Kensington and Chelsea College Ofsted Report

Inspection report: Kensington and Chelsea College, 2–5 June 2015 2 of 13

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

 Improve progress and outcomes for learners and apprentices, by ensuring teachers accurately monitor and track their progress using the recently introduced tracking system.  Ensure that attendance is consistently good in all subject areas and that learners understand the importance of arriving at lessons on time, are ready to study and aspire to high grades as an important part of achieving their qualification.  Make sure that teachers improve the planning and scheduling of assessment so that it helps all learners to make rapid progress and achieve their potential, in particular achieving the grades expected given their starting points. Provide sufficient challenge for all learners, particularly more able learners, through improved teaching and target setting.  Ensure middle managers become more adept at using data and information to identify any courses where learners are not making good progress; and improve the quality of curriculum teams’ self-assessment reports, action plans and improvement targets.  Improve the standard of managers’ documentation and action plans produced after staff appraisals, including the setting of realistic improvement targets for staff in relation to learners’ attendance, retention and achievement.  Ensure that governors and senior leaders continue to implement, and further develop, the strategies to improve performance further.

Inspection judgements

Outcomes for learners Requires improvement  Kensington and Chelsea College (KCC) provides academic and vocational courses for learners aiming to progress into further or higher education and appropriate sustainable employment. A large majority of learners attending courses at KCC are adults with a small minority of 16- to 18- year-old learners following study programmes in 2014/15.  Outcomes for learners require improvement. The proportion of learners who successfully complete their courses has declined marginally since 2012/13; despite improvement in 2013/14, success rates remain too low. The number of learners who stay on and finish their studies is also too low; however, a large and increasing majority of those who do stay achieve their learning outcome or qualifications.  Success rates in the majority of areas are improving and are now good in a few subjects; for example, learners working towards qualifications in preparation for life and work, and design and media, achieve well. However, in other subject areas, for example health and social care and business administration, learners do not make the progress expected of them  The achievements of apprentices are inadequate. The number of apprentices is low, but they do not achieve their qualifications within the expected timeframes. Senior leaders have implemented a recovery plan, but it is too early to measure fully the impact of the actions taken.  In a vast majority of subject areas attendance is still low and below the targets set by managers.  College managers and staff are working well to ensure no significant variations exist in the achievement of any groups of learners. However, learners with identified support needs do not achieve as well as their peers.  The majority of learners acquire good subject knowledge and good practical skills; for example, learners in fashion design produce some outstanding costumes and millinery for their final projects and are proud to display them for public viewing. By the end of their courses, learners

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complete practical tasks to a good standard and produce good work in the classroom environment. Learners enhance their personal, social and work skills well through various activities often directly related to their studies.  Younger learners on study programmes gain valuable work-related skills. For example, learners in hairdressing and beauty therapy complete work placements with local salons, often leading to employment. Learners in design complete real projects with local organisations, much to the benefit of the community. However, adult learners with no mandatory work experience requirements on their courses often do not have access to work-related activities.  Few learners progress to a higher level of study at the college. However, a large majority of those who apply for higher education places receive and accept their offers to study at university.

