1. AoC London Region Members’ Bulletin
14 October 2011 Issue 102
Regional Forum, 12 October
London Chairs and Principals heard a policy update from AoC Chief Executive, Martin Doel
and a presentation from Catherine Vines of Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College on
their international work. Also on the agenda was the opportunity to comment on a draft
London Colleges’ manifesto being pulled together in advance of next year’s Mayoral elections.
The manifesto sets out what Colleges are doing to tackle some important issues for the Capital
and identifies the action they would like to see being taken by the incoming Mayor. The
manifesto will be finalised in light of feedback from Chairs and Principals and will be shared
with Mayoral candidates at an appropriate time. To see the draft manifesto in its current
version, please contact Rebecca Breen.
Meeting with Skills Funding Agency Chief Executive and key London
stakeholders
On Monday 28 November the Chief Executive of the Skills Funding Agency, Geoff Russell, will
be visiting each of the Skills Funding Agency's offices to meet a small number of key
stakeholders and discuss issues of interest and concern in the region. Kate Anderson, Regional
Director, AoC London, is attending the meeting on behalf of London Colleges.
Please send through any points that you would like Kate to raise with Geoff Russell by Monday
21 November.
WorldSkills 2011 update
WorldSkills London 2011 – the biggest and the best yet!
I’m sure all of you who went to the event last week would echo the opinion of WorldSkills
International at the closing ceremony. Huge thanks are due to everyone who contributed to this
by competing, supporting competitors, exhibiting, running Have a Gos, offering showcases,
hosting study visits and volunteering. It was a London event and London Colleges made a very
major contribution to its success. A number of records were broken:
Team UK won 5 gold medals, one of which went to Ben Murphy for Cooking.
"Everybody at Westminster Kingsway College is massively proud of all Ben has achieved,”
Andy Wilson, Principal, Westminster Kingsway College said. “Anybody who saw him in
action at WorldSkills this week could feel the passion he put in to his work. This, along with his
tremendous skill and dedication, has led to his recognition as a champion. I know he will go on
to great things in his career and act as an inspiration to those students who follow him at
Westminster Kingsway and the staff who teach them.''

2. AoC London Region Members’ Bulletin, 14 October 2011
Ben, who works at Koffman’s, has frequently paid tribute to the staff at the College, especially
Norman Fu. “I would like to thank Norman for all his time and effort in introducing me to new
ingredients and techniques: without his support and encouragement I wouldn’t have got to
where I am today.”
Norman, chef lecturer, said: “ Personally WorldSkills is rewarding because I get to see a
student begin to develop their own ideas and techniques – Ben has impressed many people
within the College with his high level of commitment and his rapid development.”
Congratulations to both Ben and Norman on their amazing achievement.
Team UK won 13 medals in total, more than ever before. The other medals won were:
Gold in Bricklaying, Plumbing and Heating, Stonemasonry and Visual Merchandising
Silver in Autobody Repair and Landscape Gardening
Bronze in Automobile Technology, Car Painting, Joinery, Mechanical Engineering CAD,
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, and Welding.
Medallions for Excellence were awarded in Beauty Therapy, Carpentry, Confectioner/Pastry
Cook, Electrical Installations, Fashion Technology, Floristry, Graphic Design Technology,
Ladies/Men’s Hairdressing, Mechatronics, Plastering and Dry Wall Systems, Restaurant
Service and Web Design.
This haul put the team fifth in the WorldSkills
table, the best Team UK has ever achieved.
60% of Team UK have attended an FE College
and 63% are Apprentices. If you want to look
at the results in more detail, go to
http://worldskillsteamuk.org/
London Colleges were well represented in the
Make It Happen exhibition area with a variety
of interactive activities on offer to visitors as
well as information about each College’s
courses. A vast number of enquiries were
received from the almost 200,000 visitors over
the four days, as well as new links made with
international partners and employers. The
more illustrious visitors included: David
Cameron, Nick Clegg, Boris Johnson and John
Hayes, as well as ministers and other
dignitaries from the rest of the UK and other
countries. There were also two royal visitors,
the Princess Royal and the Duke of York, who
spoke at length to many of the young people
they met.
Photo credits: Havering College of FE and HE
Page 2 of 8

