Latest Government league tables continue to place Abingdon & Witney College amongst the best in England

The Government have released their national achievement rate tables (NARTs) for the 2016-17 academic year, highlighting Abingdon & Witney College for the second year running as one of the leading providers in the country for Level 3 courses and apprenticeships.

The College’s 91.5% achievement rating places it in the top five in England when compared with all other General Further Education (GFE) Colleges for Level 3 courses. These A Level equivalent qualifications provide a more practical style of learning and a focus on employment skills for college students, who can also progress from their Level 3 qualifications on to university, into apprenticeships or into work, just as they would do from A Levels.

The NARTs have also seen the College’s apprenticeship programme recognised for its impressive timely achievement rates, now at 82.2%, the highest in the South of England and second of all GFE Colleges in England. This further confirms the College as an ‘outstanding’ provider in apprenticeships (Ofsted, March 2017), having been named the leading apprenticeship provider in the South of England at the inaugural Annual Apprenticeship Awards last month, before narrowly missing out on the national-level award.

Speaking about the report, Principal Di Batchelor said: “We’re delighted to see that our respected and highly varied Level 3 courses continue to go from strength to strength, and that our students continue to be high achievers. Studying at this level can provide a legitimate alternative to A Levels in the way they are taught, structured to develop a student’s skills, and the progress that can be made towards a rewarding career.”

“As for the timely success rates of our apprentices,” she continued, “it is something we take huge pride in as a college. We understand that the most challenging part of any apprenticeship is helping to match the right apprentice with the right employer, and that is why it is so rewarding for all parties when we get it right. We’re over the moon that the College is recognised as one of the best in England at doing this.”

The full report can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-achievement-rates-tables-2016-to-2017

(April 2018)