The Trafford and Stockport College Group

Overview

The report describes a college where learners enjoy a “highly inclusive and supportive environment” and feel safe. While the overall effectiveness is rated as Good, with strong provision for young people, adults, and learners with high needs, apprenticeships require improvement due to inconsistencies in training quality and employer engagement.

Strengths

• Learners benefit from an “ambitious curriculum” that prepares them well for employment or higher education, including targeted initiatives like the ‘airport academy’.
• Staff are “appropriately qualified” and use industry knowledge effectively to illustrate key learning points, providing personalised feedback.
• The college makes a “reasonable contribution to meeting skills needs” through effective partnerships with employers and universities.
• Provision for learners with high needs is praised for being “highly individualised,” helping them develop vocational skills and progress into paid employment.
• Safeguarding arrangements are “effective,” with staff trained to identify risks and support learners’ mental well-being.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must ensure employers are routinely involved in planning apprenticeship training and progress reviews.
• Assessors should identify what apprentices already know at the start of their programme to plan “challenging and individualised” curricula.
• The curriculum for some learners with high needs on the ‘choices’ programme needs review to ensure it is challenging and prepares them for future work.
• Actions are required to improve attendance for learners with low engagement.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” noting that staff are appropriately trained and use links to external agencies to refer concerns swiftly.