Solihull College & University Centre is delighted to announce it has received a ‘Good’ across every single aspect of its recent Ofsted inspection.
Thirteen inspectors thoroughly scrutinised every aspect of the College including effectiveness of leadership and management, 16 to 19 study programmes, adult learning programmes, apprenticeships and provision for learners with high needs.
The Ofsted report states ‘Learners and apprentices quickly develop a broad range of good personal, social and employability skills as well as positive attitudes to learning that prepare them well for their future careers’.
Apprenticeships are a key area for the college, with the impending levy starting for businesses in April. The report says “Apprentices gain a wide range of very good workplace skills that employers value” and that “Progression opportunities beyond the apprenticeships are good, with high numbers benefiting from pay rises, additional responsibility or promotion”.
Teaching staff were also praised, with the report stating “Teachers are well qualified and experienced. They are passionate about their subject knowledge and use their occupational knowledge and expertise well to develop the practical and technical skills that learners need for their chosen career”.
Principal, John Callaghan comments “We wanted to show Ofsted that the College is one of the best in the region. It’s always been clear for me to see that we have hard-working and passionate staff who do all they can to ensure our students get the most out of their college experience and I am very pleased that the inspectors recognised this too. Our students continue to be a credit to the College and it was great that the inspectors could see the respect students and staff have for each other. This result has culminated in a very successful 2016 in which the college was praised for its financial strength and future resilience in the Area Review and gained top marks for the QAA inspection of higher education earlier in the year. We will now move forward continuing to ensure our high-quality provision meets the needs of the region”.
