Guildford College of Further and Higher Education Ofsted Report

Inspection report: Guildford College Group, 1–5 June 2015

2 of 16

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

 Swiftly raise the standard of teaching, learning and assessment in all subjects so that more learners achieve their qualification. Ensure that teachers and assessors routinely use stimulating activities that challenge and motivate learners and apprentices, including the most capable, and meet all learners’ needs.  Ensure that all learners develop and improve their English and mathematical skills during their courses, and that all teachers integrate the teaching of these subjects routinely and effectively into their lessons and workshops.  Ensure that all teachers and assessors provide clearer and more specific feedback so that all learners know how to improve, and make better and quicker progress.  Provide more effective help and guidance for apprentices, particularly through more regular reviews of their progress. Ensure that assessors focus sharply on setting detailed targets, including for the development of learners’ English and mathematical skills, enabling apprentices to achieve their qualifications successfully within their planned timescales.  Ensure that managers evaluate the quality of teaching, learning and assessment rigorously and accurately through observations, and use the information gathered through this process effectively to develop consistently good standards of teaching across the College Group.

Inspection judgements

Outcomes for learners

Requires improvement  The Guildford College Group offers study programmes for learners aged 16 to 18 at levels 1, 2, and 3 and these make up the majority of the College Group’s provision. Adult learners study at levels 1, 2 and 3 on full- and part-time courses. The College Group offers apprenticeships in a broad range of subject areas and the numbers are increasing; most apprenticeships currently are at intermediate level.  Over the past three years, the proportion of learners who achieved their qualifications was just below that of similar providers. However, in 2013/14 this was significantly below the national rate.  In 2013/14, more learners remained in learning and completed their courses than in previous years, but too few learners aged 16 to 18 achieved their qualifications. Pass rates in horticulture and forestry, construction, and travel and tourism were particularly low.  Adult learners working towards a qualification in English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) and preparation for higher education (HE), and learners with additional support needs preparing to live independently make good progress and achieve their qualifications.  Not enough apprentices and learners who study in the workplace gain their qualifications within the planned timescales. The achievement of learners on subcontracted courses, particularly those studying health and social care and electrical installation, is not good enough.  Attendance and punctuality vary too greatly across the College Group. Attendance is high in information and communication technology (ICT), hospitality and catering and social sciences, but punctuality is poor and attendance too low in other subject areas, for example in construction, sports studies and travel and tourism.  The majority of learners make good progress on their courses, and the standard of learners’ work is high. Most learners develop good skills to prepare them effectively for employment. For example, learners in hospitality prepare high quality dishes to exacting industry standards and, Inspection report: Guildford College Group, 1–5 June 2015

3 of 16

in beauty therapy, learners carry out depilation safely and skilfully having gained the confidence of their clients.  The proportion of learners who successfully complete their functional skills qualifications in English and mathematics at levels 1 and 2 is not high enough. Attendance in these lessons is low and managers’ actions to improve this have led to little improvement to date.  Not enough learners working towards a GCSE qualification in English and mathematics achieve a grade C or above, and too many learners who enter college with grade D in English or mathematics do not progress to GCSE courses sufficiently swiftly.  Learners gain relevant skills that prepare them well for employment. In several vocational areas, for example hairdressing, business studies and floristry, links with employers are good. However, not enough learners at all levels benefit from external work experience and work preparation activities as part of their study programmes.  Managers have not yet ensured that all groups of learners perform as well as each other. For example, those learners with a visual or hearing impairment or with fragile mental health achieve significantly less well than their peers.  A high proportion of learners progress after their courses to the next level of learning. Most college leavers gain employment in jobs that relate closely to their studies, while the remainder move on to higher education, often to prestigious universities.  Learners’ conduct in class and around college is good. They are respectful and supportive of each other and their peers; managers ensure that the College Group is welcoming to all and an inclusive place to study and work. Learners across all three colleges in the group very much enjoy the time they spend at college.

