ANNUAL REVIEW2015

It’s always a pleasure to look back on another busy year at South Thames College and reflect on the achievements and challenges the college has been through.

The drive to provide all our students with an outstanding learning experience means we are constantly developing as an organisation so we can meet the needs of both our current students and those who may join us in the future. This has seen us continue to invest in new industry standard facilities and expand the courses we offer

Providing opportunities for our students, local business and communities to access the skills they need remains key. Through our relationships with employers and partners, including local authorities, housing associations, voluntary and business organisations, we are well placed to help students progress into their chosen careers. I have every confidence that with their on-going support we can continue to deliver the high quality education and training our students deserve.

Godfrey Allen, Chair of Governors

Ensuring our students progress onto higher level courses or into their chosen careers is at the core of what we do, and so every year I am pleased to see the positive routes taken by our

students, whether that be to study at Cambridge University or star in a Hollywood blockbuster.

It has once again been a challenging year for the Further Education sector and we are undoubtedly about to face more change as the government-led area reviews come into force.

Despite these challenges South Thames College remains a positive, engaging and purposeful organisation. We are continuing to develop our curriculum, working closer with local businesses to ensure the courses we run meet their needs. Our apprenticeship success rates are now well above the national average and we maintain our focus on improving English and maths.

Without the support of the many colleagues and partners involved with South Thames College these continued successes would not be possible. I would like to thank you all for the role you play in the College’s future. I look forward to seeing what the next year holds for us.

Sue Rimmer OBE, Principal and Chief Executive

our mission Leading excellence in learning for jobs and careers

welcome

Highest ever success ratesIn line with our new strategic plan, and our focus on high expectations, progression and quality, there have been further improvements to overall success rates with the college achieving 82% in 2014/15.

Increased focus on English and mathsEnglish and maths continues to be a key priority across the College. Our programmes of study for 16-18 year olds – which include English, maths and employability as well as the core vocational course they have chosen – are now well established and our success rates in this area are above the national average.

New construction and engineering skills centresThe College has invested more than £12 million in new and upgraded facilities in the last five years. Our recently extended Engineering and Construction Centres have been fitted with the latest industry-standard equipment giving our students the opportunity to learn in an environment that reflects what they will find at work.

The College continues to work with the London Borough of Wandsworth and other partners to deliver skills to address local regeneration projects such as the Battersea/Nine Elms development.

Expanding Higher EducationThe College’s higher education offer continues to grow with both graduate and post graduate level courses on offer.

As well as our popular HNCs and HNDs, our Business Centre offers higher level apprenticeships, including civil engineering and building services apprenticeships. Our apprentices work with more than 24 engineering and construction consultancies, including Amey, Axiom Ltd and Omega Building.

Apprenticeships success above the national averageWe have more than 200 apprentices enrolled at the College, splitting their time between work and study. Our apprenticeship success rates continue to increase at 79%, 10% above the national average.

We set out to support all our students into further study or work by maintaining: • Anoutstandingstudent experience

• Anindustry-ledethosofteachingand learning

• Attheforefrontofskillsforjobsandcareersin London

• Atalentedstaffofleadingprofessionals

• Afinanciallystable future

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programme meet their

needs

Learner View*

achieving our priorities

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Annual Review 2015

Growing work experience and employabilityThe high quality work experience opportunities we offer mean our students have worked in some of the UK’s top companies. From Harrods to Reed Employment our employer links continue to grow and now include work placements, work-place visits, employer-led projects, industry specific masterclasses and specialist guest speakers. In 2014/15 we sent nearly 700 students out on placement, as well as welcoming dozens of employers into college.

Hospitality and Catering AcademyWe opened our Hospitality and Catering Academy in 2013 and already our students are gaining fantastic experience working as chefs. Learners have benefited from the academy’s industry contacts and honed their skills in a number of master classes with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Albert Roux – and many have gone on to secure work placements at some of the UK’s top restaurants.

The academy is part of the College’s plans to create industry centres of excellence to meet the specialist demand for skills and training in London.

Engaging with businessesThe College works with more than 500 employers through its Business Centre and curriculum areas. With input from local businesses we have developed and introduced new courses to meet skills needs.

Local businesses are taking advantage of the courses we deliver to teach new, or boost existing, skills in their workplace.

Skills support for the workforceWe proactively develop new courses with Jobcentre Plus and Wandsworth Council for the Vauxhall Nine Elms and Battersea building developments, boosting job skills for the local unemployed to help them into work.

Together with Wandsworth Council’s Work Match we have hosted a number of construction careers events at our Wandsworth Campus and the Tooting Jobs Fair at our Business Centre to deliver workshops on interview techniques, job search and CV writing.

Winning competitions and awardsThe College had 27 students competing in the World Skills UK heats. From popular music to games development and media make-up our students battled it out showing off the skills they’ve learnt.

Things are continuing to heat up for our hospitality and catering students who take part in a number of competitions from the Rotary Young Chef to Wessex Culinaire during their time at college. Competitions are a great way for our students to learn how to keep their cool under pressure and allow them to demonstrate their creativity.

Employer satisfaction high94% of the employers we delivered training for said the training they received met their needs, and 99% would recommend us.

Courses for work, life and leisureThe college is a central hub in its community and we run more than 1,000 short and part-time courses in everything from accounting and interpreting to British Sign Language.

We also run short professional courses meaning residents who want to boost their employability, change career or even start their own business can learn the skills needed.

The college’s selection of community learning courses will continue to grow in 2016 as South Thames College has been chosen as the main provider for Merton Council’s Adult Education courses.

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91%say they

receive the support they need in order to progress

Learner View*

Annual Review 2015

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Student satisfaction rate at 95%Feedback from our students is at the forefront of our quality improvement. The ‘Trip Advisor’ style survey run by Ofsted shows satisfaction with the College is high overall.

Investing to meet local and LEP needsOur strategic plan sets out an ambitious approach to ensure that learners benefit from the latest industry practice and expertise during their study with us. When learners study with us, they are ready for work or to progress to their next level of study, especially in LEP priority areas.

Safeguarding and PreventAs a college we are proud of our record for safeguarding which Ofsted rate as outstanding. In addition, and in line with our duty under the Prevent Strategy, British values are promoted within the inclusive ethos of the College.

Leading high needs provision locallyThe Aurora Centre has completed its second year of operation and has seen strong demand for places from parents, carers and local authorities.

The £1 million centre, is a specialist unit for young people up to 25 with autistic spectrum disorder and complex needs, the centre builds on our work providing bespoke educational support for students with learning difficulties for more than 25 years.

From South Thames to Star WarsIf proof was needed that there is no limit to success in further education, there can be no more high profile example than that of our performing arts graduate, John Boyega, who landed the lead role in the eagerly anticipated new Star Wars film – The Force Awakens.

Ongoing commitment to improvements in teaching and learningThe College continues to achieve well in this area, exceeding both its internal target for good or better teaching and the grade profile for good or better teaching in similar institutions.

Supporting students’ right to voteIn order to encourage our students to vote in the May general election we held two hustings events at our Merton and Wandsworth Campuses, inviting local candidates to visit college and answer students’ questions.

Our learners also held a number of register to vote events, which reminded students of the importance of voting, ensuring they didn’t miss out on their chance to have a say in their future.89%

Say their course

programme is preparing

them for their chosen next

steps

Learner View*

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Annual Review 2015

what people say about us

What I enjoyed most about

my course was the

assistance I received from

my lecturers, who really helped me

when preparing for assignments and

before exams. They really went out of

their way for us.” Vernille Stanislaus,

HNC Computer Systems, – now

studying in New York

The course exceeded my

expectations. Before I

started the course I felt

that some weeks would not be

relevant to my business, but I quickly

realised that once you dig down into

the weekly subjects you’ll see how

important they are to helping you

develop your business.” Barry

Hampson, Social media marketing,

founder of food company Nuvo

College has helped me a

lot to get to this stage. Our

tutor entered us for the

Connections competition at the

National Theatre. That was the break

for me.” John Boyega, former

performing arts graduate and star of the

new Star Wars VII film – The

Force Awakens

South Thames helped lay

the basics for games

development as a whole,

giving me a wide variety of

knowledge that I was then able to

transfer into my university games

design course. It helped me get to

grips with 3D modelling software,

animation and games engines, which

put me at the top of my class in

university.” Albert Naumovs, Games

Design – now working for Traveller’s

Tales as a QA tester, ensuring his

company’s high standards are met on

the new LEGO Avenger’s Marvel game

The support I have received

from the staff at South

Thames College has been

second to none. The team in the

Business Centre in Tooting took care

of everything. From explaining clearly

what would be involved, screening

and recruiting the best candidates

and ensuring the smooth progression

of my trainee onto an apprenticeship

course.” Gregg Gibbs, owner Gibbs

Estate Agents

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90%would

recommend us to a friend

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Annual Review 2015

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Learner View*

our financesIncome breakdownINCOME

2013 £’000

2014 £’000

2015 £’000

Funding body grants 36,522 31,896 29,840

Tuition fees and education contracts

5,661 7,689 7,020

Other income 447 817 393

Investment income 110 107 22

Total income 42,740 40,509 37,275

Expenditure breakdownEXPENDITURE

2013 £’000

2014 £’000

2015 £’000

Staff costs 26,838 26,099 25,157

Exceptional restructuring costs

156 141 912

Other operating expenses

10,227 9,327 10,188

Depreciation 4,358 4,386 4,503

Interest and other finance costs

1,438 1,532 1,063

Total expenditure 43,017 41,485 41,823

Surplus / (Deficit) for the year

(277) (976) (4,548)

89%say they are given

feedback that helps them

improve

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Annual Review 2015

92%say they are treated fairly

Learner View*

a busy year

2014SeptemberSTUDENT CHEFS HOPE TO BE THE MANE EVENT

We launched our Chef’s Challenge, which we ran in conjunction with Investec and The Jockey Club and gave our hospitality and catering students the opportunity to design menus that could be served at the prestigious Epsom Derby. The students who created the best menus would be given the opportunity of work experience at Epsom Downs Racecourse in 2015.

OctoberGOOD VIBRATIONS AT CHARITY CONCERT

For the first time, our music performance students took part in Oxjam, a charity music event to raise money for Oxfam. Staging the show not only gave our students a chance to perform live, but also to find out what’s involved in planning and running live events first-hand. Even better, we raised over £600 for Oxfam – three times our target.

NovemberFIONA LEARNS, EARNS AND CERNS

Our civil engineering apprentice Fiona was honoured at the 2014 STEMNET Awards, where she was named Inspirational Apprentice of the Year for her work with Thames Tideway, which also included promoting apprenticeships in STEM fields to girls at local schools. As part of her prize, Fiona was flown to Switzerland so she could visit CERN, home of the Large Hadron Collider.

DecemberROYAL VISIT MARKS COLLEGE SUCCESS

We welcomed HRH The Prince of Wales to the College to mark the completion of our 300th Prince’s Trust team programme. Prince Charles talked with the young people on the College’s 300th team and heard about their fundraising and community work that is delivered as part of the programme, before cutting a cake specially prepared by our Hospitality and Catering Academy.

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91%say their lessons/training

session are well taught

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2015JanuaryMUSIC STUDENTS ENTERTAIN CARERS AT CELEBRATORY LUNCH

Our music performance students got another opportunity to perform live as we played host to Carers Support Merton, who visited Taste for a special lunch to celebrate the people caring for those with mental health issues. The event gave our students real-life experience of meeting the requirements of a paid-for booking, including designing a set list and auditioning to take part.

FebruarySOUTH THAMES COLLEGE SUPPORTS YOUTH ENTERPRISE EVENT

Our Director of Business Partnerships chaired a day of events designed to encourage and develop entrepreneurial spirit in young people. The event, which ran as part of Wandsworth Enterprise Week, also included talks and Q&As with a variety of special guests, including Margaret Mountford, Apprentice winner Tim Campbell, and Wandsworth’s Deputy Mayor.

