Staff, students and governors at Lancaster & Morecambe College (LMC) are celebrating the latest Ofsted inspection which graded the College as GOOD across all areas, and commended the strong contribution LMC makes to meeting skills needs across the region.
A team of 11 Inspectors spent 4 days on the campus in early February 2025 and undertook a comprehensive inspection of all aspects of College life, concluding that LMC provides an ambitious curriculum, setting consistently high standards and that students enjoy attending classes and feel supported and respected by college staff.
As part of the new inspection framework, the College was assessed on how well they meet local, regional and national skills needs and they received the highest accolade, with LMC’s contribution rated as strong, noting.
Staff work highly effectively with an extensive network of employers to develop tailored training and education programmes… and play a key role leading on the sustainability and green skills agenda in the region.
The inspection team met a wide range of students, apprentices and employers during their 4-day visit, including a number of adult learners, and were impressed with their commitment and enthusiasm.
Learners and apprentices are proud of the knowledge, skills and behaviours that they develop.
Staff were praised for setting consistent expectations on the behaviours and attitudes needed for life and work, and for developing meaningful and relevant work experience opportunities for learners.
Daniel Braithwaite, Principal of Lancaster & Morecambe College said
I am extremely proud of our students, staff and stakeholders endorsed by our fantastic Ofsted report officially published this week. It is a powerful validation of our collective hard work and commitment to the communities we serve. There are some amazing statements within the report that highlight how our students feel about their learning, development and the support received from staff LMC. Employers and wider stakeholders also provided Ofsted with some fantastic feedback on how we work in partnership to meet their needs, leading to recognition of our strong contribution to meeting skills needs at a local, regional and national level. We will celebrate as a team, but also take on board areas for development collectively. We will build on this solid platform, reflect on the feedback shared and move forward as one college with ambition for the future.
During the inspection surveys were sent out on behalf of Ofsted to LMC learners, their parents and carers, adult students, regional employers, College staff and community stakeholders to gather their feedback on the College. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with 95% of current students saying that they would recommend LMC to their friends and 93% of staff stating that they were proud to work at College.
My role is to work alongside the tutors and students to ensure the work placements are secured, completed and recorded in line with procedural requirements. This is a simple description, as there is a lot of work behind the scenes to ensure this happens! I see good communication, administration, attention to detail and patience as key attributes of the role.
I enjoy being part of the team and thinking of new ways to support local businesses in realising their potential. Watching learners transition from a one-day course to gaining qualifications motivates me to continue teaching at LMC.
Welding particularly is like lego for adults – its great fun making things. Whereas Engineering will teach you why things are made the way they are and a combination of both will give you the skills to make almost anything you can think of! Why not give it a go!
I really enjoy being part of the LMC Beauty Team and working within the department. Watching my students grow and develop their ideas and skillsets week on week is a really exciting part of my role, particularly when I can see them challenging themselves to get creative and try out new and different ideas.
The most satisfying part of my job role is inspiring students to have the confidence to become beauty therapists and work in their dream careers.
I love working at Lancaster & Morecambe College with such an amazing team that are passionate about delivering outstanding teaching across the departments. The Apprenticeship courses at LMC are well developed programmes that offer students amazing opportunities and experiences, whilst allowing them to earn while they learn as they progress through the Apprenticeship.