Hertford Regional College Ofsted Report

Full report

Information about the provider

• Hertford Regional College is a medium-sized, general further education college with campuses in Broxbourne and Ware. The college provides a wide range of post-16 education and training, including study programmes for learners aged 16 to 19, adult learning programmes, apprenticeships and provision for learners with high needs. The large majority of learners are recruited from Broxbourne, East Hertfordshire, the London Borough of Enfield, Harlow and Epping Forest. The college works with nine subcontractors.
• The proportion of learners in Hertfordshire who achieve five GCSE passes at grades 9 to 4 is above the national average. However, this varies considerably across the county, with schools in the south performing less well than those in East Hertfordshire. At the time of inspection, around 3,550 learners were enrolled at the college on full- or part-time courses. Of these, 1961 were aged 16 to 19, 1,000 were adults and 594 were apprentices. Eighty-two learners were in receipt of high needs funding. The vast majority of these learners are enrolled on entry and level 1 programmes.

What does the provider need to do to improve further?

• Continue to improve teaching, learning and assessment so all learners benefit from a high-quality experience during their time at college.
• Improve study programme learner outcomes by ensuring that:
  • all teachers have consistently high expectations of their learners
  • teachers challenge learners to secure higher grades by accurately assessing prior achievement, setting appropriate targets and monitoring learners’ progress to achieving consistently high standards of written and practical work
  • all learners attend regularly, particularly in their English and mathematics lessons
  • all learners enrolled on study programmes complete high-quality, well-timed work experience that helps them to consolidate their learning and understand their next steps.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders now promote high expectations through a recently revised and coherent structure of accountability at course, curriculum and director level. Leaders recently restructured the curriculum and the ‘quality lead’ responsibilities to improve the quality of provision and outcomes for learners. They have now established good management expertise and capacity to rectify poor performance. As a result, the rate of improvement has hastened and more teaching is effective than at the previous inspection.
• Leaders and managers now provide good-quality and well-resourced provision for apprentices, learners with high needs and adult learners. A greater proportion of teaching of study programmes provision is effective than in previous years. However, too many teachers do not ensure that their younger learners make the progress of which they are capable. Too often, learners do not attend their lessons regularly or on time.
• Leaders and managers have established a clear structure of regular meetings that relentlessly hold staff at all levels accountable for the quality of teaching and outcomes of learners in each subject. For example, leaders effectively challenge curriculum managers on the quality of subject teaching and in-year progress of learners at rigorous monthly performance review meetings.
• Leaders and managers collect and use data that enables them to have a sound understanding of learners’ retention, attendance and predicted achievement. They take effective actions to rectify any concerns, including successfully reducing achievement gaps between different groups of learners. They have ensured that staff monitor learners’ and apprentices’ progress through use of an electronic monitoring system. However, not enough teachers set challenging targets with their learners and ensure that they attain them.
• Leaders and managers conduct a series of quality assurance processes that have improved the quality of teaching, learning and assessment since the previous inspection. These include learning walks, monthly performance review meetings of curriculum areas, learner surveys, specific meetings to assess improvements in teachers’ practice, audits of teaching and development planning. Teaching and learning coaches adeptly support and challenge teachers to improve their practice. As a result, current learners are making expected progress.
• Since September 2016, subjects that are identified as poorly performing, or at risk of a decline, are placed in ‘special measures’ and staff teams are challenged frequently and supported assiduously by a member of the senior leadership team to improve learners’ achievement and progress. Consequently, most of these teachers are now implementing a series of actions to ensure that more learners achieve well than previously.
• Although the majority of observers are incisive in judging the quality of teachers’ practice on outcomes and progress of learners, a minority do not and their findings are overly optimistic. Subsequent action planning ensures that teachers rectify identified weaknesses to appropriate timescales. Managers’ appraisals of teachers’ performance focus on their teaching practice and are aligned fully to the findings of observations and progress recorded in action plans.
• Performance management arrangements for managing staff performance are now effective and, as a result, teachers whose performance is not at the expected standard either improve their performance quickly or leave the college.
• Quality assurance arrangements for subcontracted provision are effective. Managers set subcontractors precise targets that they monitor effectively during regular performance management meetings, unannounced ‘drop-in’ checks and an annual performance review process. However, some teaching in subcontracted provision is not evaluated through observation. The large majority of learners who study with subcontractors such as Aspires Sporting Academy Ltd, Crown Vocational Training Ltd and the Princes Trust achieve and make good progress.
• Leaders and managers work productively with the LEP, employers and the local authority to ensure that the college’s curriculum meets local employment skills requirements. For example, in order to meet identified skills gaps and contribute to the LEP’s economic plan to meet predicted growth in house building, leaders secured funding to purchase a range of specialist electrical engineering equipment to train apprentices to the new apprenticeships standard. Leaders have secured LEP funding to acquire state-of-the-art equipment and software to enhance learning on a newly established study programme and pathway to level 4 in animation, app design and gaming visualisation.
• Through their extensive work with employers on meeting the opportunities of the new apprenticeships standards, leaders and managers continue to grow the college’s apprenticeships provision. The work of the college’s Apprenticeships Development and Readiness Group includes the launch of seven new apprenticeships standards programmes that work productively with local employers.
• Staff at all levels are involved fully in the self-assessment process and most self-assessment at course and subject levels is accurate. Leaders were not appropriately self-critical in their self-assessment report of 2016/17 and were overly generous in their assessment of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and overall effectiveness. In the current year, leaders’ and managers’ improvement planning and intensified focus on improving teaching and outcomes for all groups of learners is rigorous. Their actions target accurately many of the weaknesses that need to improve.