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment

Requires improvement  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment across the College Group requires improvement, which is reflected in low pass rates in several subject areas; this applies particularly to apprentices, too many of whom do not gain their qualifications within the planned timescales.  The College Group offers provision in all 15 subject areas of learning. Inspectors reviewed teaching, learning and assessment in six subject areas that represent a broad range of the courses that the College Group offers to learners. During the inspection, inspectors also observed learning in other subject areas taught in the college and at employers’ premises.  The teaching of English at all levels is not yet at the standard required to ensure that all learners improve their skills in this subject. For example, not all teachers routinely check and improve the accuracy of learners’ written English, by correcting spelling and punctuation and ensuring clarity of expression, in order to promote professional standards.  Not enough learners improve their mathematical skills in everyday lessons. The majority of teachers have recently received well-considered updating and training on techniques to integrate mathematics into their teaching, but learners are yet to receive benefit from this training.  The quality of teachers’ assessment of learning varies too much across the College Group and not enough is good. While many teachers assess work accurately to the required vocational standards, on several courses in all subject areas they do not provide sufficiently specific and detailed written feedback that tells learners how they can improve on their next assignments, or improve work recently completed.  Teachers do not always set targets for learners which provide them with clear steps to achievement which they can readily understand; in the case of apprentices, targets are not precise or detailed enough. As a result, teachers and assessors are not able to measure the progress of learners with sufficient accuracy, or respond quickly when learners make slow progress in their studies. Inspection report: Guildford College Group, 1–5 June 2015

4 of 16

 Not all apprentices receive regular reviews of their progress when they should. When they happen, these progress reviews do not focus sufficiently on the progress apprentices make towards their targets, and towards completing their full qualification.  Teachers’ and assessors’ linking of theory to vocational practice for apprentices is good. For example, vehicle maintenance and repair advanced apprentices demonstrate with expertise their ability to link theory on geometrical angles in vehicle steering equipment to driving performance.  Teachers do not always sufficiently plan for those learners who grasp concepts more slowly. Consequently, the pace of activities is often too quick or the level too high for learners to consolidate their understanding. Not enough teachers provide work that enables capable learners to reach high grades.  Not all teachers across the different subject areas put into practice the training they received to help them improve learners’ understanding of the relevance and importance of equality for everyone. They do not always plan learning sufficiently well to reflect the diversity of the world or life in modern Britain.  Teachers, in planning learning, do not routinely identify the help and activities that would best suit learners who require more help with their learning. Consequently, extra support for learners in class from learning support assistants is not always effective.  Personal support for learners is very good and staff are very adept at helping learners to stay on course. The help provided for vulnerable learners is highly effective. Links with outside agencies provide good specialist assistance promptly, which complements the work of well-trained and committed college support staff. For example, learner mentors provide good support to enable learners to complete their courses.  Learners receive helpful and accurate advice, both before they start and during their time at college. Assessment of learners’ starting points is thorough, and leads to learners starting courses that are right for them. Advanced-level learners receive good academic support and guidance in their tutorials, and very good help and guidance with entry to higher education.  Learners’ participation in activities designed to develop their broader personal development and skills is good; learners enjoy, and benefit from, taking part in the wide range of educational visits. For example, teachers take full advantage of the College Group’s position near to London and good transport links to organise regular and beneficial trips to exhibitions and events.  Teachers are well qualified and experienced, with good up-to-date vocational skills that they use well when planning learning. Learners gain from the experiences of teachers who undertake commercial and industrial placements.  Resources for learning are mostly good. The majority of classrooms are bright and well cared for, and display learners’ work that serves to motivate learners and imbue a sense of pride in their learning.  Learners respond well to the respect and care teachers and other staff give them, and are courteous towards each other.

