Students and staff at Weston College have been busy raising money for chosen charities as part of their annual Raising and Giving (RAG) week.

Compared to 2018’s total of £3,600, the combined effort managed to raise an incredible £5,900 for mental health charity Young Minds and local organisation Weston Hospicecare.

Across the week, money was raised through a number of different ways including talent shows, cake sales and an entire day of fancy dress. From sponsored silences to Gecko inspired haircuts, each department also arranged a fundraising event for students and staff to get involved with.

Uniformed Public Services students rowed the equivalent distance of the 24 highest mountains in the world and Inclusive practice students managed to travel 475km (the distance from London to Paris) by walking, running and rowing throughout the week. The Computing department managed exciting events such as Beat Sabre on the VR, a Golf chip challenge and a Nerf gun firing range, raising a total of £1,400 as a department.

Weston College Principal and Chief Executive, Dr Paul Phillips CBE commented: “The atmosphere across campus is always vibrant and full of positivity during RAG Week. This annual fundraising event is a fantastic opportunity for our learners to contribute to our community and raise aspirations by helping others. Yet again our staff and learners went above and beyond and, as ever, bucked the trend.”

After receiving a cheque from Dr Paul, Simon Angear from Weston Hospicecare added:

“Weston Hospicecare is once again enormously grateful to all staff and students at Weston College for their fabulous efforts on our behalf during RAG Week.

“We love hearing about all the different activities held to raise money, and were bowled over by some of the creativity displayed in some of this year’s events.

“Community support is vital to the hospice, and this wonderful donation from Weston College will play a big part in helping us continue to care for our patients across Weston-super-Mare and beyond.”

A massive thank-you goes to all of the staff and students for their generosity and dedication to raise such an amazing amount for some brilliant causes.

Please see below the list of winners for the RAG week awards 2019.

Most Innovative Fundraising Idea

Dungeon and Dragons Escape Room Challenge - Will Price and Jon Barnett (Engineering and Computing)

Best Use of Digital

Sponsored Silence Communication Through Assistive Technology – Zoe Benton, Paul Kelly, Lorna Whitford (Extension Studies)

Most Money Raised by a Staff Member

'£891.16 - Cameron Lyes (Engineering and Computing)

Most Money Raised by a Student

Super Smash Bros Tournament £126 – Tom Jory (AEC Faculty)

Most Money Raised by a Faculty

£1,400 - Faculty of Engineering and Computing

Outstanding Commitment to RAG

Gecko Inspired hair cut - Rob Heaton (Sixth Form)

Best Dressed Faculty

101 Dalmatians – Management Information Systems

Best Challenge

Mountain Rowing Challenge - Uniformed Public Services

Best Event

Extension Studies Talent Show – Faculty of Inclusive Practice

Weston College has been selected as one of three Centres for Excellence in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

As a Centre of Excellence, the College will become a national leader in SEND learning.

It will be a focal point for expertise and resources, and a key provider in helping young people with SEND achieve their potential.

The College will also be responsible for sharing expertise and resources with practitioners and organisations, and providers across the further education (FE) sector.

Dr Paul Phillips CBE, Principal and Chief Executive of Weston College, said: “To be chosen as a Centre for Excellence in SEND learning is a huge honour.

“We’ve always taken great pride in the quality of our provision and the expertise of our SEND staff. But, to become a national hub within the sector, sets us apart as a leader in the field.

“It also represents a major challenge – but it’s one we relish.

“As a College we’ve always embraced the ideals and ethos of inclusive learning and supported employment. Becoming a national SEND centre provides the opportunity to help even more learners transition successfully into adulthood. Working with the Education Training Foundation and providers we are poised to embark upon a journey of impact, entrepreneurship and inclusion ensuring it is led from the top of the organisation. ”

The College was awarded the Centre for Excellence contract after competitive tender, which was open to every SEND provider in England. Each centre will deliver a specific aspect of SEND learning, with Weston College selected to focus on the theme of ‘people’, supporting organisations to create an inclusive culture, motivating staff to engage in continued professional development with an emphasis on supporting the development of innovative evidence based approaches to supporting the success of students with social, emotional and mental health needs.

In recent years, Weston College has won a string of prestigious accolades for its SEND provision.

These include the Queen’s Anniversary Prize – regarded the highest honour in the education sector – three AOC Beacon Awards, SEND Champion at the Apprenticeship Awards and ‘Inclusion in Employment’ winner at the national SEND Awards.

Weston College works with hundreds of employers across a range of sectors to create training opportunities for students.

Among these is Weston Museum, which provides work experience opportunities for learners who face barriers to employment.

As well as matching roles to individual abilities and providing each learner with a mentor, the Museum offers their staff autism training to develop their understanding of the condition.

In recognition of its efforts, the Museum was named Disability Confident Employer of the Year at the College’s annual Business Awards.

Matthew Hardy, Weston Museum’s Visitor Services Manager, said it was an honour for the Museum to win the award.

“Being nominated and receiving the Disability Employer of the Year was a huge achievement for us,” he said. “We take pride in our inclusivity, so to be recognised in that way was amazing.

“We offer volunteering opportunities and work experience in customer service, the café and administration. Staff and volunteers are also encouraged to undertake autism awareness training, which is facilitated by Nina from Weston Bay (the College’s residential training centre for students on the autism spectrum).

“As well as staff support, our learners shadow existing volunteers who have been doing the role for a while. This not only helps with learning but also boosts confidence.”

Matthew believes that these steps enable learners to make a noticeable impact on the business.

He said: “The learners, like all of our volunteers, enrich Weston Museum and enable us to offer the diverse range of services that we do. Their support is invaluable.

“The learners vary so much in terms of ability, confidence and skills when we first meet them, but they all develop during their time with us – especially their confidence and social skills.

“Many are completely unrecognisable as the person they were when they started, which is fantastic.”

And Matthew insists that the relationship with the College is central to the work it does for learners who need additional support when it comes to learning and employment.

He said: “Weston Museum values its relationship with Weston College hugely. Whilst we are limited in what we can offer, what we do offer is very important to our culture and is at the heart of our inclusive ethos. We genuinely couldn’t do what we do without them.”

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