The governance of the provider

• Governance is effective.
• Governors have a broad range of relevant expertise in the commercial and education sectors. Governors have a good understanding of the majority of strengths and weaknesses of the provision. They conduct learning walks regularly to ascertain the views of learners and gauge an understanding of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.
• Governors play a full part in the self-assessment process and validate self-assessment at subject level through rigorous questioning of managers. Leaders mostly provide governors with appropriate performance information but minutes of governor meetings do always reflect that governors provide sufficient and appropriate challenge to leaders to improve teaching, learning and assessment and outcomes for learners.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders and managers have clear reporting policies and procedures in place that are understood by staff and ensure that learners and apprentices feel safe and are safe.
• Lead accountable managers for safeguarding work effectively with the local authority social care services and with external agencies to ensure that learners are supported and kept safe. External visitors and guest speakers are vetted thoroughly. There are precise reporting and accountability processes in place to ensure that subcontractors’ designated safeguarding officers report any arising concerns to the college’s leads swiftly.
• Managers record, monitor and follow up any safeguarding referrals to full resolution. There are accurate, up-to-date records of Disclosure and Barring Service checks on the single central register. All staff have received safeguarding training, including specific learning on the ‘Prevent’ duty.
• Leaders have established an inclusive environment for all learners where learners and staff exhibit high levels of respect and tolerance with each other. However, leaders and managers have not ensured that a minority of learners and apprentices have sufficient awareness of the dangers of radicalisation and extremism.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Although far more teaching, learning and assessment is effective than at the previous inspection, too much is not good, particularly on study programmes provision. Not enough learners make the progress of which they are capable because too many teachers often focus solely on the achievement of qualifications, rather than striving to enable their learners to excel, including attaining high grades. This is particularly evident for learners studying courses at level 3.
• Not enough teachers use information on learners’ starting points to plan demanding targets with their learners and enable them to work hard and reach their full potential.
• Too often, teachers do not plan suitably challenging tasks and activities that enable learners to advance their knowledge, understanding and skills and make good progress. These teachers over-rely on using poor questioning techniques that do not effectively check learning, test learners’ thinking skills or deepen their learning, particularly of theory.
• Too few teachers challenge learners enrolled on study programmes to improve their higher-level thinking skills or produce high standards of written work appropriate to their level of study.
• Teachers of study programmes and a few teachers of apprenticeships provision do not routinely correct errors in written work. As a result, too many learners and a few apprentices continue to repeat the same errors and struggle to produce high-quality extended written work.
• Although a greater proportion of English and mathematics teachers enable their learners to make good progress, too many do not challenge their learners to improve the standards of their writing or to problem-solve proficiently. Not enough teachers of vocational subjects promote the importance of these essential skills.
• Most teachers of adult learning, apprenticeships and high needs provision provide stimulating activities that motivate their learners to apply themselves diligently and make good progress. For example, electrical installation assessors make good use of fixtures, fittings and fuse boxes available on site to ensure that apprentices fully understand the requirements to earth equipment and know how to isolate electrical fittings before proceeding with a task. These teachers and assessors use rigorous assessment to challenge learners and apprentices to advance their understanding and skills.
• Leaders and managers have taken swift action to improve poor teaching, learning and assessment practice in the weakest subjects. For example, stronger teaching now enables far more learners studying motor vehicle and beauty therapy to make better progress than in previous years. Current learners are attending well and progressing in line with expectations.
• Teachers ensure that learners frequently access relevant course information, including a broad range of online resources, to allow them to catch up on any missed learning and to develop their independent learning skills. Managers effectively monitor the use of these resources and ensure that learners benefit from allocated personal study time during the college day.
• Staff provide effective tutorials that improve learners’ understanding of living and working in diverse communities. Teachers effectively promote the importance of equality and diversity in modern Britain by facilitating meaningful discussions and providing challenging work tasks.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

