An Ofsted Outstanding College

Fareham College is delighted to have been awarded ‘Outstanding’ in its last Ofsted inspection in November 2017, making us one of only four colleges in the country to have converted to the highest grade in at least two years.

Our Ofsted report was full of glowing endorsements in six headline fields, recognising the quality of our 16-19 courses; outstanding levels of teaching; effectiveness of leadership and management; students’ personal development, behaviour and welfare; assessment results and innovative Apprenticeship training.

Summary of key findings:

  • Senior leaders and managers, including governors, have an ambitious vision for the college; the curriculum closely aligns with local and regional employer and community needs and provides excellent vocational opportunities for students and apprentices.
  • There are excellent and well-established partnerships with employers to create a broad range of opportunities, particularly in specialist engineering subjects, and these meet local and national needs very well.
  • There is effective performance management of teachers’ results, and consistently high- quality and engaging learning sessions are enjoyed by students and apprentices.
  • Governors use their expertise and skills effectively to secure the college’s financial health and to promote the highest aspirations and standards for students and staff.
  • Teachers and assessors prepare students and apprentices for their next steps in education and training and almost all progress into further or higher education, employment or an apprenticeship.
  • Senior leaders have very high expectations of all students regardless of their age, starting point or previous attainment. As a result, students and apprentices have an excellent attitude to work and study and take pride in their achievements.
  • Students and apprentices make very good progress from their starting points, in achieving their qualifications, and in gaining excellent vocational and wider skills.
  • The college’s modern and well-equipped centre of excellence in engineering, manufacturing and advanced skills training provides an excellent training environment that reflects the highest commercial standards.
  • Students and apprentices develop good skills in English and mathematics but achievement in these subjects is not as high as it should be, especially for adults.
Read Our Full Report