Staff and students have been celebrating at the news that Ruskin College has been awarded the prestigious Association of Colleges (AoC) Beacon Award for Widening Participation to Lifelong Learning. The college was announced as winner of the award, sponsored by Pearson, by Lord Willis of Knaresborough at the AoC Annual Conference in Birmingham on 16 November.  

The college won the award for its close partnerships formed with a number of voluntary organisations supporting the rehabilitation of adults with a history of substance abuse, homelessness or sexual abuse. The college provides an integrated programme of literacy and numeracy and supports the development of workplace skills, enabling transition to employment.  

Enthusiastic approaches to teaching and learning promote inclusion and build the confidence of learners enabling them to progress to employment or further study. The partnerships initiated by the college have had a transformational effect on the lives of these adults; replacing dependency with realistic aspirations of a worthwhile participation in society.  

College Principal, Professor Audrey Mullender, attended the award ceremony along with Dr Louise Livesey, Academic Co-ordinator for Humanities and Social Sciences, and Skills for Life tutor Rachel Hemstock from Ruskin.  

‘We are thrilled with this award because it recognises the ‘heart and soul’ of what we do at Ruskin College’ explained Audrey Mullender.  

Professor Mullender added: ‘Ruskin is so proud to have inspiring tutors, dedicated partners and enthusiastic learners who are ready to embark on their adult learning journey with us. This award is for them and they richly deserve it. As a College, we enormously enjoy reaching out to the community and we are always keen to seek new opportunities to do so.’  

The main aims and objectives of Ruskin’s approach to ‘Widening Participation to Life Long Learning’ can be summarised as:

•    increase participation of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups through partnership working

•    enhance learners’ employment opportunities through achieving a qualification in literacy or numeracy

•    make learning a positive experience

•    encourage learners to invest in their future by taking responsibility for their own learning

•    capture and disseminate innovative outreach and teaching and learning strategies  

Tutor Rachel Hemstock who was responsible for submitting the winning entry, said: 'Our learners are an inspiration to teach and we learn as much from them as they do from us. This award is testament to all the hard work by the learners and the partner organisations who work very closely with us to ensure an individualised programme tailored to the learners needs enabling the learners to have a real voice in their learning journey. I am very proud and honoured to be part of this process and hope that the partnerships may continue to blossom and that we may reach out to further marginalised groups to take this work forward'.  

The College has worked tirelessly with four local key partners in delivering their outreach programmes to date, namely: The Ley Community in Oxford; Aspire in Oxford; Crisis Skylight in London; Eaves Housing in London; and the Florence Park Children’s Centre in Oxford.  

Dr Louise Livesey commented: “Winning the Beacon Award is fantastic recognition for the work that Ruskin and its partners have done, reaching out to some of the most vulnerable groups in our communities and helping them make a real difference in their lives. At the centre of this work are our learners, who are the inspiration for us – teaching them is always an amazing and humbling experience. We look forward to developing more projects with other partners and continuing to make a difference both locally and nationally”.  

Literacy and Numeracy tutor, Bev Merritt, who has worked for Ruskin for over 9 years and who spends most of her time out in the community teaching said: “I’m really chuffed because for me, this award acknowledges all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes. Its one thing to have your Principal pat you on the back but quite another to have a prestigious organisation such as the AoC recognise what we have achieved with our outreach support.”  

The many benefits Ruskin’s outreach learners have gained is best expressed in their own words:  

•    ‘I could not read before I came to education. Now I can read to others’

•    ‘The classes were geared up to the individual and that helped me a lot’

•    Exciting and challenging – shame school wasn’t a bit more like this

•    Very interesting, inspirational and rewarding. I want to do it every day. Thank you!

•    ‘I was never able to do well at Maths at school. Here I have achieved a level 2 qualification, which I told the tutors would be beyond me’

•    ‘I have learnt about punctuation and spellings and assertiveness, plus lots of little things like talking to people and wanting to learn more’

•    ‘Ruskin has totally given my life a new direction at a time when I wasn’t positive about education. They changed me and now when I’m handed a document to read at work, I do – instead of panicking!’

Rod Bristow, President of Pearson UK and sponsor of the award said:

“Pearson believes in the power of learning, whatever your age, so we’re very proud to be sponsoring the ‘widening participation in lifelong learning’ award this year.

By helping people over 19 to continue their education, colleges can have a genuine impact on social and economic development in the UK. It is exciting to see so many new innovations in both learning materials for adults and new ways of engaging with them to widen participation. The work of the Humanities and Social Science Team at Ruskin College is truly outstanding. They have made a genuine difference to many adults by providing them with the invaluable education they need to help them improve their lives.”

Roger Marriott, AoC Beacon Awards Chief Assessor, said:  

“I am consistently impressed by the excellent quality of the work that colleges are producing; their efforts provide exemplary support for learning to a wide range of students across the UK.  

“The sector’s commitment to addressing the needs of students and the high standards of work displayed by colleges during our assessment visits was outstanding. Through this award programme the AoC is highlighting best practice, innovative development and continuous improvement; it is a showcase for Beacon colleges that others can look to for help, inspiration and encouragement.”  

Chair of the AoC Beacon Awards, Dame Patricia Morgan-Webb, said: “These awards serve to highlight and celebrate the achievements of colleges and the impact they have on the lives of students, their families and the wider college communities.

“As Chair of the National Steering Group it is a privilege each year to be among the first people to learn about the new and creative ways in which colleges are meeting the challenges of this tough economic climate through responsive collaborative approaches to engaging with students and developing the curriculum to meet the needs of individuals and businesses alike; all of which are underpinned by strong and supportive leadership and management.

“I should like to congratulate all of this year’s winning colleges and encourage them to really make the most of this opportunity to celebrate their achievements and invigorate the sector as a whole through the dissemination of their outstanding teaching and learning practices.”

The AoC Beacon Awards are now in their 18th year and are awarded each year to UK colleges who capture and celebrate the positive impact they have on their students, staff and communities.  

Ruskin College will be presented with their Award by John Hayes MP, Minister for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning at a national presentation ceremony due to be held at Westminster on 8 February 2012.