College gets a great report from inspectors
South Lanarkshire College has received a glowing report from Education Scotland.
The organisation’s annual engagement visit to the college took place in March and focused on recruitment, retention, attainment and progression.
The report, published on May 2, identified that there were no main points of action for the college and that areas for development were reflective of the college’s analysis of its position.
The two-page summarised report highlighted that South Lanarkshire College students articulated that they felt “valued and supported” on their programmes.
It also stated that, following His Majesty’s Inspectors of Education discussions with stakeholders and middle management at the college, it was clear that the curriculum design of courses was robust and there was autonomy in identifying and driving improvements in curriculum areas.
The report highlighted that “partnership working with external stakeholders and staff involved in the delivery of ESOL provision, had significantly increased the recruitment of learners whose first language is not English”.
It positively reported that all teaching departments across the college work “responsively and flexibly” to meet the needs of employers and local communities, which can be seen in the increased levels of recruitment to parttime further education programmes and modern apprenticeships.
The report also emphasised that curriculum teams made effective use of labour market intelligence, employer feedback and information from partner schools “to plan and adjust programmes to meet the needs of learners”.
The report concluded that there had been significant progress since the last Education Scotland visit to the college in February 2022, and detailed that South Lanarkshire College had, in fact, moved beyond the actions identified in the February report.
Inspectors are confident that the college has the capacity to continue to improve. Stella McManus, South Lanarkshire College Principal and CEO, was full of praise for staff and students and said: “I am delighted that the hard work and dedication of the South Lanarkshire College staff and students has been highlighted in this report.
“Everyone in our college community is committed to ensuring the success of our students by providing the highest quality education and support.”
Paul Hutchinson, South Lanarkshire College chair of the board, added: “I am delighted that the college received such a positive Education Scotland Annual Engagement Visit.
“The staff have gone above and beyond to support students and to ensure a high-quality learning experience for learners.
“The board has every confidence that the college will continue to grow over the next few years, as we explore innovative ways of supporting our students, community, local businesses and the economy.”