Wilberforce College Ofsted Report

Inspection report: Wilberforce College 28 April to 01 May 2015. 2 of 16

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

 Plan tasks and activities for students to complete in lessons and independently that take account of their different abilities and ensure the most able acquire and practise the knowledge and skills needed to produce higher standards of work.  Use the data on students’ prior achievement more carefully to set clear and aspirational targets that help motivate students to achieve their full potential.  Share existing good practice in teaching, learning and assessment between teachers and assessors to increase the proportion of outstanding teaching. Support teachers to develop teaching and learning strategies so that more students achieve their full potential and make excellent progress. Ensure managers monitor the effectiveness of teaching, learning and assessment strategies that teachers use to help students achieve their targets.  Extend the range of work-related activities and external work-experience opportunities so that more students develop employability skills.  Strengthen the arrangements to monitor attendance and provide support and challenge to students so that they attend more regularly and realise their full potential.  Monitor the rigour of subject-level self-assessment so that areas for improvement are identified accurately and link clearly to the college quality improvement plan.  Sustain the improvement in success rates and improve the provision where it is not yet good by continuing to rigorously monitor performance and intervene where necessary.

Inspection judgements

Outcomes for learners Good

 The college provides study programmes across a range of subject areas for students aged 16 to 19. The vast majority of students are aged 16 to 18 on full-time programmes. More than three quarters of students are studying on advanced- level programmes with the remaining students studying on intermediate- and foundation-level courses. Just over three quarters of advanced- level students are studying a vocational course as part of their programme of study, with the remainder on exclusively AS- and A-level courses.  Since the last inspection, the proportion of students achieving their qualification has risen, and is now high. The success rates have improved over the last three years to such an extent that they are in line with the national rate for similar colleges. This impressive improvement is evident for all key programmes of study for students aged 16 to 18 including on AS, A level and level 1, 2, and 3 vocational courses.  The high level of completion is particularly evident for AS, A level and level 3 vocational students.  Success rates are high in the large majority of subject areas. Although a few subjects have not improved at the same rate as others. For example, success rates require improvement on the level 3 in children’s play, learning, and development and on the level 2 in media.  Retention rates for students on two year advanced-level vocational programmes have significantly improved and fewer students leave the college between the first year and second year of their course. Retention rates for the small number of 19+ students in the last year were low as too many students left early; however, this has significantly improved in the current year.  Leaders and managers have taken action to improve underperforming AS, A2 level, and vocational courses. As a result, retention rates have increased in the current year to above that for similar colleges and the majority of students are expected to achieve. Managers have

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established rigorous monitoring systems that are used very effectively; as a result, students’ progress is now good. In many classes a high proportion of students are on track to achieve grades above their minimum target grade.  Many more students make good or better progress on their courses than at the time of the previous inspection. Students make at least the expected progress in relation to their starting points and in the majority of subjects, it is now good. Level 3 vocational students often make excellent progress on their courses and A-level students overall make good progress. The development of students’ English and mathematical skills in lessons is good in most subjects. In response to the introduction of study programmes, leaders and managers have increased the number of students studying for GSCEs in English and mathematics. Two thirds of students achieve grade C or above in their GCSE English, which is better than similar colleges and the number of students who achieve a grade C in GCSE mathematics is in line with similar colleges. Students’ success rates in foundation English were low at the last inspection. The proportion of students who achieve functional skills in English and mathematics at levels 1, although improved still remains low.  Attendance is low. The strategies that managers have introduced and the very good support provided to students is starting to improve attendance when compared to last year; however, it requires further improvement.  Students benefit from the wider aspects of their study programmes. They participate in a variety of suitable activities to prepare them for work including interview practice, careers fairs, and business challenges. The varied enrichment programme enables students to gain the wider skills that they will need as they move to the next stage in their lives.  As part of their study programme, approximately one third of 16−18-year-old students extend their learning through work-experience opportunities this requires improvement. Leaders and managers are aware of the need to improve this and are working hard to increase work-experience opportunities to ensure that more students are able to access external work placements.  Students’ work is often good or better and they develop skills that they can apply to their current study and future employment. For example, vocational students in hairdressing develop technical and customer care skills in the hairdressing salon at the college. Many students come to the college with low levels of prior attainment and aspirations and they are supported well to develop their confidence and employability skills.  Managers monitor the performance of different student groups and these show no significant gaps. There is no significant difference in achievement between male and female students, those from minority ethnic backgrounds, or those who declare a disability.  The large majority of students apply to higher education and successfully obtain a place at their first-choice university. The courses that they go on to study match well to their initial goals and ambitions. A small proportion of students progress straight into employment or to apprenticeships. In every case, students benefit from the comprehensive and specialist guidance that they receive from staff. College managers have been very successful in monitoring the destination of every student who left the college in the previous academic year.  Students behave well in lessons and around the college. They take pride in studying at the college and feel very safe. Managers ensure that the college provides an inclusive culture where students’ respect for each other is evident.

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Inspectors looked in depth at teaching, learning, and assessment in health and social care, science and mathematics, information and communication technology (ICT), media and communications, and English, as a representative sample of the college’s curriculum.  Teaching, learning, and assessment are consistently good, enabling the large majority of students to achieve their qualification. Teachers plan challenging tasks that help students

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prepare for examinations or further enhance their knowledge and skills. Students become more confident in their abilities to achieve higher grades and achieve their qualification or to progress to employment and further study.  Teachers devise stimulating ways of encouraging students to revise. For example, psychology students consolidate their revision by recording what they know about the language development of chimpanzees through an imaginatively planned, interactive learning activity. Students copy the summaries on to their I-phones as a further aid to their revision.  Dance students energetically enjoy the wide range of activities that encourage them to stretch both their bodies and their minds. They lead physical warm-up activities in imaginatively planned sessions which provide them with opportunities to devise and practise movements in a range of cultural styles and then think and write about what they have created in their learning logs. Learning is effective through the teacher’s meticulous attention to planning all elements of learning including the starter activity, pace of learning, the range of skills, peer and self-assessment which all keep students engaged and committed to their studies.  The more successful teachers in science, mathematics, health, social care, ICT, and media use technology creatively to make lessons more interesting, using video streaming and the college’s virtual learning environment (VLE) to encourage students to work outside of classes. All students benefit from good facilities and studying in a positive learning environment. A small minority of teachers make insufficiently imaginative use of technology and its use adds no value to the topic or focus of learning.  Teachers have good information on students’ prior attainment and most use this well to plan lessons to meet individual needs. However, in a minority of lessons, teachers make too little use of information available about students’ abilities. This often results in work that is too easy for the more able students, Extension activities are poorly paced and insufficiently stimulating to develop students’ deeper understanding and learning and this hinders their rate of progress.  Assessment practice is good and teachers use a suitable variety of methods that enables students to make good progress. Students appreciate the good opportunities for self- and peer assessment. Teachers check learning frequently to ensure all students are making good progress and give constructive oral feedback. Teachers give detailed written feedback on their marked work and to students and this helps them improve their work. Regular assessment of progress and target-setting motivates students to achieve higher grades.  Skills in literacy and numeracy are now being assessed before the start of the course. The process is thorough and as a result, appropriate support is promptly provided. The college’s strategy to ensure that all students who have not achieved high grades in GCSE English and mathematics study these subjects is successful, with larger numbers studying these subjects than in previous years.  In the majority of subject areas teachers skilfully develop all students English and mathematical skills. For those students who complete a GCSE in these subjects the pass rates and the achievement of high grades are very good. Many teachers help students successfully improve their English and mathematics by integrating subject-specific examples into lessons. For example, a history teacher sets students a task to assess how Cardinal Wolsey’s income is affected after he lost his post as chancellor. However, not all subject teachers set tasks that help students extend their mathematical or English skills.  Teachers implement the requirements of study programmes well, but not enough students take up external work placements. Business studies and ICT students develop employability skills in interviewing, team working, and communication. Hairdressing students develop their technical and customer skills in the college salon.  Teachers and progress mentors monitor students’ progress thoroughly and students know how well they are doing and where to go for extra help. Students value the support with their studies from University students. Not all students achieve high target grades because they are not challenged sufficiently. Teachers provide good individual advice and guidance that helps ensure that students choose the right course and career path, and progress between levels and to

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higher education; as a result, more students are staying on than in previous years. Particularly good support helps an increasing number of students with lower levels of prior ability, including those with additional needs, to participate and stay on their programme. Strong pastoral support and advice on overcoming barriers to successful learning help the majority of students stay engaged.  Many teachers plan well to ensure that all students can participate and have good knowledge of their individual needs. They promote a strong culture of fairness and respect. Students behave particularly well at college and respect each other and their teachers. The college runs effective programmes to teach students how to understand world issues and recognise the risks and dangers of radicalisation. Not all teachers make sufficient use of the curriculum to promote debate and extend students’ knowledge of wider equality and diversity issues.

