Hadlow College has been praised by Ofsted for its outstanding residential provision.
The education watchdog paid a visit to Kent’s only rural and land-based college this summer to assess the accommodation and support it provides to learners who live on site.
The final report saw it judged as Outstanding by Ofsted across all categories.
Inspectors delivered a series of glowing tributes saying, “Residential students thrive because of the warm, caring and nurturing relationships that they have with the residential staff”, whilst adding “Residential students are overwhelmingly positive about their time at the college and say it is like a family”.
The benefits of living on site were also recognised, with the report noting “Residential students make excellent progress academically, socially and emotionally.”
The overall Residential experience was widely praised with Residential students said to “enjoy a wide range of activities, with a different choice available each week”, as well as benefitting from “safe and well-decorated accommodation”.
To read the full report visit the Ofsted website.
Chris Lydon, Vice Principal for Hadlow College, said: "I am absolutely delighted and incredibly proud that Hadlow College has received an Outstanding grade from the recent Ofsted Residential inspection. This exceptional recognition is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and commitment of our staff and student community. It highlights our unwavering commitment to providing a nurturing and high-quality educational and residential environment. We will continue to strive for excellence and ensure that our students have the best possible experience during their time at Hadlow College.”
This is the third Ofsted inspection involving North Kent College (of which Hadlow College is part of), in the past few months.
North Kent College itself was rated as Good overall by Ofsted, in February 2024, with an assessment of Outstanding in Behaviours and Attitudes, whilst Bright Beginnings Nursery, which is based at North Kent College’s Dartford Campus, got an overall rating of Outstanding, as well as scoring Outstanding in all four sub-sections of the report when it was inspected earlier this month.
Hadlow College has 199 residential units set in the heart of the beautiful surroundings of the 265 acres of prime arable land that make up the College grounds. There are 147 units for Further Education students and 52 for Higher Education students.
Every student gets their own room and there are communal areas with a lounge, kitchen and bathroom facilities. On top of that there is the College restaurant (Greenhouse Restaurant and Café), Common Room and Student Bar situated at Garrad House.
The College’s Residential Support Officers also arrange a schedule of events and social activities in the evening for students ranging from themed discos to quiz nights to cinema trips.
To find out more about living on site at Hadlow, visit the Halls of Residence page of the Hadlow College website.