College Websites

2023 Full Inspection Report

What does the provider do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders and governors ensure that students benefit from a well-informed and up-to-date curriculum. They work extensively with key stakeholders to plan a curriculum offer that meets local and regional employment needs exceptionally well. Recent additions include A-level politics, which aligns closely with the knowledge required for university, and engineering, to support progression on to degree apprenticeships.

Leaders and teachers foster a culture of ambition for all students. They focus on academic success. Teachers provide an excellent education that enables students to progress on to high-quality destinations. As a result, most students pass their qualifications and attain high grades, including those with additional learning needs. Those who choose to go to university secure places on their first-choice course. Students who elect not to go to university, successfully progress to apprenticeships or employment.

Teachers are highly skilled practitioners. They have extensive levels of subject knowledge, which they use well. Teachers’ structure lessons carefully and thoughtfully. They consider the links between topics in their own subject and those of the different courses so that lessons complement each other. For example, A-level business studies and A-level economics teachers work together to harness the synergy of the two subjects to enhance students’ understanding.

Leaders have responded swiftly to the increasing demand of support required for students who are identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They implement clear procedures to identify students’ needs and work with them well, to produce highly effective support plans.

Teachers of students who have SEND understand their additional needs well. They carefully adjust the classroom environment and modify teaching materials to ensure that these students make as much progress as their peers.

Teachers are passionate about their subjects and use highly effective teaching techniques to present information clearly. They use, for example, frequent testing, comprehension and problem-solving activities to address misconceptions and deepen students’ learning. As a result, a large majority of students develop a high level of expertise and skill in the subjects they study and produce work of an excellent standard.

Leaders have developed a broad and varied personal development curriculum. Students have access to a very wide range of enrichment activities, including trips, visits and external speakers related to their progression aims. For example, students visit Oxbridge colleges and attend master classes on degree apprenticeship programmes at a local university.

Quality assurance arrangements are purposeful and focus on driving continual improvements. Leaders review and analyse a broad range of indicators well, such as data, student feedback, assessment outcomes and lesson visits. They recognise areas of underperformance and swiftly implement focused action plans. For example, after identifying issues in students’ comprehension within A-level English, leaders’ actions led to most students exceeding their target grades.

Leaders are skilful in utilising alumni to provide impartial careers advice and guidance to students. They play an increasingly impactful role in students’ career choices. Alumni attend careers events at the college, where they present their experience of higher education and employment, discuss the complexities of the employment market, and mentor individual students. All students receive highly effective personalised careers information and guidance. An increasing number of students choose to follow degree apprenticeships at prestigious companies as a result of the guidance they receive.

Leaders have established effective governance arrangements. Governors work closely with leaders and share their high aspirations for students and take an active role in college life. They visit the college frequently, conduct collaborative quality assurance activities, meet with students, and review feedback from staff focus groups. The valuable insight they gain from these first-hand experiences allows them to better understand the college, and to be effective critical friends.