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement  Teaching, learning and assessment require improvement. This is reflected in the outcomes for learners. Although improved in 2013/14, the proportion of learners who successfully complete their courses remains below the rate for similar colleges, and too many learners leave their courses early. Staff do not always use the results of initial assessment correctly to ensure learners are on the right courses, resulting in a small minority of learners starting courses which are too challenging for them, leading to drop out or failure.  Attendance of learners in too many lessons is low and overall attendance has declined since 2012/13. Actions taken by managers and staff to resolve low attendance have had insufficient impact to date. The learners present, however, enjoy their lessons and appreciate the support of the vocationally skilled and knowledgeable staff, who use their vocational experience well to provide learning opportunities in realistic contexts. Learners benefit from extensive curriculum- and work-related activities, such as visits from employers and trips to exhibitions and galleries. For example, following a seminar for hairdressers and beauty therapists on cruise ships, a number of learners have visited a ship whilst it was in port.  In a small minority of lessons, teachers do not manage the pace of learning well enough to meet the needs of all learners. It is either too slow, so that the learners lose focus, or too fast, so that they cannot complete allocated tasks and have insufficient time to reflect on and consolidate their learning. Teachers do not all check learning effectively in class; some do not use questioning in a sufficiently challenging manner, or do not enable all learners to contribute.  In the large majority of lessons, teachers plan effectively to develop learners’ skills well, and the standard of learners’ work is high. Teachers use a wide range of stimulating activities and encourage learners to collaborate through group work and discussion. Information and learning technology (ILT) is used imaginatively in a number of guises in lessons. For example, learners employ their mobile phones or tablets to make notes, send ‘blogs’ to a ‘scroll wall’ or access the internet. However, teachers in many areas do not promote or develop learners’ use of ILT outside of the classroom..  The targets which teachers set for learners often lack detail and do not tackle individual learners’ specific areas for development. Teachers frequently set the same targets for the whole class, and many targets merely recommend that learners submit assignments by a given deadline. Teachers do not review targets by the agreed date for completion. This prevents teachers from challenging and motivating learners to achieve their maximum potential. Target setting on advanced courses is better; for example, in fashion and design, learners set their own targets which they record in a journal. This process encourages learners to reflect on, and evaluate, the quality and standard of their work and progress.  Too few teachers have a good overview of the progress individuals and groups of learners are making. This impedes their ability to prioritise support, and to plan lessons to maximise attainment. Teachers are not using the recently introduced electronic tracker system consistently across subject areas, and it has had little impact to date in improving the monitoring and support for learners’ progress.

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 Managers and teachers have greatly improved the standard of assessment and internal quality assurance since the previous inspection. However, teachers do not plan assessments sufficiently well to provide learners with the maximum opportunity to improve and succeed. Too much assessment is left to the later part of the course, so teachers do not have sufficient information from early assessments to support learners to improve. At the time of the inspection a number of learners had too many outstanding assignments to complete given the amount of time left before the end of their course.  The development of English in lessons within the vocational context is good. Teachers correct spelling and grammar to encourage professional standards, and also encourage learners to enhance their writing skills in vocationally relevant tasks. For example, in one lesson, learners wrote press releases to promote their contributions in a fashion exhibition.  The embedding of mathematics is good in many areas and teaching is particularly relevant to the vocational subject. For example, learners on a beauty therapy and hairdressing courses act as salon managers and collate statistics, costs and income.  Managers and staff provide an inclusive and welcoming learning environment to meet the needs of the college’s diverse population of learners. Managers and teachers promote an understanding of diversity well within their vocational contexts. Fashion learners and hairdressers consider cultural influences on styles, while learners on media courses develop posters to commemorate events such as Black History Month.

Health, social care and early years

16-19 study programmes 19+ learning programmes

Requires improvement

Teaching, learning and assessment in health, social care, early years and playwork require improvement because:

 teachers do not plan or schedule assessments in a timely manner; as a result, a small minority of learners have too much work to complete towards the end of their courses in health and social care  teachers do not monitor learners’ progress systematically enough on health and social care courses; for example, they do not routinely update the tracking system to record learners’ progress, so they are unaware that some learners are falling behind  inappropriate information, advice and guidance have resulted in a very small minority of learners studying on level 3 health and social care courses leaving their courses early because the courses were at too challenging for them, or not being able to achieve a place at university on the completion of their studies because they were not working at a high enough standard.

In health, social care and early years and playwork, the provider has the following strengths:

 learners produce good quality assignments; their portfolios show a good understanding of the subject, well-developed research and academic skills, and studies relevant to workplace practice  teaching is good in health, social care and early years classes; lessons are well planned with a wide variety of activities which meet the needs of learners of all abilities  learners enjoy their learning, and are able to link theory impressively well to aspects of workplace practice; for example, learners explained how Vygotsky’s concept of ‘scaffolding’ translates to workplace practice to support children in a nursery setting  in lessons, teachers promote the understanding of equality and diversity well, and knowledge of these topics is reflected in learners’ portfolios; learners have a good understanding of how to promote equality within the workplace to benefit their clients.

