JLC

THE BRITISH COUNCIL AWARD FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SUPPORT 2002

AWARD WINNER: JOHN LEGGOTT COLLEGE

The British Council's purpose is to win recognition abroad for the UK's values, ideas and achievements, and nurture lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with other countries. It connects people worldwide with learning opportunities and creative ideas from the UK and builds lasting relationships between the UK and other countries.

In 2001-02 we worked in 229 towns and cities in 109 countries and our strategic objectives are to:

• build appreciation of the UK's creativity and scientific innovation among people overseas, and strengthen their engagement with the diversity of UK culture
• increase international recognition of the range and quality of learning opportunities from the UK, to promote the learning of English, and strengthen educational co-operation between the UK and other countries
• enhance awareness of the UK's democratic values and processes, and work in partnership with other countries to strengthen good governance and human rights.

The British Council Award
for International Student Support

The British Council Award for International Student Support is open to all colleges in the further education sector in the United Kingdom.

The Award will recognise best practice in supporting international students from recruitment through to completion of qualifications. It will be granted to the college which has developed and maintained consistent and caring procedures in the support of international students studying in the UK.

• Assessors will seek to identify:
• academic support, including English, study skills and tutoring
• responsible practices in the recruitment of international students
• comprehensive, accurate and clear information covering courses and qualification requirements, tuition fees and payment details
• clear and consistent application and admissions procedures
• student welfare support including pre-departure information, accommodation, orientation programmes, counselling and careers guidance
• open and accessible procedures for handling complaints on academic and non-academic matters
  [Details of sponsors, pdf format]

Most Recent News...

A high profile visit by Further Education Minister Kevin Brennan and local MP for Brigg and Goole, Ian Cawsey has helped to celebrate the 10th anniversary of John Leggott College’s Science Centre of Excellence.

History

In spring 1999, we successfully bid for funds from the Skills Unit of Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency, to establish and develop a ‘Science Centre of Excellence’ at our college with a remit to support the science based needs of students in our sub-region. The support for a sixth form college by a Regional Development Agency is very unusual indeed and the creation of a science centre of excellence is, as far as we are aware, unique. We therefore had no template to copy and no experience of others to build upon. We had to create our own model, devise new strategies and pioneer an effective methodology to support science within and outside of our college.

The Science Centre of Excellence has now become an umbrella title under which a range of science based activities flourish. We have promoted interest, enthusiasm and achievement in science within our own students, we have reached out to primary and secondary schools and our wider community to raise the profile of science and to support science education and understanding and we have taken every opportunity to share our experience and our enthusiasm for science on a regional, national and international stage.

Partly through the work of the Science Centre of Excellence, we have become one of the largest and most successful centres for Advanced Science teaching nationally. Our progression of students onto science based courses in Higher Education has also been at an encouragingly high level, with over 200 science and technology based HE entrants in 2009.

Ten years on from the beginnings of our Science Centre of Excellence, we are no longer externally funded for this initiative, yet many of the schemes, activities, links and strategies established through our “Centre of Excellence” continue to thrive.  Some of these are described below:

Partnership with Humberside Fire and Rescue

John Leggott College has teamed up with Humberside Fire and Rescue in a partnership which will see our students getting an insight into the science behind investigating local incidents, partly through  receiving specialist talks from fire investigation officers about fire forensics.

In return, officers from Humberside Fire and Rescue will use our physics and chemistry facilities, including electrical testing equipment and a fume cupboard, which will allow them to carry out technical experiments to help in their fire investigations.

National competitions

We encourage our science students to enter regional and national competitions as a way of bench marking their skills and creating interest beyond examinations. In 1997 the University of Hull introduced an annual regional competition to find the Young Scientist of the Year with the unique prize of astronaut training in the USA. Between 1997 and 2001, our college provided 4 of the 11 winners. In 1999, a team of our students won a prestigious competition in chemical analysis organised by The Laboratory of the Government Chemist for schools and colleges across the whole country.

In recent years, we have had regular bronze, silver and occasional gold medallists in Olympiad competitions for A Level Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Several of our students have progressed through to the national level of these competitions, alongside the top handful of Advanced science students in the country.

We have also entered, and done very well in, competitions based on practical science-based activities, such as International Young Physicists Tournament, a national rocketry competition and a Young Engineer’s scheme.

Our students have won prizes for the top exam performances in several of the sciences and related subjects. The most recent of these was the prize for the top performing electronics student nationally in 2009. The student in question received a cash prize sponsored by Xerox.

Salters Horners Special Award for Physics

John Leggott College Curriculum Manager Howard Darwin was selected for a special teaching award in 2008 by the Salters Horners Physics initiative, based at York University, but sponsored by the companies of Salters and Horners in London.

The prize recognises his services to physics teaching and gives national recognition to the contribution that Howard and the College’s physics team has made to science teaching over the years.

Our Physics Department has been commended as one of the best in the country, also winning the Rolls-Royce Science Prize in 2005 for its work to bring ideas and resources from cutting-edge physics research into teaching and learning. In the process of work for this prize, we developed many strong links with science departments at regional universities and many of these continue to this day, providing visits, speakers, expert help and exciting contexts for our science teaching.

Curriculum Development

Tutors have been involved in curriculum development at a national level throughout the decade. The chemistry team played a significant part in the development of the Salters Advanced Chemistry project in which the subject is taught through everyday contexts. One of the team led training workshops for teachers across the UK and in Moscow and Siberia. The physics team have followed a similar path and college tutors are contributing authors to the equivalent Salters/Horners course in AS/A level physics. They have also pioneered ‘Physics Visits’ in which students visit industry or the community to identify applications of physics for which they have received commendation by the Beacon Awards committee of the Association of Colleges. Two science technicians have also provided training at national curriculum development workshops for colleagues in other colleges. Recently, our chemistry technician won a prize from Salters Chemistry for his contribution, over the years, to this course.

Laboratory Design

Our innovative approach to science has also extended to our immediate environment. Our original laboratories were typical of those used to equip schools built in the 1960’s. A blackboard, raised teacher’s bench, rows of student benches fitted with uncomfortable stools. In the early 1990’s, we re-designed the spaces and used local builders to help deliver our vision. The teachers’ bench plus sufficient of the other benches were ripped out to create a space for a horseshoe of tables at which our students sit on comfortable chairs. This space has a carpet. Even in the chemistry labs. The blackboard has been replaced by an electronic white board. There is still ample bench space for practical work. In Physics, the tutorial rooms are separate to a large, communal practical space adjoining a student study and resource area. This innovative way of configuring a science department has many advantages, including much more opportunity for collaboration and ideas-sharing between students and teachers and the promotion of a science community feel, rather than a set of discrete teaching spaces.

