'Students learn in a calm environment': Wolverhampton adult education centre gets 'Good' Ofsted ranking

The education watchdog carried out a short inspection at Adult Education Wolverhampton on Old Hall Street in January and found it had maintained its 'Good' ranking, which it also received upon a visit by inspectors in 2019.

The Wolverhampton Council-run service offers a range of accredited and non-accredited courses, as well as tailored programmes for adults with learning disabilities and those who need mental health support.

In their report, the Ofsted inspectors said students receive a "good-quality education and training" and are taught by "well-qualified and experienced" teachers.

They added: "Students enjoy their studies and learn in a calm and purposeful environment. 

"...Students feel safe in the places they study. Teachers explain how to keep safe at the beginning of the course and regularly refresh and revisit this information. Students know how and to whom they can report concerns."

Teachers were said to identify what learners can do at the start of the course and "use this information well" to plan the curriculum.

However, for some students on courses for adults with learning difficulties, teachers were found to set targets that are "too broad" and "not broken down into small steps".

Inspectors also noted that while improvements have been made in students’ achievement of qualifications "at all levels", there were "too many" who left the Level One functional skills mathematics course without achieving the qualification.

Anna Place, deputy head of service at Adult Education Wolverhampton said: “The service aims to continuously improve and the inspectors recognised our strengthened quality assurance and improvement strategies that have supported high levels of achievement.”

Councillor Chris Burden, Wolverhampton Council cabinet member for city development, jobs and skills, added: "This is great news and I’m delighted that the inspectors have continued to recognise the enthusiasm, dedication and expertise that our teachers and the wider service brings to adult students across the city each and every day.

“Providing good quality education and training for all our residents to learn and grow, increasing their employability and wellbeing, whatever their age or situation, is a key commitment in 'Our City: Our Plan' and I’m pleased that Adult Education Wolverhampton is continuing to help us deliver on that pledge.

"A recent survey found that 99 per cent of students would recommend Adult Education Wolverhampton to their friends and family, and I would urge residents to take full advantage of the opportunities available.”

People can find out more about the service by visiting aes.wolverhampton.gov.uk