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English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) and foundation English

16-19 study programmes 19+ learning programmes

Good

Teaching, learning and assessment in English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) and foundation English are good because:

 learners achieve well on their English courses, and the proportion of learners obtaining grades A*-C on English GCSE courses is high; learners also achieve very well in other qualifications taken alongside their ESOL courses  teachers have high expectations of their learners, who benefit from the good support they receive, which results in many learners using spoken and/or written English at a level higher than demanded on the course they are studying  teachers quickly recognise and help learners who have lived in this country for a considerable time, and who have lacked confidence in the past, to use their spoken and written English effectively outside the classroom; a number of entry level learners are now able to interact with their children’s schools for the first time after a short period on their ESOL courses  teachers are skilful and use a wide variety of techniques, including pair work, group work and role play, to introduce, practise and develop English language skills effectively  teachers make effective use of very thorough initial diagnostic assessments of learners’ skills in order to plan lessons which meet individual learners’ needs; as a result, learners develop their English language skills to a high level  teachers assess learning well, providing learners with regular, detailed and thorough oral and written feedback, which learners use to analyse and correct their own errors before they progress to more complex work  in the majority of lessons, teachers’ use of high quality paper-based resources and ILT is effective in engaging, stimulating and motivating learners  managers have reviewed the curriculum and changed the qualifications offered in English to better meet learners’ needs

Teaching, learning and assessment on ESOL and foundation English are not yet outstanding because:

 not all teachers are routinely using the tracking system to monitor and support learners’ progress and achievement against their targets; as a result, many learners are uncertain of their progress and the likelihood of their success in external examinations  teachers do not all set specific targets for learners tailored to their individual needs, so that many learners do not value them as an aid to improving their achievement and thus miss an important element of developing their independent learning skills  learners’ progression to higher level courses, particularly that of level 1 and level 2 learners to non-ESOL provision, is poor.

Foundation mathematics

16-19 study programmes 19+ learning programmes

Requires improvement

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Teaching, learning and assessment in foundation mathematics require improvement because:

 too many learners failed to achieve, or withdrew from, their functional skills mathematics courses over the last two years, so that the proportion of learners who successfully completed their qualifications in the last three years is too low  attendance in many lessons is low, particularly among learners studying health and social care or hairdressing and beauty therapy; a small minority is regularly absent or arrives late for lessons, causing disruption to the lesson and other learners’ learning  in a minority of lessons, teachers do not explain tasks sufficiently clearly to learners, so they are uncertain about what to do or whether they understand the concepts; for example, in one class in which learners did not understand their teacher’s explanation of an examination revision question which required them to translate a formula to a graph, the teacher neither explained the question in a different way nor asked other learners to help  the development of English skills in mathematics lessons requires improvement; too often teachers do not help learners to understand complex or lengthy written questions, even though English is an additional language for many learners  learners are not prepared well for learning, for example arriving at the class without appropriate paper or pens, which are not always supplied by teachers; in a small minority of classes, learners completed their calculations on plain pieces of paper, without lines or squares to help them set out their work clearly, and without a folder to keep their work secure so they can refer to it later for revision  teachers do not always ensure a good pace of learning, and fail to vary the activity or the teaching method sufficiently frequently; in one class, many learners were working unsuccessfully on a task for 40 minutes, without the teacher addressing the whole class to help them to understand how to solve the problem.

