Brockenhurst College Ofsted Report

Inspection report: Brockenhurst College, 31 January – 3 February 2017 Page 2 of 17

Full report

Information about the provider

• Brockenhurst College is a general further education college situated in the New Forest National Park, with its main site in Brockenhurst. The college has a construction and marine skills centre in Marchwood and provides education and training to communities throughout the local area, including Southampton. Courses range from entry level to higher education and the college manages a number of apprenticeships. The college is a major employer in the region.
• Around three quarters of the college’s students are following 16 to 19 study programmes, with the majority of students studying A levels. The number of students with high needs at the college has grown substantially in the current year. Although the local area is not designated as deprived, the college also serves young people and adults from Southampton and the surrounding area, where unemployment is substantially greater than in other south east local authorities. The proportion of pupils aged 16 in Southampton who achieve five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and mathematics, is below the national average.

What does the provider need to do to improve further?

• Continue to improve students’ attendance and punctuality, especially for those on GCSE courses and level 1 vocational study programmes, by taking effective action when students are absent or late to their lessons.
• Managers and trainer/assessors must improve target-setting and progress reviews for apprentices to ensure that more apprentices complete their programme within the planned period.
• Leaders should swiftly identify the reasons for the consistently poor performance of students on some level 3 vocational study programmes and take urgent corrective action.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The principal and governors responded swiftly and decisively to the drop in achievement rates in 2015/16, following a sustained period of good or better outcomes. They immediately set about identifying the root causes of the decline and put in place a package of measures that has ensured that throughout this academic year there have been rapid improvements. The large majority of current students are making at least good progress. Leading by example, the principal has reinvigorated a culture of high expectations throughout the college.
• Senior leaders have a proven track record of identifying emerging problems and implementing rapid improvement. For example, in September 2015 they put in place actions to improve performance in a number of subjects, the large majority of which showed significant improvement, and achieved good or better outcomes for students by the end of the academic year. In this academic year, students’ attendance has improved and the proportion of students retained on courses is higher than it was at the same point last year. Managers, very well supported by governors, have ensured particularly rapid progress in improving the quality of teaching in functional skills English and mathematics, one of the key areas that required most-urgent attention.
• Arrangements for self-assessment identify areas of concern and lead quickly to robust actions for improvement. The majority of managers are able to demonstrate significant in-year improvements as a result of their thorough analysis of the strengths and weakness in the previous year. However, the headline judgements regarding the quality of provision in 2015/16 were too generous. As a result, a small minority of managers have been unclear on the urgent need for improvement. They excuse poor performance and fail to recognise that lower than expected outcomes for students are a reflection of weak teaching, learning and assessment.
• Most managers have an unrelenting focus on promoting high-quality teaching, learning and assessment. They have overseen a change to a much more collaborative culture, which ensures that good practice is shared between high-performing curriculum areas and those that require improvement. Teachers improve their craft well. Senior staff use observations of teaching practice, alongside feedback from students and marked work, very well to inform them of aspects of teachers’ practice that need to improve. Staff training addresses these needs and managers challenge all teachers to improve. On the very rare occasions where this proves unsuccessful, appropriate performance management procedures are in place and a few staff have left the college as a result.
• College leaders and governors have secured partnerships that are highly beneficial to students, employers and the local community. Working with the local enterprise partnerships, they identified skills gaps in marine construction and childcare in the local area and now provide good training opportunities for apprentices in these fields. Efforts to move unemployed adults into sustained employment have been highly successful through close working with Job Centre Plus and the Department for Work and Pensions.
• Management of study programmes is good. Managers ensure that students undertake a package of qualifications, extension and enrichment activities that align closely with their aspirations. Students benefit from worthwhile work experience and other work-related activities, and are supported well to take their next steps. Leaders have ensured that teachers promote the importance of English and mathematics skills that students require to progress in other courses. Opportunities for students to progress to higher-level courses on completion of their qualifications further enhance their motivation.
• A very small number of underperforming areas remain, for which managers have been unable to secure improvement over an extended period. Most notably, level 3 vocational students continue to make slow progress. In a very few A-level subjects, progress has been poor for at least three years. Arrangements for improving the quality of aspects of the tutorial provision have not yet had the desired impact.
• The management of the apprenticeship provision requires improvement. Differing approaches to the monitoring and tracking of apprentices has led to a lack of clarity about their progress and casts doubt on managers’ predictions about improvements in apprentices’ achievements. Employers are not sufficiently clear about how they can support apprentices to develop their English and mathematics skills.
• Managers have been quick to identify differences in achievements between groups of students. Children looked after and those in receipt of free school meals achieved less well than their peers in 2015/16. College leaders recognise this and have acted swiftly to remedy this situation, with signs of positive impact already evident.
• Students’ attendance is improving, but in GCSE and level 1 vocational programmes remains below the college’s target. The large majority of students complete their studies and few leave early. Managers quickly identify those at risk of leaving early or underperforming and take swift actions to help them progress and achieve.
• Managers do not analyse the destinations of students with high needs in enough detail. As a result, they are unable to evaluate fully the effectiveness of high needs provision in helping students to progress into work or further education.
• Students participate in a good variety of events that help them to have a thorough understanding of the diverse nature of the communities in which they live and will work. For example, public services students volunteer to develop accessible infrastructure, building gravel paths for wheelchair users at a local garden, working alongside adults who have learning disabilities.

