Lewisham College has retained a rating of ‘Good’ from Ofsted following a full inspection of NCG colleges in November 2024.
Our commitment remains to inspiring excellence and supporting curiosity through setting high expectations and ambitions for all our learners and communities.
We are pleased that our Overall Effectiveness continues to reflect the consistent good standard of education delivered by colleagues and our valued partners that will help us achieve our goal of Lewisham College being highly regarded by all stakeholders as an anchor institution with a welcoming environment and culture built on mutual respect and inclusion.
We have also made significant progress in many areas, most notably our apprenticeships provision. The inspection team stated that “leaders and managers have taken substantial steps to improve apprenticeship provision across the group. Apprenticeships are now of good quality and are aligned closely to local and regional priorities.”
Under Ofsted’s new inspection framework, we were also assessed for the first time on how well we meet local, regional and national skills needs, including how we work in partnership with stakeholders. The report highlights the campus to be calm, respectful and a pleasure to be amongst the staff, students and stakeholders, with the inspectors especially identifying the distance travelled in Supported Learning and 16-18 study programmes.
The report highlights many areas of strength about Lewisham College, including:
• The overall teaching and learning levels, especially in terms of planning and learner engagement.
• Leaders and managers are visible and supportive at all levels throughout the College.
• Overall behaviour, with learners found to be calm, happy, on time and respectful.
• The development of our Work Experience offering, with learners having good opportunities to interact with employers and placements being specifically linked to the industry for which they are studying.
• Effective Safeguarding procedures in place, with learners having a good understanding of local risks.
• Staff are welcoming, dedicated and accommodating, showcasing high expectations.
• Responsive curriculum offer for those who are unemployed, linked to current employer vacancies and a guaranteed job interview.
Jamie Stevenson Principal of Lewisham College, said: “I am delighted that we have retained our rating of ‘Good’ from Ofsted, showing our commitment to learners and the communities of Lewisham.
“I am particularly proud that our strong level of teaching was recognised from a planning and learner engagement perspective by the inspection team, and that we have been shown to provide our learners with effective and practical skills for work, including effective work experience placements. As a team, we are committed to providing an exceptional teaching, learning and assessment experience for our learners and apprentices with a particular focus on developing their transferrable, enterprise and employability skills and preparing them for the world of work, for jobs available now and those in the future.”
Liz Bromley, CEO of NCG commented: “This is a positive result that reflects the hard work and dedication of colleagues and partners across the country to deliver high-quality education and opportunities that can transform lives.
“I am pleased that the report highlights the continuous improvements we have made as a Group since our last Ofsted inspection, particularly in our apprenticeships provision and in the work we have done to ensure we meet local and regional skills needs by putting employers and stakeholders at the centre of our curriculum development. As an ambitious organisation we will continue to strive for outstanding education for the benefit of our learners and the communities we serve, which are at the heart of our organisation.”
Read the Ofsted report in full here.