Links with China

During December, 2001, initial steps have been taken to forge science links with a school in the Peoples Republic of China. As a result of a successful bid to the Education and Training Group of the British Council, one of the college science tutors travelled to Guangzhou in southern China to spend a week observing school science classes and to begin a dialogue with Chinese teachers about teaching and learning science. The aim is to learn from each other. As a follow up to the original visit, a Chinese science tutor spent much of the Autumn term 2002, visiting John Leggott College.

We have continued to strongly recruit students from China onto science courses here and, every year, many of them have progressed on to science or science-based courses at the UK’s top universities.

Primary School Link Scheme

In 2000, we set up a primary science equipment loan scheme. It acts a bit like a public library. An individual school will arrange to borrow for two or three weeks some equipment which is stored and maintained by the college. On return, the equipment is borrowed by another school. Consultation with primary school teachers in the planning stage ensured that the equipment in the scheme is the equipment teachers wish to borrow. Creation of a working partnership with the local branch of the Royal Society of Chemistry increased the funds available and hence the range of equipment in the loan scheme.

Children Challenging Industry

Children Challenging Industry is a new initiative devised by the Chemical Industry Education Centre at the University of York to spread innovative approaches to the teaching of science in primary schools. A key feature of the scheme is a visit by pupils to a manufacturing site to see how the ideas they learn in the classroom are applied in an industrial context. Our college provides professional and material support for the scheme including a base for the teacher leading it. This arrangement creates a real synergy between the scheme and our own strategies for supporting primary science.

Summer Schools for Gifted and Talented Children

For many years we have devised and run summer schools in August focussed on science and maths for gifted and talented children who have just completed Year 6 in their schools. The 30 to 40 pupils are divided into three groups, each with a local primary school teacher and two of our college science students who assist the teachers and act as mentors and role models for the children. Throughout the two weeks college tutors lead sessions on specific aspects of science and maths. The aim is to enthuse and stretch the pupils. The events have proved to be a stunning success with immensely positive feedback from both pupils and their parents. We are currently brainstorming ideas about raising expectations of bright pupils in Year 8. Science is a key strand in our thinking.

Community and local School Links

Our work in promoting science goes well beyond the boundaries of formal education. We have, for example, collaborated with the local library and museum service to bring science to the community. In 2000, during National Science Week, a group of our students set up an interactive exhibition of experiments in the town’s Central Library under the title of ‘Science For Saturday Shoppers’. In 2001, the college used National Science Week to launch a Science Road Show. This was a lecture/demonstration on topical issues such as global warming, ozone depletion and the future of the Earth which we took to small rural towns in our area. It involved a conscious decision to take science to the community rather than expecting the community always to come to us. This event has since been repeated to organisations such as The Women’s Institute.

We have recently been involved in sending staff and students into local associated 11-16 schools to help and advise on the teaching of particular topics in GCSE sciences. In particular, in 2008-9, we ran a scheme funded by LSN to assist 6 local schools in the delivery of “triple science” GCSE. A major part of this scheme involved exciting, hands-on, twilight sessions on key areas of GCSE science for around 40 14 and 15 year olds from a variety of schools.

Corus/John Leggott College Link Scheme

Corus are also partners in a long running education-industry initiative which we think is unique. In 1994 it won the Gardner Merchant Award for Excellence in Education- Business Partnership. The College-Corus Link Scheme was conceived in the mid 1980s to address concerns about declining numbers of students opting to study science and engineering in Higher Education. Interestingly, 20 years on, the same issue is still at the centre of national debate. In the scheme, up to twenty 17 year olds undertake a five-week research project at the steel plant during their summer vacation. The projects address real problems or developmental issues within technical and engineering departments and result in oral and written reports to managers.

Links between CORUS and our Physics and Chemistry departments have built and strengthened considerably over the last few years. One annual event since 2007, for example, is our “Steel Day.” In this, chemistry and physics students spend a morning touring Corus works, then after a hosted lunch and specialist talks, they return to College for a competition using virtual tools to simulate steelmaking. The winners are the team which produces the correct grade steel at the lowest cost. Specialist trainers from SteelUniversity.org are in attendance to help and advise the students.

Another steel based link is the annual sponsorship of several of our best science students by the Lincolnshire Iron and Steel Institute (LISI). In 2009, they awarded a LISI prize for our top performing physical scientist a LISI bursary to assist a student through HE and further “encouragement awards” in the same vein.

Dissemination of Good Practice

In 2000/2001, our work was given further impetus by the support of Standards Funding from the Further Education Funding Council so that we could disseminate good practice in the teaching and learning of science in post 16 institutions across the sector. This was achieved by visits to colleges across the whole country to initiate teacher-teacher dialogue in the context of the host college and by the organisation of a series of national conferences to raise awareness of the potential of new technologies in enriching science education. This dissemination work has continued and is currently supported by the Learning and Skills Council.

We have recently become a satellite centre for the regional Science Learning Centre in Sheffield and hosted many CPD courses for science teachers in the region.

One of our biology teachers works closely with the National Space Centre in Leicester as a lead in the development and dissemination of science teaching materials linked to biological contexts.

Being one of the largest and most successful centres for Advanced Science nationally, we were recently invited to contribute to work by a Science Expert Group working under the direction of Government ministers to advise on the direction of “STEM” (Science, technology, engineering and maths) teaching post-16.

Use of ICT in Science

The use of new technologies to support science teaching has become a key issue. Our college is already playing a leading role in devising effective approaches to learning using ICT software, electronic projection systems and whiteboards, data logging equipment, cameras and disseminating good practice and highlighting difficulties to schools and colleges across the UK. In 2002, the college produced a booklet ‘ICT IN SUPPORT OF SCIENCE EDUCATION – A Practical Users Guide’ in collaboration with the Science Education Group at the University of York. This booklet, which builds on ideas developed at John Leggott, has been published and distributed to all secondary schools in the country by the Salters’ Institute, a charity that supports science education.

We have continued to enhance our use of ICT in science teaching in recent years. In Physics, for example, we have a practical space with PC’s alongside each work area – as in any industrial lab. And we can perform class experiments with all students using sophisticated data logging devices interfacing straight to a computer to measure many types of variable – for example, measuring acceleration changes in fast collisions to examine the science of making vehicles “crashworthy.”

