Annual Review 2024_Digital

OUR
ANNUAL
REVIEW.
2023

HELLO.
Hello and welcome to our annual review.
This is our opportunity to share a snapshot of what we
got up to during 2023. And what a year we had! Packed
with hard work, triumphs, and lots and lots of memorable
moments.
I hope you enjoy our look back on 2023 and we look
forward to working with you in the coming year.
David Alexander
Principal & CEO
2

3

HO
WE
ARE
AND
WHAT
WE
TAND
4

OUR
PURPOSE.
To develop skilled, confident learners
who succeed in work and life.
OUR
VISION.
To be at the heart of a thriving
community, helping people to
achieve their full potential and gain
the employment edge.
OUR
ETHOS.
Employment Edge
Industry inspired education that
combines high quality learning with
real world skills helping all learners,
whatever their age, background
or starting point to develop the
confidence, personal and professional
skills to be successful.
Gateshead College learners will have
the best chance of getting a job,
starting a business and progressing
in their career; an employment edge
that will set them apart.
OUR
VALUES.
⚫ Respect others
⚫ Take responsibility
⚫ Have courage
⚫ Be creative
⚫ Work together
5

UR
STRATEGIC
RIORITIES.
LEARNERS.
To support and inspire every learner to
make the most of their talents, skills and
opportunities. We will encourage them to
work hard and enjoy their time with us.
PEOPLE.
To be the place where people want to
work, feel valued and share a passion to
help our learners succeed.
6

PARTNERSHIP.
To work in partnership with organisations,
businesses and communities to create the
best opportunities for our learners.
SUSTAINABILITY.
To be a resilient organisation which
takes positive action to address climate
change, creating a better environment
for our learners, our people and future
generations.
7

UR
LEARNERS.
Making sure our learners have the
best chance of success is what we’re
all about. We’re really proud of all
of their achievements from national
sporting successes and showstopping
performances to international work
placements and excelling in employer
led live projects.
8

Ofsted visited in March
and said:
“Learners and apprentices
demonstrate exemplary behaviour
in sessions and around college
campuses.”
“Learners and apprentices enjoy
their learning and value highly the
good-quality facilities at the college.”
Annual Review 2023 9

OUR
LEARNERS
Enrolments
2023. 13,716
Learners
(by Course Type)
Students
7,684
Higher Education
157 (2%)
Apprentices
1,099 (14%)
16-18 Full Time
2,689 (35%)
Fun fact – We’ve got
enough students to
fill the Newcastle
Theatre Royal seven
times over.
Adults
3,739 (49%)
10

Gender
(by Course Type)
Female
Male
Full Time
Higher
Education
1,407 (52%)
1,282 (48%)
46 (29%)
111 (71%)
Apprentices
Adults
265 (24%)
834 (76%)
1,091 (29%)
2,648 (71%)
Age
(by Course Type)
16-18 19+
Full Time
70
(3%)
Higher
Education
137
(87%)
2,619
(97%)
20
(13%)
Apprentices
792
(72%)
Adults
307
(28%)
3,739
(100%)
Annual Review 2023 11

Where our learners
come from
Full Time (both 16-18 and Adult)
Our 16-18
learners come
from 89 different
schools across
the North East.
County Durham
237
Gateshead
1270
Newcastle upon Tyne
370
North Tyneside
Northumberland
102
88
South Tyneside
Sunderland
275
324
Other Areas
23
Apprentices
County Durham
125
Gateshead
211
Newcastle upon Tyne
124
North Tyneside
73
Northumberland
South Tyneside
103
102
Sunderland
124
Other Areas
237
12

Adults
County Durham
445
Gateshead
865
Newcastle upon Tyne
458
North Tyneside
Northumberland
125
110
South Tyneside
222
Sunderland
Other Areas
747
767
Annual Review 2023 13

Where our learners
come from
We’ve got 671 ESOL
(English for Speakers
of Other Languages)
students who come
from 56 countries
across the world.
Central and South America
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
El Salvador
Honduras
Nicaragua
Africa
Venezuela
Angola
Cameroon
Congo
Egypt
Eritrea Ethiopia Gambia
Ivory Coast
Libya Morocco Nigeria Rwanda
14
Somalia
Sudan

