21 Nov 2023
After hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons recently, there’s some good news for Oaklands College with the result of their latest Ofsted inspection.
The college – which has a campus at Smallford in St Albans – has been judged “Good” for education quality, student behaviour, personal development, leadership and management, 16-18 education, adult education, and support for students with high needs.
Principal Andrew Slade said: “This report reflects the hard work of staff and students along with the excellent work with key partners, stakeholders and employers, with excellent feedback from learners who felt safe, enjoy studying and have their individual requirements met so they can excel. This is cemented by the college’s strong focus on quality and investment.
“Our mission is to be a positive outward-looking college, always listening to and collaborating with employers to ensure we’re teaching the skills they need, for the benefit of the economy and our students’ future prospects.
“It’s tremendous to see our approach being so clearly acknowledged and supported by Ofsted.”
The Ofsted report said: “Learners enjoy studying at the college. They feel included and value highly the support they receive from their tutors. They enjoy working in calm and productive learning environments and value the positive experiences they have at college.
“Learners feel safe at college. They understand how to stay safe and know how to report any concerns that they might have.”
The inspection took place between September 19-22, just a few weeks before two students were hospitalised with knife wounds following an incident outside the St Albans campus. At the time the college said: “We take the safety and security of our students and our staff extremely seriously. It is our number one priority to ensure that the college community is a completely safe place for learning.”
Ofsted inspectors made special mention of entrepreneurial work by the college in support of the wider economy through close relationships with businesses across a wide range of employment sectors: “Leaders have a productive relationship with the local enterprise partnerships and work closely with them on specific projects such as sustainable construction, retrofit technologies and a new facility for the creative sector.”
The college is spending £62 million on its St Albans campus, including construction facilities, a film, TV and creative training centre and the now-completed residential accommodation for students. It is now working on its estates masterplan which could see £100 million investment in creating leading edge education, training and sporting environments for its students and the local communities they serve.
