Newham Sixth Form College Ofsted Report

Full report

Information about the provider

• Newham Sixth Form College is one of the largest sixth-form colleges in London. It is situated on a single campus in Plaistow, in the London Borough of Newham. The college offers a wide range of courses, from entry level through to level 3 vocational and academic programmes. Most of the approximately 2,500 students at the college are aged 16 to 19 and are on study programmes. The majority of students at the college study at level 3. Of those students studying at level 3, around three quarters are on vocational programmes, and around a quarter on A levels. The small number of learners for whom the college receives high needs funding are mostly on study programmes. The large majority of students at the college are from minority ethnic backgrounds. Both the student and staff body reflect the diverse ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious demographic of the borough.
• Newham ranks as one of the more deprived boroughs in London. The proportion of students at the college from disadvantaged backgrounds and with low prior attainment is higher than for those at similar colleges in London.

What does the provider need to do to improve further?

• Teachers should:
  • share background information on students more thoroughly
  • use this information better to inform their lesson-planning and target-setting, and to help support all students to achieve their full potential.
• Leaders and managers should ensure that A-level students, and students taking GCSE mathematics, make suitable progress from their starting points and achieve their full potential.
• Managers and teachers should maintain the focus on the strategies recently adopted to address the gaps in performance between different groups of students, especially between male and female students.
• Managers should review timetables to ensure that rooms have the capacity to accommodate the number of students in each lesson.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Since the previous inspection, the senior leadership team, staff and governors have taken decisive actions to raise the quality of provision. As a result, a higher proportion of students achieve their qualifications and gain high grades in vocational courses and English GCSE. Staff have also improved markedly students’ awareness and understanding of life in modern Britain.
• The new principal has quickly established his vision for the college, to be ‘one college, one team’. He is using this vision well with staff to help establish a new mission and set of values for the college. All staff have very high expectations of students. They encourage students to be ambitious, accept challenge and appreciate the importance of equality.
• Leaders, managers and staff have fostered strong partnerships with employers, the local authority, local universities and colleges. They use these partnerships well to develop initiatives such as the ‘enterprise programme’, which focuses on improving students’ employability and business skills. Staff from local universities also support students through events such as taster lectures, to help inform them about higher education options.
• The management team has high expectations of staff. Managers arrange a comprehensive series of staff development activities, including external work shadowing and frequent training days. Teachers benefit from opportunities to visit employer partners to refresh their vocational knowledge and improve their teaching practice. For example, staff recently undertook activities with an employer to become familiar with new software programmes used to manage construction projects. They then shared their insights of this package with students.
• Leaders and managers use the information available to them to evaluate accurately the quality of provision, the progress students make and areas for improvement. Through focused performance meetings, managers and teachers quickly identify areas that underperform. Then they implement appropriate actions and support to help maintain and improve the quality of provision.
• Leaders and managers make effective use of the information they have about the local area to ensure that the curriculum meets the needs of young people and prepares them well for the next stages of their education or training. Teachers prioritise the importance of developing and improving students’ English and mathematical skills. They do this through practical activities in lessons and by achieving appropriate qualifications.
• All staff ensure that there is a culture of tolerance, respect and safety for all students. Students contribute to the college community through well-managed activities, such as the student ambassador and citizenship programmes. Student ambassadors actively promote topics such as ‘women into leadership’ and how to deal with homophobic views. As a result, students have a good understanding of how people’s views affect and influence today’s society.
• In areas of the college where refurbishments have taken place, students benefit from high-quality facilities and resources, such as in the up-to-date and welcoming learning resource centre. However, a minority of classrooms are too cramped for the large class sizes, and this occasionally has a detrimental impact on the quality of teaching and learning.
• Leaders’ and managers’ actions to improve the proportion of students on A-level courses and those on GCSE mathematics courses who achieve high grades are not sufficiently effective. They have accurately identified that they need to do more to support teachers to make these improvements. They have implemented new initiatives to support them, but it is too early to evaluate the impact.

