Dearest Friends,

I firstly must apologise for my apawling lack of dog blog contributions – I’ve been a very busy pup! Open Days, Events, Careers fairs and general studying has taken up most of my time –

The first big event of the month was the careers fair which took place downstairs in the Atrium. Over 200 people attended and businesses came from all over – thank you to all who participated!

The following week was our Open Evening and the Women in engineering event at Gesipa.

The open evening was buzzing with questions and answers from prospective students and a little visit from our resident Darlick and Angry Bird. We will be holding another Open Evening on June 20^th which is open to all. Please come along and see for yourself what life is like at Keighley College. I might even show my face for some snuggles if you’re really lucky!

News on the college corridor was that the Women in Engineering event was great fun – the girls did some interesting jelly surgery and listened to some truly inspiring women in engineering. Again, a massive thank you to all of you who supported in the event. I unfortunately was unable to attend as they thought I might steal the jelly! Me?! Never…

Upcoming events – The Foundation Studies Open Day is taking place next week and GCSEs are starting very soon.  Good luck to all students sitting their GCSEs!

I think this brings me to the last but definitely not least point of my blog. I recently received a MERIT for my recent speech presentation on THE HISTORY OF THE WOOF IN WESTERN CIVILIZATION. Feedback was along the lines of, ‘slideshow was excellent. He answered the questions at the end very well too, with one bark for no and two barks for yes. Reward with extra dog biccies.’

And my goodness, those biscuits were delicious! I ate them all up and licked up the crumbs.

That’s all from me for now.

Chummy. XOX

 Keighley College students go on a work experience trip to St Albans Place

As part of their Joinery Course, four Keighley College students recently undertook a day’s work experience at a construction site in St. Albans. This was a great success and twelve more students are booked in to visit the site in the coming weeks.

What was the aim of the trip?

The trip gave the students a greater insight into the world of construction. They visited the site to see a real construction site in action and meet people  on the site. They looked at how larger buildings are constructed, and gained an understanding of how the variety of traditional trades they are studying at Keighley College actually fit into the modern construction industry.

The work experience was a full working day and the visits lasted a total of two hours, this included a health and safety site induction, a tour and chat about the site and an opportunity to ask questions. They got involved with reading and understanding plans and also participated in the logistical aspects of the work.

How did Keighley College benefit?

The college benefited from this exciting visit as it supported the students in their learning while also promoting the college throughout West Yorkshire. The students got a taster of working in the construction industry as a trades person, and got an insight into a professional career in construction. The students have said they found the visit incredibly useful.

Well, it’s been another hectic few weeks in Chummy’s world. The Ofsted results were officially announced and YES – YIPPEEEE – WAHOOOOO! We are officially GOOD with OUTSTANDING features! I’m sure that’s partly down to the Chummy presence in the college! Woof Woof! You can see the full report here: Keighley College Ofsted Report 2018.

And that’s not where the excitement ends! Although I love snuggles with human beings, I’ve been feeling pretty pup pal-less recently. So my human friends thought and they thought hard, and then they had a wonderful idea! They set up a ‘Chummy’s Chums’ photo album on Facebook for friends of Keighley College to send in snaps of their pups – it’s been a great delight for me, looking at other pups in the neighbourhood and watching the KC staff go ‘Awww’ as they stare at those big white screens of theirs!

In other news:

The Telegraph and Argus Education Awards night last week was a great success – we enjoyed sponsoring the leadership award. For more details on the award and Keighley College’s involvement with the award, please click here.

Our Sports Relief activities were so much fun! It made me bark with pride to see so many Keighley College students getting up and involved with the activities. Overall, our students cycled /ran from Lands End to John O’ Groats– this totalled a whopping 603 miles! Students rowed across the English Channel from Dover to Cap Gris Nez – they weathered any storm and managed to total 21 miles! One of the KC students, Jack Firth, ran over 26 miles on the running machine!  What an amazing achievement!

Some of our Joinery students have been on a work experience visit to St Albans, where they went to see a real site in action and took a look at how larger buildings are constructed. They had a fab time and we will be releasing a more detailed press release on the visit very soon!

I joined in with some of the media and makeup students on their big walk. You will find pictures of me in a pink wig dotted around the internet, being cuddled by truly ‘made up’ students. What an experience!

Finally, on Friday we had a race night in memory of Katie Buchanan, a beautiful soul, who worked for Keighley College. We raised a fantastic £650 for Manorlands Hospice.  We provided pie and peas for the guests – I must admit I sneaked some pie for myself! Cheeky Chummy – I couldn’t resist.

It’s the Easter holidays now, so on that note I’m going to dig my paws into the biggest Easter egg I can find and chomp the whole thing up!

Thanks for reading – have a Eggcellent Easter break.

Chummy xox

Keighley College receives glowing Ofsted report

Keighley College, part of the Leeds City College Group, has been awarded an Ofsted grade of ‘Good’, following its latest inspection in February.

The college’s provision for apprenticeships and quality of teaching, learning and assessment were among the areas awarded ‘Good’ for their overall effectiveness.

