The principal of Liverpool Community College has insisted it is moving in the right direction despite a new Ofsted report giving the college the lowest score possible.
The centre for further education was given a scoring of minus 4, which classed as “inadequate”, in the report published on Friday.
Inspectors found too many people left the college without achieving their qualifications; lessons didn’t engage students well enough; and attendance is unacceptably low. Criticisms also included spelling, grammar and weak target-setting for students.
Principal of the Community College, Elaine Bowker, said that despite the damning report, the college does have a bright future.
Mrs Bowker was appointed in the summer of 2011/12 following a significant drop in standards in 2010/11. The college, which has 17,000 students at various sites across the city, had previously been found as outstanding and awarded top marks.
But the Ofsted report has pointed out improvements have been made under the new management, praising their “open and critical approach” to identifying issues at the college.
In a joint statement, Mrs Bowker and the board of governors said: “The college accepts the recent report by Ofsted and is working hard to ensure that the areas highlighted as inadequate are improved. We see this as a transformational period for the college and we accept that this is a big task that will take time and will require our unwavering commitment.
“While the overall rating is disappointing to us, we would like to stress that there are numerous positive elements within it.”
The report did identify a safe and friendly environment for students at the sites, as well supportive teachers.
Mrs Bowker added: “All of our team is completely committed to improving every aspect of college life for our students and this includes improving our Ofsted rating. We have met with all of our internal teams, from governors to teaching staff, and we are certain that there is a strong commitment to tackle any weaknesses.”
The college is currently in the process of changing its name to the City of Liverpool College.