Haringey Sixth Form College Ofsted Report

Inspection report: Haringey Sixth Form Centre, 25–28 March 2014

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Full report What does the college need to do to improve further?

 Develop and consistently implement effective strategies to ensure that all students study on appropriate courses, and that students’ attendance is rigorously monitored, poor attendance is consistently followed up and good attendance is celebrated.  Assess all students’ abilities in English and mathematics and provide suitable courses that, where appropriate, will allow them to progress to GCSE.  Ensure that teachers pay closer attention, when planning lessons, to students’ existing skills and knowledge and individual learning needs, so that activities challenge all students to fulfil their potential.  Provide training so that all teachers have the confidence and ability to improve students’ English and mathematics.  Check more rigorously the veracity of data used to measure performance and ensure that all staff are skilled in using accurate data, both to monitor progress against targets and to measure students’ achievements.  Link the centre’s quality processes more closely so that managers hold all staff to account for their work and achievements.

Inspection judgements

Outcomes for learners

Requires improvement  Although the proportion of students successfully completing their qualifications has risen steadily over each of the last three years, the overall success rate remains below the average for similar colleges. The proportion of students who do not complete AS-level and A-level courses is high. Of those students who do finish, the large majority make at least satisfactory progress relative to their starting points. Students on advanced-level vocational courses make very good progress.  Students demonstrate an eagerness to learn. They benefit from the well-resourced learning spaces that have been carefully designed to provide a safe and calm environment, conducive to learning. Students develop knowledge and skills well and the standard of their work is generally good, although the tasks set are often not sufficiently challenging for the most able to develop their higher-order thinking and analytical skills.  Attendance rates remain stubbornly below target levels. A significant minority of students are missing too many of their lessons, and this is having an adverse impact upon their learning. During the inspection, students’ attendance was low and those arriving late disrupted learning.  The development of students’ English and mathematics requires rapid improvement. Where students are placed directly onto GCSE courses, the number of high grades achieved is high, well above the national averages. However, staff do not ensure that all the students who need to achieve foundation-level qualifications in these subjects before progressing to GCSE do so. As a result, a minority of students are missing out on an essential component of their entitlement within the study programmes. Students that are placed on appropriate courses frequently do not see the value of gaining qualifications in English and mathematics and, consequently, attendance at these classes is poor.  Students benefit from the choice of a wide range of A-level courses. The vocational courses that the centre offers from foundation level through to advanced level, alongside the small number of GCSE subjects, have very successfully widened participation in education in the local community. Students have access to a flexible curriculum which allows them to gain relevant qualifications and progress to higher levels of study. The majority of students who complete an Inspection report: Haringey Sixth Form Centre, 25–28 March 2014

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intermediate-level programme progress to an appropriate advanced-level course. While the centre rightly prides itself on the inclusivity of its entry policy, a small minority of students start courses on which they have little chance of success.  Students achieve at comparable levels, regardless of their gender or ethnic heritage. However, large variations in success rates still exist across different areas of the curriculum. Students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve particularly well. Where appropriate, these students receive well-structured support that facilitates their inclusion in mainstream courses. Those students with severe and complex learning difficulties receive expert guidance that allows them to become more independent in their everyday lives.  Students benefit from a good range of activities which helps prepare them for the adult world. The tutorial programme addresses appropriate themes such as drugs awareness and sexual health, and students have access to good resources to help them plan for their next steps, either continuing in education or going into training or employment. A variety of interesting speakers and stimulating visits help to raise students’ awareness of the opportunities that are open to them.  The majority of students who complete advanced-level courses apply to university and nearly all secure a place. This is particularly commendable given that many of these students had very low aspirations when they enrolled at the centre. Smaller numbers successfully opt for an apprenticeship or take up employment. Centre managers track the destinations of students and use the information effectively to inform and plan curriculum development.