Further information about the activities of the Science Centre of Excellence can be obtained from the Curriculum Manager, Howard Darwin. Howard can be contacted at the college and by e-mail messages to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

THE ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES BEACON AWARD
THE PARTNERSHIP TRUST AWARD FOR THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES 2002

AWARD WINNER: SIXTH FORM COLLEGE, FARNBOROUGH
HIGHLY COMMENDED: JOHN LEGGOTT COLLEGE

The Partnership Trust was set up to encourage and commend innovation and development in further and higher education. The Trust approached its goals in partnership with a range of companies and other organisations which had a general or particular interest in the quality of education.

The Trust was wound up in 2000, and its residual funds were passed to the Association of Colleges Charitable Trust for the sponsorship of prizes in science and mathematics in the name of The Partnership Trust.

THE PARTNERSHIP TRUST AWARD FOR THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES - SUBMITTED REPORT

'ENHANCING PHYSICS THROUGH VISITS'

The Project: Planning and Purpose

The physics department at John Leggott College has pioneered the use of physics visits with large numbers of AS level students. The aims of the visits are to enhance learning, to promote interest and enthusiasm for physics and to emphasise the relevance of physics to work and life.

The first student visits were organised in spring 1998 for a group of 50 students who were part of the first cohort to study the new Salters/Horners AS/A level physics course. By spring 2002, over 120 students chose to visit physics from a list that included a chocolate factory, a power station, the Humber Bridge, a teaching hospital, a cycle manufacturer and had an option to do your own thing.

A 'physics visit' is a novel feature of the Salters/Horners course. Students are required to undertake a visit to see how physics is used in the world around them and to write a report explaining this. At John Leggott, tutors have seized upon this assessment component as an opportunity to develop a highly successful strategy to enhance learning and to stimulate interest in the subject.

The initial plan was to research opportunities for a number of visits that would provide students with an opportunity to see how physics was used in the world around them. This has been translated and developed into a practical strategy for introducing the visits to students, making the visits and supporting students in writing about them on return to college. What has emerged is an initiative that is probably unique in terms of the range of visits and the sheer numbers of students involved. This reflects the fact that the number of students following the AS Salters/Horners physics course at John Leggott College is 50% higher than anywhere else in the country.

Aims and Objectives

The organisation of visits has a number of key aims:

• Visits should enhance students learning and understanding of physics
• Visits should emphasise the relevance of physics in work and life outside of college.
• Visits should stimulate students' interest in, and enthusiasm for physics.
• Writing up visits should enhance students' communication skills.
• Writing up visits should enhance students ICT skills.
• Students should have a choice of visits to allow them to focus on areas of physics that are of particular interest to them.
• Students should be supported in making their own visit if they chose to do so.

The initial ideas and strategies arose out of a series of discussions and brainstorming sessions between the team of physics tutors at the college. They realised that they had to be at the same time both pragmatic and inspiring. Ideas were judged against three key criteria.

• How easy is the visit to organise?
• What is the potential for interest and excitement?
• How accessible is the physics?

A preliminary visit was arranged by one of the tutor team to each of the venues on the shortlist. Again a checklist of key questions proved to be very useful.

• How visible is the physics?
• What is the best focus for the visit?
• Are there safety considerations to take account of?
• Are there accessibility issues?
• What is a feasible visiting group size?
• Are there any other important issues such as a minimum age for visitors?
• Is there a contact at the visit venue who can help bring out the full potential of the visit?

At this stage, visits to some venues were not pursued because one or more of the key criteria had not been sufficiently met. A visit to NTL communications systems is a good example. Originally tutors felt that this venue would offer interesting examples of fibre optic communications. A preliminary visit revealed that while there was some good, relevant physics involved and the people contacts were extremely helpful, there very little for students to see.

A number of venues have proved to offer students very suitable opportunities to see how physics was used in the outside world. These include:

Nestle chocolate factory

• Viscosity of chocolate
• Strength of wafer biscuits

Hospitals

• Ultrasonic scanning
• Use of X-rays

The Humber Bridge

Forces acting on the bridge suspension wire

• The damping of bridge vibrations due to road traffic
• Movement of the bridge deck in high winds
• Symmetry of bridge towers to take account of the curvature of the earths surface

Extruded plastic manufacture

• Use of thermocouples
• Ultrasonic distance measurement

Drax Power Station

• Transformers
• Efficiency of energy conversion
• Cooling tower performance

Falcon Cycle Manufacturers

• Electrostatic spray systems
• Ensuring cycle wheels are circular and straight
• Viscosity of paint

Bradford National Museum of Film, Photography and Television

• Study of the lens arrangements in the IMAX projection system
• How a 3D image is produced

York National Railway Museum

• expansion of steam to drive locomotives
• electromagnetic detection of trains on specific stretches of line
• measurement of train speed

Ericssons Electronics Company

• Use of lasers to check printed circuits for accurate component placement
• Use of X-rays to check minute solder joints

Students are given a list that describes the range of visits and the kind of physics topics that they might decide to focus upon. Each student had to choose one visit.

It was felt to be important at early stage to offer all students an alternative strategy whereby they could make their own independent visit rather than opt for one of the group visits. Students who decide on this option receive the same support, and have to meet the same deadlines as those who go on an organised visits. Every year, a small minority of students choose the independent option.

Independent visits have included:

• Heat transfer in a swimming pool
• Hydraulic lifts in a local garage
• Efficiency of fire station pumps
• Non-reflective coatings on spectacles at a local optician
• Physics involved in golf equipment manufacture

Heat transfer in the college swimming pool has proved a useful reserve option for students who fail for any reason to make a planned visit.

From the start, tutors realised the importance of sharing the physics visits concept with students. It also proved important to provide effective support at all stages to ensure that students get the maximum benefit from their visit. A two-page visits introduction for students has been compiled that covers the following points:

• What is it all about?
• Where do I have to visit?
• What do I need to do during the visit?
• What follow-up work is required after the visit?
• What should the visit report look like?
• How are marks awarded?

Students choose a visit from the list of organised visits that includes the option of doing your own thing. On their visit they have to identify two applications of physics. They then concentrate on one of the two applications and write about it in detail. This must include background theory of the physics application together with some calculations using real numbers obtained on the visit. To complete the visit report the student has to suggest how the physics application might develop in the future and identify where the chosen physics principle might be used elsewhere in a different context.

All students are expected to word process their visit report and to illustrate it with digital images, diagrams and graphs. The report is expected to be between 500 and 1000 words in length. While a straightforward report is most commonly used, students are encouraged to consider using the kind of reporting style that might be found in a newspaper or magazine.

