Rachel Reeves, member of Parliament for Leeds West and Pudsey and Chancellor of the Exchequer, recently toured the under-construction Pudsey Sixth Form College and met with prospective students.
The new sixth form college, expected to host around 700 learners, is set to open its doors to its first cohort of students in September this year. The new sixth form is being created due to the changing post-16 landscape, with many schools that have a sixth form provision increasingly facing challenges to continue providing a viable offer that meets the needs and expectations of young people as they progress.
Rachel Reeves MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said: “I was delighted to see the progress being made in developing this new sixth form in my constituency. Speaking to future Pudsey Sixth Form College students while on the visit, their positivity around being able to remain in the local area to attend sixth form was clear. Without the creation of this large new sixth form college, many prospective students would instead have to travel further afield for their sixth form education.
A key reason behind the creation of Pudsey Sixth Form College is to increase capacity and coherence in the local post-16 landscape. Once operational, Pudsey Sixth Form College will not only ensure that young people have additional learning opportunities locally but it will also release capacity in partner schools.
This is what encouraged Crawshaw Academy, Co-op Academy Priesthorpe and Leeds West Academy to approach Leeds Sixth Form College and Leeds City College (members of Luminate Education Group) to form a partnership.
Phil Mark, Principal of Pudsey Sixth Form College, said: “It is exciting to think that in a few short months, Pudsey Sixth Form College will begin its role providing the young people of Pudsey and the surrounding area with educational opportunities leading to employment or further study. Drawing on links with Leeds City College and Leeds Sixth Form College, this new sixth form in Pudsey will be able to expertly provide both academic and technical courses for young people.”
Funding for the ambitious project has been sourced through a £12.7 million loan from the Department for Education, signalling the government’s commitment to enhancing educational infrastructure in areas like Pudsey. The development, which is being undertaken by Caddick Construction, represents a significant investment in the future of Pudsey’s young people.
Steve Ford, Regional Managing Director of Caddick Construction Yorkshire & North East, said: “We are pleased to be delivering this much needed sixth form college, and it was a pleasure to actually welcome prospective students and local figureheads to the site to see the progress we are making. This project is not just about the building; it’s about giving local people the educational resources to help them succeed, contributing to a thriving community. We’re grateful for Rachel Reeves’ interest and support, and we look forward to continuing our work to welcome new students to the project later this year.”
The bid outlined the scores of varied initiatives that each of WYCC’s partners have been undertaking to promote Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – the 17 global targets adopted by the United Nations to tackle poverty and protect the planet.
The members’ work over the past year has spanned all of the SDG categories which include Climate Action, Affordable and Green Energy and Responsible Consumption and Production as well as Reduced Inequalities and Quality Education.
Environmental action across the group
Some key examples included:
Leeds City College, Keighley College and Harrogate College taking part in Planet Earth Games – with Keighley, which produced an indoor greenhouse and a suit of armour welded from waste metal, being crowned the national winner
Running an array of sustainability-focused courses, with 86 including specific net zero or sustainability content, across multiple fields including digital, business, motor vehicle and travel, food and drink
Harrogate College embedding sustainable practice across all of its provision, while consolidating its position as a green skills leader
Leeds Sixth Form College’s staff and students leading litter picking sessions and community clean-ups, using the gathered rubbish to create a sculpture at Park Lane campus
Engineering students visiting DRAX power station to learn about the sustainable biomass it now uses as its primary fuel and the company’s research into carbon capture technologies
Inspiring first steps towards net zero
Luminate Education Group’s Deputy CEO, Bill Jones, said: “Lessening the impact of the climate emergency is one of our top priorities and something we can only effectively do through collaboration with our partners.
“There is a huge amount of work to be undertaken to make all of the changes we need to become, as we have pledged, net zero carbon by 2035. So it has been inspiring to see the commitment, passion and professionalism of our staff and students – along with those of our partner colleges – as they’ve thrown themselves behind this.
“We’ve made a great start and winning this Green Gown Award is a testament to that and will motivate us as we forge ahead with more sustainability improvements.”
The power of collaboration – and estate-wide improvements
Luminate Education Group Consultant, Jennifer Miccoli, added: “We did a huge amount of sustainability work as part of the WYCC bid, which was led by Shipley College. The collaboration with other colleges, and sharing of resources, was great and enabled us all to pick up some fantastic ideas.
