Our analysis of colleges’ Ofsted grades suggests a significant improvement in the past five months.
By the end of August last year, the sector’s grades had declined for three years in a row, with only 69 per cent of colleges at ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’.
But with a flood of college inspections improving from a grade three to two since then, including four in the last three weeks, this has now risen to 74 per cent.
This leaves around 50 colleges with a ‘requires improvement’, many of which will now face an FE commissioner “diagnostic assessment”.
And with the offer of support from the new National Leaders of FE and a £15 million strategic college improvement fund, there should be no excuses for complacency.
Sure, colleges are complex organisations often rattled by policy shifts and tight finances, but young people, adults and employers should still expect to receive high-quality education and training.
So let’s focus on achieving continual improvement – after all, colleges would expect nothing less of their learners.
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