Gateway Sixth Form College Ofsted Report

Full report

Information about the provider

• Gateway Sixth Form College is one of three sixth-form colleges in Leicester and is located approximately three miles north east of the city centre. There are also two further education colleges and three schools with sixth forms in the city. Gateway College is not a typical sixth-form college. In addition to its A-level programmes, it offers a wide range of vocational programmes from foundation to advanced level.
• Attainment in Leicester schools has declined over the last two years and the proportion of young people who leave with five A* to C grades at GCSE, including English and mathematics, is significantly lower than both the national rate and the rate in the county of Leicestershire. Unemployment in Leicester is higher than the national rate. Those in employment are less likely than individuals in other parts of the country to be in managerial or technical roles and are likely to earn less than the national average salary.

What does the provider need to do to improve further?

• Improve the rigour and accuracy of quality assurance and self-assessment and, consequently, the quality and impact of improvement actions.
• Refocus college staff on improving the progress of all students by:
  • increasing and clarifying expectations so that teachers understand how much progress students should make and the means by which this should be achieved
  • ensuring teachers provide activities that challenge all students, including the most able
  • ensuring that progress coaches widen their focus so that, as well as supporting those students at risk of leaving the college, they help all students achieve or exceed their target grades
  • ensuring that managers monitor closely the progress of students and intervene quickly and appropriately when it is not in line with expectations
  • implementing systematic ways of sharing good practice in teaching, learning and assessment, drawing on areas of strength in the college
  • coordinating all these efforts so that all staff follow a coherent and consistent approach to increasing the rate of student progress.
• Transform teaching, learning and assessment so that teachers provide engaging and relevant lessons that motivate students, allowing them to excel in their studies and develop a broad range of skills so that they are well prepared for their next step.
• Help teachers to develop their assessment skills so that they can measure student progress effectively and use the information this provides to develop lessons that are well matched to the needs and abilities of all students, including the most able.
• Gather and analyse information about the destinations of students more rigorously so that managers can judge whether the curriculum is appropriate and ensure that teachers are preparing students well for further study and employment.
• Improve students’ attendance and punctuality by improving the quality of lessons and through consistent and robust implementation of support arrangements.
• Make better use of the good relationships with local stakeholders to increase the number of students who participate in work-related learning, including meaningful work experience.
• Improve the effectiveness of governors in challenging leaders by:
  • giving governors a clear picture of the college’s effectiveness through more frequent and accurate reporting of the extent of students’ progress and the quality of teaching, learning and assessment
  • recruiting one or more governors with expertise in teaching, learning and assessment
  • increasing the extent to which the board holds senior leaders and managers to account for the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

• Leadership and management are ineffective. Governors and leaders have not maintained the good quality of provision reported at the previous inspection in 2014. They have failed to implement swift and decisive action to address the sharp decline in standards. They have not tackled key weaknesses identified during the previous inspection, such as the failure of teachers to adequately promote mathematics in their lessons and the recommendation that progress coaches should set challenging targets for all students to improve their progress.
• Students’ outcomes have declined since the previous inspection and senior managers’ actions to reverse this have had little impact. Many teachers’ aspirations for students are too low. Although staff provide good support for those students at risk of leaving their courses, most others are not challenged enough and, as a result, too few achieve in line with their potential.
• Curriculum managers do not drive improvements in students’ outcomes and, as a result, too many students fail to make the progress of which they are capable. Managers do not assess the quality of teaching, learning and assessment adequately. Lesson observations do not pay enough attention to students’ learning and progress, and teachers’ own reports on students’ progress are often inaccurate.
• Managers do not provide enough support to help teachers improve, nor do they manage their performance robustly. Annual appraisals and professional development plans do not focus sufficiently on those aspects of teachers’ practice that have the greatest impact on students’ learning.
• Arrangements for quality assurance, including self-assessment, are not sufficiently rigorous. Managers have not identified many of the significant areas of concern raised by inspectors, including the very low level of progress achieved by students. Although curriculum managers have access to a range of information about the provision for which they are responsible, their monitoring and evaluation practices vary considerably and their quality improvement plans do not make enough use of the available information to inform key judgements about the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.
• Managers have not acknowledged differences in the performance of different groups of students, such as the low attainment of white students compared to Asian students. Since the previous inspection, managers have not updated the college’s equality policy and accompanying action plan and both are now out of date. Leaders have failed to set any improvement targets to close gaps in the progress and outcomes of different groups of students.
• Managers have not made sufficient arrangements to meet the requirements of the 16 to 19 study programme or to help students progress to positive destinations and become good citizens. Careers advice for those who wish to seek employment is insufficient, work experience and work-related learning is lacking, many students do not develop their English and mathematics skills sufficiently, and teachers do not do enough to improve students’ understanding of diversity themes or British values.
• Leaders and governors have clearly linked the strategic plan to local priorities and have made good use of inputs from key strategic partners, including the Leicester Local Enterprise Partnership. These partners report that the college is responsive to their desire to support economic regeneration through education and skills. The range of courses offered reflects this, and some recent small-scale developments, such as the space science technology pathway, show promise.
• The college estate, including classrooms and other facilities, is of a good standard. However, because of increased student enrolments, demand for study space and computers outstrips supply at key times during the college day, making it difficult for students to complete work outside of lessons.

