South and City College Birmingham

Overview

South and City College Birmingham demonstrates a "supportive and inclusive culture" with strong contributions to regional skills needs, particularly in green energy and construction. While adult learners and those with high needs achieve well, the report highlights significant inconsistencies in apprenticeship outcomes and low attendance rates across young people and adults.

Strengths

• Leaders effectively collaborate with stakeholders to design curriculums that meet local skills priorities, investing in industry-standard equipment like hydrogen buses.
• A "supportive and inclusive culture" ensures staff quickly identify individual needs, using tailored support plans and assistive technologies to help diverse learners overcome barriers.
• Adult learners, including many from disadvantaged backgrounds, achieve qualifications and develop valuable skills, with ESOL students showing particular pride in their progress.
• Provision for learners with high needs is strong, with "swift improvements" in training quality and effective use of specialist teaching techniques to build independence.
• Staff feel valued, with manageable workloads and access to well-planned professional development, including a peer-coaching model.

Areas to improve

• Attendance remains "too low" for both young people and adult learners, with current strategies yet to show the desired impact.
• Apprenticeship achievement is "too low," with many failing to complete on time or achieve high grades due to insufficient oversight and inconsistent feedback.
• Progress in GCSE English and mathematics is limited, with too few learners improving their grades or correcting errors in their work.

Safeguarding

The safeguarding standards are met, with leaders establishing an "open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility" ensuring learners feel safe and concerns are actively managed.