Strong contribution to skills as College graded ‘Good’ by Ofsted
The Manchester College has been graded as ‘Good’ by Ofsted, with inspectors rating the College’s contribution to skills as ‘Strong’ following an inspection during March 2025.
The outcome marks the second consecutive inspection where the College has been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted inspectors, recognising high levels of consistency across the College’s six campuses in all areas.
Following a four-day inspection, involving 16 inspectors, which looked at the effectiveness of the College in a range of areas, inspectors graded the College’s contribution to meeting skills needs as ‘Strong’ recognising that the College has developed courses, with input from employers, to meet the needs of Manchester and beyond and that ‘lead directly to further training or employment in much-needed sectors such as digital and health’.
The College’s breakdown for overall effectiveness is:
- Overall effectiveness: Good
- The quality of education: Good
- Behaviour and attitudes: Good
- Personal development: Good
- Leadership and management: Good
- Education programmes for young people: Good
- Adult learning provision: Good
- Provision for students with high needs: Good
- Contribution to meeting skills needs: Strong
- Safeguarding: Effective.
Feedback in the report included:
- Teachers are industry-experienced, well trained and knowledgeable. They use their expertise and experience to engage and motivate students in the topics they teach
- Students learn a wide range of new knowledge and skills that prepare them well for their next steps in employment or training
- Students have access to a broad range of careers advice and guidance at the college
- Students benefit from the productive, inclusive and welcoming environment that leaders, teachers and staff create
- Adult students benefit greatly from the courses they attend at the college. They develop substantial new knowledge and skills to increase their employability and improve their life chances
- Students are well prepared for their next level of learning or employment in their chosen sector
- Students become skilled in using the equipment they will encounter at work.
Rachel Curry, Principal at The Manchester College, commented: “We are proud to have been graded as a ‘Good’ college across all elements of the inspection and are delighted that the Ofsted inspectors recognised during their visit what we see every day – a fantastic positive environment in which students thrive, achieve and progress to positive destinations aligned to the needs of Manchester.
"My favourite line from the report though, that best captures who we are as a college and what we bring is that ‘a sense of belonging permeates the college, and although it is a large environment, students say they feel part of a family’.
For a college of our size to achieve a ‘Good’ outcome is a massive achievement and delivering that level of consistency across such a broad provision is a feat that should not be underestimated.
"This is a testament to our fantastic teachers who work tirelessly to provide opportunity and ensure that they are up-to-date with the latest developments in industry; our wonderful student support staff who ensure that our students have everything they need to succeed; our campus staff who make sure that they can learn in a positive learning environment; and of course our employer and stakeholder partners who provide our students with unparalleled opportunities to complete industry placements and provide high levels of input into our courses.”
In response to the Ofsted Employer Stakeholder survey, 100% of stakeholders confirmed that the College meets their skills needs and has a clear approach to doing so with 86% agreeing or strongly agreeing that the college worked with them on curriculum design and implementation.
Rachel added: “We are delighted that all of our employer partners confirmed that we meet their skills needs, leading Ofsted to grade our contribution to skills as ‘Strong’, providing further confirmation that our ‘Careers not Courses’ approach ensures that our students gain the skills they need to access rewarding employment.
“That we are able to deliver on this while ensuring that our students have a good place to learn and feel like we prepare them for their next steps is a source of real pride.”
A copy of the report in full can be found on the Ofsted website here.