“We really are world class,” says Lindsey Whiterod, chief executive of South Tyneside College. “Any ship you get on, there will be a captain or a first officer who has been trained at South Tyneside.”

While the college has built up an enviable reputation for its marine school, news of its success is continuing to spread. In February, the college achieved its most notable triumph yet, claiming the titles for college and overall FE provider of the year at the Tes FE Awards 2017.

The college trains hundreds of staff for the marine industries, from cadet all the way through to master mariner.

For its cadet training alone, the college’s marine school works with 33 companies, including Maersk and Princess.

Because of its international reputation, the college now hosts students from 100 countries, and international student numbers are growing. In maritime programmes, half of the students are from outside of the UK.

As Tes visited on the day the college learned that its higher education offer had been given a “silver” rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework - surpassing the rating received by many Russell Group universities - Whiterod is keen to stress the focus of the college is on “true progression all the way from level 1 to HE”.

Quite how seriously it takes this becomes clear as Whiterod and Alison Maynard, principal of South Tyneside’s Professional and Vocational College, join a group of other staff to watch a lunchtime rehearsal by students of the “Interface” department for 16- to 25-year-old learners on the autism spectrum. Both are cheering in support of the group performing a cover of Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now.

“When they first started their course, some of these young people could not make eye contact,” says Maynard. “Look at them now.”

“We ask regional employers what they really want, and they shape the curriculum,” explains Maynard. “It is not about what we want to deliver. It is what they need. We take our business out as much as we can. Initially we spent a lot of time going out to engage the community, but now they come to us.”

One example of the college’s visibility in the community is its engagement with Haven Court, a facility offering respite and residential care to older residents, particularly those with dementia.

“We were asked to give advice on the hair salon they were looking to set up in the facility, and we said we could do better and run it for them,” says Maynard.

One member of staff and a small group of students now provide hairdressing services for residents, staff and visitors, offering practical work experience to the learners and a crucial community service. Supplied by catering students, the college also now runs the shop - which again is staffed by students.

The college is also one of two FE institutions that are skills partners in the International Advanced Manufacturing Park, a 100-hectare development in the region that is set to create more than 5,000 jobs and attract more than £300 million of private investment.

Bigger picture

Staff seem to have bought into the management’s vision and share its pride in the success of the college; “FE college of the year” T-shirts can even be spotted around the campus. They also take pride in the 86 per cent of students who progress into employment related to their programme of study.

“The staff are completely driven by getting their learners ready for industry,” says Maynard. “They see the bigger picture.”

But the college has no intention of standing still. In August, it will merge with neighbouring TyneMet to form Tyne Coast College, and alongside that, it is also in the process of expanding its multi-academy trust. It already runs Ridgeway Primary Academy; two secondaries are expected to join later this year.

The South Tyneside Academy Trust took over Ridgeway Primary school about five years ago, and deputy headteacher Alex Golden says that the school has been transformed since then.

He adds that the school is now in the top 1 per cent of 21,000 schools nationally for improvement in reading and maths between the ends of key stages 1 and 2; for reading, writing and maths combined, it is rated the 13th best nationally.

The MAT also serves another purpose: it allows the college to engage with children in the community from an early age. College staff already prepare teaching resources for local primary schools, introducing them to areas such as marine industries and engineering through experiments and activities.

The college has also set up a careers college specialising in advanced manufacturing, engineering and computer science. But for Whiterod, the college’s diverse interests are closely interconnected to ensure its offering for the community it serves is as strong as possible. She says: “Despite the many strands, we are one college.”

@JBelgutay