Orbital South Colleges Group rated Good by Ofsted and the only provider rated ‘Strong’ in Skills in Surrey 

The Orbital South Colleges Group, comprising two colleges, East Surrey College in Redhill and John Ruskin College in South Croydon, is proud to announce that following an Ofsted inspection from 24-27 March, it has been rated ‘Good’ in all areas. This marks a significant achievement, as the College group had been categorised as ‘Requires Improvement’ since 2022, so is testament to the dedication of the leadership, staff and students who have worked tirelessly to drive improvement and progress in further education in this area. 

Lindsay Pamphilon, CEO and Principal of Orbital South Colleges, has expressed her pride in this achievement, saying

“It has been a huge collective effort from the brilliant and dedicated staff we have at Orbital South Colleges, to showcase what we know we do well every day in supporting and inspiring our students to prepare them for employment. The icing on the cake was achieving a ‘Strong judgement’ for the area of skills, which acknowledges the breadth and depth of our links and partnerships with employers and stakeholders, ensuring that the skills needs of today are reflected in the curriculum and enrichment activities of the learners across all curriculum areas from construction and engineering to digital skills and creative industries.”  

The Ofsted report enthused over the colleges’ strong contribution to meeting skills needs, stating that, “Leaders work highly effectively with employers and key stakeholders across Surrey and its surrounding areas to identify their needs. They use this information to design curriculums that fill skills gaps, meet employers’ needs, and reduce barriers to education and employment”.  

The report also stated that “Learners and apprentices enjoy studying at the college. They rightly feel well supported by staff who care about them and treat them with respect. Staff have high expectations of learners and aspire for them to be the best version of themselves”.  

Currently there are almost 600 apprentices working in industries as wide-ranging as electrical engineering to hairdressing, who attend East Surrey College as part of their employer-led learning. Ofsted said that “…learners and apprentices receive useful careers advice and guidance from staff about their potential next steps. They attend workshops and careers fairs, listen to guest speakers from industry and get tailored support through careers service drop-in sessions.”  

The College group has wide provision for adults, supporting career changers and those wanting to upskill and reskill later on in their career journeys and the Ofsted report comments that, “Adult learners value the skills and experience of their teaching staff highly” and “…quickly develop new knowledge and skills that meet their aims well”. Teaching staff at the college largely come into teaching after gaining experience in their respective industries and, the report comments, “…use their subject and teaching expertise well to plan interesting activities that learners find stimulating”.  

Since the previous inspection, college leaders have been successful in developing the behaviours and attitudes of learners and apprentices to prepare them for adult life, and this was evident to inspectors who spoke to many students as part of their visit. Restorative and supportive practices were noted as being some of the initiatives that have helped to effectively deal with student behaviour.   

Dr Pamphilon, who has been at the helm of Orbital South Colleges since 2022 and works in close partnership with other Surrey and South London colleges, is proud to lead a ‘Good’ rated college group offering local school leavers and adult learners a quality provider which prepares its learners for the fast-changing job market in the local area. 

Read the full Orbital South Colleges Ofsted report 2025 here