What a start to Derwen College’s Year of Reading 2026 …
Student Ed is celebrating an outstanding achievement after scoring full marks in his Entry 1 English – Reading exam.
Ed, who is on our Learning for Life programme, has worked incredibly hard this term, showing real determination and commitment to English sessions. His teachers are “hugely proud” of everything he has achieved. They are now supporting him as he moves on to his next goal – the Entry Level writing assessment.
Ed has a link to our Retail & Enterprise pathway. So his progress in Functional Skills is becoming increasingly important to his ambitions.
Ed says: “I’m really happy and proud of myself”
Functional Skills for life, learning and independence
Our Functional Skills team support every student with Maths, English and ICT at a level that’s right for them. Some learners, like Ed, work towards nationally recognised qualifications. For others, Functional Skills are woven into everyday learning. They help them to build confidence and independence for life after College.
Across the college you’ll find students using:
- Maths: for example, to use timers and weigh ingredients and stock, calculate change and undertake stock taking and rotation, record data, and apply positional language
- English to read signs, follow written instructions, learn and remember scripts, write and log information and communicate clearly at home and in work placements.
- ICT: learning to use devices, software and apps that support communication, organisation, independence and employability.
Learning that is meaningful, fun and accessible
From the moment students join us, the team assess their starting point and build tailored targets that help them to progress step by step.
Learning is brought to life through creative events like World Book Day and Number Day. We hope that English, Maths and Digital skills are fun, engaging and accessible to all.
Celebrating Ed’s hard work
Functional Skills teacher Grace Amblin said: “Ed has worked really hard this term. We’re really proud of him for showing everyone what he can do. The next step is to prepare for Ed’s writing assessment.”
Derwen College is pleased to support National Year of Reading 2026 – a campaign designed to help more people discover the joy of reading and make it part of their everyday lives.