Coventry College Ofsted Report

Full report

Information about the provider

• Henley College is one of three general further education (GFE) colleges in the city of Coventry. Across the city, a number of schools have sixth form provision. The college provides full- and part-time vocational education and training across a wide range of subjects and levels. Enrolments are evenly split between the study programme and adult learning. The majority of courses are at levels 1 and 2.
• The proportion of pupils in Coventry who gain five or more A* to C grades at GCSE, including English and mathematics, is below the national rate. The proportion of people in Coventry aged 16 and over with no formal qualifications is almost twice the national rate. Over a third of the college’s learners come from a minority ethnic heritage.

What does the provider need to do to improve further?

• Managers should improve teaching, learning and assessment further, by:
  • ensuring that all teachers set clearly defined targets for learners and apprentices that give them specific actions to help them improve the knowledge, skills and understanding required for their programme of study
  • ensuring that all teachers use the information they have about learners’ existing skills and abilities to plan lessons that meet their needs, including those of the most able
  • improving teaching in English and mathematics by ensuring that learners’ specific skills gaps are identified and tackled
  • ensuring that the evaluation of teaching and learning focuses more on the progress that learners make and the standards of work they produce
  • ensuring that feedback to learners is more consistently useful in guiding learners to improve their progress and development
  • improving learners’ attendance and punctuality in English and mathematics lessons.
• Ensure that governors are more challenging and decisive in following up the actions of leaders to improve outcomes and teaching, learning and assessment.
• Reinforce with learners their understanding of the risks of radicalisation and extremism, so this is more consistently secure.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Senior leaders, managers and governors have made the college a respected institution that works for the community and that helps local people to improve their lives through education. However, they have not been able to translate these high ambitions into high enough outcomes for learners.
• Leaders and managers have made sound progress in implementing the recommendations from the previous inspection, such as developing the provision for apprenticeships. However, actions taken to raise the achievement rates of all learners have not been as successful.
• Leaders and managers have not been able to improve the teaching of English and mathematics quickly enough, or to implement the strategy for English and mathematics adequately to ensure that all learners develop good skills in these subjects and achieve their qualifications.
• Leaders have not tackled with sufficient rigour the variability in the quality and effectiveness of teaching, learning and assessment. Quality improvement processes, which include self-assessment and observing teachers assessing and teaching learners, although identifying positive practices, have not led to sufficient improvements in assessment, target setting and planning activities that cater for the differing abilities of learners.
• Regular and engaging continuous professional development enthuses teachers and enables them to improve their skills. It is closely linked to performance management and the system of observing teaching and learning. However, the range of activities has not focused sufficiently on helping teachers to develop strategies to improve the progress that learners make.
• Leaders and managers have made good progress in planning the curriculum to meet local priorities. For example, they have expanded their engineering curriculum and apprenticeship provision in line with the LEP priorities. Using information about the jobs and skills needed to enable businesses to grow, leaders and managers have developed suitable courses in pharmacy and worked with the local National Health Service to provide courses in health and care.
• Managers have forged very strong partnerships with local bodies including professional sports clubs. This has enabled them to provide relevant programmes for learners, many of whom have poor experience of education and few educational qualifications. Learners at risk of offending benefit greatly from a successful sports programme with local football and rugby clubs.
• Leaders and managers have overseen the provision of effective careers advice and guidance, ensuring that learners receive relevant and helpful information that enables them to make knowledgeable choices about their next steps.
• Through leaders’ prudent and careful planning, learners enjoy, and use productively, good, up-to-date resources to support learning such as the new ‘Learning Hub’. Leaders’, managers’ and teachers’ positive actions have ensured that learners behave respectfully and different groups of learners work cohesively with each other.
• Leaders and managers advocate keenly and strongly the importance of tolerance, respect for difference and equality of opportunity among all staff and learners. They give excellent support to initiatives to promote good understanding of diversity across the college.
• Leaders and managers monitor the progress of different groups of learners effectively but their actions to hasten the progress of learners from groups who achieve less well than others have not been successful in all cases.

