 2021 here and the College’s next virtual open event will be on Thursday 21 January 2021, 5pm – 8pm.