The governance of the provider

• Governance is ineffective. The quality of the information presented to governors by leaders and managers is not good enough. As a result, governors do not have an accurate understanding of students’ progress or the quality of teaching and learning. Too few governors have experience of education and, consequently, are unable to support and challenge leaders effectively.
• Senior managers have very recently introduced a governor’s data dashboard to provide members with better access to a range of high-quality performance information. Governors have extended the terms of reference of their performance improvement group to allow for more frequent scrutiny of students’ progress. However, it is too early to judge the impact of these developments.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Staff within the safeguarding team are suitably trained, have appropriate experience in child protection procedures and ensure that safeguarding matters are rapidly and effectively resolved. They maintain detailed case histories of all reported safeguarding concerns and are vigilant in monitoring incidents that include, for example, potential extremism, child sexual exploitation, forced marriages, female genital mutilation and mental health related concerns.
• Staff have effective links with a wide range of external agencies that they use well to support students who find themselves in challenging circumstances.
• Managers meet in full the requirements of the ‘Prevent’ duty. They have implemented appropriate processes, and documentation is detailed and complete. Staff and governors have received appropriate safeguarding and ‘Prevent’ training. However, staff do not do enough to ensure that students develop a full understanding of the risks to their safety and well-being.
• Managers have made robust arrangements for checking the backgrounds of new employees. Human resources staff ensure that they complete all pre-employment checks prior to new staff commencing their employment.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

• In too many lessons, students make insufficient progress due to the slow pace and lack of challenge. Teachers often have low expectations of what students can achieve and many do not require students to work hard enough or to undertake sufficiently challenging activities.
• Assessment in lessons is often weak. Teachers do not know if students understand particular topics or find them too easy, and are unable to adjust their teaching accordingly. Oral questioning, the main method teachers use to assess learning, is often not aimed at individual students and, consequently, teachers do not know how well many of their students are progressing.
• Teachers do not give their students enough homework and, as a result, students do not study enough to achieve the grades of which they are capable. Students do not know how to improve their work as feedback is often cursory, does not indicate the level at which they are working and fails to provide information that will help them to produce work of a higher standard in future. Teachers do not receive any guidance on how to give feedback on marked work.
• Teachers do not make sufficient use of information about students’ existing skills and prior attainment to plan lessons that provide an appropriate level of challenge for all of them. Although inspectors observed a few lessons in which teachers varied certain aspects, such as how they questioned particular students, the lack of planning means that most of the time all students follow the same learning at the same pace and level. For the most able, the pace is slow and the challenge is insufficient and for the least able both the pace and level of challenge are too great for them to make progress.
• Too many lessons are dull, uninspiring and not at all memorable. Most teachers of vocational subjects rely on approaches to teaching that focus exclusively on meeting the qualification assessment criteria. They use a very limited range of teaching methods, and often rely on students completing poorly defined internet research tasks. Teachers often fail to take opportunities to develop the broader learning that students need to gain a deeper understanding of their subject and to achieve higher grades.
• Students do not learn how to apply their mathematics skills within their vocational or academic subjects. Teachers do not routinely incorporate mathematics topics within their lessons and, where they do, it is often at a very low level. The majority of teachers do help students develop their English skills in lessons, but this is far from universal. Although managers have produced guidance to help teachers mark work for spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes, very few teachers follow it and their assessment feedback does little to help students to improve their writing skills.
• Training provided to teachers has had little impact on the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, despite investment in sessions from some high-profile external trainers. Managers provide too little support to help teachers to implement the ideas presented in training sessions and, consequently, teachers rarely adopt any of these approaches. Managers do not systematically use the expertise of the better teachers to help improve the performance of those who are less skilled.
• Students do not develop a clear understanding of diversity and the values that will help them to understand the world around them. Teachers often fail to identify appropriate opportunities to raise these important matters and managers do not monitor the extent to which teachers develop these themes. However, outside of lessons, college staff promote an appropriate range of values well.
• Students engage well in lessons and complete the activities set for them. They have positive relationships with teachers. In a few lessons, teachers’ energy and high expectations help students to make good progress, such as in a GCSE English lesson in which students participated enthusiastically.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate

• The large majority of students who would benefit from work experience do not participate in it; only a quarter of students on vocational programmes undertake a work placement. Very few students on academic programmes take part, despite feeling that it would enhance their employability and their applications to university.
• Students’ attendance is too low and managers’ actions to improve this have had little impact. Too many students arrive late to lessons and teachers often fail to challenge this sufficiently. The lack of attendance and poor punctuality disrupts learning for all students and many do not develop the attitudes that prepare them well for employment.
• Careers advice and guidance is insufficient for those students who do not plan to progress to university. These students receive only limited information on alternatives, including apprenticeships. Students, particularly those on level 3 programmes, find the advice they receive to be less than helpful because the focus is on progression to higher education. Managers do not monitor the uptake or quality of careers advice and do not know the eventual destinations of many students.
• Students understand a range of potential risks to their safety and well-being. They receive briefings on key topics at the start of the year, including radicalisation and extremism. However, teachers and progress coaches do too little to reinforce these key messages throughout the year and a few students struggle to recall the details of initial briefings.
• Around half of students participate in additional enrichment activities, many of which provide useful skills that enhance their employability. However, managers do not analyse how frequently students participate or whether those students who do not take part would benefit from involvement.
• Students enjoy coming to college. They speak positively about their experiences and are often confident, articulate and self-assured. They behave well and participate well in lessons. Inspectors saw very few examples of poor behaviour and staff dealt with these well.
• Students benefit from good advice about the range of higher education options available to them. College staff have developed good relationships with local universities that help support student progression. They give good advice that helps students to prepare applications to university.
• The college offers a safe and welcoming environment. Students are positive about the rich diversity of the student population, are respectful and friendly towards one another and work well together in lessons.

Outcomes for learners Inadequate

• The college currently has about 1,750 students. Around 650 of these study vocational programmes at level 3, about 500 follow AS and A-level programmes, a further 240 follow vocational programmes at level 2, with most others following foundation-level programmes. The college has around 50 students with high needs and a small number following traineeship programmes. Most students are 16- to 18-year-olds but a proportion are 19-year-olds completing 16 to 19 study programmes.
• 16- to 18-year-old students taking vocational programmes or A levels make too little progress from their starting points. Consequently, most do not achieve the grades of which they are capable and this limits their opportunities for progression to highly selective universities or good jobs. Those students who enter the college with the best GCSE results often make the least progress relative to their starting points.
• The proportion of level 2 vocational students who successfully complete their qualifications has declined and is very low. The proportion who gain English and mathematics qualifications, other than GCSE, is very low at level 2 for mathematics and levels 1 and 2 for English.
• College managers do not have a good understanding of the destinations of their students. During the inspection, managers struggled to provide a clear analysis of this information. In too many cases, the destinations of students are unknown and, as a result, managers are unable to say with any certainty whether students are prepared well for their next steps.
• The vast majority of students produce work that meets the standard needed to pass their qualifications. However, in many cases, their work does not exceed the minimum requirements and is not good enough to meet the needs of employers or prepare students for higher-level study.
• In recent years, students of all other ethnicities have done less well than those of Asian heritage and this gap widened in 2015/16. Managers do not know the reasons for this difference and consequently have not developed clear strategies to eliminate it.
• Young people whom the local authority looks after attain and make progress in line with other students. However, college staff do not provide sufficient specific arrangements for these young people, especially those with particularly challenging backgrounds, and a small number do not complete their studies.
• The small minority of students on AS-level courses make good progress and a high proportion of them continue into their second year.
• The college provides good support for those at risk of leaving college before the end of their course and, as a result, most students complete their programmes and pass their qualifications.
• The proportion of students who successfully gain A* to C grades in GCSE English and mathematics is higher than in other similar colleges. These students make up around half of those studying functional skills or equivalent English and mathematics qualifications.
• Students with high needs make good progress in developing their independence. The proportion of trainees who progress into suitable further training or employment, including apprenticeships, is high.

