Chichester College Group acknowledged for mental health support through Beacon Award win

Students and staff across the Chichester College Group are celebrating, after being named Beacon winners at a national ceremony. 

The Group, which is comprised of Chichester College, Brinsbury College, Crawley College, Worthing College and Haywards Heath College, takes great pride in receiving the NOCN Group Award for Mental Health and Wellbeing. 

The Association of Colleges’ Beacon Awards celebrate the best and most innovative practice among UK colleges each year.  

The award supported by NOCN Group recognises, celebrates and promotes examples of the important work colleges are doing to support the mental health and wellbeing of their students and staff and demonstrates a coherent whole college approach.  

This particular award has been running since 2017 and it continues to be one of the most popular in terms of number of entries. 

Despite receiving such a high quantity of entries, it was the college group’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy which stood out and highlighted the college’s efforts to make a difference for both student and staff across all five campuses. 

Paul Riley, Principal of Worthing College and Haywards Heath College, said: “We are delighted to win this award – it is the highlight of my career. Gaining national recognition for CCG’s whole approach to mental health and wellbeing is testament of our commitment to our staff and students. 

“We have worked incredibly hard to build and implement this strategy and in doing so, we feel it addresses our core values of both opportunities for all and celebrating our vibrant and inclusive communities. We are proud that the groups exemplary practice to support mental health and wellbeing can be shared across the FE Sector.” 

The awards ceremony which took place in London on Tuesday 3 May saw colleges from all over the country come together in to demonstrate and promote the far-reaching impact of colleges on their students and the communities they serve. 

Andy Green, Chief Executive at Chichester College Group, said: “It was an honour for our staff to both attend the AoC Beacon Awards ceremony and to then bring home such a prestigious award. 

“As a group we have been determined to implement such a vital strategy across all of our college communities and as a result of this, we have delivered a vast number of annual activities to bring this to life. 

“The mental health and wellbeing of both our students and staff is extremely important and although we are thrilled to be acknowledged for our efforts, we look forward to developing our strategy further each and every year.” 

Mark White, Chair of AoC’s Charitable Trust said: “The AoC Beacon Awards showcase exactly why colleges are so important to every community and why people value them. This award recognises examples of excellent practical teaching and learning. The work of the winning college shows how important colleges are in providing students with the necessary skills for the real world.”