Buxton and Leek College is celebrating after winning a national award for the support it offers students resitting GCSEs. 

The college, which has a number of students who live throughout the High Peak, has scooped the National Times Educational Supplement (TES) Education Award 2021 for outstanding GCSE resits provision. 

The ceremony recognised the most outstanding individuals and institutions that the further education sector has to offer. 

After being shortlisted at the 2020 awards, the college was this time successful in being recognised for its GCSE maths and English resit provision, which has helped students achieve GCSE qualifications that they were not able to achieve previously at school.

Alison Ivins, Curriculum Leader for Maths and English at the college, said: "I am extremely proud of the English and maths team. I have the honour of working with some of the most amazing, talented and dynamic teachers I’ve ever met, and together we make a phenomenal team.

“To be recognised with such a prestigious TES award as the ‘best of the best’ nationally is just the icing on the cake. But I know for each and everyone in the team, the real satisfaction comes from the work they do to help our students every single day.

“We tackle the fundamental barriers that learners need to overcome in English and maths.

“This has meant that through the challenges of ‘lockdown learning’ and after the Government decision to cancel examinations, our students have not lost sight of the progress they have made towards improving their English and maths skills, and have continued to make progress with enthusiasm.”

Lead TES judge, Jeff Greenidge, said: “The ethos of this submission was very much one that encourages a growth mindset in learners, with the individualised learning contextualised within innovative environments.”

The award comes weeks after the college also won the UKRI Green Gown Award for student engagement in sustainability. 

Len Tildsley, Principal of Buxton & Leek College, said: "When we launched as a ‘new’ college in February 2013, following the completion of the merger with Leek College, our vision for BLC was “to be an outstanding, award-winning and innovative College; the first choice for High Peak and Staffordshire Moorlands students and employers.”  

"In this case, the award-winning and the innovation come hand-in-hand as I firmly believe that it is the broad range of innovation that secured our maths and English team this award." 

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