Eastleigh College is delighted to announce that following the release of national government data on Thursday 30^th March that it has maintained its position as the best performing General Further Education (GFE) college in Hampshire for 16-18 aged student achievement and the joint-best across all colleges in the county. This is the first year since the pandemic where college-level performance has been published by the government - with the last data published following the 2019/20 academic year.

For 16-18 aged learners, the data confirms that Eastleigh now shares pole position with its neighbour Barton Peveril Sixth Form College as both colleges have an achievement rate of 89.4% for 16-18 aged learners. This means that more learners who start courses at Eastleigh and Barton Peveril complete and pass their studies than at all other colleges in Hampshire.

The government data also confirms that adult learner achievement is the highest of all GFE Colleges in Hampshire. This is again consistent with the College’s pre-pandemic performance and shows that the introduction of Eastleigh College Online has been highly successful.

Commenting on the sustained excellence, Peter Joddrell, Deputy Principal (Curriculum and Digital) at Eastleigh College said: “Our position is a real testament to the quality of the team here and I would personally like to extend my thanks and gratitude to them all - on a daily basis the quality of provision delivered to students is of a consistently high quality.”

A key government priority is to increase the number of young people and adults who achieve advanced level (known as Level 3) qualifications. The achievement rate data published this week shows that Eastleigh is the highest performing GFE College in the county for 16-18 aged advanced level achievement. Adults studying at an advanced level also achieve at rates above all other colleges in Hampshire. In addition, adults who study Access to HE courses achieve at a rate higher than their Hampshire-based peers.

Paul Stannard, Vice Principal (Quality, Compliance and Improvement) at Eastleigh College added: “Our students quickly buy into our mission of opportunity and excellence that are underpinned by our values. So many of them go on to achieve great things following the successful completion of their studies and we are all very proud of every student’s journey.”

Hampshire Chamber of Commerce are currently consulting on plans for the Hampshire Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP). The LSIP will prioritise skills education and training on key sectors for the county. Two of the most critical sectors in the region are health and construction. The 2021/22 achievement rate data shows that more 16-18 aged students study courses in these subjects than at any other College in Hampshire, with 16-18 students also achieving at unrivalled rates. The College is currently consulting on its draft Future Skills Plan where these sectors continue to be heavily prioritised.

Tracey McAdam, Head of Learner Support and Designated Safeguarding Lead at Eastleigh College, further commented: “We place a great deal of emphasis on our values and have the highest expectations when it comes to attendance, conduct and coursework. These expectations create an environment where our high-quality teaching can bring forth the potential in each of our students.”

The national rankings become the latest accolade in a whole host of successes that Eastleigh College has recently achieved. This includes national award successes, sector leading student satisfaction rates, commended status from the Association of Colleges for student support, and individual colleagues who have recently been shortlisted for Hampshire Education Awards. 

For more information, contact BeBetter@eastleigh.ac.uk or to apply for a course click here.