Croydon College has raised its Ofsted rating from Inadequate to Good less than two years after inspectors raised concerns about teaching, behaviour and safeguarding.
The college, which joined with Coulsdon Sixth Form in March 2019, represents a huge student base numbering over 6,000 and dominates the centre of East Croydon’s so-called cultural quarter with its main campus.
In an inspection carried out over both the Croydon and Coulsdon sites from October 1 to 4, it was noted that grades had improved, attendance had increased and the quality of teaching is better than it had been when the college was graded as Inadequate in February 2023. At the previous inspection student behaviour was flagged as an issue, and there was deemed to be a risk of radicalisation.
Credit: Google Maps
However, the latest inspection report published on Wednesday (November 6) confirmed that since the previous inspection, staff have taken ‘effective actions to improve the quality of education, behaviour and attendance at both campuses’.
While attendance has improved, punctuality was recognised as a work in progress. Changes to the curriculum and apprenticeship programs were also well received by the inspectors. Teachers were praised for their ability and experience in their subjects, although some teachers, including those teaching English to non-native speakers, were criticised for not effectively monitoring the ability of their students.
Inspectors said: “They have rightly focused their attention on improving the curriculum and quality of teaching and assessment for young learners and those who have high needs. They have made notable improvements across these areas. This has led to increased and high achievement rates in many subjects for learners and apprentices.”
During the 2023 inspection, Ofsted officials noted that the school put some students at risk of radicalisation. They said at the time: “Learners and apprentices have limited knowledge and skills needed to make safe and informed decisions on relationships, to understand the dangers of extremism and radicalisation, and to lead a safe and healthy life.”
Since then, Croydon College has made marked improvements in this area, in particular by redesigning the students’ tutorial projects around these issues. According to inspectors, they now include healthy and appropriate relationships, consent, equality and diversity and a range of topics to help learners understand how to keep themselves safe from radicalisation.
Despite the praise, inspectors noted a number of areas where the college must look to improve further. These included increasing ‘the proportion of learners who achieve their qualifications, where the quality of teaching is not consistently good, such as sports, engineering and hair and beauty’.
They also include increasing ‘the proportion of learners, including those with high needs, who attend external work experience opportunities’. They called for the college to work with employers on the curriculum and for teachers to check students’ understanding thoroughly and effectively.
Caireen Mitchell has led Croydon College and Coulsdon Sixth Form since 2018. Following the announcement she said: “We are absolutely delighted with the overall rating of ‘Good’ for the college.
“It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff and demonstrates how much they care about our students. Our teachers do this job because they want to make a difference in the lives of young people, they want them to succeed and do well in whatever career they choose, and I am extremely proud that this has been reflected in the Ofsted report.
“As a team, we are committed to creating a safe and effective learning environment for our students and we will continue to improve and develop as an education provider that the communities of Croydon and Coulsdon can be proud of.”
Since the 2023 inspection, Ofsted returned to the college in November and then again in March of the following year. These allowed them to track the progress the college makes between its full inspections.
As of September 2024, Ofsted no longer issues state schools with an overall grade such as Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, or Inadequate, however colleges and other further education establishments do still get a one word overall grade. Schools, meanwhile, will get a rating in four sub-categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management.
