Latest news from FE Week

Ofsted boss Sir Michael Wilshaw dropped in on a Yorkshire college and praised it as an “example to others”.

The four-hour visit, on Friday, February 22, to Hull College involved meeting staff and students and came four years after it got outstanding across the board following inspection.

Sir Michael said: “The college has certainly impressed me. It is my third visit to a college and it was a heart-warming experience.

“I have spoken to the students and the staff and all of them have said how much they enjoy working here, being here and learning here.

“This is a shining beacon of good practice and one of the issues we have just discussed is how we can disseminate that good practice to other institutions.”

Hull College chief executive Gary Warke said: “We’re very proud of our students and staff and all that they achieve, and the fact Sir Michael has gone away with such a positive impression of the organisation will only serve as motivation to continue striving even harder.”

Lincolnshire students got the chance to strut their stuff when their college brought a little bit of London Fashion Week to town.

Hairdressing students at North Lindsey College, in Scunthorpe, were tasked with designing hair, make-up and costumes to illustrate a chosen theme  for a contest judged by lecturer Hazel Wheatley and local experts Sarah Cockin and Julie Joyce.

The level one winner, Emily Bushell, 17, created a peacock look for Laura Richardson, 18 (pictured above).  She said she wanted to base her design around a bird whose “vibrant colours” she had always loved.

Other entries included designs inspired by Salvador Dali, an African warrior, a parrot and Alice in Wonderland.

Students in Hampshire said ‘hola’ to GCSE learners from a nearby school with a joint trip to Spain.

Alton College youngsters were joined by pupils from Amery Hill School as they visited Cadiz to experience local culture and develop their language skills.

AS-level student Fin Loh, 16, said: “This experience brought our Spanish lessons to life. It will be hard to forget such an enjoyable insight into Spanish culture.”

The students stayed with families in Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz, studied at a language school and enjoyed the local sights including a much-loved local carnival.

Olga Culebras, head of Spanish at both Alton College and Amery Hill School, said: “Once again our students were great ambassadors for both the school and college.

“People in the south of Spain have a great sense of humour and our students thoroughly enjoyed the experience.”

A young North Somerset ceramic artist will be helping schoolchildren’s ideas take root.

Hazel Jackson, 25, a Weston College third year degree student, will work with lecturer Simon Taylor to create a ceramic ‘tree of life’ for the spiritual garden.

It will take pride of place at Worlebury St Paul’s CofE Primary School.

The ‘tree’, measuring 6ft x 5ft, will consist of seven ceramic friezes each based on Bible-inspired pictures drawn by pupils at the school.

Hazel said: “I’m really looking forward to working with the children and creating a wonderful work of art.”

The children’s designs will be voted on by parents, governors and church members.

Simon said: “The tree of life project is so exciting. It provides an opportunity for pupils to showcase their creative talents that will be combined with Hazel’s designs and made into a ceramic sculpture to enhance the school’s spiritual garden.”

Head teacher Gillian Quick said the project would commemorate the school’s expansion this year.

She added: “The theme of the Creation was chosen because of our Church school ethos, and will involve all of our children and school community.”

Staff and students from Doncaster have kicked off a training regime to tackle a charity five-a-side football match against former pro stars.

The Doncaster College learners and lecturers are taking part in the Team of Steel tournament organised by Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity as part of their Do Your Bit Campaign.

The competition will see them compete against former Sheffield United FC players at the club’s ground.

Tina Harrison, acting deputy director of the charity, said: “Weston Park Hospital is Doncaster’s local specialist cancer hospital so it is fantastic the college is supporting the work of the charity in this way.”

Team organiser and Doncaster College course leader Paul Kellaway said his previous work for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals had made him aware of the ground-breaking research done at Weston Park Hospital.

He added: “Having this prior knowledge further motivated me to become the driving force behind putting a team together for the tournament.

“My mum, Dorothy, who is now in remission, has had both surgery and chemotherapy for non–Hodgkin’s lymphoma at Weston Park Hospital.

“It is time we defeated this devastating disease and its sometimes tragic consequences for patients, families and friends.”

A Brighton business student is making his voice heard by launching his own t-shirt brand with help from a local businessman.

Tom Lawson, 18, teamed up with City College photography student Tyler Vaughan and part-time games designing student Adam Garwood, both also 18, to form Sick of Silence Clothing after getting some advice from the college’s resident entrepreneur, Nigel Lambe.

Tom said: “We all have real passion for fashion, design and business but were slightly unsure how to start up and what approach to take with the company.”

He added that the support available at the college had helped them to take the project further.

“Nigel Lambe was a great source of knowledge on the legal side. We made our first sales at the college’s Christmas fair; the college then paid for us to attend an enterprise conference in London where we were able to meet some really inspirational people which drove us to do even more with the business,” said Tom.

Their clothing range is now available online, at www.sickofsilenceclothing.co.uk and will soon be available in local independent shops.

A duo of Devon apprentices have earned their stripes by restoring a decommissioned police car to its former glory.

South Devon College automotive apprentices Jack Cleaver, 24, and Jordan Brewster, 20, from Teignmouth, took 18 months to strip down, re-spray, apply period stripes and replace engine parts of the 13-year-old 1.6 diesel Ford Escort.

The car had been deteriorating since being taken out of service in 2006.

Jack, from Torquay, said: “I really enjoyed working on this project. The vinyls were the trickiest part of the car to put on as it all had to be done by sight. The most fun part was stripping it down.”

The car, which patrolled Plymouth and Ivybridge during its service for Devon and Cornwall Police, will form a memorial piece at the Heritage and Learning Resource, in Okehampton.

Brixham PCSO Paul Martin, who oversaw the restoration on behalf of the police, thanked the college and the sponsors, local companies Mill Autoquip, Gliddon Ford and Avon Auto Colours.

He said: “This completed project is a real credit to the college, apprentices and staff involved.”

Creative learners in London aimed to turn heads, change minds and promote diversity for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) History Month.

BTec art and design, and graphic design students at the College of North West London were challenged by tutor Philip Crichton to create eye-catching posters to raise awareness of the event last month.

It celebrates the lives and achievements of members of the LGBT community, and the college marked the month as part of its regular work with LGBT rights charity Stonewall.

Chris Dye, Stonewall’s education officer, said: “It’s great to see students actively involved in the college’s work to tackle homophobia and celebrate difference. When the work is led by students themselves this has the most impact.”

The posters are displayed around the college’s two campuses in Wembley and Willesden.

Two groups of Midland computer whizzes managed to create a 2D game without even sharing a classroom.

Level three diploma games development students at Birmingham Metropolitan College worked on the project from campuses four miles apart using ‘cloud’ technology.

Student Liz Wright, 18, said: “A resource like this means that if for any reason I couldn’t make it into college then I could still collaborate online with my classmates and teachers, and carry on with my work.”

The software the learners used, IBM Smarter Planet, included tools such as file sharing, web conferencing and instant messaging, and was developed by the college to allow it to deliver learning to students outside traditional classroom environments.

College principal Dame Christine Braddock said: “Using the latest developments in cloud computing, we can improve the quality of our teaching and support for BMET students, equipping them with the skills employers value now and in the future.”