South Gloucestershire and Stroud College - Ofsted Reports

Ofsted Reports

Filton College was inspected by Ofsted and the Adult Learning Inspectorate in November 2003. They found that "The overall quality of the provision is satisfactory: of the eleven areas of learning inspected, eight were judged to be satisfactory and three, good. The work-based learning in childcare was judged to be good, as was the professional management provision in business administration, management and professional." Key strengths identified by the report were strong and effective leadership by the principal, clear strategic direction provided by governors, high pass rates on most courses, a responsive range of provision for the wider community, effective strategies to promote social inclusion, and very good relationships. Areas identified for improvement were the consistency of course management, the monitoring of teaching and learning, the rigour of course reviews and self-assessment reports, students' attendance, the monitoring of student support services, and the use of information and learning technology (ILT) in teaching and learning.

A further inspection of Filton College in February 2008 found that "the quality of provision is good overall and outstanding in sports, leisure, travel and tourism. Four of the six learning areas inspected improved their grade from the last inspection." Key strengths identified by the report were outstanding provision and resources in sport, leisure, travel and tourism; good teaching and learning enhanced by ILT; strong and flexible response to employers’ training needs; effective links with the community to promote inclusiveness; a wide range of effective personal and specialist support; clear strategic direction shared by staff and governors; highly effective action to address areas for improvement from the last inspection; robust lesson observation and development process bringing about significant improvements in teaching and learning. Areas identified for improvement were success rates for adult learners, the progress made by students on BTEC national courses, insufficient opportunities for work-based learning, and the inconsistent implementation of strategies to raise key skills success rates.