Wigan and Leigh College Ofsted Report

Inspection report: Wigan and Leigh College, 9 – 13 March 2015 2 of 17

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

 Swiftly improve the standard of teaching, learning and assessment so that it is consistently high across all subject areas and leads to a significant improvement in the proportion of students and apprentices who achieve their qualifications. Ensure that teachers and assessors consistently use stimulating activities that challenge and motivate students and apprentices, including the most able. Use learning technology effectively to enhance teaching and to extend students’ and apprentices’ knowledge and skills.  Ensure that written feedback on the work of students and apprentices is sufficiently detailed, and enables them to understand what they need to do to improve further.  Ensure that all teachers and assessors make good use of information about students’ starting points and prior achievements when planning their lessons so that teaching and learning successfully meets the needs of individual students and apprentices.  Ensure that all students, and particularly younger students on study programmes, quickly improve their English and mathematics skills and achieve qualifications in these subjects.  Increase students’ attendance by taking swift action to support students whose attendance is a cause for concern, monitoring closely and accurately attendance in lessons, and ensuring that the information that managers receive about attendance is robust.  Evaluate the quality of teaching, learning and assessment accurately through observations of learning and by checking closely the progress that students and apprentices are making. Use this information to assess accurately the college’s progress in raising standards. Quickly identify necessary actions that departments and individual teachers need to take to tackle areas for improvement, and monitor the impact of these actions on improving standards.

Inspection judgements

Outcomes for learners Requires improvement  The college provides a wide range of courses and apprenticeships in most subject areas. Around a third of students are aged 16 to 18, and the majority of these are on full-time study programmes. Vocational courses for adults account for just under two thirds of students; most adult students are on part-time courses. Around 1,400 apprentices were enrolled on programmes at the time of the inspection. The college also provides a small programme of community learning courses.  Following a significant decline in success rates since the last inspection in 2010, the proportion of students on college-based courses who achieved their qualifications increased in 2013/14, but remained below the rate for similar providers. The success rate was particularly low on advanced-level study programmes.  Since the start of this academic year in September 2014, leaders and managers have acted quickly to improve outcomes for learners. They now monitor students’ progress more closely, and ensure that teachers actively support current students at risk of leaving their course early or falling behind. As result, a smaller proportion of students on study programmes have left their course early in the first six months of this academic year compared with the same period last year. The majority of current students on college-based courses are progressing well. However, it is too early to judge the impact that recent actions will have on ensuring that a high proportion of students and apprentices are successful this year.  The proportion of apprentices who successfully completed their programmes within the planned time was low in 2013/14. Managers have taken decisive actions in the current year to improve

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the progress and achievement of apprentices. They have discontinued poorly managed programmes located elsewhere in the country, and the provision now focuses on meeting the needs of local employers. Managers have improved the monitoring of apprentices’ progress, and act swiftly to improve the progress of apprentices who are falling behind. However, the progress of a minority of apprentices remains too slow.  Too few students aged 16 to 18 achieved functional skills qualifications or high GCSE grades in English and mathematics in 2013/14. Managers have taken action to improve the quality of these courses during this year, and students are now making better progress. However, attendance on English and mathematics courses remains too low and hinders the progress that students are making.  Recent actions taken by leaders and managers to improve standards of behaviour in the college have had a significant impact in improving students’ attitudes to their work. The majority of students are now committed to their learning, show respect for their teachers and peers, and are developing quickly the personal and social skills that they need to progress with their learning and in their future careers.  Attendance is too low. Managers have introduced a much more rigorous approach to managing attendance, and this has resulted in a decrease in the proportion of students who persistently miss lessons. However, attendance during the inspection was low in many lessons, thus limiting the progress made by a significant minority of students.  Current students who attend regularly on study programmes develop good vocational skills and make good progress in acquiring the wider skills that they need at work. They successfully practise and extend these skills through a wide range of enrichment activities, by working in the college’s high-quality realistic work environments including salons and workshops, and through work experience.  Managers identified accurately the reasons for achievement gaps between male and female students in 2013/14. They have taken action successfully to remove these gaps during the current year.  The majority of students on foundation- and intermediate-level courses progress successfully on to the next level. Managers are improving the collection of information about students’ destinations once they leave college; however, the number of students whose destination is unknown remains too high. Managers are not yet using progression data well enough to measure the impact of their provision on enabling students to gain employment and on meeting local employment needs.