The governance of the provider

• Although governors have an overly positive view of the quality of the provision in 2015/16, they have a thorough understanding of the reasons for the fall in outcomes in August 2016. They have effectively challenged the senior team to identify the causes of this decline and have ensured that senior managers implement strategies to bring about rapid and sustainable improvement.
• Governors have linked themselves to areas of the college that require the most urgent improvement, gaining a good understanding of the problems as well as how best to support college managers to raise standards. For example, governors now have a good grasp of the causes of the poor outcomes in functional skills English and mathematics. They have used this knowledge well to support improvements in the current academic year.
• Governors, alongside the principal, have successfully stabilised the college finances, through restructuring, following a period of significant budget deficit.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Managers work carefully to ensure that appropriate checks are carried out during the staff recruitment process. Risk assessments for teachers beginning at the college prior to receipt of clearance are rigorous and well adhered to. Managers have met their responsibilities under the ‘Prevent’ requirements.
• Students understand the dangers of radicalisation and know whom to talk to if they have any concerns for themselves or other students. Leaders have made referrals to appropriate external agencies in the very small number of instances where they have identified concerns. Students have a good understanding that extremist views can emanate from a variety of different sources. Apprentices’ understanding of these dangers is less well developed.
• Students are safe in college. The campus is a harmonious learning environment. Students understand and value their differences, and this prepares them well for living and working in modern Britain.
• A small minority of teachers are not yet sufficiently skilled in making best use of opportunities to broaden and deepen students’ understanding of diversity, ‘Prevent’ and British values. Apprentices’ understanding of the more detailed aspects of occupational safety in their future careers requires further development.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching, learning and assessment are effective in ensuring that the large majority of students are motivated and stimulated to learn, allowing them to develop their skills and knowledge well, progress and achieve.
• Students enjoy learning and value the support they receive from their teachers. Teachers are vigilant in ensuring that high-quality learning takes place in most sessions and that well-planned and challenging lessons extend learning and development. For example, students on the traineeship programme learn how being well prepared for job interviews can help them to become more confident and assured. As a result, they make good progress.
• In the large majority of classroom sessions, teachers ensure that students develop their understanding of the subject well so that they can succeed. Teachers make regular checks of students’ understanding and progress and use creative methods and resources to reinforce learning. For example, an A-level physics group learned the importance of understanding clear technical language when trying to explain waveforms to colleagues, whose task it was to draw only what they heard. However, in vocational lessons and a minority of adult learning sessions, teachers do not plan adequately for students with different abilities. As a result, a few students’ progress is inhibited, and more able students are not challenged to make the progress of which they are capable.
• Teachers and assessors are well qualified and have relevant teaching and vocational experience that they use effectively to motivate students and apprentices to meet their learning goals. They are passionate about their subjects and use their expertise well to develop students’ practical and theoretical skills.
• Assessment of students’ and apprentices’ starting points is thorough and effective, ensuring that they are placed on the right programme and that they receive appropriate support. Teachers use this information well to ensure that the vast majority of students have a good awareness of their target grades and the progress that they make. Consequently, the large majority of academic students make at least the progress expected of them. However, a small minority of teachers on vocational programmes do not routinely provide students with sufficient information about their progress. As a result, these students do not have a clear understanding of what they have done well or what they need to do to improve.
• Students on academic study programmes receive good advice about their career and higher education options. Students on vocational study programmes, particularly in construction and marine technology, receive valuable careers advice and guidance from teachers that prepares them particularly well for their next steps.
