South Thames Colleges Group Ofsted Report

Inspection report: Kingston College, 11–15 February 2013

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Full report

What does the provider need to do to improve further?

 Build on the good teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that teachers always plan lessons which have suitable pace and are appropriately demanding, so that students of all abilities reach their potential.  Develop students’ skills further in English and mathematics, ensuring that these skills are reinforced and integrated appropriately into mainstream subjects.  Ensure that questioning techniques always test students’ learning effectively and enable students’ thinking skills to be developed well so that students are able to probe subjects more deeply.  Accelerate students’ progress by ensuring that students are actively involved in lessons, and by avoiding overly long teacher expositions. Use a range of strategies to stimulate students’ thinking and involvement from an early stage of lessons.  Provide suitably detailed, precise and developmental feedback to students in all subjects so that all students can improve the quality of their work and make good progress.  Ensure that teachers have sufficient understanding and confidence to promote equality and diversity more actively in lessons.  Rigorously implement strategies to improve students’ attendance and punctuality in all subjects.  Strengthen feedback to teachers, as part of the observation of teaching and learning, by ensuring a sharper focus on students’ learning rather than on the process of teaching.

Inspection judgements

Outcomes for learners

Good  Outcomes for students are good and students are making good progress in lessons. Students develop good vocational, personal and social skills which prepare them well for employment or for studying at a higher level. For example, students in hairdressing and beauty therapy work to a good professional standard and demonstrate good practical skills. Students confidently relate their good theoretical understanding to vocational settings in health and social care and early years. Students in information and communication technology (ICT) demonstrate high level skills in computer animation to industry standard. Portfolios produced by visual arts students are well presented and show a good standard of work.  Students benefit from extensive enrichment activities which enhance their learning effectively, develop their personal and social skills well, give them greater insight into their subjects and a wider appreciation of life. For example, they experience strong and innovative activities such as theatrical productions focusing on the challenges of urban living. Students engage in frank and illuminating discussions with ex-offenders. Six thousand students participated in field trips and the college held 18 international visits last year.  Many students make very effective use of technology such as tablet computers, mobile telephones and the virtual learning environment. These skills improve students’ ability to learn independently and greatly enhance their skills for progression into employment and higher education.  The majority of students are making good progress. The proportion of students completing their qualifications successfully has improved since the last inspection to an average position. The number of apprentices has almost doubled since the last inspection. Their success rates have improved very well to just above average and many apprentices are making good Inspection report: Kingston College, 11–15 February 2013

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progress. A high proportion of students progress to higher levels of learning, higher education or into employment.  The college is focusing strongly on improving students’ development of skills in English and mathematics. Students often demonstrate good English and mathematics skills in lessons; for example, advanced level health and social care students demonstrated an outstanding recognition of global approaches to mathematics. In another lesson, foundation level students demonstrated good English and mathematical skills when making pancakes to celebrate Shrove Tuesday. A high proportion of students who have taken tests in functional skills English so far this year have been successful. Errors in students’ written English and mathematics are corrected routinely in most subjects.  Students receiving additional learning support achieve well. Students from different ethnic groups have similar rates of success as the average for the college in most of the recent years. The college demonstrates that its interventions are being successful in improving the success of underperforming groups.  The college has ambitious targets for student attendance and punctuality. It is making good progress in achieving these, as attendance and punctuality have improved significantly this year. However, these aspects still require improvement and are not yet good.