16-19 study programmes Health and social care

Good

Teaching, learning, and assessment in health and social care are good because:

 outcomes for students have improved and are now high on level 3 and good on level 2 programmes; students enjoy their learning and make good progress; growing numbers progress to higher education, for example to nursing and social work  very good pastoral and academic support ensures students are on the correct programme, achieve and progress to the next level of study or employment; additional support for those with specific needs includes home visits, help with health issues and drop-in workshops at half term and holidays enabling students to gain higher grades  teachers know their students well and inspire them to aim high through a range of well-planned learning opportunities encouraging individual reflection, problem solving and research  creative use of information learning technology promotes and enhances learning very well through the use of mobile phones with a range of apps, tablets, virtual learning platforms and learner blogs for sharing ideas and extending the good resources which reflect diversity well  English is developed well throughout sessions, for example, creating new words out of the ‘word of the week’, the use of technical language used in health and social care; marked work highlights spelling and grammatical errors  assessment is fair, rigorous and timely; it includes peer and self-assessment that helps to improve students’ confidence and their ability to sensitively work with others through, for example, critically reviewing work with constructive feedback on health promotion posters  strong links with employers provide well-planned placements and facilitate in college activities; level 2 students planned a range of activities to meet the needs and interests of residents of a care home, demonstrating understanding of person-centred care and respect for others; external speakers and visits to a mosque raise understanding of wider issues.

Teaching, learning, and assessment in health and social care are not yet outstanding because:

 insufficient opportunities are provided to embed mathematics and appreciate the importance of working in the care sector  limited opportunities are available for teachers to carry out industrial updates to gain deeper understanding of current issues facing the sector and encourage students to make better use of work placement to enhance and extend their learning  attendance is low.

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16-19 study programmes Science and mathematics Good

Teaching, learning, and assessment in science and mathematics are good because:

 success rates are broadly in line with the high national rates and in previous years most students achieve grades in line with expectations  teachers plan assessment well and provide valuable feedback to students who follow up comments and advice and improve their work; as a result, current students’ progress is now good and in many classes a high proportion of students are on track to achieve grades above their minimum target grade  teachers create stimulating learning environments with very good displays that help to promote students’ excellent attitudes to learning; students make good use of the study area adjacent to the science laboratories  English and mathematics are developed well in lessons, teachers explain and emphasise subject-specific vocabulary and encourage students to use it in discussions and answers to questions; teachers make good use of opportunities to broaden students’ general vocabulary, for example through emphasising the ‘word of the week’ and using it frequently in context  teachers plan lessons well; they provide a good range of learning activities to involve students, develop understanding of concepts through well-sequenced tasks and take individual needs into account when planning group and paired work  teachers use a range of techniques to encourage students to become self-reliant and take responsibility for their own learning; students gain in confidence and self-esteem and develop personal skills that contribute well to their employability  teachers and students use information and learning technology very effectively to aid understanding and reinforce learning; for example, there are wide-ranging materials on the VLE, students make good use of mobile phone apps, and relevant information about courses is exchanged through social media  teachers provide a good range of enrichment activities including trips, visits, and speakers that enhance student experiences and understanding  students who need additional support or who have difficulty with particular topics attend extra sessions where teachers provide valuable individual help so that they can catch up  students receive suitable information, advice and guidance; initial assessment is effective in ensuring that students are placed on appropriate courses that fit their career aspirations.