• Teachers provide good feedback to students on academic study programmes, which helps them to achieve or improve on their target grades. Teachers return students’ work promptly with clear feedback and adequate attention to spelling and grammatical errors, which helps students to improve their work. Although apprentices receive useful verbal feedback from assessors, written feedback lacks clarity, and grammar and spelling errors are often overlooked. As a result, apprentices are sometimes unsure of how to improve their work.
• The large majority of teachers track student progress well. They maintain electronic records that are thorough and up to date, using them effectively to identify students at risk of falling behind with their studies and to provide them with extra support. As a result, managers have a good understanding of students’ targets, progress and attendance.
• Students benefit from well-designed and readily available learning resources. They use technology well to support their learning and to enhance their progress. Support for adult students on distance learning courses is particularly effective, allowing them to progress and succeed. However, learning resources for apprentices are often outdated and activities lack challenge.
• Students benefit from well-planned and effective opportunities to improve their English and mathematics skills in most lessons. For example, students develop mathematics skills well in A-level physical education, where they use data effectively to draw conclusions about how sportspeople learn, and in economics, where students are able to relate graphs accurately to different models of fiscal policy.
• In the large majority of lessons, teachers incorporate the understanding of fundamental British values, the promotion of equality and awareness of diversity effectively into their activities. As a result, students demonstrate a good understanding of life in modern Britain.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

• Students and apprentices behave well and are courteous, polite and well mannered. They are respectful to their teachers and other students and have a positive attitude to learning. They take pride in their work, are confident, self-assured and produce work of a good standard.
• Almost all students benefit from good-quality and purposeful work-related learning and employment experience that helps them to develop a good understanding of the world of work. Students value these opportunities and develop good communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills that improve their employment prospects. Those students not yet ready to progress into external work experience have good opportunities to develop their work-related skills by assisting with grounds maintenance work and helping out in the college café. Apprentices and students on traineeship programmes develop the skills needed to be successful at interviews and in the workplace.
• Students enhance their personal, social and employability skills through involvement in good enrichment and non-accredited activities. For example, health and social care students celebrated Chinese New Year in a residential care setting, public service students took part in events to commemorate Armistice Day and business students organised a ‘family fun’ event to raise money for a charitable trust.
• Students feel safe and have a good understanding of personal safety. They understand the potential dangers of internet grooming and cyberbullying and know how to report any concerns that they may have. Students and apprentices are clear about how to keep themselves safe in the workplace, on work experience and outside the college environment. In practical sessions, they wear appropriate personal protective equipment and follow workshop safety guidelines.
• Students receive good careers information, guidance and support when enrolling onto courses. They visit universities and attend talks by guest speakers about employment and higher education opportunities. These activities inspire students and enable them to make well-informed decisions about their next career steps.
• Teachers ensure that students with high needs integrate well into the life of the college. Teachers find out about students’ interests and abilities and students display high levels of mutual respect and tolerance.
• The majority of students have a good understanding of life in modern Britain and of British values, as well as the dangers associated with extremist views. They know how to keep safe and how to report any concerns. Students appreciate the diverse and secure atmosphere, which allows them to learn effectively in a highly supportive environment.
• Students’ overall attendance has improved compared to this time last year but, in observed lessons during the week of the inspection, was below the in-year college target. Most classes start on time but teachers do not always challenge lateness or raise awareness of punctuality as an essential work-related skill. In some cases, latecomers do not quickly settle into lessons, disrupting the progress of their peers. Apprentices’ attendance is good.

