Find out about all of the recent achievements of our Colleges and Schools below
NCLT IS OFFICIALLY THE SECOND MOST INCLUSIVE EMPLOYER IN THE UK
New Collaborative Learning Trust has been ranked second in the National Centre for Diversity’s list of the 100 most inclusive workplaces and has won their “Further Education Provider of the Year” award.
This emphatic validation of NCLT’s commitment to inclusivity reflects years of consistent focus on promoting equality and diversity in the workplace. Combined with NCLT’s recently retained status as a Leader in Diversity, the NCfD awards further strengthen our Trust’s claim to be one of the best employers in the Yorkshire and Humberside region.
NEW COLLABORATIVE LEARNING TRUST NAMED ‘EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR’
New Collaborative Learning Trust won Employer of the Year at the 2023 MAT Excellence Awards. The national awards celebrate the very best performers from over one thousand MATs across the country.
NCLT were also shortlisted for Wellbeing MAT of the year, reflecting their commitment to putting staff and student wellbeing at the heart of their strategies and policies.
As we continue to thrive, we know that looking after our staff and students is key to our future success.
NEW COLLABORATIVE LEARNING TRUST IN THE TOP 50 MOST INCLUSIVE WORKPLACES
New Collaborative Learning Trust has once again placed in the top 50 most inclusive workplaces at the National Centre for Diversity’s FREDIE awards. This award shows the exceptional work done around equality, diversity and inclusion within the Trust
TES AWARDS 2020 – SIXTH FORM COLLEGE OF THE YEAR and OVERALL FE PROVIDER OF THE YEAR
New College Pontefract won the country’s highest award for its sector, claiming the title of Sixth Form College of the Year, at the TES FE Awards in 2020. So impressed were the judges by New College Pontefract, though, that they awarded the college the additional “best of the best” prize of Overall FE Provider of the Year, a title competed for by the winners of every sector in the competition. Not only does this mean that New College Pontefract is now recognised as the best post-16 FE provider in the country, it is also the first time in the history of the TES FE Awards that a sixth form college has ever won the Overall Provider of the Year title.
PEARSON NATIONAL TEACHING AWARDS – FE TEAM OF THE YEAR, GOLD WINNER – SPORT AND PE DEPARTMENT
New College Pontefract’s PE and Sports Studies department won the GOLD Award as FE Team of the Year from the Pearson National Teaching Awards, following their outstanding commitment to changing the lives of the students they work with every day.
PEARSON NATIONAL TEACHING AWARDS – FE TEAM OF THE YEAR, SILVER WINNER – NEW COLLEGE PONTEFRACT SENIOR TEAM
New College Pontefract’s senior team won a silver Pearson National Teaching Award for FE Team of the Year. The award reflects the success that the leadership team have had over the past five years, with the expansion of the college, the creation of two sister colleges and the consistent outstanding success rates of all students, which have put the college in the top five of the DfE’s national tables for five years.
NEW COLLEGE PONTEFRACT RATED “OUTSTANDING” IN ALL AREAS BY OFSTED
New College Pontefract was inspected in April 2014 and the published report judged the college to be Grade 1, Outstanding, in every area.
The full report can be found here but the summary grades are as follows:
Outcomes for learners – Outstanding – 1
The quality of teaching, learning and assessment – Outstanding – 1
The effectiveness of leadership and management – Outstanding – 1
New College was the first sixth form college locally and nationally to be judged outstanding in every area inspected. The inspection framework is extremely robust and the bar to outstanding is particularly high.
NEW COLLEGE PONTEFRACT ACCREDITED BY THE TALENTED ATHLETE SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME (TASS) INITIATIVE.
New College is committed to providing young people in the local community the chance to develop their sporting ability and shine on the highest possible stage all whilst gaining an outstanding education and creating a TASS Dual Career. By formally recognising an institution’s commitment to supporting student-athletes, the TASS Dual Career Accreditation Scheme aims to allow athletes to reach their potential in education alongside achieving success in their sport.
As a Dual Career Accredited Centre, New College Pontefract will be an important extension of the network of universities that already partner with TASS, delivering core support services to more than 400 student-athletes each year.
