Sheffield College’s ESOL achievement rates have collapsed following investigations into claims of dodgy results.
Its level 1 regulated ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) achievement rate dived from 81.3 per cent in 2023-24 to just 28.4 per cent last year.
Meanwhile, the South Yorkshire college’s entry level regulated ESOL achievement rate fell from 92.4 per cent to 57.8 per cent.
The latest results, revealed in government data, follow claims of unreliable achievement rates and associated certification for ESOL students in the 2023-24 cohort.
In a statement released in February in anticipation of the statistics release, the college had said external investigations into unspecified discrepancies were ongoing, but admitted “maladministration” had been identified.
Angela Foulkes, chief executive and principal of Sheffield College, said “unsatisfactory” practices were found during an internal audit.
Major provider
The Sheffield College is the third largest ESOL provider outside of London – recording 5,350 leavers last year – and had some of the highest achievement rates of above 90 per cent.
The college’s non-regulated English language courses still achieve strong results.
In 2024-25, it scored a 96.2 per cent achievement rate from its non-regulated level 1 learners, which had 30 leavers. This compared to 98.5 per cent in 2023-24 when it had 470 leavers.
Meanwhile, non-regulated entry level ESOL provision for 1,320 leavers had an 89.7 per cent achievement rate in 2024-25, down from 96.4 per cent the previous year when 3,370 leavers were recorded.
Foulkes said: “We have completed a rigorous internal audit as part of our internal investigations into allegations affecting one curriculum area.
“We found some unsatisfactory practice within our ESOL provision which we identified as maladministration.
“Working with the awarding organisations, this has been addressed through rigorous quality processes which has resulted in a drop in achievement results in that area of the college for 2024-25.”
The college has set up a performance improvement board to prevent a repeat of the issue.
“One of the consequences of the work that we’ve done is strengthening our approach to quality assurance and compliance,” Foulkes added.
External investigations are ongoing.
When the ESOL malpractice claims emerged last July, Sheffield College reportedly suspended two senior staff members and opened an internal investigation. The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and awarding organisation City & Guilds also opened probes.
The combined authority funds the provision through the adult skills fund (ASF) and has repeatedly awarded Sheffield the largest share of its budget. It received a 13 per cent increase to its ASF income in 2023-24 to £11.58 million.
The same amount was allocated in 2024-25 and 2025-26, which accounts for more than one third of the authority’s £32 million annual ASF budget.
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