Monitoring Procedures

After the visits are over each group of students has a feedback session with their tutor to collect comments about the whole visit process. These comments are fed into a meeting of tutors to inform planning for the next year.

In 2000, a formal questionnaire was completed by students to assess the impact of the visits programme on their interest and learning about physics. In 2001, a focus group of students was held, as part of a whole college initiative, to collect students' views about their experience within the physics department. Their response to visits was one of the issues specifically included within this meeting.

As a result of tutor and student feedback, several changes in the visits process have been made. Some visits proved less successful and have been discontinued. For example, the visit to an extruded plastics company did not in the event provide sufficient access to the level of physics required by students. The visit to the railway museum also ran into problems. The information that students needed to work on to explore the physics principles, was not easily available leading to a visit that was disappointing rather than stimulating. A particular local difficulty was the closure of the local factory of Ericssons Electronics Company due to relocation elsewhere.

While some visits proved insufficiently productive and were discontinued, others have taken their place. A new visit to a company which uses a laser to cut patterns in glass provides a very relevant application of AS physics.

The support for students has also improved to take account of their comments. Digital cameras are always taken on visits for students to record useful images. To complement these new pictures a bank of images has been built up that all students have access to via the departmental web site. The task of the student is to select relevant images and to use them to enhance their written report. Exemplar student visit reports are also included on the web site to illustrate the kind of format, style, length, and content that students should aim for.

Pre-visit and post-visit sessions for students are now built into the visits framework. In the pre-visit session, students are encouraged to think carefully about their visit. It is suggested that they try and find out about the venue for the visit, possibly using the internet, and that they compile a list of questions which would like to ask, so that there is a clear focus and aim for their visit. In the post-visit session, tutors clear up any misunderstandings about the physics that students have seen, provide numbers that may have been missed and give out visit specific help sheets which point students in the direction of useful sources of extra information to help them complete their report. Students who have been on the same visit are encouraged to share data so that they use each other as a resource.

Outcomes and Benefits

The physics visits have proved remarkably successful in meeting the original aims of the project.

• Students enjoy the visits.
• Students learn more physics as a result of the visits.
• Overall, there is an increase in interest because of the visits.
• Students gain a greater appreciation of the role of physics in work and life.
• Students gain a positive impression from the enthusiasm of their guides during a visit.
• Students generally consider the visit to be a valuable part of their course.
• Students encounter non-stereotypical role models such as the researchers at the chocolate factory.
• Some students identify possible career paths, for example, civil engineering arising out of a visit to the Humber bridge.
• Classes become more cohesive as a consequence of interacting outside the classroom environment.
• Most students produce very good visit reports and consequently score high marks in this assessment component.

Many of these points are supported by statistical evidence from the student questionnaire completed in 2000.

The responses to the question about increasing interest in physics, seems rather out of place in the context of other answers. Students' comments, however, reveal that the problem may have been in the question rather than the responses to it. Several students responded that the visit had not increased their interest in physics because this was not possible or because it was already very high or because the visit had simply maintained rather than increased the interest they already has in the subject.

Additional comments made by students on their questionnaires and reproduced below, reveal some interesting detail about their experience of the physics visits:

• Interesting facts from the Bridge Master that you don't get in books.
• Nice to see how the principles taught in class apply to real life.
• It is easier to relate physics principles to something when you are there and can actually see it.
• You don't realise that almost everything to do with a bridge involves concepts of physics.
• It helped to relate the course to real life.
• It really showed how useful physics is in everyday life.
• It showed how important physics is in the real world.
• It allowed us to see physics in action.
• Our tour guide was friendly and enthusiastic.
• It gave me an idea about the physics applications in life.
• It showed me that physics can be applied to medicine.
• I learned that ultra sound scans have improved so much that you can pick out the foetal spinal cord.
• It was good to see physics being applied in real life situations.
• It gives a more interactive experience rather than just sitting in a classroom.
• The speaker was very enthusiastic.
• I was surprised at how everything can be applied to physics some how.
• It has encouraged me to look at things in everyday life as having something to do with physics.
• It gives you the opportunity to observe physics from a different point of view.

Those companies and organisations that hosted the visits also feel that they benefited from the experience. As a matter of course, each visit is followed up with a thank you letter and, crucially, copies of students' reports. Hosts have made glowing comments about our students but perhaps the main proof of their positive attitude to the physics visits has been their willingness to continue and develop their involvement from year to year.

One unexpected benefit from visits to a local hospital is connected with a different part of the physics course. In their second year, students are required to carry out a practical project. The hospital has recently supplied equipment so that some students who went on the original visit can carry out investigations into aspects of medical physics such as infusion techniques used in patient drip feeds. This work will provide much needed data for the hospital as well as enabling students to gain great satisfaction and motivation from their studies. There is a severe national shortage of medical physicists and we hope that our initiative may help to address this problem.

• The student responses in the physics focus group in April 2001 were in a similar vein to those from the questionnaire:
• All students felt that the support given to them by their tutors was excellent
• Students felt there was a good range of interesting visits
• The bridge visit was liked because it offered a "hands on" experience
• The visit images on the web site were felt to be useful
• The marks awarded were felt to be fair

The physics visits have, we feel, contributed to the overall recruitment and performance of students in physics within our college over the past few years. The popularity and success of physics at John Leggott is illustrated by the following statistical evidence:

The physics visits, is one piece of a complex jigsaw of features that contribute to the above picture of physics in the college.

Dissemination and the Future

The leading role taken by the college in developing physics visits and our ability to do so successfully with large numbers of students has prompted great interest from other colleges. We have been very happy to disseminate our experience and to pass on the lessons that we have learned to others. In July 2000, one of the college physics tutors gave a presentation on visits to an Institute of Physics Annual Education Group Conference on Raising Standards by Sharing Good Practice in Physics Teaching. In January 2002, another tutor spoke about visits at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Science Education.

In recent years, the college has been funded by the FEFC and the Humberside Learning and Skills Council to disseminate good practice in teaching and learning of post-16 science. This has involved dialogue with tutors from other colleges individually and at national conferences organised by the college. At all of these sessions, disseminating our experience of visits has proved a very popular feature. Clearly colleagues in other colleges feel that physics visits based on the John Leggott model could be of significant value in their own institution.