Europe
Albania
Belgium
Bulgaria
Croatia
Cyprus Czech Republic Greece Hungary
Italy
Latvia
Lithuania
Netherlands
Poland Portugal Romania Russia
Serbia
Spain
Ukraine
Asia
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
China
India
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lebanon
Oman
Pakistan
Syria
Turkey
Yemen
Vietnam
Annual Review 2023 15

Our achievement rates
We’re very proud of our achievement rates
which reflect the passion and dedication of
our teachers who deliver the highest quality
teaching and learning every day.
GATESHEAD COLLEGE
2022/23 Leavers
2022/23
(%)
All Age
Achievement Rate
87.4
All Age Retention Rate 10951
92.0
All Age Pass Rate 94.9
16-18 Achievement Rate
83.9
16-18 Retention Rate 4042
88.4
16-18 Pass Rate 95.0
19+ Achievement Rate
89.4
19+ Retention Rate 6911
94.2
19+ Pass Rate 94.9
All Apprenticeships
69.6
Apprenticeships 64.6
480
Advanced Apprenticeships 72.2
Higher Apprenticeships 67.0
16

Here’s what Ofsted
said about our teaching
and learning:
“Teachers are highly experienced and
qualified in their specialist subjects.”
“Teachers continue to improve their
teaching skills through external
professional development, mandatory
training and through an online internal
‘teaching academy’. All teachers
are mentored to improve their skills
by lead practitioners who are expert
teachers.”
(March 2023)
Annual Review 2023 17

LISTENING TO
OUR LEARNERS.
Learner experience across the college is shaped by
listening to feedback from our learners. We’ve now got
almost 200 students on our course rep programme
and two of our learners sit on our Board of Governors.
On the back of learner feedback we boosted our Mental
Health and Wellbeing Team.
Here’s what our students have to say about
life at Gateshead College:
“People who think
in different ways
are able to think
together.”
“There is good support
networks and services for
students that are incredibly
useful, I feel like care is
taken to cater for students’
needs and assist them in
general, I enjoy being at
Gateshead College.”
“I’ve made strong
friendships and grown
in confidence over
time. The learning
environment is perfect
for me.”
“I feel as though all
the staff care about
students and inspire
you to give 100% in
all of your work.”
18

A parent said:
“Since starting at Gateshead
College my son has grown
in confidence and it has been
amazing to watch him
explore and feel confident
to experiment with
his identity.”
93.3%
say teaching on
their course
is good.
94.7%
say the careers
guidance service in
the college is
very helpful.
90.2%
say all students are
treated fairly.
93.9%
say overall, they are
satisfied with the
College.
94%
say they are challenged
to achieve the best of
their ability.
94.9%
say they received
financial support in a
timely manner.
95.3%
say the college is
a safe place
to learn.
97.1%
say people of all cultures
and backgrounds are
valued here.
Annual Review 2023 19

EDUCATION
WITH
EMPLOYMENT
EDGE.
Education with employment edge underpins everything we do;
what we teach and how we teach it.
⚫ College led employer skills panels inform curriculum development
⚫ Curriculum Blueprints ensure its embedded across courses
⚫ Industry workshops, kit and resources ensure learners apply their skills as
they will in the workplace
⚫ Personal and social development sessions focus on behaviours and softer
skills that employers are looking for
⚫ Our network of partners ensure countless opportunities for trips, visits,
projects and experiences at home and abroad.