16 to 19 study programmes

Inadequate

• The college has around 1,675 students following 16 to 19 study programmes. These students study a range of academic and vocational subjects at entry level through to level 3.
• The principles of the 16 to 19 study programme are not met. Only around a quarter of vocational students had a work placement in 2015/16 and very few academic students took part, despite their view, expressed to inspectors, that they would find this useful. Teachers provide very little other work-related learning. Not all students have personalised study programmes comprising a core aim and additional activities that help them develop the whole range of skills and qualities they need to progress to their intended destinations.
• The progress made by 16- to 18-year-old students has declined and is inadequate for those on vocational programmes and A levels; many fail to achieve their target grades. Students who enter the college with higher prior attainment fare particularly poorly. Although most students remain on their courses and achieve their qualifications, too few of the smaller numbers on level 2 vocational qualifications successfully complete their programmes.
• Teachers do not challenge students to achieve as well as they are able. Teachers’ expectations of what students can achieve are often too low and many fail to plan activities that challenge all students to do their best. Lessons often fail to develop either the breadth or depth of understanding that students need to gain higher grades. Teachers in vocational subjects rely too heavily on poorly structured internet research tasks for teaching and learning and this leads to uninspiring lessons in which students make slow progress.
• Students do not receive enough support to develop their mathematics skills. Although teachers incorporate the development of these skills in lessons where they are integral to the subject being studied, such as the use of statistics in psychology and sociology, little work is done to incorporate mathematics in subjects where the need is clear but opportunities less obvious, such as in health and social care or public services lessons.
• Teachers do not prepare students sufficiently for entry into employment. They do not do enough to relate learning to the workplace and focus too little on the development of transferable skills such as those required for giving presentations or solving problems. They do not deal effectively with poor attendance and punctuality, depriving students of the opportunity to develop appropriate behaviours for employment.
• Staff provide only limited careers advice and guidance for those who wish to seek employment. In too many cases, staff do not know what happens to students once they leave the college and very few of those whose destinations are known progress to apprenticeships or other employment.
• Teachers promote the development of students’ English skills effectively in lessons through, for example, the use of subject-specific vocabulary. However, their feedback on marked work does little to help students improve their writing to the standard necessary to be highly successful in their present or future education, or as employees.
• Staff plan enrichment activities well and, in many cases, these activities enhance the knowledge and skills of those students who take part in them. However, only around half of students take part in any form of enrichment and managers do not analyse the extent of each student’s participation.
• A few small specialist study programmes have recently been introduced, including the Mattioli Woods Academy and science pathways. These are well conceived and prepare students well for progression. However, the number of students involved is small.

Traineeships Requires improvement

• The college has 22 trainees in a variety of vocational areas.
• Managers do not plan in sufficient detail the activities and skills trainees will develop in work placements. Consequently, the trainees themselves, their employers and their teachers do not always know what they must do or what they should learn. Teachers and job coaches plan activities at monthly visits, but these do not form part of a coherent long-term plan of how trainees can build job skills to prepare them well for an apprenticeship or further training.
• A few current trainees do not develop the sector skills they need for jobs to which they aspire because teachers do not focus on them sufficiently. For example, trainees who wish to work in warehousing do not have enough opportunities to develop the specific skills needed for this sector.
• Teachers do not use information about trainees’ existing skills and knowledge well enough to plan lessons that help all of them to achieve their full potential. Activities are planned as whole group sessions rather than focusing on the prior attainment and aspirations of each trainee. One consequence of this is that a few trainees complete work quickly, and then waste time while others in the group catch up.
• Teachers help trainees develop a broad range of transferable skills that help prepare them for work in any sector. They help trainees to develop effective communication skills through, for example, reflecting on their interviews and work placements to identify how they can improve their speaking, listening and writing skills. Teachers use well-planned activities in lessons that require trainees to work as a team to solve problems. They also help trainees to develop skills such as telling the time on analogue clocks and understanding how to interpret the numerical information on payslips.
• Trainees are safe and feel safe both at college and in work placements. Teachers create specific risk assessments for work placements that they share with employers, teachers and parents. These include an assessment of the risks trainees may encounter on the journey to and from their placement as well as specific job-related risks.
• Progression rates to further education, training and employment are high. In the first year of the programme, all 13 trainees were retained and, of these, two progressed to apprenticeships, three progressed to advanced courses at a college and four gained employment.
• Trainees attend well, are punctual and realise the importance of these things in gaining and maintaining employment. They are polite and confident in their dealings with each other and staff, engage well in lessons and behave well in the wider college environment. Managers encourage trainees to develop wider interests and make a positive contribution to their communities through, for example, taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh bronze and silver awards.

