A COLLEGE principal says she is delighted after an education watchdog found improvements a year after a damning report.

In 2018, Colchester Institute, which has campuses in Sheepen Road in the town as well as in Church Lane, Braintree and Church Road, Clacton, was rated as requiring improvement.

But a monitoring report carried out by the watchdog found progress was being made.

Inspectors said significant progress had been made to ensure the quality of education improves and in supporting adult learners to gain valuable employment skills.

The report said: “Governors and leaders responded swiftly and effectively to the findings from the previous inspection.

“They have an effective structure for ensuring improvements in the quality of education.

“As a result, the proportion of young learners who achieve their qualifications has increased significantly.”

It added staff had carefully considered the needs of unemployed adults and wider adult learners in their curriculum plans.

Reasonable progress was found to have been made in sequencing the curriculum so learners develop new knowledge and in ensuring teachers and assessors use assessment to inform teaching.

Inspectors praised moves to consolidate courses at the Clacton and Braintree sites and the creation of specialist centres.

But it said more work was needed to help students know about their future skills development.

The report said effective strategies were put in place to assess students’ existing knowledge and skills and to track their progress.

But it added: “Too few teachers ensure that learners develop their skills in written English.

“Too many teachers, particularly in construction trades, do not help learners with poor existing skills in writing. Learners do not improve their writing, and repeat the same errors.”

Principal Alison Andreas said: “We are delighted with the outcome of our recent Ofsted visit, which affirms the excellent experience our students receive.

“It is pleasing as it follows on from exceptional student results in the summer of 2019.

“Inspectors commented it is quite rare to receive two significant progress judgements in an inspection of this type.”