Lakes College - West Cumbria

Overview

Lakes College – West Cumbria is judged as ‘Good’ overall, with ‘Good’ ratings for the quality of education, behaviour, personal development, and leadership. The report highlights that learners and apprentices enjoy their studies in “calm and inclusive environments,” demonstrating high attendance and professional conduct. However, provision for adult learners is rated ‘Requires improvement’ due to inconsistencies in teaching quality and curriculum planning.

Strengths

• Learners and apprentices “behave well,” displaying respect and professionalism, with positive feedback from workplace customers.
• Leaders have designed “ambitious curriculums” that effectively meet local skills needs, particularly in nuclear and engineering sectors.
• Teachers use “skilful” questioning and retrieval techniques, ensuring learners “learn more and remember more” throughout their studies.
• The college makes a “reasonable contribution to meeting skills needs” through strong employer engagement and community partnerships.
• Learners with high needs benefit from tailored curriculums that support their “confidence and independence.”

Areas to improve

• Improve the quality of teaching for adult learners to better prepare them for their next steps.
• Enhance teaching quality on the minority of poorly performing apprenticeships to ensure consistency.
• Ensure all teachers set “sufficiently precise targets” to enable effective monitoring of learner progress.
• Ensure all learners, including those with high needs, understand risks associated with radicalisation and extremism.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” noting that learners feel safe and know how to report concerns.