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment

Good  Teachers make courses relevant and interesting by using their good subject knowledge and experience of industry and commerce well when working with students. Teachers give lively and pertinent examples that students enjoy and appreciate. These contribute to students having good outcomes, developing professional skills and ways of working that enhance their ability to gain employment.  In the best lessons, the personal attention and insights of teachers, complemented by well-structured activities and frequent checks on learning, enable students to gain good independent learning skills. Students try harder as a result of the praise and encouragement they receive from teachers and are motivated to aim higher for themselves. Teachers monitor students’ work carefully and provide helpful verbal feedback which contributes greatly to students making good progress. Teachers routinely correct students’ spelling and punctuation errors. Written feedback is encouraging and sometimes very good, but it does not always provide enough detail to ensure that students have a clear understanding of how they can improve.  Many teachers start lessons briskly with interesting, engaging activities. Teachers plan lessons thoughtfully. Students are attentive in lessons and they are actively involved in learning. In one lesson, for example, students enjoyed questioning and assessing each other on their work experience. Students discussed and reflected on their experiences and thought more deeply about them. Such practices are not used extensively enough to stretch students and develop the higher level thinking skills needed to ensure they achieve to their full potential.  Many teachers use students’ group profiles informatively to ensure that all students make good progress at a pace suitable to them. In less successful lessons, group profiles are not always used effectively to plan and provide learning matched to the needs of individual students, and the pace of activities is sometimes slow and dull. Such mundane lessons often result from teachers talking too much and not allowing students to be more active.  Students receive good support and care. Pastoral support for personal needs is effective and a well-planned tutorial programme with constructive individual tutorials helps students to make good progress on their courses. Learning mentors help students to develop wider thinking skills effectively.  Initial assessment is good. The college identifies the needs of students very promptly and the support team provides suitable help and attention for students quickly. Teachers closely Inspection report: Kingston College, 11–15 February 2013

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monitor the progress of students against their targets. The excellent programme of continuous professional development is raising teachers’ expectations of what students can achieve.  An excellent and extensive enrichment programme of visiting speakers, residential and field trips and visits complements the learning of students very well. It enables them to apply their knowledge outside the classroom and motivates them, broadening their horizons in a positive way.  Many students use information and learning technology very adeptly. For example, their use of tablet computers, mobile phones and the college’s virtual learning environment enables students to learn independently and productively. Such technology is also used as an effective medium for communicating with employers and parents. A few areas of the college are less advanced in using technology as effectively as others.  The employability skills of students are generally being developed well. Students’ skills in English and mathematics are assessed very early and help is given quickly when required. Formal English teaching is good, but mathematics is less successful. Teachers introduce specialist vocabulary relating to particular subjects well but English and mathematical skills are not always well integrated into all mainstream subjects.  The information, advice and guidance students receive are good, both on entry and during their courses. The college’s trained careers advisers help to prepare students well for progression to another course, employment or higher education.  The atmosphere at college is calm and welcoming and the behaviour and conduct of students are good. Students and staff are very respectful of each other. The college promotes the value of equality well and has been active in fostering a good understanding of diversity. Although many teachers thoughtfully integrate the promotion of equality and diversity into their lessons, this is not done consistently. Some teachers lack sufficient confidence to take opportunities that arise to develop students’ awareness of equality and diversity in their lessons.

Health and social care and early years and play work

Learning programmes for 16-18 Learning programmes for 19+

Good  Teaching, learning and assessment are good and this is reflected in good outcomes for students. Success rates have improved well and are good on most courses. Students develop good personal and social skills and sound skills for employment. Attendance is good and punctuality is improving, although not yet good. Most students progress to higher level courses or into employment. Many students progress into higher education.  Students make good progress in lessons and work to the professional standards required in employment. Teachers have high expectations of students and meet their individual learning needs well. Teachers have good subject knowledge which they use to plan and organise lessons carefully. Students experience a good range of appropriately demanding and stimulating activities for learning. For example, childcare students visited a school to observe children under five-years-old learning through outdoor play.  Initial assessment, advice and guidance are effective and students are placed successfully onto appropriate courses. Support for students is generally good both in lessons and tutorials. Insufficient support is sometimes provided to develop English for speakers of other languages while they develop vocational skills in lessons, and to help them progress to higher education. The college provides students with good information about their opportunities for progression.  Teachers use a good range of teaching methods in most lessons which motivate and involve students actively in extending their knowledge and understanding of topics. In one lesson, film, photographs and discussion were used very effectively to explore alcohol-related issues. Inspection report: Kingston College, 11–15 February 2013

