18 May 2007
Further education colleges have given their backing to a major inspection shake-up that will see the best colleges subject to shorter 'light touch' visits and more resources and support directed at poor performers.
Consultation responses showed that more than 95% of colleges support a shift to four-yearly inspections for those institutions rated 'outstanding' or 'good'.
There was also broad support for intensifying the re-inspection of 'inadequate' colleges, with follow-up monitoring visits and a full re-inspection within 15 months.
All colleges will be subject to so-called annual desk monitoring, which looks at their self-assessment report in conjunction with data on student success rates and Ofsted's previous inspection reports. This new regime will begin in September.
The Association of Colleges welcomed the move. Maggie Scott, director of learning and quality, said: 'We think that it makes a lot of sense for Ofsted to concentrate its energies where they are most needed – with the poorer providers, leaving the majority of high performers to get on with the job.'
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