West Nottinghamshire College

West Nottinghamshire College

Address: Derby Road, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, NG18 5BH Unique reference number (URN): 2827122

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Achievement Strong standard

Trainees rapidly develop secure teaching knowledge and practical skills. They apply a broad range of teaching methods confidently. They become able to understand and manage learners' behaviour in lessons effectively.

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Achievement Strong standard

Trainees understand their statutory responsibilities. They demonstrate secure knowledge of safeguarding, the 'Prevent' duty and the requirements of Keeping Children Safe in Education, applying this appropriately when working with young learners and vulnerable adults.

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Achievement Strong standard

Trainees reflect frequently and purposefully on their practice. They seek and act on feedback from mentors and colleagues. As a result, they understand clearly the progress they make and take action to improve their teaching. Achievement and completion rates have improved significantly. Most trainees now complete successfully, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This is because leaders now monitor trainees' progress more carefully and intervene quickly when problems arise. The programme prepares trainees well for employment in the further education and skills sector.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders take purposeful action to embed inclusion across all aspects of the college's work, including initial teacher education. They promote a positive culture and ensure that all trainees develop a secure understanding of inclusive and adaptive teaching practice.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders and managers actively promote diversity through their recruitment processes. Trainees come from a wide range of backgrounds and feel welcomed and well supported by managers and colleagues.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff identify trainees' support needs promptly and review them regularly. Trainees feel confident to disclose their needs to mentors and managers, who provide appropriate, personalised adjustments, such as reduced timetables, flexible working patterns, planned breaks between lessons and opportunities for team teaching. University staff, who teach the theoretical aspects of the course, receive clear guidance on how to support individual trainees and adapt their teaching accordingly. These arrangements help trainees to succeed in both their training and professional roles.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Trainees learn about and benefit from a wide range of internal and external support services, including occupational health services, counselling, the college's wellbeing champion, and subject and pastoral mentors. This coordinated approach helps trainees to maintain their wellbeing, manage challenges effectively and remain fully engaged in their training.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders set remarkably high expectations for trainees' professional conduct, attendance and commitment to learning. These expectations are reinforced consistently through their training. As a result, trainees understand clearly what is required of them and demonstrate sustained commitment to their own development. Through their day-to-day teaching and support from mentors, they learn how to manage their workload.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Trainees receive excellent mental health and welfare support. Pastoral mentors, who are independent of subject mentors, use weekly meetings to review trainees' wellbeing and discuss any emerging concerns. They create detailed wellbeing plans and direct trainees to additional support where appropriate. Leaders take a proactive and rigorous approach to reviewing support. Frequent work with staff across the college enables them to strengthen provision continually, ensuring that support remains personalised and responsive to trainees' needs.

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Professional behaviours, personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders promote a respectful and inclusive culture and have highly effective systems in place to address concerns swiftly. Trainees understand how to report issues such as bullying, harassment or discrimination, and leaders report no such incidents. Mentors also

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Expected standard

support trainees to manage workload effectively, helping them navigate teaching responsibilities and college systems so they are well prepared for a career in the profession.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Leaders provide an ambitious initial teacher education (ITE) curriculum that prepares trainees well for teaching in further education. They structure the curriculum to build trainees' knowledge, skills and behaviours logically. Trainees begin by learning core teaching fundamentals, such as lesson planning. They later learn how to plan sequences of lessons and contribute to wider curriculum planning.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Leaders ensure that the curriculum meets statutory and non-statutory guidance. They ensure that programme content, training and assessments meet national requirements.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Teacher educators design the curriculum using high-quality research and relevant pedagogical theory. They draw on established theories, such as cognitive load theory and Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development. Trainees receive weekly instruction on key teaching techniques, such as questioning and developing learners' metacognition. Trainees benefit from protected time for study and off-the-job learning. They use this time to complete research, shadow colleagues and participate in training.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Leaders ensure that trainees have ample opportunities to practise and develop their teaching skills. Trainees apply their teaching skills across a range of levels of learning. This helps them to apply different approaches and evaluate the impact of each one.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

The curriculum prepares trainees well to support learners who face barriers to learning or wellbeing. Trainees receive instruction on education, health and care plans, adaptive practice, trauma-informed approaches and the needs of care-experienced learners. As a result, trainees understand how to support learners with additional needs and apply appropriate strategies in their teaching.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Trainees receive frequent training on safeguarding and the 'Prevent' duty. They demonstrate a clear understanding of their responsibilities, recognise indicators of harm and know how to report concerns. They feel confident to report even minor issues, understanding that these may contribute to a wider picture of risk.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Teacher educators and mentors assess trainees effectively. They use mentor meetings, lesson observations and learning walks to review trainees' progress accurately. They provide clear feedback on written work that helps trainees improve. Most teacher educators and mentors provide helpful feedback on practical teaching. However, a small number of mentors do not provide precise enough guidance to support trainees to improve.

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Curriculum, teaching and training Expected standard

Most trainees benefit from high-quality mentoring. Subject mentors are experienced specialists. They understand the ITE curriculum and their role in supporting trainees. They meet trainees frequently and help them apply general theories to their subject teaching.

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Next steps

Leaders should further strengthen subject mentoring arrangements so that trainees benefit from consistently high-quality support and more precise guidance on how to improve their teaching. Teacher educators and mentors adapt support to meet trainees' needs. This helps to motivate trainees and improves their confidence and competence as teachers.

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Leadership Expected standard

Leaders and managers set a clear and ambitious vision for an inclusive and transformative college that serves its local communities well. Staff involved in initial teacher education understand this vision and work with commitment to ensure trainees are well prepared to contribute to the college's mission.

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Leadership Expected standard

Leaders work productively with their university partner to shape initial teacher education provision that meets trainees' needs and reflects the college's priorities. They ensure the curriculum aligns with occupational standards and takes appropriate account of relevant government guidance.

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Leadership Expected standard

Leaders use a proportionate range of quality assurance processes to evaluate the strengths of the provision and identify areas that require improvement. They track trainees' performance closely so that they can act in trainees' best interests and intervene swiftly when issues arise.

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Leadership Expected standard

Governors receive clear and appropriate information. This enables them to hold leaders to account and check that statutory responsibilities are met.

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Leadership Expected standard

Teachers and mentors take part in relevant training that develops their expertise, including in evidence-informed teaching and supporting learners who have special educational needs. Mentors follow a structured programme that strengthens their skills in undertaking lesson observations and progress reviews.

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Leadership Expected standard

Leaders apply appropriate recruitment processes to ensure trainees are safe to work with young people, knowledgeable, skilled and suitable for their roles.

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Leadership Expected standard

Leaders take reasonable steps to support staff wellbeing and manage workload effectively. Staff feel valued and supported.

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Leadership Expected standard

Leaders act responsibly to protect staff from bullying, discrimination, harassment or victimisation. They have developed clear policies, including to address inappropriate behaviour from parents. Staff report no concerns about conduct.

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What it's like to be a trainee at this provider

Most trainees are very satisfied with their courses. They rapidly secure strong pedagogical knowledge and practical skills. They learn how to apply a broad range of teaching strategies confidently and manage behaviour effectively. Trainees develop an understanding of trauma-informed practice that allows them to help learners to make positive and reflective choices. They understand their statutory responsibilities, including those related to safeguarding. They reflect purposefully on their own practice and seek feedback from colleagues. This helps them to identify their own areas for development and take suitable steps to improve their teaching.

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What it's like to be a trainee at this provider

Teacher educators assess trainees' additional needs promptly and review them frequently. They intervene to prevent issues escalating and target their support effectively. Trainees feel confident to share their needs with their mentors and managers. This openness enables mentors and managers to respond effectively and tailor support appropriately. Trainees consistently value the support that teacher educators, mentors and managers provide.

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What it's like to be a trainee at this provider

Trainees feel safe both at work and when in training. They value the efforts that leaders make to protect them from bullying and abuse and the training that they receive to keep themselves safe.

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What it's like to be a trainee at this provider

Most trainees successfully complete their courses, including those with learning difficulties or other barriers to learning. They develop the knowledge and skills they need to help their learners thrive. They benefit from a rigorous, research-informed curriculum, abundant opportunities to practise their skills, and effective mentoring. Trainees understand their responsibilities and meet them confidently in their work with learners, helping them to create safe, supportive learning environments.

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What it's like to be a trainee at this provider

Trainees are well prepared to support learners who face barriers to learning. The curriculum includes topics on adaptive practice and how to meet the needs of care experienced learners. As a result, trainees understand how to meet diverse needs and apply appropriate strategies to help all learners flourish.

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About this inspection

Trainees are all employees of West Nottinghamshire College. They all study the level 5 learning and skills teacher apprenticeship. Theoretical aspects of the course are taught by staff from Nottingham Trent University.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty's Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with leaders, teacher educators, mentors and trainees during the inspection.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other providers can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The provider reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The provider is fulfilling the expected standard of training. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The provider needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of training. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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

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