Outcomes for learners Good

• Leaders, managers and teachers are passionate about raising the aspirations of students to achieve and progress. Leaders were quick to identify the reasons for a dip in achievement rates in 2015/16 and put in place measures which have resulted in the large majority of current students making much-improved and good progress.
• The large majority of students on study programmes, who make up around three quarters of the college’s classroom-based provision, successfully complete their main qualification.
• Students on AS programmes make excellent progress from their starting points, with those studying psychology, sociology, use of mathematics and film studies progressing particularly well. In contrast, students on a minority of courses on the college’s small level 3 vocational provision do not make as good progress as their peers, and this poor progress has continued for three years without improving.
• Achievement rates for adult students have improved steadily over the past three years. Performance for these students is well above the national rate at entry level and level 1 but lower for the smaller numbers of students studying at level 2 and level 3. Unemployed adults at the college’s Southampton site have excellent outcomes, with nearly half moving into sustained employment, significantly better than the national rate.
• Almost all students with high needs make positive progress from their different starting points and develop good skills, knowledge and understanding. They develop good independent learning and living skills and the large majority complete their courses successfully.
• Managers are quick to identify and close any gaps in achievement between groups of students. Male and female students do equally well and no significant performance differences exist between those who have special educational needs and their peers. Students who were previously looked after and those eligible for free school meals achieved less well than their peers in 2015/16, though the number of students falling into these categories is very small. Managers acknowledge that they need to do more to close this achievement gap and improvements are already evident.
• The proportion of students aged 16 to 19 who achieved GCSE English at grades A* to C is high. Performance in GCSE mathematics declined in 2015/16 but remains substantially higher than the low national rate for these grades. The proportion of students who successfully achieved functional skills qualifications in both English and mathematics has improved but is still too low.
• The majority of adult students who study GCSE mathematics achieve A* to C grades but the proportion who achieved similar results in GCSE English declined in 2015/16 and is now below the national rate. Similarly, the proportion of adult students who achieved functional skills qualifications in English and mathematics declined in the previous year and now requires improvement. However, leaders and managers have taken quick and effective action to arrest this decline and current progress of students is good.
• The proportion of apprentices successfully achieving their qualification, both overall and within agreed timescales, has declined over the past two years and is below national rates.

