Staff Drive Innovation Through Cultivating Excellence Programme

We are pleased to be celebrating the success of four staff members who have led innovative projects as part of the College’s Cultivating Excellence programme, an initiative designed to continuously improve Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (TLA) and equip students with future-ready skills.

The programme, which focuses on enhancing TLA practices to benefit learners, gave staff members Steph Tirrell, Jess Perkins, Danny Staniforth, and Dexter Davidson the opportunity to develop and lead their own projects with the support of Equip Consultant Rhys Davies and members of the College Executive team.

Each project tackled a key area of educational development, covering topics from teacher evaluation to environmentally conscious lessons. Elite Sport Manager, Steph Tirrell explored ways to embed sustainability into the curriculum, piloting her approach with two curriculum areas. 

Quality Improvement Leads for Sport, Danny Staniforth and Dexter Davidson introduced a tool to help students track their own progress, inspired by the ethos: “We don’t stop at good enough”, supporting learners to meet and exceed their target grades, and evaluated various coaching models aimed at helping teachers progress from good to outstanding classroom practice respectively. Quality Manager Jess Perkins created a strategy for integrating transferable skills into teaching, ensuring students are well-prepared for the demands of future employment.

Throughout the programme, the project leads worked closely with Rhys and benefitted from regular feedback and guidance from College leaders. In May, they presented their research, achievements, and the impact of their work to senior leaders across the College.

Lucy Howes, Vice Principal for Learner Experience and Quality, praised the dedication and impact of the project leaders, sharing: “The Cultivating Excellence programme is a brilliant example of how our staff are shaping the future of education at Loughborough College. The creativity, passion, and leadership demonstrated through these projects will have a lasting impact on our students’ experiences and outcomes. I am incredibly proud of what they have achieved.”