Barnfield College

Barnfield College Report following a monitoring visit to a ‘requires improvement’ provider

p.1

Name of lead inspector: Matt Vaughan HMI

p.1

Type of provider: General further education college

p.1

Address:

New Bedford Road Luton LU2 7BF Monitoring visit: Barnfield College, 27 September 2018

p.1

Context and focus of visit

Barnfield College was inspected in January 2018. At that time, inspectors judged the overall effectiveness of the provision to require improvement.

p.2

Context and focus of visit

The focus of this monitoring visit was to evaluate the progress that leaders and managers have made in rectifying the four main areas for improvement identified at the last inspection. The monitoring visit did not include scrutiny of the college’s apprenticeships provision as the college’s funding contract for the delivery of apprenticeships was terminated following the previous inspection.

p.2

Context and focus of visit

The college provides full-time and part-time education across a broad range of subjects and course levels. The college has around 1,200 learners aged 16 to 19 years on study programmes, 700 adult learners and 100 learners in receipt of high- needs funding.

p.2

Context and focus of visit

The local authority for Luton, Luton Borough Council, serves an area that is high in deprivation compared to that nationally. Unemployment rates and the number of people claiming benefits are higher than regional levels. The proportion of pupils aged 16 in Luton who achieve high grades at GCSE including English and mathematics is well below the national rate.

p.2

Reasonable progress

Since the interim principal started in post at the end of April 2018 there have been a series of actions designed to improve the quality of provision and secure a financially viable and sustainable college. This includes the implementation of a significant restructure of staffing and resources at all levels, leading to considerable financial savings. The interim principal has reorganised the leadership and management structure to increase the focus on teaching, learning and assessment. Leaders accurately identify strengths and weaknesses of all aspects of the provision and have set about establishing revised quality-improvement and quality-assurance processes to secure improvement. This includes changes to how staff conduct the induction and assessment of learners’ starting points in order to ensure that learners are placed on the right level and course from the outset of their learning. Observations of teaching and subsequent action planning have been radically revised

p.2

Reasonable progress

to place an emphasis on teachers’ developmental learning. Advanced learning practitioners provide coaching and support for every teacher. Leaders and managers have reorganised how staff monitor learners’ progress. Clear plans are now in place Monitoring visit: Barnfield College, 27 September 2018 to task teachers on how they set, track and review targets with their learners. However, most revised processes are at an early stage of implementation and actions are yet to secure the intended impact. For example, some teachers are not aware of when they are expected to record the targets they have set with their learners on the college’s electronic monitoring system. This makes it difficult for leaders to assess their level of challenge. The interim principal has revised how leaders and managers are held to account for the quality of the provision they are responsible for. The performance of each curriculum area is scrutinised through a specific strategic review group that meets

p.2

Reasonable progress

termly. However, these review meetings lack the specificity needed to ensure that identified weaknesses are tackled against challenging timescales. There is an absence of planning appropriate actions to bring about much-needed improvement. Further leadership scrutiny of progress against identified weaknesses is planned through the quality task group and, separately, the performance improvement group. These have been recently introduced and are yet to secure sustainable improvement.

p.3

Reasonable progress

The quality of teachers’ practice remains too variable across the subjects and courses. As a result, not enough learners make swift progress from their starting points. However, the proportion of teaching that enables learners to make good progress has increased since the previous inspection. Where teaching is effective, such as on some courses in childcare, motor vehicle, music and media, teachers provide demanding tasks and activities that interest learners and motivate them to work hard and improve their knowledge and skills. Teachers deploy challenging questioning techniques that successfully draw out learners’ understanding and consolidate their knowledge. Teachers take into account learners’ prior attainment and starting points when setting tasks. As a consequence, learners of all abilities increase their knowledge and skills. These teachers ensure that learners are given time to practise and practise again to effectively recall and

p.3

Reasonable progress

apply newly learned theory to effectively solve problems. As a result, learners produce good standards of work. For example, in a mathematics GCSE lesson the teacher ensured that learners dropped their initial resistance to taking part in the activity and made rapid gains through sensitively and skilfully enabling them to solve algebraic problems. The teacher steadfastly challenged poor behaviour and successfully encouraged the learners to recognise how they could interpret the concepts of place value and expanding brackets and then apply this knowledge successfully through practice and recall. Too often, however, learners do not make the progress of which they are capable as teaching is not pitched appropriately to their existing knowledge and learning needs. A few teachers do not know the names of their learners or have any information on their prior attainment. At times, teachers overly dominate lessons to the detriment of

p.3

Reasonable progress

their learners working hard and making any progress. These teachers do not provide Monitoring visit: Barnfield College, 27 September 2018 learners with enough time to think through and apply newly introduced theory. They do not enable learners to practise new practical vocational techniques. All too often, teachers readily provide learners with answers to questions and solutions to problems without enabling learners to arrive at answers independently. Some teachers do not check if learners understand and can apply their understanding before moving on to another topic. Too much of teachers’ feedback and marking of learners’ written work lacks information on how learners can improve their work. Too many learners are not aware of the targets they are working towards or the knowledge, skills and behaviours they need to develop. Few vocational teachers effectively promote the value of English and mathematics in their subject

p.3

Insufficient progress

Learners’ attendance remains low, with over a quarter of learners absent from their lessons. Of those who attend, some learners do not turn up on time and some return late after breaks, particularly those studying English and mathematics and those enrolled on courses that are provided at the Enterprise Way campus. An assistant director is now held accountable for learners’ attendance and punctuality. Managers have increased the frequency of their monitoring and reporting of attendance levels to this assistant director. Leaders have established an ‘attendance unit’ that includes a recently appointed attendance officer with a remit to follow up absent learners and ensure that they attend regularly. A further three campus officers are shortly to commence in postwork to support learners at risk of dropping out of their studies. Their newly established role includes challenging these learners to attend their lessons and arrive on time.

p.4

Insufficient progress

Leaders have introduced a ‘Team 100’ scheme to incentivise and reward learners to attend all their lessons. They have revised the college’s attendance policy and ensured that there is a clear emphasis on learners with poor attendance entering the disciplinary process. However, most of these actions have recently taken place and are yet to increase the level of learners’ attendance and improve their punctuality to lessons.

p.4

Insufficient progress

Since the interim principal started, leaders acknowledge that their priorities have been to secure a financially viable and sustainable college and to improve teaching, learning and assessment. Their focus on curriculum improvement has centred upon ensuring that learners are effectively assessed at the start of their learning at the college and placed at the right level and course to meet their needs. Leaders have clear plans to ensure that the future collection of information on the actual destinations of leavers will take place and inform the planning of their Monitoring visit: Barnfield College, 27 September 2018 curriculum to establish pathways for learners to secure high-demand employment. However, leaders accept that they have paid insufficient attention to assessing the impact of their provision to effectively plan the current curriculum. For example, there is an absence of planning to ensure that the curriculum meets the needs of

p.4

Insufficient progress

local employers and the enterprise partnership priorities of travel and tourism, engineering and construction. As a result, leaders do not ensure that the college’s curriculum meets local skills gaps and provides learners with sufficient opportunities to learn, achieve and secure purposeful employment in local employment growth sectors. Monitoring visit: Barnfield College, 27 September 2018 the guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-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 Learner View is a website where learners can tell Ofsted what they think about their college or provider. They can also see what other learners think about them too. To find out more go to www.learnerview.ofsted.gov.uk .

p.5

Insufficient progress

Employer View Employer View is a 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 .

p.6

Insufficient progress

regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, 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 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to

p.6

Insufficient progress

the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.6

Insufficient progress

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.6

Insufficient progress

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.6