--- title: "College Principal Wins National Leadership Award" url: "https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/news/2021-04-23-college-principal-wins-national-leadership-award" school: "Birkenhead Sixth Form College" --- [![Birkenhead Sixth Form College](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/logo/BSFC_FC_RGB(1).png)](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/) - [Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/birkenheadsixthformcollege) - [X](http://www.twitter.com/BSFC) - [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs0mV-sqmiu8V_19dpFY3Zw) - [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/bsfc_/) - [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/@bsfc_college) [Apply Now](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/application-form) ![OFSTED](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/theme/birkenhead/img/ofsted_new.png) # College Principal Wins National Leadership Award 23 April 2021 ![Image of College Principal Wins National Leadership Award](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/news/For_website(10).jpg) Birkenhead Sixth Form College’s Principal has been honoured with a national award recognising his outstanding leadership in the education sector. Mike Kilbride won the ‘UK Leadership Award’ at the Educate North Awards at the virtually held ceremony on Thursday evening, marking his significant achievements in leading the College on a complete journey of transformation, not least being rated as outstanding in all areas by Ofsted. Although the Educate North Awards ceremony was honouring 2020 winners, with last year’s celebration being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, circumstances of the last year and more have brought into stark light the qualities of leadership required to deal with young people’s education and the deficits that they have endured during various lockdowns. Both staff and students at the College have benefitted from what they called Mike’s ‘strong, passionate and thoughtful’ leadership, and his communication with all parties about the direction he was steering the College through the pandemic has been highly praised by parents, with one saying it was ‘first class’. Accepting the UK Leadership Award, Mike said: “It’s obviously personally very gratifying to be recognised for the work that you’ve done over many years, but you can’t have success as a leader without a fantastic team behind you. I know it’s a cliché to say that you couldn’t have achieved this without everyone else, but the simple truth is that you can’t achieve anything if you’re not able to garner a team built around a common purpose. “A huge thank you to all my colleagues who make coming into work each day just an absolute treat.” Birkenhead Sixth Form College was also shortlisted in the Educate North Awards ‘Teaching Excellence’ category, acknowledging outstanding teaching practice and quality in the orchestration of learning for our students.” The Principal said: “Through the College’s various accolades over the last few years, we really have cemented our place as a leader in Further Education on a national basis. We’re in the business of shaping young people’s futures, and that is front and centre of what we do, whether that’s academically or personally. “Students who choose to come to this College embark on a journey that facilitates opportunities for their future that they simply wouldn’t get anywhere else. We celebrate individuals and treat them as such. For all that they do, the staff here, teachers and support staff, deserve their time to be recognised as leading lights in their field and for the work they do in making the young people in this community thrive.” You can watch Mike's acceptance speech below: [YouTube video](https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/QDiDIFs6T9U?rel=0) - [ previous](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/news/2021-04-14-more-than-60-college-students-staff-become-qualified-mental-health-first-aiders) - [next ](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/news/2021-04-30-college-shortlisted-for-uk-sixth-form-college-of-the-year-2021) ### [Latest News](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/news) [![Image of Health Professionals Programme students qualify as first aiders](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/imagecache/750x480c/news/HPP_first_aid_Collage.png)](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/news/2026-11-11-health-professionals-programme-students-qualify-as-first-aiders) 11 November 2026 #### [Health Professionals Programme students qualify as first aiders](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/news/2026-11-11-health-professionals-programme-students-qualify-as-first-aiders) ### [Upcoming Events](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/events) [![Image of Open Evening](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/imagecache/750x480c/events/Edited_Top_3.jpg)](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/events/2026-11-26-open-evening) 26 November 2026 #### [Open Evening](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/events/2026-11-26-open-evening) ### [Blog](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/blog) [![Image of Students Secure 3rd Place in Merseyside Police Cyber Challenger 2025](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/imagecache/750x480c/blog/IMG_0394.jpg)](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/blog/2025-03-06-10-26-00-students-secure-3rd-place-in-merseyside-police-cyber-challenger-2025) 6 March 2025 #### [Students Secure 3rd Place in Merseyside Police Cyber Challenger 2025](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/blog/2025-03-06-10-26-00-students-secure-3rd-place-in-merseyside-police-cyber-challenger-2025) [Tweets by BSFC](https://twitter.com/BSFC) ![Top 3](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/partners/Top_3_Footer.jpg) ![Educate Awards - Most Inspirational Sixth Form](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/partners/Most_Inspirational_Winner_-_Banner_Rounded_Corners(1).jpg) ![Educate North College of the Year 2023](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/partners/College_of_the_Year_Badge_-_Banner.jpg) [![Ofsted](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/partners/Ofsted_Outstanding_OP_Colour.png)](https://files.ofsted.gov.uk/v1/file/50248883) [![TES Shortlist](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/partners/For_Website_Partner.jpg)](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/news/2018-02-26-college-wins-national-sixth-form-college-of-the-year-award) [![Quality in Careers](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/partners/Quality_in_Careers_Standard_-_JPEG.jpg)](https://www.qualityincareers.org.uk/) ![CE Certified](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/partners/new_ce_badge.png) [![Sixth Form Colleges Association](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/partners/SFCA.jpg)](http://www.sixthformcolleges.org/) ![AoC](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/partners/Without_Border.jpg) [![Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/partners/DofE-logo-gunmetal-full-RGB_(504x800)_(403x640).jpg)](http://www.dofe.org/) ![Birkenhead Sixth Form College](https://files.schudio.com/birkenhead/images/logo/logo-white(2).png) © Copyright 2011–2026 Birkenhead Sixth Form College All rights reserved. **Birkenhead Sixth Form College** Park Road West, Claughton Wirral, Merseyside, CH43 8SQ Tel: 0151 652 5575 Email: School & Trust Websites by [ ![Schudio logo](https://www.bsfc.ac.uk/img/logo/light.png) ](https://www.schudio.com/)