Report praises college after making ‘significant progress’ in all areas

‘VIBRANT personal development programme’ and ‘highly effective’ leadership actions have helped Petroc College turn around key areas of concern identified in its last Ofsted inspection.

- by LEWIS CLARKE

Following a monitoring visit carried out on Thursday and Friday, September 18 and 19, His Majesty's Inspector Clifford Shaw reported that the college had made significant progress in every area previously highlighted for improvement.

Petroc, which operates campuses in Barnstaple and Tiverton, is a general further education college providing academic, vocational and technical courses, as well as apprenticeships and support for learners with high needs.

At the time of the monitoring visit, some 2,298 learners aged 16 to 18, 699 adult learners and 519 apprentices were studying at the college, including 478 with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

In October 2024, the college was judged to require improvement, prompting leaders to implement a focused improvement plan. Less than a year later, inspectors found a transformed picture.

Inspectors praised the college for having “acted decisively to ensure that young learners receive purposeful and well-structured teaching” on key issues such as healthy eating, British values and protection from extremism.

They noted that tutorials were regularly updated to reflect topical concerns and that “most learners enjoy tutorials and value the wider knowledge they gain by attending”