3. AoC London Region Members’ Bulletin, 14 October 2011
London Colleges also hosted a range of study visits for WorldSkills international visitors, who
reported back very positively both on the friendly reception they received and the usefulness of
these visits.
WorldSkills London 2011 ended with the flag being passed on to WorldSkills Leipzig 2013. The
competitions cycle which could lead to participation there is being launched this month and
there will be a series of information briefings held in November to explain how to get involved.
Parisa Shirazi from the NAS competitions team will be at the Vice Principals’ Quality and
Curriculum meeting on 17 October to explain how your students, Apprentices, staff and
organisations can get involved. Information is also available at http://worldskillsteamuk.org/
The WorldSkills London 2011 legacy was launched at a reception hosted by Geoff Russell at
ExCel. The proposal to hold an annual national competition finals event from October 2012
was well received by the Principals attending as well as by a number of the sponsors. The finals
event will move round the UK each year and provide a public focus for what the sector has to
offer as well as the Have a Go activities which were so popular last week. Funding is still
available to support local Have a Go activities up to February next year so keep your proposals
coming in to Rebecca.Breen@aoc.co.uk and keep an eye on the
www.worldskillslondon2011.com for the brochure of equipment to be sold and supported with
grants of up to 50% through the Capital Equipment Fund.
And a final factoid... the DLR record for the highest number of people travelling on one day
was broken during WorldSkills London 2011.
Reminder: Outcome Incentive Payments: Feedback request
London Councils have asked for feedback on Outcome Incentive Payments.
Please see their message below:
London Councils are keen to hear what work has been undertaken by colleges to date in terms
of developing plans as part of the Outcome Incentive Payments, in order to get more people in
to work in their local area. We would be interested to hear whether you have engaged with
your local authority yet to work with them to help produce the plans, or whether you will be
looking to engage with them in future. We would like to hear information on how this work is
progressing and whether anything has worked well, or where there may be any sticking points
that we may be able to assist with. From the responses that we receive we would like to look at
whether we could share any best practice with other colleges and local authorities. Please
contact Nicola Lowis at nicola.lowis@londoncouncils.gov.uk if you would like to share your
thoughts or discuss in more detail.
Please could you also share your replies with AoC London Region by copying your message to
Judith Smyth.
‘This is Abuse’: A campaign to reduce teenage relationship abuse
The Home Office is running a national campaign to tackle abuse in teenage relationships and is
asking colleges across the country to help promote their message to young people.
Violence is shockingly prevalent in teenage relationships. In a recent study, 25 per cent of girls
and 18 per cent of boys said they’d been hit or attacked by a partner. But abuse isn't always
physical: the same study showed that half of all teenage girls and up to three quarters of
teenage boys have experienced emotional abuse from a partner. The problem is, many young
Page 3 of 8

4. AoC London Region Members’ Bulletin, 14 October 2011
people don't know how to spot the signs that something is wrong, either in their own
relationships or those of their friends.
‘This Is Abuse' has produced some materials to help young people recognise abuse, and
empower them to avoid violent and controlling behaviour. These range from printed postcards
and posters for you to put up round your college, to electronic toolkits to help you engage
teenagers in conversation about this difficult topic. To find out more and order materials, please
contact toby.kushner@iris-worldwide.com.
Student theatre offer
Noel & Gertie revival at the Cockpit Theatre Tuesday 27 September-Saturday 22 October:
http://thecockpit.org.uk/show/noel_gertie
There is a special offer for Performing Arts students: £10 per ticket. Book the tickets in advance
by visiting http://www.wegottickets.com/f/2874 and use the code DRAMA. Alternatively you
can call 020 7258 2925 – everyday from midday.
Students will need to bring their college ID card on the door.
Student Success Stories of the Fortnight
Official Launch of Alex Scott Academy
On Friday 7 October, England International
Footballer, Alex Scott, officially opened the
new Kingston College Women’s Football
Academy in partnership with Alex Scott and
Puma. The Alex Scott Academy is the first
academy of its kind in the UK and highlights
the growth of the women’s game.
Kingston College’s Head of School for Sport
and Leisure Jade Mountain said: “I am
delighted to be here at the official launch of The
Alex Scott Academy. We Photo credit: Kingston College
couldn’t ask for a better figurehead and
ambassador for the Academy than Alex: she is an England international and professional
player in the USA and she came through an Academy system herself, demonstrating just how
effective they are. We are proud to be associated with an individual, a person and a real face
who is not a brand, but can offer our players real support and inspiration.”
Alex, who is busy preparing for England’s next European Championship qualifier against
Holland on 27 October, is delighted to be part of a new era at Kingston College offering her
personal experiences, support and guidance to young players aspiring to follow in her footsteps
and reach the top of their game. She says: “I am delighted to have officially launched the Alex
Scott Academy. To be able to give the girls the opportunity to play and study just like I did is
something that I'm very honoured and proud to be doing.”
Page 4 of 8

