MPs hear from staff and students about SEND and technical education as Select Committee comes to City College Norwich
24th June 2025
Staff, students and apprentices from City College Norwich shared their experiences with members of the House of Commons Education Select Committee yesterday, as four MPs visited to gather evidence on two key areas within Further Education: SEND and inclusive practice, and technical education and Apprenticeships.
The visiting MPs were Helen Hayes MP (Chair of the Education Select Committee), Sureena Brackenridge MP, Darren Paffey MP, and Mark Sewards MP. They spent the afternoon at City College Norwich, having visited Aylsham High School in the morning.
They were joined by representatives from the Association of Colleges (AoC), including its Chief Executive, David Hughes CBE, bringing a sector-wide perspective on the two key themes that were the focus of the visit.
City College Norwich has seen the number of students with high needs increase by 20% over the last 3 years and is recognised for its sector-leading practice in this area: the college is a national SEND Centre for Excellence, and has been rated ‘Outstanding’ for its support for learners with high needs in each of its last four Ofsted inspections.
As part of the visit, the MPs found out about the college’s MINT employment service, whose Job Coaches have been successfully working with local employers to help young people into employment for 15 years.
The MPs heard how MINT is working with employers such as WH Smith, Norse Group, Co-Op East of England and Boots, to help young people move towards permanent employment through 12-week work placements and 6-month supported internships.
They also heard from a young person who has successfully progressed through the college’s employability skills courses and who is now, through MINT, gaining real work experience.
Turning their attention to the technical education and Apprenticeships theme, the MPs heard first-hand how employers are helping to shape the college’s curriculum, as well as seeing some of the newest additions to the college’s specialist facilities for technical and vocational education.
This included a visit to the new Construction Skills Hub, opened earlier this year, which has allowed the college to increase the number of places on its construction courses, helping to tackle key skills gaps in this important and growing sector in the region.
The Committee also met T Level students and apprentices in two other growth areas in which the college has made a significant investment in recent areas - in digital skills and construction.
The visit concluded with a round table discussion between the Education Select Committee members, senior managers from the college, and the AoC representatives
Jerry White, Principal, City College Norwich commented:
“The Education Selection Committee’s current inquiries into FE and skills and SEND both have an important bearing on the work of colleges. So we were delighted to welcome the Committee’s Chair, Helen Hayes MP, and three of its members, to City College Norwich.
“I hope we were able to use this visit to contribute helpfully to each of these inquiries. It was an opportunity to show technical education in all its forms, as well as to highlight that support for learners with SEND is as important an issue within post-16 education as it is within schools.”