Health and social care

16-19 study programmes 19+ learning programmes Apprenticeships

Requires improvement

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

 the proportion of apprentices who achieve their qualification is low, and too few complete within the time planned  assessors do not provide enough help for less-able apprentices who fall behind in their studies and do not refer apprentices promptly to the very good central college learning support services Inspection report: Guildford College Group, 1–5 June 2015

5 of 16

 teachers and assessors do not develop learners’ mathematical skills well enough, and learners do not always see the relevance of mathematics to their career aspirations  teachers do not always encourage learners on study programmes to use subject-specific language sufficiently well in their work, and do not focus closely enough on improving learners’ written English skills  a few teachers are not sufficiently skilled in setting and monitoring individual learning targets to challenge and support learners; a small minority of learners make slow progress in their studies.

In health and social care the provider has the following strengths:

 learners value their varied work placements which meet their individual interests and which link industry practice with theory well; for example, learners are able to explain and discuss the particular care to be taken when attending to the personal needs of frail and elderly people  teachers use their good vocational expertise and experience well to plan interesting and relevant learning activities; as a result, learners have an effective understanding of the varied demands of a wide range of clients and care users  Highly skilled and experienced teachers provide good teaching and learning on counselling programmes leading to very good progression onto higher level courses and employment  support for learners aged 16 to 18 on study programmes is good; pastoral and teaching staff work together well to identify quickly learners at risk of not completing their studies, and take action appropriately to help them to remain on their course  teachers provide very effective support for learners in their job and university applications; learners are successful in gaining good jobs and places in prestigious universities and medical schools.

Horticulture and floristry

16-19 study programmes 19+ learning programmes Apprenticeships

Requires improvement

Teaching, learning and assessment in horticulture and floristry require improvement because:

 not enough learners and apprentices achieve their qualification within the time planned  teachers do not monitor the progress learners are making in their studies closely enough; too many learners make slow progress  too few learners achieve employment in their chosen field on completion of their studies  the quality of written feedback on learners’ assessed work is not helpful enough; too few teachers provide good, detailed written feedback or correct spelling, grammatical errors and sentence construction to improve further the quality of learners’ work  teachers and assessors are not sufficiently skilful or focused enough on developing learners’ and apprentices’ skills in using English and mathematics; not enough learners achieve their functional skills qualifications successfully or recognise the value of learning these skills for their future lives and careers.

In horticulture and floristry the provider has the following strengths:

 learners and apprentices develop good vocational skills that prepare them well for employment; they work particularly well in teams, supervising each other to work safely and efficiently  employers provide good job-specific training for apprentices, helping them to work confidently with a wide range of clients on challenging commercial projects; apprentices use technical language very well Inspection report: Guildford College Group, 1–5 June 2015

6 of 16

 learners successfully enter external competitions, such as a renowned international flower show, and perform well; external guest speakers from a wide range of industry disciplines enrich learners’ study experience  many teachers plan learning well and use their recent and relevant industry experience to make learning interesting and thought-provoking; for example, one teacher helped learners evaluate the merits of agricultural pest control and disease management versus methods of organic food production.

Visual arts, media and communications

16-19 study programmes 19+ learning programmes

Good

Teaching, learning and assessment in visual arts, media and communications are good because:

 teachers have high expectations of learners; they plan challenging assignments that successfully extend learners’ awareness of their own abilities, celebrate their cultural heritage well and give learners a good insight into the lives of others  learners are prepared well for the demands of their anticipated professions; productions and assignments reflect employers’ expectations accurately and realistically reflect the nature of work in the arts, media and communications industry  learners acquire suitable skills to progress to higher-level courses at university or into employment  teachers involve all learners in peer assessment so that they all practise making judgements about the work they observe; this maintains their concentration in lessons  learners benefit from good specialist accommodation in media and communications, which enhances their learning and enables them to develop their skills well  curriculum innovation is good, and managers respond quickly and well to requests from learners and employers to extend the choice of programmes offered; for example, an AS programme in architecture was recently introduced in response to demand.

