Ofsted: Leeds College of Building '˜Requires Improvement'

Ofsted has ordered bosses at Leeds College of Building to make improvements.
23  November 2017 .......     Leeds College of Building, a specialist further and higher education construction college.  Picture Tony Johnson23  November 2017 .......     Leeds College of Building, a specialist further and higher education construction college.  Picture Tony Johnson
23 November 2017 ....... Leeds College of Building, a specialist further and higher education construction college. Picture Tony Johnson

The post-16 education centre, which has more than 3,600 students, was rated as “Requires Improvement” overall by inspectors, who have criticised its study programmes and the “employability skills” the college is equipping young people with.

It comes just months after work started on a £13m scheme, funded by a grant from the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership Growth Deal, to build a new site in the city’s emerging South Bank area.

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Ofsted’s report, focusing on study programmes and development of maths and English skills, said college leaders had not created a culture of “high enough ambition” for students.

The report said: “Leaders and governors have articulated well their long-term vision for the college to be inclusive and meet local needs by providing education and training in construction and the built environment. However, leaders have not created a culture of high enough ambition for students.”

It said managers have not ensured that study programmes for 16 to 19-year-olds meet the needs of students adequately.

Ian Billyard, principal, said the college had a “significant number” of courses that fall outside of Ofsted’s inspection scope. He said: “Although the overall Ofsted judgement is very disappointing the report does highlight many areas of good practice; particularly around our apprenticeship delivery and the courses we deliver to adults, which are graded good, and constitute over two-thirds of the work inspected.”

Mr Billyard said the college has developed an action plan to address the areas identified.

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