We're Ofsted Outstanding... again!

Our learners and apprentices

• Learners and apprentices enjoy learning at college. They are enthusiastic and motivated about their education and futures.
• Learners and apprentices learn substantial new knowledge, skills and behaviours quickly.
• Learners’ and apprentices’ attendance and punctuality is exemplary.
• Learners participate in a wide range of enrichment activities which suit their own talents, interests and career aspirations.
• Learners and apprentices treat each other and the college staff with due respect.
• Learners develop their English and mathematical skills and fluency extensively within the curriculum. They produce high-quality written work.
• Apprentices make outstanding progress. Apprentices at all levels, develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours that they need to be highly effective at work.

Our teaching staff

• Staff are excellent role models; they are professional, friendly, incredibly supportive and work tirelessly to meet the needs of their learners and apprentices.
• Teachers demonstrate creativity, energy and passion for their subjects through the wide range of additional activities they include within the curriculum. These experiences inspire learners to produce excellent work.
• Teachers have extremely high expectations of learners and plan their teaching sessions skilfully.
• Teachers use information about learners’ starting points to plan accurately the activities and support they need to achieve their potential.
• Staff collaborate productively with employers and other stakeholders in the decisions made about the content of their curriculum.
• Teachers provide high-quality education through which most learners and apprentices move on to their aspirational next steps.

Our stakeholder links

• The college makes a strong contribution to meeting skills needs.
• Leaders and managers have exceptional links with local employers, universities and regional  business groups. They collaborate effectively  with partners and are agile in the way they create a challenging curriculum to help learners achieve ambitious career goals.
• Staff at all levels work highly collaboratively with important stakeholders, including local authorities, the city council and Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, to understand the  local economy, job market and priorities.
• Learners, including those with high needs, take advantage of the well-planned and plentiful  opportunities for encounters with the world of work, including work experience.

Our support

• Staff have high aspirations for learners with high needs.
• Learners on foundation courses receive the specialist support they need to develop greater independence, and the knowledge and skills to move on to higher level courses, supported internships and employment.
• Staff provide learners with access to support from an expert careers guidance team.
• Teachers ensure that learners with additional learning needs receive the support or adaptations to the curriculum that they need to make substantial progress.
• Learners value the knowledge and support offered by teachers and can recall their learning exceptionally well.
• Teachers deliver a breadth of personal development topics in the curriculum. Learners can talk fluently about healthy relationships and mental health awareness.
• Learners feel safe at NSCG. New learners benefit from exceptional transition  arrangements, which swiftly make them feel comfortable and familiar in new surroundings.
• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Our leadership and management

• Leaders have developed curriculum which strongly reflects the knowledge and skills required in the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP).
• Leaders have taken a lead role in planning, developing and the build of the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Institute of Technology. They have worked alongside the local university, national employers and local colleges to offer courses which will develop the technical skills most needed in the region.
• Leaders have been swift to successfully implement T Levels to support priority sectors including health and care, engineering, construction and digital.

• Leaders have invested extensively in state-of-the-art facilities, at both sites, which support the current skills priorities.
• Leaders ensure there are high-quality resources available for learners to use, which helps them to develop their skills in a professional environment.
• Governors are highly committed to the strategic vision of NSCG. They understand the strengths and priorities for improvement and hold senior leaders to account very effectively.