Franklin College Ofsted Report

Full report

Information about the provider

• Franklin College is located on one campus in Grimsby. The vast majority of students are aged 16 to 18. Most students on 16 to 19 study programmes take level 3 courses, and many study a combination of vocational qualifications and A-level subjects. The college also provides a small adult learning programme, a large proportion of which is taught by a subcontractor through distance learning. At the time of the inspection, there were seven apprentices in training.
• There are areas of high deprivation in the area served by the college. The unemployment rate in north east Lincolnshire is higher than that seen nationally. At all qualification levels, the percentage of people in north east Lincolnshire who have qualifications is lower than the national and regional averages and significantly so at levels 2 to 4. In 2016/17, fewer young people in the local authority achieved a grade 4 in GCSE English and mathematics than was the case nationally.

What does the provider need to do to improve further?

• Accelerate the progress that students make when they study A levels in biology, physics, psychology and English literature.
• Further improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that teachers provide feedback to A-level students and adult students that helps them to understand how to improve their responses to questions that they may face in examinations and in their written assignments.
• Improve attendance on adult learning courses by ensuring that all staff set high expectations for attendance and follow up non-attendance rigorously.
• Further develop strategies to develop the skills that students need to be successful in adult life by:
  • carefully targeting work-related activities that students on 16 to 19 study programmes participate in, based on their starting points, to enable them to develop their skills and behaviours to their full potential
  • ensuring that adult students who study only vocational courses develop the English and mathematical skills that they need to secure employment or take on extra responsibilities in the workplace.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Governors, leaders and staff have created an inclusive, welcoming college that is firmly rooted in the local community and in which students flourish. Students are respectful and tolerant. They enjoy their studies and gain in confidence as a result of their learning experiences.
• The recently appointed principal has set high expectations for the students of Franklin College and provides effective strategic leadership to the quality assurance and improvement process. Since leaders and managers began to implement improvement actions, the progress towards tackling weaknesses identified at the previous inspection has been rapid.
• Leaders and managers use data well to measure the progress that students make. They quickly identify areas of underperformance and implement strategies to improve performance. Consequently, current students are making good progress.
• Leaders have improved the process by which they assess the quality of education provided, including at the two subcontractors that provide courses for the college. Staff and managers are increasingly self-critical and have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the college. The process of evaluating quality involves teachers and other staff who provide services that support teaching, learning and assessment. Almost all staff are aware of their role in achieving the necessary improvements, and most plans to improve quality contain sensible and precise actions for managers and teachers to implement.
• Managers analyse the achievements of different groups of students thoroughly and use this information to provide effective and targeted support for students. As a result, any gaps that exist are closing.
• Senior leaders have carefully reorganised the curriculum management team so that managers who have a track record of improving quality take responsibility for courses where the outcomes that students achieve are not good enough. Curriculum managers exercise their enhanced responsibility effectively to implement actions that secure improvements to the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.
• Teaching staff are held to account very effectively for the progress of their students. Managers have an accurate view of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and use one-to-one coaching successfully to improve teachers’ practice. If teachers do not improve to the required standard, they leave the college.
• Managers carefully plan the curriculum to meet the needs of students and apprentices. They also ensure that the quality of initial advice and guidance is good, so that students enrol on the most appropriate courses to meet their career aspirations. Managers form excellent partnerships with local businesses, universities, organisations that provide support to students and subcontractors to develop the curriculum and to support the learning experience.
• Managers meet the requirements of apprenticeships effectively for the small numbers of apprentices.
• Leaders and managers were slow to respond to the findings of the previous inspection report and, as a result, the pace of improvement has been too slow in a few curriculum areas on 16 to 19 study programmes and on adult learning programmes.