“Our efforts included everything from small student-led community projects right through to reviewing our group-wide processes, particularly regarding our buildings, so we can target what will make the biggest difference in terms of our carbon footprint.”
In terms of the group’s buildings, a new advanced management system has been set up across each site to record and drive efficiencies in the use of energy, water, and heating. A range of multi-million pound infrastructure / rebuild schemes are also in the pipeline, including at Harrogate College and Leeds City College’s Mabgate campus, where the work will be completed to meet the BREEAM (Excellent) sustainability standard.
The installation of solar panels at Leeds’ Printworks campus meanwhile, due to be completed by this summer, is expected to save some 370,000 tonnes of annual CO2 emissions. Leeds Conservatoire is also, thanks to a £1.6m award from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, on course to slash its carbon footprint by upgrading its heating and cooling systems, windows and lighting.
For several years, Luminate Education Group has partnered with Surplus to Purpose as one of our key food suppliers. This collaboration has brought significant benefits to the Group – not only in providing food for our canteens but also in positively impacting the environment by reducing food waste and supporting our sustainability pledge.
As part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability and student wellbeing, in September 2024, we introduced the Free Fruit and Veg for All campaign. This initiative ensures that all students and staff across the Luminate Education Group have access to free fruits and vegetables. By removing the cost barrier, we are making it easier than ever for our community to enjoy nutritious food options.
There is overwhelming evidence supporting the benefits of a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, from improving general health and cognitive function to enhancing learning and development. Encouraging healthy eating habits helps reinforce positive behaviour change, making nutritious food choices the norm rather than the exception.
The Work of Surplus to Purpose
Surplus to Purpose is an innovative social enterprise tackling the critical issue of food waste. Founded to create a more sustainable and socially responsible approach to food, they transform surplus food destined for disposal into valuable resources for communities, events, and schools across the UK.
Surplus to Purpose intercepts surplus food at its Purpose warehouse, which comes from all over the world. Every day, pallets of perfectly edible food that would otherwise go to waste are sorted. Globally, 6,000 calories per person per day are produced – yet half of that food never reaches a plate. Much of it is fed to animals, and the rest is simply discarded. Their mission is to change that.
All food is meticulously inspected for quality, ensuring only the best produce reaches those who need it. The process includes checking for spoilage, mould, and broken packaging before distributing the food to colleges, community groups, and individuals. Thanks to this partnership, students and staff at Luminate Education Group can enjoy fresh, healthy food every day.
A Shared Commitment to Sustainability
This initiative is about more than just providing free food – it’s about creating a sustainable, waste-conscious culture that prioritises both people and the planet. By working with Surplus to Purpose, Luminate Education Group is actively reducing food waste while promoting healthy eating habits within our learning community.
We’re incredibly proud of this partnership and the positive change it continues to bring. Whether you’re a student, staff member, or simply someone interested in sustainability, we invite you to support and spread awareness about the impact of food waste reduction and accessible nutrition.
“Climate change and ecological destruction are some of the biggest challenges of our time.
“Schools, colleges and universities, like all institutions, have a responsibility to address them; and to meet the UK government’s target to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
“Luminate Education Group seeks to do so much sooner.”
We will achieve net zero when the amount of greenhouse gases that we are producing is equal to or less than those we are removing from the atmosphere.
Wide-ranging actions to hit our target
Some of the main steps we will be taking to achieve the goal by 2035 or earlier – the pledge also includes an aspirational date of 2030 – include:
Changing our estate and buildings to become more energy efficient, reduce waste and generate their own energy
Developing sustainable travel plans for each of our sites
Embedding sustainability and green activities into staff development, student life and across our curriculum
Encouraging biodiversity on our sites, ensuring areas are dedicated to wildlife and planting
Partnering with organisations that value sustainability and hold events to support climate action
Our members will continue to provide, and develop, the green skills instruction that our students and partners need to thrive in a zero carbon economy too. And carbon literacy training will be offered to all our students.
Regular updates on progress
To monitor progress, we are also committed to measuring our carbon footprint – benchmark data is currently being collated – and publishing the findings regularly.
Looking ahead, the pledge – formulated by our Climate Emergency Committee – adds: “We will commit to our pledge and develop a detailed roadmap to outline the actions, resources, time and behaviours that will be necessary to achieve our objectives.
“We can’t do this alone. We will work with stakeholders, businesses and our community through networks, events and advocacy.”
