An under threat college in south Bucks which was ranked ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted earlier this year and forced to receive government help, is starting to turn things around.

Amersham and Wycombe College was downgraded from ‘requires improvement’ in June after a damning report revealed “disharmony and dysfunction” at the very top.

After a re-inspection monitoring visit earlier this month, inspectors have said management is doing well with “positive leadership” provided by the new chair of governors, who has been “instrumental in establishing a strong leadership team” for the college.

They also said a “culture of mutual respect and productive working” has been “quickly established” since senior management have started to provide governors with “clear and concise” reports on the college’s performance.

Inspectors noticed a “strong focus on attendance” and punctuality, with a ‘carry your identity card’ rule in place, with students responding well to the “raised expectations”.

The college – which has more than 3,500 students across campuses in Amersham, Flackwell Heath and High Wycombe – was previously slated for its ‘inadequate’ leadership and management, and was rocked after the chairman and vice chairman both stepped down following last year’s departure of the principal.

College bosses released a statement following Ofsted’s warning saying they were “disappointed” by the rating, but remained determined to provide education and training for students after appointing a new leadership team.

The government was forced to step in and place the troubled college in an ‘administered status’.

In the new re-inspection monitoring report, it was noted that second-year students reported improved attendance, punctuality and behaviour in classes since the start of the term and first-year students said if performance fell below expectations, teachers dealt with it “robustly”.

The report also outlines what steps have been taken to improve and has set new goals for improvement including a continuing “strong focus” on attendance and punctuality, developing all teachers’ skills in teaching maths and ensuring that the senior team and governors “continue to maintain and enhance further their positive relationship and strong leadership”.

Inspectors said the appointment of new advanced practitioners (AP) set a “firm foundation” for improvement and the appointment of a new AP as a “champion” for target setting and tutorials was a “positive step” to support teachers who need to improve in helping learners make good progress.

A new programme leader has also been appointed to lead improvement in the teaching of maths, with one AP delivering maths tutorials to teaching staff in one programme area, bit the college-wide approach to improving maths teaching is still “under improvement”.

There have been ongoing discussions about a possible milestone merger with Aylesbury College, which would create one single authority across Buckinghamshire.

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