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

 attendance in GCSE and vocational science classes requires improvement because absence hinders the progress of a minority of students  students are set minimum target grades that are sometimes lower than their true potential and a minority of teachers do not set high expectations or give enough attention to higher aspirational target grades  most students on vocational science courses do not participate in related work experience even when they intend to seek employment after completing the course  in a minority of lessons teachers do not check understanding thoroughly enough, teachers give answers too readily rather than encouraging students to work out problems for themselves  teachers treat all students fairly and a culture of mutual respect is evident but teachers only infrequently refer specifically to equality and diversity issues in lessons.

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16-19 study programmes ICT for practitioners Good

Teaching, learning, and assessment in ICT are good because:

 outcomes for students on the majority of programmes are good and very good on A-level ICT; in the current year retention has improved and is now high  students are developing a wide range of technical skills essential for employment within the IT sector; students make good use of excellent realistic facilities such as the development network  teachers make good use of learning resources within lessons such as the virtual learning environment to enrich learning and encourage students’ progress; frequent use of information learning technology such as the creative use of smart phones to create experiments on data collection which develop students understanding of data validity  consistently good teaching within lessons motivates students to make good progress; for example, a starter activity simulates students through the use of YouTube clips on printing a 3D car, prompts an excellent discussion with all students demonstrating a better understanding of 3D models as a result  English and mathematics are developed well throughout all lessons; teachers support students to correct spelling and grammar on their assessed work; in one lesson mathematics was developed through the teacher stretching the students’ mathematics skills by asking them to calculate hours and minutes left of the study programme  teachers use their industrial and vocational backgrounds effectively to enhance students’ understanding of the IT industry, for example, the legal issues around installing software on a company network  assessment is well planned; teachers provide detailed supportive feedback motivating students to achieve high grades  good pastoral and academic support; for example, teachers providing interactive on-line resources via the VLE and well-attended additional workshops.

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

 a small minority of teachers do not clearly identify individuals that require support and challenge and as a result, students make slower than expected progress  attendance is low on all study programmes and in some cases punctuality, resulting in slower progress for a minority of students  opportunities to explore equality and diversity present themselves to develop and reinforce students’ understanding, but they are too often unexploited by teachers  insufficient opportunities are provided for students to gain employability skills within the IT sector; only a small minority of students complete relevant vocational work experience to improve their employment prospects.

16-19 study programmes Media and communications Good

Teaching, learning, and assessment in media and communication are good because:

 a high proportion of students achieve their qualifications enabling them to make good progress to higher education  the pleasant, well-maintained accommodation and specialist resources fully support teaching and aid students’ learning

Inspection report: Wilberforce College 28 April to 01 May 2015. 8 of 16

 teaching is well-planned and accompanying learning materials are painstakingly prepared to a high standard and are of considerable benefit to students in developing relevant skills; in lessons students are focused, engaged and enjoying their learning  teachers demonstrate excellent command of their subjects; lessons are fast-paced and demanding; learning objectives are broken down into specific and accessible tasks and teachers have high expectations for successful completion  teachers use ILT well in lessons and students demonstrate good understanding and skills in its use; they are encouraged to use portable technologies in lessons and the VLE supports off-site learning well: as a result, students make good progress  the tracking and assessment of student work and progress is exhaustive and clear actions for improvement are identified; students know precisely how they are achieving and what they need to do further  teachers understand the learning needs of their students and arrange group and paired activities carefully so that students can benefit from their peers; in all lessons teachers and students are mutually respectful  when appropriate, diversity issues are covered sensitively through the choice of materials; for example, in film studies students had greater appreciation for the deprived lives of immigrants in Paris through the study of La Haine and in media studies the representation of men, women, and teenagers from other cultures is effectively highlighted  students use subject-specific vocabulary confidently and the importance of developing literacy and numeracy skills is integrated in lessons by teachers with some activities being particularly imaginative and accessible; for example, film studies students had to grade a particular film in percentages and then find a commensurate adjective to justify the score awarded.

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

 though teaching is consistently good there is insufficient challenge in a minority of lessons with a small number of students lacking enthusiasm and inquiry for their chosen subjects  in a minority of lessons high levels of student absence impact detrimentally on collaborative learning activities  the level 2 provision, though improving, is currently below national averages  managers’ and teachers’ planning of courses provide insufficient opportunities for students to develop employability skills through relevant work experience.