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 Teachers set suitably challenging tasks that ensure a good pace of learning for individual students and they check students’ learning frequently. Teachers plan activities well to develop students’ skills in English and mathematics. In one lesson students meaningfully developed their mathematical and English skills as part of a celebration of Shrove Tuesday. Students measured ingredients, made pancakes and engaged in useful discussions about the celebration.  Teachers mark most students’ work carefully, indicating ways to improve with constructive comments. They correct spelling and grammar routinely and set students actions for improvement. Teachers use an appropriate range of questioning and give time and space for students to contribute from their own experiences, linking classroom study to the workplace.  Teachers monitor students’ progress appropriately through regular reviews which are recorded on individual learning plans. Students are effectively encouraged and helped by teachers to achieve higher grades. Individual learning plans are updated regularly to ensure that students know what level they are working at and what they need to do to improve their grades.  The virtual learning environment is well populated with resources and used successfully by students and teachers to support learning. Lesson information is updated regularly and supplementary material is made available. Good use is made of online learning for some students as an alternative to paper-based portfolios.  Teachers plan to develop equality and diversity well in lessons. Teachers bring to life all aspects of equality and diversity; for example, students recognise, reflect on and modify their professional practice to avoid or deal with discrimination in the workplace. Teachers make skilful use of students’ diverse backgrounds, including different languages and faiths, when researching topics.

Engineering

Apprenticeships

Good  Teaching, learning and assessment are good and this is reflected in the good outcomes for apprentices. Success rates have improved significantly over recent years and are good. Apprentices develop good practical skills and they value greatly the opportunity to gain qualifications that enable them to secure employment with prestigious employers. Attendance is good and many apprentices progress to higher levels of learning.  Most teaching and workplace training are good. Teaching in practical sessions is often better than theory classes. Teachers are knowledgeable, have good vocational experience and high expectations of apprentices. They use their expertise very well to plan practical activities that allow individual students to develop and consolidate their skills.  Apprentices develop high levels of practical skill, work diligently and accurately and take pride in their work. However, a small number of sessions are not sufficiently challenging for more able apprentices and extension activities add breadth rather than complexity to tasks. Consequently, activities are not demanding enough for more able apprentices to achieve their full potential.  Apprentices develop their knowledge and understanding of complex engineering concepts effectively in theory lessons. Lessons often involve apprentices in working through worksheets of problems rather than exploring a range of interesting, discovery-based activities involving individual and small group work. Too few activities in theory lessons are innovative or inspiring, thus limiting opportunities for more able learners to develop further.  Assessment practices are effective at college. Assessment is very well organised, thorough and systematic during off-the-job phases. Apprentices’ portfolios of evidence are comprehensive and exceed the requirements of the awarding body; however, the process of gathering Inspection report: Kingston College, 11–15 February 2013

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evidence relies on significant quantities of written evidence. Photographs are used well to support written accounts, but students make insufficient use of other forms of evidence.  Assessment in the workplace is generally less well organised, although assessment is frequent, regular and systematic in motor vehicle engineering and for some other engineering apprentices. Arrangements for workplace assessment have been less well organised by an employer in aeronautical engineering and some learners had a delayed start to assessment.  Most learners receive well-crafted feedback on their written work. Teachers make helpful and supportive comments which enable apprentices to improve. Spelling and grammar are routinely corrected for the majority of learners.  Through initial assessment, teachers effectively identify the small number of apprentices who require support. Apprentices receive good support from both specialist and vocational staff. The teaching of functional skills is good and helps apprentices to develop good skills in English, mathematics and ICT.  Advice and guidance appropriately meet the needs of apprentices. They understand clearly the requirements of their programme, the demands of assessment and their opportunities to progress including to higher education.  The promotion of equality and diversity focuses too much on legal terminology and the requirements of employment. A minority of apprentices take part in discussions around real life scenarios during progress reviews but this practice is not shared among all assessors. Teaching sessions do not routinely include the promotion of equality and diversity.

