Furness College

Furness College Reinspection monitoring visit report

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Name of lead inspector: Suzanne Horner, His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection dates: 23 and 24 September 2025

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Type of provider: General further education college

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Address:

Channelside Bessemer Way Barrow-in-Furness Cumbria LA14 2PJ Monitoring visit: Furness College, 23 and 24 September 2025

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Context and focus of visit

This is the second reinspection monitoring visit to Furness College following publication of the inspection report on 28 November 2024, which found the provider to be inadequate overall.

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Context and focus of visit

Furness College is a general further education college in Barrow, Cumbria. The college operates from two main campuses, Channelside and The Sixth Form.

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Context and focus of visit

At the time of the monitoring visit, there were just over 930 learners aged 16 to 18 years on education programmes for young people. Learners were enrolled on a range of academic and vocational courses from entry level to level 3, in most subject areas, including T levels. Just over half of young people study courses at level 3. Of these, just under half study A levels. There were just over 160 adult learners studying courses from entry level to level 4. Most adult learners study courses at levels 1 and 2. There were just over 360 apprentices following apprenticeships from levels 2 to 4. Most apprentices study at levels 2 and 3. The college no longer provides level 6 apprenticeships. There were 60 learners for whom the college received high-needs funding.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have committed to investing in new leadership roles to support the drive for quality improvement across the college. They have a clear vision to develop a positive culture and improve the performance and quality of education at the college.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders identify areas of underperformance accurately. They have implemented a comprehensive improvement plan to identify, track and action areas of concern. This has resulted in most courses showing improvements in attendance, retention and achievement. Leaders recognise that there is further work to do to improve the underperformance of a few courses, particularly in A-level provision.

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous monitoring visit, leaders have continued to improve their quality processes. They have implemented a quality cycle that incorporates curriculum reviews, progress tracking and quality meetings. This makes sure that leaders and managers have clear oversight of the progress, retention, attendance and achievement of learners and apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have continued to make improvements to the training that they provide to Monitoring visit: Furness College, 23 and 24 September 2025 develop the teaching skills of staff. They have launched a new teaching and learning framework, which is focused on four key modules, feedback, questioning, relationships and behaviours, and the use of formative assessment. Staff benefit from dedicated training in areas, such as retrieval, initial assessments, artificial intelligence, questioning and sequencing. Staff have dedicated time every week for development and training activities.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have implemented an electronic system to record the outcomes from lesson visits effectively against the college’s expectations. This enables leaders to effectively identify required development themes and provide staff with targeted, individualised improvements that are linked to the college’s fundamentals of teaching, learning and assessment.

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Reasonable progress

Governance has improved since the previous monitoring visit. Leaders have appointed a new chair and three new board members, with experience in further and higher education. This enables the board to provide improved and effective scrutiny and challenge to leaders.

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Reasonable progress

The board of governors have implemented changes to the format of governance meetings. Meetings are now face to face and take place during the college day. This enables governors to observe and interact with college students and staff.

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Reasonable progress

Board members now receive improved reports from leaders. Reports are data rich and incorporate comparisons against benchmarks and trend analysis in areas, such as attendance, retention, achievement and progress. This enables the board to provide increased and improved scrutiny and challenge to leaders.

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Reasonable progress

Governors have participated in training to improve their effectiveness. They have a clear focus on implementing change to drive improvement. The college have used external specialists in governance to support the drive for improvement. Governors now address risks and align audits with learning walks to identify and report on improvements. Monitoring visit: Furness College, 23 and 24 September 2025

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Reasonable progress

Since the previous monitoring visit, leaders have implemented effective induction and assessment processes. These include vocational or practical assessments in many subjects. This makes sure that teachers can identify the knowledge and skills that learners and apprentices already have at the beginning of their course or apprenticeship.

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Reasonable progress

Most staff now use a range of clear, and easy to interpret, initial assessment activities. Where this is done well, teachers use learners’ starting point information to individualise their learning. Teachers in level 3 travel and tourism use a marking rubric that accurately identifies learners’ key strengths and areas for improvement. However, in a few instances, initial assessment is less well developed. Assessments are too generic and do not focus clearly enough on what learners know and can do.

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Reasonable progress

Most staff adapt the curriculum based on learners’ individual aspirations and interests at the start of their course. In performing arts, teachers have tailored learners’ curriculums to match their interests, such as voice acting, lighting and sound.

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Reasonable progress

Learners in construction now have the opportunity to practise a range of trades through a carousel of activities at the beginning of their course. This enables learners studying level 1 construction to make informed decisions about their future careers by swiftly identifying their preferred trade pathway.

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Reasonable progress

Learners studying T levels complete a useful reflection activity at the start of year two. This identifies the areas that they need to develop further and the areas that they are performing well in. This enables teachers to set helpful and realistic targets for learners. For example, learners studying T-level early years and education have targets on how to improve the quality of their research and how to plan more complex learning activities, including ‘planning play’ in primary school settings.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders continue to work collaboratively with teachers to make further improvements to the quality of feedback that learners receive. They have updated their assessment and feedback guidelines on how effective feedback should be provided to learners.

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Reasonable progress

Most teachers provide useful feedback to learners on both their written and practical Monitoring visit: Furness College, 23 and 24 September 2025 skills. In practical sessions, teachers in level 2 beauty therapy quickly correct learners’ speed and pressure when carrying out facials. They demonstrate how to use a circular motion and apply the right amount of pressure. This enables learners to correct and improve their techniques quickly.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have recently introduced a toolkit to help teachers with aspects of their teaching. Leaders signpost teachers to this as part of their observation of teaching. To support teachers in their improvement journey, leaders monitor teachers’ usage of the toolkit.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders recognise that there is still work to do to improve the consistency of feedback. They are working closely with those teachers who still need support to further improve the quality of their feedback to learners.

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Reasonable progress

Following the previous monitoring visit, leaders continue to strengthen the personal development curriculum for apprentices.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have, very recently, implemented a revised and refreshed personal development curriculum plan. They have worked very closely with recruitment and development coaches (RDCs) to include additional and locally relevant topics, such as the building of a local mosque. RDCs routinely discuss a wide range of topics with apprentices, such as managing money, safe practices for lone walking, driving and general nighttime safety.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders and staff have made further improvements to the consistency of the induction that apprentices receive. RDCs now discuss a wider range of topics with apprentices, such as payslips, money management, contracts of employment and whistle-blowing. In their discussions about definitions of abuse during induction, RDCs now include supplementary topics, such as emojis, incel and memes.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have started to monitor apprentices’ participation in career-related activities. They track attendance at induction and careers fairs to ensure that apprentices benefit from a personal development curriculum that includes effective careers information, advice and guidance. Leaders have imminent plans in place for further personal development activities, such as an apprenticeship evening and open days for hospitality and hairdressing.

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Reasonable progress

Leaders have plans in place to introduce further content to the personal development curriculum for apprentices. For example, a written assessment at the end of each Monitoring visit: Furness College, 23 and 24 September 2025 year, guest speakers on topics, such as drink driving, mental health, county lines and money management. The first quarterly newsletter, which covers topics that align with the new personal development curriculum plan, is to be issued to apprentices imminently. Monitoring visit: Furness College, 23 and 24 September 2025 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education

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Reasonable progress

and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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Reasonable progress

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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