The Sheffield College is making reasonable progress teaching a curriculum that meets students’ needs, according to a new Ofsted monitoring visit report.
Inspectors also found that the College is continuing to align curriculum provision with the skills needs of regional employers.
Employer-led skills academies across several curriculum areas, says the report, help students to gain an improved understanding of the skills and knowledge that they will need in their chosen careers.
Inspectors have also concluded that staff provide effective careers information, advice and guidance which enables learners to make informed choices about their future careers, particularly given the impact of the pandemic.
This latest Ofsted report was published on March 30th 2021 and follows a monitoring visit that took place from February 3rd to 4th 2021.
Angela Foulkes, Chief Executive and Principal, The Sheffield College, said: “We welcome Ofsted’s recognition of the progress that the College has made, and the fantastic efforts of staff and students to adapt to the pandemic.”
She added: “We strive to provide our students with a consistently great learning experience to help them go further in their careers, and gaining the skills that employers need will be at the heart of the pandemic economic recovery.”
The report also found that:
- Leaders continue to focus closely on improving the quality of education and use quality assurance processes effectively to evaluate teachers’ performance and improve their skills.
- A supportive staff development programme has helped teachers adapt to the pandemic and improve digital skills.
- Leaders have ensured that most students have access to the necessary software licences, and have provided laptop computers for students who need them.
- Students find their learning enjoyable and suitably challenging. Leaders consider that, as a result, students are making good progress.
- Students benefit from accessing their lessons online and through a mixture of face-to-face teaching and independent study tasks.
- When students are not able to access online material or find it difficult to learn remotely, staff support them to attend the College to complete their work and help them to attain the skills and knowledge that they need to be successful.
- Leaders make appropriate arrangements for vulnerable learners to study on college sites ensuring that they have a safe place to study whilst helping others to overcome the difficulties of accessing online learning at home.
- Leaders and managers have introduced a supportive welfare calling system for learners during the pandemic.
To read the full report, please visit Ofsted’s website.