Types of provision

16 to 19 study programmes Good

• Study programmes constitute the large majority of the college’s provision. At the time of the inspection, 2,628 students had enrolled on study programmes, with the large majority following academic qualifications at level 3. The subjects with the most significant student numbers are science and mathematics, the arts, social sciences and business. A small minority of students take vocational study programmes at level 2 and 3, with the largest subject areas being business, media, information technology and science.
• In almost all academic lessons teachers plan work which takes into account students’ differing abilities. This helps them to make good progress and achieve their qualifications. In these lessons teachers elicit good responses from students by using effective questioning techniques and by challenging them to develop higher-level thinking skills. For example, psychology students were able to evaluate a wide range of research methods and to identify clearly the ethical implications of particular methods of psychological research.
• Teachers are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about their subject and have high expectations of students. Lessons are well structured and the pace of learning is rapid, enabling the large majority of students to make good progress. However, in a small minority of lessons, teachers allow individual students to dominate discussions. As a consequence, learning in these lessons is slow and more-able students receive insufficient challenge.
• The large majority of students complete their studies and few leave early. Students who are identified as being at risk of leaving early or underperforming are supported effectively to help them progress and achieve.
• Students enjoy learning and behave well. They feel safe and are able to demonstrate safe working practices in a wide range of settings. Students are confident in expressing their views and opinions and their attitudes towards learning are positive.
• Students receive impartial and high-quality advice and guidance before starting their courses. They are confident about their choice of course and well informed about opportunities for progression.
• Managers design individualised programmes of study for each student with clear progression pathways. Students receive effective careers guidance, are clear about their next steps and take positive actions to work towards their intended destinations. The large majority of students progress onto higher levels of learning, employment, apprenticeships or a place at university.
• Students benefit from meaningful work experience placements. They become self-confident and acquire good work-related skills. For example, an A-level student with aspirations for a career in fashion design completed an exciting and relevant placement in fashion retail. In hospitality, teachers use their considerable expertise and experience to make explicit links to industry practice which enhance students’ awareness of work in this area.
• The development of students’ English skills are good. The majority of students studying GCSE English make good progress towards a high grade. In functional English lessons teachers design activities to meet the needs of the vast majority of students, but this is not always the case in mathematics, where the level of challenge for students is sometimes too low.
• Students who fall behind in their studies are quickly identified and effectively supported in order to enable them to make progress.
• Not enough teachers in vocational study programmes use information about students’ starting points sufficiently well to plan teaching that meets their individual needs. In these lessons, learning is not appropriately demanding and feedback to students is not always sufficiently specific or developmental. This limits their potential to make better progress and achieve higher grades.

Adult learning programmes Good

• Most of the college’s 792 adult students attend the college part time, with the large majority studying at level 1 and level 2 and a small minority, mostly on access to higher education, following a level 3 programme. Students enrol on a range of vocational qualifications, as well as functional skills and GCSE qualifications in English and mathematics. The college also runs short employability programmes, labelled ‘Quickstart’, focused on helping unemployed adults return to work.
• The majority of students learn well, make good progress and achieve their qualifications. Adults who have returned to education often after a long gap develop self-assurance and are able to answer questions in class confidently. They can link their learning to the workplace and develop useful employability skills.
• Students benefit from a wide range of flexible courses that meet local priorities and the needs of inner-city and rural communities. These courses enable them to develop essential skills and knowledge, gain basic qualifications and progress to employment or higher-level qualifications. For example, the college’s Quickstart employability programmes are highly effective in helping unemployed adults to return to work, giving them the opportunity to gain new skills and develop self-confidence and independence.
• Adult students are respectful and supportive of each other. They are motivated to learn and take pride in their work. Lively debates in sessions provide opportunities for students to discuss topics and ask insightful questions, building their confidence and self-esteem. However, in a few sessions, teachers do not deploy teaching strategies to stretch and motivate the more able students. As a consequence, a few of these students become bored and distracted.
• Teachers plan learning well in the large majority of lessons. They take students’ starting points and individual needs into account and have high expectations. Lessons are interesting and students enjoy attending and demonstrate an enthusiasm for learning.
• Students on part-time and distance learning programmes receive a comprehensive induction and good support throughout their learning, which helps them to succeed. They speak highly of the help and guidance that they receive from teachers. The proportion of students who progress from these courses to full qualifications or higher-level learning is high.
• Students feel safe and are aware of what they should do to if they have concerns about their safety or well-being. Where appropriate, teachers discuss safeguarding effectively in lessons.
• Attendance and retention on access to higher education programmes has improved since last year and is now good. Teachers recognise the difficulties that adult students often have in attending lessons and they ensure that electronically stored learning materials are available for those who miss lessons or fall behind. Access students are positive about the pastoral and academic support they receive and they know what their next steps are likely to be. However, the very small minority of adults who do not study on the main college campus are not always aware of the extra help that they can receive to further support their learning.
• Students on access and distance learning courses receive constructive feedback on their work which supports learning and help them to progress. However, not all teachers routinely correct spelling and grammar to help students develop their writing skills.
• Processes for monitoring the progress of students on a few courses, such as access to higher education, require improvement. Teachers do not set appropriate targets for students and as a result, a very small minority of students fail to make the progress expected of them.

