Leeds City College rated 'good' following Ofsted inspection last month

Leeds City College and Leeds Sixth Form College achieved a grade ‘Good’ with ‘Outstanding’ features, with praise reserved for its "safe" environment and support for personal development of learners.

The report also identified areas for improvement, including better understanding the needs of teenage learners, and finding ways to increase attendance.

The document, which was published by Ofsted this morning, said: "Learners and apprentices value the opportunity to train in well-equipped and safe workshops. Learners and apprentices feel welcome, safe and secure at all college sites. They are frequently provided with age-appropriate information about working safely in different environments, such as in workplaces.

"Staff have a zero-tolerance culture towards bullying and harassment, and learners are confident that any occurrences of intimidating behaviour will be dealt with swiftly. Learners and apprentices enjoy participating in a wide range of enrichment activities, and many gain additional skills and qualifications.

It added the college's provisions for both adults and student personal development were ‘Outstanding’.

However, the report said the college needed to better identify the abilities of learners on GCSE English and mathematics courses more accurately, to increase attendance in the subjects where it is too low, and to continue to improve the quality of education for teenage learners at the Mabgate campus.

Bill Jones, executive principal at Leeds City College, said: “This is a fantastic achievement for the college, which has grown significantly since its last inspection in 2018. This includes the addition of Quarry Hill, Mabgate, Eastgate and North Street campuses. This increase reflects the number of our students, which has doubled in the last four years.

“Our skillful and influential leaders are committed to collaborating and working with key stakeholders and partners to not only provide invaluable opportunities for our students, but also meet the economic needs of the Leeds city region.

“Our governors also play a key role in the quality of education provided for our students. They are actively involved in determining the college’s strategic direction, making many of the key decisions in relation to each college and ensuring continuous and sustainable improvement.”

Rachael Booth, Principal of Leeds Sixth Form College, added: “This grade is testament to the hard work of our staff who make our college environment a welcoming and safe place for our students every single day.

“Our learners’ wellbeing, personal development and safety are our top priorities which are embedded in our culture, cementing our ‘Outstanding’ grade in this area. Our learners feel accepted by their peers and respected by tutors, whilst feeling comfortable to express themselves in environments that offer a safe and nurturing space, and this was recognised by the inspectors.”