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement  The subject areas reported on represent a sample of the college’s most significant provision. Inspectors looked in depth at teaching, learning and assessment in health, social care and early years, engineering, building and construction, hairdressing and beauty therapy, foundation English, and accounting, finance and administration. The subject areas selected for grading cover the learning programmes of just over a half of the college’s students and apprentices. Inspectors also investigated the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in most other subjects.  Teaching, learning and assessment require improvement. Leaders and managers have introduced a more rigorous approach to improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment that focuses appropriately on behaviour, expectations, motivation and excellence in classroom practice and training. As a result, standards have improved during the current year, and this has resulted in better retention and an improvement in the progress made by students and apprentices. However, too much teaching, learning and assessment is still of an insufficiently high standard to enable students and apprentices to make good progress in all subject areas.

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 Teachers and assessors have good subject knowledge and many have recent industrial experience which they use well to extend apprentices’ and students’ knowledge. Most teachers use a wide range of relevant activities in their lessons. For example, they use group work and paired work effectively to develop team-working skills. Most teachers use questioning well to check and extend learning.  A significant minority of lessons are uninspiring, especially theory lessons, Teachers make insufficient use of learning technology to support their teaching and to extend students’ knowledge and skills. Apprentices do not always attend theory lessons at the college and, as a result, make poor progress in developing their underpinning knowledge.  Teachers and assessors make insufficient use of information about students’ and apprentices’ starting points and previous attainment when planning learning. They do not always set targets that build on students’ and apprentices’ previous learning, or plan lessons to meet individual needs. Targets often describe tasks that students and apprentices need to carry out, and do not always identify the skills and knowledge that they need in order to make rapid progress. Consequently, students, in particular the more able, are not always stretched sufficiently. A minority of students lose interest and become bored when lessons do not cater for their individual needs and abilities.  On study programmes, teachers successfully use work-related activities that add interest and relevance to lessons and develop students’ employability skills. For example, students in floristry and horticulture display and sell their products both within the college and at major venues locally. Sports students join with volunteering organisations to give local disadvantaged young people a week of sporting challenge. An annual fashion show gives students valuable experience of displaying to the public.  The college provides a wide range of commercial working environments that operate to industry standards. These enable students to apply theory in practical situations and to gain valuable experience of working directly with customers. A rapidly increasing proportion of students on study programmes benefit from carrying out external work experience placements; managers recognise the need to provide all younger students with the opportunity of work experience and have plans in place to increase the number of placements significantly during the current year.  Students and apprentices who need extra help receive good support from specialist staff. Those with specific learning needs receive additional learning support very early in their programme. As a result, the majority of students with additional learning needs make good progress.  Managers have made significant improvements to assessment practice in the current year. Teachers in most subject areas monitor the progress of students and apprentices well. They provide additional study sessions to enable students who are falling behind to catch up. The majority of apprentices have detailed assessment plans, and assessors review their progress regularly.  Too often, written feedback on the work of students and apprentices is insufficiently detailed and, as a result, students and apprentices do not always know what they need to do to improve further. Teachers do not consistently correct errors that students make in their written work. Students receive detailed and helpful verbal feedback from teachers during lessons to help them make progress.  Teachers do not develop students’ English and mathematics skills consistently well on vocational courses. In engineering, students make good progress in developing their mathematics skills. However, in other subject areas, including health and social care, hairdressing and beauty therapy, and accounting, finance and administration, teachers pay insufficient attention to ensuring that students improve their mathematics skills. The development of students’ English skills is good in health, social care and early years, but requires improvement in other subjects. Students and apprentices without GCSE or functional English and mathematics qualifications at level 2 join courses at an appropriate level. However, attendance on these courses is low and, as a result, not enough students achieve English and mathematics qualifications.  Pre-course information and guidance are accurate and helpful, and inductions enable students to settle into their courses quickly. Staff provide students with detailed information about

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progression opportunities within the college, into employment, and into higher education. A well-trained central team provides independent careers advice, and subject teachers provide additional advice about progression opportunities in their specialist area. Students value highly an annual careers fair at each college site. Managers do not yet have sufficient information about the impact of advice and guidance on students’ destinations.  Managers, teachers and other staff promote successfully a supportive ethos in the college, and students show a high level of respect for their teachers and their peers. In health, social care and early years, and in hairdressing and beauty therapy, teachers successfully promote students’ and apprentices’ understanding of the backgrounds and needs of service users and customers from different social and cultural groups. However, in other subject areas, teachers and assessors do not plan effectively to raise students and apprentices’ awareness of issues such as equality, discrimination and cultural diversity.

