Crewe Engineering and Design UTC

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils quickly develop a sense of belonging to a unique community when they join this college.

Some pupils, including students in the sixth form, are attracted by the distinctiveness of the college's engineering and design offer. Others come to the college for a fresh start, having struggled to be successful in other educational settings. Regardless of what brought them here, pupils feel privileged to have access to the college's industry-standard resources.

They are inspired by posters celebrating the impressive destinations of pupils who attended the college before them. Pupils are proud and happy to follow in their footsteps.

Pupils benefit from the colleg...e's determination to make them 'industry ready'.

This core purpose is threaded through all aspects of college life. Pupils learn how to conduct themselves professionally and respectfully. Most do.

Typically, pupils strive to meet the college's high expectations of them. This helps them to achieve well from their starting points.

Pupils embrace a vast array of opportunities to engage with employers.

For instance, pupils work collaboratively to solve real-world problems and then formally present their solutions to employers. These experiences help to develop pupils' confidence, as well as building valuable knowledge and skills.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders at all levels demonstrate an unwavering commitment to providing a high-quality education.

In collaboration with the trust and governors, the college has recently strengthened many aspects of its provision. As a result, the college caters well for the wide range of pupils who attend. For example, pupils learn what they need to access ambitious further and higher education destinations.

Added to this, the college successfully re-engages pupils who may have experienced a disrupted education previously. The college has prioritised staff development while taking action to reduce their workload. For example, staff benefit from dedicated curriculum development time.

Many staff feel reinvigorated by the work of leaders.

The college's pastoral care is a strength. Staff build positive relationships with pupils and their families.

Many pupils struggled to regulate their behaviour or were persistently absent from their previous schools. The focus on becoming 'industry ready' is used to good effect to address this. It helps pupils to understand the importance of being present, punctual and committed to their learning.

Pupils typically attend the college frequently and behave well. Students in the sixth form are positive role models for younger pupils. Across the college, most pupils are attentive in lessons.

They are respectful to staff.

The college has designed an ambitious curriculum for pupils. The published outcomes for pupils at the end of Year 11 in 2023 do not accurately reflect the quality of education that the college provides.

Pupils join the college in Year 10 with varied experiences of education. Some have significant gaps in their knowledge and skills. The college has strengthened its processes for identifying and addressing these gaps.

Now, when pupils start in Year 10, the college comprehensively identifies any gaps in knowledge that they have. Teachers ensure that opportunities to address these gaps are woven into well-organised subject curriculums. This helps pupils to learn successfully.

Teachers are experts in their subjects. However, from time to time, some teachers' understanding of how to deliver the curriculum well is less secure. For instance, some activities do not help pupils to learn what the teacher intended.

Occasionally, some pupils do not build secure bodies of knowledge over time.

The college recognises that there are additional barriers to learning for many pupils. It identifies these swiftly, including any special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or any gaps in pupils' reading knowledge.

Pupils are given the help that they need to access their learning. For example, those who struggle to read benefit from expert support to develop into fluent and accurate readers.

Leaders place a strong emphasis on ensuring that pupils are prepared well for their lives beyond the college.

Careful thought has been given to both the knowledge that pupils will learn and the experiences that they will have. For example, weekly assemblies help pupils to learn about local employers. Opportunities to volunteer in the college and in the local community help pupils to develop a sense of responsibility.

Pupils and students in the sixth form who want to pursue their education or a career in engineering are exceptionally well prepared to do so. The college is in the process of ensuring that the minority of pupils who are interested in other subjects benefit from equally strong guidance.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some staff lack a secure understanding of how to use the college's agreed learning strategies to deliver the curriculum effectively. At times, this hinders how well pupils learn the intended curriculum. The college should ensure that staff are supported to develop their understanding of how to deliver subject curriculums consistently well.