Home > News > March 2004 > 01-Mar-2004

Learning and Skills Beacon Status awarded to 13 learning providers

Thirteen Learning Providers have been presented with Learning and Skills Beacon Status at an Awards Ceremony held in Central London. Alan Johnson, Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education presented the prestigious Awards to successful providers giving recognition to the efforts of all types of colleges and other providers across the Learning and Skills Sector.

Learning and Skills Beacon Status is awarded to exceptional Providers who have met high standards of inspection; awarded a Grade 1 or 2 for Leadership and Management, and have at least two thirds of learners in curriculum areas considered to be good or outstanding, with no pockets of poor practice and been assessed as ‘excellent' by the LSC. The successful organisations also have to be able to demonstrate their capability to make an impact in respect of supporting Success for All key government priority areas, including Skills for Life, progression to HE and the 14-19 agenda. These new Learning and Skills Beacons are expected to share their good practice and drive forward leading edge practice.

Alan Johnson said: "The 13 organisations awarded Learning and Skills Beacon Status today have demonstrated their capacity to make an outstanding contribution to meeting the challenges facing the Learning and Skills Sector. Beacon status also brings the support and funding necessary to share your good practice and take forward innovation activity for the benefit of the entire Learning and Skills Community".

Mark Haysom, Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Council commented: "Since its inception in 2001, the Learning and Skills Council has been charged with driving up the quality of teaching and learning and striving for excellence in all parts of the post-16 sector. Those achieving Learning and Skills Beacon Status are leaders in this field; they have demonstrated that they understand what constitutes success and are enthusiastic about sharing the evidence of ‘what works'. I would like to congratulate all the Beacons on this achievement".

The 13 organisations awarded Learning and Skills Beacons Status were:

• Mary Ward Centre, Holborn, London
• St Charles Catholic Sixth Form College, Westminster, London
• Strode College, Somerset
• Andrew Collinge, Liverpool
• Christ the King Sixth Form College, Lewisham, London
• Eastleigh College, Hampshire
• Holy Cross College, Bury, Greater Manchester
• Lite Limited, St Helens, Greater Merseyside
• Loreto College, Hulme, Manchester
• Northern & Yorkshire NHS Assessment Centre
• Richmond Adult and Community College, Surrey
• Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
• Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Connexions Partnership

The 13 latest awards take the total number of Beacons to 38, comprising 3 general FE colleges, 4 tertiary colleges, 13 sixth form colleges, 17 work based learning providers and 1 adult and community learning provider.

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