Strategic Development Plan
Our Strategic Development Plan sets out what the College intends to deliver, how is will deliver those intentions and how we will measure success. It goes on to establish key priorities and objectives that will enable the college to continue to offer an outstanding quality of education to our residents. You can download the most recent copy of our plan and quality improvement goals below.
In summary:
Our Aim:
To deliver an outstanding quality of education that supports all our learners to achieve future social and economic prosperity.
How we measure impact:
- Our learners gain new skills and qualifications, report enhanced levels of knowledge and self-development, including increased resilience, confidence, and independence.
- Our learners know how to keep physically and mentally healthy and have access to education for sustainable development (ESD).
- An outstanding quality of education develops personal and social skills, including employability skills that
- Prepare learners well for their intended job role, career aims and/or personal goals.
- Learners are and feel safe. Arrangements for Safeguarding are appropriate and effective.
Our underpinning principles:
a. The College uses a placed-based approach to both service and curriculum planning and development. We use local social, economic, human, and environmental data and intelligence to build our local learning offer.
b. The College is focused on supporting the future social and economic prosperity of all learners, local communities and businesses.
c. The College, its partners and subcontractors deliver an outstanding quality of learning with clear delivery intentions, strong implementation plans and effective methods of monitoring and recording impact.
d. The College is committed to ensuring all learners, including the most vulnerable and those furthest from the labour market, have good and equal access to high quality learning opportunities that meet local need and support progression to employment or further learning.
e. The College develops and harnesses strong and effective partnerships with local employers, sector bodies, business associations and stakeholders such as Job Centre Plus, that widen participation and support learners’ progression to further learning and/or employment relevant to their personal circumstances.
f. The College offers a range of community learning opportunities that provides first rung access to pathways into further learning or employment and support for adults with learning difficulties and/or
disabilities to support their personal development and access to independent living.
g. The College prepares learners for life in modern Britain by equipping them to be responsible, respectful, active citizens who contribute positively to society, developing their understanding of fundamental British values and developing their understanding and appreciation of diversity.
h. The College provides an effective careers programme that offers advice, experience and contact with employers to encourage learners to aspire, make good choices and understand what they need to do to reach and succeed in their chosen career, actively supporting readiness for the next phase of education,
training, or employment so that learners can make the transition to the next stage successfully.
i. The College is graded Good/Outstanding by Ofsted, financially fit for the future, is well resourced and sustainable and delivers value for money and is prepared to take risks in a balanced and measured way.
Our service priorities
- Strong and relevant service offer; the service offer is strong, relevant, and aligned to local needs.
- Outstanding quality of service delivery; the service delivers the highest quality standards and is recognised by external bodies such as Ofsted, Matrix, and other awarding organisations for doing so.
- Excellent access to the service; ensure equality of access to learning for learners from different communities across all parts of Reading, including those who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities, suffer hardship or experience other barriers to participation.
- Strong and effective partnerships; build strong and effective partnerships with local employers, sector bodies, business associations and stakeholders, that lead to improved outcomes for our learners.
- Fit for the future; Ensure the service is fit for the future, is well resourced and sustainable and delivers excellent value for money.
Accountability Agreement 2025-2026
Our strategic plan, which is used to formulate this accountability agreement, is co-produced with senior leaders and staff at the College. The plan is then shared with our Governance Board and senior Council members, officers, and leaders. The accountability agreement demonstrates our commitment to supporting the social and economic prosperity of our community and is shared on our website.
Working closely with Economic Development colleagues and specific skills groups such as the LSIP, REDA Skills for Growth Group, and the Berkshire Prosperity Board, the service reviews our offer of learning annually and remains committed to delivering adult skills and community learning that is well aligned to local, regional, and national skills needs. This includes delivery of national programmes such as Free Courses for Jobs, and how we respond to refugees and asylum seekers through provision funded through the DfE and Home Office and will include the new government’s emerging missions and related programmes, including ‘Get Britain Working’, ‘Connect to Work’ and the Industrial Strategy.
New Directions College submitted its Annual Accountability Agreement to the Department for Education in June 2025. You can download a copy here:
Infographic – Strategic Development Plan
Strategic Development Plan and Quality Improvement Goals 2023-24
You can download a copy here: