Basingstoke College of Technology celebrated for excellent teaching and student opportunities in impressive Ofsted report

Basingstoke College of Technology has received its best-ever Ofsted rating to date confirming its excellence in building the careers of tomorrow by providing rich and diverse educational programmes that empower students to thrive.

The report, published today, said students participate in learning enthusiastically, grow in confidence and resilience and have high aspirations for the future.  It congratulated the College for equipping students with the skills, knowledge and confidence to tackle whatever they choose to do next, whether it is an apprenticeship, university degree or employment. Examples of exemplary teaching in courses such as animal management, hairdressing and IT were highlighted. 

Recognising the College’s commitment to designing and teaching programmes closely linked to skills needs, BCoT improved from ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding’ across numerous categories including behaviour and attitudes, personal development and adult learning programmes. The College was also rated ‘strong’ in skills, which is the highest award it can achieve.

In the report, inspectors praised the College for establishing strong and successful relationships with industry partners and businesses to develop innovative courses.  Learners “acquire the skills and knowledge valued by stakeholders”, as well as tailoring “apprenticeship programmes so that apprentices develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours closely aligned to their job role.” For example, the College has worked with Hampshire County Council to adapt the teaching assistant apprenticeship to include a qualification on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to better support children with a range of additional needs.

This praise extends to the College’s outstanding adult learning provision – “the College implements ambitious adult learning programmes that are designed carefully so that learners quickly acquire skills and knowledge valued by employers and higher education providers.” In particular, they noted the access to clinical skills activity so students on the access medicine and medical sciences HE diploma curriculum are well prepared for their subsequent training.

Anthony Bravo, Principal at BCoT, said:

“Education leads to better life chances, and we develop our courses to be accessible to all students whether they excel in the classroom or prefer a more ‘active’ learning approach. We are delighted and proud that our Ofsted report confirms our long-standing reputation for offering outstanding educational opportunities to students of whatever age and background and our uncompromising ​ambition to enrich their lives and help them reach their goals.

“The extremely positive report is a testament to the dedication and expertise of our teaching staff who work tirelessly to improve our education provision. It is also a reflection of our fantastic students who work very hard to develop themselves for their future.”

The College was commended for “prioritising the safety and well-being of learners” and the report said students felt safe while on campus and know that “if they ask for help, it will be taken seriously and dealt with promptly.” The Haven wellbeing hub was highlighted in the report as a “welcoming and calm space leaders have created for learners and where staff are readily available to support them.”

The report highlights that students enjoy learning at BCoT, which was reflected in their motivation and attendance, and they “rightly appreciate the interesting and stimulating lessons” and “grow in confidence and resilience”.  The report also celebrated the fact that teachers use their own experiences to inspire students. For example, teachers in hospitality use their experience of working in prestigious hotels across the world to enthuse learners.

The range of extra activities students can be involved in was commended, including community-based projects, skills competitions and overseas trips.  The opportunity for the students studying animal management to participate in a rhino conservation project in Africa, where they collect and analyse data, working with a professional research team was particularly noted. “As a result, learners understand how their classroom learning is applied in practice and appreciate working with people from different backgrounds and cultures,” the report said.

Mike Howe, Chair of Governors at BCoT, said:

“We are delighted to receive our best ever Ofsted report, which recognises the passion and hard work of all the staff to deliver quality programmes for our students that prepare them for their future.

“I am especially proud to see Ofsted commend our strong focus on our students’ wellbeing and happiness, our expectation of high achievement and our strong links with industry, business and community groups across the Basingstoke region.”

The Ofsted report follows the College’s fantastic 98.6% pass rate across all full-time Level 3 (BTEC) courses and being included in the EdTech 50 2021/22 – the largest and most competitive recognition programme in education technology – for the third time.