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment

Requires improvement  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement. The good practice that exists is not sufficiently consistent, with very little teaching that is outstanding. Although some teaching is good, too many students have left courses, are not attending lessons regularly or are arriving late and, as a result, outcomes remain low.  Enthusiastic, well-qualified teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge and have high expectations of students. The best teaching ensures that students rapidly acquire new knowledge and skills and that they are enthused and inspired to learn. Students make good progress because the tasks are individualised according to their progress and ability. For example, in a foundation art class, students developed their interpersonal skills, confidence and numeracy, alongside creative abilities, as they enjoyed making a large-scale food sculpture of egg and chips in a Sixties ‘pop-art’ style.  In less effective lessons, teachers are insufficiently demanding of students so their progress is, at best, satisfactory. The start of lessons lacks purpose and teachers do not give enough attention to the on-going assessment of learning. Tasks are not designed with different elements which take into account the full range of students’ abilities. As a result, students answer questions superficially and spend too much time on completing repetitive worksheets that do not challenge them all to make rapid progress. Teachers do not ensure that students are clear of the purpose of activities and so they lose interest and work slowly, waiting for teachers to give answers.  Students value the high quality support they receive outside lessons which enables them to reinforce new knowledge and skills. Well-trained learning mentors in the study centres provide effective support to students as they undertake independent study and research. Learning support assistants work effectively with teachers to provide valuable support in lessons for students who need extra help. Students receive effective additional individual coaching from subject teachers who send regular emails reviewing students’ progress with coursework and other learning activities. However, a minority of students become too dependent on the support and lose confidence in completing assignments independently or in proof reading their own work.  Students benefit from the well-equipped classrooms and well-resourced laboratories, libraries and other specialist sports, arts and media areas. They make good use of these facilities to Inspection report: Haringey Sixth Form Centre, 25–28 March 2014

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support their learning and gain essential, relevant experience for use in further study and employment. The virtual learning environment (VLE), which should enable students to work more independently, is underdeveloped and students do not take full advantage of this resource to extend their learning.  Senior staff have not put in place robust arrangements to measure students’ English and mathematics skills before starting a course and as a result, teachers do not gauge students’ starting points well. They assess only a small minority of students to establish their abilities in English and mathematics. Teachers rely too heavily on the use of existing qualifications to establish students’ starting points; students’ skill deficits, which might hinder their learning and progress, are not effectively identified during induction. Little information is therefore available to inform lesson planning effectively.  Teachers set students clear long-term targets based on their prior attainments so they know what they need to achieve. However, they are less adept at setting the short-term goals for improving study skills, attendance and the development of good work habits which would support students in achieving these long-term targets. The monitoring of attendance by tutors is not sufficiently rigorous or consistent.  Teachers pay close attention to assessing students’ written work and routinely encourage students to mark their own and each other’s work. Teachers track and monitor students’ progress towards their qualifications rigorously. However, in a minority of courses, particularly those at foundation level, assessments lack rigour and do not support students in making the progress they should.  The development of students’ English and mathematics within lessons requires improvement. Teachers across the centre now pay good attention to correcting punctuation, spelling and grammatical errors in students’ assessed work. However, they accept low standards of written work in class activities and provide too many information sheets rather than encouraging students to practise and develop good note-taking skills. Teachers lack the expertise or confidence to extend students’ English and mathematical skills. In a minority of discrete mathematics classes, teaching and learning strategies are ineffective.  Students benefit from high quality, specialist careers advice. The centre regularly hosts events promoting a good range of progression routes to employment and training alongside university courses. For example, business speakers and consultants from a social media project gave stimulating presentations about their experiences, providing good role models. Trips to events and exhibitions enhance students’ understanding of the variety of options open to them. However, the centre does not provide sufficient work experience placements for many students.  Students’ behaviour is good. Students treat each other with respect and work well together. The centre provides a range of events and trips which broadens the experience of students and prepares them more effectively for life and work in a modern multicultural society. However, teachers do not routinely promote equality and diversity in their lessons.

Science and mathematics

16-19 study programmes

Good  Teaching, learning and assessment are good. As a result, students on all mathematics courses, as well as those on advanced-level vocational science courses, achieve particularly well. However, the pass rates for the smaller number of students on AS-level science courses fell sharply in 2012/13 to well below national averages. Students’ progress relative to their prior attainment is at least good in the majority of subjects.  Teachers, learning support staff and science technicians are knowledgeable and enthusiastic. They have high expectations of students and motivate and support them well, for example through the well-attended study workshops. Students contribute constructively in lessons and Inspection report: Haringey Sixth Form Centre, 25–28 March 2014

