A Staffordshire college group has retained its ‘outstanding’ Ofsted grade after inspectors praised its ‘strong contribution to meeting skills needs’.
A team of 13 inspectors who spent an ‘intense’ week at Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG) rated all eight inspection areas – quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; leadership and management; education programmes for young people; adult learning programmes; apprenticeships; and provision for learners with high needs – as ‘outstanding’.
The group also received the top rating at its last inspection in October 2019.
The Ofsted report reveals that at the time of inspection, 6,293 learners aged 16 to 18, 535 adults, 1,003 apprentices and 203 learners with high needs were studying a variety of courses and qualifications at the college.
Inspectors praised the teaching staff’s ‘extremely high expectations’ of their students, and highlighted learners’ ‘exemplary’ attendance and punctuality and the ‘outstanding progress’ made by apprentices.
The report states: “The college makes a strong contribution to meeting skills needs. Leaders and managers have exceptional links with local employers, universities and regional business groups.
“They collaborate effectively with partners and are agile in the way they create a challenging curriculum to help learners achieve ambitious career goals. Leaders have developed a curriculum which strongly reflects the knowledge and skills required in the local skills improvement plan.
“They prioritise the health and care, engineering, construction, and digital sectors. Leaders have been swift to successfully implement T levels within these priority sectors.”
Craig Hodgson, principal and chief executive of NSCG, said the college was ‘a special place to learn and work’.
He said: “I am so pleased that Ofsted inspectors experienced first-hand what I see from our students, apprentices and staff every single day – a warm and welcoming environment where learners are motivated and enthusiastic and staff demonstrate creativity, energy and passion in all that they do.
“The inspection period was an intense week for everyone involved and we wouldn’t have been able to achieve what we did without our students, apprentices, governors, employers and wider civic partners, who gave us their full support throughout, each playing an important part in the final outcome.
“Finally, a heartfelt thank you to our dedicated and talented staff team for their relentless pursuit of excellence, and for consistently upholding the high standards that make NSCG such a special place to learn and work – I’m delighted that these efforts have once again been recognised by Ofsted.”
Simon Leech, NSCG’s chair of governors, added: “We are thrilled that the hard work of everyone at NSCG has been recognised with such a glowing report from Ofsted. On behalf of the corporation board, I would like to thank the learners, apprentices, staff, leaders and stakeholders for their personal contribution to our Outstanding College.”
Adam Jogee MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme, and Leigh Ingham, MP for Stafford, released a joint statement, saying: “We are delighted to learn that Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group has once again been rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. This fabulous outcome is a reflection of the college’s unwavering focus on student success and its ability to adapt to the ever-changing needs of the local economy.
“As MPs for constituencies that are served by NSCG, we are immensely proud to have one of the highest-performing colleges in England in our area, and we look forward to seeing the college continue to thrive and provide exceptional opportunities for generations to come.”