5. AoC London Region Members’ Bulletin, 14 October 2011
Puma commented: "Puma is proud to be associated with the Alex Scott Academy at Kingston
College, the college is a key partner in education and innovation as it promotes excellence in the
classroom as well as on the field."
The new academy will add to the already flourishing academy provision at Kingston College
and aims to provide players with an unrivalled calibre of training, skills development and
match play and Kingston College’s ongoing commitment to offer quality football provision has
been recognised with this partnership.
Send in your student success stories!
AoC London region would love to receive and read more of your student success stories so
please send them through to us at: Rebecca.breen@aoc.co.uk and we will include them in future
issues of the AoC London Region Members’ Bulletin.
Recent meetings
Date Event/meeting Attendees Agenda
4 Oct Meeting with SEETEC JS Discussion between AoC regions and SEETEC
4-8 Oct WorldSkills London AoCLR Visit the WorldSkills website for more
2011 team information on how the event went:
www.worldskillslondon2011.com/
7 Oct Clerks' network JS The agenda included reports back from the
meeting Governors Council 05/07/11; National Clerks
Network Committee on 27/09/11; Code of
Governance, Clerks Qualification Framework,
Strategic Partnerships in the Sector, Recent
Inspections and Confidential advice.
11 Oct Abi Lammas, LSIS KA Discussed the:
Regional Response Fund Activity
Regional communication and
collaboration strategy
LSIS National and Regional update
12 Oct AoCLR Regional AoCLR See headlines
Forum team
14 Oct Extended Strategy KA, JS Regular AoC Directors meeting
Meeting
Future meetings
Date Event/meeting Attendees Agenda
17 Oct VP C&Q network AoCLR Agenda includes presentations from Ofsted and
meeting RCU about the AoC/RCU Mides project
18 Oct London Management KA Regular meeting to discuss WorldSkills
Group
21 Oct Meeting with Michael KA Regular one to one meeting
Wheeler at Hillcroft
College
Page 5 of 8

6. AoC London Region Members’ Bulletin, 14 October 2011
Events and Dates for the Diary
 AoCLR Vice Principals Curriculum & Quality network meeting – Monday 17 October,
3pm-5pm at AoC offices, Stedham Place. Please contact Rebecca Breen for more
information.
 Applications, Admissions and Student Support Conference 2011
The new FE and HE landscape - An AoC National Conference. Wednesday 19 October
2011 - Aston Business School Conference Centre, Birmingham.
www.aoccreateevents.co.uk/admissions2011.
 London Skills & Employment Observatory: Helping London to deliver Skills for Growth
event – Thursday 27 October 4.30-6.30pm at the Business Design Centre, London.
Please be aware that spaces at this event are limited. Reserve your place early by
contacting Emma Hutchinson. Please note that places may be limited to one per
organisation.
 Linking London event - The new HE landscape: Opportunities or challenges for HE in
FE? Wednesday 2 November, 2-5pm at University of London. To book a place or if you
have any queries please email info@linkinglondon.ac.uk or call 020 7380 3226.
 Young People and Opportunity: a Vision for London – Tuesday 8 November at the
Institute of Education. Please contact Richard Bull r.bull@ioe.ac.uk for more
information.
 AoCLR Finance Directors’ network meeting – Thursday 10 November, 9am-1pm, Venue
tbc. Please contact Rebecca Breen for more information.
 AoC’s Annual Conference and Exhibition: 15, 16 and 17 November 2011 - Registration is
now open for AoC’s flagship event of the year which takes place between Tuesday 15
and Thursday 17 November 2011 at the ICC in Birmingham.
 AoSEC (Association of South East Colleges) is our sister organisation in the south east
region. AOSEC runs 22 professional development networks which bring together staff
from across the south east to hear and discuss updates on areas relating to the
curriculum or their job role. Colleagues from London Colleges would be welcome to
attend these networks. There is a charge for membership of the networks. Colleagues
can find out more information and book online via
http://aosec.org.uk/page/programme_activities/5. For more information please
contact Lisa Mullock: lisamullock@aosec.org.uk
 Looking back to inform the future: Ofsted's Annual Report and a new inspection
framework for 2012 - Tuesday 6 December 2011, Prospero House, London.
www.aoccreateevents.co.uk/aocofsted2011
Page 6 of 8

