Key Insights from the FE Focus Conference: Lessons for Shaping the Future in English and Maths

The FE Focus Conference, organised by CENTURY Tech in collaboration with Nottingham College, who kindly hosted the event, featured a range of speakers from across the Further Education (FE) sector, sharing best practices on effective teaching and engaging learners. Here we share key insights from the event.

The conference began with a welcome from Ruth Perry, Vice Principal for Improvement & Innovation at Nottingham College. She discussed the challenges of serving approximately 20,000 students annually across 30,000 qualifications.

Ruth Perry  from Nottingham College

Nottingham’s Curriculum Innovation Strategy

Kirsty Haughton, Head of English and Literacy and David Thompson, Head of Maths and Numeracy at Nottingham College presented on how current and upcoming policy changes are influencing the delivery and outcomes of English and Maths education. They outlined their response to this; a strategy focused around a blended approach to English and maths, with vocational tutors alongside subject specialists. Embedding the CENTURY platform is a key part of the delivery strategy, with one hour of in-person AI interactive learning in class, supplemented by independent study.

Essential Skills for Workplace Progression

Next up, Sian Glover, Head of Student Experience – Apprenticeships, at Nottingham College, discussed the impact of the policy change regarding Functional Skills requirements for adult apprentices (aged 19+). Sian stressed that English, Maths and digital skills remain essential for workplace performance and progression. She highlighted that core skills are embedded in everything done in the workplace and are not optional, advocating for educating, empowering and equipping apprentices with these foundational skills. The college uses CENTURY as part of its strategy to support apprentices, ensuring they can recall and articulate their skills in professional discussions.

Strategies to Inspire Learners in English and Maths

Following on from presentations from Nottingham College, Steve Wileman, Head of Digital Learning and Craig Hancox, Director of English and Maths, from South Staffordshire College, presented strategies to inspire learners in English and Maths. The college focuses on a GCSE progression model for cross-college learners and employs a mastery approach to Maths, investing in concrete materials. 

Regarding CENTURY usage, the college sets an ambitious target of 35 hours of usage over the year for all learners. Diagnostics are completed during induction and again in January to measure progress. All learners, including those with a Grade 4, are encouraged to spend 20-30 minutes on CENTURY during tutorials. The college links CENTURY usage to its internal dashboard to monitor engagement at both learner and management levels. They reported that learners who complete their tutorial work on CENTURY outperform their peers, showing +0.3 progress. South Staffordshire College also shared innovative engagement strategies, including making learning as practical and concrete as possible through extensive use of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). They shared their economical approach, buying VR headsets and using free YouTube videos to serve as prompts for creative writing. Steve and Craig then ran a VR demonstration during the break to allow delegates to interact with the technology.

Reflections on Progress Made Using CENTURY 

Montana Ingrassia, an English Lecturer at Nottingham College, further elaborated the college’s CENTURY usage during her session, “Using platforms like CENTURY Tech to personalise English learning in FE”. She emphasised the growing importance of digital literacy and integrating technology into education, noting that students are spending more time than ever on digital devices. Montana shared how CENTURY’s AI-driven pathways benefit students by adapting content to individual strengths and weaknesses, allowing for easy differentiation and scaffolding. She then demonstrated how CENTURY saves time on differentiation and provides insightful data on class and individual performance, supporting data-driven decisions and intervention planning.

Panel Discussion on Lessons for Shaping the Future of English and Maths

During a panel discussion chaired by CENTURY and featuring speakers from City of Wolverhampton College, the Association of Colleges, MidKent College and Chichester College Group. The conversation touched on the importance of contextualising content to different vocational areas to ensure solid learning and understanding. We were so pleased to hear the consensus that our AI-powered platform is contributing to improving GCSE outcomes across the board.

The panel discussion at the FE Focus Conference

CENTURY Update: A Busy Year 

CENTURY then took a moment to share a variety of updates to the platform, including improvements to Assignments, the introduction of Teacher GENie for AI-driven worksheet generation and new functionalities for subtitles. We have also streamlined administrative tasks with instant learner creation and automated Connect API onboarding for initial assessment results. ‘Smart Assignments’ were recently released, leveraging AI while keeping teachers in control. The research behind our upcoming Wellbeing assessments was also shared. It will represent a practice tool for measuring and supporting student wellbeing within FE.

Sharing Best Practice for Individualised Learning

Finally, Rebecca Godwin and Julia Jaksik from Nottingham College ran a carousel session designed to help delegates explore strategies for personalising learning and supporting diverse learners in English and maths classrooms. 

The day was a huge success with many attendees sharing their takeaways from the day on social media. We’re also proud to share that over £1800 from ticket sales was donated to BASE 51, supporting young people in Nottingham. Thanks to everyone who joined us and contributed to a productive and inspiring day.

If you’re interested in learning more about CENTURY, book a demo here.