High praise for college (From Basingstoke Gazette)

High praise for college

10:56am Saturday 17th July 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
•  

A BASINGSTOKE college has received its best-ever report from education watchdogs – with several areas rated as “outstanding”.

The team of Ofsted inspectors, who visited Queen Mary’s College (QMC) in Cliddesden Road, Basingstoke, in May, graded it as good with an outstanding capacity to improve.

Overall, 13 aspects of the college were described as outstanding, with a further nine described as good.

The report praised the college for meeting the needs, and interests, of students.

It said: “It provides challenging and stretching opportunities for students with higher entry profiles.”

One such student was 19-year-old Hayley Butler, who said QMC helped her secure a place at Oxford University.

The law student, from Kennet Way in Oakley, has just completed her first year at university after gaining three A-grade A-levels at QMC last year.

She said: “QMC has a really good support network for people to get into Oxford and Cambridge. A group was run for students who had strong GCSE results and who they hoped would gain a place at one of these universities. We had speakers in from the university and practice interviews with the principal.”

QMC has 2,321 full-time students, and the report said A-level success rates were at, or above, the high national average for similar colleges during the last three years.

It also said the quality of teaching was good, and noted that well-qualified and experienced teachers planned lessons which motivated and engaged students.

QMC was also praised for its “outstanding contribution to the wider community”. The report said: “It collaborates very successfully with a wide range of partners to enhance opportu-nity, participation, aspiration and achievement for its own students and the wider population.”

The science facilities were described as outstanding, partly due to the recently-opened building The Spectrum, which is kitted out with new laboratories.

Principal Stephen Sheedy – whose leadership was praised along with that of his senior managers and governing body – said: “I have read a great number of inspection reports and I can honestly say that I cannot think of one that speaks so warmly of a combination of outstanding care, support and guidance for students and the degree to which their aspirations and achievements are raised, no matter what level of attainment they start college with.”