Lecturers are providing some of the best adult education ever, according to a chief inspector’s report. There has been a “phenomenal improvement” across the whole range of education for students over the age of 19, said David Sherlock, chief of the Adult Learning Inspectorate.
His comments came as the inspectorate published its final report before being subsumed by Ofsted next year.
Inspectors found more cases of outstanding provision than ever before over the past year - with the greatest improvement shown in courses for disadvantaged people, including those with learning disabilities. In work-based training, 90 per cent of firms passed their inspection, compared with 60 per cent five years ago.
“That is the stuff of delight,” Mr Sherlock said. “It should give intense satisfaction to all who have contributed to its realisation, including the Government and its agencies, but most of all the providers themselves.”
Every type of post-19 education was praised. In colleges, success rates have improved from 69 per cent to 76 per cent in two years. In adult and community education, 78 per cent have passed their inspections, which means the number of failures has halved in three years. In prisons, teaching was satisfactory or better in 84 per cent of cases, compared with less than half six months earlier.