The governance of the provider

• Governors add significant value to the overall effectiveness of the college. Since the previous inspection, governors have taken positive steps to improve their insight of the college. Governors have suitable skills and experience and use them to support and challenge the senior leadership team appropriately. They understand well the strengths and weaknesses of the college. They use data and information well to review and influence strategic decisions, financial performance, outcomes for students and the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.
• Governors set high expectations for the principal and staff. They set realistic and challenging targets and encourage staff to achieve more. The governors, along with the principal, focus well on improving college facilities and resources. They ensure that students enjoy a secure and positive learning environment.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders, managers and staff have successfully addressed the weaknesses raised at the previous inspection and subsequent monitoring visits. They have worked very hard to establish a culture and effective strategies to keep students safe. Students from a variety of backgrounds use the welcoming and comfortable reflection and faith room frequently.
• Leaders and managers pay particular attention to making students aware of the risks associated with affiliation to gangs and violent criminal activity in the area. The well-planned tutorial programme brings local topics and issues to the fore of students’ minds. The youth safety team works closely with students identified as being at risk. For example, in the citizenship programme, students complete campaigns about the risks from gang crime.
• Managers have robust safeguarding systems in place to recruit staff, monitor disclosures and check work placements appropriately. Staff resolve the safeguarding referrals well through the very effective partnerships they have with external agencies.
• Leaders and managers meet the requirements of the ‘Prevent’ duty. They have a well-established ‘Prevent’ duty action plan and a very good understanding of the issues their students face in their communities. Training for students is effective in raising their awareness of the dangers associated with radicalisation and extremism.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers are very enthusiastic and suitably qualified, and apply their knowledge well to engage and encourage students. They help to motivate students to have high aspirations and make good progress, which helps prepare them successfully for their next steps. As a result, the majority of students meet or exceed their expected grades.
• Teachers plan lessons well, and design stimulating classroom activities. Students are keen and apply themselves well in lessons. Teachers encourage students to develop and use subject-specific language to a high standard. For example, media studies students use technical language well when critiquing each other’s work in small groups against examination and assignment criteria.
• Teachers provide detailed and informative verbal and written feedback to students. This helps students address errors in spelling and grammar. It provides clear guidance to help them improve their work and attain higher grades in subsequent assignments.
• Teachers have recently introduced a new approach to track and monitor students’ progress. They use this well to put in place early interventions, so that students overcome any initial difficulties and produce work to a high standard.
• With support from a specialist team, teachers plan lessons particularly well to engage students with themes such as British values, diversity, inclusion and the dangers of extremism and racialisation. For example, in an A-level sociology lesson, the teacher used a recent local incident so that students could explore the links between politics, faith and democracy. This helped engage students in productive discussion, and encouraged them to reflect on the implications of actions on their day-to-day life.
• In GCSE English and mathematics lessons, teachers adopt a back-to-basics approach, and develop concepts from first principles. Students rightly confirm that this approach helps them correct any previous misunderstandings, and helps fill gaps in their knowledge. This method has been particularly successful in English, where students’ grades have increased markedly.
• Those students whom staff identify as requiring additional learning support receive effective guidance and make good progress. Managers recently arranged a staff training programme that helps teachers to understand and support students with learning difficulties, such as dyslexia and autism spectrum disorder, or who have mental health concerns.
• In a minority of cases, particularly in A-level and GCSE mathematics lessons, teachers do not share information about students fully, and neither do they set targets effectively to ensure that all students make rapid progress from their starting points. Occasionally, teachers do not check students’ understanding before moving to the next topic. As a result, teachers then spend too much time explaining concepts to individual students during subsequent group work.
• Occasionally, teachers do not provide enough guidance to students when they work independently on assignments or on computer-based activities. As a result, sometimes students’ progress is slow and those who complete tasks quickly drift into less productive activities.
• Classrooms are sometimes too cramped for the size of the group. In these circumstances it is difficult for teachers to organise and manage group activities or check the progress of individuals during lessons.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

• All students have excellent access to work experience and work-related activities. Managers maintain strong links with a broad cross-section of employers, which they use well to help develop this programme. Staff have carefully analysed, for students studying at different levels, the relative merits of work placements, compared with a more structured programme of activities. As a result, most students at level 3 complete an employer placement. Students at other levels take part in innovative enterprise projects, which teachers embed well into students’ study programmes. Through these placements and enterprise projects, students develop valuable work-related insights and skills. These include organisation, resilience, sales and marketing, and communication.
• Students on vocational courses have frequent opportunities to take part in work-related assignments involving local businesses and employers. These provide valuable information on the world of work. For example, business studies students work with staff from a local theatre school and performance venue, and gain first-hand experience of how to run a marketing and promotion campaign.
• Staff provide very high-quality careers guidance, both for applicants to the college and for current students. Applicants to the college take part in frequent vocational taster sessions, at which they experience and discuss course and career options with staff. Current students attend frequent activities, such as careers, higher education and apprenticeship fairs; visits to industry; and presentations from employers. As a result, students gain an excellent insight into the world of work, and knowledge of the skills and qualifications they need to move to the next stage.
• Staff provide a comprehensive and timely programme of activities to support those students wishing to apply to university. This enables students to consider the full range of university options. It helps them to make informed choices about the courses that meet their aspirations, and that are realistic in relation to their predicted grades. Staff also support students particularly thoroughly to ensure that they submit well-crafted applications to maximise their chances of gaining a place.
• Higher education staff arrange a special programme of activities for those students who show substantial academic potential. For example, students take part in a residential course at Oxford University, during which they have the opportunity to attend taster sessions and gain a true insight into student life in the city.
• Staff arrange a rich and varied programme of sports activities, through which many students take an interest in their health and well-being. Sports activities include cricket, badminton, archery, football, boxing and fencing. Students also have very good access to other enrichment activities, such as board games, book club, mathematics club, debating, dance, women’s club and voluntary work. Students recognise the benefits of the opportunities that are available to them, and a high proportion attend one or more of these activities each week.
• Staff have an extensive range of strategies in place to promote students’ understanding of many of the factors that influence life in modern Britain. These include British values, equality and diversity, mental health, online safety, and the risks associated with extremism and radicalisation. Teachers embed these themes particularly well into their daily teaching. For example, in a tutorial, students discussed a recent incident in which a celebrity was attacked and victimised because of his sexual orientation. Through this, they explored themes associated with tolerance, respect and individual liberty.
• Students have a strong voice throughout the college community, through a diverse network of student representatives, student ambassadors and the student council. Using these groups, students have a positive influence in contributing to the designs of the new library and common room, and the extended use of the reflection and faith room.
• Students behave well around the college and in lessons. They are courteous to each other and to staff, and engage enthusiastically with lesson activities. Staff set high expectations for students. The significant majority of students work conscientiously, and produce high-quality assignments. For example, a group of level 1 foundation studies students produced high-quality, accurate and well-presented information sheets on stress management.
• Attendance is good in most lessons, except for GCSE English and mathematics lessons, when attendance is less good. Most students turn up to lessons on time. Staff deal with lateness promptly and efficiently to ensure that it does not have an adverse impact on the pace of lessons.

Outcomes for learners Good

• In 2017/18, the proportion of students who successfully achieved their qualifications was high, and has increased each year since the previous inspection.
• Students on vocational programmes make good progress relative to their starting points and a high proportion achieve high grades at the end of their courses. Students’ work meets awarding body requirements. The significant majority of students achieve their challenging targets. Most students acquire the knowledge, skills and experience they need to progress to the next stage of their education or training.
• Students taking A-level subjects do not make good enough progress relative to their starting points. While virtually all achieve their qualifications, a minority achieve high grades. Staff are right to identify this matter as a key area for improvement. They have put in place strategies to address it, but it is too early to judge their impact.
• Students make particularly good progress to improve their English. The proportion of students who achieve a grade 4 or above in GCSE English has increased markedly since the previous inspection. In mathematics, the proportion of students who achieve a grade 4 or above has also increased slightly, but is still too low.
• The proportion of male students who achieve their qualifications is lower than that of female students. Managers have also correctly identified that students from a White British background and those from a Caribbean heritage perform less well than other groups of students. Leaders are right to identify these variations in performance. They have put strategies in place to address these concerns. It is too early to judge the impact of these measures.

• Teachers plan programmes well for students who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities, so that they develop their numeracy, literacy, personal and social skills well. This enables them to participate more independently in their local communities. For example, with their new-found confidence, students work as volunteers for local charitable organisations. Teachers also provide good support to students with complex needs, which helps them work with increasing independence. This support extends into the workplace through supported internships with major local employers, who work in partnership with the college.
• On completion of their programmes, a high proportion of students progress to the next stage of their education or training. Most students studying at entry level, level 1 and level 2 progress to the next level of study at the college, or at other colleges in the area. For those students studying at level 3, a significant majority apply to university, gain offers of places and progress to higher education. A small, but steadily increasing, proportion of students progress to apprenticeships.

Provider details

Unique reference number 130452 Type of provider Sixth form college Age range of learners Approximate number of all learners over the previous full contract year 16+ 2,381 Principal/CEO Mandeep Gill Telephone number 020 7473 4110 Website www.newvic.ac.uk

Provider information at the time of the inspection

Main course or learning programme level Level 1 or below Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 or above Total number of learners (excluding apprenticeships) Number of apprentices by apprenticeship level and age 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 146 - 364 2 1,869 53 - - Intermediate Advanced Higher 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ - - - - - - 16–19 - 19+ - Total - Number of traineeships Number of learners aged 14 to 16 Number of learners for which the provider receives high-needs funding At the time of inspection, the provider contracts with the following main subcontractors:

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Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the vice principal, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, telephone calls and online questionnaires to gather the views of learners and employers; these views are reflected within the report. They observed learning sessions, assessments and progress reviews. The inspection took into account all relevant provision at the provider.

Inspection team

Peter Nelson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Jane Hughes Andrew Stittle Kanwaljit Dhillon

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector