'Hard work' is helping Moulton College shake off 'inadequate' rating, says Ofsted

The college was branded with the lowest rating available in 2018 and 2019 - but the newest report is more optimistic.
Moulton College has been complimented in a recent Ofsted report following two scathing inspections in 2018 and 2019. Copyright Moulton College, file photo.Moulton College has been complimented in a recent Ofsted report following two scathing inspections in 2018 and 2019. Copyright Moulton College, file photo.
Moulton College has been complimented in a recent Ofsted report following two scathing inspections in 2018 and 2019. Copyright Moulton College, file photo.

One of Northamptonshire's largest colleges has "worked hard" to rid itself of the 'inadequate' rating it earned three years ago, inspectors have said.

Moulton College was scolded by the education watchdog in 2018 when it was branded with the lowest rating available - only to be coldly told teaching standards were even worse at a follow up report in 2019.

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The report in 2019 included criticisms that too many pupils were not attending lessons or failing exams, matched with teacher feed back that was "too positive, superficial and imprecise".

Now, in a spot-check visit from January this year, inspectors say the college is reportedly on track to be back in Ofsted s good books.

The report - which does not formally affect the 'inadequate' rating - praised how the institution had pivoted to remote lessons during the Covid-19 crisis.

It reads: "Leaders and managers have worked hard to improve the quality of education at Moulton College.

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"Staff take learners’ attendance and engagement very seriously and intervene to support those learners who fail to meet the required standards.

"In the better lessons, lecturers build up lesson content skillfully. They check that learners understand key terms at the outset, then incrementally look at more challenging aspects of a topic."

The monitoring visit comes ahead of a full inspection that will likely take place before the end of 2021.

However, the report noted that not every remote lesson it observed was run so effectively, and noted lectures without clear aims and purpose had learners who "become confused and disengaged".

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Moulton College principal Corrie Harris said: "We are delighted that Ofsted has recognised the hard work and progress that has been made at the College over the last year.

"The monitoring visit was conducted during lockdown and now that our students are back on campus again we are focused on ensuring that they complete their courses and achieve their full potential.

"We look forward to welcoming Ofsted to the College for a full inspection later this year.”

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