7. AoC London Region Members’ Bulletin, 14 October 2011
Policy and other documents
The Intelligence e-Group Despatch
If you would like to view the latest issues of the Intelligence e-Group Despatch please follow
this link. The Despatch is produced by Mike Cooper, from Education Development which
works in partnership with AOSEC, LSC South East, LSN and City & Guilds Institute/Centre for
Skills Development to provide a regular free electronic newsletter updating colleagues on latest
developments in post-compulsory learning and skills and much more. For your free
subscription to the Intelligence e-Group Despatch, e-mail Mike Cooper, giving brief details of
your organisation and role.
London TV region gets set for digital
Digital TV switchover is the biggest change in television since the introduction of colour. In
April 2012, analogue television will be switched off across the London TV region. If you don’t
have digital TV by the time of switchover, you will lose your TV channels. If you are still
watching analogue TV (five channels or fewer) on any of your sets, you need to convert them to
digital. Virtually any existing TV can be converted using a Freeview box, a digital satellite
service or digital cable. Almost everyone will be able to watch Freeview after switchover –
even homes currently out of coverage. You can check the options for going digital in your area,
and what channels will be available through an aerial, using the postcode checker at
digitaluk.co.uk.
For older and disabled viewers who may find making the switch difficult, the BBC-run
Switchover Help Scheme is at hand to provide everything you need to switch one TV set to
digital. Most eligible people will be asked to pay £40 towards the standard option of help. For
eligible people on income-related benefits, it’s free. This includes easy to use equipment, an
approved installer to supply and install the equipment, and a 12 month aftercare service,
including a free helpline. If you’re 75 and over or eligible disabled, the Help Scheme will write
to you directly and in plenty of time to ask if you want help.
If you have any questions about switchover, you can call the Digital UK advice line on 08456 50
50 50 or visit digitaluk.co.uk. There will also be roadshows near your area from January 2012 –
look out for more information on the website. For further information on the Switchover Help
Scheme visit helpscheme.co.uk or call free on 0800 40 85 900. Textphone users can call 0800 40
85 936.
GLA news
Mayor channels over £50 million towards vulnerable young Londoners
Mayor to fund 'tough love' leadership clubs in London's schools
Team London: 'Boris army' grows to 60,000 volunteers
Page 7 of 8

8. AoC London Region Members’ Bulletin, 14 October 2011
Due to half term the next issue of the AoC London Region Members’ bulletin will be sent out
on Friday 4 November.
If you wish to contact the AoC London office to give feedback on this bulletin, to request
additional information where we have offered it, or to provide suggested content for future
issues, please email Rebecca Breen.
Kate Anderson Judith Smyth
Regional Director Executive Manager
kate.anderson@aoc.co.uk judith.smyth@aoc.co.uk
Rebecca Breen Cyheme Bilouta
Regional Coordinator Team Administrator (part-time)
rebecca.breen@aoc.co.uk cyheme.bilouta@aoc.co.uk
Page 8 of 8