About Warrington & Vale Royal College
A Levels aren’t the only further education option for school leavers and mature students. Warrington & Vale Royal College has offered a ‘careers not courses’ technical alternative since it formed back in 2017, after the merger of Warrington Collegiate (Investors in People accredited since 1997) and Mid Cheshire College.
Over the years, strong leadership and even stronger people practices have seen the college consistently improve in their Investors in People accreditation assessments. From their initial ‘standard’ level accreditation in the 90s, the Warrington & Vale Royal College of the 21st century now proudly boasts a workplace culture that has achieved Platinum-level success. And most recently saw them win Employer of the Year: Platinum at The Investors in People Awards 2025. It’s this culture of continued improvement that’s been a big factor in why the college has aligned so well with Investors in People for over a quarter of a century.
So how did Investors in People help Warrington & Vale Royal College successfully bring together two different colleges? And make sure staff had the tools and support to prepare so many students, from so many walks of life, for what’s next?
- Industry: Education
- Location: Cheshire
- Organisation size: 250 - 499
Supporting staff, supporting students
When the two colleges came together, it was important that everyone got on the same page as quickly as possible. Thankfully, with Warrington Collegiate already successfully working with Investors in People, the newly created institution had the We Invest in People framework to support them.
Using their experience in data management, and turning to Investors in People’s guidance around managing performance, the new college was able to keep a close eye on things. By successfully monitoring behaviour insights, they could see if staff felt they needed more support or if apprentices wanted to get more from their studies. Working with the We Invest in People framework helped the college make real-time adjustments when needed, giving credibility to decision-making that was based on data rather than hunches.
Fast forward to today, and Investors in People has helped the college go from strength to strength. Staff are much better aligned with each other over their students’ needs – as well as their own.
The insights obtained through the accreditation process have also led to new industry-leading staff mentoring initiatives. Working with the Investors in People framework, Warrington & Vale Royal College brought in external coaches to work closely with senior leaders, helping embed a new coaching culture. One that would help teaching teams support each other and encourage stronger partnerships between different areas of the college. All backed by its rich history of data monitoring, so it could successfully track and measure the impact of these great activities.
Introducing new ideas and new ways of doing things
Over the years, Warrington & Vale Royal College has also looked at how it could change things for the better and multiple initiatives have been introduced. Through focusing on delivering continuous improvement, as indicated in the We Invest in People framework, the college has been able to turn informal ideas and disconnected efforts into more structured development and cross-college collaboration. Using staff forums and specialist working groups has given the college better ways, and means, to develop ideas and drive wider change.
One example of this in action is its annual Dragon’s Den-style innovation competition, launched in 2021. Hugely popular, staff pitch ideas to improve ways the college does things. Successful suggestions have ranged from new ways to reduce food waste to inventive methods to increase hybrid teaching opportunities. It’s these empowering and inclusive initiatives that highlight Warrington & Vale Royal College’s Platinum-level culture.
It’s also led to other areas of the college looking differently at how they can change things, like digital enrolment for new students. What would normally take a whole morning, or afternoon, can now be done in half an hour – boosting productivity and reducing workloads.
All of this work on trying new things, and not being afraid to suggest ideas, has led to an increase in staff satisfaction. 90% now feel that their views are considered and their ideas taken seriously – an impressive increase of 10% in just three years.
Looking ahead
Warrington & Vale Royal College is going from strength to strength. As it looks towards the future, what’s next? Well, just ask Nichola Newton, Principal and Chief Executive at Warrington & Vale Royal College.
“The Investors in People framework has helped us develop so much over the past 25 years. It’s transformed team culture and brought people together who wouldn’t normally work with each other. It’s made explaining what we’re doing so much easier, as we can link them to our Investors in People accreditation to show everyone what’s happening for real credibility.
“I’m really proud it culminated in us winning Employer of the Year: Platinum at The Investors in People Awards 2025. But we’re not resting on our laurels. I want to continue making us the best college to work at and always listen to what our staff need to make that so. We’ve already identified from recent staff surveys the need for more wellbeing and mental health support, so I want us to push for those accreditations. And continue with the help we offer our talented people. I’m excited to see how the support from Investors in People gets us there.”
It’s this partnership, built on 25 years of continual reflection and benchmarking, that’s pushed for improvement every step of the way. And one the college’s leadership team says is central to its culture, performance and innovation.
#IIP25Years
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