In foundation mathematics the provider has the following strengths:

 the small numbers of learners who take GCSE mathematics achieve well, with the majority gaining A*-C grades  teachers’ initial assessment of learners’ starting points is good; teachers are now assessing learners’ initial level of mathematical skills more accurately, and are placing them in appropriate classes  teaching and support staff provide very good support for learners with additional learning needs, who participate well in mainstream courses; staff help identify learners who may be dyslexic, arrange formal dyslexia assessments, and provide appropriate practical support and advice.

Accounting, finance and administration

16-19 study programmes 19+ learning programmes

Requires improvement

Teaching, learning and assessment in accounting, finance and administration require improvement because:

 the proportion of learners who achieve their qualifications is low; many accounting and finance learners complete their studies, but the proportion who pass their examinations in the planned time is low  in too many lessons, teachers do not plan or teach to meet individual needs, and do not challenge all learners effectively; many learners, especially the more able, are not encouraged enough to achieve their full potential

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 many teachers do not plan the use of time in lessons well, or give clear enough directions for tasks, to assist learning effectively; lesson activities often take place too quickly for learners to consolidate and reflect on what they have been doing, or take so long that learners lose motivation and interest  teachers do not routinely use assessment methods well to check learners’ progress; many rely too much on questions that are too simple and do not test the knowledge and understanding of more able learners  most learners do not have clear and detailed targets, and teachers do not monitor targets regularly and systematically with their learners; as a result, the progress of learners is not tracked sufficiently well to ensure that they succeed  teachers do not promote equality and the awareness of diversity well enough in lessons, and often miss opportunities to help learners understand how these issues might affect business practice and the wider community; in a business administration lesson on using the telephone, for example, learners were not asked to consider how they might respond to customers with hearing or language difficulties.

In accounting, finance and administration the provider has the following strengths:

 teachers and managers are highly knowledgeable and proficient in their subjects; learners value their help and are very motivated and enthusiastic  many teachers use a wide range of learning methods in lessons and learners benefit from these different activities, especially when they are encouraged to learn from each other; teachers create a respectful and supportive environment  learners acquire good practical insights and make good intellectual progress valuable for their chosen careers; business administration teachers enthuse learners with role play in simulated office scenarios, accounting teachers encourage learners to use current financial control skills, and learners on access courses develop their critical and analytical skills for university successfully  learners make good progress in developing effective oral and written English skills that help them both personally and in achieving their future career goals; teachers enable learners to communicate with confidence, clarity and accuracy.

The effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement  Since the previous inspection, leadership and management at KCC have been strengthened and a dedicated team of senior managers has implemented robust improvement strategies and initiatives. While managers’ actions have had some impact on improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, to date they have not greatly improved outcomes for learners, especially success rates.  Senior leaders have set ambitious headline targets for improvement and now hold managers much more accountable for the quality of provision and financial control through regular reviews and budget meetings. Senior leaders effectively and regularly communicate leadership messages, and most staff know and understand the strategic plan.  Governance is good. Governors play an active and visible role across the college. The board is a mix of well-established and experienced members, balanced with new members from highly relevant backgrounds with the appropriate skills and expertise to effectively support the strategic direction of the college. Governors have confidence in the relatively new senior leadership team and feel that the information leaders provide is more accurate and reliable than previously.  Governors challenge senior leaders well and participate on performance review boards which give them a clearer view of the college’s strengths and key areas for improvement. Governors