ICT for practitioners

Learning programmes for 16-18 Learning programmes for 19+

Good  Teaching, learning and assessment are good and lead to students’ high success rates on their main qualifications. Students develop good personal, social and employability skills and they make good progress in lessons. Lessons are generally well planned to provide interest and motivation for students, with a realistic focus on industry standards. Students use software and equipment which is of industry standard and teachers have very good industrial knowledge and experience. In one lesson, students created live computer networks and demonstrated their skills and understanding with confidence. In a computer animation lesson, students demonstrated high level skills with animated graphics.  Teaching and learning resources are good and teachers plan to use them well so that they enhance learning. Classrooms and computer suites are well laid out and contain vocation wall displays which add interest and motivate students well. Computer laboratories provide students with good facilities to build and manage computer networks. The use of presentation technology, which stimulates students’ understanding and interest in theory lessons, is generally well used with animation, graphics and video clips. However, in weaker lessons, teachers provide insufficient challenge for more able students, resulting in some students not being able to achieve their full potential. Students receive appropriate instructions on relevant aspects of health and safety and feel safe at college.  Students are well supported by teachers and learning mentors who give freely of their time. Teachers respond quickly to provide further support when concerns arise about the progress made by students. Additional learning support in lessons is effective, with learning assistants providing good individual and whole group support. However, checks on students’ understanding are sometimes insufficient. The lack of directed questioning in a few theory lessons allows a small number of students to lose interest and teachers have an unreliable understanding of their learning. Inspection report: Kingston College, 11–15 February 2013

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 Teachers have high expectations of students and assess each student’s starting point effectively. Students’ progress is monitored at regular intervals through weekly tutorial sessions. Good pastoral support is provided for students during tutorials. Tutors update individual learning plans each week, but targets they set are often not clear or precise enough, which inhibits the measurement of students’ attainment.  Assessments are well organised and rigorous. Teachers return marked work promptly, with detailed written comments which students value and which help them to improve their work. Students make good use of the assessment and revision materials posted on the college’s virtual learning environment.  Students receive good information and guidance to ensure they are on the right course and are well supported to progress to further study and into employment.  Students develop good skills for employment. All students are required to attain GCSE in English and mathematics. English and mathematics workshops are well planned and a learning mentor provides good additional support for English and mathematics to help students achieve their learning goals.  The promotion of equality and diversity requires improvement. Although students work well together in groups and in pairs, where they share ideas and help each other, teachers place insufficient emphasis on promoting equality and diversity in lesson planning and teaching. Some teachers have insufficient understanding of their responsibility to promote equality and diversity in lessons.

Hairdressing and beauty therapy

Learning programmes for 16-18 Learning programmes for 19+

Good  Teaching, learning and assessment are good, in keeping with the good outcomes for students and high success rates on most courses. Students achieve well in both hairdressing and beauty therapy. A high proportion of students progress to higher level courses and into employment, particularly in beauty therapy. Students’ attendance has improved but is still low.  Students benefit from teachers’ high expectations and students make good progress in lessons. Students develop good practical skills in hairdressing and beauty therapy. Training salons do not attract enough clients for students to work on, and students’ client consultation skills are not always effective enough. Students generally start working on clients too late in their courses and their commercial skills are sometimes underdeveloped.  In the best lessons teachers plan well to involve students actively in tasks. The good pace in these lessons promotes learning for individual students very effectively. Tasks are time bound so that students make the most productive use of their time. Learning is checked very effectively using excellent questioning techniques and through student presentations.  In good or better lessons information and learning technology is used particularly effectively. Teachers use interactive whiteboards imaginatively to enhance learning. Teachers ensure that the use of tablet computers is very well integrated into lessons; students use these effectively to gain instant access to the internet for research.  Teachers check students’ background knowledge during practical lessons in training salons through well-focused, probing questions. Teachers coach and support individual students very effectively as they develop practical skills; however, they often make too few references to industry, employer expectations and timings in the training salons. Students work on each other too often or use simulated heads rather than work on clients.  Students’ functional skills are improving. Teachers are beginning to integrate English and mathematics effectively into vocational assignments, and routinely check and correct students’ grammatical and spelling errors in written work. Inspection report: Kingston College, 11–15 February 2013