• Too many learners do not attend their lesson regularly. Planned actions have improved learners’ attendance, compared with previous years, but it remains low, particularly in construction, engineering, English and mathematics lessons.
• Teachers do not do enough to ensure that learners arrive at lessons ready to learn. Too many learners do not bring the correct equipment, including paper and pens to record their learning.
• In 2016/17, around a quarter of learners following study programmes, including most learners studying construction and engineering, were not provided with opportunities to improve their work-related skills through external work placements. Leaders now ensure that far more learners have such opportunities than previously. Learners studying subjects such as creative arts, media and hairdressing collaborate fully with employers to work on challenging projects that bolster their industry-specific skills. However, too many learners do not benefit from this entitlement.
• An effective tutorial process includes a mandatory focus that ensures that the majority of learners and apprentices understand the importance of British values. The majority of learners following study programmes recently attended workshops using adult-size puppets to raise effectively their awareness of hate crime, the dangers of radicalisation and the importance of British values.
• Learners feel safe and are clear how and to whom to report any concerns. They understand how to keep safe online and benefit from the comprehensive arrangements for site security, including identity checks on entry.
• Most learners and apprentices take pride in their practical work and improve their technical skills. They demonstrate good proficiency in meeting the required skills-based competencies and often produce practical work to a good standard.
• Learners and apprentices conduct themselves impeccably during their time at college. They exhibit a high level of respect for each other and staff in their use of shared spaces, corridors, classrooms and workshops.
• Learners benefit from targeted enrichment activities and events that enable them to enhance their personal, social and work-related skills. For example, cross-college days effectively promote topics such as managing stress, cooking on a budget and keeping safe. Most learners volunteer part in community projects that raise their understanding of local issues. Recently, over 700 learners enrolled on study programmes participated fully in ‘fix-up motivational workshops’ designed to equip them with the necessary personal attitudes and resilience to succeed in life. Managers have established the ‘Active Destination’ project, which operates across subject areas to promote successfully learners’ emotional health and physical fitness.
• Learners receive good impartial careers advice and guidance. Most take advantage of the plentiful opportunities to understand their next steps and shape their plans through careers guidance services provided by a team of appropriately qualified careers advisers and appropriate promotion at tutorials and well-planned cross-college careers events.

