This Summer SMB College Group Staff took part in a whole college development and training day!

The aim of the day was to give staff the opportunity to step away from their everyday tasks and undergo training and enrichment activities in preparation for the new school year.

The day started with a welcome address from Principal Dawn Whitemore, followed by keynote speaker Martin Burder from the Art of Brilliance.

There were a variety of courses for staff to attend, ranging from teaching and learning sessions such as ‘AI: The Future of Education’, ‘Adaptive Teaching and Learning’ and ‘Developing the cultural capital of your students’ to practical life skills sessions such as ‘Laurence Harvey’s Unconscious Bias’ and ‘LEGO Raising Robots’. Staff were able to develop their skills and learn more while working together across a variety of curriculum areas.

The day also featured a barbeque and award ceremony to celebrate the hard work and success achieved by staff this past academic year.

The winners of the Staff Award are as follows:

Going Above and Beyond Award - Sam West (Student Services), Scott Wood (Estates) and Andrew Martin (Construction Lecturer)

Leadership Award - Allison Boyd (Residential), Irena Stevens (HR), David Jones (Sport)

Peer to Peer Award- Garry Phillips (Sports Grounds), Phil Palmer (Motor Vehicle Lecturer), Charlotte Leiper (Exams Manager)

Performance Award- Debbie Keegan (Director of Employer Engagement), Paul Marcus-Smith (Engineering Lecturer), Luke Bradbury (Motor Vehicle Lecturer)

Star Employee Award - Mark Bradbury (Building Services Section Manager), Rog Hunt (Land-based Lecturer)

Team Impact Award – Stephenson Estates Team; Jonny Webster, Richard Ward, Graham Stanyard, Tom Betteridge.

Environmental Industries Team; Joshua Sharpe, George Rowe, Rog Hunt, Abi Massey-Lawler, Rebecca Stretton, Mark Dewes, Alex Gray, Carla Tewley, Mike Salotti, Michelle Thom, Tony Riddington, Graeme Turner

Volunteer Award - Beth Prior (Animal Studies Lecturer)

Principals Award- Rog Hunt (Land-based Lecturer)

Principal Dawn Whitemore recognised Rog Hunt for her Principal’s Award for his excellent team work, focus on student success and continued outstanding performance within the College. Dawn said ‘It was an extremely difficult decision choosing a winner and it really could have been all of you, well done everyone and now we look forward to another great year!’

The College recognises its values in resilience, ambition, innovation, sustainability and excellence and staff training day is another way the College continues to uphold its values and work towards becoming an even better institution for students and staff alike.