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 Individual tutorials are good and help students to progress. Tutors set targets which are agreed with each student. Tutorials focus strongly on building students’ confidence and self-esteem through providing encouragement and highlighting students’ successes.  Teachers and assessors act as outstanding occupational role models. They are highly motivated, well qualified, and have excellent industry skills which they draw on well when they are demonstrating practical techniques, for example.  The college has a high quality hairdressing and beauty therapy realistic working environment at street level, which is open to the public. Students have the opportunity to practise their skills and be assessed while working on a wide range of clients in this environment at certain times during their training.  Assessment is well planned and rigorous. Teachers provide useful feedback to students which helps them to improve. Assessors help students to plan and arrange to be assessed according to their needs.  Information, advice and guidance are good. Students’ additional support needs are identified early and support is provided promptly. Learners value the support they receive from their specialist and vocational teachers and this helps them progress.  Equality and diversity are not promoted sufficiently in most lessons. The college has a diverse mix of clients for students to work on and students work in a harmonious and respectful environment. However broader, naturally occurring aspects of equality and diversity are not tackled effectively.

Visual arts

Learning programmes for 16-18 Learning programmes for 19+

Good  Teaching, learning and assessment are good and this is reflected in the good outcomes for students in visual arts. Most students make good progress in their studies. Progression rates within the subject area and to higher education are good. Students enjoy their learning and teachers create a welcoming atmosphere in classes which helps students to engage in learning, develop confidence and complete a wide range of learning tasks to a high standard. Attendance in many lessons is low.  Students of all abilities gain new skills and techniques quickly and produce good work. Students’ use of technical language during presentations of course work and classroom discussions demonstrates that students have a clear understanding of industry terminology and phrases. Students develop their English and mathematical skills successfully in practical pattern-making and model-making lessons. Students write many project documents and show good analytical and critical skills. Teachers do not always check for spelling and grammatical mistakes in students’ course work.  Teachers are enthusiastic, well qualified and have high expectations of students. They support and guide students individually to gain the skills required for both employment and higher education and this raises students’ aspirations. Many tutors plan lessons well and use very good demonstrations to stimulate students’ understanding of their subject. Students are well motivated to continue to work at home developing their skills. Most students aim to achieve high standards and acquire the confidence and skills to work independently.  Initial guidance and support for students are good. Pre-course information helps students find the appropriate course and identifies possible progression routes. Teachers offer good individual support and guidance and use their professional experiences and commercial contacts well. Teachers provide helpful pressure and encouragement to ensure that students with a wide range of abilities complete their studies and achieve well. They make good use of projects to develop students’ commercial skills. Inspection report: Kingston College, 11–15 February 2013

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 Teachers make effective use of information and communication technology in all areas as an interactive learning tool. In addition, most teachers upload lesson plans and supporting materials, including video clips and web links, on to the college learning environment, thus enabling students who have missed a lesson to keep pace with their peers.  Teachers provide good initial and on-going assessment of students’ work. Teachers provide very prompt and detailed written feedback for students after assessment, and monitor students’ progress rigorously. Students receive regular tutorials, in which they review their comprehensive action plans including challenging targets. All students are fully aware of what to do to achieve a higher grade.  Teachers do not always promote equality and diversity effectively in the curriculum. Opportunities are missed in lessons for students to undertake greater research and to develop ideas that would extend their understanding of other cultures. Some courses attract too few male students. Students feel safe and work in an atmosphere of mutual respect for both their peers and teachers.

