I visited Writtle College on Friday (14 March) to see the College working first-hand. During the visit, I met with Principal Dr Stephen Waite and Chair of the Board of Governors Lise-Lotte Olsen, as well as lecturers and students at the College. I was taken on a tour of the Titchmarsh Centre for Animal Studies, which was opened by College Patron and celebrity gardener, Alan Titchmarsh MBE in 2011. This flagship facility houses traditional companion species such as rabbits, guinea pigs and rodents, more exotic animals including snakes, water dragons and geckos and yard animals such as goats, sheep, geese and ducks. The Centre is used as a resource for both the Further Education and Higher Education students at the College, with teaching covering all aspects of animal studies, from husbandry to nutrition. The College also showcased its recent Ofsted success, which saw it gaining a ‘good’ rating. Inspectors credited the achievement of students, with success rates increasing by 10% since the College was last inspected just over two years ago, and praised the highly specialist and enthusiastic staff for developing learners practical and employability skills. The guidance and support offered at the College was commended for leading to high standards of conduct and social development in students. I was very impressed by the range of opportunities provided to the Further Education and Higher Education students at Writtle College and all within such an attractive part of the countryside. Dr Waite said: “Sir Alan’s visit gave us the opportunity to celebrate the success of the College and to talk about our plans for the future. With our Ofsted rating of good, our ground-breaking research increasingly being showcased in the media and our work to gain Taught Degree Awarding Powers, this is an exciting time at the College.”
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 14:47:22 +0000
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