Awards and quality marks
A1 financial status
The financial health of Bedford College is very good, and we
have been award a financial status of A1 – the highest grade
possible – by the Learning & Skills Council (LSC).
Beacon status
Beacon
status identifies and recognises the very best providers of the
further education and skills sector. Beacons are a source of
expertise and willingly share their good practice with other
organisations.
British Safety Council Three Star rating
Bedford College is now one of the first further
education colleges to achieve a Three Star rating for safety
as part of the Five Star Health & Safety Audit Scheme run by
the British Safety Council. The Three Star award demonstrates that
the College has gone beyond simple compliance with health and
safety requirements and is now setting best practices in the fields
of both College provision and the Safety of Learners.
Investors in People
We are proud holders of the Investors in People award,
which recognises the way in which the organisation achieves success
through its people.
Matrix
In 2004 we were
the first Further Education College in the county to achieve
the Matrix Standard, which guarantees you the very highest
standards of professional advice and guidance.
Ofsted inspection 2008
Read the results
of our most recent inspection.
Recognised for Excellence quality standard
In
2007 Bedford College received the EFQM 5-star Recognition for
Excellence award from the British Quality Foundation – one of their
highest level of awards. The College was the only English
organisation short-listed for the overall excellence award at the
prestigious UK Excellence Awards, and we also received a special
mention for the quality of our leadership.
Recognised as “Positive About Disabled People”
In August 2007, Bedford College was recognised as being “Positive
About Disabled People” because of our commitment to the standards
set out in the Disability Symbol User Agreement in the recruitment
and employment of people with disabilities.
Training Quality Standard
The College has been recognised as one of the first
training providers in the Eastern region to have achieved
certification in the Training Quality Standard (TQS), an assessment
framework which recognises and celebrates organisations that are
best at delivering training and development solutions to
employers.
157 Group
Bedford
College is proud to be part of the 157 Group, which is a group of
leading further education colleges who came together in 2006 after
the Foster Report on FE advocated that 'large, successful colleges
with strong management capability' should work together to
strengthen and promote their services. There are currently 24
colleges in the group.