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. Two further education colleges and three schools with sixth forms also exist in the city. The college currently has about 1,400 students. Around two thirds of students study programmes at level 3; of these, a minority follow A-level programmes, while the rest are on vocational courses. The remaining third of students follow vocational programmes at level 2, with most others following foundation-level programmes. The college has around 46 students with high needs and a few following traineeship programmes. Most students are aged 16 to 18, while a small proportion of students aged 19 or over complete study programmes. The college attracts students from across the city and county from a wide range of backgrounds who are socially, economically and ethnically diverse.
• The proportion of young people in Leicester gaining five GCSEs at grades A* to C, including in English and mathematics, is considerably lower than the rate in the county of Leicestershire and lower than the national rate. Unemployment in Leicester is higher than the national rate; and the amount of people with qualifications at level 2 or above is also considerably lower than the national rate.

What does the provider need to do to improve further?

• Leaders and managers should monitor and evaluate the impact of recently introduced initiatives to improve teaching, learning and assessment across all areas of the college, and ensure that these are sustainable over time.
• Managers should improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment of functional skills in English and mathematics and set challenging targets for teaching staff to improve weaker aspects of their practice, as identified through lesson observations and data about students’ progress and their achievement.
• Managers should support teachers to: make effective use of information from initial and diagnostic assessments of students’ skills and abilities, and their current attainment; and ensure they set work that enables all students to make the progress of which they are capable, and progress to their intended destination.
• Managers should ensure that all students, where relevant, benefit from high-quality work experience placements and activities to enable them to develop the essential skills for employment.
• Managers should ensure that teachers and educational care support workers are skilled in providing students with effective feedback, so that they know exactly how to improve their work to achieve their learning aims.
• Governors should hold the new leadership team to account relentlessly for the improvement of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, leading to a rapid and sustainable improvement in students’ progress and achievement.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• In the initial period following the previous inspection, governors were not thorough enough in holding senior leaders to account to secure, rapid improvement. Actions undertaken by leaders and managers to address the recommendations detailed in the college inspection report were subject to an extended period of drift and delay. Following a number of significant changes in college governance – including the timely appointment of an experienced interim principal in March 2017 and changes made to the composition of the senior leadership team – the pace of improvement quickened. However, these actions did not have sufficient time to translate into increased achievement rates for students, which declined further in 2016/17.
• The current principal, who was appointed in November 2017, has established a strong focus on improving aspects of the provision identified as being inadequate at the previous inspection. Critically, their presence and visibility across the campus has secured the enthusiastic support of students and staff. Equally, their determination to enable senior leaders and middle managers to develop their skills through individualised professional development is increasing the pace of positive change. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved, leading to most students now making the progress expected of them.
• The principal, senior leaders and managers have now established higher expectations of teachers. Teachers are beginning to raise standards in teaching, learning and assessment, contributing to an improvement in students’ progress in the current year. Teachers whose performance is not at the expected standard generally improve as a result of targeted mentoring and training; where necessary, managers implement performance management procedures and underperforming teachers quickly leave the college. Staff are supportive of leaders’ and managers’ actions to strengthen and transform the college; they now have a more precise understanding of the standards expected of them, both individually and collectively.
• Most teachers are well qualified and suitably experienced in their specialist subject areas. They now benefit from sharply focused and targeted professional development. As a result, most students are now routinely benefiting from better-quality teaching and the large majority are now making secure progress against their individualised learning goals.
• Leaders and managers continue to maintain strong and productive relationships with a wide range of partners to ensure that the curriculum meets local and regional needs. For example, managers work closely with two regional universities to offer higher education scholarships that provide students with preferential entry requirements. Additionally, the universities run student taster and development sessions, helping students to choose and prepare for the most appropriate options for their future careers. Managers also work closely with a local business consortium to identify work placements that develop in students the workplace skills that employers value.
• Since the previous inspection, leaders have strengthened course entry requirements, discontinued some poorly performing courses and introduced a broader range of extended advanced-level diploma qualifications that enable students to gain the academic and vocational skills to progress to either higher education or work in growth industries, such as games design and media production. Consequently, most students progress either to higher education or employment.
• Managers’ recent actions to improve the rate of students’ progress are beginning to take effect. For example, in the current year, leaders and managers have successfully taken steps to improve student attendance and retention rates across most programmes; as a result, students now attend well and the large majority have stayed on their programmes. When managers monitor the quality of teaching and learning, they ensure that staff receive professional development which is tailored to help them improve their individual practice. The majority of students now benefit quickly from more interesting and engaging lessons that help them to make at least the progress expected of them.
• Leaders’ efforts to raise standards are based on an accurate understanding of the college’s current performance. They monitor staff work in detail through procedures such as lesson observations and review of students’ feedback and assessed work. Leaders and governors now monitor closely the impact of actions taken to improve the quality of provision and students’ progress in each area of the college. Leaders and managers systematically plan how best to promote continued improvement. They use a carefully planned cycle of area meetings and curriculum reviews to introduce new approaches, and to assure and strengthen the recent improvements across the college.
• Leaders have improved the self-assessment reports produced at course, departmental and whole-college level, so that these now reflect accurate judgements on the quality of provision. However, they have yet to evaluate fully the reliability of teachers’ judgements about students’ progress to ensure that improvements in the current year are sustainable. Leaders intend to engage external advisers to scrutinise their recently introduced whole-college controlled assessments of students’ work.
• Senior leaders’ strategy to improve the teaching, learning and assessment of English and mathematics across the college has only had partial success. Leaders have a strong commitment to improving the quality of provision in English and mathematics and have ensured that a high proportion of students achieve high grades in these essential subjects at GCSE level. However, action taken by leaders to address the low proportion of students who successfully achieve functional skills qualifications in English and mathematics has not been as successful, with the majority of students failing to achieve as well as their peers nationally.
• The promotion of equality and diversity within the curriculum is strong. The college environment is harmonious and welcoming to all. Students are culturally aware of the rich diversity of the college’s community through tutorials and other, often thought-provoking, events that ensure a culture of respect and harmony permeates the college.

