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.
I would say that Hospitality & Catering industry isn’t an easy option, but it can be really rewarding and enjoyable if you work hard at it. It also has excellent job prospects at the end of the course, as the majority of our completing students gain full time employment within high class establishments
Industry specific apprenticeships are a great way to learn new skills and knowledge, achieve a recognised qualification and earn a wage. Customer service is the corner stone of every successful business, and courses at LMC will help you identify, improve and introduce these skills successfully.
I love working with people of all ages and backgrounds and seeing them make progress and achieve their qualifications, sometimes in “small” ways, such as remembering how to do a written multiplication.
I love working with such keen and dedicated staff and students. I also like how every day is different because we attract such a wide range of students including year 11 from local high schools aged 16-18 who apply to the full time courses, to adult students who attend the part time courses. It’s nice to work with so many people from all different backgrounds and cultures who share a passion for cooking.
Whether you're confident that you want to be a plumber/gas engineer, think you want to try your hand at it, or have no idea what you want to do - plumbing or gas work is an excellent asset for anyone to have. They're both great career options, loved by foreign countries if you're looking to travel, or at the very least will save you some money on a plumber in the future no matter what you end up doing!
My favourite part of working at Lancaster & Morecambe college is watching students progress and supporting them with their learning. I also love knowing they are learning within a hairdressing environment and being able to see them develop their skills and knowledge in hairdressing.