Briefing contents:
1 AoC Beacon Awards 2009-2010
2 Further guidance on applying for the AoC Award for Widening Participation
1 AoC Beacon Awards 2009-2010
The AoC Beacon Awards 2009-2010 Prospectus has now been available for several weeks. Hard copies have been sent out to Principals, Chairs and the AoC Beacon Award Liaison Officers and a pdf of the prospectus is also available from the Charitable Trust section of the AoC website, or you can download a copy here: AoC Beacon Awards 2009-2010 Prospectus
We are delighted that following the success of last year's programme, the overwhelming majority of the 2008-09 Awards are available again. There are also five new Awards: the DCSF Award for the Successful Delivery of Level 3 Qualifications, the Becta Award for Excellence in the Use of Technology, the CLA Award for Promoting the Value of Copyright, the CoLRiC Award for the Effective Integration of Libraries/Learning Resources Centres in Curriculum Delivery and the DCSF, DIUS and LSC Award for Smarter Procurement.
In addition to these new Awards, several of the existing sponsors - specifically British Council, LSC 14-19 Collaboration and the Equality and Diversity Awards and LSIS have also changed the criteria for their Awards slightly, so it is worthwhile having a look at all of them to see if there are any new categories this year that your College may wish to apply for. The monetary value of the majority of the Awards remains between, on average, £4,000 and £5,000.
The closing date for receipt of applications this year is Wednesday 22 July 2009, so there are almost four months for your College to put together its submission with supporting evidence.
If you could like any feedback on last year's submissions, advice on applying for the Awards or further copies of the prospectus, please do not hesitate to contact Alice Thiagaraj, the Manager of the AoC Charitable Trust, via the link below.
2 Further guidance on applying for the AoC Award for Widening Participation
The AoC Beacon Assessor responsible for the AoC Award for Widening Participation has felt that it would be useful for Colleges to have further guidance on how to apply for the award and has written a list of items which he and his co-assessor will be looking for when reviewing the applications.
The Assessors will look for evidence that the initiative has produced positive outcomes for learners in terms of achievement and progression. In particular they will look for evidence in relation to the following areas:
- Assessment of learning needs for under-achieving or under-represented groups in FE
- Partnership arrangements that support recruitment and delivery
- Curriculum provision that meets the range of learning and social/personal needs
- Learner guidance and support and its impact upon learner success
- Teaching and learning and its impact on progress and achievement
- Evaluation of the programme
- Plans for the future of the provision.
Since these criteria have not been published in the general prospectus, you may still structure your submission in any way you wish, but the Assessor thought it might be helpful for Colleges to have this additional guidance, particularly as these are the areas that the assessors themselves will be interested to read in your applications.
Queries and comments
If there are any general queries or comments about the AoC Beacon Awards, please email the Manager of the AoC Charitable Trust, Alice Thiagaraj.