Guildford College is Good, says Ofsted

Strong leadership and a firm focus on improving teaching and learning have boosted Guildford College’s performance, leading Ofsted inspectors to grade the College as "good" overall, with the land-based learning provided at Merrist Wood Campus assessed as "outstanding" an improvement on the last inspection.

Cathie Prest, Guildford College’s Vice Principal for Curriculum & Quality, said: "We are very pleased with the report, which recognises the huge team effort by our staff to raise standards and confirms the diverse needs of the student community are being met. We will build on this success and continue with our relentless pursuit of quality improvement."

In their judgement, inspectors said: “Success rates have steadily improved for most age groups and levels over the past three years.” Teaching and learning were good, reported the inspectors. “The proportion of good or better lessons has increased since the previous inspection. Teachers build good working relationships with their students that are focused on promoting effective learning.”

The College, assessed on seven curriculum areas, was also praised for heeding student opinion and for its social inclusion, pastoral care, equality of opportunity and its strong sense of community.

Key Highlights of the Ofsted Inspection Report:
Effectiveness of provision	Good	Grade 2
Capacity to improve	Good	Grade 2
Quality of provision	Good	Grade 2
Leadership and management	Good	Grade 2
Equality of opportunity	Good	Grade 2
Health, Public Services and Care	Good	Grade 2
Science and Mathematics	Good	Grade 2
Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care	Outstanding	Grade 1
Business, Administration and Law	Good	Grade 2
Residential Accommodation	Good	Grade 2

The report also noted that since the previous inspection very effective management action had raised students' achievement and the quality of provision. Strong leadership had led to improving college performance, and the Principal, Clive Cooke, is an open and approachable leader with a strong culture of listening to staff and students. The inspectors also added that the College's recent merger with Farnham College had been managed particularly well.

Read the Full Report|

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