Our programme of visits is set to continue to evolve and develop in the future. We are particularly keen to develop visits that cross traditional boundaries between disciplines. For example, we are currently evaluating a visit to the Earth Centre where physics can be found in a mainly ecological context. We also wish to consolidate our links with the visit venues by inviting principal contacts into college to follow up the initial visit.

[The British Council Award for International Student Support, submitted report]

Salters Horners Special Award for Physics

John Leggott College Curriculum Manager Howard Darwin was selected for a special teaching award in 2008 by Salters Horners.

The prize recognises his services to physics teaching and gives national recognition to the contribution that Howard and the College’s physics team has made to science teaching over the years.

Our physics department has been commended as one of the best in the country, also winning the Rolls-Royce Science Prize in 2005 for its work to bring ideas and resources from cutting-edge physics research into teaching and learning.

Salters Physics Teacher of the Year

2002 Prizewinner - Mr David Neal, John Leggott Sixth Form College

SALTERS HORNERS ADVANCED PHYSICS TEACHERS' PRIZE

Sponsored by Corus with The Worshipful Company of Horners Company
introduced by Sir David Harrison, Director of the Salters' Institute
presented by Mr Joe Eason, Education, Training and Development Manager, Corus and Mr David Beynon, Master, The Worshipful Company of Horners

The prize is awarded annually to an outstanding teacher of Salters Horners Advanced Physics.

The Salters Horners Advanced Physics course was launched in September 1998. The Salters' Institute has sponsored the development of Salters Horners A2 and AS Level Physics in partnership with the Horners' Company, another City Livery Company. In addition to major funding from the two Livery companies, several industrial companies have provided funding. The courses are produced by the Science Education Group at the University of York and aim to stimulate and capture interest in the subject by being application led. The course was trialled between 1998-2000 with 1000 students following the course. There are now currently over 2,000 students following the A2 course and 4,000 students following the AS Level.

SUBMITTED MATERIAL

Recommendation for David Neal by former student Andrew Fisher

My name is Andrew Fisher and I was a student of Dave’s for the second year of my physics A-level.

David Neal is probably the most hard working and professional person I have ever met. He is extremely dedicated to his students and willingly gives up his
own free time, i.e. lunch breaks and holidays, to help deepen the physics understanding of his students, be it curricular knowledge or that above and beyond the syllabus.

This dedication to his students is further demonstrated by Dave’s willingness to give up his half term holidays to host extra classes within the college, for those students willing to participate.

Dave is also a highly skilled teacher. The great depth of knowledge he possesses, coupled with his uncanny knack of making even the most difficult concepts in physics seem simple makes him a fantastic teacher. Moreover, Dave regularly employs a wide range of teaching techniques, ensuring that all of his pupils have the greatest opportunity to widen and deepen their knowledge of this subject.

Lessons with Dave are always enjoyable, yet with the atmosphere he creates within the class, and the attitude he instils within us, they are also highly conducive to learning. Fear of admitting that one does not understand a concept the first time around is never an issue with Dave’s pupils, and help is freely and easily sought.

Finally, on a personal note, Dave has been a fantastic help to me during my two years at college. He has been a great mentor to myself and many other students, and I regard him as a lifelong friend.

Submitted material from Derek Denby, director, Science Centre of Excellence

David Neal is an outstanding, innovative teacher of physics who is an inspiration to his students and his colleagues.

Under his leadership, the physics department at John Leggott College has established a national reputation for excellence. This was recognised by the award of Grade 1 by FEFC inspectors in 1995 and again in 1998. Examination results are of high quality and recruitment onto AS/A level physics courses is buoyant with well over 100 students choosing the subject each year. David has continued to work with his colleagues and has developed a highly successful team. He has particularly pioneered the use of IT, especially in whole class teaching, to enrich and enliven physics within the college. He also introduced AS and, recently, A level electronics into the curriculum which has become a thriving complementary subject to physics.

David has always been generous in helping other teachers. He has made good use of his experience to disseminate good practice in teaching physics at National Conferences organised by John Leggott College during the last three years. He has developed a highly acclaimed physics with site with his colleagues which he has made readily available to everyone via the internet. He has also filled with distinction the role of a senior examiner at Advanced level.

David has made, and continues to make, a significant contribution to the Salters — Homers AS/A level project. He co-wrote two of the modules and led a group of students through the pilot phase. He has a particular interest in student project work and writes the ‘Project Page’ for the publication ‘Physics Review’ in which he suggests ideas and methodologies for student readers He is currently working with medical physicists at a local hospital to devise projects that will engage students and have practical benefits for patient care. He also pioneered the concept of physics visits with large numbers of students because he is very keen that students should see for themselves the relevance of physics to everyday life. For similar reasons, he has been involved for many years in a unique ‘Link Scheme’ between the college and Corus (formerly British Steel) in which students spend five weeks during the summer following their AS year carrying out projects in the technical and engineering sections of the local steel works.

David realises that to have an impact on the attitude of young people towards science it is necessary to start at an early age. He has helped forge strong links between the college and primary school children including the organisation of FRAY Day (Fascinating Reactions And You) in which 10 year old pupils visit the college for a taste of exciting science, and leading sessions in physics and origami at annual science summer schools for gifted and talented children who have just completed Year 6. He has built on these early contacts to develop and maintain science links with secondary schools in the area.

David is highly regarded by his students who recognise the care and support that he gives to each one of them. He has taken a particular interest in helping college students who enter the University of Hull sponsored ‘Young Scientist of the Year’ competition. It is a tribute to his skill and enthusiasm that 4 of the 11 winners between 1997 and 2001 came from the college.

In short, David Neal is a highly talented teacher of physics who has earned the respect and admiration from both students and staff at John Leggott College.

Supporting Evidence submitted by J H Darwin, Head of Physics & Electronics

Salters Horners Advanced Physics (SHAP)

Teacher’s Award

Proposed Teacher: David Neal

Support For Colleagues etc.

David was involved with SHAP from its inception – he tells me that he used to put forward the case for a new type of advanced physics syllabus in Institute Of Physics educational meetings. I believe he was passionate about the need for a more lively and context-based course.

He encouraged me to get involved when I came to Leggott and together we co-authored sections of the AS and A2 books and course materials.

He was keen to pilot the course and we duly became a pilot centre, giving regular feedback to SHAP coordinators on aspects of the course. He was very supportive of all staff in the transition – especially in terms of new skills and new areas of physics that were now on the syllabus.