16-19 study programmes English Good

Teaching, learning and assessment in English are good because:

 a high proportion of students meet their target grades and make good progress against their starting points; current AS and A2 English literature students are making better progress against their starting point than in previous years  a high proportion of students on study programmes study GCSE English; of these, two thirds achieve high grades  clear and constructive feedback supports students to understand what they have done well and what they need to do to improve; work is assessed regularly and accurately so that students improve grades in coursework and examinations

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 teachers carefully check the progress of students and good targeted support is put in place; students are referred for help to develop study skills, others attend additional taught sessions  teachers use a range of activities which develop students’ subject-specific analytical skills and enhance their progress; students use a range of technical terminology to describe and analyse texts for coursework and exam; in a lesson on linguistic devices used by journalists, students used a range of terminology to describe and analyse the features of newspaper text  teachers incorporate numeracy skills where it occurs naturally; in a GCSE lesson on examination technique, students used and developed calculations to manage time effectively  teachers expose students to a range of equality and diversity issues through subject matter and context of sources, for example the newspaper article on Pharrell Williams and feminism and the Alice Walker text on race which develops their awareness and understanding effectively.

Teaching, learning and assessment in English is not yet outstanding because:

 in a minority of classes, aspects of teaching fail to engage and motivate all students; teachers do not always plan and prepare activities that meet the specific needs of individual students; students carry out activities which some find too easy, while other students need more guidance to complete them  students are set target grades that are sometimes lower than expected for the more able AS and A2 students, given their starting points  attendance at GCSE is low for a minority of students which impacts negatively on their progress particularly the achievement of high grades  progression from AS to A2 in English literature is low.

The effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leadership and management are good. Senior managers and governors have taken decisive action and have made excellent progress in addressing areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. Managers have tackled successfully underperforming courses and teachers and as a result, the large majority of provision now has high success rates in line with that of similar colleges. Managers have high expectations of themselves, their teachers, and students. They have made good progress in establishing the culture, resources, and support to enable these expectations to be met. Managers have an ambitious, realistic vision to be outstanding, supported by strong values, sound priorities and a comprehensive development plan.  Senior managers and governors have set a clear strategic direction for the college. They work successfully with the local authority and the LEP to ensure that provision is responsive to local and regional priorities which provide students with good opportunities to progress to further study, apprenticeships, and employment. For example, the curriculum is delivering local LEP priorities in engineering. Course options, such as welding and hairdressing, and beauty therapy are provided because there is local demand.  Management of study programmes is good. Clear progression routes are in place at all levels, with a range of academic, vocational, or mixed programmes preparing students well for the next step. Around two thirds of students have a vocational qualification as their main aim and many take the opportunity to combine vocational and GCE A-level provision. The design of programmes includes an appropriate focus to improve English and mathematics skills with more students studying these subjects than previously.  While there are good work-related activities, external work-experience opportunities are not yet available for all students. When they are provided, for example in health and social care and childcare, they are of good quality. Students take part in a good range sports, educational visits, voluntary work and other enrichment activities, for example a worthwhile ‘Preparation for Teaching’ programme for aspiring teachers.