Teaching, learning and assessment in visual arts, media and communications are not yet outstanding because:

 too few learners on vocational courses complete their qualifications successfully; while A-level success rates are high, learners on both academic and vocational courses do not all make good progress from their starting points, and too few achieve high grade passes  not enough learners have the opportunity to put their college-based learning into practice through external, independent work experience  teachers are not adept at developing learners’ English and mathematical skills in everyday lessons.

Foundation English

16-19 study programmes 19+ learning programmes

Inadequate

Teaching, learning and assessment in foundation English are inadequate because:

 too few learners attend their lessons and achieve their qualification; not enough current learners aged 16 to 18 on study programmes are making the required progress to enable them to succeed Inspection report: Guildford College Group, 1–5 June 2015

7 of 16

 not enough teachers have the relevant expertise to meet learners’ varied learning needs; teachers set whole group activities which result in significant numbers of learners either being bored because the work is not demanding enough, or bored because it is too difficult  the majority of teachers do not relate tasks and activities in English well enough to the vocational qualifications learners are working towards, and do not include key technical vocabulary to consolidate learners’ skills  teachers do not use the results of assessments of learning to inform future planning, and to ensure all learners improve their skills; as a result, not all learners study at a suitably challenging level  in too many cases, teachers do not plan adequately to make best use of learning support staff; teachers do not share enough information with support staff to enable them to help learners improve their skills  tutorials do not take place in a suitably private environment to enable an in-depth discussion between tutors and learners of the difficulties learners face that may make it hard for them to attend regularly  teachers set learning targets for learners which are too broad for them to know exactly what they need to work on to improve; frequently, teachers do not set dates for completing work, or set dates which allow too much time and thus do not drive swift progress in learning  teachers do not correct mistakes in written work well enough  too often during discussions and small group work, teachers allow more vocal learners to dominate learning at the expense of quieter, more reflective learners.

In foundation English the provider has the following strengths:

 teachers use games well to motivate learners and encourage learners to communicate effectively.

English for speakers of other languages (ESOL)

16-19 study programmes 19+ learning programmes

Good

Teaching, learning and assessment in ESOL are good because;

 the proportion of learners who successfully complete their qualifications is high; learners develop good language skills and, consequently, make good progress  learners communicate with greater confidence and accuracy; for example, they are able to discuss their children’s welfare with their schoolteachers, and communicate more effectively with their supervisors in their places of work  skilled and experienced teachers interest learners swiftly in well-planned learning, helping them to improve their language usage with care and precision; for example, learners were able to write a synopsis of a film they watched together using newly-identified vocabulary  teachers establish learners’ starting points effectively, and track their learning closely; learners benefit from good, systematic correction of common errors and receive helpful verbal and written feedback to improve their skills  learners enjoy their studies and participate with enthusiasm and enjoyment  teachers value learners’ diversity, often using their experience to enhance the content of chosen topics; for example, they identify healthy eating habits and relate these to food commonly consumed around the world and in Britain  managers have established a good network of well-trained volunteers who provide help to learners with their studies; volunteers coach learners effectively, helping them to develop further their spelling, pronunciation and grammar. Inspection report: Guildford College Group, 1–5 June 2015

8 of 16

Teaching, learning and assessment in ESOL are not yet outstanding because:

 managers have not been successful in improving the low attendance of learners  a small minority of teachers do not use learning technology well to enable learners to extend their learning effectively beyond the classroom or learn at a faster pace  not enough learners benefit from impartial and effective careers advice and guidance to enable them to progress into employment or vocational learning.