The governance of the provider

• Governors have a thorough understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the college. Managers provide accurate and useful reports to the governors about the outcomes that students achieve that enable governors to provide critical challenge to senior leaders.
• Governors have a wide range of skills and expertise, which they use well to support the principal and senior leaders to develop the strategic plan for the college.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Managers carry out appropriate employment checks, records of which they maintain comprehensively, for staff, governors, volunteers and contractors who visit the site regularly.
• Managers ensure that staff are appropriately trained and have up-to-date information about their role in keeping young people safe in education.
• Staff and managers use the electronic student information system very well to record safeguarding incidents. They liaise well with external agencies to support students who are vulnerable or who experience safeguarding issues.
• Managers monitor safeguarding incidents thoroughly and ensure that senior leaders and governors maintain a good understanding of the issues that students face. As a result, managers and governors are clear that anxiety and poor mental health are the biggest reasons for students to report safeguarding concerns. Managers take actions to improve the well-being of students, such as making yoga available in the enrichment programme and providing a relaxation room as well as providing counselling services.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers plan and use effective learning and assessment strategies that ensure that most students and apprentices make expected progress in their learning over time and a high proportion make good progress. For example, in health and social care, teachers set a series of high-quality tasks to develop students’ understanding of the communication methods used to support service users with a wide range of diverse needs. In mathematics classes for adult students, teachers use a temperature gauge for students to assess their own progress, and the teacher uses this information well to identify additional support that students require to deepen their understanding.
• Assessors provide effective support to the small number of apprentices. Assessors ensure that reviews of apprentices’ progress include their employers, so that apprentices know the progress they are making and how to improve. As a result, apprentices are making good progress, and many have gained extra responsibility at work as a result of skills and knowledge they have gained through their apprenticeship training.
• Teachers ensure that students develop the academic and vocational knowledge and skills that they require to be successful. In business studies, teachers encourage students to critically review their coursework conclusions to make sure that they have included the key elements of market, objectives, product and situation. Students improve the quality of their work as a result. In sport, students evaluate well the impact that bias has on the decisions that sports officials make. In an adult learning lesson, a teacher used the familiar context of a bicycle shop owner repairing parts on bicycles, tandems and tricycles to help GCSE mathematics students to understand algebraic formulas.
• Teachers and support staff provide effective support and resources for students who have high needs. Consequently, these students make good progress in developing their knowledge and skills.
• Teachers make effective use of learning technology in and between lessons, which they use very effectively to develop students’ independent learning skills. Students in mathematics and engineering use online resources well to practise and develop their mathematical skills independently and accelerate their learning.
• A high proportion of students develop their English, mathematical and digital technology skills to a higher level because of the importance that teachers place on providing activities that develop these skills in lessons. For example, teachers use and reinforce the accurate use of vocationally relevant vocabulary to ensure that students develop the literacy skills they need in their assessments and examinations.
• Teachers quickly identify students who would benefit from additional learning support and students who fall behind. They implement support and appropriate interventions quickly and, as a result, students make good progress and those who fall behind receive effective support to catch up.
• Teachers provide good feedback to students on most courses and have improved the quality of feedback that students on A-level courses receive. Managers have implemented a common approach to feedback in which students are expected to respond to the teachers’ comments to ‘repair’ their work. Students in business studies and psychology receive very good feedback and students take very effective action to improve their work. In physics, geography, English literature, biology and history, the feedback that students receive is not yet sufficiently helpful to enable them to improve their work and accelerate their progress.
• In a few lessons, teachers do not provide sufficient support or challenge to students. As a result, students in these lessons do not develop their knowledge and understanding sufficiently and, therefore, do not make the progress of which they are capable. For example, in adult learning classes in English, including English for speakers of other languages, all students complete the same tasks; for some students, these are very easy, which means that they complete the tasks quickly and have to wait for others to catch up.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare

• Students and apprentices are well motivated and enjoy their studies. Their behaviour in lessons and around the college is excellent. Students display high levels of tolerance and respect towards others and collaborate well in lessons.
• Information, advice and guidance are effective in ensuring that students follow courses that match their career aspirations. Managers have broadened the curriculum offer and extended the induction period. They use a range of information about students to ensure that students enrol on the most appropriate courses for their individual needs.
• Students develop effective independent study skills. They make good of use the time between lessons and self-study periods to catch up on work, prepare for future lessons and complete assignments.
• Students who have high needs make good progress in developing the skills required for adult life. They develop their confidence along with their ability to manage their behaviour and to work with their peers. This enables them to play an active part in college life and develop the skills that they need to be successful in the future.
• Students on 16 to 19 study programmes receive a broad range of good support and guidance to prepare them for progression to higher education or to alternative routes of further study, apprenticeships or employment. This enables them to make informed choices about their future education and employment plans.
• Students participate in a wide range of interesting and worthwhile enrichment activities that give them the opportunity to broaden their education and help them to develop good social, personal and employability skills.
• Students feel safe in college. They demonstrate a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe, including from the dangers of radicalisation and extremism.
• Students on 16 to 19 study programmes attend regularly and are punctual to lessons. Although adult students receive effective support from their tutors and make good progress, attendance on adult learning programmes is too low.
• Since the previous inspection, managers have increased the opportunities for students on vocational courses to participate in work-related activities to enhance their studies. However, the development of the skills and behaviours that students need for employment is not carefully planned and developed for a minority of students. Managers recognise this and have very recently introduced an ‘employability passport’ for students to use to record their skills and identify the gaps they need to address. However, it is too early to judge the impact of this initiative.

