Ofsted Chief Inspector of Schools say College is "outstanding"
Posted on Friday 24 February 2006
Her Majesty's newly appointed Chief Inspector of Schools, Maurice Smith, visits The Sixth Form Colle
Her Majesty's newly appointed Chief Inspector of Schools, Maurice Smith, visited The Sixth Form College, on Friday 24 February, his first visit to a sixth form college in the south of England.
Mr Smith explained the reason for his visit: “Farnborough College is judged to be an outstanding college and Ofsted likes to celebrate outstanding provision so it's important the Chief Inspector is visible, up front, in such an outstanding provision.” The College was recently inspected as part of the Annual Assessment Visits by HMI, which confirmed the findings of the most recent major inspection when the quality of teaching and the standard of students' achievements was judged to be outstanding in six curriculum areas and good in three. The leadership and management were also recognised to be outstanding.
On his tour of the College's facilities Mr Smith spoke with students in the Dell, the Beacon Building , the Prospect Theatre, music rooms and the science department. He also opened the elections for the next Student Association Committee before joining the staff and students for lunch, followed by a meeting with the current Student Association members.
His impressions of all that he saw were extremely positive. He said, “There are a number of things that make this place what it is but among them is the leadership and management of the College and no college would be worth its salt without good quality teaching and that's why we are here. You combine that with enthusiasm, willingness and turned-on students and you've got a recipe for a successful college.”
“I visit a lot of colleges and sometimes there's not an identifiable spirit within a college that you can feel. Here, you feel the enthusiasm of students wanting to achieve. That's the most impressive part for me.”
Dr Guy said the visit had been a wonderful occasion for the students and staff to receive praise from the top. He said, “Staff enjoy their subjects here and that is crucial to the success of the College. Their enthusiasm gets transferred across to the students and so we can build upon the great deal of eagerness and anticipation that they first bring to the College, having just taken their GCSEs.”
Dr Guy added, “The students were in many ways inspired by what the Chief Inspector had to say. He encouraged them to become involved. He said that student apathy was something he could never accept but at this College all and had found was enthusiasm and a willingness to contribute positively to the community. Hearing such supportive words from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is very important for both the students and the staff.”
