The college was truly delighted to achieve Investors in People (IIP) Platinum status in August 2025, following a period of rigorous staff surveys, interviews and meetings. Just 7% of organisations recognised by Investors in People are awarded “Platinum” and it follows our previous IIP status of “Gold”, awarded to us in 2021.
Our Investors in People report says:
“You have many strengths that we have identified. Perhaps the most important is your values-based culture that fosters instinctive collaboration, empowerment and a shared drive to go beyond the expectations of most people to deliver an outstanding experience for students to learn in a safe environment.
Your people are remarkable, do remarkable things and have a passion for their work because they are trusted and valued within the College and are given the support and development they need to thrive.
Everyone is focused on your outcomes, and you ensure that you check on the impact of your work and how you enable people to deliver outstanding services.”
The final report confirms that one of our greatest strengths is our values and how they are embedded throughout the college. Staff, students and visitors are all made familiar with our values of Supportive, Collaborative, Anti-Racist, Brave, Empowering, Authentic and are required to adhere to them. A whopping 100% of our staff said they share our values, 97% believe our values influence the way they work with 92% of staff saying they are confident enough to challenge behaviours at Fircroft that do not match our values. The report states that our values “have attracted praise and recognition within the sector and were cited as a factor in gaining some of your awards”.
Trust and empowerment is also a key theme in the report, with 97% of staff saying they are encouraged to use their own initiative and 92% feeling they are trusted to make decisions in their role, rather than needing to escalate. Trust in management scored highly with staff feeling they are consulted and listened to regarding key changes and decisions, believing their feedback is sought, valued and appreciated.
We look forward to ensuring we maintain our “Platinum” status, building on what we do best and always looking to continuously improve and enhance our services for our students, staff, governors, referral partners and all other stakeholders.
