Ofsted | FE Week

Ofsted watch: College bounces back from inadequate to good

A college that has bounced back from a grade four to a grade two is leading the charge on a week that has been good almost across the board. Stanmore College was applauded for its “rapid and significant improvement” since it received the lowest possible grade in September 2015, in a report published March 6 […]

Ofsted watch: Local authority provider leaps two grades

A local authority provider has leapt two grades from inadequate to good and an independent training provider has received a grade two on its first inspection in this week’s Ofsted reports. But otherwise ‘requires improvement’ has been the main story of the week. West Sussex County Council was praised for its progress since it was […]

Apprenticeships: what are Ofsted inspectors looking for?

Apprenticeships are not vehicles to validate employees’ existing skills – our inspectors want to see that apprentices are learning something new, says Christopher Jones A sign outside a shop in my local market town reads: ‘the only constant in life is change’. I usually ignore such nuggets of wisdom, but this one stuck with me. […]

Former ‘outstanding’ college’s Oftsed rating slumps after first inspection for decade

A college that went a decade without being inspected by Ofsted has crashed two grades. Bury College was rated as ‘requires improvement’ by the education watchdog in a report published today, following inspection from January 16 to 20. That inspection came almost exactly ten years after its previous full inspection, from February 5 to 9 […]

Ofsted could re-inspect after QAR loophole crackdown

Ofsted could re-inspect providers for questionable achievement rates that have come to light following a recent Skills Funding Agency crackdown. Last week the Department for Education admitted to a loophole in the SFA’s qualification achievement rates calculation, which it said “artificially” boosted the scores for around a tenth of all providers, with some benefiting by […]

How does Ofsted know whether work experience is high quality?

The post-16 skills plan heralds a major change to work experience in the current system. The government wants college-based technical education programmes to include an entitlement to a one- to three-month “quality work placement” with an employer in an industry relevant to the learner’s study. Yet as revealed by the Department for Education’s recent consultation, […]

‘Good’ Ofsted report finally unveiled for recently incorporated FE college, after 90-day wait

Questions surround why publication of a ‘good’-overall Ofsted report was delayed until 90-days after the recently created FE college was inspected. The report on Basildon-based Prospects College of Advanced Technology was published this morning, after it was inspected between November 15 and 18 last year. Its performance is of key interest to the government and wider […]

Ofsted watch: No overall-improvement recognised in tough week for FE

A major adult and community learning provider has fallen to ‘inadequate’, in a week of reports on FE and skills providers that either returned the same or a lesser overall grade. Essex County Council was found to have serious problems with the teaching of English and maths, as well as having insufficient safeguarding arrangements in a […]

Ofsted watch: Outstanding rating highlight of positive week for FE

The new year’s first outstanding Ofsted verdict for an FE provider was handed out this week, with two independent learning providers also retaining their ‘good’ grades. Birkenhead Sixth Form College was given the highest possible rating across the board from the education watchdog, in a glowing report published Monday (January 30). It was just the […]