A ‘Good’ start for recently merged FE college

East Anglia’s @EastCoast_Coll has received a glowing report following its first @Ofsted inspection since its merger in late 2017. East Anglia’s leading #FE college has been graded good by Ofsted.

Following a spate of disappointing results nationally for similarly merged colleges, East Coast College (ECC) has bucked the trend. It has handled the technical and administrative problems involved when combining colleges, while enhancing and delivering an excellent standard of teaching.

Behind the scenes, ECC’s leadership has cultivated close relationships with local businesses and industries to develop facilities and resources. This has helped the college to offer a perfect blend of courses for its students and widen the opportunities for employment after graduation.

David Hughes, Association of Colleges Chief Executive, said,

“I am delighted to see another college achieving so well after some difficult times. Colleges have had to deal with an overall 30% funding cut in the last decade, and there is no sector which would find that easy to deal with. To come through that with a strong focus on ensuring students have a good experience is fantastic.”

Stuart Rimmer, CEO of East Coast College, was quick to praise his team for this achievement,

“This result is all about ‘teamship’. Our staff team is the most committed and student focused of any college I’ve ever worked in. When students join our college, they join ‘Team ECC’, whichever part of the college they belong to.

“We have the highest performing sixth form in the region, the largest STEM provision, the most inclusive and supportive choice, strongest employer links, university higher education and degrees taught in our towns, and really great teaching.

“We love supporting education and skills in our communities and have some amazing plans to reveal over the coming months. There is no better choice for students in our region.”

Ofsted commended ECC on its high expectations for student attendance, as well as for creating a healthy environment for learning behaviour and attitudes. This is yet another positive in the wake of recent reports on school absences in the region.

Investment from New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership was pivotal in making these facilities a reality.

Chris Starkie, CEO, said,

“This is good news for East Coast College, its staff, students and local businesses.

“We are delighted to have invested £10m from our Growth Deal with Government in the College’s new Energy Skills Centre, which is an excellent example of the College and partners developing an innovative solution to support the future needs of our energy sector.”

The college leadership team has worked tirelessly to help give students every opportunity and the skills they require to achieve their personal and academic goals. This includes amending curriculum content to better match the students’ aspirations. In fact, Ofsted recognised that teaching staff go further, helping students to expand their knowledge and skills beyond the qualification parameters. This is reflected in the number of students who achieve and progress to higher levels at ECC.

Mike Burrows, Chair of Governors, recognised the effort put in by college staff,

“We are delighted that Ofsted have rated East Coast College as good. The commitment and teamwork of our staff is outstanding and their hard work and skill has made a real difference to the quality of learning and the experience provided for learners. It provides a tremendous boost for our staff, learners and the whole community.”

East Coast College has campuses in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, offering a wide variety of courses and apprenticeships. The college has close links with the Maritime, Energy and Engineering industries, boasting world-class training facilities, like its Energy Skills Centre. It performs particularly well in the provision of STEM subjects; helping students to achieve their personal and professional goals.

The College is delighted with this outcome and will work to further embed and build on this in collaboration with all its partners. As it is ambitious to push the boundaries even further.