Outcomes for learners Requires improvement

• Not enough learners on study programmes make the progress of which they are capable. Too many learners studying vocational courses at levels 1 and 2 do not achieve their qualifications. Teachers’ expectations of learners studying at level 3 are often low and, as a result, they fail to set challenging work that helps learners to secure high grades.
• Most apprentices, adult learners and those studying on high-needs provision make good progress because their teachers and assessors set high expectations and provide demanding teaching and assessing that enables them to make good progress.
• In 2016/17, not enough learners enrolled on motor vehicle, construction, beauty therapy and accountancy courses achieved their qualifications. However, most learners who studied art, public services and childcare courses completed successfully.
• Not enough learners make good progress in their English and mathematics studies. Too many learners do not achieve their functional skills qualifications. Not enough learners studying English and mathematics GCSE courses make the progress of which they are capable, including attaining high grades.
• The majority of apprentices complete their programmes successfully and on time. However, not enough apprentices aged 16 to 18 achieve their programmes within the planned timescales.
• In 2016/17, not enough adults studying at levels 1 and 3 achieved their qualifications. However, a greater proportion of adults achieved their level 2 qualifications than with similar providers nationally.
• Leaders’ actions have reduced the significant achievement gaps between groups of learners. For example, males and females fare similarly, and those with experience of local authority care and those in receipt of free school meals achieve as well as their peers.
• Leaders’ data indicates that the large majority of younger learners continue in education and most learners studying level 1 and level 2 programmes progress onto higher levels of study. Only a few leavers progress to paid employment in excess of 16 hours per week. Most adult learners progress to higher levels of study or employment. Most apprentices secure permanent employment, with some progressing to increased responsibilities in the workplace.

Types of provision

16 to 19 study programmes Requires improvement

• There are 1,959 learners on study programmes, with around half enrolled on courses at levels 1 and 2 and half studying at advanced level. Approximately half of all study programme learners also work towards appropriate English and mathematics qualifications.
• Leaders have ensured that provision for younger learners meets the expected principles of study programmes. They provide good opportunities for learners to progress through the levels of study. A large majority of learners progress successfully to their next intended level. However, although more learners benefit from external work experience than previously, not enough learners take up work placements. Too few teachers reference the experiences of learners’ work experience to deepen learning and enable them to have a robust understanding of the demands of employers and industry.
• Teachers’ expectations of what learners can achieve are not high enough, particularly at advanced level. Not enough teachers provide demanding tasks and set challenging targets or provide incisive written feedback that enables learners to make the rapid progress of which they are capable. For example, too many teachers of courses at level 3 monitor the volume of assignments that learners complete but do not focus sufficiently on how these learners can improve their work and grades.
• Teachers’ use of assessment, questioning techniques and checks on learning do not ensure that learners’ understanding of a topic is secure before moving on to the next stage of the course. As a result, not enough learners consolidate their knowledge and understanding of theory to be able to apply it proficiently.
• Steps taken to improve learners’ attendance are not successful. Too many learners are absent from lessons. In particular, too many learners studying English and mathematics courses miss too many lessons and fail to make the progress of which they are capable.
• The majority of learners progress to higher levels of study in their chosen vocational studies. For learners whose goal is higher education, the majority progress to their first-choice university.
• Learners receive good-quality, impartial careers advice from their vocational teachers and the college’s careers team. For example, engineers discuss the many career routes available to them in tutorials, reviews and lessons and use a career plan to gauge their progress towards achieving their goals. As a result, these learners understand precisely what steps they need to take to be successful in their chosen industries.
• A good range of enrichment activity enables learners to improve their personal and social skills and enhance their vocational learning. Most learners develop effective independent learning skills; their use of the college’s learning portal has increased significantly since the previous inspection.
• Teachers instil a keen sense of safety in their learners. Learners working in practical skill areas, such as the construction area or hairdressing salons, wear appropriate safety equipment and follow instructions well.

