Fashion Retail Academy rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted

Independent employer-led college, Fashion Retail Academy has been officially recognised as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.

The inspection, which took place at the end of September 2016, praised the Fashion Retail Academy on its management, industry partnerships, quality of teaching, the general learning facilities, as well as giving “excellent" ongoing careers advice and guidance.

The report noted that students benefit from the Academy’s “outstanding partnerships” with fashion retail employers and that learners receive a “rich and relevant curriculum”. In addition, Ofsted noted leaders, governors and managers have established “a culture of excellence that results in very high achievement for learners”, with almost all learners gaining employment at their first-choice employer or moving into higher education.

The Fashion Retail Academy principal and chief executive, Lee Lucas said: “We are delighted at the recognition of the unique and pioneering nature of the FRA. This is a testament to our innovative model and would not be possible without the support of our employer and retail partners along with our dedicated and passionate staff.

“The FRA has been a catalyst for bringing together an extremely competitive industry for a common purpose to achieve a shared goal; to develop and inspire talent for a specialist career in fashion retail. I believe that it is these relationships, along with our continued focus on ensuring everything we do results in positive outcomes for learners, that is the biggest factor in our success.”

The Fashion Retail Academy was founded in 2005 as a private-public partnership between the government and the fashion retail industry, currently, more than 130 retail brands are working with the educational institute, which has charitable status. It offers a variety of specialist fashion diploma, degree and short courses, all designed to provide students with in-depth knowledge of the industry and hands-on practical experience.

In the past 12 years, almost 7,000 people have studied at the Fashion Retail Academy, on courses such as fashion design, merchandising for fashion and garment technology.

Image: Fashion Retail Academy website