Cambridge Regional College: Scaling Success Through a Whole-College Strategy for English and Maths

Cambridge Regional College is a leading further education college that has successfully embedded CENTURY across its provision to ensure that literacy and numeracy skills are a priority for every student. Their whole-college approach contributed to them winning first place in the 2026 CENTURY Spring Challenge.

We spoke with Darren Coogan, Quality Manager for Maths and English at Cambridge Regional College, to discuss the college’s strategic approach to the platform, their recent competition success, and how they use data to drive accountability.

When you first took on CENTURY, how did you align it with your wider teaching and learning strategy?

In the first year, it was a learning curve as we figured out how to best utilise the platform to complement classroom delivery. We worked closely with the CENTURY team to create a bespoke maths course that aligned specifically with our scheme of work. By homing in on the 30 key topics covered in the academic year, we ensured the digital content directly supported what was happening in the classroom.

Since then, our use of CENTURY has evolved significantly. We now implement a mandatory CENTURY hour for all students. This isn’t just for those resitting exams; we believe maths and English are essential skills for everyone. We now have 4,000 licences in use with students and apprentices across the college.

As a senior leader, what role did leadership play in embedding the platform across the college?

Leadership support is one of the key factors that sets us apart. I am fortunate to work with a Senior Leadership team who are huge advocates of English and maths. It is a real whole-college approach which we put into practice daily. Our management team fully supported the implementation of the timetabled CENTURY hour, and we are strategic in how we align that time. For instance, students resitting maths have their CENTURY hour dedicated specifically to this.

Senior management support ensures that attendance and compliance remain high. CENTURY usage is included in our internal monitoring reports, and heads of departments are responsible for ensuring all students attend. If students aren’t engaging, we ask why and work to improve it.

How do you ensure consistency across different curriculum areas?

Managers leading English and maths within each curriculum area are responsible for delivery and compliance. We also conduct “CENTURY learning walks” throughout the year to see the platform in action.

To monitor this at scale, our MIS team used CENTURY data to create a fantastic PowerBI dashboard that allows us to drill down into the data. We can view usage by department, course level, and even by inclusion categories like students with high needs. This level of detail helps us monitor engagement, share good practice and support self-assessment reports.

Did you face any misconceptions from staff when implementing the platform?

There is always a fear of the unknown. Some tutors were initially worried because they didn’t feel like “English and maths professionals” and weren’t sure how to support students. However, we provided departmental training to show them that the platform is designed to be student-led.

Once they saw that the teacher input can be minimal because the platform provides the instruction and feedback, they quickly developed confidence. Now, vocational tutors are advocates for it. In areas like childcare, tutors might push specific nuggets to every learner if they identify common weaknesses from assessment.

What impact have you seen across the college?

The most significant impact has been the improvement in engagement and the joined-up approach across departments. A big win for us this year has been the successful rollout in our Supported Learning department. The availability of Entry Level 1, 2, and 3 courses, alongside Functional Skills, has made the platform inclusive for everyone.

We’ve also seen a positive impact in specialist areas like Engineering. We pushed the “Bridge to A-level Maths” and physics courses to those students, and the Engineering team has been very appreciative of how that complements their specific curriculum. Overall, our usage has continued to grow year-on-year because it is a timetabled expectation rather than an optional homework task.

What advice would you give to other colleges looking to make CENTURY part of their strategy?

My main advice is to ensure you have a dedicated, timetabled hour to work on CENTURY. Booking an IT suite helps show learners that you are serious about expectations. This provides visibility for teachers and reduces any additional teacher workload. By making it part of the college day, you create a structure where areas can be held accountable for the data. It’s a very simple way to increase the profile of English and maths for all stakeholders, including parents and external partners.

What does success look like for you going forward?

I like to set the bar high! We are currently on track to hit two million questions answered this year. We’ve already improved on last year’s usage, and the trend is continuing upward. Success for us is that everyone at the college recognises this as an important hour in their week, a dedicated time to maintain and improve the literacy and numeracy skills they need for their future.

New to CENTURY?

Book a demo

Already a CENTURY customer?

Contact your Account Manager or email fesupport@century.tech to learn more about bespoke courses and whole-college implementation strategies.