THURROCK and Basildon College was boosted this week as an Ofsted report confirmed the college was moving in the right direction.
The report highlighted many positives including the College’s continuing improvement in the quality of teaching and learning as evidenced by improving 3 year trends in success rates.
The College received the award of ‘significant progress’ for employer engagement activity, which has developed extensively in the last year with key local employers working together with Thurrock & Basildon College to provide work based learning and apprenticeships for College students.
Julia Spearman, Acting Principal Thurrock & Basildon College, said
“ Our links with industry get stronger and stronger. The majority of our staff have an industrial background; we can give industry the qualifications they want. ”
Over the last few years Thurrock & Basildon College has worked tirelessly in Basildon and Thurrock to develop these key employer partnerships, three of which has resulted in the signing of the Government’s Skills Pledge Certificate; with Basildon and Thurrock University Hospital, The Port of Tilbury and The Lakeside Shopping Centre. The College has partnerships with many employers including the Brentwood Town Centre Retail Surgery and the Health Centre on Canvey Island, Vopak at Tilbury and the Royal Opera House – with whom the College’s Creative & Cultural students worked, with the community, on two performances. The College has continued to work closely with the Sector Skills Council for retail, and has recently become a National Skills Academy for Retail.
The College is justifiably proud of it apprenticeship success rates which have this year increased to 91%. It has also been encouraged with the remarks on its “effective” logistics and transport links which provide much of the region’s workforce development including the Barloworld partnership for fork lift training and its passenger transport qualification for taxi drivers.
The report also highlighted the College’s student long course success rates which have shown a 10% increase since 2006, with “sharply improved” success figures.
For adults studying at level 1, success rates have continued to increase and are now some 5% points above the 2006/07 national average. Similarly for adults studying at level 3 the trend of rates has been rising, now at 75%, an increase of 7% from 2006/07.
Julia Spearman concluded
“Staff and Managers at the College were encouraged by Ofsted’s findings from their visit. I am particularly appreciative of the comments regarding developments in teaching and learning. Our outstanding teaching has been achieved by good and timely links between teaching observations and staff appraisals and the sharing of good practice, and I am delighted with Ofsted ‘s remarks on the upgrading of a significant number of our staff to a grade 2.
Ofsted once again recognise the good links we have with the local schools, engaging our young people both 14-19 and pre-16s and inspiring them to continue their education through taster days, careers conventions and Aimhigher initiatives. We are continuing to build on the relationship we have with our local schools and with our links with the local special schools.”
