Ofsted Praise East Durham College In Recent Inspection

East Durham College is proud to announce that it has once again been graded as ‘Good’ by Ofsted following an inspection in January 2018.

The college was last inspected in 2014 and is delighted with the feedback from inspectors following the recent two-day visit.

The inspectors’ judgement confirmed that ‘governors, senior leaders, managers and staff have sustained the good quality of education and training at the college that was seen at the previous inspection’ and praised the college, stating that it had ‘strengthened further the attention on improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.’

Suzanne Duncan, Principal and Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted with the outcome of our recent inspection and that the report has highlighted many of our strengths.

“It was extremely pleasing to read that the report confirmed that learners on our 16 to 19 study programmes develop good practical skills through relevant work-related learning tasks and work experience appropriate to their career aspirations; that teachers use their skills well to help learners progress and have high expectations and challenge learners to make good progress.

“We were also extremely pleased that the report highlighted that we work particularly well with employers, the local enterprise partnership and other partners to ensure that our provision is responsive to local and regional priorities and demands; as a result, almost all of our learners progress to further study, higher education, apprenticeships or meaningful and sustainable employment.

“On behalf of myself and the governors, I would like to thank all our wonderful staff for their hard work throughout the year which ensures that our students have a high quality learning experience at all times.

“We look forward to continuing to improve the college and enhancing the positive difference we can make to lives and futures of our wonderful students.”

The report highlighted several highly positive aspects of the experience students receive at the college. The report stated that ‘learners benefit from excellent practical resources at the college’ and ‘the substantial investment in physical resources has a positive impact on enabling learners to gain the skills that employers value and need.’

It went on to say that ‘learners behave very well at college and demonstrate high levels of respect for each other and college staff.’

David Butler, Chair of Governors at East Durham College, added: “We are delighted that Ofsted recognised the very good progress we have made since our last inspection and that the college has a large number of key strengths.

“I look forward to working with my fellow governors, the college leadership team and staff to ensure the college continues to go from strength to strength.”

Roberta Blackman-Woods, MP for the City of Durham and Shadow Minister for Planning, added: “I want to congratulate everyone at East Durham College following its recent Ofsted inspection. The College provides students in Durham with excellent educational opportunities, and offers young people an alternative way into college education other than the traditional school based curriculum.

I am really pleased that Ofsted has recognised the great work the College does for young people in the region, and we should celebrate its success.”

To read the full report, please visit Ofsted’s website or follow this link https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/ELS/131859

The college’s nursery Positive Steps, which is also regularly inspected by Ofsted, was also graded as ‘Good’ at their last inspection. A copy of their report can be found on the Ofsted website, here: https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/CARE/EY376425