The governance of the provider

• Governors acknowledge that the scrutiny and level of challenge they provided to the former principal and senior leadership team in the period immediately following the last inspection were insufficiently strong to enable improvement in the quality of provision and students’ outcomes.
• Following the appointment of a new chair of governors, the range of expertise of the board has been widened through the recruitment of new governors with specific expertise in education. This has enabled them to interpret information on the college’s performance accurately and challenge senior leaders where necessary. Governors now have access to better information and data that give them an enhanced understanding of where improvements need to be made, and remaining concerns exist.
• Governors are knowledgeable and skilled; they use their good range of complementary skills to provide effective direction and an improving level of challenge to the principal and the senior leadership team. Governors’ actions, including their probing questions about the information presented to them, have contributed to a heightened level of accountability, and an increase in scrutiny and expectations of senior leaders’ and managers’ actions to eradicate deep-seated weaknesses and raise aspirations.

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective

• Staff routinely follow a strict process to check the suitability of all adults who work with or have access to students. A very robust system of checking visitors at reception adds to the security of students.
• Teachers and support staff ensure that students have a secure knowledge of how to be safe and to protect themselves from dangers including bullying, online exploitation and substance misuse, through the college’s tutorial programme. Students say they feel safe and know how to report any concerns that they have.
• Leaders ensure that all staff have appropriate and up-to-date safeguarding training. As a result, staff are knowledgeable about child protection procedures, the signs to look for and how to report concerns. The safeguarding team work closely with external agencies to address any concerns regarding students who may be ‘at risk’.
• Leaders fulfil their duty to ensure safe online access for students. Appropriate internet filters are in place to monitor students’ safety online, and staff investigate fully and deal appropriately with any incidents of inappropriate use.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved since the previous inspection but is not consistently good across all subjects. Teachers have a good knowledge of students’ prior attainment and starting points. A minority do not use this information well enough to ensure that lessons stimulate all students sufficiently to make progress according to their potential.
• In a minority of lessons, teachers do not set work that is sufficiently complex or demanding for the most able students, and so they do not meet or exceed expectations in their learning. Teachers provide extension activities which are frequently variations of the same work and at the same level, and so do not provide additional challenge. Too few students benefit from opportunities to develop the deeper thinking skills needed to achieve higher grades.
• In a significant minority of lessons, teachers do not manage learning activities well enough. For example, they do not give students suitably clear instructions, or enough time to reflect on what they have been doing, and thus consolidate their understanding. As a result, in these lessons, students do not always make the progress they should.
• Too often, teachers do not assess students’ progress thoroughly enough. They allow a minority of students to answer most questions or accept simple answers too readily, not giving time for students to expand on answers and develop more complex reasoning. Students receive verbal and written comments regularly from teachers, but too often the lack of sufficient detail in this feedback means that students do not know how to make good progress.
• Leaders have recently introduced thorough and systematic procedures to improve the quality of teachers’ assessment of students’ work and tackle previous poor practice. These include common assessment points, routine and effective monitoring of assessed work, and improved moderation of teachers’ assessments. The new arrangements are improving the accurate capture and recording of students’ progress. As a result, most students understand their targets and now make the progress expected of them at this stage of their course.
• In a small minority of vocational subjects, teachers focus only on the learning activities essential for students to achieve their qualifications; they do not help students routinely to develop the work-related skills which prepare them well for work. However, the majority of teachers closely link learning activities with students’ planned work experience. Students in health and social care, art and design, media production, information technology, games design and students with high needs on supported internships develop good work-related skills such as problem-solving, teamwork, time-keeping and peer feedback.
• Students are courteous and well behaved, follow directions well and work conscientiously in lessons. The large majority enjoy their learning and, as a result, show positive attitudes to study, even when activities do not challenge them enough. Most students become much more confident about themselves and sensitive to others’ needs, developing good personal and social skills.
• Most teachers help students to improve their English and mathematical skills. Students understand why good English is necessary for their academic and vocational progress, as well as helping them to succeed in their chosen career path in higher education or employment. Most students also value the ways in which they develop better numeracy skills within their lessons. For example, applied science diploma students comprehend why an understanding of mathematical equations may help them in their future career choices in pharmacy, audiology, or food production.
• Students develop a good knowledge and understanding of different cultures and religions. Leaders and staff celebrate diversity and have created a welcoming environment for all students. Students achieve a deeper understanding of society in tutorials, and, in a few lessons, discuss wider moral and ethical questions. For example, students in a GCSE English lesson were asked to calculate the costs of workers producing garments in factories situated in different third world countries and how this related to costs of labour and retail selling prices in Britain.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

