Two large colleges have pulled back from ‘inadequate’ Ofsted ratings – with both recognised for improved performance in reports out this morning.

City of Bristol College and North Shropshire College have now been rated grade three.

Inspectors recognised in today’s report on the former, which was rated grade four 17 months ago, that “senior leaders have recruited specialist managers and staff with relevant skills and experience”.

This had led to “improvements in the quality of provision for learners and a positive change in the expectations of staff and learners”.

They said the college now had “strong leadership”, while at the time of the previous inspection, it “was in a precarious financial situation – the principal [Lee Probert] was new, the senior leadership team was incomplete”, and staff and learners’ expectations were low.

“Since then, senior leaders and governors have secured a better financial position, halted the decline in poor achievement rates and driven forward improvements in the quality of provision across the college.”

But looking to the future, it warned there is still not enough provision “which is good”.

All different provision was rated grade three, except for courses for people with special needs and adult provision which were both ‘good’ (grade two).

Inspectors also recognised that learners received good-quality advice and guidance “throughout their time” at City of Bristol.

But the report warned: “Staff do not coordinate this effectively enough to provide learners with a detailed action plan that moves them towards their careers or next steps; a few learners are unclear of their next steps.”

“The progression of learners and apprentices from one level of course to another, especially from level two to level three, is low,” it added.

Mr Probert said: “With the full support of the city, we have worked tirelessly since January last year delivering improvements for our students and I’m delighted that we are no longer judged to be ‘inadequate’.”

He added: “We asked for an early inspection in order to secure access to the Register of Apprenticeship Training Providers; this means we knew we would go into the inspection with no new data about student success for the current academic year.

“We also know we have not yet achieved everything that we want to, but the fundamental improvements we have made in the key areas of quality of teaching and learning, and student progress and attendance, will ensure those results are much more positive.” 

North Shropshire College, which was rated ‘inadequate’ last January, was graded three for all areas in the latest report, except adult learning programmes which was ‘good’.

It was positive about learners’ personal development, behaviour and welfare, saying “they develop a wide range of skills that support them to move successfully to their next steps into further learning or employment”.

Inspectors added that governors and senior leaders had transformed the college’s approach to protecting learners. “A strong culture of safeguarding now permeates the college at all levels,” the report said.

Adult learning programmes, rated ‘good’, were also praised.

The report said: “Local issues are identified in consultation with employers and relevant courses provided to fill labour shortages.

“Courses have been successfully established to respond to the needs of Syrian refugees. Unemployed adults benefit from short, intensive employability courses to improve their job-seeking skills.”

But it added: “Despite improvements in some areas, managers’ actions have not yet resulted in consistently good teaching, learning and assessment.”

City of Bristol College, with four main campuses across Bristol, had 14,100 learners over the previous contract year.

North Shropshire College is based on two main campuses at Oswestry and Baschurch, with smaller specialist centres in Shipley, Burford and Wem. It had 2,222 learners over the previous full contract year.

The new report recognised that it has made a federation agreement with Reaseheath College, in Nantwich, and is “actively working towards merger”.

Interim principal Peter McCann said: “I know I can speak for myself, the senior leadership team and the board of governors who are proud of the cultural change within the college.

“It is very difficult for a college to be assessed by Ofsted as improving two grades from ‘inadequate’ in learning and skills within the timescale of re-inspection; indeed only one college has achieved this nationally under the revised Ofsted framework.

“That said I believe, as the report states, the changes being made are showing impact but we need to ensure that we reach every part of the college and not just the 80 per cent who have made excellent progress to date.”

The proportion of adult trainees funded by the ESFA who progress onto an apprenticeship has dipped below 20 per cent, FE Week can exclusively reveal.

Traineeships were launched four years ago, as part of the government’s drive to help low-skilled unemployed people below the age of 25 onto apprenticeships.

The scheme, which funds work placements, replaced Access to Apprenticeships and before that, Programme-Led Apprenticeships.

But fears have grown on their low take-up rate and increasingly unclear purpose.

The Department for Education’s said in March that there were 10,500 traineeship progressions in 2015/16. Of these, “7,000 were to a job, apprenticeship, further full time education or other training for those aged under 19, and 3,400 were to a job or apprenticeship for 19-24s.”

FE Week lodged a Freedom of Information request for the second year running in an effort to find out how many progressed to an apprenticeship – originally the main purpose of a traineeship.

The resulting DfE figures for the last full academic year showed that just 600 of 3,400 overall progressions for 19- to 24-year-olds were to apprenticeships.

Adult education can provide a strong foundation to help those in low-income communities break the cycle of deprivation.

That’s just 17.6 per cent, down from 20 per in the previous year.

The proportion of overall progressions to apprenticeships for all age groups stood at 22 per cent for 2014/15.

Last academic year there was an improvement, to 37 per cent, or 3,800 of 10,400.

Having seen the latest figures, shadow skills minister Gordon Marsden was concerned that an overwhelming majority of traineeship learners were still not progressing to apprenticeships, including older learners.

“Anything that further devalues the traineeship brand, which is so important in our view for progression to and expansion of apprenticeships, is to be regretted,” he warned.

“This is why we have pledged to have a proper pre-apprenticeship traineeship scheme for young people.”

The 2017 Labour general election manifesto has pledged to increase capital investment to equip colleges to run “an official pre-apprenticeship trainee programme” – which it is thought could leave traineeships obsolete.

The disappointing progression figures for 19- to 24-year-olds raised questions over whether traineeships should be geared towards younger people not in education, employment or training.

But the Workers’ Educational Association defended the scheme’s ongoing availability to older learners, telling FE Week: “While the benefits of lifelong learning may not be tangible in the short-term, adult education, including traineeships for older learners, can provide a strong foundation to help those in low-income communities break the cycle of deprivation.

“We believe it is important to invest in education and training opportunities for the least advantaged members of our society in order to stand a real chance of improving social mobility.”

Mr Marsden brought poor traineeship progression rates up on the floor of the House of Commons last July, referencing the FE Week story that exposed them for the first time.

He warned at the time that “if we don’t get a proper scheme that fills the needs of the economy and creates more apprentices, then that is no good”.

There were 19,400 traineeship starts in 2014/15, an increase of 86.3 per cent on the previous academic year, and 24,100 in 2015/16.

Independent training provider Nottinghamshire Training Network found itself stuck at a grade three this week, with all its provision deemed to ‘require improvement’ except traineeships, which were rated ‘good’.

Problems with leadership and management were identified at the provider, such as leaders failing “to ensure that subcontractors meet the additional learning needs of all learners and apprentices” and managers collecting “inadequate information on the progression to employment, FE and training of adult learners”.

Tutors and assessors were also said to “place insufficient focus on the development of adult learners’ and apprentices’ English and mathematics skills”.

Ofsted said too many tutors at the ITP made “insufficient use of the results of assessment” to support the progress of learners, and were “insufficiently confident to reinforce effectively the dangers of radicalisation”.

Apprenticeship provision was criticised for low achievement rates and a lack of advice and guidance.

However, strengths identified included effective action “to increase the proportion of apprentices who achieve their apprenticeship framework”, and the successful introduction of traineeship programmes in the current academic year.

There was also some “good use of work placements and experience” by tutors “to help trainees develop useful employment-related skills”.

Nottinghamshire Training Network was given eight points to improve on, including ensuring “newly appointed leaders and managers take swift, decisive actions to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment” and “all subcontractors are held accountable for improving all learners’ and apprentices’ outcomes”.

Staff members were also advised to “promote British values to learners and apprentices and secure their understanding of the risks of radicalisation and its potential impact on their lives and work”.

This week also saw a positive result for Bridgwater and Taunton College, which had its residential provision rated ‘outstanding’ under the social care common inspection framework.

The accommodation is situated in four lodges at a site in the local village of Cannington and with host families in Bridgwater and Taunton. 

There are 39 students under 18 at the Cannington site and 19 young people, including overseas students, staying with hosts.

The experiences and progress of these young people were found to be ‘outstanding’, taking into account how well they were helped and protected and the effectiveness of their leaders and managers.

Ofsted said the college provided “highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good”, and contributed to “significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for young people”.

The grade one was based on “a culture of positivity” and “high aspirations” in an “open and inclusive environment”, with managers leading by example.

Safeguarding was said to be “robust and effective”, creating a feeling of “well-being and security” for residential students.

They were found to be “making excellent progress in vocational and personal skills”, giving them the “knowledge and confidence to succeed in their chosen vocation”.

Care for residential student was described as “highly individualised” and “exceptionally supportive” by the education watchdog, meaning they had “respect for others, leadership and team work” as well as being “very proud of their college”.

Areas for development included the suggestion to review “the arrangements for the oversight and monitoring of the host family provision in Taunton and Bridgwater”, particularly ensuring information and contact numbers were up to date.