Long Road Sixth Form College

Overview

Long Road Sixth Form College is rated as ‘Good’ across all inspection categories, with ‘Outstanding’ provision for learners with high needs. The report describes a ‘welcoming, supportive and inclusive environment’ where students ‘thrive and achieve’, demonstrating ‘exceptionally well’ in their studies and behaviour.

Strengths

• Students ‘behave exceptionally well’, showing ‘high levels of mutual respect and tolerance’ and feeling ‘very safe’.
• Teachers are ‘well-qualified subject experts’ who ‘explain concepts accurately and clearly’, leading to high qualification achievement rates.
• Provision for students with high needs is ‘Outstanding’, with ‘seamless transition’ and ‘excellent progress’ from starting points.
• The curriculum is ‘well sequenced’ with ‘frequent assessment’, allowing managers to ‘swiftly intervene’ when students underperform.
• Students benefit from a ‘well-planned careers programme’ and enriching experiences such as international visits and clubs.

Areas to improve

• Improve teaching standards in a ‘small minority of subjects’ where teachers do not sufficiently check that ‘students’ understanding is secure’.
• Increase the proportion of students participating in extracurricular activities, as current participation is ‘not high enough’.
• Enhance training to ensure students have a ‘thorough understanding of the dangers of radicalisation and extremism’ and local risks like county lines.

Safeguarding

The report states that ‘the arrangements for safeguarding are effective’, with governors providing ‘good support’ for staff responsible for student safety.