Apprenticeships Requires improvement

• The large majority of the college’s 509 apprentices are on intermediate and advanced level programmes, with a small minority of adult apprentices on higher apprenticeships. Most apprentices follow programmes in marine engineering, plumbing, construction, business and management, childcare and supporting teaching and learning. Around 200 apprentices are aged over 24, with the remainder split roughly equally between those under 18 and those aged between 19 and 23. The requirements of apprenticeship schemes are met.
• Despite recent improvements in achievement rates, the proportion of apprentices who successfully complete their programmes within planned timescales remains too low. Managers have put in place support for apprentices who have passed their planned end date to enable them to complete their apprenticeship, assisted by extra assessments and review visits. Early indications suggest that this measure is having the desired impact.
• The tracking and monitoring of apprentices’ progress requires improvement. Senior managers do not have reliable data on overall progress and achievement for current apprentices to help them monitor and improve outcomes. They have invested in an electronic portfolio system to help them monitor apprentices’ progress but it is too soon to judge the impact of this measure.
• The majority of progress reviews are insufficiently timely and a small minority of apprentices have not had a workplace review for a substantial period of time. As a result, apprentices do not receive feedback on how to improve quickly enough.
• Not enough employers fully participate in reviews of apprentices’ progress. These employers do not always attend progress review meetings with the assessor or agree targets for on-the-job training and, as a result, a small minority of apprentices are unaware of their progress.
• Apprentices benefit from detailed verbal feedback that enables them to identify what they need to do to progress. However, written feedback is not as detailed. Too few apprentices receive feedback and guidance on how to improve their English to support their writing skills, spelling, punctuation and grammar.
• Apprentices have an incomplete understanding of the dangers of radicalisation and extremism, and their awareness of how to stay safe online requires improvement. Assessors do not discuss these topics sufficiently during lessons or progress reviews to fully raise apprentices’ awareness of how to stay safe and protect themselves from radicalisation.
• Training in the workplace for apprentices is good. However, assessors do not plan visits to apprentices and their employers flexibly enough in order to meet individual needs and patterns of work. As a result, a significant number of apprentices do not make sufficient progress.
• Assessors have good subject knowledge and technical expertise. In engineering, the majority of apprentices produce appropriate practical work and demonstrate skills that meet the demands of their programme. For example, level 2 apprentices develop engineering skills that allow them to produce cylindrical components from technical drawings. This prepares them well for progression to level 3.
• Assessors support apprentices to develop their mathematical skills well and challenge them to apply these skills in their vocational subjects. For example, in professional cookery, apprentices calculate gross and net profits in menu planning and in carpentry and joinery, apprentices calculate the width and thickness of dovetail joints.
• Apprentices develop self-confidence, team-working, organisational and interpersonal skills effectively, enabling them to become more autonomous and independent in the workplace. Attendance at work and at off-the job training sessions is good. Apprentices are well behaved, respectful and collaborate well with colleagues and peers.
• Most on- and off-the-job learning is well planned and results in apprentices developing vocational skills that employers value. For example, in engineering, employers work with the college to ensure that courses meet the needs of the workplace.
• Apprentices have a good understanding of health and safety, and assessors promote safe working in lessons and workshops. They check apprentices’ understanding of how to use equipment safely and are diligent in ensuring that apprentices wear personal protective equipment. However, the development of apprentices’ understanding of occupational safety such as reducing exposure to the sun in construction and strategies to prevent contact dermatitis in care, requires improvement.