Health, social care and early years

16-19 study programmes 19+ learning programmes

Requires improvement

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

 the proportion of students who achieved their qualifications increased significantly in 2013/14, but the success rate was well below that of similar providers  although the proportion of students who leave their course early has reduced during the current year, retention remains just below the rate for similar providers  attendance requires improvement; a significant minority of students do not attend lessons regularly and, consequently, fall behind with their learning  teachers do not develop students’ mathematics skills well enough, and students do not always see the relevance of mathematics to their career aspirations  on vocational courses for students aged 19 and over, teachers do not plan effectively to meet the needs and aspirations of individual students; they do not consistently challenge students to achieve at a high level and, as a result, students, including the more able, do not always make sufficient progress  written feedback is not always sufficiently detailed or specific on courses for students aged 19 and over; students are not always clear about how they can improve their work  reviews of the progress of adult students on part-time courses are not frequent enough; students are not always aware of the progress they are making towards achieving their targets.

Health, social care and early years have the following strengths:

 the majority of current students who attend regularly on study programmes make good progress in improving their work-related skills and their ability to learn independently; students benefit from work experience in a wide range of relevant placements such as nurseries, schools and mental health settings that help them to develop useful employability skills and to apply their learning in the workplace  teachers have high expectations of students on study programmes, and use a wide range of activities that challenge and motivate students well; as a result, students, in particular those working at foundation level, quickly improve their skills and knowledge, and are able to carry out independent research into, for example, the dangers of poor diet and substance abuse during pregnancy

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 teachers set challenging attainment targets for younger students and closely monitor the progress that students make; this helps a significant proportion of younger students to achieve high grades and progress to higher education  support for students is good; pastoral and teaching staff work together well to identify students at risk quickly, and take action to help them to remain on their course  teachers develop students’ English skills well through a wide range of activities such as challenging research tasks in which students analyse complex texts and extract relevant information; teachers provide good opportunities for students to practise and develop their communication skills  teachers consistently promote equality and diversity in their lessons; health and social care students have a very good understanding of the importance of meeting the specific needs of service users in residential care, and early years students carry out activities to help children understand and celebrate different religious festivals such as Easter and Diwali.

Engineering

14-16 full-time provision 19+ learning programmes Apprenticeships

Requires improvement

Teaching, learning and assessment in engineering require improvement because:

 the proportion of students and apprentices who complete their programmes successfully is too low  although plans are in place to enable all students on study programmes to take part in work experience, as yet too few students have had the opportunity of a placement; teachers do not always make clear to students the purpose of work experience  teachers and assessors do not develop students’ English skills well enough; as a result, too many students and apprentices are unable to carry out tasks such as recording technical information accurately in the workplace  planning of learning focuses insufficiently on meeting the individual needs of students and apprentices; the pace of lessons and training activities is often too slow and, consequently, students and apprentices, in particular the more able, do not always progress quickly enough  too much teaching of theory is uninspiring; teachers use too narrow a range of learning activities that often fail to engage and motive students and apprentices  equality and diversity are not promoted consistently or well enough.

Engineering has the following strengths:

 teachers and assessors monitor the progress of students’ and apprentices’ progress well; they provide clear and frequent information to students and apprentices about the progress they are making towards their target  students and apprentices benefit from the significant experience that their teachers and assessors have of working in the sector; they are able to relate their learning well to the requirements and standards of industry  teaching and learning in practical sessions prepares younger students well for employment; students carry out a wide range of work-related activity in industry standard workshops, and gain a good understanding of health and safety requirements  teachers and assessors provide clear and helpful written feedback on work produced by students and apprentices who, as a result, know what progress they are making and how to improve their performance further

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 teachers develop students’ mathematics skills well; students on an advanced-level electrical engineering course use their mathematics skills well in, for example, carrying out complex electrical rectification calculations accurately and confidently.