We successfully phased in SHAP at Leggott and have become its largest centre in terms of student numbers. It has been a very successful transition for us in terms of improving results and retention so far. David has worked tirelessly and with great enthusiasm to make the course a success here. He has not been put off by the tremendous amount of work that such a swap entails for a very large centre, especially when the course is radically different. Organising 6 or 7 coursework visits, for example, was an initially daunting task in a subject where, traditionally, visits have not been a focus.

David has accommodated quite a few visits from other institutions keen to learn about our experiences of SHAP e.g. from Greenhead and York Colleges, and (quite early on) on a joint training day where Liz Swinbank, the SHAP director attended. He gave a presentation, espousing the positive aspects of such a course to delegates of a Standards fund conference in Birmingham in 2000.

He is on the editorial board of Physics Review magazine and has contributed a series of articles on physics investigations that fit in with the style of the SHAP course.

He continues to vet exam papers for SHAP (final checking). His teaching commitment to SHAP has increased recently and he continues to relish teaching the course, developing new ways and ideas to give the students a better learning experience and, ultimately, help them to be more successful.

Submitted supporting document from: Former Head of Training and Education Development for British Steel, and Education Consultant (now retired)

SALTERS HORNERS ADVANCED PHYSICS ANNUAL TEACHERS’ PRIZE

I am delighted to support the recommendation of David Neal for one of this years prestigious Salters Horners Advanced Physics Teachers Awards. As Works Manager, Training and Management Development at the Scunthorpe Works of British Steel and Vice-Chairman of Governors at John Leggott College was a member of the interview panel which appointed David Neal. He was an outstanding candidate and everyone on the panel was impressed with his professionalism and commitment to the teaching of Physics. Even at that stage when the Sa!ters Advanced Chemistry course was under development he expressed an interest in a similar context led approach to the teaching of A-level Physics.

British Steel, now Corus, was one of the principal sponsors of both the Salters Chemistry and Salters Horners Advanced Level course. I had a number of discussions with David Neal about his possible involvement with the work of the project team responsible for the development of the Physics course. Was both delighted and not surprised when he joined the team on a part-time basis and made a significant contribution to the planning of the course and to the writing of the teaching materials.

Although I moved away from Scunthorpe in 1988 to take up the position of Head of Training and Education Development for British Steel, was responsible for the decision taken by the company to sponsor the two major national curriculum developments in first Chemistry and then Physics. John Leggott staff were actively involved in both projects. I followed David Neal’s participation with particular interest until my retirement in the summer of 2000 and since through my continuing contacts with the College and the Corus Group (formerly British Steel).

David has made a significant contribution to the development and implementation of the Salters Horners Advanced Physics course in a national and local context. His work at the College has been excellent and has been instrumental in transforming the teaching of Physics and encouraging more students to pursue the subject at Advanced Level and beyond.

David is an outstanding candidate for a Salters Horners Physics Award and I am honoured to have the opportunity to support his recommendation.

AWARDS TO STUDENTS

• Salters Horners Advanced Physics Prizes
• Salters Advanced Chemistry Prizes
• Young Student in Science Final [Adam Slack] - Scunthorpe Telegraph article (27/03/03)

SALTERS HORNERS ADVANCED PHYSICS PRIZES

2002 Prizewinners

Mr Ken Baker, John Leggott 6th Form College, Scunthorpe

and 5 prizewinners from other schools.

Introduced by Sir David Harrison, Director of the Salters' Institute

Horn Snuff Mulls presented by Mr David Beynon, Master, The Worshipful Company of Horners

Prizes are awarded annually to the candidates who have achieved the highest grades in the Salters Horners Advanced Physics examinations.

The Salters Horners Advanced Physics course was launched in September 1998. The Salters' Institute has sponsored the development of Salters Horners A2 and AS Level Physics in partnership with the Horners' Company, another City Livery Company. In addition to major funding from the two Livery companies, several industrial companies have provided funding. The courses are produced by the Science Education Group at the University of York and aim to stimulate and capture interest in the subject by being application led. The course was trialled between 1998-2000 with 1000 students following the course. There are now currently over 2,000 students following the A2 course and 4,000 students following the AS Level.

SALTERS ADVANCED CHEMISTRY PRIZES

2002 Prizewinners

Mr Ken Baker, John Leggott 6th Form College, Scunthorpe

and 4 prizewinners from other schools and colleges.

Introduced by Sir David Harrison, Director of the Salters' Institute

The Salters' Institute has sponsored the development of Salters A2 and AS Level Chemistry. The courses are produced by the Science Education Group at the University of York and aim to stimulate and capture interest in the subject by being application led. There are currently over 5,000 students following the A2 course and over 7,000 students following the AS Level. It is the fastest growing Advanced Chemistry course and it is expected that numbers will reach 20% of the total Advanced Level Chemistry entries. Prizes are awarded annually to the candidates who have achieved the highest grades in the Salters Advanced Chemistry examinations.

AoC BEACON AWARD 2006 PARTNERSHIPS WITH SCHOOLS - SUBMITTED REPORT

'PRIMARY–SECONDARY–TERTIARY PARTNERSHIPS'

Application for AQA Beacon Award, July, 2006

Planning and purpose

The initiatives described below are many and various. Some go back 30 years and are ingrained in our habits; others are little more than 2 years old, a response to national 14-19 initiatives; others are in between. However, the central theme of all of them is to unite our college in various ways with our primary and secondary schools, and with some of the UK’s major universities, and the target group is all children between the age of nine and sixteen. This is the focus of our bid.

We firmly believe that the initiatives which we have developed within these three phases of education make our situation almost unique.

Aims and objectives

The essential aim in all of this activity is to develop awareness in the pupils of their own potential by providing a range of stimulating activities to enthuse young minds. There is the ulterior motive of attracting them to come to college after they leave school, especially of widening participation among families with no post-16 experience. Research at Reading University has shown that over 50% of pupils have made up their minds as to whether to go on to further education by the age of eleven.

The objectives are many: Medicine Days for year 5; Science Days for Year 6; college summer schools for end-of-primary pupils; Oxbridge summer schools for Years 9 and 10; GCSE revision classes at Easter and many others beside, not least in providing much valued CPD for very many teachers as a part of the activities. Each year we interact with over 2000 pupils and with many of their teachers.

Outcomes and benefits

Over two years ago we established the John Leggott Academy. The purpose was to increase the range of activities that we were offering to our associated schools and to work with both secondary and primary schools and, on their behalf, with the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Hull, Liverpool and Leicester. Some of the outcomes listed in this section come under these headings; others predate them or are otherwise independent of them.

The outcomes now described cover all five of the sponsors’ target headings, although some figure more substantially than others.

