Cambridge Regional College Review 2026: A large, practical post-16 provider with strong employer links

For families weighing post-16 options in the Cambridge area, this provider stands out for breadth. Alongside study programmes for young people, it runs substantial adult learning, apprenticeships, and specialist routes for learners with high needs, with provision spanning Cambridge and Huntingdon. The scale is material: at the time of the most recent full inspection, there were 2,689 students on education programmes for young people, 2,703 adult learners, 697 apprentices, and 546 learners with high needs.

Leadership is stable and clearly defined. Mark Robertson is Principal and Chief Executive, having joined initially as interim Principal in June 2016 and becoming permanent Principal for the merged college from August 2017.

The most recent Ofsted full inspection (24 to 27 January 2023, published 22 March 2023) judged the provider Good overall, and Good across all key areas, including programmes for young people, adult learning, apprenticeships, and high needs.

This is a provider built around employability and progression rather than a single academic pathway. External assessment describes students and apprentices as feeling safe, treated fairly, and supported by tutors; it also highlights that the work set is demanding and that learners value the balance of theory and practical learning.

A practical, vocational flavour runs through the offer, and it is reinforced by real work settings and industry-style facilities. The Park is a set of public-facing commercial outlets used for training and work experience, including catering, sport and fitness, and hair and beauty. The Sports Centre and Gym also doubles as a clear anchor for sport and wellbeing, with two sports halls, two squash courts, and a climbing wall among the listed facilities.

The Skills agenda is not abstract. Ofsted’s report explicitly records a “strong contribution” to meeting skills needs, with curriculum adjustments shaped by employer feedback and regional priorities, including green skills.

Because this is a broad further education provider, headline academic metrics can be a poor proxy for the overall learner experience. In the FindMySchool A-level outcomes ranking, it sits in the bottom 40% of providers in England (rank 2,644 of 2,649). This is a proprietary FindMySchool ranking based on official data.

The more representative performance picture here is progression through vocational, apprenticeship, adult and supported learning routes, and the quality of teaching and curriculum intent. The latest full inspection supports that emphasis, rating all areas Good and describing a curriculum planned to build knowledge and skills incrementally over time, closely aligned to workplaces and progression.

A clear strength is the way courses are designed backwards from the workplace. Ofsted’s report gives specific examples: culinary students building from core knife skills to more complex preparation tasks, and engineering apprentices moving from manual tools to automated and programmable machinery. The implication for learners is that practical competence is developed in steps, with earlier learning being used deliberately in more demanding contexts.

Teaching quality is also supported by staffing. The inspection notes that many staff are highly qualified and experienced in the sectors they teach, and that industry-current expertise is used to ground learning in real scenarios and case studies. For families, this tends to translate into clearer expectations about professional standards, and fewer surprises when students move into placements or employment.

The main academic caveat flagged is consistency in English development. The inspection identifies that, too often, teachers and assessor trainers do not routinely correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation, and attendance and punctuality for English and mathematics lessons is an area to improve.

With a large cohort, destinations are naturally mixed. For the 2023/24 leavers cohort, 11% progressed to university, 9% to further education, 9% to apprenticeships, and 43% to employment.

Oxbridge is not a defining pipeline for a provider of this type, but it is present at the margins. Over the Oxbridge measurement period, four applications are recorded, with one Cambridge acceptance. This points to a small number of very high-attaining students using specialist pathways alongside the college’s broader technical and vocational mission.

For parents comparing local post-16 options, it is worth using the FindMySchool Local Hub pages to place these outcomes alongside nearby sixth forms and colleges, then filtering by the pathways that match your child’s plan (A-levels, technical courses, apprenticeships, or supported learning routes).

Admissions operate more like course recruitment than school allocation. Applications are accepted year-round for 16+ college courses, and prospective students are encouraged to attend open events as part of choosing a programme. The published application form for 2026/27 shows an approach focused on course choice and fit, including listing programmes in order of preference and supplying a reference for full-time courses.

Enrolment tends to sit around late August, with course-area appointment slots published for that year’s intake. The enrolment page provides dated examples for August and early September 2025, which suggests a consistent annual pattern even when the exact timetable shifts year to year.

Pastoral support is framed around safety, belonging, and practical progression. The most recent inspection describes learners feeling safe and supported by staff, alongside a culture of fairness and respectful listening to student voice.

Provision for learners with high needs is significant at scale, and it is judged Good. The inspection also notes supported internships that include purposeful work placements, with the intended outcome of building employability and independence.

Enrichment here is structured around employability and leadership, not just clubs for their own sake. The Student Ambassador Scheme is a good example: it gives students responsibilities such as supporting open events, participating in learner voice activity, contributing to interviews, and representing the provider to prospective students. The implication is a credible, CV-relevant strand of participation for students who want to build confidence and soft skills alongside their main programme.

There is also evidence of vocational stretch activity. Ofsted describes sports students running teams and taking part in placements abroad, and construction students entering skills competitions, including preliminary rounds linked to WorldSkills. This matters because it creates externally anchored goals for practical disciplines, helping students link daily learning to professional standards.

Facilities also support broader participation. The Sports Centre and Gym offers multi-use sports halls, squash courts, and a climbing wall, which can underpin both student activities and wellbeing routines for those balancing heavy practical timetables.

Term dates are published, with Autumn Term 2025 listed as 01 September 2025 to 18 December 2025, and students are told they will receive a timetable at enrolment identifying their first day. The Cambridge site is positioned by the Science Park area, and the public-facing facilities reference easy access and free parking, which is relevant for adult learners and apprentices commuting by car.

Wraparound care is not applicable in the primary-school sense. For learners aged 16 to 18, the practical equivalent is timetable design plus travel, part-time work, and study expectations, and families should check course-specific contact hours during open events.

• A-level outcomes are not the headline story. The FindMySchool A-level ranking places the provider in the bottom 40% in England, which may matter for students seeking a highly academic A-level environment. Families prioritising A-levels should compare subject-level offer and teaching fit carefully against local sixth forms.

• English and maths attendance and consistency. The latest inspection identifies weaker attendance and punctuality for English and maths lessons, and that English skills improvement is not consistently reinforced through routine correction in all areas. Students who need strong literacy development should ask directly how this is built into their chosen programme.

• Course choice matters more than brand. The range is wide, but experience varies by curriculum area and level. Families should prioritise open events, department conversations, and clarity on progression routes into work, apprenticeships, or higher education.

This is best understood as a large, skills-focused post-16 provider where vocational credibility, apprenticeships, adult learning, and high-needs routes are central. The Good Ofsted judgement across all areas and the documented focus on employer-aligned curriculum design support confidence in the core offer.

It suits students who want practical learning, clear progression into work or technical routes, and access to industry-style environments. It can also suit academic students who want a broader applied setting, but families seeking a strongly A-level-centric culture should compare carefully against specialist sixth forms.