Independent living and leisure skills

19+ learning programmes

Good

Teaching, learning and assessment in independent living and leisure skills are good because:

 a high proportion of learners achieve their qualifications, and improve their personal, social and employability skills well; learners are punctual, and make good progress  programmes are well designed, particularly those leading to vocational and work-related outcomes; learners enjoy beneficial and relevant work experience with external employers  skilled teachers plan learning well with a good focus on specific learning targets in independent life skills for every learner; learners understand clearly what they need to do in order to improve  teachers skilfully manage discussions with learners who, at times, display different forms of challenging behaviour; learners develop good listening and speaking skills, for example speaking confidently when presenting their research on holiday destinations to their peers, and demonstrate consideration and respect for others in conversation  teachers focus very well on developing the ability of learners to make choices so that they become more confident in their decision-making, for example when considering healthy lunch options within a budget; learners increasingly participate in residential courses and local visits  teachers give good verbal feedback to learners, who become more confident in their learning; teachers correct spelling mistakes and discuss vocabulary well, using praise effectively to maintain learners’ motivation and interest  teachers and staff support learners very well; they use the results of structured, extended initial assessments of learners’ skills and needs to plan well-targeted in-class support, which encourages and helps learners to achieve their full potential  additional support from speech and language therapists and occupational therapists contributes substantially to learners’ welfare and progress, and learners benefit from good transition arrangements between school and college.

Teaching, learning and assessment in independent living and leisure skills are not yet outstanding because:

 interactive learning technologies are not always available to meet the needs of learners who need visual images to understand fully, and to extend and reinforce their learning; learners do not always have sufficient opportunity to practise their skills for living in a digital age  individual learning targets in English and mathematics are not sufficiently detailed, measurable and precise; learners do not make good enough progress in practising and improving their English and mathematical skills  learners do not benefit from sufficiently realistic domestic facilities to enable them to practise the essential housekeeping routines and skills they need for future independence.

Inspection report: Guildford College Group, 1–5 June 2015

9 of 16

The effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement  Since the previous inspection, leaders and managers have not made the progress they should in improving the quality of teaching and learning and in ensuring that all learners complete their qualifications. Outcomes for learners have remained stubbornly below those of similar providers and the quality of teaching, learning and assessment varies too much across the College Group.  Leaders and managers promote successfully the College Group’s clear vision, mission and values, and its key priorities focus well on meeting the needs of local communities. The three colleges of the Guildford College Group work well together, exploiting their specialist expertise, for example in land-based studies, to meet the needs of their communities.  Communications are good. Staff value the way the Principal makes himself accessible across all three colleges, the way he keeps in touch with them, and his frank updates about the College Group and its work and future.  Leaders and managers have worked to tackle successfully serious financial issues for the college, and are making good progress with the implementation of the financial recovery plan.  A new chairman of governors and other highly-qualified governors monitor and evaluate rigorously the College Group’s finances and its work and effectiveness. They work closely with the Principal and senior managers, providing good challenge and support. The work of the curriculum and standards committee is rigorous in its scrutiny of learning.  The Principal has recently created a new senior management team to tackle the areas for improvement. Senior managers know what they must do to improve teaching and learning and outcomes for learners. However, their actions to improve the teaching of English and mathematics have not yet led to improved test and examination results; the teaching and assessment of apprentices, although improving, is not yet good enough; and quality improvement arrangements for the college’s subcontractors are not yet sufficiently robust to bring about rapid and sustained improvement.  Managers’ review of course performance is good and their recently improved use of data effectively measures learners’ progress in their studies. Leaders and managers make particularly good use of the views of learners in working to improve the quality of learners’ time at college. However, managers’ judgements about the quality of teaching, learning and assessment they observe in lessons are often too generous, and not sufficiently realistic about the impact of teaching on learners’ progress.  Managers have improved their use of performance management arrangements, including the outcomes of observations of teaching and learning, to raise the quality of learning and to support, and where necessary remove, poor teachers and managers. Teachers benefit from good training and development to improve their practice. However, these actions have not yet led to a consistently good standard of teaching across all parts of the College Group.  The College Group offers a particularly broad and responsive range of courses, both for further and higher education. Managers pay very good attention to the needs of their communities and to the particular specialisms they can offer in planning their curriculum and study programmes.  Leaders and managers ensure that the College Group’s very good partnerships promote the best interests of learners. The College Group is at the heart of many local initiatives to promote education and training and to meet the needs of business and employers. For example, it provides a comprehensive range of courses to meet the needs of the local construction industry and qualifications in countryside management. It also has partnerships with universities that promote progression into higher education. The College Group works particularly closely with employers and with local enterprise partnerships (LEPS).  Leaders, managers and staff promote social and educational inclusion very well; this theme is at the heart of the College Group’s work. Learners work in a positive learning environment that celebrates the diversity of life in modern Britain well. Leaders and managers promote tolerance, the advancement of equality and the celebration of diversity effectively. Inspection report: Guildford College Group, 1–5 June 2015

