The FE sector’s resident bard has adapted Queen’s Somebody to Love to markColleges Week and the #LoveOurColleges campaign.
A College to Love is penned and performed by Bedford College principal Ian Pryce, who told Tes that, as it was “impossible toout-Queen Queen”, he thought a reggae version of the song would be appropriate.
This is the latest in a number of catchy tunes to be released by the singing principal, who famously turned Dolly Parton’s Jolene into a funding plea to then education secretary Justine Greening.
Read more:Why colleges need to keep making their voices heard
Background:What did the Queen’s Speech say about FE?
Colleges Week: How FE runs edu-research on a shoestring
Song titles
Mr Pryce is not the only one taking a musical approach to #CollegesWeek. A number of people involved in the sector have followed the Association of Colleges' call to and amend a famous song title – with suggestions including “Isn’t FE Lovely” and “Skilling Me Softly”.
Lyrics:A College to Love
Our financial health is disturbing
We can barely make ends meet
Just take a look at our funding
And think Lord, what you're doing to me (yeah yeah)
We’ve given up believing you
We never get any relief, Lord!
So somebody (somebody), ooh somebody (somebody)
Can everyone just find them a college to love?
Every day (every day) we try and we try and we try
But everybody seems to put us down
They say the funding rate is crazy
You say you’ve protected the rate
But it’s cruel, makes no sense
With inflation down 20 per cent
Yeah yeah
Staff work hard (they work hard) every day of their lives
Yet don’t see a rise in their pay (seven years)
In the end (at the end of the day)
We conclude our success is not valued or known
We gotta get out of this funding hell
Or we’ll never be Germany, Lord!
Somebody (somebody), ooh somebody
(Please) can everyone just find them a college to love?
Find me a college to love (to fade)
