Sunderland College staff have been highly praised as ‘enthusiastic, knowledgeable and passionate’ following a full inspection visit by Ofsted.
The College, was officially rated as ‘Good’ with many strong features and the inspectors commended staff for sharing ‘their love of, and enthusiasm for, their subjects to lead lively and interesting sessions’.
Ellen Thinnesen, Principal at Sunderland College said: “We are very pleased with our inspection result, the recognition of our high standards and the role we play in raising aspirations for young people across the region.
Ofsted identified that ‘close collaboration with key partners within the region results in a coherent and continuously updated curriculum aligned closely to regional and national priorities’.
An example of this is the work that the college undertakes in the digital and IT sector. As an integral partner of Sunderland Software City, the college works in partnership with them to address the skills agenda within the industry.
The College is one of only four colleges in the UK and the only provider in the region to teach the newly-created NextGen Level 3 Extended Diploma in Games, Animation and VFX Skills. The course has been designed by high-profile companies including Sony, Microsoft, Ubisoft Reflections, Double Negative and Framestore, and provides learners with the skills and experience they need to launch a career in the entertainment industries.
In addition, it was acknowledged that ‘a higher proportion of learners on study programmes achieve their qualifications than those at similar providers’.
The College was robustly inspected on safeguarding by Ofsted and this was found to be effective across all four of the College campuses.
The inspection team also recognised that the College has ‘a highly visible leadership team’ and that ‘the recently appointed principal has developed an ambitious strategic plan that builds effectively on the work of her predecessors’. In addition the range of skills, experience and expertise of the Board of Governors were praised within the report.