Preston College is a College of Sanctuary Ofsted: “Preston is a designated city of sanctuary and for these learners, Preston College is a college of sanctuary.” One of our proudest moments within the inspection was Ofsted recognising that Preston College is a ‘college of sanctuary’. Ofsted inspectors expressed that: • learners and apprentices feel safe in college. They are confident in talking to teachers and support staff about any problems they encounter • leaders and staff at all levels have developed a culture of safeguarding. They have put in place a range of safeguarding policies to ensure that staff know how to keep learners and apprentices safe • leaders at our college have a very well established approach to supporting our learners who are not in education, employment or training • our partner links with the likes of The Princes Trust and The Red Cross provide programmes to help young people reengage in learning, move into work and to support some of the most disadvantaged groups [in the community] • Preston College provides extensive support to looked after children and care leavers • the College works extensively to provide programmes for asylum seekers to develop their English skills. Principal and Chief Executive, Simon Nixon says, “I could not be prouder of our college and the supportive culture we promote in creating a safe and secure place to study. We have a huge responsibility to our learners. For many, our college is a place of refuge and our college-wide teams ensure that we uphold our pledge to safeguard our learners so they feel safe and well protected. For Ofsted to recognise this makes us very proud.” We were delighted to learn, following our recent Ofsted inspection, that Preston College became the first college in Lancashire to receive the highest skills judgement under Ofsted’s newly enhanced inspection framework, with Ofsted stating that: “Leaders have a comprehensive understanding of local and regional skills priorities”. Scoring this top assessment of ‘Strong’ for our contribution to meeting Skills needs, Ofsted stated that the College aligned curriculum “extremely well” to the key growth pillars outlined in the local enterprise partnership plan, and that we are “highly responsive” to meeting the skills needs of a diverse range of stakeholders in a large range of sectors. Preston College works proactively with key stakeholders, such as Local Authorities and employer partners in ensuring that our curriculum is responsive to skills priorities, now and in the future. Simon Nixon, Principal and Chief Executive says: “It was pleasing to learn that Ofsted identified our key objectives in developing these effective relationships with employers, and recognising the significant impact that we continue to make in our local community. They reported that ‘Leaders [at the College] are highly committed to providing curriculums that meet the needs of learners and local businesses.’ This is a fantastic result and one the College should be very proud of.” Preston College makes ‘strong’ contribution to Local and Regional Skills Needs 11
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