Foxes Academy has scooped two of the education sector’s most prestigious national awards.
The specialist catering college and training hotel triumphed as Overall FE Provider and Specialist Provider 2018 at the TES FE Awards.
Real work: one of the learners at Foxes Academy’s specialist catering college and training hotel
Somerset-based Foxes Academy, which trains young adults with learning disabilities, beat 100 shortlisted individuals and organisations across 17 categories.
Unanimous decision
The judging panel was unanimous in its decision. It said: ‘The Academy aims to equip learners with the skills, knowledge and confidence to successfully shape their own futures.’
The judges said ‘the provider’s engagement with local employers was exceptional, offering real pathways for their learners, as were its 100 per cent pass rates in all formal examinations and assessments in 2016-17’.
100 per cent pass rate at Foxes
This 100 per cent pass rate encompasses all nationally recognised qualifications. They include the NVQ, Entry 3 Hospitality, Functional Maths, English and ICT, English Speaking Board, Employability and CIEH (Chartered Institute of Environmental Health).
Judges particularly paid tribute to the Academy’s ‘tremendous employment outcomes’, recognising that the sustained employment rate has been 73 per cent¹.
This achievement reflects ‘figures that many general FE colleges, let alone specialist providers, would be envious of’, the judges said.
Such employment outcomes are even more impressive when the Academy’s employment rate of 73 per cent is compared to a disappointing national average of just 5.8 per cent².
Despite the low national average for employment, 65 per cent of people with learning disabilities or severe mental health conditions say they want to work.
Support from 50 regional employers
Foxes could not change the lives of so many young adults without support from more than 50 regional employers, who provide work experience placements.
National organisations such as Hilton Hotels, YO! Sushi and Springboard UK also support the Academy. In fact, no fewer than 10 Hilton Hotels employ Foxes learners.
Inclusive hospitality employers recognise the pool of talent that Foxes graduates provide, and that their industry so desperately needs.
What makes Foxes so successful?
So what makes Foxes’ approach so successful? Tracey Clare-Gray, Principal, said: “We give our learners a real-life learning environment.
“We run Foxes Hotel, staffed by our learners. There are real deadlines, real work and a real shift pattern, subject to the rigours of TripAdvisor.
“Our local community is viewed as a learning environment. The young people live in houses where they develop their soft skills, so valued in life, and in ensuring successful employment opportunities.”
These ‘soft skills’ include self-confidence, teamwork and taking responsibility.
Work ready and life ready
Tracey Clare-Gray added: “Our graduates are work ready, and they are life ready. That’s good for society, the economy and for these inspiring young people, who bring untold benefits to their workplaces.”
Foxes Hotel is open to the public and has outstanding reviews on TripAdvisor. It is part of The Aurora Group, an innovative independent provider of specialist education and care, with 13 services across the country.
¹Graduates who entered employment from 2015 to 2017
²British Association for Supported Employment Feb 2018
