Academy Transformation Trust Further Education (ATTFE) has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Centre of Excellence status.
Heart of the Community
“Academy Transformation Trust Further Education (ATTFE) is really in the heart of the community, it is a true community effort. The ultimate goal is around social mobility for the local community and they are hugely instrumental in driving in achieving this.”
ATTFE College is a unique and inclusive provision totally immersed in the fabric of the local community. It is an inclusive, aspirational, and ambitious organisation for its learners, staff, and stakeholders. Provision is developed in and for the local community. As a way of an example, they have recently taken their family learning course out to a children’s centre in the heart of one of the most disadvantaged estates in the local area.
ATTFE is strengthening resilience in a disadvantaged community by engaging lifelong learning as a vehicle for transforming lives and regenerating the community. Leaders have established and continue to expand a wealth of partnerships with local businesses, community groups, the Local Authority (LA), and trusts. This facilitates a detailed knowledge of where local unemployment issues are and they are then in a position to respond swiftly to provide courses to meet skills shortages. These links, alongside a close working relationship with the local job centre, ensure the college has live information regarding new employment opportunities within the area. The college will then tailor its provision to meet local needs. The speed with which they respond, implementing new and tailored provisions is quite remarkable.
Chances and Opportunities
ATTFE College offers courses to 16-19-year-old learners and adults from entry-level to a Level 5 counselling course, but this is only part of their offer. As a Governor explained, “outcomes are important here but they don’t drive the service, it’s about chances and opportunities.” The projects they run or are involved in and their links to the community are outstanding, benefitting all. The college uses its in-depth knowledge of the local community and employment opportunities to offer courses to equip young people and adults with the skills they need to enter the workplace or continue to higher education.
Sutton in Ashfield is in the top 13% of the most deprived District LSOAs nationally, with 3 sub-LSOAs amongst the 10% most deprived and 1 in the top 20%. Without this amazing provision many learners, 52% of the cohort last year, would be unable to access further learning as they would not meet the entry criteria for the nearest college. It really does provide a lifeline. Many of the learners at ATTFE are three steps away from the employment market and a sizeable proportion have additional needs which, over the last few years has increased.
Creative Approach
ATTFE has taken a creative approach to finding and accessing learning spaces for learners. They use their two college campuses and venues throughout the local community such as empty shops on the high street. Our Assessor visited one shop space which is the classroom and social base for the 16-19 Employment Skills course and one which is used to run counselling qualifications for adult learners. ATTFE has the needs of the learners and the local community at the heart of everything they do and will adapt provisions and timetables to meet needs and resource availability. In order to get access to specialist rooms, learners of the construction course in Ashfield access the secondary school facilities from 3.30 pm-8.30 pm twice a week.
The college has recently published its Ofsted report and they are rightly delighted with the findings. The Principal is effusive in her ambitions for all aspects of the college to be judged outstanding alongside personal development and adult learning programmes. They are well on their way to achieving their vision, ‘To be recognised as an outstanding provider of Further Education and be the provider of choice of our local communities.’
Fabric of the Community
ATTFE is embedded in the fabric of the community. They are open all year round to provide a safe space for learners and to continue adult learning throughout the year. They are part of the Healthy Food Initiative, HAF, which ensures all learners can access a hot meal every day including during the breaks. Breakfast is provided for all learners and staff every day. They run a four-week provision of activities and trips for local primary and secondary schools during the summer which ATTFE learners can access or support as a volunteer. In the run-up to Christmas, the college staff will provide a full-blown Christmas meal for all their 16-19 learners. As a result of sponsorship sought from local businesses, they will also provide 250 Christmas dinners for their adult learners and for those in the community who most need them.
Staff at ATTFE College are proactive and solution-focused. A learner engagement project entitled ‘A More Confident Me’ came as a result of the work the PCLs do to engage new adult learners from the community. They identified barriers of low confidence and reticence to even consider the idea of returning to learning. It is a referral project, either self or through a social provider, and involves around four sessions, one-to-one with a PCL working through a journal covering goal setting and confidence building. In line with always aiming to deliver the best possible provision; if members complete the journal and enrol on the personal and social development award, the journal now contributes towards their portfolio. Two of the PCLs have enrolled themselves on a counselling course run by AFFTE which they identified as having potential benefits to their work in the community.
Find out more about the IQM Inclusive School Award
If your school is interested in obtaining the IQM Inclusive School Award or you wish to talk to a member of the IQM team please telephone:
028 7127 7857 (9.00 am to 5.00 pm)
or email: [email protected] for further details.
Want more information on the IQM Award? Click here to request your free IQM information pack.