Adult learning programmes Good

• Approximately 1,200 adult learners are enrolled on a range of full-time and part-time courses, with around a fifth studying at subcontracted provision. The large majority of learners study courses at levels 1 and 2, including English for speakers of other languages, English, mathematics and science. A few learners follow access to higher education courses at level 3.
• Since the previous inspection, leaders have made progress in broadening the curriculum offer. They continue to plan actions set to ensure that the provision effectively meets the needs of local communities, including unemployed people and the most disadvantaged. The proportion of adults who study level 3 qualifications at the college has declined over time.
• Leaders work effectively with subcontractors to ensure that provision is of high quality. As a result, most learners make good progress and achieve their qualifications. For example, learners enrolled with New Generation Training and Consultancy Limited and Aspire Sporting Academy Limited fare particularly well.
• Teachers know their learners well and most provide tasks that take fully into account their learners’ starting points. As a result, most learners make good progress in their vocational subjects. Teachers ensure that learners catch up on any learning they may have missed through not attending lessons by providing good support and effectively promoting access to a wide range of online topic information.
• Most teachers provide a broad variety of interesting activities in practical lessons that challenge learners to produce good standards of work. For example, learners carry out purposeful work in hairdressing salons that enables them to demonstrate their application of contemporary styling techniques. Learners studying science demonstrate an effective understanding of the reliability of different testing techniques when diagnosing skin allergies.
• The majority of teachers’ assessment practice is good. They provide effective feedback to learners on their written and practical work. Their feedback is often immediate and constructive, highlighting how learners can improve. However, some teachers do not check learning sufficiently and are unclear as to how well their learners are progressing.
• Learners do not sufficiently improve their English and mathematics skills. Not enough adults achieve their English and mathematics functional skills qualifications.
• Teachers prepare most learners successfully for their next steps. As a result, most learners have a clear understanding of what they need to do to achieve their career aspirations through further study at the college, at university or in employment. A minority of learners studying with subcontractors are not aware of what opportunities there are to help them reach their career goals.
• Most learners studying on access to higher education courses secure places at the universities of their choice. The remaining few find purposeful employment.

Apprenticeships Good

• At the time of the inspection, 573 apprentices were studying on intermediate, advanced and higher apprenticeships programmes. Most follow framework programmes, but an increasing proportion study the new standards. Just over half of the apprentices are aged 16 to 18. Most apprentices study construction, engineering, business administration, and health and social care.
• Leaders ensure that the provision fully meets the principles and requirements of an apprenticeship programme. Most employers are positive about their relationship with college staff and the effective contribution their apprentices are making in their companies.
• Managers have responded promptly to the weaknesses identified in the previous inspection. As a result, a greater proportion of apprentices now complete their programmes successfully in their planned timescale than previously, to above that nationally. However, not enough younger apprentices achieve within their allocated timescales.
• Teachers and assessors have high expectations of their apprentices. They use their industrial experience well to enliven apprentices’ learning and make good use of questioning to check and deepen learner understanding, both in lessons and in the work place.
• Trainers and assessors review apprentices’ progress regularly. They are careful to involve employers in the process. Assessors set clear targets for learners. These targets focus on improving skills and not just achieving qualification outcomes. Managers monitor apprentices’ progress carefully through monthly progress meetings.
• Apprentices work to high standards and are skilful in their trades. For example, apprentices work accurately to high tolerances creating cavity walls and demonstrate high levels of trowel skills. A business administration apprentice in an air conditioning firm is developing skills well beyond that required for the apprenticeship and given considerable responsibility, including price estimation for new work.
• Most apprentices develop their English skills through a variety of activities that include writing formal emails and job cards. They improve their speaking and listening skills through effective communication with clients. However, assessors do not routinely correct errors when marking apprentices’ written work. For example, apprentices on advanced business administration programmes produce work that includes poor and jumbled sentence construction, which remains uncorrected.
• Apprentices develop their mathematics skills well. Craft apprentices demonstrate accurate measuring skills, good use of plumb lines and guidelines to produce straight walls. Apprentices studying health and social care calculate accurate measures of medication when planning support and care for patients.
• A high staffing turnover of assessors in the last academic year disrupted apprentices’ progress. A few employers identify that their apprentices made slow progress because of having too many different assessors in a short time period.
• Apprentices have a good understanding of how to keep safe in the workplace and use appropriate personal protection equipment. Electrical apprentices apply rigorous checks to ensure compliance and safe working practices, using their electrical testing equipment with confidence to check that circuits have been isolated from the mains.
• Recruitment and teaching staff provide good initial information, advice and guidance to ensure that apprentices make well-informed choices about their programmes. Most apprentices are clear about progression opportunities and understand fully how to achieve their career aspirations.
• Staff ensure that apprentices who started in the current academic year benefit from induction activities that enable them to secure a sound understanding of British values and the risks and dangers of extremism and radicalisation. However, apprentices who have been on programme for a number of years have a poor awareness of such issues.