Outcomes for learners Good

• Students and apprentices make good progress on their courses. The progress that students make on A-level courses has improved and current students are making good progress.
• Students on 16 to 19 study programmes make very good progress on their GCSE English and mathematics courses, and the number who achieve high grades is now very high for English and high for mathematics.
• The proportion of level 2 students who pass their courses and achieve high grades is very high. Almost all students on level 2 courses progress to level 3 courses, apprenticeships or employment.
• Since the previous inspection, the quality of initial advice and guidance provided to students has improved, so that students enrol on the most appropriate courses on 16 to 19 study programmes. As a result, the proportion of students who successfully move from Year 12 into Year 13 and complete their courses has increased and is now high.
• The very large majority of students progress to their chosen next steps. The proportion of students who remain in sustained education, apprenticeships or employment is high.
• Most students produce work of a high standard that is well presented, and many achieve their qualifications with high grades.
• The very large majority of adult students who remain on their courses achieve their qualifications. Too many students on adult learning programmes in health do not stay on their course and achieve their qualifications. Managers have identified this issue and are no longer offering the courses.
• The progress that students make has been slow to improve in a few A-level subjects, particularly biology, physics, psychology and English literature.

Types of provision

16 to 19 study programmes Good

• Currently, around 1,400 students are enrolled on 16 to 19 study programmes, with the vast majority of students on courses at level 3. Around a quarter of students are enrolled on study programmes that consist of only A levels, and over a third complete study programmes that consist of A levels and vocational courses. A small number of students follow programmes at level 2 and managers have recently introduced a level 1 study programme.
• Managers carefully plan the curriculum to ensure that students follow an individualised programme that builds on their starting points and enables them to reach their planned next steps. For example, managers have introduced a vocational law course for students for whom A-level law is not the most appropriate course. As a result, the proportion of students who achieve their qualifications and move successfully to further or higher education, an apprenticeship or employment is very high.
• Most teachers use activities that develop students’ knowledge and skills well, and this ensures that most students make at least expected progress, with many making good progress. Business students were able to apply their knowledge of break-even calculations to challenging scenarios successfully, and they were able to improve the marketing strategy of a large supermarket in relation to the selling of misshaped vegetables.
• Teachers monitor the progress of students very effectively at frequent assessment points, and they provide good support to students who fall behind or who make slow progress. Students who face barriers to learning such as poor mental health or chronic fatigue are supported well by their tutors who involve external agencies if appropriate.
• Teachers provide helpful reports to parents and carers that communicate clearly the progress that students are making and what they need to do to improve.
• Leaders ensure that students receive high-quality impartial careers advice and guidance to prepare them for their next steps. As a result, students make well-informed decisions about their future plans. Students receive good support from specialist careers advisers in the careers hub and from their progress tutors, who ensure that students consider the full range of options open to them when they leave college. The ‘Franklin Professionals’ programme provides excellent opportunities for around 60 students each year to learn about careers in business, law, logistics, science and engineering, and health and social care. Many of these students participate in internships to develop their understanding of what it is really like to pursue a career in these areas.
• Students develop their English and mathematical skills well, which prepares them effectively for their future courses or careers. For example, in English language, students carefully re-craft their work to improve the quality of, and syntax in their research projects.
• Students show respect for the ideas and views of others. They work well with college staff and with their peers and demonstrate a good understanding of the values that are fundamental to a successful life in modern Britain. Many students engage in community- focused volunteering projects as part of their enrichment programmes. Students on level 1 programmes overcome barriers to communication to discuss and make decisions about photography that they carry out for a local community market.
• Students are aware of the risks associated with radicalisation and extremism and know how to report any concerns they have. Many students talk confidently about the issues involved. They demonstrate a good understanding of the risks of social media and how to avoid putting themselves at risk when visiting larger towns and cities.
• Students are safe, work safely and feel safe within the college. They receive comprehensive safeguarding training in Year 12 and a refresher in Year 13. Consequently, students are clear about how to report concerns and to ask for help.
• A small minority of students are not encouraged sufficiently to undertake the activities that would help them to develop the skills and behaviours to achieve their full potential. An ‘employability passport’ has been introduced to record work-related activities that students complete, but it does not yet identify the impact of these activities in relation to the skills and behaviours that students develop over time.