The governance of the provider

• Governors have not provided effective challenge to secure sufficient improvements in teaching, learning and assessment and outcomes for learners promptly enough.
• Governors have overseen a sensitively managed restructuring of the college and maintain a strong oversight and control of finances. They ask relevant and insightful questions about the performance of learners and teachers as a result of receiving regular reports on strategy and overall college performance.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Safeguarding procedures are well considered and up to date; training for staff is current and takes account of the latest guidance and priorities. They understand how to keep learners safe and the importance of ensuring that learners know how to protect themselves from the risks of radicalisation.
• Learners feel safe and know where to go if they need help or support in case of bullying or harassment. Leaders and managers make sure that staff receive training on their responsibilities within the ‘Prevent’ duty and that through the ‘Aspire’ programme they promote understanding of fundamental British values. However, the extent to which learners fully understand the risks of extremist behaviour and radicalisation is too variable.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is not yet consistently good across the range of subjects, levels and provision types; too many learners do not make the progress of which they are capable. Weak practice exists in English, science, graphics, computing and engineering; whereas in business, beauty and public services, it is more effective.
• Teachers’ expectations of the standard of learners’ work are not consistently high enough. Too often, the pace of learning in lessons is slow and teachers set unambitious tasks that do not result in learners making rapid progress. Teachers do not extend the learning of the most able learners because they frequently miss opportunities to ask challenging questions and to elicit more detailed and developed responses.
• In too many lessons, teachers do not use the detailed information arising from assessment of learners’ starting points to meet the full range of learners’ skills and abilities. When any specific needs are identified, teachers do not consistently ensure that support is in place to remove barriers to learning. For example, adult learners with English as an additional language who are studying mathematics are not consistently given enough support with their language development to ensure they can make the progress expected of them.
• On study programmes and adult learning programmes, assessment practice requires improvement. Teachers’ strategies to check and consolidate learning in lessons are too often superficial, which means that they do not identify and address promptly learners’ misconceptions. However, apprentices benefit from more effective assessment, which takes place regularly, and which gives them a good understanding of the progress they are making.
• The feedback adult that learners and those on study programmes receive about their work is too variable in quality. Written feedback on assignments is often positive and encouraging but does not provide learners with clear action points, so that they do not know how they can make improvements to their work. Teachers do not correct errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation rigorously enough to enable learners to know how to improve. The targets that teachers set for learners frequently lack precision and ambition. Apprentices receive more effective feedback that leads to improvement in the standard of their work.
• The majority of teaching, learning and assessment in English and mathematics is weak. Strategies designed to raise standards in these areas are yet to have an impact. As a result, learners and apprentices make insufficient progress in improving their English and mathematics skills. In both subjects, teachers do not identify and rectify learners’ skills gaps appropriately. In English lessons, teachers do not develop the learners’ written skills adequately. In other lessons, teachers attempt to develop learners’ English and mathematics skills but are not consistently successful because they do not challenge learners sufficiently to improve.
• Teachers and assessors use their industry expertise well to help learners and apprentices develop strong employability skills and their understanding of the workplace. In engineering, hair and beauty, public services, catering, and sport, staff raise learners’ career aspirations by providing helpful advice, using their links with professionals and by acting as role models to inspire and motivate learners and apprentices to plan carefully their future progression. Learners enjoy, and are fully engaged by, the activities in practical classes, which develop their occupational skills for the world of work.
• Learners benefit from excellent learning facilities. The college’s ‘Learning Hub’ provides a vibrant and lively place of study where learners take part in a wide range of initiatives to promote the development of their study skills. Particularly impressive is the emphasis tutors place on encouraging learners to develop their English skills by reading more fiction; for example, ‘a blind date with a book’ was very successful.
• Since the previous inspection, a wide range of professional development strategies has generated an ethos of collaboration, mutual support and enthusiasm among teachers for improving the experience of their learners. However, these actions have not yet had sufficient impact because college managers focus too much on the process of teaching and do not robustly evaluate the progress that learners make in lessons or the standard of their work.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

• Learners’ attendance in lessons was low in 2015 and did not meet college targets. Managers have put strategies in place to improve attendance in the current year which have been reasonably successful. However, attendance in English and mathematics classes is low for adults on entry and level 1 courses and punctuality in English and mathematics on study programme courses is poor.
• Learners’ development of English and mathematics skills is weak across both the study programme and adult provision. In apprenticeship provision, assessors develop well apprentices’ English and mathematics during assessment visits.
• Managers are aware of the need to improve the proportion of learners who undertake external work experience on study programmes. In 2015/16, the proportion of learners who undertook work experience increased substantially. Managers have set a further increase as a target for the current year.
• Adult learners on entry and level 1 programmes do not develop their basic study skills well enough and lack the confidence to develop independent learning skills, which hinders their prospects of making progress according to their potential. Adult courses at levels 2 and level 3 develop learners’ employability skills well.
• Too many apprentices’ individual learning plans do not include targets to meet their identified personal development needs. Assessors do not encourage apprentices sufficiently to develop the personal and social skills which they will need to succeed in their employment.
• Teachers promote high standards of behaviour; a positive atmosphere of respect and tolerance across the college exists among learners and apprentices. Learners behave well in lessons and are polite and respectful to both their teachers and fellow learners. They feel safe and know whom to contact if they have any concerns.
• An effective range of activities and enrichment opportunities are on offer to learners and a few apprentices that develop them socially, culturally and morally. Learners speak very positively about, and benefit from, the college’s ‘Social Centre’, which promotes a wide variety of support services, as well as leading innovative and engaging initiatives relating to health, equality, diversity, leadership and current affairs. For example, learners who take part in the regular debating club develop their thinking skills, their confidence and their maturity because of their participation in discussions about topics such as same-sex marriage and racism in literature.
• Careers guidance for learners is thorough. Staff provide parents with detailed information about the study programme and college life. Staff provide information, advice and guidance to support adult learners on level 3 programmes with regular trips to universities, employer visits and talks. These prepare learners well for their next steps. Advice and guidance for apprentices are effective.

Outcomes for learners Requires improvement

• The proportion of learners who successfully complete their programme has declined since the previous inspection. In 2015/16, achievements for learners on study programmes improved and those for adults remained the same as in previous years. Both were still below national rates.
• A low proportion of learners successfully complete their study programme at level 1. The proportion of learners who successfully completed their programme at level 2 improved substantially in 2015/16. While level 3 learners achieve in line with the national rate, the proportion who make the progress expected, given their prior qualifications, is low.
• Learners’ achievements in different subject areas are too variable. Study programme learners succeed less well in health and social care, information and communication technology, hairdressing and beauty therapy, and arts and media. By contrast, learners studying engineering, sports and leisure or business, administration and management succeed well.
• Similarly, adult learners who undertake courses in arts and foundation learning have poor achievement rates, but those taking awards, access to higher education and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) courses succeed well.
• Too few learners undertaking English and mathematics functional skills or GCSE, as part of their study programme or adult programme, successfully complete their course. The proportion of those attaining high grades in English and mathematics is very low, apart from adults taking GCSE mathematics. The proportion of study programme learners who successfully complete their vocational qualification is in line with national rates.
• The proportion of apprentices successfully achieving their qualification, both overall and within agreed timescales, has declined over the last two years and is below national rates. Those who are aged over 24 have consistently achieved less well than other apprentices; female apprentices do not achieve as well as male apprentices. The new cohort of apprentices is making good progress in the early stages of their programme.
• Managers monitor the performance of different groups well. For study programme and adult learners, the performance gap between males and females shows no consistent pattern. Most ethnic groups, apart from those of mixed ethnicity, achieve better than White British learners do. Learners with learning disabilities and/or difficulties, on both the study programme and adult provision, achieve slightly less well than other learners. Children looked after succeed better than the college average. However, learners in receipt of free school meals do not succeed in line with the college average.
• The proportion of learners who progress within the college to a higher level of study requires improvement. The majority of learners receive good advice on their next steps and most learners who leave the college progress onto positive destinations, mainly into employment. Most apprentices progress into sustained employment.