Provision for learners with high needs Good

• The college receives high needs funding for 82 learners. The large majority follow a mix of accredited and non-accredited learning from pre-entry level to entry level 3 on discrete programmes at the Ware campus. The remainder take up study programmes from level 1 to level 3 across both campuses.
• Managers’ use of high-need funding is effective. They work closely with local authorities to meet local needs. They provide programmes and courses that prepare most learners well for independent living, further learning and purposeful employment.
• Most teachers use plentiful information on learners’ starting points to set demanding targets and goals and enable learners to work independently and make good progress. Most learners become accustomed to reflecting and applying their knowledge and understanding on their own and, as a result, make swift progress. However, a few teachers and support staff intervene in the learning process too readily and inhibit the progress that their learners make. For example, at times staff read on behalf of learners when they are capable of such activity, or very quickly provide answers to set problem-solving tasks.
• Teachers ensure that learners with a wide range of complex needs make good use of assistive technology to develop their skills and produce work of a high standard. Teachers work well with learners to overcome sensory and motor learning difficulties by enabling them to use adeptly computer software to form coherent sentences, paragraphs and to create pictures and images.
• The majority of teachers provide challenging tasks that enable high-needs learners following vocational study programmes to make good progress and achieve their targets. They frequently monitor learners’ progress against effective support plans that take fully into account their learners’ needs and aspirations. However, a few teachers do not provide sufficient challenge or ensure that their learners understand how they can excel and as a result, these learners do not achieve the higher grades of which they are capable.
• Most teachers ensure that learners on discrete programmes develop a good range of literacy and numeracy skills to enable them to operate with greater confidence and independence. For example, learners accurately weigh and price shop stock for sale, confidently maintain financial accounts of sales and calculate proficiently profit and stock required.
• Staff ensure that learners participate in a rich variety of community and enrichment initiatives and projects that improve their personal, social, and work-related skills. For example, learners take up volunteering opportunities in local parks and woodlands and learn to competently maintain the grounds and develop effectively their horticulture knowledge and skills.
• Staff ensure that learners take up appropriate information, advice and careers guidance through well-established arrangements with a specialist external careers team. However, leaders do not sufficiently collect and use information on where learners with high needs progress to when they leave the college.

Provider details

Unique reference number 130722 Type of provider General further education college Age range of learners Approximate number of all learners over the previous full contract year 16+ 4,500 Principal/CEO Tony Medhurst Telephone number 01992 411400 Website www.hrc.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 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: 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 324 393 629 527 1006 152

• Intermediate Advanced Higher 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 209 112 102 158 3 10 16–19
• 19+
• Total
• 25 82  New Generation Training and Consultancy Limited  CK Assessment and Training Limited  Crown Vocational Training Limited  Buttercups Training Limited  Free to Learn  Hertfordshire County Council  SPS Training Solutions Limited  Flexible Training Limited  Aspire Sporting Academy Limited

Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the director of quality and learner experience, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and quality improvement 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

Ruth Harrison, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Matt Vaughan Kanwaljit Dhillon Roger Pilgrim David Baber Philip Elliott Ranjit Singh Bob Cowdrey Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector