Darlington College website
About Darlington College
Darlington College is one of the largest Further Education (FE) Colleges in Northern England, operating across the boundaries of County Durham, North Yorkshire and Tees Valley. In August 2006 the College moved to their brand new £35 million site at Central Park on Haughton Road in Darlington. The College also has a site at Catterick Garrison and also operates a network of community centres.
Excellence in learning, skills and enterprise
The College mission, reviewed and updated in August 2006, is: ‘Excellence in learning, skills and enterprise’ and is supported by four strategic aims:
- Increase responsiveness to the Regional Economic Strategy
- Deliver high quality skills and qualifications for young people and adults
- Support all learners to achieve
- Use resources to deliver an efficient and effective service
Provision
- Basic skills and ESOL
- Pathways
- Construction
- Engineering
- Motor Vehicle
- Health and Social Care
- Childcare
- Hair and Beauty
- Sports, Leisure and Tourism
- Hotel, Catering and Hospitality
- Journalism
- Media
- Art and Design
- Performing Arts
- Computing
- Business Administration
- EFL
- Teacher Training
- A range of higher education courses in partnership with the University of Teesside
Centres of Vocational Excellence
The College is home to two Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) for Digital Media, and also Catering and Hospitality, which has lead to an expansion in the courses offered, with an increasing number of short courses now available to the industry.
Media Design Centre website
Childcare
The College has two purpose built Childcare Centres – one at the Catterick Centre and one centre at Haughton Road. These Centres provide an excellent range of facilities accommodating children and young people from the age of 6 weeks to 14 years and are registered with Early Years Ofsted.
The following was sourced from the College’s self assessment report:
Identified Key Strengths
- High levels of student achievement
- Effective teaching and learning in many curriculum areas
- Financial robustness
- Growth in recruitment
- Extensive Learning Support Service meeting diverse range of needs
- Comprehensive range of courses providing good opportunities for progression
- High levels of student satisfaction
- Strong and effective partnership arrangements supporting widening participation and growth
What students liked about the college
- Help they received from college staff when choosing their course
- Courses are helping them achieve their learning goals
- Supportive relationships between staff and students
- Feedback given following assessments
- The level of resources and services provided
- Childcare facilities
- Opportunities to make new friends
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