NEW COLLEGE PONTEFRACT OFFERS ‘SPORTS LEADERS’ QUALIFICATION
The qualification allows our PE and Sport students to obtain a formally recognised qualification and show that they are able to lead and assist in the delivery of sport and physical activity sessions. This makes them more employable due to increased skills and improves their CVs.
NEW COLLEGE PONTEFRACT ACHIEVES THE AFPE QUALITY MARK DISTINCTION
The afPE Quality Mark is a prestigious award that evidences the strength and quality of Physical Education, School Sport and Physical Activity (PESSPA) in the college. It raises the profile of the Sport and PE subjects and the college, both locally and nationally, and promotes the outstanding work that is being undertaken on a daily basis.
NEW COLLEGE PONTEFRACT ACHIEVES WAKEFIELD WORKPLACE WELLBEING
New College Pontefract is delighted to have achieved the Wakefield Workplace Health and Wellbeing Charter. The charter has been developed by Wakefield Council to set out their vision for the creation of healthy and productive workplaces throughout the Wakefield District and to give recognition to workplaces that can demonstrate they are working to develop a sustainable culture of health and wellbeing.
NEW COLLEGE DONCASTER RECEIVED A POSITIVE OFSTED REPORT IN JUNE 2026, MEETING THE “STRONG STANDARD” THRESHOLD ACROSS ALL EVALUATED CATEGORIES
The first school or college in NCLT to be inspected under the new Ofsted framework, NCD’s Ofsted report covered safeguarding, inclusion, leadership and governance, education programmes for young people and provision for learners with high needs. In all of these, the Ofsted report was full of praise for the high-quality leadership, teaching and student experience.
There are many highlights in the Ofsted report, published today. The report notes that “Students thrive at New College Doncaster… Students feel a keen sense of belonging to the highly inclusive college community.”
It contains commendations for the leaders, staff and students on “an inclusive, welcoming culture”, praise for the college’s zero tolerance of bullying or discrimination, and the highest praise for the students themselves: “students demonstrate kindness and consideration towards one another, staff and visitors. Their behaviour is impeccable.”
NEW COLLEGE DONCASTER WINS PEARSON NATIONAL TEACHING AWARD
The senior leadership team at New College Doncaster won a National Teaching Award for their success in leading the college through its first five years, culminating in their ‘outstanding’ Ofsted report published in January 2020. The Bronze Award for FE Team of the Year means they were recognised as one of the six best FE teams across the country.
NEW COLLEGE DONCASTER ACCREDITED BY THE TALENTED ATHLETE SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME (TASS) INITIATIVE.
New College is committed to providing young people in the local community the chance to develop their sporting ability and shine on the highest possible stage all whilst gaining an outstanding education and creating a TASS Dual Career. By formally recognising an institution’s commitment to supporting student-athletes, the TASS Dual Career Accreditation Scheme aims to allow athletes to reach their potential in education alongside achieving success in their sport.
As a Dual Career Accredited Centre, New College Pontefract will be an important extension of the network of universities that already partner with TASS, delivering core support services to more than 400 student-athletes each year.
NEW COLLEGE DONCASTER OFFERS ‘SPORTS LEADERS’ QUALIFICATION
The qualification allows our PE and Sport students to obtain a formally recognised qualification and show that they are able to lead and assist in the delivery of sport and physical activity sessions. This makes them more employable due to increased skills and improves their CVs.
NEW COLLEGE BRADFORD SECURED GRADED OUTSTANDING FOUR YEARS AFTER OPENING
New College Bradford have officially been graded as “outstanding” by Ofsted, in their first inspection four years after opening in September 2019.
In an emphatic endorsement of the college’s success as a specialist post-16 provider, Ofsted’s report is packed full of praise for the effective teaching and learning delivered by the college’s staff. In particular, the report highlights the college’s “consistently excellent tuition”, its “highly ambitious curriculum”, and that its teachers are “experts in their fields”. It also commended the students, noting that “behaviour, both inside and outside of classes, is exemplary”.
The college’s commitment to improving social mobility in Bradford is of particular note, with the report commenting that “[l]eaders and managers have a very strong focus on raising the aspirations of young people in the Bradford area”. “A very high proportion of students go on to university destinations, and most of the rest progress to high-level apprenticeships or employment.”