Building and construction

16-19 study programmes 19+ learning programmes Apprenticeships

Requires improvement

Teaching, learning and assessment in building and construction require improvement because:

 the success rates on study programmes and vocational courses for students aged 19 and over were significantly below the rate for similar providers in 2013/14; retention of students on study programmes during the current year has not improved from the low rate in 2013/14  attendance in lessons visited during the inspection was too low  teachers and assessors do not develop students’ and apprentices’ underpinning knowledge sufficiently well; consequently, a significant minority of students and apprentices lack sufficient understanding of essential information such as the applications of softwood and hardwood, and different types of bricks  in theory lessons, teachers make insufficient use of the outcomes of initial assessment to plan activities that meet individual needs; they do not always challenge the more able students to make rapid progress  learning technology is not used effectively to develop students’ and apprentices’ independent study skills and to help them with their assignments; teachers rarely use interactive whiteboards, and make insufficient use of the college’s virtual learning environment and construction-related computer software to support learning  teachers do not write sufficiently detailed feedback on students’ and apprentices’ written work; they do not always inform students and apprentices about what they need to do to improve their work  most teachers and assessors do not help students and apprentices well enough to improve their English skills; a minority of teachers and assessors make grammatical and spelling mistakes in their written feedback  teachers do not often promote equality and diversity in lessons even when opportunities exist to do so; the proportion of female students in construction is very low.

Building and construction have the following strengths:

 students and apprentices successfully develop occupational skills, improve their confidence and motivation, and carry out practical work at a high standard; for example, plumbing students produce good copper pipework assemblies that fully meet the assessment criteria  teachers are competent, knowledgeable and experienced; they use their expertise effectively to develop students’ and apprentices’ skills, and prepare them well for higher level study and employment  workshop technicians and learning support assistants work well with teachers, and provide good support for students and apprentices to help them make good progress  teachers use questions well to maintain the interest of students and apprentices, and to check their knowledge and understanding

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 younger students on study programmes make good progress in improving their employability skills through a range of work-related activities; the college is in the process of securing work experience placements for all students with local employers and on community-based projects  assessment of students’ and apprentices’ work is timely and accurate; teachers’ verbal feedback on practical work is constructive and helps students and apprentices to improve the quality of their work  teachers and assessors successfully develop students’ and apprentices’ mathematics skills; for example, students use basic formulae, carry out accurate calculations, and interpret construction drawings and sketches correctly.

Hairdressing and beauty therapy

16-19 study programmes 19+ learning programmes Apprenticeships

Good

Teaching, learning and assessment in hairdressing and beauty therapy are good because:

 the proportion of full-time students who complete their qualification successfully is high and has improved over a three year period; the proportion of apprentices who complete their framework successfully is significantly higher than among similar providers  a large majority of students and apprentices produce work of a high professional standard; for example, on beauty therapy courses, students demonstrate good client care and regularly check clients’ satisfaction with their treatments  teachers give students and apprentices good individual support, and provide a wide range of additional opportunities for students to catch up on work and improve their progress  students benefit from learning in purpose-built and well-equipped salons and with high quality products; this reflects good quality industry practice and prepares students well for progression to employment  teachers provide a good range of opportunities for students on study programmes to improve their work-related skills and learn about their chosen career; product training, trade exhibitions, community events, inspirational guest speakers and competitions are regular features on the college calendar  study programmes at intermediate- and advanced-level include work experience for students that is planned and monitored well; students gain a clear and useful insight into the demands of the industry  teachers use their specialist skills well to provide a broad curriculum that is responsive to industry trends and that increases students’ employability; hairdressing students learn barbering skills, including wet shaving, which gives them a competitive edge when applying for jobs  effective links with employers have led to the development of a successful apprenticeship programme in beauty therapy; this meets the needs of local employers who value the opportunity that it gives to grow their businesses  teachers provide timely information, advice and guidance for students on their next steps in training, education and employment; high numbers of students progress to higher level courses  teachers successfully develop students’ understanding of a wide range of clients’ needs in lessons; students learn how to adapt their treatments in beauty therapy for clients from different genders and cultures, and with different skin types.

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Teaching, learning and assessment in hairdressing and beauty therapy are not yet outstanding because:

 attendance and punctuality require improvement; despite improvements in the monitoring of attendance and increased intervention in tacking poor attendance and punctuality, too many students are absent or late to lessons  teachers and assessors do not use initial assessment and individual profiles well enough when planning learning for students and apprentices; in theory lessons, teachers do not always use sufficiently challenging learning activities that meet individual needs and, as a result, a minority of students and apprentices do not make the progress of which they are capable  the development of students’ English and mathematics skills is not always successful; teachers too often fail to correct inaccuracies in students’ written work and miss opportunities to develop students’ mathematics and speaking and listening skills  internal quality assurance of assessment practice is not rigorous enough; managers and teachers have not identified weak assessment practice in hairdressing.