10 of 16

 The safeguarding of all learners is very good. Safeguarding is central to the life of the College Group; learners feel, and are, very safe. Leaders, managers and staff work in very good partnership with local agencies to ensure that the many vulnerable learners at college experience the highest levels of safety and care.  Work with schools ensures the safe transition of Year 11 pupils to the College Group. Frequent and regular training and updating ensure that staff and governors’ very good understanding of safeguarding continues to be enhanced. The College Group identifies potential dangers well to learners who might be at risk of radicalisation and extremism, and has effective measures in place. Inspection report: Guildford College Group, 1–5 June 2015

11 of 16

Record of Main Findings (RMF) The Guildford College Group

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

llarevO

3 3 3 3

noisivorp emit-trap 61-41

- - - -

noisivorp emit-lluf 61-41

- - - -

semmargorp yduts 91-61

3 3 3 3

semmargorp gnnrael i+91 i sphseenarT i

- - - - 3 3 3 3

i sphsecitnerppA

3 4 3 3

ytililbayopmE

- - - -

i gnnrael ytinummoC

- - - -

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

Health and social care Horticulture and forestry Visual arts 3 3 2 Media and communication 2 Foundation English English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) Independent living and leisure skills 4 2 2

Inspection report: Guildford College Group, 1–5 June 2015

12 of 16

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

6,967

Principal/CEO

M. J. Potter CBE

Date of previous inspection

June 2009

Website address

www.guildford.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 Number of traineeships Number of learners aged 14-16 Full-time Part-time Number of community learners Number of employability learners Funding received from At the time of inspection the provider contracts with the following main subcontractors:

16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 232 529 665 2,550 1,741 437 - 16

Intermediate Advanced Higher

16-18 19+ 16-18 246 280 75 19+ 216 16-18 19+ - -

16-19 - 19+ - Total - - - - - -

Soccer Coaching Ltd Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) Education Funding Agency and Skills Funding Agency

    

First for Training Italia Conti Learning Curve Inspection report: Guildford College Group, 1–5 June 2015

13 of 16

Contextual information

The Guildford College Group is the largest college of further and higher education in Surrey and one of the largest employers in the Guildford area, comprising three colleges each with its own distinct curriculum offer. Farnham Sixth Form College provides sixth form provision in A- and AS-level qualifications; Guildford College offers a broad range of further education programmes including access to higher education (HE) provision; and Merrist Wood College provides land-based provision with residential accommodation. The proportion of learners from a minority ethnic background studying at the college is higher than the proportion of residents in Surrey from such backgrounds. Achievement of five GCSE grades A* to C, including English and mathematics, by learners in Surrey is substantially higher than that found nationally.

Information about this inspection

Lead inspector

Julie Steele HMI Four of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and six additional inspectors, assisted by the vice-principal curriculum and quality as nominee, carried out the inspection with short notice. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. Inspectors also used data on learners’ achievements over the last three years to help them make judgements. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, telephone calls and online questionnaires to gather the views of learners and employers; these views are reflected throughout the report. They observed learning sessions, assessments and progress reviews. The inspection took into account all relevant provision at the provider. Inspectors looked at the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across all of the provision and graded the sector subject areas listed in the report above. Inspection report: Guildford College Group, 1–5 June 2015

14 of 16

Inspection report: Guildford College Group, 1–5 June 2015

15 of 16

What inspection judgements mean

Grade

Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4

Judgement

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