Northampton College’s ‘culture of excellence’ praised in new Ofsted inspection

Northampton College has been praised for its “culture of excellence” where students feel valued and able to succeed, with Ofsted officially rating the college as ‘good’.

The college, ranked the fifth best-performing in the country in the most recent National Achievement Rate Tables, was the subject of a four-day inspection in October. Inspectors praised leaders and managers for creating a “welcoming, calm and supportive environment” while working with stakeholders “very successfully” to understand the skills needs of the local, regional and national economy.

The positive inspection recognised the College’s continued drive to equip students with the high-quality skills they need to progress rapidly in their learning and future careers.

Principal Jason Lancaster said: “We are delighted to see that the Ofsted inspection has recognised the incredible work put in by all our staff to ensure our students make exceptional progress.

“We are fortunate to work in a college with a highly positive culture that is built on care for students and a collaborative learning environment. Students value the opportunities Northampton College provides, have respect for staff and staff are mindful and respectful of everyone’s specific needs.

“Our students are at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to be the leading college in the region and we are looking forward to continuing to supply the workforce of the future to leading employers in Northamptonshire and beyond.” 

The report reserved special praise for the college’s development of highly specialised new courses to meet the skills needs in Northamptonshire, including full-time logistics courses in Daventry, footwear apprenticeships and the launch of a green technologies centre.

Other highlights included:

• Students and apprentices enjoy attending college and are often proud of the work that they do.
• Students are well-motivated and benefit from positive relationships with their teachers.
• Students feel safe at the college and are confident that staff will take any concerns seriously and deal with them swiftly and appropriately. 
• Young people benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular activities that help them explore their talents and interests.
• Teachers, support workers and managers provide effective help for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities. SEND students make good progress. 
• Students with high needs who participate in academic and vocational courses receive effective support that helps them to have similar experiences to other young people at the college.
• Students and apprentices make good progress in improving their mathematics. They carry out relevant mathematical calculations accurately and interpret the results confidently.
• Teachers know their subjects well and most have substantial industry experience that they draw on to enhance lessons.
• Teachers prepare students well for assessments and final examinations, helping students to produce work that meets at least the expected standard and the vast majority pass their qualifications.
• Leaders are very ambitious and aspire to a culture of excellence, using a broad and appropriate range of well-thought-out quality improvement activities

Mr Lancaster added:

“A rating of ‘good’ rounds off a successful year for Northampton College and it’s pleasing to see that the hard work of both staff and students has paid off.”

Chair of Governors, Anne-Marie Kilday, said:

“The challenges for our students are huge but we are providing them with the tools they need to secure a bright future while working closely with local employers to help shape the curriculum and ensure we meet the local skills agenda. 

“To achieve such good results consistently across all measures and all provisions is remarkable and is testimony to the hard work and professionalism of all the staff.”

A full copy of the Ofsted report is available online here