The Northern School of Art’s Middlesbrough campus is celebrating achieving a hat-trick of ‘Outstanding’ ratings from Ofsted.

Following an inspection in January 2025, the School’s further education (FE) provision in Newport Road has once again retained the top rating it has held since 2009, reaffirming its position as a leading specialist provider of creative education.

The Ofsted report praises the School for its exceptional quality of education, strong leadership, and outstanding student experience. Across key areas – including behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management – inspectors highlighted the School’s unwavering commitment to excellence.

The report commends The Northern School of Art’s purpose-built Middlesbrough campus, which serves over 600 students pursuing creative arts courses ranging from vocational qualifications and A-levels to Access to Higher Education courses, for providing “an exceptionally current and relevant curriculum that enables learners to develop specialist knowledge and skills in creative arts”.

Inspectors were particularly impressed by the School’s industry-focused approach, noting that the School “makes a strong contribution to meeting skills needs” and that staff “engage very well with stakeholders and employers to understand the evolving skills needs of creative industries and use their understanding to plan and teach a highly relevant curriculum.”

The report highlights that students develop not only technical skills but also real-world experience through industry projects, employer collaborations, and work placements. Examples highlighted in the report included photography students engaging in commercial photography briefs, and acting students gaining hands-on experience in professional theatre and film environments.

The highly qualified teaching staff – many of whom are active industry professionals – are credited with fostering a positive, nurturing, and dynamic learning culture.

Dr Martin Raby, Principal of The Northern School of Art said: “We are very gratified by this recognition from Ofsted. This reflects the dedication of our staff, the hard work of our students, and our strong partnerships with the creative industries.

Dr Raby added: “I could not have wished for a better report. The whole School community is delighted that we are part of a small and select group of further education colleges which have achieved three successive Ofsted Outstanding ratings, going back to our 2009 inspection. Whilst the School has developed significantly over that period, its core values have remained unaltered.

“Perhaps most gratifying was Ofsted’s recognition of the ethos of the School, noting that learners see the school as a family where they collaborate well with staff and peers, and that staff create a highly effective, calm, purposeful and welcoming learning environment. Learners feel part of a supportive and creative community, whilst also being valued, respected and comfortable expressing themselves.”

The Northern School of Art has also had consecutive top ratings in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) at its Hartlepool university-level campus, achieving a TEF (Teaching Excellence Framework) Gold overall rating in both 2017 and 2023.

Dr Martin Raby added: “That is a remarkable testament to the exceptional quality of both our FE and HE provision. Our staff are to be hugely congratulated for this much-deserved recognition.”

Since its last Outstanding rating from Ofsted, the School’s Middlesbrough campus has continued to enhance its curriculum, invest in state-of-the-art facilities, and expand opportunities for students. The report highlights the strong links with the creative sector, ensuring students are well-prepared for careers in film, television, theatre, design, and beyond.

Additionally, Ofsted notes the School’s strong safeguarding culture and its commitment to students’ well-being, personal development, and employability skills.

Rob Kane, The Northern School of Art’s Vice Principal (Further Education), commented: “This is a fantastic achievement for our students, staff and the local community. The updated Ofsted inspection framework places more emphasis on skills for employment and it means so much to us to be recognised for our efforts in supporting young people to progress into the creative industries.

“Everyone at the School is passionate about the arts and enabling students to develop the specialist skills and knowledge they need for their future progression into study or work. We are also very fortunate to have the amazing support of local and national stakeholders in the creative industries.”

Rob Kane added: “We are currently working on a stunning visual spectacle to mark our achievement in style. Keep an eye on our social media for details.”

The Ofsted inspection took place in January 2025. The School was previously inspected in February 2022 and June 2009.

The Northern School of Art is a further and higher education college which offers a wide range of specialist industry-focused creative courses from its two campuses in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool. The School offers creative education and training from six years upwards with a thriving Saturday Club & Arts Award, A-levels, Diplomas, Access to Higher Education, Foundation Diploma, Degrees and Postgraduate courses in specialist design, film, arts and stage and screen subjects.

For further information about courses or open days, please visit www.northernart.ac.uk or follow @thenorthernart

To read a copy of the report, click HERE

Further details of the visual display planned for the Middlesbrough campus building on Newport Road will be announced on the School’s social media feeds.