Types of provision

16 to 19 study programmes

Requires improvement

• Around 1,300 learners aged 16 to 18 follow study programmes in a range of vocational subject areas. The greatest numbers of learners are on engineering, health and social care, science, sport, leisure and recreation study programmes. Learners study from entry level to level 3 programmes.
• In too many lessons, learners do not make the progress expected of them. In these lessons, teachers do not challenge learners enough to develop higher-order thinking skills, such as analysis and evaluation. Too often teachers make insufficient checks on learners’ learning and consequently they do not identify and address gaps in their knowledge and understanding.
• Target setting for learners is not consistently good. In too many subject areas, teachers set targets which are insufficiently challenging and do not support learners to develop their skills and knowledge. A few teachers do not regularly review targets with their learners to measure the progress they are making.
• The written feedback teachers provide on assignment work is too variable and so requires improvement. In some subjects, for example sport, public services and applied science, feedback is detailed, specific and enables learners to improve. In other areas, feedback is often limited to superficial comments that do not enable learners to make the progress expected of them.
• Learners progress too slowly in developing their English and mathematics skills in vocational lessons. The activities that learners complete are often too basic and do not regularly build on their prior knowledge. Vocational teachers do not routinely mark and correct learners’ written work for English and mathematics. Teachers often do not annotate spelling, grammar and numerical errors on written work and as a result, too many learners do not learn and make the expected progress in developing their literacy and numeracy skills.
• Learners’ practical work in engineering, hospitality, beauty therapy, and media make-up is of a good standard. Learners engage enthusiastically in lessons and are well motivated to learn. They work with focus and purpose. They develop strong vocationally relevant technical skills and competence. Teachers promote health and safety in workshops, kitchens and beauty salon environments well. Learners wear personal protective clothing and understand the potential hazards and risks in the workshop areas. They know how to keep themselves safe and use safely machinery and equipment related to their vocational work.
• Although attendance in many lessons is good, punctuality in English and mathematics lessons requires improvement. Learners behave well in lessons. They are polite and respectful to both their teachers and peers. In public services, sport, beauty therapy and hospitality, learners wear their uniforms with pride. This raises their professional standards and promotes their employability skills.
• Learners participate fully in a wide range of work-related activities that effectively develop their employability skills and prepare them for progression to the world of work. For example, curriculum vitae writing, mock interviews, mentoring, and team building and presentation skills during enterprise week. However, there is too little external work experience provision for learners on study programmes. Learners on childcare, health and social care, sport, and travel and tourism courses benefit from external, vocationally relevant work experience with an employer. However, in a few subject areas, there are limited arrangements for the provision of external vocationally relevant work experience.
• Learners participate in a wide range of enrichment activities that successfully develop their personal and social skills. For example, sport, community clubs, celebrating international awareness days and competitions. Learners participate enthusiastically in a range of activities designed to promote British values that deepen their knowledge and understanding.

Adult learning programmes Requires improvement

• Over 1,500 adults are currently enrolled on courses. Nearly half of these learners are studying on English, mathematics and language courses at entry and level 1 with the rest enrolling on part-time level 2 or 3 vocational courses. About 150 learners undertake access courses in health, information technology, science and social sciences. A small minority join vocational study programmes such as in travel and tourism.
• Too many learners make slow progress in developing English, mathematics and language skills. In too many instances, teachers do not use information gained from initial assessment about the gaps in learners’ skills to prioritise their learning needs. In a few lessons, learners work on the same tasks regardless of their ability. Teachers do not challenge the most able learners well enough, and others struggle to understand. Too often, teachers do not set clear objectives or plan activities well enough so that learners have time to practise their skills.
• Standards of work are not consistently good in English, mathematics and language classes. Teachers do not routinely model and reinforce accurate speech patterns or correct pronunciation; feedback on written work is often not effective enough to challenge the most able learners to extend their skills. In mathematics classes, teachers take little account of learners’ previous mathematical knowledge in providing sufficiently challenging work. The standard of learners’ work on level 3 programmes is good, particularly in access courses.
• On entry and level 1 courses, teachers do not consistently set learners clear individual targets so that they can monitor their progress, take responsibility for their own learning and develop independent learning skills.
• Learners on level 2 and 3 courses develop their personal, social and employability skills very effectively. Learners gain confidence in directing their own learning. They develop valuable skills to research, debate and make effective use of the college’s virtual learning environment and its associated mobile phone app to further independent study; they make good progress in their studies. The majority successfully progress to university.
• Leaders and managers use local labour market information and partnerships well to design a relevant adult curriculum. The college links with Jobcentre Plus to provide employability programmes for the long-term unemployed. These lead directly to employment opportunities, for example in warehouse and security services.
• Higher-level professional courses such as catering, human resource management and accounting cater for local demand in these sectors. Additionally, bespoke level 2 and 3 courses such as sports coaching provide flexible, intensive learning which enables unemployed, disengaged learners to become motivated and develop essential skills such as good timekeeping, confidence and initiative.
• Learners receive good support in planning and funding their learning programmes. The majority of learners have very clear aspirations. They make effective use of the information and advice services to take advantage of financial support and follow the most appropriate learning route to progress towards their chosen careers.

Apprenticeships Requires improvement

• The college has 340 apprentices currently on programme, of whom 312 are intermediate-level, and the remainder advanced-level apprentices. Most intermediate apprentices are aged 16 to 18. The majority of apprentices are on business administration, team-leading, engineering, and health and social care programmes.
• Apprentices recently recruited to the programme are making good progress. However, many others will complete their apprenticeship late because of slow progress in 2015/16. Apprentices’ achievement of functional skills has been low. The cross-college management of the apprenticeship programme, although recently improved, has yet to have a full impact on the quality of the learners’ experience.
• Managers do not place sufficient emphasis on well-planned and high-quality teaching to support apprentices’ learning. As a result, apprentices are left to find information on their own with little support. However, assessors provide effective coaching for apprentices in the workplace with frequent visits that are dictated by the pace at which the apprentices wish to learn. Sessions in the workplace are productive with apprentices developing their vocational skills well and becoming more skilful and confident in their job roles.
• Targets set by assessors have too much focus on short-term tasks and assessment activities in the workplace. Targets do not reflect sufficiently the work that apprentices do at college, in English, mathematics and theory sessions.
• Most assessors use a good range of assessment methods and make effective use of digital recording; they encourage learners to explain and demonstrate their knowledge in great depth. Apprentices confidently use the e-portfolio system, which helps them to be aware of their progress so far and the target dates for completion of each qualification. Apprentices are enthusiastic, enjoy their learning, and understand how it enhances their employability skills.
• Apprentices benefit from highly experienced and expert assessors and college tutors who are supportive and responsive to their needs. Assessors ensure that apprentices’ English skills are continually improving through detailed marking and constructive feedback. They pay careful attention to spelling, grammar and punctuation. However, they do not reinforce mathematical skills as well as English skills in the workplace.
• Verbal and written feedback provides apprentices with a very clear idea of what they can do to improve their work. Standards of work are good and well presented. Work includes good use of professional and technical language.
• Strong employer collaboration means that learners feel very well supported. Line managers regularly spend time participating in reviews and in talking to assessors. Managers provide programmes to meet local priorities and they have worked successfully with local employers to ensure the college’s planning meets their current and future needs. Careers advice and guidance are effectively assisting apprentices with their career decisions. Around a quarter of intermediate apprentices are moving into full-time permanent employment as they move onto advanced apprenticeships.
• Apprentices are working in safe environments and their knowledge of health and safety is regularly reinforced. However, assessors do not introduce and develop effectively enough apprentices’ knowledge of safeguarding, equality and diversity and British values.

Provider details

Unique reference number 130472 Type of provider General further education college Age range of learners Approximate number of all learners over the previous full contract year 14+ 4,183 Principal/CEO Ray Goy Telephone number 0247 662 6300 Website www.henley-cov.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+ 266 452 533 463 673 574 26 130 Intermediate Advanced Higher 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 122 144 33 104 - - 16–19 - 19+ - Total - Number of traineeships Number of learners aged 14 to 16 Number of learners for which the provider receives high-needs funding - - Funding received from: Education Funding Agency and Skills Funding Agency At the time of inspection, the provider contracts with the following main subcontractors: -

Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the vice principal, standards and learning, 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

William Baidoe-Ansah, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Peter Green Cheryl Pennington Margaret Garai Anne Ashworth Tony Day Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector