Ofsted upgrades provision after college returns to local management

Thames Valley University’s (TVU) FE college for Reading has been upgraded by Ofsted after being returned to local management.
TVU Reading’s provision is now rated as “satisfactory” with a good capacity to improve. This is a marked improvement from November 2008, when inspectors highlighted its “inadequate” provision.
Shortly after the critical report, the university decided to run the campus as a traditional FE college. The bold change prompted Ofsted to praise “the scale of the improvements accomplished in just over a year as a tribute to all staff”.
With greater independence, the new report said local FE leaders had been able to express “passion and diligence” coupled with a “relentless determination to improve outcomes for learners”.
Lee Nicholls, executive director of Reading Campus, said: “The Ofsted report is a clear record of the nature and scale of the improvements made by the TVU Reading community over the past year.
“The ‘good capacity to improve’ grade validates our vision and plans for the future and is a vote of confidence in the ability of our staff to continue to deliver an improving service to learners and our local communities.”
Susannah Fairbairn
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