• Teachers and learner performance tutors do not develop students’ views and understanding of wider personal, social, and ethical issues sufficiently well within tutorials. Learning materials, while of good quality, do not link clearly enough to students’ subject areas or provide activities for students with different abilities. Consequently, activities do not fully engage students in wider debate and discussion in line with their current level of study. For example, a session on how to deal with stress was the same for students at all levels. Very limited discussion took place to help students understand how to deal with stress in a variety of situations, including in the workplace.
• Progression into further or higher study for students studying level 1 and level 2 courses is poor. Less than one third of students studying at level 2 progressed to level 3 courses. This low rate is partly due to managers increasing qualification entry requirements for students, including the achievement of English and mathematics GCSE.
• As a result of leaders prioritising students’ academic studies at the start of the academic year, the majority of students have yet to develop vocationally relevant employability skills. Only a very small minority have undertaken work experience to date. However, detailed and clear plans are now in place with a good range of employers to provide work placements across most subject areas. Processes to check safeguarding arrangements and health and safety procedures of employers are effective.
• Students display good attitudes to learning; they are well behaved in lessons and are respectful to staff and each other. They are attentive to instruction and are polite and respectful in and around the wider college environment. Students are confident enough to participate in discussions and group activities; they wait to answer questions, work collaboratively and provide feedback in a mature manner when asked to do so.
• The majority of students value tutorials as a means of developing their self-confidence and understanding of how to be a successful student. For example, during one-two-one meetings, students often set and review targets within these sessions to monitor their own progress and improve the quality of their work. As a result, in the current academic year, the large majority of students make at least the progress expected of them.
• Advanced-level students receive good support and guidance to prepare them for higher education. Advice to help them identify which university or apprenticeship they should choose is informative and realistic. Most students progress to their intended destinations.
• Attendance and punctuality are good, particularly in English and mathematics lessons, where attendance is similar to that in lessons for students’ main learning aims. Managers and teachers monitor attendance closely. In comparison to the previous year, when attendance for many subjects was low, students recognise and appreciate teachers’ increased expectations of their attendance. As a result, they now manage their own learning better and develop skills that employers value, such as time-keeping and reliability.
• Students have a good understanding of how to stay safe. They understand and are aware of the ‘Prevent’ duty and other topics such as knife crime, gangs, female genital mutilation, radicalisation, cyber bullying and the safe use of social media.
• Some students have recently developed a range of posters promoting the ‘Prevent’ duty to help others fully understand the dangers of extremism, and what they should do if they suspect someone is being radicalised.
• Students enjoy and appreciate the diversity of their environment and understand the benefits of meeting students from different backgrounds and cultures, including learning to respect each other’s differences.