Provision for learners with high needs Good

• Since the previous inspection, managers have expanded the college’s specialist provision for students with high needs in response to local demands and priorities. Of the 140 students currently in receipt of high needs funding, 79 are on discrete foundation programmes and the remainder, who have a range of learning difficulties, disabilities or medical conditions, are on mainstream programmes. The number of students who have autistic spectrum disorders and high support needs is increasing.
• Managers work in strong partnership with schools, local authorities, independent specialist colleges and employers to share good practice and secure good opportunities for students’ next steps. Managers and teachers work closely with schools to ensure that students’ transition to the college is smooth. Students settle into college life well, become more confident, make friends and quickly become ready to learn.
• Students benefit from a broad curriculum that meets their needs well. They can now enrol on the recently introduced lower-level programmes in construction and marine technology as well as on a multi-skill programme that includes carpentry and plumbing. Students enjoy the practical training and become more able to make choices about their next steps.
• Almost all teaching and learning inspires and challenges students. Teachers use questioning well to check learning and make effective use of teaching aids; for example, maps, a world globe and chopsticks were used to enable students to learn about Chinese culture. Teachers plan lessons well to stretch students and make good use of information technology to ensure that students are stimulated and engage well with learning.
• Students enjoy learning and almost all make good progress relative to their starting points, developing a range of skills, knowledge and understanding. For example, students develop good skills in keeping rhythms when playing different kinds of drum, using technology to create music from different genres and developing practical carpentry skills. However, a few teachers set targets for students that lack clarity and clear timescales for their achievement. These targets are not broken down into manageable pieces so that students can easily understand when they have achieved them.
• All staff demonstrate positive care for students, who feel supported and valued. They enjoy coming to college and value their learning programmes and work experience. They improve their behaviour and respond well when staff raise concerns about behaviour or attendance. Teachers promote respectful behaviour well and students demonstrate respect towards one another and learn how to take turns when talking with their peers.
• Students take part in good-quality work experience either at the college or externally. They gain good insight into business practices, develop their confidence and gain employability skills and job opportunities. For example, students work in a local bed and breakfast establishment, on a farm, in a nursery setting or as a barista in the college café.
• Managers and staff take safeguarding very seriously and ensure that students are safe and feel safe. Students value the access they have to the ‘inspirations’ room, a quiet space where they can reflect and manage their emotions. Teachers and managers work effectively to promote clear messages about the impact of bullying and discriminatory behaviour. Students understand and appreciate diversity. They respect people’s different beliefs, sexual orientation and culture. Although the majority of students know about the risk associated with radicalisation and extremism, a few students were unable to fully articulate their understanding of these dangers.
• Teachers do not record students’ progress effectively enough. In foundation programmes, comments in personal development plans are mostly descriptive, with limited reference to what students have learned or achieved. As a result, a few students are not always clear about what they have achieved against their targets and what they have to do to improve.

Provider details

Unique reference number 130690 Type of provider General further education college Age range of learners 16–18/19+ Approximate number of all learners over the previous full contract year 6,435 Principal/CEO Di Roberts Telephone number 01590 625552 Website www.brock.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+ 180 167 373 485 2060 125 15 15 Intermediate Advanced Higher 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 101 236 63 188 – 15 Number of traineeships 16–19 19+ Total 16 1 17 Number of learners aged 14 to 16 4 Number of learners for which the provider receives high-needs funding 138 Funding received from: Education Funding Agency, Skills Funding Agency and Higher Education Funding Council for England At the time of inspection, the provider contracts with the following main subcontractors:

None

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

Andy Fitt, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Stewart Jackson Her Majesty’s Inspector Jai Sharda Her Majesty’s Inspector Andrew Kaye Ofsted Inspector Carolyn Brownsea Ofsted Inspector Jo-Ann Henderson Ofsted Inspector Fadia Clarke Ofsted Inspector Catherine Gunn Ofsted Inspector Rebecca Clare Her Majesty’s Inspector Penny Mathers Ofsted Inspector Bob Hamp Her Majesty’s Inspector