Coventry College recovers after three consecutive ‘requires improvements’

Coventry College has improved to ‘good’ after eight years and three consecutive ‘requires improvement’ judgments. 

The West Midlands college ended its Ofsted grade 3 streak with a report published today following a full inspection last month. 

Inspectors found the near-5,000 learner college to be ‘good’ in each sub-judgment, noting “leaders have substantially improved the education learners receive.”

This is a marked improvement for the college from its November 2022 inspection, which saw it graded ‘requires improvement’ for the third time in a row and an ‘inadequate’ grade for its apprenticeships put an end to that provision. 

A standout improvement for the college has been the proportion of learners that achieve and progress. T Levels were highlighted among “several courses” that still need to improve. However, leaders “have clear actions and support in place”.

Since the last inspection, a “Coventry College quality mark” has been introduced to raise teaching standards and improve the quality of lessons. Alongside, the college has “significantly invested” in teacher training through dedicated coaches that work with curriculum teams. 

Carol Thomas, who has been principal of Coventry College since 2020, said the inspection outcome was a “huge step forward.”

“In just four years, our staff have driven remarkable change, and you can feel the difference the moment you walk into the college.”

Thomas told FE Week the college “will be reviewing its position regarding apprenticeships with both the ESFA and the board of governors.”

Quality of education, personal development, leadership and management, programmes for young people, adult learning and provision for high needs learners were all uprated to ‘good’ from ‘requires improvement’.

Inspectors also uprated the college’s score for contributing to local skills needs from ‘limited’ to ‘reasonable’.

High needs learners achieve “at least as well as their peers” at the college with increasing access to work experience opportunities and supported internships. 

The report notes governors’ understanding of the college’s strengths and weaknesses and leaders’ oversight of subcontracted teaching. 

To improve further, Ofsted advised the college to provide consistent feedback to all learners, provide enrichment activities for more learners, improve the kitchen learning facilities for life skills learners and increase achievement in the “small” number of courses where it’s “not yet high enough.”

Thomas added: “This success is a collective achievement, and I want to thank everyone who made it possible. Moving forward, we will continue to improve and provide high-quality education.”