Over the past eight years, Vice Principal Em Lowe has made an exceptional contribution to the growth and success of The Bedford College Group and has had a transformative impact on staff, students, the local community and the national FE sector.
In 2019, Em led and was nominee for the Group’s first Ofsted inspection since the merger with Tresham College, facing the additional challenge of Ofsted’s new educational inspection framework. In 2016 Tresham had been rated ‘Inadequate’, however after the merger Em led a sustained focus on improving quality standards which culminated with Ofsted rating The Bedford College Group, (including Tresham), as ‘Good’ in all areas, with adult and young students developing ‘Excellent’ study skills. Em’s success resulted in her speaking at the Association of Colleges (AoC) Teaching, Learning and Assessment Conference and advising colleges across the country.
Em is a truly inspirational role model for staff and students. She created the College’s first Equality, Diversity and Inclusion role in 2013 which now focuses on LGBT, disability, women and ethnicity. Since then, staff have been given extensive training and LGBTQ+ support groups have been set up for both staff and students. In 2019 the Group became the only college in the UK to achieve the Stonewall Champion Silver Award and was highlighted as best practice by AoC in 2021.