Leeds Conservatoire students have been recording the sounds of nature as part of a sustainability push by Yorkshire’s higher education (HE) institutions.
The Conservatoire initiative is featured in a new Yorkshire Universities (YU) report which describes an array of sustainability projects that are being undertaken by local HE providers.
The guide is designed as a blueprint that can be used by other institutions wishing to drive student engagement with sustainability. It is the culmination of a 15-month, £20,000 pilot project funded by the UPP Foundation which included an audit of the extent to which the 12 YU member institutions embedded sustainability in their curricula.
Learning from the great outdoors
As part of the pilot, all 12 YU member institutions were given £1,000 to use towards boosting Sustainability Service Learning activity and providing experiential learning opportunities. Leeds Conservatoire enabled its students to carry out environmental field recordings and the feedback was very positive.
One said: “I really enjoyed exploring Leeds through a new lens and perspective, as well as having the opportunity to take field recordings through a variety of types of microphones which included zoom, shotgun, hydrophone and contact.
“I found exploring the way the natural world changed as we drew closer to the centre of the city especially interesting, and the discussions that it provoked were highly useful in creating a greater understanding of our relationship with nature.”
A further £3,000 was assigned as prize money to a Multi-University Challenge Day, organised in December 2023, which brought together 36 students – with a diverse set of skills and backgrounds – from across the 12 regional institutions.
The students were asked to form groups and develop ideas on how to engage more learners with sustainability – a topic that directly aligns with the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission Regional Climate Action Plan. The winners were then invited to give a presentation at the annual Student Sustainability Research Conference.
An inspirational pilot to engage more students
Monika Antal, Assistant Director at Yorkshire Universities, said: “YU is proud to have led this pilot and we hope this guide will inspire other institutions to learn from what works in our experiences across the region.
“The project demonstrated there is significant value for universities working in partnership to address sustainability challenges through Service Learning, which benefits communities as well as offering students valuable real-world opportunities and experiential learning.
“We also discovered that community partners benefit from a diverse range of student perspectives and small amounts of funding can help to engage a wider range of students who would otherwise not have got involved.”
Richard Brabner, Executive Chair at the UPP Foundation, added: “Embedding local sustainability projects within the curriculum is great news for the towns and cities universities are from, great news for students who learn vital skills for the workplace, and great news for universities as it improves their reputation. We were proud to fund this project and warmly welcome the report. We hope it inspires more student sustainability initiatives across the higher education sector.”
Keighley College is one of six further education providers across the region that will receive £140,000 to invest in specialist equipment to deliver electric vehicle and retrofit training, grow and embed green knowledge within the curriculum and improve links with businesses to develop and enhance their green skills.
As part of the West Yorkshire Consortium of Colleges (WYCC), the college will be involved in government plans to boost the nation’s skills and make sure more people can secure good, well-paid jobs that are closer to where they live.
A great opportunity to ‘level up’ for sustainability
Kevin O’Hare, Principal at Keighley College, said: “We are delighted to be working with partners across the region to help our young people develop green skills and learn about sustainability.
“Our Industrial Centre of Excellence for Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering provides students with the opportunity to gain real world industry experience and this project will allow us to explore more green opportunities available in these areas.
“It is our aim to ensure that we successfully embed sustainable development goals into our curriculum and prepare our learners for futures in a greener world.”
The Department for Education has announced that it will invest £2.6m in West Yorkshire’s colleges through the Strategic Development Fund.
The fund was launched in 2021 to help colleges and further education providers to transform their facilities and offer high quality technical training that better meet the needs of local employers and boost job opportunities for their communities.
This would mean that local businesses have access to the home-grown talent they need for the jobs of tomorrow and more people don’t need to leave their hometowns to get a good job.
Preparing a workforce for the future
Project Director of the West Yorkshire Consortium of Colleges, Joanne Patrickson said: “This funding will make a big difference to our colleges and in turn, the businesses and communities in West Yorkshire.
“Part of the funding will be a capital investment into equipment and machinery to allow our colleges to train the workforce in electric vehicle maintenance and retrofitting buildings.
“Colleges will be employing dedicated teams to work closely with businesses in the region to understand what help they need to become more sustainable, and the WYCC The Green Skills Service to help employers access the training and resources they need to take action.”
The £2.6m is contracted to be spent by 31 March 2023, but this initial investment will allow these new initiatives to establish and offer training that will prepare the workforce for a sustainable future.
