Coleg Gwent to Receive Support from Council’s Education Department Following Critical Inspection

COLEG Gwent will be supported by a council’s education department following a critical inspection report. 
The further education college, which provides courses for 6,735 fulltime students and a similar number of parttime students from across the five local authority areas, has been told by inspectors Estyn to draw up an improvement plan following an inspection. 
That found Coleg Gwent has “an aspect of education and training which is not adequate to meet the reasonable needs of those receiving the education”, with Estyn making five recommendations to “help the college continue to improve”. 
Andrew Powles, Torfaen Borough Council’s director of education, said the council will offer assistance to the college when he provided a regular six month education update to councillors. 
Mr Powles said Coleg Gwent, which is a separate body to the council with its own governance, was placed in a “follow up” category by Estyn. 
He said Torfaen is reliant on Coleg Gwent for the majority of its sixth form provision after its Learning Zone, in Cwmbran, opened in 2021 with the closure of most school sixth forms in the borough. 
He said: “Coleg Gwent did go into a follow up category and we will work closely with them, as best we can, to address the recommendations.” 
Blaenavon independent councillor Janet Jones said she was concerned at the number of local students choosing to attend college in Hereford instead. 
She said: “I really am concerned about Coleg Gwent and the number of children from this authority going to Hereford.” 
Torfaen council’s own Pupil Referral Unit, for children unable to attend mainstream schools, has, Mr Powles, said been removed from its own follow up category. It was told it required “significant improvement” in April 2025 following an Estyn inspection. 
Mr Powles said the head of the unit has since been asked to support other local authorities following Estyn’s monitoring report while Croesyceiliog Comprehensive has been chosen as a case study, on leadership in schools, by the inspectors. He said it was one of the first Torfaen schools in “quite a while” to be chosen as a good practice case study. 
Updates on the education service are provided to councillors in Torfaen since the council’s education department was placed in special measures in March 2022. It was removed from the category in November 2024 due to improvements made. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​