Cambridge Regional College Honoured for Second Time in Three Years in National AoC Beacon Awards for Excellence in ESOL 

• National Excellence: Cambridge Regional College (CRC) has been named a finalist in the Association of Colleges (AoC) Beacon Awards 2026/27 – The Bell Foundation Award for Excellence in ESOL, marking its second national recognition in three years.

• Creative Innovation: The recognition highlights CRC’s ‘Belonging Through Creativity’ project, delivered with Cambridge Arts Theatre, Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination, and Phosphorus Theatre to combine visual arts, drama, nature walks and theatre visits with language learning.  

• Proven Impact: Supporting 32 young ESOL learners, including refugees and care leavers, the initiative achieved a 95% qualification pass rate and an 88% progression rate to vocational study or higher education for higher-level learners. 

Cambridge Regional College (CRC) is proud to announce that it has been named a finalist in the prestigious Association of Colleges Beacon Awards 2026/27 – The Bell Foundation Award for Excellence in ESOL. 

This recognition, having previously been commended in the 2024 awards, marks the second time in just three years that CRC’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision has been recognised nationally for outstanding practice, teaching and measurable learner outcomes.

Sponsored by The Bell Foundation, a charity dedicated to overcoming educational disadvantage through language, the award category celebrates colleges that demonstrate exceptional, sustained approaches to language acquisition, embedding English skills to help learners progress into employment, higher education and active community life. 

The recognition specifically highlights CRC’s initiative, ‘Belonging Through Creativity: A Sanctuary-Inspired ESOL Project for 16–18s’. Delivered in partnership with Cambridge Arts Theatre, Cambridge Curiosity and Imagination, and Phosphorus Theatre, the project reimagined traditional learning by using visual arts, graphic storytelling, nature walks, and drama as diverse creative mediums. By catering to different learning styles and offering creative ways to communicate beyond traditional grammar, the initiative provided real-world context while fostering confidence and community connection alongside essential language skills. 

Reaching 32 young ESOL learners, including refugees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) and care leavers from diverse backgrounds such as Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria and Sudan, the project delivered remarkable outcomes. Learners in the lower-level cohort achieved a 95% overall qualification pass rate (with 100% achieving Speaking & Listening), while 88% of the higher-level cohort progressed into vocational programmes or higher education pathways.  

As an official College of Sanctuary, CRC continues to champion an inclusive, welcoming, and empowering environment for all newcomers settling across the region. Local data underscores the importance of accessible language education across the region. For many displaced individuals arriving in the UK, including those supported through local resettlement schemes, developing English proficiency is a critical first step toward integration, employment and connecting with their local community. 

As a finalist, Cambridge Regional College will now progress to the next stage of the AoC Beacon Awards process, with winners to be announced by the Association of Colleges in 2027.

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