Complementary curriculum delivery

We have run a Holiday College for the last 3 years. Year 10 pupils from all our associated schools may come to college in half-term holidays to have ‘taster’ sessions on subjects available at A-level but not offered on the schools’ curriculum: Psychology, Sociology, Politics, Media, Law and several vocational subjects. Our A-level recruitment has benefited greatly from this.

In order to help schools prepare to teach new subjects in the 14-16 curriculum, some of our staff provide training for teachers. We offer training in certain vocational subjects, for example in the use of equipment for BTEC Media courses.

Our AVCE Leisure and Recreation students and staff have produced curriculum-based materials for use by students in Years 10 and 11 in their own schools and have used the facilities of Scunthorpe United Football Club (SUFC) to do so. In addition, our students have run conferences at SUFC for Year 10 and 11 pupils, in order to enrich their studies.

We have a Year 10 Maths Challenge competition amongst all 11-16 schools each year and a Geography Conference for the same year group using speakers with national reputations.

For pupils in one of our associated comprehensive schools we provided an animation course on a series of Saturday mornings and their teacher came with them The course was so successful that the teacher asked to make a presentation to ICT teachers from the whole of our college network to explain the benefits of the course and to disseminate good practice to a much wider audience.

This work, and much of what follows below, has been done under the aegis of our Academy. It has made a distinctive contribution to the work of several schools and has led to a clearer understanding of what we can achieve together. Pupils and staff have benefited from the close interaction and our resultant recruitment has been a testimony to the work done.

Curriculum continuity and transition

Our work covers a range of primary and secondary activity. Last summer we ran a Harry Potter Science Day in conjunction with Leicester University for 150 Year Six pupils, getting them to appreciate the sheer fun of learning science. Our college is renowned for the teaching of science and we are thinking of our future market! This was preceded by an annual ( for the last 7 years ) Summer School for 80 Year Six pupils, whereby the top pupils in each school spend a week in the college during the summer holidays enjoying tough challenges in Maths, Science and Technology, with some sport and interesting visits included. We use our own students as mentors in this. The intention of all such challenges is to help pupils see that academic achievement and hard work in a supportive environment can be great fun. Pupils love it.

Many of the same pupils meet us again in Years 9 and 10. In Year 9 we have an annual arrangement with Oxford University whereby they put on a special Activity Day, exclusively for the best pupils in North Lincolnshire and run by our college, and set them some academic tasks. Taking place at about the time as Options, this is the opportunity for us to prompt the pupils to start to think well ahead to the possibility of going to university.

Also in Year 9 this year we ran an activity as part of Saturday College, in conjunction with staff at five local comprehensives. Forty pupils came in for eight Saturdays, working on projects in Maths, English and Science. We did some of this work in conjunction with Leeds Metropolitan University who did an excellent aspiration-raising session. Attendance was exceptional and the project was so successful that we expect to repeat it.

In Year 10 we run an annual residential summer school, alternately at Oxford and Cambridge, for the brightest pupils in the county, as defined by Key Stage 3 results. The purpose is to give the pupils an authentic taste of university life. It is exclusive to our schools and takes place alternately at Lincoln College, Oxford and Corpus Christi, Cambridge. The pupils have interactive lectures from college tutors, meetings with undergraduates, visits to museums and some sport. These summer schools, which are now in their eighth year, have been a major factor in encouraging students 2 years later to apply to one or other of the 2 universities.

For other pupils in Year 10 we established the Gary Project, aimed at GCSE pupils who were at about grade C-level in sciences or taking Level 2 Health and Social Care. The course was over 2 days, run in conjunction with our local hospital and the Hull-York Medical School (HYMS) and designed to bolster the understanding of Science and to explain in an interactive way the opportunities in a range of health service jobs. The students’ task was to examine the eponymous Gary and check his range of health symptoms to determine his actual medical condition. The students learnt much about scientific procedure, medical diagnosis and the important peripheral technologies and services which doctors have to use in their working lives.

In Year 11, apart from the many activities which will be described in the next section, we provide GCSE revision classes for as many local students as want them, in Maths and Science.

In all of these activities we involve teachers from the schools and contribute to their CPD.

Information/Marketing and Promotion

A sample of the range and type of our activities is as follows. We provide a scheme for Year 5 pupils known as Professor Fluffy. The professor is a doll who started life in Liverpool University as the emblem of a campaign to introduce very young people to the idea of a wide range of higher education careers.We are at the forefront of a new national scheme and we have used the professor as a mascot to interest young people in medical careers. We have involved 180 pupils and their teachers from five primary schools. The pupils spend a first session learning about higher education. The second session is the adventure day on which they do a carousel of activities associated with medicine, including manipulation of skeletons and keyhole surgery. They also tour the HYMS campus at Hull University and interview their mentors. In the final session they receive their certificates, are introduced to the website for follow-up activities and do their evaluation. The event has been a huge success with pupils, teachers and parents as has been shown in the follow-up questionnaires.

All Year 10 pupils from our associated schools have a Taster Day in June. It is designed as a fun day containing information. Pupils choose 3 subject areas which they would like to work in and we aim to give them by the end of the day a sense, not only of what the subject is about, but also of the fun that they can get from studying it. Evidence shows that the day is a major catalyst in persuading students to choose this college for their further education.

The context of information-giving in Years 10 and 11 is unusual and was piloted by the college several years ago. All 11-16 schools and the 3 local colleges have a joint application process. Our Principal is a member of the forum for joint planning. Applicants complete the one form for the three colleges. Our firm belief is that students need to benefit from a common system irrespective of what they are applying for or where to. The ethos is open-access and guidance among all providers is open, honest and fair. Friction in the system is minimal and students know that they will be given even-handed treatment.

Our main promotional work is done, and has been for several years, by Liaison Tutors. Each of our 11 closely associated schools has a college tutor attached to it as the constant link between school and college. The role is to be the voice of the college in the school. Tutors have time remitted. The work begins in Year 9 when tutors attend careers evenings and the main options evening, giving advice on the A-level implications of making certain subject choices. Some schools have two types of Year 10 evenings, one at the start of the year to highlight opportunities post-16 and one in mid-year to give reports to parents. Tutors routinely attend these in order to answer questions and give advice.

In the last two years we have introduced career-focused evenings based at college, targeting Year 10 pupils and aimed at specific job areas. They take place before most pupils have made their minds up about a career. Specialists come in from major employers to make presentations about careers in Medicine, other Health Service jobs, Engineering, plus Law and Teaching among others.

