USP College graded Good by Ofsted

USP College has been awarded an overall grading of Good from Ofsted following the inspection carried out between 9 and 12 November 2021.

The report, published this week, shows the South Essex based college graded as Good in six of the seven key areas, and Outstanding in one of them, resulting in the overall grading of Good. The grading re-iterates the upward trajectory the college has made, solidifying it as a key role player in the South Essex community.

Dan Pearson, USP College CEO and Principal said: “For us this result is merely the beginning of where we want to go as an education provider. We’ve built positive momentum over the past couple of years through our curriculum design, sector engagement and career focused strategy. It’s fantastic to have had Ofsted come in and validate the good work we’re doing.”

In 2017, Seevic College merged with Palmer’s College to form USP College. The November inspection was the first time that Ofsted have had the opportunity to grade the college since the merger.

Since 2017 the college has taken active steps to further improve the quality of its provision. This has resulted in prioritising five key sector areas by aligning to local industry needs and national skills shortages, while enhancing the quality and design of the curriculum. The report recognised the progress and effectiveness of these strategic priorities.

It was within the area of provision for learners with high needs where the College really excelled in terms of the inspection, with an Outstanding grade in this area. The Ofsted report commented: “Leaders have developed an outstanding curriculum for learners with high needs. This widens learners’ experiences and life skills enabling them to progress confidently to their next steps in learning and life.”

The report highlighted a few other key areas where the college particularly impressed Ofsted:

• The college leadership’s work with a broad range of employers
• How learners gain and build on existing knowledge
• The highly effective manner in which the College assesses learning
• The high quality of digital resources that the College has on offer to learners

The report also highlighted the effectiveness of the College’s leadership in managing Safeguarding.

Mark Silverman, USP College’s Deputy Principal Quality & Curriculum said: “This Ofsted report shows the great progress that the college has made over the past few years. It is great for students and the community that Ofsted have recognised the high quality of provision at USP College and the opportunities for young people, adults and those with high needs to maximise their career opportunities.”

USP College offers A-Levels, BTEC Diplomas, Professional Qualifications and Higher Education to school leavers and Adult Learners. The college has just opened a third campus – the Xtend Digital Campus on Canvey Island where students can study certain courses in a state-of-the-art digital technologies centre, specialising in augmented reality, virtual reality, extended reality and immersive education.

For more information visit www.uspcollege.ac.uk