ELEVEN STUDENTS FROM NEW COLLEGE BRADFORD RECEIVED AWARDS AT THE 2022 BRADFORD CTE AWARDS
The awards, organised by the Bradford City Council Careers and Technical Education team. Aruba Bibi, one of the college’s Year 12 students, won the prestigious Public Services and Law Student of the Year award, in recognition of her exceptional efforts to develop her employability skills alongside her academic skills. In particular, the panel were impressed with the significant amounts of work experience that she has organised in national law firms and barristers chambers, as well useful mentoring.
BRINSWORTH ACADEMY AWARDED BRONZE AWARD FOR RACIAL EQUITY
Brinsworth Academy has proudly been awarded the FLAIR Award for Racial Equity, recognising its outstanding commitment to fostering an inclusive and equitable environment for all.
BRINSWORTH ACADEMY BECOMES NTP TUITION PARTNER RESEARCH CHAMPION
Brinsworth Academy has been recognised as an NTP Tuition Partners Research Champion, highlighting its dedication to evidence-based approaches in supporting student learning and progress.
BRINSWORTH ACADEMY WORKING TOWARDS EQUALITIES SILVER AWARD
Brinsworth Academy is actively working towards achieving the Silver Equalities Award from EqualiTeach, demonstrating its ongoing commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion across the school community.
WINGFIELD ACADEMY CHOSEN TO BE A NATIONAL LEADER ON BEHAVIOUR
The senior team at Wingfield Academy have successfully applied to be one of the DfE’s behaviour hubs, a status which highlights their success in establishing Wingfield as one of country’s leading schools in developing a culture that nurtures exemplary behaviour amongst young people. Wingfield Academy is one of only 10 new secondary school behaviour hubs announced this spring, all of which have an “exceptional behaviour culture”, according to the DfE. Following the announcement of the new behaviour hubs, schools minister Robin Walker said: “Helping schools to create calm, orderly, safe and supportive environments is key to levelling up education for children and young people.”
WINGFIELD ACADEMY HAS BEEN RECOGNISED AS OPERATING AT A STRONG STANDARD BY OFSTED
Achieving this rating in five of the six areas assessed under the inspectorate’s new framework. Inspectors praised the Rotherham secondary school’s high expectations, inclusive culture and strong leadership, highlighting that pupils feel safe, behave with respect and make excellent progress, particularly those who are disadvantaged. The report also commended the academy’s robust attendance strategy and the “warm and positive relationships” between staff and students, which create a distinctive “family feel” across the school. Reflecting on the outcome, Headteacher Jordon O’Neill said the judgement recognises the culture of belonging, ambition and support that defines Wingfield Academy, describing the achievement as a testament to the collective efforts of students, staff, families and the wider community.
This school continues to be good.
The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. School leaders know the school well. Mr Wirth leads a united team in celebrating strengths and tackling any aspects of underperformance. He also constantly refines and develops systems for checking on the quality of teaching and learning with his team. As a result, leaders’ evaluations of the school are accurate and the priorities identified for improvement are the right ones. His professional and thoughtful approach to leading school improvement is highly valued by parents, staff and governors.
Redscope Primary School rated Good by Ofsted.
Pupils’ personal and academic development thrive because of the very positive learning ethos in the school and the way staff overall foster pupils’ well-being and good behaviour. Staff relationships are extremely positive and the school’s high expectations are upheld equally by parents, who show their genuine support in the way they involve themselves in school life. The headteacher, supported by an active governing body, works very hard to ensure that the school’s work is recognised in the community, and that all forms of discrimination are challenged vigorously so that every pupil has an equal opportunity to succeed.
Thorpe Hesley were judged as an OUTSTANDING school in all areas.
Schools are assessed on leadership and management, behaviour and safety of pupils, quality of teaching, achievement of pupils, and Early Years provision. To be awarded the top ‘outstanding’ category, the school must provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs, and leave them well equipped for the next stage of their education. Thorpe Hesley was heaped with praise, securing the ‘outstanding’ rating in each of these areas, confirming the school’s self-evaluation.
Thorpe Hesley EYFS team are Bronze Winners for the National Teaching Awards 2025
Thorpe Hesley Primary School’s Early Years Foundation Stage won a prestigious bronze award at the 2025 Pearson National Teaching Awards! This remarkable achievement highlights the dedication, passion, and hard work of the entire team in shaping young minds and providing an outstanding start to their educational journey. Well done to the team on this well-deserved recognition.
