AoC responds to Ofsted annual report

David Hughes, Chief Executive, Association of Colleges, said: "The Ofsted annual report sets out a worrying picture of widespread poor behaviours and low attendance in secondary schools at a time when the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) is touching one million. The recent post-16 white paper rightly focused on the transition from school at the age of 16, and proposes more work between schools and colleges to ensure more young people make that transition successfully. This report shows how challenging that will be, with poor attendance, exclusions and suspensions in schools rising and far too high, particularly for those from more disadvantaged households.

"With a new Ofsted inspection framework just starting to be implemented, our focus now is on how we support colleges to navigate what is a very different system and approach. The early signs are that colleges will fare well with the new and stronger focus on inclusion and SEND because of their commitment, systems and culture."