Inspectors were particularly impressed with the range of industry standard, innovative resources available and the high quality and expertise of teachers. Among others, the SEND provision achieved an ‘Outstanding’ grade. This provision supports students with higher needs, enabling them to integrate into the community and learn vital life skills.

The report highlights the college’s inclusive environment ‘where all are welcome and diverse lifestyles and cultures are celebrated.’

Heather Whitehead, Director of Operations at Keighley College, said: “I’m proud of all staff and students for their hard work and commitment to making Keighley College a great place to learn.

“We strive to transform the lives of students, businesses and our community, and this report shows that our dynamic and enterprising culture is making a difference.”

Please be aware that Keighley College is OPEN as usual on 8 March but we expect some disruption this morning. We hope to run normal timetables this afternoon. Please travel safely!

Mature student transforms his career with Keighley College

A mature student at Keighley College has transformed his life and career after completing a course in computer aided design (CAD).

Nigel Webber, 50, realised that his role as a technician at a school was not giving him the fulfilment and job satisfaction that he was craving.

After discovering the 2D and 3D courses at Keighley College and with a background in design, Nigel decided to enrol.

Nigel said: “I wanted to do something more rewarding and challenging and this course gave me an opportunity to thrive.

“Whilst studying, I secured freelance work at ADM Systems, a company specialising in heat recovery ventilation where I’m involved in using 2D plans to create 3D architectural and mechanical models to assist in the installation of the products they supply.”

Nigel studied part time at the college and worked around his commitments. He added: “I would be up at 5am to study before heading to work and then start all over again in the evening. It was hard work but it was definitely worth it.

“Gaining this qualification has certainly changed my life and I can’t speak highly enough of the incredibly supportive and enthusiastic teachers who made my time truly enjoyable. I now have the skills and ability to pursue a new career that I am fascinated by.

“I would like to encourage anyone who isn’t happy in their current job or career to return to college and do something they feel passionate about.”

For more information about CAD courses at Keighley College, click here.

What is the Keighley College Coffee Morning project?

In November 2017, Keighley College was approached by Shaun O’Hare from the Keighley Big Local Charity. Shaun asked if we would join the Big Local in facilitating a coffee morning for the parents of Autistic children within the local community on a monthly basis.

We were incredibly excited by this idea and felt it would be a great opportunity for our foundation learners to become involved in a community project, learn basic skills and grow in confidence.

How do our students get involved?

Our learners contribute to the coffee morning by baking delicious buns and biscuits. They then assist with setting the tables, meeting and greeting the attendants and serving refreshments throughout the morning.

We have had three coffee mornings so far. These have been very well attended and we have received some great feedback. The project has provided the parents with a place to socialise and share their experiences and it has given our learners the opportunity to learn new and practical skills and build on their communication skills with others outside of the college. 

Upcoming Coffee Mornings

Our next coffee morning event is taking place on Friday 2nd March at Keighley College. if you’d like to attend or find out more about the event, please contact admin@keighleybiglocal.org.uk.

Hi everyone, I’m Chummy, the Keighley College dog.

I’m so excited to announce that I have been assigned the role as special and cuddly dog at Keighley College.

I work three days a week, but I’m pretty flexible. This means I can meet as many of you as possible and get a chance to spend time with whoever wants to spend time with me! My days will mostly be spent supporting the wellbeing of staff and students.

If you want to find me, you can find me in the atrium with my lovely colleagues – Rob and Tracy. I also spend quite a bit of time in the library, with MORE4U and Foundation Studies students. I love to get stuck into a good book! If you see me, please come and give me a stroke, I am very friendly and sweet and there’s nothing I enjoy more than strokes and cuddles!

If you would like me to visit your class, please let us know. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to go into the workshops on the ground floor since I cannot comply with health & safety requirements for wearing safety boots – they are simply too big for my little paws!

This week I have had the pleasure of greeting students at the breakfast club. I also went along to training on British Values with a group of staff and now have a better understanding of democracy, rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect. My pug brain is brimming!

Next week, the college is promoting democracy by hosting a vote on whether 16 year olds should be able to vote in a general election. What do you think? Are you old enough at 16 to vote? Please make sure you get involved.

Part of my job at the college is to write a blog with all my doggy thoughts and feelings and college updates and lots of photos of me at college. If you see me in your class or at one of your events, or if you are lucky enough to spend some quality time with me, please take a photograph of me and email it to Shekina.popper@keighleycollege.ac.uk. 

Please keep checking my blog for more updates and photographs of me and my experiences.

Love from Chummy, the Keighley College Dog x

The final piece in the rebrand of Keighley College is currently being put in place by partner company, Metalcraft UK. New exterior signage is being fitted to two of the three elevations with a third coming once faulty rendering is replaced. The illuminated stainless steel signage marks an important change in the way Keighley College has been working, with the campus now having a local management team who are focused on the needs of the local community.

The college has a proud and long history dating back to the Keighley Mechanics Institute which opened in 1825, making it one of the oldest in country.