Buckinghamshire College Group

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Information about this provider

Buckinghamshire College Group (BCG) was formed in October 2017 from the merger between Aylesbury College and Amersham and Wycombe College.

BCG has campuses in Aylesbury, Amersham and High Wycombe. The college has around 3,000 students aged 16 to 18, around 1,200 adult students and just under 500 apprentices. There are 250 students in receipt of high needs funding.

Leaders offer courses in all subject areas, from entry level to level 4, with a range of full-time and part-time courses in most subjects. Leaders and managers work with eight subcontractors who teach students and apprentices across all provision types. BCG received a monitoring visit from Ofsted in March 2019.
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What is it like to be a learner with this provider? Students and apprentices benefit from a harmonious environment across the three college campuses. Students are highly respectful of each other's diverse views and backgrounds. They are keen to learn and most respond to the high behaviour expectations set by staff by attending all their lessons punctually.

Adult students develop new knowledge and skills that prepare them well to move on to further study or into employment. For example, students on access to higher education courses develop their analytic and evaluative skills quickly and feel confident about moving to university. A high proportion of adult students move on to employment or further learning, including higher education, on completion of their courses.

Apprentices gain useful practical skills that enable them to become more effective employees in the workplace. For example, carpentry apprentices fit skirting boards without supervision. Motor vehicle apprentices use mechanical measuring tools and diagnostic equipment to remove and repair engines safely.

Students with high needs do not experience consistently high-quality teaching. More than half of the students do not benefit from teaching that is sufficiently well planned to enable them to develop their knowledge and skills from their starting points. Consequently, these students are not making the progress of which they are capable.

Students benefit from a carefully considered tutorial programme. They learn about useful topics, such as mental health and healthy relationships, which develop students' personal and social skills well. Students know the signs of poor mental health and have a clear understanding of sexual consent and how to identify and tackle toxic relationships.

Students make good use of relevant work experience opportunities to develop their understanding of the industry they are interested in. For example, students in information technology complete useful placements with ethical hackers and web developers. As a result, they become more competent and confident in the skills and knowledge they need to work in that industry.

Most students and apprentices know what they need to do to prepare for their next steps in education or employment. Students benefit from a careers coaching programme where they explore potential progression routes, such as apprenticeships or higher education. Students with high needs who intend to leave at the end of the year do not benefit from regular visits to their proposed destinations.

Therefore, they are not as well prepared for their next steps. A minority of apprentices do not receive careers information, advice and guidance during their training. These apprentices do not know the options available to them on completion of their apprenticeship.

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