Outcomes for learners Requires improvement

• In 2016/17, the proportion of students achieving vocational or A-level qualifications declined and was very low. Students’ achievement of qualifications is low at all levels, well below rates for similar providers. As a result, too few students progress to the next level of learning, particularly for students on level 1 and 2 courses.
• In 2016/17 too few students, based on their starting points, made the progress expected of them. Consequently, they did not achieve the grades of which they are capable, limiting their progression to the next level of learning and future career opportunities. However, as a result of teachers’ increased expectations, the large majority of students are making better progress in the current academic year; progress is particularly good in A-level art, photography, business, health and social care, and diplomas in business and applied science.
• The proportion of students who gain functional skills qualifications in English and mathematics is very low at level 2 for mathematics and levels 1 and 2 for English.
• Too much variation exists in the achievement of students from different ethnic backgrounds. Male and female students have similar achievement rates overall. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve broadly in line with other groups, except in English and mathematics, where they make better progress than their peers.
• Since the previous inspection, college managers have significantly improved the collection of information about students’ destinations on leaving the college. They now use the information to improve the design of the curriculum to meet students’ needs and aspirations. For example, managers have ensured that all courses, such as accountancy and games design, enable students to progress either to further learning or employment and apprenticeships that are available locally and in the wider region. Consequently, most students progress either to higher or further education, employment or apprenticeships. Only a very small minority of previous students are not in education, employment or training.
• Nearly all students produce work and develop practical skills at the standard expected of them. In most cases, their work meets awarding organisations’ expectations and is enabling them to achieve appropriate standards in the current year. A small minority of students, particularly in art and design, health and social care, applied science and business, are producing work of a high standard.
• Around half of the students studying English and mathematics qualifications follow GCSE courses. They make particularly good progress from their starting points and a greater proportion achieve grades 4 to 9 compared to other similar providers.
• Students with high needs develop good employability skills in supported internships, such as customer service skills, talking to colleagues and customers and improving their time- keeping and problem-solving abilities. Of the few trainees who study employability courses at the college, most progress into suitable further training or employment; over half of them progress to apprenticeships.
• In the current academic year, managers closely monitor students’ attendance and progress towards planned targets. Early indications show that most students attend college, remain on their programme, and the large majority make at least the progress expected of them.

Types of provision

16 to 19 study programmes

Requires improvement

• The college provides study programmes for about 1,400 students in a wide range of academic and vocational subjects from entry level to level 3. Around two thirds of the provision is at level 3, consisting of vocational diplomas and a declining proportion of A-level provision. Vocational courses at levels 1 and 2 make up the remainder. In 2016/17, students’ achievement rates declined across all levels and qualification types, including A levels, certificates and diplomas. However, due to teachers’ improvements, in the current year, the large majority of students are now making at least the progress expected of them. Managers have ensured that the curriculum meets the requirements of the study programme.
• Although improving, the quality of teaching and learning on study programmes is not consistently good. As a result, too often teachers fail to plan and manage learning well enough to ensure that the least and most able students stay focused, interested and make consistently good progress. Too few teachers use information about students’ starting points and set work that challenges all students. Consequently, the most able students often find lessons too slow, while less able students often struggle to keep up. For example, students in level 3 tutorial sessions cover exactly the same activities and work under the same expectations, irrespective of their ability. By contrast, in law and sociology teachers provide students with individualised tasks, so that the least able feel well supported and those most able are challenged to achieve the highest grades of which they are capable.
• A small minority of teachers set dull and uninspiring activities that students dutifully complete. In these lessons, too few students receive helpful feedback to enable them to improve their work. As a result, too many students make slow progress and are not able to demonstrate and apply current and prior learning well enough. For example, in a health and social care lesson students were given work sheets to complete; the teacher did not check their understanding of the topic before progressing onto more complex activities, consequently slowing their progress.
• Managers have introduced common assessment points throughout the year to monitor students’ progress closely. Teachers and students are now able to assess their progress towards their target grades.
• The large majority of students are making at least the progress expected. However, it is too early to assess the impact on improving students’ achievements overall.
• The large majority of students do not fully access wider college enrichment activities. Too few students widen their social and employability skills outside of their qualifications to enhance future progression and employment opportunities. Managers have planned further enrichment activities such as clubs, events, trips, visits and speakers from employers and higher education institutions. However, most students have yet to benefit from the opportunities made available in the current year.
• Managers and teachers have raised their expectations of students. Compared to the same point last year, attendance is much improved and is high. Students’ behaviour is good; they work productively and conscientiously in lessons, they are positive about their learning and are respectful to staff and each other.
• Teachers effectively develop English and mathematics both in discrete and specialist subject areas. Students speak clearly and confidently, and use specialist terminology correctly.
• The majority of students with additional learning needs receive good support from teachers and learning support assistants. They make good progress in lessons and at least in line with that of their peers. Students on level 1 public services programmes develop their information technology and research skills as a result of the particularly effective in-class support that they receive.
• Since the previous inspection, college managers have improved arrangements for work experience. There is a wide range of employers to provide work placements across most subject areas. As a result, students can prepare adequately for their planned future placements. A very small minority of students have undertaken external work placements so far in the current year.
• For this academic year, managers have revised and significantly improved students’ careers education, advice and guidance. Appropriately qualified careers staff provide students with suitable impartial careers advice, taking account of their experience and future career ambitions. Students now progress to appropriate courses that build upon their prior attainment and help them gain the skills and knowledge for their planned next steps.