82.5%
of learners
took part in
external work
placements or
commissions.
Our
apprenticeship
achievement rate
is 16.2% above
the national
average.
403 employers
gave our
students work
experience
opportunities.
Annual Review 2023 21

ALUMNI
STORIES.
Our former students go on to do great things from launching their
own businesses, performing to sell-out crowds and working for the
BBC and Sky - we’re so proud of everything they do.
Former student, Lioness and Queen of
the Jungle Jill Scott made time for a
kick around with Academy for Sport
students when she was back in the
region to unveil her commemorative
statue.
“I met some incredible people at
Gateshead College. I was just a young
girl with a dream when I joined the
college and without them I wouldn’t have
gone on to represent England once, never
mind 161 times.”
Chris Howard, former creative media
production student presents the Early
Breakfast Show on Radio 1.
“I wouldn’t be where I am now
without Gateshead College. My
course gave me both practical
experience and it also taught me the
fundamentals of audio production
& editing.”
22

Meet Jack Robertson, former
performing arts student, who is the
creator, writer and lead performer
of a new BBC comedy pilot show
which premiered at the BBC Comedy
Festival in Cardiff.
Former catering student Kate is
now a sous chef with Mason & Rye
at Fenwick Newcastle and came
back to give a masterclass to current
learners.
Hamza originally from Syria, studied
on our English for Speakers of Other
Languages (ESOL) course and
then achieved a HNC and HND in
Performing Arts with us. He’s now
wowing audiences across the UK with
his very own play.
Annual Review 2023 23

UR
PEOPLE.
Making sure that we develop, retain
and recruit great people is key to
delivering our vision and values. We
work together as a team to ensure
the best outcomes for our learners,
partners and community.
24

Engagement in our annual staff survey increased year on year
and together with our Staff Voice group, continues to make sure
Gateshead College is a great place to work.
Listen to some of Team Gateshead talk about why they love working here:
Here’s what Ofsted said
about our people:
“...strong culture and shared
sense of purpose.”
“Staff speak positively about
working at the college and appreciate
the consideration of leaders and
managers.”
(March 2023)
Annual Review 2023 25

548
Total Staff
Professional
Services
187 (34%)
Fun fact – that’s
enough people to
fill a Boeing 777-
300 which is the
third biggest
commercial plane
in the world.
Curriculum
361 (66%)
26

81%
of staff said they
feel proud to work
for Gateshead
College.
Annual Review 2023 27

UR
PARTNERS
Education with employment edge can’t
be achieved alone - our partnerships
enable us to offer a curriculum that
provides learners with the knowledge,
skills and experience to succeed.
Our annual community conversation
sessions ensure that the college lives
and breathes our strategic plan and
is responsive to the needs of our
community and industry.
The work we do with our employer skills panels ensures we
are meeting local and national skills agendas. In 2023 we:
Chaired
19
skills
panels.
With
68
employers.
Representing
16
sectors.
Shaping
424
courses.
28

HIPS.
Key strategic partners:
In addition, we have a strategic
partnership with Gateshead’s Jewish
community, working closely with
their Elders and Rabbi.
Rated STRONG
for skills provision
by Ofsted.
“The college makes a strong
contribution to meeting skills needs.
Leaders and managers use their
strong partnerships with employers
and sector specialists to plan and
deliver an up-to-date curriculum.”
(March 2023)
Annual Review 2023 29

USTAINABIL
In 2023 our journey to be a sustainable organisation
gathered pace. Education for sustainable development
is being embedded across our curriculum, from catering
and hair and beauty to automotive and engineering.
Our finances are strong and stable. We have invested
£1.2m in our campuses, including:
⚫ the biggest single investment in our IT infrastructure
for 10 years
⚫ new facilities for our T Level students
⚫ improved social spaces for our staff and learners
⚫ staff and student health and well being spaces.
Building improvements have reduced our carbon
footprint, resulting in a 5% decrease in energy usage.
Turnover 2023
£36.1m
Fun fact – that’s
enough to buy
yourself a private
island in The Bahamas
and still have some
change left over too.
30

ITY.
Health & Beauty
Our salons are now
part of the B-Corp Green
Salon Collective. They collect
hair which is sent away
and re-used in several
different ways including
composting or turning it into
hair mats which can be
used for oil spill
clean-up.
Catering
We participate in a
food waste initiative
which means that 100%
of food waste from our
kitchens goes for
composting.
Annual Review 2023 31

If you want to work with us in
2024, we’d love to hear from you.
start@gateshead.ac.uk
0191 490 0300
@GATESHEADCOLL
@GATESHEADCOLLEGE
@GATESHEADCOLLEGE
WWW.
GATESHEAD.
AC.UK