EDUCATION
Familiar face – Bede Sixth Form College principal Patrick Jordan says being from the area himself helps him understand both students and parents.
ON THE RIGHT PATH
Bede Sixth Form College principal Patrick Jordan believes engaging with employers is the key to providing the clear pathway to employment both parents and students want to see
PICTURES: CHRIS BOOTH
Bede Sixth Form College is Teesside’ s little gem when it comes to Outstanding sixth form education. Principal Patrick Jordan says:“ Student numbers are through the roof and demand for places has never been higher.”
Results just in showed an A-level pass rate of above 98 % with a 100 % pass rate in 17 A-level and 19 vocational subjects.
An Outstanding grade from Ofsted in the summer marks the culmination of many years of hard work.
It’ s all good news for the college in Billingham, once believed to be the smallest in the country.
And Patrick, a former Bede student himself, couldn’ t be prouder.
“ At Bede we care about our students, and we care about our community,” he says.“ We have paid a lot of attention to what our students, parents, community and employers want.”
They have found that ultimately, the answers are surprisingly similar.
“ Students and parents want to be able to see a clear path to employment. They want to know if they take a particular route, what the job will be at the end,” says Patrick. Unfortunately, Bede doesn’ t have a crystal ball, but leaders do know, through their strong links with businesses, what employers are looking for. And creating strong employer partnerships has put them in prime position to ensure the routes forged are all pointing in the right direction.
While sixth forms have not traditionally been known for their employer engagement, this is something Ofsted recognised, and student destinations prove, that Bede is doing well.
In fact, it has made it a priority that every year group, in every subject, has two meaningful employer interactions relevant to their scheme of work.
This means a student studying three A-level or equivalent subjects at the college would have meaningful interactions with six different employers each year.
The aim is to start building connections early and enable students to see clear links between what they are learning and the world of work.
28 | Tees Business