Provision for learners with high needs Requires improvement

• The college has 46 students with high needs; 32 are on discrete learning for life and work programmes, the rest are on a wide range of vocational courses including art, music, dance, information technology, hospitality, public services, retail, and health and social care.
• Teachers do not use information about students’ starting points and their particular learning needs well enough to plan lessons so that they progress as quickly as expected. Additionally, teachers do not always set specific enough targets for students which help them progress step-by-step to develop their vocational and independent living skills.
• Expectations for students are frequently too low. Teachers do not challenge the most able students enough to achieve the level of which they are capable. Targets are not precise or measurable enough so students do not know how to improve their work, develop skills or achieve higher grades. Too few students are involved in setting personal targets. For example, in a catering session, all students had the same target of making chocolate muffins. In a health and social care class, targets were too long-term and vague; for instance, students were simply required to pass the qualification or improve their study skills.
• The majority of teachers do not use the new progress monitoring system well enough to record accurately the skills and knowledge students have achieved in lessons. Consequently, too few students benefit from individualised learning activities to develop the skills necessary for them to make expected progress.
• A minority of teachers prepare appropriate activities that engage all students and enable them to make good progress. For example in an art class, students worked independently on projects they had chosen and the standard of work was high. In less effective sessions, teachers gave one-to-one attention to individual students, but failed to ensure that other students were productively engaged; as a result, many students did not make sufficient progress.
• Too often, the accommodation for students with high needs is not suitable for practical activities. The majority of classrooms are very small and do not contain sufficient resources to develop a wide range of independent living or employability skills. For example, one classroom is the main route to other classrooms, resulting in continual disruption and distractions for students.
• When students join the college, teachers ensure that the assessment of students’ needs is thorough and detailed, and takes account of multi-agency assessments, as well as the views of parents and carers. All students have a comprehensive learning assessment and an education, health and care plan, which identify ways of ensuring that students can participate in a wide range of activities on their programmes.
• Most students benefit from highly effective care, advice and guidance which helps them achieve a smooth transition into college life, builds their sense of self-worth, and improves their personal and social skills and well-being. Where this is done well, students make very good progress. For example, one learner, who had benefited from highly dedicated support in school, progressed so well at college that they were able to complete their main programme without support, and developed sufficient independence skills to apply for university.
• Staff provide good standards of care and support for students. Managers work very closely with a wide range of external agencies and professionals, such as speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, and educational psychologists, to provide effective support. As a result, high-needs students make at least the same progress as other students on their courses.
• Most teachers and support staff provide students with helpful and encouraging feedback which gives students confidence to try new tasks. However, they do not always identify precisely enough how students could improve. Most students benefit from teachers’ written feedback, although it is not always sufficiently detailed. Consequently, students are not able to improve their skills as quickly as they might.
• Students develop good employability skills in supported internships. For example, students who are planning to progress into the retail industry work at a local supermarket stocking shelves, tidying up and packing bags. They work well as members of a team, build their confidence, and enjoy working in a real workplace. However, insufficient supported internship and work-experience opportunities exist currently to benefit all students.
• The number of students with high needs who progress to further learning or employment is good. The majority progress to appropriate next steps, such as further study within the college, while the most able progress into work. At the time of inspection, two students studying level 3 arts courses had been offered unconditional places at university.
• Students behave well, respect others and understand how to keep themselves safe. They say that the college provides them with a safe environment and they know who to speak to if they have a problem. Students are aware of how to keep themselves safe online, and understand the ‘Prevent’ duty well, as a result of teachers’ planned promotion of the subject throughout their programme.

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+ 1,716 Principal/CEO James Bagley Telephone number 0116 2744500 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+ 84 22 283 12 875 58 - - Intermediate Advanced Higher 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ - - - - - - 16–19 8 19+ 4 Total 12 Number of traineeships Number of learners aged 14 to 16 Number of learners for which the provider receives high-needs funding At the time of inspection, the provider contracts with the following main subcontractors:

- 46 -

Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the assistant principal, 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

Richard Deane, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Victor Reid Linnia Khemdoudi Nicholas Sanders Matthew Newbould Susan Gay

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