Newcastle Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG)

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒕… we’re thrilled to share that NSCG has proudly retained its Ofsted ‘𝑶𝒖𝒕𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈’ grade that we have proudly held since October 2019, following a rigorous inspection by a 13-strong Ofsted team last month! 🥳🎊🎉 All 9 key areas were once again rated ‘Outstanding’, with Inspectors also praising our "𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔," which under the new Further Education and Skills Framework, critiques how Colleges meet the skills needs of their region. 💬 Principal & Chief Executive Craig Hodgson said: “𝐼 𝑎𝑚 𝑠𝑜 𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑂𝑓𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝐼𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑠 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡-ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝐼 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠, 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑓𝑓 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑦 – 𝑎 𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑚 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑛𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑓𝑓 𝑑𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑛 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑑𝑜.” We just want to say a massive thank you to our incredible students, staff, partners, and stakeholders for making this possible and for consistently upholding the high standards that make NSCG 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌. 💕 Read our full report ➡️ nscg.ac.uk/ofsted

🎉 Exciting News! 🎉 We are thrilled to announce that we have been shortlisted for the prestigious FE First Awards 2025! 🙌✨ This is a huge recognition of the hard work, dedication, and creativity of our entire marketing team. We couldn’t be prouder of the achievements we’ve made together and the impact we continue to have in the further education sector 🏆 The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in January, and we’re looking forward to celebrating with other inspiring colleges from across the country. #FEFirst2025

𝑻𝒘𝒐 of our incredible lecturers have reached an impressive academic milestone by 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝑫𝒐𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 at Keele University!👏 𝑯𝒖𝒈𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 to A Level Geography teacher and EPQ Coordinator Dr.Laura Brennan and BTEC Applied Science lecturer Dr. Lewis Adams on this huge achievement. We’re so proud of them and excited to see how they’ll share their expertise with students and staff! 🧡 Read more about their PhD success 👉 tinyurl.com/5yv248ve

News of our back-to-back '𝑶𝒖𝒕𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈' Ofsted grades has made it all the way to the Houses of Parliament! 🇬🇧🥳 Stafford MP, Leigh Ingham and Newcastle-under-Lyme MP, Adam Jogee congratulated Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG) in a speech delivered to the House of Commons earlier today, in which the Leader of the House of Commons The Rt Hon Lucy Powell MP also extended her congratulations, commenting on the achievements of NSCG within further education. Read our full report at nscg.ac.uk/ofsted

It’s day one of the Association of Colleges annual conference at the ICC in Birmingham and College Principal & CEO Craig Hodgson, Director of Curriculum & Performance, Shelley Brown and President of the NSCG Stafford Students' Union Freddie Crisp, have had an action packed day attending the conference launch, break-out sessions and the fantastic exhibition zone, where they bumped in to the ‘Dark Destroyer’, Shaun Wallace from ITVs The Chase. 🤩 Whilst there wasn’t time to challenge him to a quiz, there was time for a quick photo and chat! 📷💬 They are looking forward to this evenings dinner where they’ll have their fingers crossed for NSCG alumna Emily Rizk who has been shortlisted for an award in the EPQ Project excellence category. 🏆 #AoCConf2024 #LoveOurColleges

It’s been a busy few days at the University College Birmingham for our Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Institute of Technology Director Georgina Barnard, attending the latest 𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙏𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙣𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙮 event. 🤩 Yesterday, alongside other FE leaders, she hosted a session exploring how IoTs can train more learners to compete at WorldSkills UK in order to develop their competitive advantage - something the Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire IoT will definitely be looking to achieve when it opens its doors learners next year. 👍 𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 about the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire IoT? Visit sotsiot.ac.uk #InstituteofTechnology #Technical #Skills #Work

𝙒𝙚’𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, hosting a topping out ceremony to mark our Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Institute of Technology reaching its highest point! 🏗️ Key employer and education partners, industry leaders alongside Adam Jogee MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme, representatives from Stafford Borough Council, the Department for Education, the Gatsby Foundation and construction partners Ellis Williams Architects, Avison Young │ UK and Speller Metcalfe gathered to celebrate the occasion as we prepare for the grand opening in September 2025! Once complete, this 4000 square metre facility will house cutting-edge equipment from robotics, 3D printers and CNC machinery to an immersive VR cylinder, all designed to inspire and equip students with in-demand technical skills. 𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝘿𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧, 𝙂𝙚𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖 𝘽𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙙, 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩: “𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑜 𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑘 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑐𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑟 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑘𝑒𝑦 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠. 𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑤𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑜𝑜𝑛 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟 𝑎 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑏𝑟𝑜𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑒𝑐ℎ𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑑𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑢𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑘𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑠 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑠.” We're so excited to see the positive impact the Institute of Technology will have on our region in the years to come. ⭐

𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 our incredible Skills & Innovation Centre was recently nominated for an award at the Education Estates Awards 2024? The awards which celebrate excellence in education by recognising outstanding design, innovation, and achievement in developing learning environments. The building designed by Ellis Williams Architects, is a 7,500 sq metre, 3 storey facility, equipped with leading edge equipment and state-of-the-art skills, construction, engineering and motor vehicle facilities, along with a 4 court sports hall, gym and 300-seat auditorium. Our nomination said: "The commitment of the College to promoting the very best in Architecture to inspire and enthuse students and staff delivering the very best in education establishments but also the wider town and community deserves to them to be recognised". 𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛? Our Open Event is this Wednesday 23 October, 5.30pm - 8pm. Sign-up here: nscg.ac.uk/scevents

𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒅 to announce that Stoke on Trent College and South Staffordshire College have joined the Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Institute of Technology as core education partners. 🤝 The Colleges have joined forces in a move that will further enhance the course offering and expand the geographical reach of the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire IoT. 💬 Commenting on the news, Georgina Barnard, Director of the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire IoT said: "𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒌𝒆-𝒐𝒏-𝑻𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒇𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒐𝑻 𝒇𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂 𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒆, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆." Read more here ➡️ tinyurl.com/cpvusvuu

College Principal & Chief Executive, Craig Hodgson and Director of Curriculum & Performance, Shelley Brown were delighted to be invited to the House of Commons earlier this week for a Tertiary Colleges Group event with constituency MPs Adam Jogee and Leigh Ingham. A brilliant event which saw insightful discussions centred around FE policy and in particular sector pay, VAT and current capacity challenges in light of growing student numbers. Huge thanks to both Adam and Leigh for their support. 🤝