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are keen to learn, working well with each other and with their teachers. Students’ behaviour is good.  Teachers’ planning is thorough and detailed and teachers adopt a wide variety of activities to gain students’ interest which can be explored in depth. For example, in an A-level mathematics lesson, students used individual whiteboards to develop algebraic proofs, which they then shared, and usefully debated their different approaches. However, in the majority of lessons, students are all working on the same activity at the same time. Teachers plan extension tasks, but rarely direct students to complete them and this limits students’ progress, particularly the more able.  Teachers use technology to bring the subjects to life, with imaginative and effective use of the interactive whiteboards. Teachers in mathematics use the VLE particularly well to develop students’ understanding, for instance they provide a blog created by staff on which students can comment on problems they are finding difficult. Students benefit from a growing range of e-resources, including examination questions with model answers.  Science students develop competent practical skills in well-resourced laboratories. In an AS-level physics class, students were able to confidently set up circuits, take accurate readings and draw graphs in order to calculate the resistance of a solar cell. Teachers pay appropriate attention to health and safety; students routinely wear laboratory coats and protective glasses in practical sessions where chemicals are being used.  Teachers check learning well, for example using quizzes or through question-and-answer sessions. In the better lessons, teachers’ questioning extends beyond checking simple recall, to developing higher-level thinking and analytical skills. In weaker lessons, teachers allow a few students to dominate and responses are limited to recall of scientific facts or mathematical formulae; as a result, students are insufficiently challenged.  Teachers use their knowledge of students’ prior attainment well to generate target grades which are closely monitored and tracked. Teachers raise students’ aspirations with ambitious goals, although actions required to improve their performance are underdeveloped. Students benefit from regular assessment of their learning, with particularly good focus on examination preparation.  Teachers develop effectively the mathematical knowledge that science students require. However, they are less adept at correcting English errors on students’ work. Teachers do not ensure that all students are capturing the relevant notes during lessons and a minority of students’ files are poorly organised. Students benefit from good opportunities to explore the world of work. Vocational science students undertake valuable work experience including work in the health sector, at an optician’s practice or at large local pharmaceutical companies.  The advice and guidance that teachers give have improved and are now strong. Teachers ensure that students studying mathematics and science to advanced level have the best chance of success by enforcing the centre's entry criteria; furthermore, advanced-level mathematics students need to demonstrate competence in algebra. Teachers enable students to explore future university and career choices, for example through opportunities to meet senior medical staff at a local hospital, or previous students coming to talk about their experiences. The progression rate to university is high for those students who complete their courses.

Social sciences

16-19 study programmes

Requires improvement  Teaching, learning and assessment require improvement. For AS levels, in particular, too few students complete their courses. However, in almost all subjects, those students who do complete the full course make good progress, and their attainment is at least in line with that expected of similarly qualified students nationally. Attendance levels in lessons are low, which compromise students’ ability to benefit fully from the quality of lessons and support. Inspection report: Haringey Sixth Form Centre, 25–28 March 2014

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 Enthusiastic teachers plan lessons carefully and make good use of a wide range of learning activities. For example, in sociology, psychology and politics, peer-tutoring exercises required students to read and internalise short extracts before teaching the content to other students. Some of the more creative lessons challenged the traditional boundaries of the classroom, with students encouraged to write revision notes directly onto desks and windows (providing they cleaned them off afterwards), which allowed students to refer to their notes continuously throughout the lesson.  Lessons are rarely demanding. A small number of lessons feature well-managed question-and- answer work, but the majority of lessons do not. Teachers do not routinely use probing follow-up questions to develop deeper understanding, or to draw out comparative and evaluative points. Timings for student tasks are often over generous, allowing students to take a too leisurely approach to task completion. Teachers do not always ensure that students have finished their work.  Teachers frequently focus too heavily on the transmission of content rather than on the development of higher-order skills of analysis and evaluation. Few activities require students to take risks, or link together concepts and ideas which they have encountered elsewhere in the course. Where teachers do develop students’ evaluation skills, they rarely encourage more than relatively simple methodological comment, and do not extend these skills to include more conceptual or theoretical work.  Support for students’ learning is good. Students benefit from effective classroom support from teachers and, where appropriate, learning support assistants. The study centre enables students to work independently, under the supervision of a full-time learning mentor. The centre is well resourced and well used. Staff have high expectations for what students can achieve and students rightly feel very well supported.  Teachers develop students’ English well, correcting errors on their written work. They are less effective at ensuring that students have the mathematical and statistical skills required for economics or psychology. For example, in an economics lesson, a significant minority of students struggled to plot and label basic graphs. Some teacher-produced material contains errors in spelling and punctuation.  Teachers assess students’ starting points and use this information to monitor their progress effectively. Students know and understand their target grades. Teachers mark students’ work thoroughly. Teachers’ comments on written work are helpful and focused on what students need to do to improve. In psychology, an effective blend of regular tests, mock examination and homework tasks ensures that students know their level of performance.  Additional learning opportunities are highly effective. All subjects host visiting speakers and provide a good range of educational visits to enrich students’ understanding of the courses they follow, the world around them, and the opportunities open to them in terms of employment and further study. For example, in an A-level sociology lesson, a visit to a human rights film festival informed discussion of institutionalised racism, and the crimes of the powerful.

The effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement  Senior managers and governors have placed a clear focus on improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. However, too many students are not benefiting from the increasing number of good lessons and learning experiences and therefore the number of students successfully completing their qualifications is too low and requires improvement. Managers have not put in place coherent, whole-centre strategies for ensuring that all students are placed on the correct course, or that attendance is rigorously monitored, with consistent follow up of poor attendance and innovative ways of encouraging good attendance.  Governors and leaders at all levels support the mission to provide high quality learning for all students and staff. Over the last year, they have led the centre through a successful conversion Inspection report: Haringey Sixth Form Centre, 25–28 March 2014

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to academy status and are making reasonable progress in transferring their systems to meet the requirements of the further education sector.  Managers share a commitment to inclusivity and providing support for the diverse needs of the students. All staff ensure that students are well cared for in terms of their wider welfare needs and work hard to instil in students a positive attitude towards what they can achieve in life. This shapes and supports a good range of activity which engages students, broadens their horizons and introduces them to a wider range of progression opportunities.  Governors are increasingly well informed and they use their wide experience to good effect in supporting the management team to make the required improvements. Their enthusiastic participation in a curriculum link scheme adds to their understanding of the life of the centre and allows them to see, at first hand, the improvements to the learning in the classroom. However, the reports that governors receive do not contain the sufficiently precise feedback on agreed performance measures which they need to monitor progress effectively.  Managers’ use of data to judge the quality of provision, inform planning and monitor progress requires improvement. Targets for key performance indicators, such as the proportion of students to be retained on course, often lack precision and managers present a confusing picture of the in-year position which hinders the monitoring of progress. Managers do not use accurate information to assess some students’ progress relative to their prior attainment and, as a result, have a too positive picture of performance.  The centre’s self-assessment report is evaluative, but overly generous in its judgements. Middle managers and teaching staff make valuable contributions, but targets are not monitored closely enough and, as a result, staff do not take sufficient responsibility for students’ achievements in their areas. Quality improvement plans are not focused enough on either enabling rapid improvements to be made, or on developing further the strong emphasis on improving teaching, learning and assessment. The views of students and parents do not feature strongly enough in self-assessment reviews.  A range of creative and well-considered strategies for improving teaching, learning and assessment has resulted in the majority of lessons now being good. Ideas generated by the staff themselves in teaching and learning ‘communities’ form part of a comprehensive range of measures designed to support teaching practice. A useful bank of resources on the centre’s developing VLE is dedicated to teaching and learning and provides a firm foundation for continued improvements. Teachers experiment with new ideas and are well supported to develop through coaching and carefully planned staff development activities. However, the grading and judgements of formal observations of teachers are too generous overall, particularly those awarded by curriculum managers. Feedback is very thorough and detailed, but too often focuses on the teachers’ actions rather than the learning, and so hinders the potential impact of the strong staff development programme.  The performance management of staff is detailed, with improvements to teaching, learning and assessment forming a key component of the reviews and targets for development. This careful attention to identifying the characteristics of good classroom practice is yielding benefits. However, performance reviews are not sufficiently focused on other indicators, such as students’ attendance and retention, and so do not enable staff to be held properly accountable for performance.  Curriculum planning is satisfactory overall, with some worthwhile developments. For example, the visual arts team has carefully reviewed its offer and is developing a curriculum which better meets the demands from prestigious art schools. Managers have not yet been successful at ensuring that all students benefit from their entitlement within the study programmes. Staff pay insufficient attention to measuring students’ literacy and numeracy levels at the start of their studies, and too few are currently enrolled and regularly attending English and mathematics courses.  Students celebrate the diverse range of cultures within the centre, and a good range of innovative projects fosters good relations between different groups of young people. For example, female students participate in a dance project working with girls from the local Inspection report: Haringey Sixth Form Centre, 25–28 March 2014

