Ofsted has reported that students living in halls of residence at Sparsholt Campus enjoy an ‘Outstanding’ residential experience following a three-day inspection, carried out in October 2025. The inspection found the College’s residential provision to be outstanding in all areas with ‘Overall experiences and progress of young people’, ‘How well young people are helped and protected’ as well as ‘The effectiveness of leaders and managers’ all receiving the highest possible grade across the board from the inspectors.
Ofsted reported on the excellent relationships between residential learners and residential staff. The report said: “Students talk fondly about the residential wardens. Residential students were seen to come to the wardens’ office for a variety of reasons, including signing up for supermarket trips and organised activities or sitting and chatting with a drink or a toastie.”
The report also picked up on the multitude of ways that students are made to feel safe, stating: “Each residential student completes an independent living assessment before starting at the college to ensure that the help and support that they need are available when they arrive.… This helps residential students to rapidly feel safe and accepted at the college.”
In the report it was also highlighted that: “A wide range of communication methods are used to keep students updated on important matters, as well as activities and other resources that are available to them. A student intranet site has been successfully introduced. This includes details about what is on at the college, event calendars, details of things to do in the nearby towns and cities and access to different groups such as LGBTQ+, to name but a few. Activities are advertised and students are positive about what is available. The site also includes information on well-being and health.”
The tireless work put in place by various members of the college community to ensure all students living on campus have a positive experience was noted: “The wraparound support for students involves a wide range of teams who work in unison. All are clear on their roles and responsibilities while ensuring that the student remains the focus of the required support throughout.”
Liz Wilson, Director of Inclusion and Student Experience said: “It is wonderful that Ofsted have recognised the hard work of the teams supporting our residential students – particularly the joined-up work our teams do to ensure every student receives consistent, high-quality support. At Sparsholt College Group, we strive to ensure our students are happy and successful during their time living at college”
Focusing on ‘the effectiveness of leaders and managers’, the report described the leadership team at Sparsholt College Group as: “highly aspirational for all the students. They take particular pride in ensuring that residential students have a positive experience and that they benefit from the additional support and guidance as a result of living on site.”
Principal and CEO, Julie Milburn said: “This is an excellent report from Ofsted which is testament to the outstanding work delivered by our residential team of wardens, student support and wellbeing teams, and academic staff, it really is a team effort. Residential learners enjoy and thrive here and increase their knowledge, confidence and independence thanks to our commitment to supporting each learner throughout their unique journey with us.”
A full copy of the report can be found on the Ofsted website: Read the full Ofsted report here