Business

Learning programmes for 16-18 Learning programmes for 19+

Requires improvement  Teaching, learning and assessment and outcomes for students require improvement. The proportion of students successfully completing their qualifications declined to below average last year from an average rate previously, and students made insufficient progress. Students’ progress this year is better but requires further improvement to be good. Attendance in lessons has improved but remains low.  Activities in the better lessons effectively meet the needs of individual students. Teachers remind students of the need to develop their broader skills and students use their knowledge of previous topics well to enhance their analysis of current work. For example, in a lesson focusing on the impact of globalisation, the teacher skilfully encouraged students to understand the relevance of Maslow’s ‘hierarchy of needs’ so that they could prioritise more accurately the impacts of globalisation they had identified.  Teachers do not always ensure that all students actively participate in lessons. They use questioning techniques which test students’ factual recall effectively but do not always develop students’ higher level thinking skills. In a lesson on recruitment strategies, students identified key stages in the recruitment process but did not evaluate fully their impact on the success of a business, for example.  Lessons are not always appropriately demanding to meet the needs of each student, particularly at advanced level, so that they all make good progress. Students on advanced level courses do not routinely engage in tasks which encourage them to debate and articulate topics in sufficient depth and breadth.  Teachers use good resources to put lesson topics into context and enhance learning. Visual displays are contemporary and well produced in all classrooms and corridors. Enrichment activities and educational visits enliven and enhance learning and are clearly linked to students’ assignments and lessons.  All students have their literacy and numeracy skills assessed at the start of the course. The outcomes of initial assessment are sometimes used effectively but they are not used routinely by all teachers when planning lessons.  Assessment practice meets awarding body requirements. Teachers provide good verbal advice to students on how to improve their grades. Written feedback is not always specific enough to help students to improve their work most effectively. Inspection report: Kingston College, 11–15 February 2013

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 Teachers generally develop students’ English and mathematical skills effectively in lessons and through feedback on marked work. In one lesson teachers provided students with a useful reminder of the importance of sound numerical skills through the use of an engaging extract from a popular television programme.  Students are well supported through the process of applying for university and they receive appropriate and timely advice. Students receive high levels of care and support to meet their pastoral needs. Teachers and students use technology effectively to track and monitor students’ attendance and their submission of work, but the monitoring of students’ academic progress receives insufficient focus.  The promotion of equality and diversity requires improvement to be good. Students work in a positive, respectful and conducive learning environment but many lessons do not promote wider cultural awareness. Opportunities are missed to promote students’ understanding of the contributions and impact on business activities of people from minority groups and different cultures.

The effectiveness of leadership and management

Good

 Senior leaders and governors have established a strong ethos of high ambition and achievement for the college that has resulted in higher attendance, improvements in teaching and learning and more students completing their courses. Managers have set challenging improvement targets for each aspect of the college’s work that all staff understand and support. The college has successfully dealt with the areas for improvement from the previous inspection.  Since the previous inspection, the college has significantly reduced levels of management so that senior and curriculum managers have greater responsibility and accountability for the quality of teaching and learning, students’ progress and success. At the same time, the college has formed a federation with a neighbouring college to share senior management, central administrative functions and good practice. As a result, the college has improved its financial management, and forecasts an operating surplus for the first time since 2006/07.  The governing body now receives detailed reports on key aspects of the college’s performance which enable members to provide good levels of challenge, especially around the validation of the self-assessment report. Individual governors are now linked to each of the schools so that they have a better understanding of the quality of teaching and learning.  Strategies to improve the standard of teaching, learning and assessment have led to a higher proportion of lessons that are good or better, resulting in the vast majority of students making at least good progress in lessons. Where lessons are judged to be less than good, the college provides highly effective teaching and coaching that, in most cases, result in improvements in teachers’ practice. The college has very clear capability procedures to tackle teachers’ long-term underperformance, supported by close mentoring within a very clear timeframe.  Written feedback to teachers following lesson observations identifies well action points for improvement. However, often, the strengths identified reflect normal practice and the supporting text concentrates too much on the process of teaching rather than on learning and students’ progress.  The much improved self-assessment process has resulted in an accurate evaluation of the college’s main strengths and areas for improvement. The college makes extensive use of students’ views and feedback. These contribute to self-assessment and improvement activities. Action plans have been implemented and have led to improvements, for example in the use of data.  The college has strengthened its quality assurance arrangements as a result of improved management information, planning and development through the federation. Senior managers have devised highly effective intervention strategies to support areas where performance needs particular improvement. School and section heads now make better use of data to track Inspection report: Kingston College, 11–15 February 2013