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secondary schools to improve self-esteem and allow girls to discuss issues of relevance to them, such as body image and the importance of positive relationships. The ‘We Exist’ project allows various groups of young people in the centre to showcase their cultural heritage and positive contributions to society.  The centre is a safe and secure place of study and students confirm this judgement. Policies for safeguarding are wide ranging and thorough, with good support and training in place to ensure that managers deal with the small number of incidents sensitively and promptly. The arrangements for safeguarding students meet the statutory requirements and risk is well managed with an appropriate focus on working safely in practical sessions. Inspection report: Haringey Sixth Form Centre, 25–28 March 2014

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Record of Main Findings (RMF) Haringey Sixth Form Centre

Inspection grades are based on a provider’s performance:

1: Outstanding 2: Good 3: Requires improvement 4: Inadequate

Overall effectiveness

Outcomes for learners The quality of teaching, learning and assessment The effectiveness of leadership and management

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Subject areas graded for the quality of teaching, learning and assessment Grade

2 2 3 Science Mathematics and statistics Social sciences

Inspection report: Haringey Sixth Form Centre, 25–28 March 2014

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Provider details Type of provider

16-19 academy

Age range of learners

16-18

Approximate number of all learners over the previous full contract year

Full-time: 803 Part-time: 0

Principal/CEO

Ms June Jarrett

Date of previous inspection

April 2012

Website address

www.haringey6.ac.uk

Provider information at the time of the inspection Main course or learning programme level

Level 1 or Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 below and above

Total number of learners (excluding apprenticeships)

16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+

Full-time

44

Part-time

- - - 136 - - - 571 52 - - - - - -

Number of traineeships Number of apprentices by Apprenticeship level and age

16-19 - 19+ - Total -

Intermediate Advanced Higher

16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ - - - - - -

Number of learners aged 14-16

Full-time n/a Part-time n/a

Number of community learners

n/a Number of employability learners n/a

Funding received from

Education Funding Agency (EFA)

At the time of inspection the provider contracts with the following main subcontractors:

N/A

Inspection report: Haringey Sixth Form Centre, 25–28 March 2014

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Contextual information

The centre is situated on the eastern side of Haringey in North London. This area of Haringey contains wards in the top 10% most deprived in the country, with transient communities and multiple levels of deprivation. Levels of unemployment in the borough are higher than the average in London, and particularly so in the 18 to 24 age range, where unemployment is four percentage points higher than that for the rest of London at just over 10%. The vast majority of the employment in the borough is in small businesses employing fewer than 24 people, mostly in the retail and service sectors. The number of residents educated to at least advanced level is broadly in line with that in the rest of London. The percentage of young people gaining five or more GCSE passes at grades A* to C, including English and mathematics, has improved in recent years to just under 60%, but is still lower that the London average.

Information about this inspection

Lead inspector

Stewart Jackson HMI One of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and four additional inspectors, assisted by the assistant principal as nominee, carried out the inspection with short notice. Inspectors took account of the centre’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. Inspectors also used data on students’ achievements over the last three years to help them make judgements. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, telephone calls and online questionnaires to gather the views of students and employers; these views are reflected throughout the report. They observed learning sessions, assessments and progress reviews. The inspection took into account all relevant provision at the centre. Inspectors looked at the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across all of the provision and graded the sector subject areas listed in the report above. Inspection report: Haringey Sixth Form Centre, 25–28 March 2014

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What inspection judgements mean

Grade

Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4

Judgement

Outstanding Good Requires improvement Inadequate Detailed grade characteristics can be viewed in the Handbook for the inspection of further education and skills 2012, Part 2:

http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/handbook-for-inspection-of-further-education-and-skills-september-2012

Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the guidance ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website:

www.ofsted.gov.uk If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

Learner View is a new website where learners can tell Ofsted what they think about their college or provider. They can also see what other learners think about them too. To find out more go to www.learnerview.ofsted.gov.uk