Like all further education leaders, Stuart Rimmer has had a busy year. Leading a college group through a pandemic is no easy feat but, in a survey at the East Coast Colleges Group, 96 per cent of staff said the college was well led during the Covid lockdowns.

An external health and safety inspection also commended the response the college had made as a model for other FE providers.

Under Rimmer’s leadership, the merger of Great Yarmouth FE College with Lowestoft FE College and Lowestoft Sixth Form College to create East Coast College was hugely successful: in 2020, Ofsted graded the group as “good”; before this, Lowestoft College had not been rated “good” by Ofsted for more than 30 years. Rimmer also secured major funding for an energy skills centre, a civil centre and a wind centre.

Anthony Gascoigne wins at the Tes FE Awards 2021

Dundee and Angus College win at the Tes FE Awards 2021

South Eastern Regional College wins at FE Awards 2021

Rimmer has had a huge impact on the wider FE sector, too - especially on student and staff mental health. He chaired the Association of Colleges’ mental health and wellbeing policy group, which published a major report into student mental health this year, and he personally published a research report for the Further Education Leadership Trust, focusing specifically on staff mental health and ensuring the publication of much-needed research on mental health in FE.

Lead judge Jim Metcalfe said: “Stuart’s is a story of transformational leadership, high performance, and personal honesty and approachability. His achievement and integrity shone through in the awards entry and the extensive supporting testimonies from his colleagues.”