Brockenhurst College

Overview

Brockenhurst College is judged as ‘Good’ across all inspection categories, including the quality of education, behaviour, and leadership. The report describes an ‘inclusive and supportive learning environment’ where most learners ‘thrive’ and are ‘highly motivated to learn’. Leaders have established strong partnerships with employers to ensure the curriculum meets local skills needs, particularly in vocational sectors.

Strengths

• Most learners receive ‘high-quality teaching and support’, enabling them to ‘develop substantial new knowledge and skills’ and produce work of a ‘high standard’.
• The college has ‘improved provision for learners with high needs significantly’, including the development of a specialist ‘independence hub’ for those with complex SEND.
• Staff provide ‘relevant and useful careers advice and guidance’, helping most learners secure their ‘first choice of university’ or positive employment destinations.
• Leaders maintain ‘productive partnerships’ with local stakeholders to address skills shortages, ensuring courses in areas like engineering and hospitality align with employer requirements.
• Teachers effectively support the development of literacy and numeracy, with learners in GCSE English and mathematics ‘progressing well’ and improving their grades.

Areas to improve

• Improve the quality of teachers’ developmental feedback on a minority of courses so that learners know how to improve their work.
• Continue to ensure that all apprentices achieve their qualifications successfully and in a timely manner.
• Ensure that all adult learners are aware of the additional enrichment activities available to them through the college.

Safeguarding

The report states that ‘the arrangements for safeguarding are effective’, noting that learners feel safe and value the staff’s ‘zero tolerance approach to bullying, discrimination and harassment’.