Adult learning programmes Good

• Adult learning includes vocational courses such as accounting and health and care, and courses in English and mathematics. A large proportion of courses are taught by a subcontractor, The Skills Network, through distance learning. Around 150 adults are currently enrolled on adult learning courses, but this number is expected to increase as the inspection took place during the enrolment period.
• Teachers use skilful questioning to develop and deepen students’ understanding. For example, in an English class, the teacher used questioning very effectively to check and extend the understanding of students who speak English as an additional language in the use of alliteration, oxymorons and onomatopoeia.
• The large majority of students studying English and mathematics achieve their qualifications. Teachers use an imaginative range of teaching and assessment activities that motivate students and help them to improve their skills and understanding. As a result, students who study English and mathematics develop the literacy and numeracy skills that they need to be successful in their personal and professional lives.
• Students develop good vocational skills and knowledge that they successfully apply in the workplace. Students on an early years educator course apply knowledge of verbal and non-verbal communication effectively in early years settings.
• Most students have a clear awareness of how their courses relate to their career goals and wider aspirations. As a result, they are well motivated and work with purpose and commitment in lessons.
• Students take a pride in their work and complete written work to a high standard. They develop word-processing skills well through the completion of their written assignments.
• Students feel safe and know what to do if they have any concerns, including if they suspect someone they know is at risk of radicalisation. They show respect for one another and work well together.
• Staff provide a safe and inclusive learning environment for students. As a result of the care and support they receive, adult students, including those who are unemployed and those from disadvantaged backgrounds, build their confidence and resilience.
• Leaders and managers collaborate effectively with local partners to provide a curriculum that is relevant to local employment opportunities and supports local community priorities. This enables students to make progress towards their career and life goals.
• Managers have developed a successful partnership with a subcontractor, The Skills Network, to widen participation for adult students who, because of their individual circumstances, may not otherwise have joined a college-based course.
• Attendance on adult learning programmes is too low. Procedures are in place to support students who have missed lessons, and these are mostly effective in helping these students to achieve their qualifications. However, students whose attendance is low are not acquiring the positive attendance habits required by employers.
• Teachers do not develop the English and mathematical skills of students on vocational courses well enough to prepare them effectively for their future. Around a quarter of adult students take only vocational courses at the college.

Provider details

Unique reference number 130586 Type of provider Sixth-form college Age range of learners Approximate number of all learners over the previous full contract year 16+ 1,913 Principal Mr Peter Kennedy Telephone number 01472 875000 Website www.franklin.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 Number of traineeships Number of learners aged 14 to 16 Number of learners for which the provider receives high-needs funding 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+ 12 20 116 94 1,278 35 0 0 Intermediate Advanced Higher 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 16–18 19+ 2 3 0 2 0 0 16–19 0 19+ 0 Total 0 0 14 The Skills Network Grimsby Town Sport and Education Trust

Information about this inspection

The inspection team was assisted by the deputy principal, as nominee. Inspectors took account of the provider’s most recent self-assessment report and development plans, and the previous inspection report. Inspectors used group and individual interviews, telephone calls and online questionnaires to gather the views of students and apprentices; these views are reflected within the report. They observed learning sessions and scrutinised students’ work. The inspection took into account all relevant provision at the provider.

Inspection team

Rachel Angus, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Tracey Mace-Akroyd Her Majesty’s Inspector Sarah Stabler Philip Pullen Rhys Davies

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector