City College Plymouth

Overview

City College Plymouth is a large further education provider with an overall effectiveness of ‘Good’. The report highlights ‘excellent’ learner behaviour and a positive atmosphere, alongside strong support for mental health and hardship. However, provision for learners with high needs ‘Requires improvement’ due to insufficient specialist support and curriculum planning.

Strengths

• Learners demonstrate ‘excellent’ behaviour, attending well and interacting ‘harmoniously’ in recreational areas.
• Staff provide ‘exceptional support’ for learners experiencing hardship, including free food, clothing, and personal care items.
• Teachers are ‘knowledgeable’ and effectively use industry expertise, such as workplace visits and simulations, to enhance learning.
• The college makes a ‘reasonable contribution’ to local skills needs through strong employer links and collaborative regional initiatives.
• Most learners receive effective, tailored careers advice and progress to ‘positive destinations’.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must ensure learners with high needs receive an ‘ambitious or well-planned curriculum’ with effective specialist SEND support, particularly for speech, language and communication needs.
• Teachers should set ‘specific and clear’ targets that focus on improving knowledge and skills, rather than just attendance or coursework completion.
• In some subjects, teachers need to check learners’ understanding of prior knowledge more effectively to ensure secure progression.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are ‘effective’, with learners feeling safe and confident that concerns will be taken seriously by approachable staff.