New College Durham today announced that it has been selected as an AoC Beacon Awards finalist for both The Bell Foundation Award for Excellence in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and The Association of Colleges (AoC) Award for Widening Participation.
The AoC Beacon Awards celebrate exemplary practice, innovation, sustainability and impact of exceptional teaching and learning.
The Bell Foundation Award for Excellence in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), aims to recognise exceptional achievements in the teaching, learning and support of learners who are speakers of languages other than English and are learning English as a second language.
Responding to the growing demand for ESOL education, the college has striven to provide an innovative and effective way of improving attendance, getting better engagement levels in class and delivering a first step to integrating into college and wider communities for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. The key turned out to be a shared love of sport.
Principal and Chief Executive of New College Durham, Andy Broadbent, said:
“We have students here from a wide diversity of countries, some of whom share experiences of trauma, loss of childhood and leaving families behind. Despite this we found they also still share a love of sport, predominately football or cricket.”
“Working with a local premier league football club and the city’s cricket club, the college opened the sessions to all students who wanted to play, timetabled the sessions either for times when classes were not happening or released students from class and asked them to complete any work missed at home.
Andy added, “The results speak for themselves, attendance levels grew and 100% of the participants passed their end of year external speaking and listening assessments (Trinity College London). I would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff and project partners for their help and determination to have a positive impact on the lives of these young people.”
The Association of Colleges (AoC) Award for Widening Participation
The AoC Award for Widening Participation recognises, celebrates and promotes examples of widening participation in learning in communities with strategies to provide transformational educational opportunities to increase access, achievement and progression for those groups often under-represented in further education.
Last year New College Durham (NCD) and Sunderland Bangladesh International Centre (SBIC) launched a new partnership aimed at addressing the shortage of educational professionals in the region, with a particular focus on teaching assistant vacancies.
By delivering education directly embedded within community settings, the initiative reduced barriers such as transportation issues and cultural differences, making learning opportunities more accessible and inviting. This sense of belonging and comfort encouraged sustained participation and created a conducive learning environment.
Andy added, “The curriculum is designed to reflect and respect the cultural and social contexts of the learners, and we offer courses that are relevant and beneficial to their daily lives and future aspirations. We have delivered programmes such as ESOL, mental health awareness, and safeguarding while hopefully reinforcing the value of education in improving their quality of life and opportunities.”
The initiative has markedly increased engagement and improved participation among underrepresented groups, including women and ethnic minorities. Over 200 learners from these communities have participated in the programme, many accessing formal education opportunities for the first time. This uptake reflects the programmes’ effective outreach and inclusivity, breaking down traditional barriers and fostering a culture of learning within diverse populations.
SBIC's CEO Abu Shama shared his excitement about the partnership, stating, "This nomination recognises all of the hard work that has gone in to deliver this fantastic project. SBIC is delighted to continue working with the New College Durham to support even more members of our community with their journey into employment. It's a privilege to be part of this venture, and to see how it’s positively impacting our customers."
Andy concluded, “This initiative created by New College Durham, and delivered through strong partnership working with Sunderland Bangladesh International Centre, has shown what a fantastic and positive impact education can have on people’s sense of belonging and sense of worth.
“We take great pride in being nominated as finalists for these prestigious awards and we will continue to look for more ways of delivering programmes that help build and strengthen our local communities.”
