Senior education officials praise New City College’s pioneering tutorial and enrichment programme

New City College recently hosted two influential education figures to find out more about the brilliant work being done through NCC’s highly-regarded tutorial and enrichment programme.

Steve Kethero, Team Leader for Student Support at the Department for Education, and Eddie Playfair, Senior Policy Manager at the Association of Colleges, were really impressed with the wide range of support, activities and opportunities offered to students.

They met at NCC’s Havering Sixth Form Campus with Principal Janet Smith, Deputy Principal Phil Hall and Group Director for Tutorial and Enrichment Emma Wood, who gave them an insight into the breadth and depth of work that New City College delivers to support students’ personal development.

They shared details of NCC’s matrix model of tutorial and enrichment, which is setting new standards and ensuring consistency in high-quality provision across all campuses.

Discussions also highlighted initiatives such as:

• Weekly tutorials led by specialist Pastoral Tutors covering topics such as healthy relationships, consent, online safety, grooming and resilience
• Large-scale Staying Safe events held across the whole group, including guest speakers, and information and advice from external agencies
• Campaigns and projects aimed at tackling misogyny, harmful behaviour, sexual harassment, and the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls

After the meeting, both Steve and Eddie praised the college, saying they would share what they had learned with their teams and managers, as well as others in the further education sector.

Steve said:

“Thank you all for your contributions to a valuable discussion. It was great to hear about your matrix approach to consistency and quality, and the breadth and depth of your enrichment programme. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

Eddie added:

“I found the visit extremely interesting and I am impressed by the work you are doing. Congratulations on all your achievements in this area.”

Emma Wood, Group Director for Tutorial and Enrichment at NCC, said:

“The feedback we get from students about their tutorial sessions and particularly after we have held events such as the Staying Safe Week, shows the power of what we are doing and also the importance of this work.”

The visit recognised the significant impact that NCC’s tutorial and enrichment programme is making and how it is leading the way in helping to safeguard students, challenge harmful behaviours, and support young people to develop as confident, respectful and resilient individuals so that they have the skills and knowledge they need for life beyond college.