Colchester Institute staff and students are delighted, following their recent Ofsted inspection which declared the College “Good” in every single category, including: the Quality of Education; Behaviour and Attitudes; Personal Development and Leadership and Management. Inspectors also looked separately at Apprenticeship provision; courses for Adults, Study Programmes for the 3,700 full-time 16-19-year-old students at the College, and programmes for High Needs Students, and stated that all of these were also “Good”. The inspection took place over four days, from 17th to 20th May, with eleven inspectors visiting the College’s two main campuses in Colchester and Braintree as well as two of the College’s smaller sites in Harwich and Clacton.
Alison Andreas, Principal and Chief Executive said: “This outcome is testament to very hard work, and huge talent of our staff, and to the resilience and commitment of our students, over three very challenging years. Despite the huge disruption of the pandemic, we continued to place great importance around outstanding student support and great teaching and learning, and this has enabled students to gain skills and knowledge at the very highest levels, and to secure great opportunities both at universities and in employment.”
Executive Vice Principal: Curriculum, Planning and Quality, Jill Wognum, who acted as College Nominee for the inspection, added: “In addition to the key findings and brief examples covered in the final report, feedback from individual inspectors throughout the week highlighted many more examples of good practice which ensure a great learning experience for all students studying at the College. Inspectors also noted the wide-ranging and very beneficial links with employers which support students’ future careers.”
Kevin Prince, Chair of Governors at Colchester Institute said: “It’s particularly pleasing that inspectors commended the way in which students and apprentices feel valued, supported and respected by staff and how motivating they find the adult environment. Linked to this, they also noted students’ good attitudes towards their studies and high standards of attendance and punctuality. These professional behaviours are very important to us, as we are preparing students for jobs and careers.”
The College’s excellent facilities and resources were noted by inspectors, in particular they noted the outstanding facilities for Digital Media, Professional Cookery and Health and Social Care in their report which can now be found on Ofsted’s website.
To view the full Ofsted report visit www.colchester.ac.uk/ofsted
