A Hampshire college is in the running for a prestigious national education award.

Barton Peveril College in Eastleigh has been shortlisted for the Times Educational Supplement (TES) Award.

The sixth form, is the only college in the Southampton area shortlisted for the ‘outstanding use of technology for improving teaching, learning and assessment’ category for this year’s ceremony.

Now in its sixth year, the annual TES Awards look to celebrate and recognise the dedication and expertise of the people and teams who make a significant contribution to improving the education and skill levels of young people across the country.

This year there are 16 categories including best teaching and learning initiative, sixth-form college of the year and teacher of the year.

Barton Peveril applied for the award because of the success it has had since adopting a scheme called ‘Google Classroom’ within its Humanities Department.

The new blended learning platform gives students better access to resources and lesson materials, enhances collaborative work between them, and allows the monitoring and grading of assignments in a paperless way.

Mark Robinson, Director of Humanities at the college who submitted their award entry said: “Since adopting this technology within our lessons, we’ve seen a dramatic difference in student engagement and significant improvements on value added outcomes. We are championing Google Classroom across college and being shortlisted for a TES Award is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the continued hard work and achievements of our staff and students.”

Two of Mark’s students say they’ve found Google Classroom hugely beneficial to their studies.

Chris Toward, 18, from North Baddesley studying A Level History at Barton Peveril said: “Google Classroom has been an absolute gift. Being able to work anywhere, anytime on any device makes me so much more productive. I also like the prompt feedback that I receive from my teacher online after submitting a piece of work. We’re currently exploring the Tudor religion and this digital way of working allows our class to be collaborative and access materials freely and easily.”

Elizabeth Pound, 18, from Totton also studying A Level History said: “Using Google Classroom ensures that I’m fully prepared before my lesson as my teacher will send me push notifications direct to my phone with the pre-work that I have to do. I like traditional teaching, but this technology has enhanced our courses and encourages students to share ideas and work in different ways. I love using it because it’s fast, direct and a great support both inside and outside of our lessons.”

Barton Peveril will go head to head with seven other colleges across the country for the accolade at an awards ceremony to be held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on February 24.