The Isle of Wight College

Overview: The Isle of Wight College is a general further education college with a good overall effectiveness, providing a broad curriculum to students of all ages, including those with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The college has a highly inclusive and respectful culture, with students, adults, and apprentices developing the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviours to progress successfully to careers or further education.

Strengths:

• The college has a highly inclusive and respectful culture, with students, adults, and apprentices recalling useful learning about fundamental British values and exemplifying these consistently.

• Students with high needs make excellent progress from their starting points, enjoy their learning, and develop their independence very well.

• The college has a wide range of successful partnerships with employers and stakeholders, both locally and more widely in the area.

• Leaders have designed a curriculum that meets the aspirations of students and employers on the Isle of Wight, and most students develop the necessary skills, deepen their knowledge, and adopt behaviours they need to advance their independence and move on to further learning, apprenticeships, or employment.

• Teachers plan learning logically and carefully, ensuring students and apprentices develop a secure understanding of the foundations of their subjects before deepening their knowledge as study and training progresses.

Areas to improve:

• Leaders and managers should ensure they plan the curriculum effectively so that all apprentices can complete their qualifications within the planned period of time.

• Leaders and managers should ensure students studying English and mathematics benefit from high-quality education which helps them to make the rapid progress of which they are capable.

• Leaders and managers should ensure that all adult learners and apprentices benefit from a personal development programme of learning that helps them to develop their wider skills and interests.

Safeguarding: The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.