MarchSTUDENT SWAPS MUSIC PERFORMANCE FOR POLITICS

Music performance student Semhar Teklu expressed her passion for a rather different career path by running for the role of Youth MP for Westminster. The 17 year old, who was up against five other candidates, said “It’s really important for young people to get involved in politics and take the time to find out more about the people that make the decisions that affect our lives.”

LOCAL MPS SUPPORT OUR APPRENTICESHIPS

During Apprenticeship Week we received support for our apprenticeship programme from two local MPs. Sadiq Khan, MP for Tooting, praised us for the work we have done to help students find work through apprenticeships when he attended a Business Centre event at our Tooting campus. Then Battersea MP Jane Ellison, speaking at our Wandsworth campus, urged local business owners to consider taking on apprentices to boost young people’s work skills.

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2015AprilNEW SYNTH LAB GIVES BUDDING DJS A PLACE TO PRACTISE SKILLS

We opened our brand new synth lab, giving our music production students even more opportunities to develop their skills. The new lab, which is part of the College’s commitment to creating a Centre of Excellence for its Creative Industries department, features synthesizers, samplers and electronic DJ packages, so learners can practise on industry-standard equipment and get prepared for a career in the music industry

MaySTUDENTS GRILL LOCAL CANDIDATES AT COLLEGE ELECTION HUSTINGS

Continuing our election awareness events, we held hustings events at our Wandsworth and Merton campuses to give students the opportunity to speak to a selection of local candidates. Representatives from the main parties, including Labour’s Siobhain McDonagh who retained her seat in Mitcham and Morden, were quizzed on the topics that matter to our students, including tuition fees, employment, and immigration.

SOUTH THAMES HOSTS WORLDSKILLS UK COMPETITION

South Thames College was transformed into a live music venue as the our Creative Industries department hosted two heats for WorldSkills UK competitions, in the popular music and games design categories. Ten college bands performed live to secure their places in the final, using equipment provided by local production company Britannia Row, while games design hopefuls were tasked with designing hot air balloons for a range of virtual characters

JuneSOUTH THAMES PRINCE’S TRUST STUDENTS SURPRISED BY ALESHA DIXON

Our Prince’s Trust Team Programme students thought they were just having a photo session for the 25th anniversary of the Prince’s Trust, only to be surprised when TV presenter Alesha Dixon photobombed their shots. Alesha, who is a big supporter of the Trust, took the time to chat to our students about their course, which involved renovating and redecorating the Thomas Wall community centre in Sutton

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assessed regularly

Learner View*

Annual Review 2015

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*Learnerview.ofsted.gov.uk – figures for 2014/15 based on 1,452 responses to December 2014

Keep up to date with all the news from South Thames College www.south-thames.ac.uk/news

@SouthThamesColl /souththamescollege

2015JulyAURORA STUDENTS SHOW WHAT WORK EXPERIENCE MEANS TO THEM

Students at the Aurora Centre, our non-residential unit for learners with complex needs, teamed up with young people’s charity Fixers to create a video promoting work experience opportunities. The video, which was developed over a year and also provided learning and work experience opportunities, highlighted the difficulties students with learning difficulties encountered, particularly in finding employers willing to offer them work experience.

SOUTH THAMES STUDENT HEADING TO CAMBRIDGE

As proof of how far an Access course can take you, one of our students, Helena, was offered a place at the University of Cambridge. Helena, who left school right after her GCSEs and spent several years working in hospitality, came to us to study Access to Humanities and Social Sciences, and is now studying linguistics at Lucy Cavendish College

AugustMEDIA DEPARTMENT DIGITISING VINTAGE FILM FOOTAGE FOUND IN LOFT

A surprise donation of old 16mm Steenbeck film reels has resulted in a fascinating project for our film department – digitising and archiving a collection of old documentaries, covering a range of subjects from New Zealand to information about Ford cars. The films previously belonged to Bill Holland, a former cameraman, who found the reels gathering dust in his loft

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Annual Review 2015

South Thames College

020 8918 7777www.south-thames.ac.uk

@SouthThamesColl

/souththamescollege