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 Governance has improved since the previous inspection and is now good .Governors bring a wide range of skills and expertise to the board; they are well informed and have a good understanding of key strengths and areas for improvement, including any areas of particular concern. They provide challenge by asking searching questions of senior leaders and hold them to account. Governors support managers well in their drive to improve the quality of teaching and learning by a newly established ‘Scrutiny Committee’. They rigorously interrogate the accurate information they receive on retention, and achievement comparing outcomes with targets.  Performance management arrangements are good. Managers make good use of data to monitor progress against a range of performance indicators. Clear lines of accountability enable managers to tackle individual underperformance well. Lesson observations and themed learning walks are well used to support teachers, share good practice, assess aspects of teaching and plan training for individuals and groups. However, formal staff appraisal is too narrowly focused on performance in relation to a few action points in the departmental quality improvement plans. Effective performance management has led to closure of a few courses and effective use of capability proceedings.  Consistent, well-structured departmental quality improvement plans set out detailed actions for managers, course teams, and individual teachers. The action points for each course focus on actions to improve teaching, learning, and outcomes. New processes are having a positive impact on retention and performance. For example, a more rigorous entry criterion is ensuring that students are recruited onto the most appropriate course with a result that retention is high in the current year. Newly appointed quality lead managers, progress mentors and the teaching and learning coordinator provide effective support for department heads and teachers.  Aspects of quality assurance processes require improvement. The monitoring reports for departmental action plans often omit judgements about the impact of planned actions. Departmental self-assessment reports contain insufficient evaluation of individual courses and do not link adequately to the quality improvement plan.  The promotion of equality and celebration of diversity is particularly good and at the heart of the college. Managers successfully increase the large majority of students’ awareness of both equality and diversity through events and promotions throughout the year. Students with a wide range of abilities and from different backgrounds receive a high level of support to overcome any personal barriers to learning. Managers closely monitor performance gaps between different groups of students. Successful strategies have reduced previous gaps.  Students participate in many college and community events with equality and diversity themes, for example, volunteers have worked at a food bank and at a local community centre. A link with a school in Ghana has helped students to understand the impact of poverty in Africa. Students’ behaviour is good around college and teachers promote an inclusive culture of respect and integrity. In lessons the development of students’ understanding is not yet consistent across all subject areas.  Safeguarding arrangements are good. The college is a safe and welcoming environment. Managers work closely with relevant agencies and with parents to ensure that students are safeguarded. The few incidents that have required action have been well managed and reported to governors. The central register of staff cleared to work with young people is comprehensive and up to date. Managers are very aware of dangers of the internet and maintain a strong focus on on-line safety in its E-safety policy. There are strong links with local agencies that support vulnerable people well, including the local safeguarding children’s board. Managers ensure that teachers update their knowledge of safeguarding, most recently on how to identify and tackle extremism and radicalisation.

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Record of Main Findings (RMF) Wilberforce College

Inspection grades are based on a provider’s performance: 1: Outstanding 2: Good 3: Requires improvement 4: Inadequate Overall effectiveness Outcomes for students The quality of teaching, learning and assessment The effectiveness of leadership and management

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2 N/A N/A 2 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 2 N/A N/A 2 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 2 N/A N/A 2 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 2 N/A N/A 2 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

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

Health and social care 2 Science 2 Mathematics and Statistics 2 ICT for practitioners 2 Media and communication 2 English 2

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Provider details

Type of provider Sixth form college Age range of students 16-19

Approximate number of all students over the previous full contract year

1609 Principal/CEO David Cooper Date of previous inspection October 2013 Website address www.wilberforce.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 and above

Total number of students (excluding apprenticeships) Number of apprentices by Apprenticeship level and age

16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 41 0 181 2 1126 38 0 0

Intermediate Advanced Higher

16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 16-18 19+ 0 0 0 0 0 0

Number of traineeships 16-19 19+ Total 0 0 0 Number of students aged 14-16 N/A Full-time N/A Part-time N/A Number of community students N/A

Number of employability students

N/A

Funding received from Education Funding Agency (EFA) and the Skills Funding

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

Agency (SFA) None

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Contextual information

Wilberforce Sixth Form College is located in the east of the city of Hull. The college catchment area includes areas of significant deprivation within the city and also the rural East Riding. More than half of the student population are from postcodes with a high deprivation index. The majority of the college’s students are aged 16 to 18, and 70% of students are drawn from five partner schools in Hull. Four per cent of the student population are from minority ethnic backgrounds. The prior attainment of the majority of students is below the average for a sixth form college. In 2013, 50.1% of 16-year-olds in Hull achieved five or more GCSE’s at A* to C including English and mathematics which is significantly below the national rate.

Information about this inspection

Lead inspector Andrea Machell HMI

Two of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) and six additional inspectors, assisted by the Vice-Principal Curriculum 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 students’ 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 students 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.

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What inspection judgements mean

Grade Judgement

Grade 1 Outstanding Grade 2 Good Grade 3 Requires improvement Grade 4 Inadequate Detailed grade characteristics can be viewed in the Handbook for the inspection of further education and skills 2012, Part 2: www.gov.uk/government/publications/handbook-for-the-inspection-of-further-education-and-skills-from-september-2012

Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the guidance ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website:

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

Learner View is a website where students can tell Ofsted what they think about their college or provider. They can also see what other students 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

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The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for students of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and provider inspection reports, please visit https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/user. Piccadilly Gate Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted © Crown copyright 2015