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recognise that further work is needed to ensure consistency across all subject areas. The management of staff performance has not yet achieved sustained improvement of teaching, learning and assessment and outcomes for learners. Not all middle managers have the necessary skills in managing staff and analysing data to effect improvements, such as the better retention of learners and monitoring of learners’ progress. They have attended management development programmes but need more time to practise and develop their skills to make significant improvements in their areas.  The very large majority of staff participate in the appraisal process, but the documentation they receive from managers is not always of a high enough standard to help them improve. Managers do not always set sufficiently relevant, achievable targets, or ensure that targets are clearly aligned to the college’s objectives. A minority of staff performance appraisals sampled did not include a mid-year review. For teachers, development objectives arising from appraisals make little reference to the action plans arising from lesson observations, other than a target grade.  Managers’ actions to support and develop the few underperforming teachers are insufficiently effective at bringing about improvements in their practice. In many cases, actions extend beyond the timeframe agreed in the college policy, and this slow response can damage the experience of learners.  Senior managers have embedded the self-assessment and reviews of quality improvement action plans well into the college calendar and set clear expectations. However, self-assessment reports produced by curriculum teams lack detail; the resultant quality improvement action plans do not focus on the critical issues that will lead to improvement, for example in learners’ retention and attendance, and are ineffective at tackling areas of underperformance. Targets are often vague and lack interim milestones to ensure that the college is on track to achieve its objectives.  The revised curriculum offered in 2014/15 meets the needs of the local community well, with many courses and apprenticeships aimed appropriately at the creative industries, museums and heritage sector and niche markets in London.  Managers have developed the curriculum of 16 to 18 study programmes effectively so that national requirements are fully met. The extensive ESOL provision supports learners in the locality for whom English is an additional language. However, despite a strong focus on providing clear progression routes through levels of study, internal progression by learners is low.  The promotion of equality and support for diversity is integral to college life, and is supported well through a calendar of events and guest speakers, who are often local successful business people to whom the learners can relate and aspire to emulate. The atmosphere at the college is harmonious with learners of many different backgrounds studying across the two campuses.  The central resource for supporting learners is too small and unable to meet fully the demand for learners with additional learning needs. More of them leave their courses early than those who do not require support with their studies.  Safegarding is good, managers and staff ensure that learners are safe. They have made progress in implementing plans relating to the ‘Prevent’ programme concerning radicalisation and extremism. Very few incidents are reported by learners, bullying and harassment strategies have been effective in the development of a culture of mutual respect. Youth workers deal informally, and more immediately, with issues as they arise. Comprehensive health and safety risk assessments, which were an area for improvement at the previous inspection, are now in place.

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Record of Main Findings (RMF) Kensington and Chelsea College

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

Health and social care 3 Early years and playwork 3 English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) 2 Foundation English 2 Foundation Mathematics 3 Accounting and finance 3 Administration 3

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Provider details

Type of provider General further education college Age range of learners 16+

Approximate number of all learners over the previous full contract year

5424 Principal/CEO Mark Brickley Date of previous inspection November 2013 Website address www.kcc.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) Number of apprentices by Apprenticeship level and age

16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 104 1375 132 1014 121 466 52 93

Intermediate Advanced Higher

16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 12 22 5 16 0 0

Number of traineeships 16-19 19+ Total - - -

Number of learners aged 14-16

Full-time - Part-time - Number of community learners 482 Number of employability learners 284

Funding received from Education Funding Agency and Skills Funding Agency

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

 Victoria and Albert Museum  Chelsea Football Club

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Contextual information

Kensington and Chelsea College is a general further education college located in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The college has two main centres in the borough and serves a very wide catchment area; learners attend the college from a significant number of other London boroughs. The very large majority of learners are over 19 years of age. The borough and adjoining areas are characterised by very diverse communities; a few have high levels of social and educational disadvantage, whilst others comprise people employed in professional and managerial careers. A majority of residents of working age have a level 4 qualification or above and the unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the capital. The proportion of pupils who leave school aged 16 with five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and mathematics, in the locality is higher than the national rate.

Information about this inspection

Lead inspector Steve Hunsley HMI One of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI), an associate inspector and five additional inspectors, assisted by the deputy principal as nominee, carried out the inspection with short notice. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. Inspectors also used data on learners’ 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 learners 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 provider. 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.

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What inspection judgements mean

Grade Judgement

Grade 1 Outstanding Grade 2 Good Grade 3 Requires improvement Grade 4 Inadequate Detailed grade characteristics can be viewed in the Handbook for the inspection of further education and skills 2012, Part 2:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/handbook-for-the-inspection-of-further-education-and-skills-from-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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. 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 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

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