Provision for learners with high needs Requires improvement

• The college has 51 students with high needs, of whom 40 follow foundation-learning programmes. The remainder follow level 2 and level 3 academic and vocational study programmes.
• Teachers of foundation programmes do not make enough use of the detailed assessment of students’ existing abilities and focus their lesson planning around the requirements of qualifications rather than the individual needs of students. This slows their students’ progress and is particularly evident in large classes where students have a wide range of backgrounds and needs including second language English speakers, limited mathematics skills, and a wide range of learning difficulties and disabilities.
• Students do not receive enough of the identified individual support that they require, despite the additional funding allocated to the college for this purpose. As a result, many students have to rely too much on whole group support from their teacher, making it difficult for them to make good progress.
• Foundation learning students benefit from a range of activities that focus well on helping them to develop their independence. As a result, many develop good skills in, for example, communication, independent travelling and cookery. However, the supportive, caring environment does not always challenge students enough and many could make even greater steps towards independence.
• The majority of students attend well and arrive punctually for lessons. However, actions to address poor attendance rates for a minority of students are often ineffective.
• Students with high needs who are studying level 2 and level 3 academic and vocational programmes are supported well to achieve their learning goals. These students integrate well within their groups, and support workers provide appropriate monitoring and assistance.
• Where support arrangements are in place, teachers and support staff coordinate their efforts well so that students can complete learning activities and gain the confidence they need to make use of the range of college facilities. Most foundation-learning students enjoy their time in college.
• Carefully planned enrichment activities, such as charity events and drama, help foundation-learning students to develop their communication skills well and help students with high needs to integrate with other students.
• Students with high needs feel safe and are safe at college. They are able to explain various aspects of their rights and responsibilities, including the need for them to wear identity badges. They know how and where to obtain help, and have the confidence to seek assistance from staff and discuss a range of worries and concerns.
• Staff plan supported internships well and work placements match students’ preferences and aspirations. As a result, students on these programmes make good progress and develop useful skills.
• Feedback on written work is detailed and constructive and support staff use this well to help students improve their English, mathematics and thinking skills.
• College staff work well with a range of external agencies to plan coherent learning programmes that help students progress towards future employment, further study and independent living.

Provider details

Unique reference number 130755 Type of provider Sixth-form college Age range of learners Approximate number of all learners over the previous full contract year 16–18 1,633 Principal/CEO Suzanne Overton-Edwards Telephone number 01162744500 Website www.gateway.ac.uk

Provider information at the time of the inspection

Main course or learning programme level Level 1 or below Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 or above Total number of learners (excluding apprenticeships) Number of apprentices by apprenticeship level and age 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 99 33 421 27 1085 69 - - Intermediate Advanced Higher 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ - - - - - - 16–19 22 19+ - Total 22 Number of traineeships Number of learners aged 14 to 16 Number of learners for which the provider receives high-needs funding - 51 Funding received from: Education Funding Agency and Skills Funding Agency At the time of inspection, the provider contracts with the following main subcontractors:

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the vice principal – quality, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, telephone calls and online questionnaires to gather the views of learners and employers; these views are reflected within the report. They observed learning sessions, assessments and progress reviews. The inspection took into account all relevant provision at the provider.

Inspection team

Russ Henry, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Victor Reid Andy Fitt Martin Ward Margaret Garai Pauline Hawkesford Ralph Brompton

Her Majesty’s Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector