Dartmouth military college has 'worst case of rot' Ofsted has ever seen and rated 'inadequate'
Inspectors from Ofsted have found numerous failings in military facilities, including some of the worst cases of rot they have ever seen at the Britannia Royal Naval College.
The report by education watchdog, Ofsted, was based on 11 inspections of initial training establishments and visits to RAF university service units and university air station HQs between October 2022 and May 2023.
Ten of the 11 inspected were graded good for overall effectiveness, but the naval college at Dartmouth was labelled inadequate.
Amanda Spielman, Ofsted's Chief Inspector, said Dartmouth received the rating due to the poor state of the college's infastructure.
She said this was due to "a lack of investment over many decades".
"My inspectors reported a sorry tale of decaying, sometimes unsafe, buildings and facilities, with windows rotting and areas out of bounds for safety reasons," she said.
"In such unacceptable conditions, new OCdts at the very beginning of their careers are expected to develop and model military and leadership skills, and staff are directed to care for them.
"Commanding officers over many years have been unable to deal with the problems associated with a decaying and inadequate estate because of a lack of support and resources.
"This situation should not be allowed to continue."
Other training establishments were also pulled up for poor standards, with Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) and the RAF Officer Training Academy (RAFOTA) at RAF Cranwell, completing the set of all three services' officer training facilities to be found in a poor state.
Ms Spielman said RMAS and RAFOTA were "lacking in good-quality facilities, infrastructure and resources".
"At RAFOTA, commanders had improved several aspects from the inadequate judgement last year, but they are still not good enough," she said.
"The infrastructure at RAF Halton, where young aviators start their military careers, was also judged as requiring improvement."
Another issue Ofsted found was uniform and equipment standards - a problem that persists from last year's report.
Female recruits at Armed Forces training centres are suffering from "low morale" due to ill-fitting uniforms, the report found.
"Too many recruits, particularly smaller and female recruits, are not given suitable, properly fitting uniforms, body-armour and backpacks," Ms Spielman said.
"This is affecting recruits’ morale and posing injury risks."
Ofsted has previously made recommendations about poorly-fitting uniforms and said that women in one training centre looked less smart than their male peers last October.
An MOD spokesperson said: "This year's report details positive improvements and excellent examples of training establishments in our Armed Forces, which provide a safe and supportive environment for our recruits and trainees.
"There are currently a number of projects across the MOD focused on improving female equipment and clothing, including improved measuring and purchasing services that have already benefited hundreds of female sailors."
Ms Spielman said: "Senior commanders and their teams should be proud of their inspection results that reflect the high-quality training and support they are providing to such a valuable group of people.
"However, we have yet again reported evidence of sub-standard and sometimes unsafe buildings and facilities, within which our recruits are expected to complete their training.
"I urge senior colleagues in the Ministry of Defence to take urgent action to provide our young services personnel with the facilities, infrastructure and resources they need to flourish and work safely."
Writing in the forward to the report, Minister for Defence People, Dr Andrew Murrison welcomed 11 units being assessed as good for overall effectiveness but acknowledged there is no room for complacency.
He said: "We acknowledge that the standard and quality of accommodation and infrastructure across the training estate has once again been highlighted in the report and in several areas remains below the standard our personnel should expect."
The Defence Minister added that the Ministry of Defence would continue to invest in the training estate to improve the lived experience.
A MOD Spokesperson stated the report "details positive improvements and excellent examples of training establishments in our Armed Forces, which provide a safe and supportive environment for our recruits and trainees".
"The Ministry of Defence places great emphasis on its safety management and with Britannia Royal Naval College, has enacted comprehensive measures to ensure the continued delivery of safe and effective training.
"While committed to addressing the recognised shortcomings, the College's Grade 2 Historic Building status may require more time to deliver the necessary improvements."
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