New College Durham is delighted to announce that its Support Services Open Day has won gold at the renowned Heist Awards. The college fought off stiff competition from several universities to walk away with the prestigious honour.
Havas Education host the industry leading Heist Awards, a celebration of excellence across education marketing in the sector. During the virtual award ceremony on Thursday 19 November, it was announced that the college had won the Gold Award for Best Open Day Experience. A video link from the judges called the college’s submission “a standout entry” and stated that they were moved by the approach taken by the college to appreciate the requirements of students with special educational needs. They added that the case study in the college’s entry really demonstrated how the college is able to help transform lives.
The award was given to the college’s first Support Services Open Day. New College recognised that their lively, busy open evenings were not always the best environment for students with special educational needs. A working group got together and devised a unique open day which would showcase the specialist support services available at the college and be designed to be accessible to those with SEN.
The Support Services Open Day featured a number of distinctive aspects. The room was laid out in a casual café style with free refreshments served throughout the event. A ping pong table and a chill out space scattered with bean bags created a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. Expert staff from each area of the college’s student support service were available to give advice and guidance. Various accessibility equipment was on display and the visiting students were able to try this out for themselves. Current students with additional needs were in attendance, offering peer support and discussing their experiences at the college. If anyone developed anxiety on the day, there was a counsellor available for consultations.
Dawn Fairlamb, Vice Principal at New College Durham, said: “We are thrilled to have won the Gold Award. As a college of further and higher education, we are committed to ensuring that our provision is accessible to everyone and the Support Services Open Day helped remove potential barriers to learning. Although winning an award is wonderful, the true success of the event is reflected The high percentage of students who attended are now studying at the college.
The college will be holding its second Support Services Open Day in early 2021. Log on to www.newdur.ac.uk for details.
The judges video is available to view online at: http://orlo.uk/7tjaW (facebook.com)