Foundation English

16-19 study programmes 19+ learning programmes

Requires improvement

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

 the proportion of 16- to 18-year-old students who successfully complete functional skills English qualifications and the proportion who achieve grades A* to C on GCSE English qualifications are too low  attendance is low in too many lessons, and this limits the progress that a minority of students are making  teachers do not draw sufficiently well on students’ individual targets when planning teaching, learning and assessment; as a result, most students work on the same tasks during lessons and more able students do not reach their full potential  teachers do not make sufficient use of the outcomes of initial diagnostic tests to set specific targets for students; consequently, students are not sufficiently aware of the progress they have made and the specific skills that they still need to improve to achieve their qualification  too much written feedback is insufficiently detailed; too many students do not receive feedback that informs them well about the specific improvements that they need to make to their written work  teachers do not prepare students well for life and work in a diverse society; they do not take opportunities to discuss individual and cultural differences or use learning materials that reflect people’s diverse characteristics.

Foundation English has the following strengths:

 the majority of students who attend regularly make good progress; they develop useful work-related skills such as the ability to complete job application forms accurately and to speak more confidently in job interviews  most teachers demonstrate high expectations of students; they use teaching, learning and assessment activities well to enable students to improve a wide range of English skills such as using headings, subheadings, simple and compound sentences, and paragraphs appropriately in written text  teachers identify accurately students’ starting points and prior attainment and, as a result, students join courses at the right level

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 information, advice and guidance are good; teachers who are specialists in English advise students well about English courses that match their individual learning needs and interests.

Accounting, finance and administration

19+ learning programmes Apprenticeships

Requires improvement

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

 the proportion of accounting and finance students who achieved their qualifications in 2013/14 was low, and too few administration apprentices achieved their framework in the planned time  teachers do not make effective use of information about students’ prior attainment and background when planning learning; they do not set sufficiently challenging work for more able students who, as result, do not always achieve the potential of which they are capable  apprentices have achievement targets that are not always sufficiently specific about what they still have to do to complete the apprenticeship framework successfully; this results in too many apprentices making slow progress  tutors’ written feedback is not specific or detailed enough to help students to improve the quality of their written work and achieve high grades  tutors do not integrate sufficiently the development of students’ English and mathematics skills within vocational lessons; too few apprentices improve their English and mathematics skill beyond the level required for the apprenticeship framework  equality and diversity are not promoted actively in lessons; opportunities to discuss issues such as discrimination in the workplace are not explored sufficiently to extend students’ knowledge.

Accounting, finance and administration have the following strengths:

 retention has improved and is now high on most courses  support for students is good; effective one to one sessions help students who are falling behind to catch up and make the progress expected of them  apprentices develop good work-related skills and become more confident when using specialist software; for example, apprentices confidently use customer relationship management systems in busy property agents offices, and students in accounting use technical software programmes well  teachers make good use of real case studies to improve students’ knowledge, and to help them understand its relevance in the workplace; students learn to adjust and correct errors and compare different mortgage options for clients  teachers support students well in preparing for accounting and finance examinations; effective revision strategies in lessons build on previous learning and result in high pass rates for current students  pre-course information is effective, and rigorous entry requirements ensure that students are on the right course; students receive good advice and guidance during their courses and a high proportion progress to higher-level qualifications.

The effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Significant changes to governance, leadership and management, including the appointment of a new principal in August 2014 and the creation of a new senior management team, are beginning

