College shortlisted for national award in the 'Oscars' of education

Birkenhead Sixth Form College has been shortlisted for one of the education sector’s most prestigious national awards for the second year running.

‘TES’, formerly known as the Times Education Supplement, has selected the College as a finalist from formidable competition across the country in the category of ‘Sixth Form College of the Year’ in its 2018 Further Education Awards. The glittering ceremony takes place in London’s Grosvenor Park Hotel on Park Lane in February.

The shortlisting for the College is the second in as many years, after receiving a rating of Outstanding in every area by education watchdog Ofsted in January 2017.

Nomination for ‘Sixth Form College of the Year’ also automatically puts the College in the running for the prize of ‘Overall Further Education Provider of the Year’ should we be successful in the former category.

The TES Awards look to honour excellence in education in terms of teaching and learning along with results, as well as evidence of reaching out to the local community.

2017 has been a year packed with national and local accolades for a number of the College’s innovations, including a Sixth Form College Association award for our Academic Mentoring Scheme, a Liverpool Echo Schools award for the BePART programme and the Wirral Globe’s ‘Class of the Year’ award for drama students’ hard-hitting play about antisocial behaviour, ‘Bored’.

In a statement, the TES Further Education editor, Stephen Exley, said: ““Our expert panel of judges was extremely impressed with the calibre of entries and I look forward to celebrating the excellence that exists across the FE sector. Congratulations to all of the shortlisted entrants.”

Apprenticeships and skills minister, Anne Milton, who will be attending the awards, said: “Congratulations to those excellent institutions on the shortlist, as well all those doing their bit to provide high-quality education and training right across the country.

“We need a world-class FE provision in order to create more opportunities for young people and provide businesses with the skills they need. The TES FE Awards give us the opportunity to recognise examples of exceptional leadership in the sector, providing inspiration for others looking to follow.”

Principal at Birkenhead Sixth Form College, Mike Kilbride, said: “The TES are the most prestigious awards in education - they are our Oscars.  We were thrilled to have been shortlisted last year for ‘Sixth Form College of the Year’, and to once again be on the shortlist is extremely gratifying and further evidence of the national status that this College now holds. 

Mr Kilbride, who took the reins of the College in August having served eight years as Deputy Principal, continued: “The staff and students work with such positivity and resilience. Having that recognised is so well deserved.

“Whether we win the award or not, we will still keep on trying to do things in the right way, making education fulfilling as well as successful. We take great pride in all the little things we do each and every day to make this a happy place to be.”