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Ofsted confirms City College’s outstanding qualities
18 July 2011
A newly published Ofsted report of City College Brighton and Hove, the largest provider of vocational education and training in the city with a cohort of around 10,000 students, places it among the top colleges in the country. The report states that: 'Outstanding leadership and management have created a culture of high expectations for staff and learners and an ethos of reflection and review to promote continuous improvement'. The college’s development and use of partnerships was also rated as outstanding, with inspectors noting that: 'Its use of links with employers provides tangible benefits to its learners, including opportunities for progression to jobs and the development of enterprise and employability skills.' The results confirm that the College is now rated, in Ofsted terms, ‘Good with Outstanding Features’. In terms of full-time course success rates, it has also recently been confirmed that City College is 14th in the league of England’s 234 General Further Education Colleges. For Level 3 (A-level equivalent) course success rates, the College is the 5th highest performing College in the country.
In the Ofsted inspection, the College was rated ‘Outstanding’ (Grade 1) in the key areas of College life ‘Capacity to Improve’, ‘Leadership and Management’ and ‘Safeguarding’ and the curriculum area of Visual & Performing Arts & Digital Media. All the other areas under consideration by the inspection team were rated ‘Good’ (Grade 2), including ‘Quality of Provision’, ‘Outcomes for Learners’, ‘Equality and Diversity’ and the curriculum areas of Hair, Beauty & Holistics, Childcare, Health & Social Care and Language, Literacy & Numeracy. In addition, the Ofsted inspectors were so impressed with specific aspects of City College’s approach that they want to recommend that the College is cited on the Ofsted website for four areas of good practice: Virtual Learning Environment, Art & Design, Curriculum Enrichment and Leadership & Management.
Ofsted celebrations at City College
'It’s a tribute to the hard work and commitment of every member of staff over the last four years', said Principal, Phil Frier. 'These are excellent inspection results of which we’re incredibly proud. I’ve known for some time that we’re very good at what we do in providing a great experience for our students and ensuring that they get the best qualifications possible. It’s terrific though that Ofsted have now confirmed this. These results now give us the high level foundation on which to build an outstanding College over the next few years - the kind of College where we’ll be proud for our families and friends to be educated.'
Student Dan Ancell said: 'City College provided me with an opportunity to thrive as a Motor Vehicle student when I came back into education as a 22 year-old and I’m extremely proud of the Ofsted result and all the students I’ve spoken to feel the same way. When the inspection was happening, we had the opportunity to represent our course areas and let the inspectors know what the College is like from a student’s perspective and I think the report reflects how excellent the student experience is here.'
Simon Fanshawe, Chair of the Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership, said: 'By training so many local people, City College is in the driving seat of the city's economy. With this latest spectacular Ofsted result under Phil Frier's leadership, it’s really moved into the fast lane.'
College Governor Pat Hawkes, former President of the National Union of Teachers said: 'I’m so delighted with this report because it recognises the fact that the College not only provides an excellent learning experience for traditionally high-achieving students en route to University but also nurtures those who may have struggled at school to successfully find their vocation and follow their passion. I think this seal of approval from Ofsted is a real tribute to the College’s incredibly committed staff and will make more and more local people of all ages realise that City College has something to offer them when it comes to gaining new qualifications and skills.'
'All the curriculum areas inspected were a real credit to the College as the grades show but I’m particularly pleased to see the superb teaching staff from our Visual & Performing Arts department getting the recognition and praise they deserve with this ‘Outstanding’ grade', added Mr. Frier. 'The department’s reputation locally for being a hotbed of creativity where students continually excel is well-deserved but this report puts the official stamp on its excellence.'
City College is still recruiting for a range of courses starting in September 2011. For more details see www.ccb.ac.uk or contact course information on 01273 667759.
For City College media enquiries, please call Brian Bell, Marketing Communications Officer, on 01273 667788 Ext. 488 or email bb1@ccb.ac.uk website www.ccb.ac.uk
About City College Brighton and Hove: Situated in the heart of Brighton, City College Brighton and Hove has become an international centre of vocational excellence. Every year, 2,000 full-time, 7,000 part time, almost 400 Higher Education and 400 14-16 year old students as well as many international and European students choose City College as their place of further and higher education training. In addition, the College provides training to over 2,000 businesses via its ‘City Business Skills’ department which focuses on employer training needs. Offering over 700 courses from basic level right through to business and postgraduate training, City College is working with its partners to develop the workforce of the future.
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