Skip to main content
Bradford College

Teaching staff celebrate Education Pioneer’s Birthday

Today (Thursday, 20 July 2023) marks the birthday of Margaret McMillan – the namesake of the Bradford College School of Education.


a portrait of margaret mcmillan

Margaret McMillan was a famous pioneer in Bradford who lobbied for better children’s living conditions and education at the turn of the 20th century.

She campaigned for early years health and advocated for creative teaching, imagination, and outdoor learning in education.

Bradford College has been offering teacher training for over fifty years and renamed the teacher training department to the ‘Margaret McMillan School of Education’ in her honour.

The College offers one of the widest ranges of teacher training courses in the UK.

Students study at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, training to teach early years, primary, secondary, further and higher education, and adult community education.

We are “Good”

In May, teacher training was awarded a ‘Good’ rating after a recent Ofsted inspection  – the second highest possible grading. The report awarded all areas of primary, secondary, and further education and skills teacher training as ‘Good’, including quality, leadership, and management.

The report praised how trainees are well prepared for the day-to-day realities of the classroom. Students learn how to manage behaviours and meet the wider needs of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or who speak English as an additional language.

Inspectors also commended how staff consider the needs of disadvantaged trainees and recruit from a local area to meet the demand for teachers in Bradford.  Sarah Applewhite, Bradford College Vice Principal for Quality, Teaching & Learning, said:

“Staff at Bradford College work tirelessly to transform lives, and this report confirms that we are significantly improving outcomes for our students, schools and education providers, and the local community.”

The Ofsted inspection result was welcome news, given regional teacher shortages. Staff at Bradford College currently supervise 345 trainees and apprentices across all phases of teacher training, some as far as Newcastle and Brighton.

Read our teaching blog and find out more about careers in teaching, or visit the Bradford College Education and Teaching web pages to learn about our teaching and education programmes and qualifications. 

If you’re interested in a career in teaching, you can call into the College anytime over the Summer where our teams can support and guide you to the right qualification.

Textiles Practice Student’s Creation Showcased at The Beacon

  3 days

Designed by a Bradford College student, a stunning new curtain is taking centre stage at ‘The Beacon’ by Bradford 2025. Selected through a competitive live brief, Rosemary Edwards’ design takes inspiration from historic French ribbons found in the Bradford College Textile Archive. Drawn to the intricate stripes, textures, and rich colours, Rosemary created a bold […]

Creative Media Student Stars in BBC’s Virdee

  8 days

Following a recent role starring in Virdee on BBC One, a former student has taken time to speak positively about his time at Bradford College. Represented by Articulate Agency, Yousef Naseer secured his spot in the prime time crime thriller with the role of Ateeq Farooqi. With previous successful stints in the likes of Ackley […]

https://www.bradfordcollege.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/The-Beacon-Curtain_©Andrew-Benge-scaled.jpg Bradford College