Inspectors were asked to leave Newcastle College after staff complained of “troubling incidents” during an inspection.

Ofsted were assessing NCG (formerly Newcastle College Group) in May when the inspection was cut short.

However, inspectors were given permission to return to the college and complete the assessment several weeks later.

An email seen by FE Week and sent to college staff by Dame Jackie Fisher, chief executive of NCG, said: “Unfortunately the inspection came to an untimely end as a result of some troubling incidents.

“However, we finally agreed to allow the inspectors to return and the on-site inspection of NCG has now been concluded.”

A spokesperson for NCG told FE Week in June they “would not normally comment on any inspection process.”

When asked if inspectors were escorted off the college premises during the initial dispute, an NCG spokesperson said “it didn’t happen” and was “absolutely not the case”.

Newcastle College was judged to be “outstanding” by Ofsted in every area of its last inspection report, published in July 2008.

It is thought that the new report, due to be published later this month, will downgrade the college from “outstanding” to “good”.

NCG will be submitting an appeal to Ofsted to try and improve some of the report’s findings.

“Many of you are aware that the Ofsted inspection was not entirely trouble-free,” the email sent to college staff by Dame Jackie Fisher said.

“We are planning to pursue with Ofsted some outstanding matters which may improve the grade profile.

“However, based on Ofsted’s track record in listening to provider complaints, this must be viewed as unlikely, regardless of how strong our case is.” A spokesperson for Ofsted said they were unable to comment on the inspection or individual complaints.

A neighbouring college has also appealed against Ofsted because of “inconsistencies” in the way standards were applied during an inspection carried out weeks before.

Richard Thorold, principal of Gateshead College told FE Week: “It appears the overall judgement is, in the main, based on historical data.”

He added that the inspectors appeared reluctant to apply a fair judgement to the in-year data.

“This is, in my mind, where the inconsistencies are in the way the standards are being applied across inspections.”

Stafford College have also submitted an appeal because of “crucial factual errors” in its inspection report.

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4 Comments

  1. Eugene Greco

    Difficult to tell if this is bad OfSTED practice or a high profile college crying foul because it didn’t get its own way?
    In any event, a plague on both their houses…

  2. Cyril Smith

    One rule for colleges, one rule for training providers. If a training provider told Ofsted to do one, the SFA would probably withdraw their funding. All of these whingeing college chief executives should stop their bleating and sort out their teaching and learning.

    • John Germain

      Or else the training providers should acknowledge that education is a public good and not an occasion to make a profit. Having just observed lessons in a training provider classroom (no thought to level, too many students for the space, roll-on / roll-off), I can only hope that public money is withdrawn from the private sector.

  3. John Germain

    It is becoming widely recognised that there is a bigger problem in the sector. Colleges have been allowed to re-invent themselves as quasi-private corporations in which education is a commodity. Ofsted have taken on the role of an aggressive hit squad. Principals don’t like being called to account (other than by their often ineffective boards); Ofsted lacks the educational credibility to call them to account. This state of affairs isn’t going to get better with the continued shift to a privatised FE system. One effect of this shift has been personalised, ‘charismatic’ style of educational management which resists any kind of challenge – be it external (Ofsted) or internal (trade union).