EXAM results at Coulsdon Sixth Form College are "far from" where they should be, but the new man in charge says his changes should yield results by next year.
And executive head Steve Oxlade has made a firm pledge - "if results don't improve - sack me."
Mr Oxlade has spent the past five months re-shaping the struggling college, which was taken over by Reigate College in March after two damning Ofsted reports.
Last week it announced an A-level pass rate of 94 per cent and BTEC pass rate of 96 per cent. The college did not have more detailed results as the Advertiser went to press.
Mr Oxlade said: "I am not saying the results are where I want them to be; they are not. They are far, far away from where I expect them to be.
"But there are certainly signs that we have some movement and by this time next year, I fully expect the college to be posting some outstanding results."
As an example, he added, English AS level results are "good if not better than Reigate's". The Surrey college, where Mr Oxlade is principal, is considered to be one of the best colleges in the country.
Mr Oxlade's changes so far have seen poor students weeded out, the curriculum redesigned, and entry requirements toughened – with every prospective student interviewed.
He stressed the stricter requirements are about "recruiting with integrity," rather than weakening the inclusive ethos his predecessor, David Goodlet, was so keen on.
"If you are going to recruit students with integrity, then you have to actually set a standard by which you know that the students will be able to pass the qualifications that they come on," he said.
"Otherwise you are not doing the students a favour.
"People think you are, and of course everyone can quote the odd one or two students who buck the trend. But you cannot manage a college on the odd one or two; it has to be based on statistical evidence.
"Inclusive does not mean putting students on courses that they cannot pass. That is a complete fallacy."
One of his first moves for existing students was to put lower sixth-formers on a six-week trial "to prove themselves," and then invite 120 poor performers and their parents to a meeting.
Seventy-six students attended, and signed contracts concerning handing work in on time, behaviour and punctuality.
"We want to ensure that students who come here are students who want to learn," he said.
Allowed back to college next year – subject to exam results – will be 76 of that 120 (although not the same 76 who signed the contracts). Courses have been reshaped to allow students to mix and match A-levels and BTECs, with more students put on full-time programmes.
"The decision [had been] made to put them in smaller programmes, thinking that they would then have more free time to read around the subject," Mr Oxlade said. "But of course that does not happen unless you structure that free time appropriately."
Students are now monitored every six weeks, with parents summoned and action plans fixed if they are not progressing.
A new "independent learning centre" with computers has been built over the summer, for students to study in outside lessons.
Staff will also be under scrutiny, with senior managers inspecting all lessons during the first three weeks of term.
"We want to make sure that staff apply standards that we are expecting and also the students are ready to learn and contributing," Mr Oxlade said.
Nor is he escaping the rigour, and Mr Oxlade fully admits his job should be on the line if he fails to raise standards.
He added: "You have got to have leadership and management that know how to stitch all those things together.
"That is not a complicated business model – if you look at how other businesses run this is very, very simple and if you cannot do it you should be sacked.
"And I will say that absolutely outright – if I have not succeeded then I should be sacked."