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to have an impact on tackling the college’s poor performance in recent years. The principal and senior managers have a clear vision and strategy for improving all aspects of the college’s work. They communicate well to staff and students their ambition to raise standards and improve success rates.  Leaders and managers have taken decisive action in recent months to increase the college’s capacity to improve outcomes for learners. These actions have led to an early and rapid improvement in students’ behaviour and commitment to their work, a reduction in the proportion of students who leave their course early, and an improvement in the progress that students and apprentices make.  The college’s arrangements for evaluating and improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment have improved significantly during the current year, but they are not yet sufficiently rigorous. They provide leaders and managers with an over-optimistic picture of the impact of actions they are taking to improve the quality of provision. Inspectors found that that the quality of teaching, learning and assessment was not as high as the college’s own evaluation over recent months, and that it requires improvement. Actions taken this year to improve students’ attendance in lessons have had insufficient impact, and attendance remains too low.  During the period of declining college performance between 2010 and 2013, governors received insufficient information about the college’s activities to hold senior managers to account and tackle poor performance. In 2013/14, governors began to address the college’s significant weaknesses and appointed a new principal. The governing body has tackled its own underperformance successfully by improving attendance levels at board meetings, scrutinising reports on the college’s performance more thoroughly, and challenging and supporting leaders and managers to achieve the college’s ambitious targets.  The college management team has acted swiftly to improve the quality of study programmes for younger students. Managers have increased significantly the focus on ensuring that all students gain the skills they need for work through work-related activities and work experience. However, actions to improve students’ English and mathematics skills have not had sufficient impact, and the development of these skills by vocational teachers requires improvement.  Actions taken by leaders and managers to improve the low success rate on the apprenticeship programme include significant changes to the management of the programme, a stronger focus on meeting local needs, and improved assessment and monitoring arrangements. However, these changes have not yet led to consistently high performance on the apprenticeship programme, and a minority of apprentices continue to make slow progress.  Leaders and managers work well with community partners, local employers, and the LEP to identify and provide courses that respond to local employers’ needs and prepare students for employment opportunities in the borough. Until recently, the college invested too much resource in activity that was not responsive to local needs. However, in recent months the principal and governors have reshaped the college’s strategic aims and its curriculum so that the focus is now on providing skills that meet the requirements of local employers. For example, they have increased the volume of food technology provision and introduced a programme that prepares students to work in bakeries.  Performance management is now rigorous. Managers tackle poor performance quickly and effectively, and this is beginning to have a positive impact on the quality of provision. Teaching staff have frequent performance reviews at which their managers set challenging targets for improvements and monitor progress closely. Leaders and managers take swift action to remove poor practice where it persists. Staff benefit from a wide range of well-organised development and training activity to improve the quality of their teaching, learning and assessment.  The college subcontracts a small amount of its work to other providers. Managers have strengthened the monitoring of subcontractors’ performance in recent months, but it is too early to see the impact of this on students’ success.  Leaders and managers have created an environment of mutual respect where diversity is valued. They identify gaps in achievement between different groups of students and apprentices, and successfully take action to remove them. Students and apprentices feel safe

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from bullying and harassment. Teachers and assessors participate in regular training on promoting equality and valuing diversity in their practice. However, teachers do not make sufficient use of the skills and knowledge they gain to raise students’ and apprentices’ understanding of equality and diversity.  The college’s arrangements for safeguarding students are good. Managers and teachers communicate clearly their commitment to ensuring that all students are safe while at the college and on employers’ premises. All staff participate in high quality training and receive regular updating on safeguarding, including information and support on how to prevent students from the risk of radicalisation. Students benefit from the support of a designated and well-qualified safeguarding team on each site that is responsible for their safety and well-being.

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Record of Main Findings (RMF) Wigan and Leigh 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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3 N/A N/A 3 N/A 3 3 N/A N/A 3 N/A N/A 3 N/A 3 3 N/A N/A 3 N/A N/A 3 N/A 3 3 N/A N/A 3 N/A N/A 3 N/A 3 3 N/A N/A

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

Health and social care 3 Early years and playwork 3 Engineering 3 Building and construction 3 Hairdressing and beauty therapy 2 Foundation English 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

11,300 Principal/CEO Mr Michael Sheehan Date of previous inspection March 2010 Website address www.wigan-leigh.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+ 393 1,010 878 1,096 1,084 836 65 700

Intermediate Advanced Higher

16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 397 449 176 512 N/A 50

Number of traineeships 16-19 19+ Total N/A N/A N/A Number of learners aged 14-16 N/A Full-time N/A Part-time N/A Number of community learners 756 Number of employability learners NA

Funding received from Education Funding Agency and Skills Funding Agency

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

 Active Synergy  Citrus Training Solutions  KJ Rail  Princes Trust  SB Training  SHL Training Solutions Ltd

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Contextual information

Wigan and Leigh College is a large general further education college with four main centres in the borough of Wigan. The borough has a population of 319,700. Service industries provide the main source of employment, including finance and business services, and public administration, education and health services. Manufacturing companies are also significant employers in the borough, with food production and processing particularly prominent. The unemployment rate in Wigan is higher than the regional and national rates. The proportion of people in the borough with a qualification higher than level 2 is also below the regional and the national rate. The proportion of school pupils attaining five GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and mathematics, is higher than the proportion for the North West. The number of young people aged 16 to 19 who are not in education, employment or training has reduced over the last three years but remains slightly higher than across the whole of the North West.

Information about this inspection

Lead inspector Steve Hailstone HMI

Two of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and seven additional inspectors, assisted by the Vice- Principal, Curriculum as nominee, carried out the inspection with short notice. Inspectors took account of the college’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 college. 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