London South East Colleges

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings

This is a good provider Senior leaders and governors have managed the merger of the former Bromley, Bexley and Greenwich colleges successfully, and raised standards across the college. Leaders and managers make very good use of their employer and community links to help shape the curriculum and benefit learners.

The vast majority of study programme learners and adult learners achieve their vocational qualifications. A high proportion of learners on English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) programmes, and learners on level 1 and level 3 programmes, achieve their qualifications. Programmes for learners in receipt of high-needs funding are outstanding.

Learners achieve their qual...ifications and develop a very good range of skills that prepare them extremely well for employment and independent living. Teachers benefit from a very good range of continuing professional development and training initiatives to raise the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, which is good. Most teachers have high expectations and plan and teach lessons that engage and motivate learners to make good progress.

Learners on study programmes and apprenticeships and those for whom the college receive high-needs funding develop good mathematical skills in their vocational subjects. Learners enjoy a good range of enrichment activities. The 'career advantage' programme helps learners to develop their work-related skills and prepares them effectively for employment.

Learners and apprentices have high levels of respect and behave very well. They enjoy attending college and have high aspirations for what they can achieve. Too few apprentices, particularly in plumbing and electrotechnical, achieve their qualifications within the planned timescale.

Staff do not support these apprentices well enough to make good progress. The proportion of learners who achieve grades 9 to 4 in GCSE English is too low, as is the proportion of learners who achieve functional skills qualifications at level 2 in mathematics and English. Learners' attendance in English and mathematics lessons is too low.

Information about the provider

London South East Colleges (LSEC), established in 2016 as a result of the merger between Bromley College of Further and Higher Education, Greenwich Community College and Bexley College, is a large general further education college. The college attracts learners from across south-east London, with the majority coming from the prosperous borough of Bromley, the diverse borough of Bexley and the more deprived borough of Greenwich. The college offers provision at five main campuses.

A large majority of study programme learners come to the college without a grade 4 or above in English and mathematics GCSE. The vast majority of learners study vocational qualifications across a range of subjects on 16 to 19 study programmes, adult programmes, apprenticeships and discrete programmes for learners in receipt of high-needs funding. The college works with 12 subcontractors to teach a range of short courses for adult learners, apprenticeships and 16 to 19 study programmes in performing arts.