During Year 11 the tutors do the bulk of their work: making a presentation to the whole year in September; interviewing each pupil, often several times, over the next 5 months to discuss possible courses; conducting the final, decision-making interviews in Spring. The college commits much time to this activity, knowing that the schools value the close link and that the pupils have confidence in someone whom they come to know very well during Year 11.

Reinforcing these activities are the Open Evening; an Information Evening for those who miss the Open Evening; and the Induction Days in late June. All are designed to give maximum information and advice to future students and parents.

It is worth adding that we use all the media of communication energetically in promoting our work. The aim is to ensure that present and potential clients are as fully informed as possible about both our successes and our future plans.

Student support

To encourage pupils from our more distant regions to come to college, we give financial support for any transport that they need in order to come to Induction Days in Year 11 and Taster Days in Year 10. Then, to encourage them to enrol at college, we tell them that we will give help with the cost of their transport for their full course here. Because the college is widely known for the quality of results, large numbers are persuaded to accept this arrangement and the college numbers have grown accordingly.

We have encouraged local primary and comprehensive schools in the last 4 years to register their bright pupils with NAGTY, with whom we have had a close relationship. They now do so in some numbers and many then come up to college aware of the opportunities and keen to add to them here.

Almost all of the activities described above come to the pupils free of charge. This includes the summer schools at Oxford and Cambridge, GCSE revision courses, the Harry Potter Science Day and most others, and even where there is a cost it is very modest.

Sharing facilities

We bought a stock of science equipment 5 years ago to loan to primary schools and we provide advice on its use. The initiative is constantly popular and about 12-15 schools use the equipment regularly.

We also acquired a large quantity of geological specimens from one of the exam boards when they phased the subject out. We got some of our geology students to write a commentary on the collection, which we then passed on with the specimens to a group of our schools.

When we run the Year 6 summer school each year, we provide all of the learning materials at no cost. We also pay the student mentors who work with the pupils. There is no charge to the pupils.

Our vocational courses leader and her staff over the last 5 years have given frequent training to local comprehensives planning to embark on the teaching of a Level 2 course. The training has often included not just time but also the donation of facilities. We have made it an axiom of our work that, when we provide training, we also provide some necessary pump-priming equipment.

Monitoring procedures

We question ourselves regularly, just as we question others about ourselves. At the last inspection we were awarded a Grade 1 for Quality Control. Quality procedures are written into all aspects of the college’s work and are an integral element of our SAR. Part of the evidence lies in the buoyancy of numbers coming to college in September 2006, which have reached record heights, notably in the sciences where we far outstrip national trends. Part also lies in the numbers going from college to university this September: at a time when there is a national shortfall compared with last year, our numbers are well up on last year, which was itself a bumper year.

After most of the activities described above, participants complete a questionnaire, the results of which we use in planning any follow-up activity. We constantly and rigorously refine what we do.

Dissemination and the future

The college Principal recently conducted a conference in Coventry for senior FE managers on the theme of Primary-Secondary-Tertiary, urging that colleges should be looking outwards, not just inwards, and describing the activities which appear in this document. The conference described our initiative as ‘unique, rare and special’, a beacon of its own type, and well capable of being mirrored in other colleges.

We have developed really close and warm relationships with a wide range of schools and universities as a result of our work. The local clamour for us to continue with and expand on what we have done is insistent and encouraging. Professor Fluffy will forsake Medicine for Engineering next year; Gary will be embedded in the schools themselves; NAGTY, through Villiers Park in Cambridge, will join with ourselves and our neighbours in Lincoln University to provide courses for bright youngsters in our region. All the rest of our activities will continue and develop, reinforced by the great enthusiasm which they engender.

SUPPORTING LETTERS

Note: the primary evidence for these letters is kept on file at the college and can be scrutinised if needed.

My class recently took part in the Professor Fluffy initiative at Hull University. They thoroughly enjoyed the sessions and had a marvellous day. The whole class are far more aware of their future options and our school was presented with a superb, much needed science resource
- Primary school head

Thank you for inviting us to Hull University. I had an excellent time. I liked doing about that germ thing where you had to get the germs out of the body.
- Year 5 Primary school pupil

We look forward to working with you over the coming years and hope the partnership will continue to enhance the working relationship between our institutions
- Jacqui Ashmore, Sheffield Hallam University

In my 16 years as headteacher I have worked closely with the college. Nothing has been too much trouble for them. Every year around 70% of our Year 11 pupils go on to the college. They succeed academically but also grow socially and emotionally and above all are happy. The college is top-rate and we hold it in the highest regard.
- Secondary school head

I write in support of the fine work carried out by the staff and students of the college. I have enjoyed working with the college in many activities over the years, including Year 10 Maths Challenges, Year 8 Maths workshops, Maths and Science workshops for pupils in Year 9. All of the above provide evidence of the strength of collaboration between our 2 establishments.
- Secondary assistant head

Our gifted youngsters have benefited greatly from Year 9 and 10 summer schools at Oxford and Cambridge. Our gifted mathematicians take part in your annual Maths Challenge. Your staff have provided excellent support to my colleagues in setting up courses in Drama and Leisure and Tourism.
- Secondary school head

INDUSTRIAL LIAISON DOCUMENT

At John Leggott College there has been a consistent effort to create and extend links with local industry. The main aim has been for students to develop an understanding and appreciation of the industrial world in its widest sense through their day to day learning. Many departments in the college select courses and use teaching materials and approaches that reflect this aim and thereby build up an understanding and awareness of industrial practice and procedures. In this way students can see how their experience of different subjects provides knowledge which is useful in the community.

However relevant and practical the application of theories and principles are made to be they cannot fully convey the real atmosphere of the working world and the relationships that are its foundation. For this reason we think it is important that students have the opportunity to undertake appropriate work experience, to shadow those in professional and managerial roles, and to meet representatives from industry and the community whenever possible.

Students also benefit from all of this in that it encourages personal development and a specific concern with career and future prospects.

In this booklet we describe the main activities or projects through which the college has endeavoured to achieve its aims for closer involvement with industry and the community. We welcome the increasing participation of the industrial and business community in our work which we seek to publicise further in the interests of the college and our students. We are aware of the growing international, especially European, dimension of our task and in particular wish to prepare students for these challenges ahead.

This document has been produced in order to explain the good links that John Leggott College has with outside agencies. It has been compiled with comments from the staff and the students to give you, the reader, a clearer picture of the importance of these contacts and the benefits accrued by all who take part.

[Industrial Liaison Document]