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each student’s achievement closely and forecast students’ success more accurately. They take prompt and successful corrective action where students are at risk of leaving their courses early. Managers review each course on a monthly basis and set specific action plans. The college is aware that the quality of reporting varies across schools.  The range of subjects and qualifications effectively meets the needs of both students and employers. The college has specifically chosen to maintain a wide range of GCSE courses to provide opportunities for students to gain five GCSEs at grades A* to C before progressing to advanced level courses. Progression from advanced courses to higher education and employment is good.  Work and partnerships with employers, schools, local agencies and councils feature strongly and make use of comprehensive labour market information which has helped to shape the curriculum. These links provide good opportunities for many students to gain valuable work experience or apprenticeships following short preparatory courses at foundation level. The college organises a very wide range of activities to enrich students’ learning.  All staff work hard to ensure that a culture of respect and harmony permeates the college. The college places a strong emphasis on the promotion of equality and diversity through regular staff development activities and through tutorials and other, often thought-provoking, events for students. However, many teachers do not plan for the reinforcement of students’ understanding of equality and diversity in lessons. The college’s staff profile does not reflect the profile of its students. Almost half of students come from minority ethnic backgrounds compared with around a fifth for staff.  The college makes effective use of data to identify groups who are under represented in the college, and under achievement by particular groups when compared to their peers. Although differences in achievement between ethnic groups have been reduced, the gap widened in 2011/12 between Black African and Black Caribbean males aged 16 to 18 and other students in the college. As a result of improved performance management, fewer of these students have left their courses without completing this year. Students in receipt of additional learning support are more successful than those who do not receive support.  The college meets its statutory requirements for the safeguarding of students. Staff and governors have received appropriate training. Students feel safe and adopt safe working practices. The college organises additional activities at induction and through tutorials that have extended students’ understanding of their personal health, safety and well-being well.

Inspection report: Kingston College, 11–15 February 2013

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Record of Main Findings (RMF) Kingston College

Inspection grades are based on a provider’s performance:

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

Overall effectiveness

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2 Outcomes for learners 2 2 2 2 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment 2 2 2 2 The effectiveness of leadership and management 2 2 2 2

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

Health and social care Early years and playwork

Engineering ICT for practitioners Hairdressing and beauty therapy Visual Arts Business

2 2 2 2 2 2 3

Inspection report: Kingston College, 11–15 February 2013

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Provider details

Kingston College

Type of provider

General further education college

Age range of learners

16+

Approximate number of all learners over the previous full contract year

Full-time: 2963 Part-time: 1277

Principal/CEO

Peter Mayhew-Smith

Date of previous inspection

October 2010

Website address

www.kingston-college.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

116 26 576 76 1644 525

Part-time

85 302 108 251 142 353 0 0 0 36

Number of apprentices by Apprenticeship level and age

Intermediate Advanced Higher

16-18 101 19+ 63 16-18 84 19+ 150 16-18 19+ 0 0

Funding received from

Education Funding Agency and Skills Funding Agency

Inspection report: Kingston College, 11–15 February 2013

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Additional socio-economic information

Kingston College is a large general further education college situated in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Surrey. Students come from a wide area of South and West London. Approximately 50% of students are from a minority ethnic background which is much higher than in the local population. The area is relatively affluent and the proportion of pupils attaining at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C in local schools, including English and mathematics, is well above the national average. Students travel up to five miles each way to attend Kingston College and many students live in much less affluent areas. Most jobs in Kingston borough are in business, service industries and the public sector.

Information about this inspection

Lead inspector

Gloria Dolan HMI

Three of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and six additional inspectors, assisted by the Vice Principal – Head of College 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 of the 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. Inspection report: Kingston College, 11–15 February 2013

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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 'Complaining about inspections', 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 or if you have any questions about Learner View please email Ofsted at:

learnerview@ofsted.gov.uk